TIKI HUT FORTRESS OF FUCKING...ER...SOLITUDE!!!

So it's really cold here. REALLY cold. And we've had a lot of snow. For the past week or so, whenever I look out my kitchen window at my neighbor's house, this is what I see:
That house has had no gutters on it for about 10 years, and while the new owner began replacing the roof 3 years ago, they never finished because they discovered the wall facing my house was rotted through. DUH!

Anyway, I've been looking at these awesome icicles, and since it warmed up to -5 today, when I got back from swimming, I decided I should harvest some of them and at least make a nice sculpture thingie in my yard, since the ice probably won't melt for at least a few days. So I began grabbing at them to get some really nice pointy ones, but I couldn't do anything with the one that has frozen all the way to the ground--it is just too strong! I didn't get really artistic or anything, but just made something that reminded me of Superman's ice palace, and this is what I came up with:


Not bad for a few minutes of work, eh? Just so you get an idea of how much ice I harvested, here's the neighbor's house after I pilfered:


But then I thought, hey, the Tiki Hut has never been outdoors in the snow...and you guessed it...

Here's the aerial view:

Here's the front view:

Here's the two horn dogs going at it, as usual:

And then I don't know how they got on top of that big hunk of ice, but they did!

ABSOLUT TIKI HUT!!!!

Cali Girl Barbie Directs *NEW* Porno TV Cooking Show!!!

Tiki Hut Remodeling!!!!!

Since I'm having quite a bit of work done in my house, I figured I should start on a remodeling project at the Tiki Hut. It's been awhile since the girls (and the one guy) have been able to play, so since they are going to need to relocate for a few weeks, I thought they better get some action first. Interesting choices they made, don't you think?

Luckily, I bought a new camera yesterday, because my other one was acting flaky since July, and as of this morning, it's completely dead. The new camera is easy to use, and I'm dying to try out its video feature.

I'm not posting my "weakly" workout totals, since I didn't get much done last week, but that's OK. I've given in to the fact that all this moving stuff around, shopping for home improvement stuff and relaxing afterwards is what I should be doing right now. I'll get back to serious training soon enough.

And oh, by the way, that 50K race in Chicago is O-U-T!!! I'll be in Panama City Beach, Florida, cheering on Shelley and Brett and replenishing my tan! No doubt I'll get in some running while I'm down there, but the date I'm putting on my calendar as the "official" start of training is December 1. Whatever I get done between now and then is fine with me.

Back to the Future Crackhead

I guess I've been suffering from PNMS (Post-NothingMan Syndrome) long enough. What's the best way to get rid of it? Sign up for something!

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2008-09-30 14:34:11.56 Order 197098-093008143329

MITCS (Midwest Indoor Tri-Classic Series) All 4 Races

The last time I did these was in 2007, and they, plus some awesome joint planning & scheduling with my former coach, got me on the speed train and prepared me more than adequately for Triple T in May. Each race is held all indoors as a 10' swim, 20' stationary bike ride and 15' track run. All the pain you can handle in an hour! Awards are by total distance covered, so obviously the place to do well is on the bike, and historically I win my wave (including men), age group, and many age groups beneath me on the bike. But that means I need to work hard this winter, and I think I'm up for it.

What I'd do in 2007 (you can check my archives to see race reports) was Friday was my normal swim and run, Saturday my normal 2:30-ish fucking hard trainer ride with a :30 brick run, and then Sunday I'd do the sprint race and follow it up with a 1:30-1:45 run. Nice! Repeat every 2 weeks for 8 weeks. While I had fun last winter/spring doing all kinds of Nothingness, I suppose I should reengage with society and do a few more "actual" races, and these are nice, because they are all close to home and fun to do. I've added the actual dates for the 4 events onto my race sidebar, in case anyone out there decides they want to join in on the fun. Historically, the series fills up by November, and it was serendipitous that I thought about these this morning while talking with a friend poolside.

Oh yeah--I was sick over the weekend and also yesterday, but it appears I've knocked that mostly out of my system. I am unsure about a 50K at this point--if I do it, it will be 50K of Nothing by myself on crushed limestone, as my legs don't seem too happy about asphalt or concrete at this time.

In other news, well, there's been a number of things spinning in my head, and I'm lucky that I have people I can share it with because it is too much to try and put here, and besides, most readers think I'm a little off the charts as it is! And I'm not the sort of person to sit in the lotus position under a pyramid and meditate on things (believe it or not). The way I work through stuff is to train, let things come to me and then tie one of my friends to a chair and make them listen endlessly as I talk at the speed of light trying to get the words out as fast as they are forming in my head. Sometimes I also feed them or give them stimulants to help with their attention span. Or I make them work out with me. All good!

Inquiring minds probably want to know the answers to a few questions:

1. Will there be more bike porn? Probably. Although my tan is fading and I'm not sure it would look very good. Then again, I'm fixing up my interior space real nice, so I may just need to take advantage of it.
   
2. When will we see more of the Tiki Hut? After the interior of my house is painted and I finish putting things back together again, which should be in 3 or 4 weeks. Believe me, I've wanted to bust out the whore, bitch and slut, but there is just no place to put them and besides the contractors might think I'm nuts. In the meantime, I'll just have to keep those ideas about what the girls might be up to to myself.
   
3. When will I be getting back to hardcore training? Tough to say...I'm still in recovery mode and taking it one day at a time. I don't need to be hardcore for what, 8 weeks? Truth is, I had wanted to do a 1/2 NothingMan this past Saturday, but I did the swim and my body said "you're sick" so I DNF'ed. Fuck. I really do want to do a 1/2 NothingMan as soon as I feel ready to do it, so it could be in 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or further out.
4. Is it true I'm actually taking an off season? Fuck. I'm trying not to.
   
5. What foods do I miss most now that I'm barely training? Twinkies and whipped cream.
   

Made it!

Made it to Lansing, MI on Tuesday, stayed in a dive (sort of) motel, had a decent dinner late and passed out. I figured I'd let myself sleep in, but then I'm used to the early wakeup time, which came in handy as I transitioned to EST. I woke up at 5:30AM, and after 2 bad cups of Super 8 coffee, I hit the road.

I think I was in Canada within a couple of hours. Crossing into Ontario, the scenery looked exactly like the US! How unusual! Getting through the Toronto metropolitan area (it's HUGE) saw a bit of traffic, but basically I had the hammer down, after learning how to spot the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) in time to slow down.

I should have figured I'd get lost or something in New York, and I made a wrong turn that cost me about 80 miles. But they were scenic :). If I hadn't made that error, I would have beat the Mapquest time by over an hour, so in the end, I didn't really lose that much time!

Before I checked in at the rental house, I stopped to get some local brew--Magic Hat (from Burlington, Vermont) and Lake Placid Ubu. I took all my stuff out of my car, enjoyed the view from the house, had dinner at Tale O' the Pup, and shortly after I arrived back at the ranch, Cindy arrived. Good times!

As you can see, the official palm tree of the Tiki Hut is at the ready, and I guess I decided to abuse it. I'm sure there will be additional palm tree rides as the weekend progresses.

The weather is beautiful, and I'm going for a swim soon. As of right now, weather for Sunday looks excellent, but that could change. Meanwhile, TV's in the lodge are set to TWC.

Later!

Another Good Long Run Today and a Cleansing Ceremony

First, you need to go look at the pics of my Tiki Hut and Assorted Other Important Things Cleansing Ceremony! As per the set description, I received the copper pyramid 2 days ago from my friend Susan who lives near Vegas. I knew right away what I needed to do with it, only I didn't have time until this morning (Tiki Hut pics are usually taken quite early in the day).

I had my alarm set for 4:30AM, but I woke up at 3AM and figured I'd just get up and get going, so I had time to cleanse the Tiki Hut and other stuff.

I actually started running around 5:45AM (at Waterfall Glen), and it was nice and cool--maybe 54. I was even a bit chilled as I started out, but this is ideal running weather, so it wasn't long before I was quite comfortable. I ended up doing 2 out-and-backs--the first was a little over 10 miles and the second 4+, for a total of almost 15 miles. My legs were toasted when I started, as I've been hitting it hard for many weeks now. But the coolness helped, and I didn't feel that badly on the first out-and-back. On my way back in on that one, I stopped to talk to a birder, and asked what she was seeing (I had already seen another 2 Indigo Buntings). She told me she's conducting a bird count based on hearing songs and sightings, and she listed off a bunch of birds that are in there. One she mentioned is cuckoo! So now I need to spot one myself.

I saw a couple of deer, about 6 packs of cross country boys and girls (and I was running well whenever they came by, THANK GOD), and a group of 3 runners where I know one of them. I guess I'm just in 100% HTFU mode, because I showed my fist with the HTFU bracelet and yelled at them, "HARDEN THE FUCK UP, PEOPLE!" I was smiling as I said it though, because I was already about 9 miles into my run.

I made today's run harder by running to the Mile 5 marker on my first out-and-back. Mile 5 is a lot of downhill, which means you climb out of this hole on the way back. Yes, it's still hard, no matter when I do it! After that, I noticed that my hamstrings felt pretty shot, but surprisingly, not my quads. Oh well!

Near the end of the run, I saw 2 girls with these fabric things that I thought were flags, but they were draping them over the foliage on the side of the trail. I stopped to ask what they were doing, and they said they were trying to capture ticks! I assumed deer ticks, and they said yes. Deer ticks that carry Lyme disease are quite small--I've seen many regulation dog ticks in there. Speaking of dogs, there were several totally well behaved ones in there that I stopped to pet. Katy, the Irish Setter, and Dupres, the border collie mix. I told the girls that I rather despise ticks, but I do realize the ecological niche they serve.

When I finished, there were two State Police parked right near my car, and I asked one of them to take the picture of me you see. Most people have no qualms about taking pics, but they seemed a little surprised. I told them it was for my blog. Maybe I should have said it was for evidence?

As usual, I drank Coke while I ran, and I guess I'm doing better than I thought I would be by this point in the day, because I've been able to not only stay awake at work, but also get in 55' of lifting! Tomorrow I am taking the day off from work and doing a 3800m TT swim and then a 1:30 ride. Looking at my training schedule, I'm riding Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday! Lots of riding--just the way I like it--also 2 brick runs on the weekend, so this is plenty intense training if you ask me!

But I'm feeling pretty good and I think some of the "cleansing" I did this morning is already working :)

Thanks, Susan!

Tiki Hut Residents Celebrate Great Triple T Performance

...and everyone appears to be getting some satisfaction...

Over and Out

I'm almost completely packed for Triple T, and soon it will be time to see if it all fits in my car! Packing for this is like packing for a full week vacation, except that you also need all your triathlon gear! Once I put everything in my car, my house will be as clean as it gets.

I probably won't have Internet access this weekend, and I wouldn't have much time to post even if I did, so you'll need to live without me until Tuesday :(. But trust that there will be a ton of pics, and when I get around to it, a HUGE race report.

Weather looks absolutely gorgeous for us:
Thursday
Partly Cloudy
70° F | 45° F
21° C | 7° C

Friday
Partly Cloudy
70° F | 43° F
21° C | 6° C

Saturday
Partly Cloudy
74° F | 54° F
23° C | 12° C

Sunday
Clear
79° F | 61° F
26° C | 16° C

Monday
Partly Cloudy
85° F | 63° F
29° C | 17° C

There will be true suffering on Sunday for some people; for me--well, I've done all this in training and then some, and this is my big celebration of finally getting away from home for the first time since NothingMan last September. There are 3 Canadian boys staying with me in the Tiki Hut, and we have a hot tub, so do the math! Gordo Byrn and Joe Bonness are racing, so when I'm back I'll be able to name drop like a fool!

I am approaching the closing of my Dad's estate, and I think he would be proud of me for getting it done quickly and efficiently, while still managing to be the Crackhead that I am. I know I'll be thinking about him and Mom many times this weekend, and if I shed any tears, they will be tears of joy for the wonderful gifts I have received from them--my intelligence, strength, drive and ambition, my constant quest for joy in my life, compassion, deep thinking, and the ability to help others find their way in this existence. This will be the first time I'm racing as an orphan, but I won't ever be alone since I'll have Mom and Dad's memory and the love of good friends with me this weekend.

Do I care how I place this weekend? Yes and no. Of course I care--I'm no slacker. But I can tell you this--I think I'll be sporting the biggest smile of any competitor. I'm just so grateful for my health and the means to do this.

This weekend is all about the Crackhead motto:
--Harder, longer, faster, tougher--REPEAT

Although I should add something to it:
--Harder, longer, faster, tougher, make it FUN and be GRATEFUL--REPEAT

Hope your weekend is great!

Tiki Hut Upgrades

Told ya, peeps!

Food, Awesome Deal for Ladies and General Updates

First pic is last night's dinner--it's farfalle with a sausage, tomato and cabbage sauce, and Ahi tuna seared in a sauce of Marsala, Vidalia onions and ordinary white mushrooms. Man can I cook or what? Notice the tri content--just got Inside (but you already knew all this crap) Triathlon, and I guess to match Tri(constantly repeating content)Athlete magazine, the feature is on the physique. They shoulda put me in there, I swear. Anyway, when you get it, you will see that some of the women weigh EVEN LESS THAN ME!!! I am 5'3" 110 pounds, and on page 55 you see this woman who is only 37, 5'3" 108 pounds, and while she is quite lean, I think I look better than her, so I guess those 2 pounds I have on her are good stuff! Anyway, it goes to show you why when someone says I'm skinny I sometimes go postal on them because I'm not.

The other 2 pics are of a backpack that I bought specifically for when I start riding a bike (the MTB) to the outdoor pool in a month. It's fucking awesome! I got it at the online Kiefer store for $25 plus whatever shipping, and it retails for $45. I'm thinking Kiefer made a mistake with the pricing since you can't find that low of a price anywhere else. As you can see, it also comes in blue. Anyway, I found its measurements (17" x 12.5", but I think it's actually bigger) and figured it would hold my kickboard (they don't supply those at my outdoor pool) and all my other crap. Which is why I took a pic of the kickboard, pull buoy and fins in there, and there's boatloads more room. It also has little pockets for an iPod, goggles and other stuff. The only thing is there is no mesh bag inside, but hey, I always bring plastic grocery bags for my wet crap. Anyway, I love how pink it is, to the point of *SHININESS*.

In other news, I received a bunch of plants that I ordered yesterday, so I'm going to have to plant those this weekend as well as a bunch of flower seeds. I have some interior painting touchups to do, I need new garden hoses (and I found *pink* ones!) and may need to make another trip to the bike shop if my MTB is ready with new pedals and shoes. Oh, and the Barbies got some new digs--let's just say the Tiki Hut is getting a severe upgrade.

In other news, as you can see from the time I posted this, I am still not sleeping much, but seem to feel OK. This week is pure madness with all the training I'm doing. I already did dishes this morning because, well the amount of bottles was getting out of control. And then I'm cooking, too, so it just adds up. I don't know how you people manage in households with multiple people--just my own bottle/dishes mess plus laundry plus general triathlon crap strewn everywhere is enough to make someone go crazy--duh, I already am :)

What the Hell am I Doing????

I'm actually in the Tiki Hut trainin' for Triple T and IMLP.

And then I'm going to the Tiki Bar...I'm meeting my hottie tri babe posse there...Shelley and Cindy.

Tiki Hut Goes to Sea World

Bet you didn't think I could get all these things into a single composition!

Also, there's another secret text message for someone...

Look out Google searchers!

Just Another Ordinary Day at the Tiki Hut

Saturday Morning at the Tiki Hut

Overtrained and What I'm Doing About It

But first, check out those bitches and their rides--a lobster, a trout and a chicken. Feel free to pilfer the photo and caption it here.

I was starting to feel a bit overtrained last week. Is it because I'd done effectively 2 HIM's in 3 weeks? That's part of it. But the training was feeling good and all. I am going to have to chalk this one up to an overload of life stress.

Even though things are winding down in Dominatrix land, every few weeks I've had the pleasure of being insulted, directly or indirectly, by one or more of my siblings. How nice! And even though I think I'm brushing it off, well, it does take its toll.

I have always had this thing about being yelled at by anyone--whether it's deserved or not--and I know where it comes from. When I was a kid, being second to youngest, I got to observe all the antics of my 2 older brothers and older sister, and I did not wish to be punished, so my MO became always be the good child. And I pretty much was, up until the age of about 17. Although from the age of I think 2-4 or 5 (I'm not quite sure), I did this thing where when I wanted attention I would hold my breath until I passed out and then sure enough, Mom would come find me and revive me. My parents thought I had epilepsy, but as it turned out, I didn't (although I'm sure there were permanent effects), and I stopped that behavior and moved on to more healthy ways of getting their attention--getting perfect grades, behaving well, watching after my little sister, learning to play the piano and trying to stay out of the line of fire with the older ones. Mom and Dad were quite the disciplinarians with them, and again, I did not want to get the belt from Dad (I don't think I ever did--YAY!) or the broom or whatever Mom had handy. Now, I'm not saying Mom and Dad were abusive--from what I recall, it was just good old tough love. Nevertheless, I didn't want any part of it.

And you can guess where this led--to a blossoming perfectionistic/control freak/OCD combination. Whatever I could control and perfect by doing it over and over again and get rewarded or recognized for it, I was on it. School work, piano, violin (not sure why I stopped this but I think it had to do with the cost of lessons or an instrument), sewing, cooking. In my haste to perfect doing things, I failed to acquire or see the need for good social skills. I earned the attention of all my teachers, but Mom and Dad seemed to just be pleased that I stayed out of trouble. The same rules were applied to my business life, rollerskating/rollerblading, gardening, and you guessed it, now triathlon.

I did spend some time in therapy going over this stuff, and while I still have the same tendencies to want to be doing stuff all the time, I recognize that it's just part of who I am, and that in many ways (as I said a few posts ago), my greatest weakness is often my greatest strength. I mean, hey, I'm happy I'm good at so many things. I don't try and fight my desire to do things anymore. But sometimes I do need to stop and turn down the intensity. And I do work hard at trying to make and keep friends, although I prefer just a few close ones.

Of course, my desire for perfection has been applied in my role as Dominatrix (Executor/Trustee) in spades. The professionals I am working with are always telling me what a great (and fast!) job I've been doing. That makes me feel good, and I think it honors my Dad, but isn't it funny that even in his death I am still trying to show him how good I am? But it's the right thing to do, and I just don't know how to slack at too many things.

Now contrast the professionals I've been working with to 3 out of 4 of my siblings. No contest there! See I can never understand that when I think I am doing my best and going out of my way to help someone (and I am trying to help them get money, what could be wrong with that?) why they would treat me like crap. Hell, in the past 5 months more complete strangers have treated me with kindness than them! Thank you, countless strangers and friends who have been so considerate. But so it goes.

I know I'm still processing a lot of emotions because whenever one of my friends is having difficulty lately, it's like I channel their bad feelings and add them to my own. My manager sent this really nice video clip about telling people how much they make a difference the other day and I watched it and it just sent me off bawling for an hour or so. I know the bad feelings will dissipate, and I'm still much, much better than I was a month ago. Yes, I need a vacation, but I am still finding plenty of ways to enjoy myself until that happens. It's just still a bit tumultuous being me right now, and it's not entirely unexpected.

Circling back, I know this has created stress for me, and I guess I thought I had it under control. I still mostly do, but I have had to realize that 14-15 hours of training a week plus this shit has been overloading me. So last week I started to wind things down a bit, but I had great workouts on Saturday and Sunday so I thought I had things licked.

Wrong.

But you know me, gotta keep doing things to see if something will change or get fixed. Monday I felt fantastic swimming. But running later on, not so much. Tuesday I totally dug on riding my bike outside, but afterwards, felt like crap. Yesterday, the extremely long warmup of my swim felt great, but the anaerobic 50's put me over the edge. So I skipped running yesterday and I just kept eating and trying to rest. Here's all what I took in yesterday (and yet I woke up hungry this morning) in no particular order:

• Power Bar Triple Threat
• Some sugary Coffeemate in my coffee
• 10 oz. glass of orange juice
• Large banana
• Lean Cuisine (beef, potatoes, corn)
• Endurox R4, one serving
• 20 oz. Gatorade
• 2 or 3 pieces string cheese
• 7.5 oz. can of sockeye salmon
• 1.5 cups of a shrimp/vegetable stir fry (homemade)
• 1/4 cup of coconut
• 2 eggs fried in butter
• 2 pieces of toast with butter (eggs and toast were a 10PM snack)
  
• About 3 oz. of Gummi Life Savers
• Tigermilk bar
• About 1 oz. of cheddar cheese
  
• 1 Beck's beer

I didn't add up the calories in all that, but my guess is well over 3,000? I also took an extra multivitamin, magnesium and B complex. I'll take them again today. It's not like I'm going to gain weight--I'm trying not to lose anymore, because stress is catabolic, and I don't need that.

Sorry for the long ramble. Sometimes this stuff just comes out. I feel pretty good right now, but unless I feel *perfect* later on, no workouts today. It is really hard for me to hold back, but sometimes holding back is the right thing to do (and sometimes not, but that's another story!). I just feel like I need a complete year of "mostly good." But you know what? I've kept going through the last 3 years with tons of crap happening in my life and I'll keep moving forward. One thing that is critical to me is laughter. I really, really like to laugh. Hence the Tiki Hut.

The Barbies are bitches. Can't change that!

Amateur Day at the Pool

I guess all the people who swim one day a week choose Wednesday, because there was a continuous stream of amateurs while I was there, and I was in the water swimming by 6:30AM. I say this because I swim Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning (and sometimes Saturday), and I know that the Masters swim on Tuesday and Thursday, so odds are anyone who shows up on Wednesday is not there on Tuesday and Thursday, which leaves Monday and Friday and I don't see these people on those days.

I wore the pink Desoto whore suit (see post from a few days ago for a pic of me in it although not wet, and I have no idea what it looks like on me wet) and felt kinda nekkid in it. Shawn was there and he immediately said, "I see you got yourself a new party suit." At least that's what I think he said. I asked him if I looked okay in it, and asked him to be honest. He's married, but I know he flirts with other women at the pool, which is cool--I think that's part of the fun of swimming. Shawn does not need a nickname because he's a mellow dude and a good guy. Anyway, he told me I looked fine, and I jumped in.

Once I started swimming I almost thought the bottoms were going to come off, but thankfully 1) I don't do flip turns and 2) I cinched the tie fairly tight. I guess it was just a matter of getting used to a skimpy bottom. I mean I wear jeans that are that low cut from time to time and you just have to relax. But it's a little different when you are trying to stretch your entire body out to make it as long as possible, know what I mean? And they did gap a little bit at full extension, but hey, I shave!

Now, there was at least one amateur guy that showed up on deck that I don't particularly like (we had a small altercation way back when because he whacked me with his lazy stroking arm), who today catches a look at me and gives me a big wave and a "hi." I'm thinking WTF when did he think I became his friend, so I look over to the lane he is going to swim in and he's standing there and I swear he's got some wood going. You're welcome, El Dorko.

The Scenery arrived and got the lane adjacent to me which was cool, although I prefer swimming in the same lane with him, but it was OK because I've taken up a different breathing pattern so I was always breathing to face The Scenery, no worries there! Bonus is that the desire to watch The Scenery gets me to rotate better.

Huge Walrus Guy (who is actually quite a nice man and decent swimmer--he never collides with me and for his size doesn't make a giant wake) who was initially sharing my lane left and in came Skinny Scruffy Beard Guy, who I've yelled at in the past because he has a shitty breaststroke kick (if you can call it breaststroke) and has kicked me even when I've been way the hell on the other side of the lane. He now knows better to hug the lane rope on his side, and if I remember correctly, he, too, lingered on deck before getting in the lane with me. He had a look of shock on his face in seeing what I was wearing. He has commented from time to time, "You have a lot of nice suits." My Indian name is Girl Who Wear Many Colorful Suits With Words on Butt.

Skinny Scruffy Beard Guy doesn't swim very long so now there's an opening in my lane and I see Look At Me I'm a Fucking Triathlete Guy on deck. I call him this because of course he wears a swim cap from a triathlon, has a bag that he brings on deck that says "FAST" on it (he is a good swimmer), and some sort of designer water bottle that just screams , "I'm a big fucking dorkwad." Initially, he stood at the head of my lane stalking it, but he must have become frightened or something (maybe I looked bad???) and opted for a different lane. Which finally left me all to myself for my main set.

Huh...I guess you could call me the Pool Dominatrix. Thing is, everyone makes nice with me once I've pointed out that they have been hitting or kicking me, annoying me, or just being ugly.

50's, hardly any rest, I about died, and I was about done when Chad (a hottie, but alas, I have no pics of him) arrives, says hi to me and I could barely breathe. I toughed it out a little more, and then I decided I'd had it and I was done. I think somebody was trying to talk to me while I was organizing my crap on deck, but honestly I don't remember. I then timed myself in taking a quick rinso shower and getting to my car. 4 minutes flat!

Meanwhile...the Barbies are a little worked up and so decided to have a little phone sex in the Tiki Hut. Apparently one of them left a message for some guy...I sure hope he takes her up on it!

Return of the Tiki Hut

I think I'm overtrained, so I'm trying to take things easier for the next few days so I can still do Triple Dog Dare NothingMan. I rode OUTSIDE today for 1:30 and it was totally fun. Noodled around for a long time and then hit my interval loop for about 20 minutes of hard fun.

If it ain't hard, it ain't trainin'!

Oh yeah, the Tiki Hut is coming back online...

Weekly Workout Totals 03/10/2008-03/16/2008

I had some good workouts and some not so good ones. Proving that recovering from a HIM can be a tricky proposition. On the plus side, I swam extra, and totally enjoyed it, as 3 out of 4 times I swam the pool was nice and cold. On the down side, my legs hurt like mofos right now even though I just stretched, after completing a 2:30/:30 brick workout today. But I know I am totally warped, because when I hurt like this, I actually feel all nice and content with the world. I suppose part of that is because when you hurt or are really tired, that's pretty much all you focus on, and nothing else really matters. Part of the pain is from 2 runs on the roads this weeks. I tend to not break myself in all that easily from treadmill to road running--both runs were fairly peppy.

Spring is actually coming here now. I saw my first robins the other day, and today I checked around some of the flower beds and tulips are starting to poke up in the south-facing bed. I ran outside twice this week, it's nice to see the sun still up so much later already (thanks, Daylight Savings Time), but on the down side, my body is wanting to wake up earlier even though it's dark. I guess that means my winter of long sleeps is coming to an end, which it surely does every spring. Soon enough the grass will be growing, which means mowing, and crap, I need to order seeds for annuals and some annual flowers. Well, I don't need to so much as it's sort of a spring tradition for me--something handed down from my Mom and her Mom. I cannot grow indoor plants for shit (except for my pet Bonsai from Cindy), but outdoors, well, it seems I have a talent there, and it would be a shame to waste it.

I actually sat down and played the piano for a bit yesterday. That's something I haven't done in months. It reminded me of all the times I would play for my Mom and Dad, and how they thought I was so talented. I suppose if I had pursued that I might, in fact, be a concert pianist today, but thankfully I'm still pretty good at sight-reading and if I just practice a little bit, I can pull of some pretty good stuff. If I can resurrect some Bach, Chopin and Mozart, I'm a happy camper!

And then there's the Tiki Hut. It's begging to come out, but I have some other items I need to clear out of my house before I set that up again.

I guess that this week I'm reminded of all the things I really enjoy doing besides triathlon, which I don't talk about so much on this blog, because, well, this is Crackhead's Mind of Iron. So enough about the non-tri stuff.

If you're catching up on me, don't forget to read the NothingMan 2008 announcement below.

Weekly Workout Totals	03/10/2008-03/16/2008
Swim:	10000 yards (5.68 miles) in 3.55 hours; 23% of weekly workout time; approx. 1243 calories burned
Bike:	Approx. 103.55 miles in 5.92 hours; 39% of weekly workout time; approx. 2663 calories burned; Total TSS=463
Run:	Approx. 27.17 miles in 4.1 hours; 27% of weekly workout time; approx. 1858 calories burned
Strength:	1.64 hours; 11% of weekly workout time; approx. 410 calories burned
All Sports:	Approx. 136.4 miles in 15.21 hours; approx. 6174 calories burned
Sleep:	8.21 hours avg./night
Stretching:	2.32 hours. Massage: 0 hours

Tiki Hut Update: Tiki Hut Still MIA; Barbies get New Furniture!!!

The bitches were growing weak due to only have one rotisserie chicken and a few cocktails, so they got naked to conserve energy, and some silent patron of the Barbie arts donated a fridge and some new furniture.

Man--these bitches sure can eat a lot considering how skinny they are! I also have no clue how they hoisted that bike on top of the fridge.

Thing 2, as always, is being lecherous, hiding in fridge drawers and staring at the girls.

And what's up with those dogs?