a little bit of everything, a lot of links!

Yesterday (or Wednesday if you want to get technical because overnights mess me up) I did this thing called "running." I'm not sure if you've heard of it? It's this form of exercise where you put one foot in front of the other, quickly, in order to move from point A to point B. I have not done this thing known as running for 2.5 weeks. I ran for 30 min on Wednesday and 30 min on Thursday. I am all sorts of sore now! Jeez.. I only took 2.5 weeks off! What's up with that? I would very willingly take weeks and weeks more time off, however I have a fear of turning into a porker. Seriously, I am legitimately afraid of getting fat. The fact that I am fairly fit is one of the big things I have going for me and I don't want to lose it!

I need to add some swimming and cycling into the mix, and probably some lifting too.

I have a few races on my radar for November. One is the Red Baron Half Marathon in Corning, NY. This race is on Nov. 7 and it doesn't start til 1 pm which is awesome. This was the first half marathon that I ever did, which I ran in 2008. The other race that I would like to do (I'm still unsure of the Red Baron but this one I DEFINITELY want to do) is the Run for the Diamonds in Berwick, PA. It's a 9 mile race on Thanksgiving Day. Berwick is a small town between Bloomsburg, PA and Wilkes-Barre, PA but the race is enormous and draws a very, very competitive crowd because the awards are actual diamonds. I have wanted to do this race for years but something always conflicted (or I wasn't in good enough shape to throw down a 9 miler). I think the stars have aligned for 2010!

And now for some  complete and utter randomness..

I ran into my new downstairs neighbor as I was leaving for work at 10:30 pm. Despite the fact that I was carrying my lunchbox, he told me to "enjoy my evening" as if I was running out for a quickie (I wish!) rather than heading into work for an overnight.

Last night's episode of The Office was one of the best episodes I have seen lately. I am a huge, huge fan of this show but since season 4 I think it's been slowly going downhill. And with the departure of Steve Carell at the end of this season, I'm not sure if I will even have the heart to watch anymore. However, this week's episode was hilarious.

KONA STREAMING LIVE STARTS AT 11 AM EST ON SATURDAY!!! (hmm.. I am not excited or anything). Currently I have plans to watch this with..... my cat...... in my pajamas...... with a whole bunch of junk food.

Also, I like to read important news articles lame dating articles on msn.com and I stumbled across one titled "What his favorite sport says about him" and OF COURSE triathlon was on there (woohoo!). Here is the excerpt:

As its name suggests, this is actually three sports – swimming, biking and running– merged into one excruciating but highly gratifying event. These competitors are driven, thrive on challenge, and they like variety. So does that mean they’re unable to commit? Who knows, but if you’re going to date a guy into triathlons, be prepared with a wetsuit and comfortable running shoes.

Oh boy.

Also, here are some more links for your enjoyment.

The Crawl (Youtube Video)

A really good ESPN article about athletes pooping themselves (seriously, read it).

And lastly, here is an updated photo of my healing M-dot tattoo!

triathletes are freaks

If there is one thing that I am sure of - it's that triathletes are weird. We are obsessive, quirky, and anal. I know it's not just me. It's ALL OF US! 50% of us have the same tattoo, and it's probably somewhere on our leg. Both genders shave a large portion of their body hair, we wear a lot of spandex even if we have no business wearing it, we piss our pants, etc. (It's a good thing I am arguing for the fact that triathletes are freaks, because I have that particular tattoo AND I do all 3 of those things!!!). I also have some weird rituals that I do before races.

I am not superstitious at ALL, except on race day. On race day, everything has to be perfect. However, there is a method to my madness.

Note: I am a triathlete. I may be on the bus to crazy town, but I bet many of you are riding on there with me!

My first rule is in regards to race t-shirt etiquette. Never ever EVER wear the race t-shirt before or during the race. If you have not finished the race, you cannot wear the shirt! You have to earn the right to wear that finisher's shirt! It's like going to a concert, buying a t-shirt and then PUTTING IT ON AT THE SHOW! T-shirt etiquette is being violated! I don't care if it's a 5K. I don't care if it's an ultra (do they even give t-shirts out at ultras?). I swear to god if I DNFed a race, I don't know WHAT I would do with that t-shirt. I LOVE race t-shirts. If they are too big for me, I sleep in them. If they are a tech t-shirt that I can't run in (it's too big or it's not a ladies-cut shirt) I keep them regardless as souvenirs of the race. But if I DNFed a race, I would probably have to cut it up into rags for cleaning my bike.

My second rule is in regards to M-dot gear/apparel. It cannot be worn until an Ironman distance race is completed. I fully believe that doing this will jinx your race (if you are planning on completing an Ironman). You have to earn the M-dot! There are 2 exceptions. If you complete an  "Ironman brand" 70.3 race and you buy finisher's gear (half-IM SPECIFIC finishers gear) or get a finishers hat or shirt, that is ok (it has the M-dot but it says 70.3 on it). But you can't finish Mooseman and start telling people you are an Ironman. The other exception is the stupid Timex Ironman watch or any other stupid Ironman thing you can buy at a drugstore (I have personally seen Ironman cologne and Ironman muscle ointment). I have the Timex Ironman watch because I think all of the Timex sports watches have the little Ironman on them.

My main problem with people sporting the M-dot without having gone the distance is false advertising. For instance, I am a girl in my mid-20s, single, and mostly only interested in Ironmen (yes this is true, and yes I know I am pathetic). So if I go to a race and see a guy wearing an article of clothing with an M-dot, I am immediately interested (if he's cute, obviously). However, if this guy is wearing the shirt and hasn't done a freaking Ironman, I will be PISSED and immediately lose interest. Once again, I know, I am ridiculous.

My next few things are weird race rituals that I have. I must always crumple my race # before any race. If it's a running race, I must crumple it before I pin it to whatever top I am wearing. If it's a tri, I must crumple it before I pin it to my race # belt and then leave it in transition. I have done this since running XC in high school.

I must always run wearing a hat. This is regardless of whether I am racing or just running. I HAVE to wear a hat, visor, or winter hat to keep my hair from blowing all over the place and annoying the be-jesus out of me.

I must only race in a specific pair of green Balega socks that I own. Typically I only put socks on for the run. If it's an Ironman (where I wear socks on the bike as well) I have a different pair of socks to wear on the bike and I change into the green socks for the run. For winter races I have some socks that are cut higher than my green socks that I will wear in order to keep my ankles covered, but winter races are not races that I really care about, therefore the green sock rule is void during months where snow is on the ground.

These are my rules. Yes, they are crazy and at times they are arbitrary. If you want to run in your race t-shirt, by all means go for it (a LOT of people do this) but I think it screams "newbie." It's like going to NYC wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt with a camera hanging around your neck and tall white socks. Everyone knows that you are out of your element.

You'll never catch me in either of those outfits!

hot for Chrissie

The story of the hour is: KONA is this weekend! I am super excited to stream it on Saturday! I cannot WAIT to see Chrissie dominate! If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of Chrissie. I would go lesbian for Chrissie. I think that she absolutely epitomizes what every pro athlete should be like. This is a great article about the women pro competitiors at Kona this year. I wish I was going to be at Kona! Gonna have to get a LOT faster to make that happen!

My credit card bill came in the mail over the weekend. I am a little scared to look at it. IM Wisconsin is on it! But once I pay for that, I can concentrate on next year because I am done with big purchases this year. Anyone who regularly gets Christmas presents from me, expect a hug. :)

I have been.. moody for the past few days. I try not to make excuses for my moodiness because I think that everyone has the ability to change their own attitude (excluding people with mental health disorders). But my moodiness turned into a full blown meltdown today which was not enjoyable.

PMS + lack of sleep + an incredibly stressful night at work + no exercise + other extenuating circumstances = lots and lots of crying

I am fine now. Sometimes, I just have to get it out of my system. Sometimes, I just need to talk to someone and secretly hope they don't think I'm nuts.

It did not help that when I went to Wegman's to buy some food, they did not have my favorite pumpkin cookies!

Some of the things in my life I cannot control - such as work being stressful. It is what it is. Last night was so horrible (I was alone at work on an overnight) that at one point during the night after having to redo a test 3 times, I looked down at my hand and it was shaking, and I was sweating profusely.

Some things I should be better at controlling - like making sure I sleep on Sunday before going into work. It's hard to do when everyone else is out doing things, and I want to be doing things with people that I care about, but in the back of my head I know that I need to sleep. What usually happens? I skip sleeping and go to work with a sleep deficit. Takes a few days to catch up after that.

Also, my 2 weeks of mandatory rest after Syracuse 70.3 are up. They have been up since Sunday but I have yet to work out. I want to run. I want to go outside and run (not in the city) and look at the changing leaves and feel the crisp fall air! But.. it has been raining for 2 days straight here in western NY which puts a damper on my motivation to go running. I might even ride my bike this weekend if it is nice out! Exercise makes me feel good and it makes me happy. I need to get my butt MOVING.

I really don't mind getting out of shape during off-season. There is some push and pull when it comes to fitness and I understand that I can't maintain A+ fitness year round. However, I do have a gigantic fear of getting fat. I don't like gaining more than 5 lbs over the winter. I NEVER want to reach the point where my pants will not zip up!

I promise I will have some workout/triathlon/fitness related blog posts coming SOON! It's hard to do when I am not doing anything. I don't want to rehash this past season. It's over. Time to move forward.

I am a financial guru

Yesterday I set up my "Ironman Fund" (and yes, I made the guy at the bank title the savings account "Ironman Savings" rather than vacation savings) and changed my direct deposit to send money into the new account every pay period. I also checked on my growing 401k! Look at me go! I am making grown-up decisions (it's about time, I am almost 27 years old). I should be a financial advisor** or something!

**I should definitely NOT be a financial advisor. Money burns a hole in my pocket. My "savings" account is basically just an overflow for my checking account and isn't actually being saved for anything!

Now that I have my hotel booked for Coeur D'Alene, I am starting to get REALLY excited for it, even though it is almost 9 months away. I am 90% sure I will be going by myself. This is fine. I like to do things by myself. I don't require a friend to go shopping with me, or to go to the bathroom with me, or really for anything. It's more fun to have someone to do things with but Idaho is pretty far away and who is going to want to fly themselves out there to hang out with me - super stressed out, freaking out, pre-Ironman Alexa - for 6 days? Oh, and share a queen sized bed with me.  Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE for someone to come with me, that would be really freaking awesome(!!!!), but I will be perfectly OK going by myself.

Luckily, my hotel has wifi this time around so I will be able to maintain contact with the outside world. AND my cell phone will hopefully work, whereas in Lake Placid it would only work if I pressed myself up against the window in my condo.

Anyways.. that's in 9 months.. no need to think about it now!

Ultra Adam's birthday is on Saturday (P.S. he is getting OLD! hehe) so I'm heading over to Syracuse sometime that day to celebrate with him! Some of the potential birthday activities that have been mentioned include: going to a movie, bowling, drinking, ice cream cakes, and strip clubs. Sorry Adam, I don't really need to see you getting a lap dance. All others are fair game though.

That's pretty much it for today. My 2 weeks of complete rest are almost up and I am itching to start running again! (Freak). :)

Ironman travel blows

My plug for the day: I am a new member of the blog 201Ironman, which consists of bloggers who are racing Ironman distance races in 2011! Check it out, and check out my intro post here!

Anyways, yesterday and today I have been dealing with the delightful fun of booking a hotel room for IM Coeur D'Alene. I have called every hotel in the area. Surprisingly most of them are not sold out yet. However, many of them are a little too far away to be within walking distance. The closer ones are all  more expensive. I am trying to do this without a rental car, so walking distance is a must. I just made a reservation for 5 nights at a La Quinta which is 1 mile from the race site. Not totally ideal but it's walkable. The room has a fridge and a microwave, free wifi, pool/jacuzzi open 24/7, and a continental breakfast! I will be in the room (and probably at the race) all alone so if anyone wants to come with me I will share my queen bed with you! If you are afraid I will touch you inappropriately at night, I will allow you to build a pillow barricade between us in order to make yourself feel more comfortable. :)

Figuring out flying is a huge pain in the ass. Do I box my bike up and Fedex it? Do I box my bike up and take it with me on the plane? What if it gets lost? I don't know how to take it apart OR put it back together! What if it gets smushed in the cargo area of the plane? How much is this going to cost? How the f- am I going to be able to travel for an entire day the DAY after the race?

Lots of lovely questions running through my brain!

I am driving to Wisconsin. End of story. It's only a 12 hour drive. I can totally do that by myself.. it might take me 2 days but I don't even care!

At the suggestion of my parents, I am going to the bank tomorrow to set up a "vacation club account" which is something that I have never heard of, but apparently it will shuttle some of my paycheck into a new account so I will never even see that money, which means I can't spend it! Momma says that I have to stop buying IM backpacks, and lululemon, and things from L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, and Vera Bradley! Oh boy!

plea$e help me

Dear Mom & Dad/Sugar Daddy/Generous Stranger,

I have started planning my trip to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho in anticipation of my race next June. Turns out, it's going to be expensive as shit. (Could Ironman be any other way?). Things like a hotel room, food, plane tickets, and race entry fees add up and I am poor!

Oh wait, and I have to fund TWO of these things next year! Hello bankruptcy!

Please give me money. Actually, please give me a large suitcase stuffed full of money because I also don't have a suitcase, and I will need one in order to carry things on the plane with me to Idaho.

Love,
Alexa, Ironman addict



Note: please do not send me money. I am only kidding. :)

everything in life is only for now

My entire life, I have striven for one thing - to find total happiness.

I think, for everyone, this is a work in progress.

2010 has been a emotionally trying year for me. In some aspects, I have been incredibly happy. My training year, my race season, my coach, and my team all have been amazing. I have achieved things that a year ago I would have thought were impossible. I have set new standards for myself and I am determined to reach them. My confidence in my abilities as an athlete has soared. I have made many new friends. I have become much closer with a few people in my life. For someone who tries to remain a reasonable distance from everyone, this is a big deal. I am not close to a lot of people. Every time I get close to anyone, I wind up getting burned and then I have to figure out what to do once that person is gone from my life.

For a long time, I swore that I was one of those girls that didn't get along with other girls. I only hung out with guys and that allowed me to keep my distance because girls don't bond with guys in the way that they bond with other girls. Now that I have some female friends that I would consider to be good friends, I realize what I missed out on for all of those years when I was hanging out with a bunch of dudes. I also have a coach that I would trust with my life, and I think that is worth mentioning because I am a control freak, and it's a big deal for me to put so much of my life (because let's face it - Ironman training is a huge commitment) into someone else's capable hands. I don't make the decisions about my training - Mary does.

Unfortunately, as I get older, my ability to trust other people and have faith in the goodness of other people is diminishing. I don't want to sound like I am jaded, because I'm not. But after lost friendships, and failed relationships, and getting hurt, sometimes I lose faith in peoples' abilities to love me as a person. I am who I am. Be it too intense, emotional, or what have you, this is who I am. True friends love me anyways. Do I need anybody other than that in my life? No.

So thank you, members of Train-This who are ok with me being slightly crazy. Ken and Kim have both dealt with my meltdowns. Poor Mary has dealt with pretty much every side of my personality. My friend Ari I think has even see me cry (how embarrassing!).

I am now striving for relationships with people where they won't bail on me no matter what I do (this being within reason..). It's harder to find than I used to think. I don't want to go through life worrying that people in my life don't like me. And if you know me, you know that I worry.. about EVERYTHING. It's exhausting. For years I have been a doormat for friends and boyfriends where I put in a lot of effort and never got anything in return. And I continued to hope that things would eventually change. But relationships like that do not change. I constantly worried that if I told these people who were walking all over me how I really felt, or if I let my them see some unpleasant side of me, that they'd bail on me. That just doesn't work. It's not healthy, and it's no way to go through life. I am done with that.

I'm going to leave you now with something from one of my favorite Broadway shows - Avenue Q.

everyone's a little bit unsatisfied
everyone goes 'round a little empty inside
take a breath
look around
swallow your pride
for now..