waiting for tater tots
...yep, that's what I'm doing. had a dismal swim this morning, so I am treating myself to tater tots.
I feel like I'm dialing in my times for the triathlon, and at this rate (the rate of my training results) it looks like I'll come in right around the 16-hour mark if all goes well--really, REALLY well--on the bike course.
I mean, really really well. I'm not sure if I just need to do more in terms of my gears or what, but it's starting to freak me out a little bit that it took me 5 hours to ride 56 miles. Admittedly, they were 56 very hilly miles, but I haven't actually improved on my times, really, except that it's now taking me 4:43 minutes to do the same four loops of that course. that takes me to about nine and a half hours. Assuming no more improvements...let's see...that's nine and a half hours on the bike, an hour and a half for the swim...that leaves me five hours to do the marathon after all of that, and that's not factoring any transition times.
Argh! Argh!!!
I don't *want* to finish just barely under the wire (it'll already be 11PM, for starters); I want to finish happy. Crikey. Well, we've got a few weeks yet to kick it in, and there's no saying if this bike course will be harder, easier, whatever than the Switzerland course. And anyway, I'll be on my bike TWICE as long as I have been lately. Crikey.
Anyway...what else? I've passed a very nice few last few weeks. I've been down to the city twice already and seen various friends. It's been nice to catch up with them, but I am still missing a critical few who've somehow not been able to work out their schedules. However, this Friday I am going down to the city to see Stickley for the Guggenheim's exhibit on Frank Lloyd Wright, and a picnic in the park of sopresetta and some good prosciutto might jut have to follow that.
On Sunday, Kate, Jim, and I went to see the incredibly well done Coraline. The main character is played by a 56-year-old woman, and nearly all of the musical work is done on toy pianos--or balloons! What a great production. We got to meet Kate's friends Laini Taylor and her illustrator husband Jim DiBartolo, too, and the company was just divine, as was the conversation afterwards at The Cowgirl's Hall of fame, where we ate a Frito pie and had dinner together. *So* much fun. And such a treat to be around such terrific people.
Here are some photos:
1. This is our new car, Erv. He is a Subaru station wagon! We like him.
2. Here is Laini looking agog at the photo she just took of the Frito pie.
3. Here are me and Kate. My hair needs fixing.
4. Here is our group!!
