Sportster

As most of you know, I'm a terrible hipster, so terrible in fact, that I not only watch and play sports, but I actually ENJOY them, it's true!
Today was a big day for me. As much as I tried to act like it wasn't, it certainly ended up being exciting enough that I had little knots in my tummy. I got a call yesterday from Bicycle Therapy letting me know that my bike was fixed. As a general recap, last summer my bike and I had some tough tumbles, tough enough to break me twice with the second tumble also breaking my bike.
A year later and nice new (and expensive) fork replacement later my bike is back on the road and so am I. As I walked west on South Street I felt confident in getting back on the proverbial horse and yet when my feet hit 20th Street, leaving me a mere 2 blocks from my destination (the bike shop) I felt my stomach knot up. Thankfully for me, no one that I know who works at the shop was in at the time of pick up so I didn't have to rehash my past bike woes and I was able to take my bike by the handlebars, direct her out onto the sidewalk and have a good heart to heart with her (yes, I was talking to my bike) before donning my helmet (ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET KIDS) and hopping on for the first time.
As my foot hit the pedal and turned it until it fit comfortably in the clip and my hands gripped the handlebars I could feel the fever coming back. There's nothing like being on a bike that fits you correctly. The pavement moved under me, my thumping heart slowed to a normal pace and I confidently rode from the shop to the gym and took out my U-Lock for the first time in a year to lock her up but not without smiling to myself.
I did it. I'm back on the bike and I'm refusing to make a huge deal of it except to say, I rode to work as well and the ride is so much less stressful than the ride I used to have from West Philadelphia to Center City every day.
Did I mention, just 25 days until my triathlon?!

TRIMATHAMAMLONONONON

More Than Success!

I made it. I more than made it, I smashed my arbitrary goals and made each goal I'd set myself for during the race....most importantly, freestyle swimming the entire time (never stopping to catch my breath and not moving) and never slowing to more than a jog during the run. I even managed to keep my legs moving 99% of the bike ride...I didn't even allow myself to coast on the downhills, I pushed it all the way.
...AND THE RESULTS!



Click on the image to read!

Race Morning

It's 5:30 a.m. I've been awake for a 1/2 hour and am sitting in the bathroom of my family's hotel room drinking a little black coffee (to ensure so potty time prior to heading to the race site) and eating Luna Bars (to ensure that I consume enough calories without eating something that I might ralph up later). My tummy is in a comfortable little knot growing with anticipation and my mind is set on the perfect two arms up in the air pose that I plan on striking as I cross the finish line.
The course isn't a bear but it will pose plenty of obstacles, like a rather steep incline at the exit from the river which means sprinting in sand barefoot and the strangest thing ever...winds coming off the river that result in you biking INTO the wind no matter which direction you are going (north or south).
Luckily there's a slight downgrade heading into the finish so at least I will make a good showing leading into each transition as well as the final finish.
At this point all I can say is, I'm ready, lets do this!

Dear Lord,
Please keep me and my competitors safe today. May we all find a little space for growing along the way and cross that finish line with the biggest smile we can muster up after 750m of swimming in a river, 17 miles of biking around said river and 3.2 miles of running...because THIS is what we do for fun!

I HAVE A BIB # ASSIGNMENT!

Hi friends-
Below you will find all the specs, maps, timelines for my race this weekend. If you have any questions please let me know. Thank you so much for your support along the way, I really appreciate it and if you'll be at the race----I can't wait to see you at the finish line/along the way. You're the best!

RACE TIME:
8am the first wave starts. I am in the 7th wave & will be donning a bright powder blue swimcap! There will be a few minutes between each wave so I will be starting shortly after 8am.

COURSE:
http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/pwt/pdfs/Swim.pdf
http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/pwt/pdfs/Bike.pdf
http://www.cgievents.com/cgiracing/pwt/pdfs/Run.pdf

These are maps of each portion of the race. All events will go through the transition area where, go figure, I will be transitioning from one event to the next. This area is located at the intersection of Black Road and MLK Dr/West River Drive. If you stay near this area you will see me 4 times throughout the race and be relatively close to the finishline as well. The swim start will take place in the water (meaning we won't hear a gun go off and have to run into the water but rather will be in the water when the gun goes off). This area is about 1/4 mile from the transition area so I suggest just missing the start unless you want to rush to the finish area of the swim portion.

DETAILS:
according to the web site:
park cars in the area of Memorial Hall.
PLEASE PARK CAR ON ANGLE.
NO PARKING CARS ON GRASS YOU WILL BE TICKETED AND TOWED.
DO NOT LEAVE ANY VALUABLES IN YOUR CAR.
*Walk down Black Rd. to transition area located on West River Drive (Martin Luther King Dr.)

SO YOU CAN SPOT ME:
My bib #: 609
My trisuit is bright orange and yellow


For any other info or if you're just curious about the race you can check out www.cgiracing.com and look up the details for the PHILADELPHIA WOMEN'S TRIATHLON.

Thanks again!!!

Love
Amanda Marie

A New Outlook

So it's been a bumpy road but I had a "come to Jesus moment" last night and I have an entirely new outlook on my race, or rather, the outlook I've been trying to achieve from the start.
This triathlon is not meant to be a competition for me, it is not meant for me to prove anything to anyone except myself and that only goes so far as "I know I can do this." This triathlon is supposed to be fun. Yes, I said fun. These are the sort of things I do for fun, namely, challenging myself to do something new. Now over the course of my training I've been telling myself that my only goal is to cross the finish line with a smile on my face. The thing is, that has never really been my motivation at the gym or on the road but rather "I have to do this and do it well." I am oftentimes my worst enemy, holding myself to perfection at all times, not asking for help when I might need it and ultimately attempting to do everything on my own without allowing myself to make mistakes along the way. Basically, this has been the tone of my training and it's beaten me up rather well.
Last night something clicked. Something in my head finally made the connection and I'm feeling much better about the race and not freaking out about it as much as I was before. This is not a competition for me, this is a challenge and my ultimate goal is finally what I always tried to say it was, to cross the finish line with a smile on my face. Competition can be achieved in my second tri, if I find this to be a sport I'm generally interested in investing time and effort into.
That being said, the specs for the race are as follows for those who would like to come out on a lovely July morning and watch me bumble my way through a 1/2 mile of swimming, 17 miles of biking and 3.2 miles of running. I'd love to hear your voice (over the sound of my own grunts and moans haha) from the sidelines.

I'm participating in the Philadelphia Women's Triathlon. I will know the day before exactly what wave I'll be in and you can see the courses at the following web site: CGI RACING
It's Sunday July 8th, the first wave starts at 8am
It's in the Art Museum district with the swim taking place in the Schuylkill and the biking/running portions following MLK Blvd. and Kelly Drive.

EDIT: And here are a few BEAUTIFUL (not to mention inspiring) photos from the Philadelphia Triathlon

ReBalanced

Well, Thursday night my friend Chris re-balanced my wheel free of charge so the ole bike is back in working order and so am I. I have a bit of a bruise on my leg where the car hit but nothing major. Today I had a good workout invovling 30 minutes of drills on a stationary bike and swimming 1/4 mile. It felt good and I'm feeling better about the race.
I have a lot on my mind but mostly I just keep thinking about kicking that triathlon's butt, I mean I have taken a beating for it so I might as well beat it back.

In other news Andy is in town for the weekend. I've only seen him for like 2.5 seconds but hopefully I'll see him a bit today and tomorrow. There's plans to go to a buddy's bbq tonight so that should be fun.
Next weekend I'm off to Boston to see my brother and his family. I can't wait to hang out with him and his wife and play with my niece and nephew.

I'm turning into a jet-setter...I've been on a plane at least once every 2 months for the past year. That's weird for me. I won't be able to do such things once I start at the theatre but it will be SO worth it.

Defeated

I don't know what's going on right now but I feel like God is trying to tell me that I'm not supposed to compete in this triathlon or something. I've been getting the shit beat out of me ever since I began training in January. First a major upper respitory infection that lasted 3 months, multiple re-tears of the same quad muscle, a rather eventful fall on my face and tonight I got hit by a car and am nursing a less-than-happy quad muscle that was rammed into the bumper of a woman's car.

I'm starting to think about throwing in the towel for this tri and signing up for one in a few months. Both physically and mentally I am cashed right now and it's a mere 2 weeks away. Can I get my head on straight enough to be a competitor by then?

It's looking unsure right now. I'm going to bed now. Hopefully I'll have things more sorted out in the morning. I feel defeated and I haven't even begun.

Here We Go!

My Tuesday afternoon was fruitful...not work-related, but fruitful:


I purchased my trisuit.

Head Over Heels in Love

Well friends, it's finally happened...I'm in love. His name is Stan and he's just about the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.
STAN:

He's a Specialized Allez Double and after just one day of riding him around town (har har that came out dirtier than planned) I'm very pleased with my purchase. I'm going to take him for a nice journey along the Schuylkill after work and maybe to Manayunk later. He's going to be a key player in my triathlon and in my commuting to and from work. I have a few things to change out (quick release tires, addition of a second set of brake levers, water bottle holders) but straight off the showroom floor I'm really impressed with the ride and the fit. I'm scared out of my mind to leave him locked up outside though and I'm already considering purchasing another beater bike to ride around town and just keep Stan for racing purposes. I have a second tri in mind in Sept. or Oct. (though that means I'll be purchasing a wetsuit but whateva) and I have my eyes on a few cycling races as well so the future for dear Stan is bright with use and excitement.
Oh Stanny boy, you ARE rather handsome indeed.