Name her . . ..

So while the rest of the country is in financial turmoil and ruin I felt it my duty to continue spending and help the enconomy grow. (or I just really, really wanted it) Here is my new pride and joy which is currently being built by Just the Right Gear - the greatest bike shop! Problem is I need a name for her. Abby suggested Bella, which I like but I am still shopping names, so give me some good ideas!!

The need for speed

Some that know me might call me a 'competitive' person. I like to think of myself as nice and relaxed and above the pettiness of cut-throat competition, but I know better. I, like most of us, like to win. Thus, I do triathlons to channel my inner competitive beast. I try to tell myself that I really compete with myself to better my own times but most of you know that's a crock - I want to win. Period.
Enter my frustration at not being faster. I am constantly complaining to my dear husband about not being faster at swimming, biking and running. My recent workouts have given me an insight into the WHY of me not being faster. I was biking w/ my dear beloved on Sunday & I clearly announced I would be taking it easy after a hard run that afternoon. As we started up Mill Mountain he started to get further and further ahead. I was cussing him in my head for dropping me. I was sure he was doing it on purpose. But in the end I rode faster and harder to try to keep up. So, I will attribute my lack of speed on the bike to my riding alone and at my own comfy pace too much.
The same day I went for a tempo run. After a 5 min. warm up I was to do a 5k at race pace. Ha! What I discovered was that I don't like it when it hurts that bad and tend to slow down when the hurt begins. Hmmm, maybe that's why my run sits in the same rut it has been in for the last year?!
As for the swim, I can't complain. I had a great swim last night & have my 3 x 300's down to 4:30 with :30 rest between. (Actually I got 5 done which is even better) But alas, being faster in the water without speed on the bike and run only means that you get passed on the bike and or run - which SUCKS.

The YOGA Cure

I am trying to kick my coffee habit. I have been drinking more and more and finding myself more and more tired in the afernoon, so I decided it's time to kick the habit. Going to work this morning at 5:45 with no coffee - ouch! Hopefully I made sense to my ever so patient client who is working very hard to learn to swim after 60 years of aquatic fear.

In another effort to become healthier I decided to give up my pre-breakfast breakfast that I usually have before I go to work. A gluten free waffle or two before work is just not needed for short mornings now that my exercise load has been cut in thirds! I was hungry and quite grouchy by the time I got home and my poor children suffered the brunt of it while we were in the mad dash out the door.

After returning home I decided to do a few of my new YOGA positions that I discovered in my new YOGA magazine that I picked up yesterday. Low and behold, twenty minuites and five YOGA poses later I wasn't so hungry and grouchy any more! Hmm, maybe I should be doing this in the wee morning hours instead of brewing coffee!

Goals

My wonderful client Anne reminded me today that it's time to set some goals. With the season almost over it's the perfect time to re-evaluate things for next year. I am big on internal goals and external goals. Internal goals are those that you can control - how you train, what you do, things that you are 100 (at least 99)% responsible for. External goals are great too, but you can not control them. You can't control how other's have trained, where you will place and if you will qualify. So, I always encourage folks to have both.
Here goes:
For the rest of the year and the 2009 season: (knowing this will be revised 10 times as the year progresses!)
Internal Goals:
1. Integrate YOGA as an equal part of my training to swimming, biking and running & build strength.
2. Knock significant time off my half iron distance - train to RACE a half ironman, rather than to SURVIVE a half ironman.
3. Lower my body fat and maybe drop a few pounds - but only for the sake of being faster and stronger.
4. Find the positive and the joy in all the races I do, even when they don't turn out the way I planned.
5. I wanna go fast, I wanna go fast.

External Goals:
1. Get fast enough to race in the open division without embarrassing myself. (both and internal & external goals.
2. Focus on the half iron distance enough that a Clearwater qualifying slot isn't a ridiculous thought.
3. Bring home more hardware.