The Bucket List

... no not THAT 'bucket list' - things to do before I die - although organizing this transition bucket may well be the death of me!

Started with a beach towel - picked the brightest one in the house in the hopes that everyone else will have a different color or pattern! Thought about it some and added a 13 gallon garbage bag to put on the ground under the towel in case it is wet...

bottom layer - I've 'swum' with the biking knickers on and am trying to convince myself that they help me float!

The more experienced angels have cautioned that it is virtually impossible to wriggle into the bike shorts/knickers after swimming as the spandex doesn't slide well over wet skin. Although we've heard liberal application of PAM cooking spray will help!



add the swim suit, flip flops, swim cap and goggles -it's been suggested that we put on our goggles then our swim caps - this will in theory help keep our googles from being knocked off - sounds like it would work... I'm still grossed out by having to spit in the goggles and smear it around to avoid them fogging up - we can put a man on the moon but can't make swimming goggles that don't fog up? I don't remember seeing Michael Phelps doing this!



after the swim, find the flip flops and land legs then hustle back to the towel, shed the swim suit, sit on the bucket to put on socks and shoes, add the bright biking shirt (drivers do seem to give me a wide berth!), biking gloves and helmet. A helpful hint we got on this is not to hang the helmet from the handlebars with the straps clipped shut because your fingers will be all pruney from swimming and it would be difficult to unclip the straps... I will also have to make sure I have my sunscreen and sunglasses ...


return to the transition area after the bike ride and take off helmet (don't want to walk in that!) and gloves, get my land legs under me (again), add sweat towel and hat, reapply sunscreen, and strap on waist belt with water and MP3 player - transferring cell phone, ID, and health insurance cards from bike bag to waist bag. [bike bag will be loaded before leaving home to be sure - I already do this each time I ride!]



so this is what everything looks like - adding a long sleeve shirt and jersey for different weather conditions - oops - forgot a towel to do a quick dry-off with after exiting pool and probably need another trash bag to put all the wet stuff in after the end of the event ... would start a list of all these extra things but then I'd have to keep track of the list...




Plus another bag with a change of clothes for after the event (if necessary) including dry shoes - and I'm sure we'll learn about many more things that would be helpful! Plus a 'colorful item' to tie to my transition area (I'm thinking oversize shamrock helium balloon since I'm going with the Celtic theme!).

After all this prep work the weather is again conspiring against us - looks like heavy rain and lightening through the night and early morning - I guess we'll just call the Y before we head out to be sure the mini TRY is still a go!

Here's what you missed ...

Have all my TRY treasures spread out over the bed trying to determine the most efficient way to pack my 'bucket' so that setting up and using the transition area when going from swim to bike and then bike to run will not be slowed down by having to dig around for stuff. Good thing I'm not planning to go to bed any time soon!

Also hoping to hear from the Y folks tonight as to back up plan for our mini-TRY scheduled for tomorrow. Weather forecast calls for heavy rain and lighting - if it is raining the swim and bike are out for sure. Can't imagine we'll be granted and 'off' day but don't envy the person(s) who has to decide how to occupy 90+ triathletes who have been gearing up for a run through!

Woolgathering over the activities of the week -

• The angels that were debating the fashion faux pas or evil eye from the Pastor potential for going to a School program at Church (hat hair or not) ultimately addressed the issue by meeting in the Church bathroom, wetting their hair (both have short dos), finger styled it and marched proudly into the assembly - apparently an air of confidence trumps spandex and sweat!
• Wore my bike 'knickers' with my swim ensemble Monday as a trial run and then rinsed them out when we got home. Let them drip the heavy water out overnight but they were still pretty damp in the morning and we had planned to bike in the evening. Clothes dryer not an option, don't have a blow dryer, and it was starting out fairly overcast that day. I had what I felt was a brilliant idea - clip the knickers by the waistband to a skirt hanger, 'hang' it from the front burner of the stove with the oven door open - my theory being the slight but steady heat from the pilot light would dry them out over the course of the day. This plan got nixed by the other half - being taller he was able to hang them in a window with the blinds up and the meager sunbeams from the day had pretty well done the deed by the time we got home. Fortunately we have very understanding neighbors!
• Have figured out the bike computer so my maximum speed doesn't remain at 22 (although that was pretty cool!) and the mileage will accrue each trip (well, as long as I remember to reset it!).
• Had an inaugural ride with 'baskets' on my pedals and didn't fall over (knock on wood!) - and yes, felt the burn of getting power from both pushing down and pulling up with each stroke. As long as I don't have to stop quickly I'll be ok!
• Had my first encounter with a dog while riding - a rather large (probably taller than me) boxer looking creature that bounded out of a side yard and into the street towards me and trailing 2 puppies - her ears weren't back, I think she was trying to 'shep' me back into the yard (possibly for dinner for the kids).
• Got the May workout schedule - Saturdays so far we've had 4 30 minute sessions of various activities. They're switching us over to 3 40 minute sessions - best guess is that since we have more 'stamina' we can do more! OY!
• Have requested permission to put a link to the newspaper on the blog so we can all follow the series of stories being published based on information provided by other ladies in TRY training - really interested to see all the reasons we do this!

What a Rush!

Wednesday our group was scheduled for core (which we no longer consider a rest period even though we're mostly on the mats!) and bike! That added several extra levels of preparation to our routine!

One angel has a pick up with seating for 4, and she arrived with about a zillion tie downs and her bike already locked in - she'd even taken it to work with her that day (about 25 miles away) to be sure the system she had in mind for transporting all 4 bikes would hold up! She's riding a mountain bike at present until she gets a new bike - don't remember the name but it had green accent paint and looks pretty nifty! My bike, the small frame Cannondale Comfort 5 (key word there is 'comfort' - the seat is the heaviest thing on it but I love it!), was second in - it's not too heavy and the 2 of us handled it easily! Bike #3 (a nice Schwinn Avenue - light blue paint job is pretty snazzy!) The TREK was last and we about tossed it over the truck hefting it up because it was so light - especially compared to the others! These 4 ladies all stayed in place just fine during the dash over to Vincennes.

Upon arrival we found out our story had been in the Vincennes paper that day and was creating a 'buzz' among the TRY ladies - which was the intent. We'll each have copies tomorrow for posterity!

We got another surprise when we entered the area for core training as the exercise balls were out along with the mats - this was something new for me particularly! I've had only a passing acquaintance with the balls - I see one and I pass on by - so most of my effort was directed to not rolling off the darn thing while getting into position to do ab crunches - surely my muscles were clenched enough to count as exercise! At first I questioned the wisdom of doing so many 'leg' exercises (we did Superman, bicycling, and one move where we laid on our back, with legs up in the air at a 90 degree angle, then dropped some and held, then dropped some more and held, then dropped and held - that was a treat!) but apparently they helped warm our muscles up for the bike ride! The reminders to keep breathing (vs holding our breath) were invaluable!

Another exercise in cooperation followed in unstrapping the bikes, getting them down off the truck bed, getting our helmets, getting my neon yellow shirt so that the cars would see me, loading up water bottles, putting on sunscreen, adjusting stuff, etc., etc. I'm sure we all provide quite the bit of comic relief to the folks who live across from the Y! I stayed at the end of the line so that no one would have to feel bad about passing me - and it doesn't bother me at all to be passed!

Got a little further up death hill than the first time, but at the point I was pedaling, pedaling, pedaling and going about a foot further I got off and walked her the rest of the way up. I made sure to keep the pace at at least 3 mph (doesn't sound like much but you should see this hill!) and made sure to hop right back on at the top. This time we went to the orchard as before, but then took a right and were to proceed down to Kohl's. Not being from Vincennes and never having been to Kohl's (and yet my life is complete!), it was a little disconcerting to not see any of the others right away, especially as there had been some talk about the horrible series of hills to be mastered on that part of the ride. As it turned out, these were not much more difficult that those I already cover on my local training route - so slowly but surely like the little train that thinks she can I made it to the top.

All the riders I encountered (on their way back) had words of encouragement or waved and this was great too! The way back was uneventful except for the ride down the hill of death when my speed got up to 22 mph - I just let her roll as there was no traffic, the visibility was A+, no sticks in the road, and it felt great! I didn't have to pedal for a loooong time along the straightaway! Total distance was 6.86 miles - I forgot to look at the clock when we left so don't know for sure how long it took - but it's not a race and the rest of the group was willing to wait for me, so elapsed time not a critical issue.

Repeated the loading up process and made our way back home - we must be getting into better shape as we were laughing and cutting up the whole way instead of the usual collapsing into a stupor clutching our water bottles and snacks! Unloading was also pretty efficient and I got home all jazzed up and ready to go for another ride - fortunately the wisdom of doing that was questioned and I had melon and a shower instead, which I am pretty sure I needed!

Weather is NOT cooperating!

Sunday was cold, windy and rainy off and on - absolutely foiling my plan to take a long(er) bike ride and try out the nifty 'cyclometer' - the idea is that it will let me know how far I've gone (miles), how quickly I got there (miles per hour), and how long it's taken me to do it! If I can do at least an average 8.6 mph pace during the event (you'll note we don't refer to it as a race), I'll be an hour in the saddle as they say! However, I had to make do with a quick walk instead as it apparently isn't a great idea to ride in rain / wet streets if it can be avoided!

Monday we did swim, swim, swim, and more swim and then we 'ran' (yes, I do use that term loosely!). We practiced more group swimming - not to be confused with synchronized swimming - by lining up in time order again (still near the back, and that's ok) and taking off at 5 second intervals. This time we swam (yes, I use that term loosely too!) up and back in a lane (with someone in front of and/or behind us and also beside us going the other way, plus traffic in the other lanes), ducked under the lane line to the next lane, and repeated the process until we had done 4 lanes / 200 yards. This is the distance for the fabled Mini TRY this Saturday.

Of course since I had done a 100 yard warm up I was pretty much toast by the time I finished my 200. We had to exit the pool and walk over to the (re)entry point to do a second 200 yard swim but since it looked to me like the more accomplished swimmers were finishing their second round and leaving the pool to change for next session, I just trailed behind and went to change. Lo and behold this wasn't the case - they were just pottying or whatever before coming back for some more activity. I didn't mean to skip out early - I thought everyone else was leaving - really - and yes, I am really going with that story!

We had brought hats, windbreakers and warmer walking clothes (I even had gloves) because it had been really cool in the morning - and overcast when we arrived. However, when we assembled outside for our 'run' the sun was out ever so briefly and we automatically felt warmer! Our group of angels had to leave early as 2 had a Church/School commitment - so we just did the loop around the YMCA (not quite a mile the way I walked it!) and departed about 10 minutes early.

Had just a wee bit of drama in the car on way home over what is or isn't appropriate or acceptable to wear to that night's School program being held at the Church. Is wearing a casual hat to Church better than showing up sans hat but with swimming pool hair that has been mashed under said hat during the 'run'? For the sake of discussion let's say it may have been a bright blue Cubs ballcap with a large bright red 'C' - perhaps with rhinestones in the 'C'.

I thought the real question was if one is showing up to said event in sweaty spandex, will anyone really be looking at the hair? However, I thought better of injecting that observation as it may not have been received in the helpful spirit it was intended (!). When we piled out of the car back in town the question was still under spirited discussion, so it will be something to talk about Wednesday night while we're on the road! Never, ever a dull moment!

I do remain ever so grateful that I'm not TRYing while also keeping up with young children's school, social, and sports activities at the same time - these other ladies have A LOT going on and handle it so well. It's all I can do to keep up with the various tote bags holding my gear!

5 weeks down, 7 weeks to go!

We had a rude awakening once we all made it to the Y (a full 90 minutes earlier than 'normal') - our sequence was weight training, then swim, then bike, then core training - I had really been looking forward to swimming first!

Some new machines / activities had been added to our weight activities - since we're getting 'stronger'!

At the pool, after our warm ups (give me a 100 - 2 full laps up and back), we lined up in swim time order (so I was near the back - mighty fine with me!), and then entered the water one at a time, 5 seconds apart. This means get in and get going lest the next lady land on you! Up and back, switching lanes, until we got out 6 lanes later, and then repeat. Some of the ladies might have managed 3 circuits, but after 2 I realized some of the bikes were locked in the car and the rest of the angels were waiting on me!

Unloaded the bikes, put on our helmets, got our water bottles, and in my case, added the day glow yellow riding shirt! 5 miles later (I'll confess to walking the bike up the steep hill - but at least I was still moving!) I wasn't the last one back, but not sure it really counts that I finished before the two ladies who stopped due to a flat tire. But, finished under my own power and that's the goal. Next time I'll remember to put my shamrock angel bells on my bike and I'm sure I'll make it up the hill without walking!

I should have given one of the quicker riders in our group the car keys - they finished well before me but cheered my arrival! After we loaded up all the bikes and shifted bags we could have skipped out without anyone being the wiser - but no - we went back in for the core training session! Missed the bridges, which several of us favor, and were just in time for reverse abs and planks!

Did remember to weigh before swimming - gained .4 lbs despite eating mostly nuts and berries all week (ok, except for the whole hog bbq Friday night!) - so now I'm .2 lbs higher than starting weight - BUT - have gone down a full dress size so must be getting buff! Plus, they say laughter is good for your health and we're all certainly doing a lot of that!

Big Day Tomorrow!

The Olney Angels have been given a break on the Saturday trainings so far - that ends tomorrow! We have to be pulling out, bikes on board, by 6:00 a.m. (yes!) in order to arrive and be ready to go in Vincennes by 8:00 a.m. their time!

So tonight it's pack the bag - with yet another / extra bag for outdoor riding should weather permit. We're scheduled to swim, weight room, circuit training, then bike - it will be nice to hit the water when we are fresh (and I'll bet it'll be cold - so will wake us right up!) for a change.

Learned of another couple of ladies in town who are in their own personal training routine in preparation for the TRY (50 days to go!). I think word is getting around - was standing in the serving line at a hog roast fundraising event tonight and 8 different people asked me:

• how training was going (great!),
• had I lost any weight (a stick of butter!),
• if I was toning up (stuff is moving around - wore a dress today I hadn't been able to wear the last 2 summers), and,
• if we'll have an event of '0ur own' in Olney (sure hope so!).

Then it turned out one of the ladies doing the serving has 2 daughters who are participating - small world!

Well, it'll be lights out as soon as it gets dark - got to go load up the bike in the ol' minivan lest I run off without her in the morning!

14:45 for the 400!

Rumor had it from the Monday swimmers that we would be 'timed' for the 400 meter swim this week - unlike most rumors, this one turned out to be true! One of the local ladies skipped our first session - the ever popular spin bikes - so as not to be worn out before the timing - but the rest of us had what we thought was the most demanding bike workout yet! So it was with somewhat wobbly legs that we switched to our swim gear!

After our usual 'easy' 100 meter warm up swim (and gracious that water felt good!) our worst fears were confirmed - indeed it was timing time. As the indoor pool is 25 meters (one way), that meant 8 round trips to get to the 400 meter mark. Since we are mostly 2 to a lane, lead swimmer took off and 5 second later second swimmer took out - surprisingly there were no instances of bumping into each other when we passed along the way!

I am not fully convinced that the lady who was in the lane with me (lead swimmer - so she did the counting) got us for 8 lanes - although I'm not disputing it! While I was the last in our swimming group at 14:45, even if we only did 7 round trips instead of 8 that would still give a total time of under 20 minutes.

The reason for the timing at this point in the training is so that we have some idea of how we are doing and so that we can be placed in the appropriate swimming order for the mini-tri that will be in about 10 days - we'll put all the pieces together but with shorter distances than the actual event!

We also got a draft of the story to go in the Vincennes paper to promote the event / encourage other registrants - amazing what a great job the Steering Committee PR person did with the information we had provided!

A New Week Begins

One of the angels was unable to go today but the other 3 of us piled in the car and headed out - today we did 'run' and then circuit. One angel stayed on the course and was the first in our group to finish. Another angel strayed off the course, ran a few blocks extra, and was the last to finish. I also strayed off course, but did a few blocks less and finished in the middle. So, we averaged out overall! Tried the MP3 player on my arm again - but over the shirt - had it so loose for fear of another bruise that it kept sliding down to my wrist!

Circuit training - first time our group has done this since the first night, so I needed some refreshers on some of the stations. Must get a smaller ball for the inner thigh squeeze as us shorties can't get both feet on the floor when straddling the balls! I got in the zone with the bridge position and missed the call that our workout was over!

Those who had ordered TRY 2010 shirts earlier in the training were able to pick them up tonight - way cool - I'm getting a whole new wardrobe out of this deal!

Busy Weekend!

So Saturday we didn't have 'official' training as there was a Healthy Kids 5k running out of the YMCA at the time we would have normally been there.

2 of the angels (and one of the hubby's) did the 5k with flying colors. 1 of the angels did an extra swimming coaching session for 90 minutes. I went and did a quick 100 meters (50 then a short break and knocked out the other 50) - go figure - Tiffany was right - you don't get nearly as winded if you keep going than if you stand around for 5 minutes working up the nerve for the second 50! Angel #5 had an excused absence as she had to work! Yes - it's a long way to go for just 100 meters - but I also got to weigh and still have dropped a stick of butter from my starting weight!

Sunday I did the 4 mile ride in 28 minutes - and went over the railroad bridge without stopping! Midway through the ride one of the angels called looking to get a group together to go for a ride - she and several others wound up going over to Vincennes for a 15 mile ride.

Knickers R Us!

So here's the new 'look' - a dryfit DetermiNation jersey courtesy of the regional American Cancer Society office and some spiffy 6 panel, SPF 50+ Pearl Izumi biking knickers! I'm also wearing one of the 3 pairs of extra small cycling socks (pinks and purples!) And my bike!

Funny thing, my lower back and backs of my upper legs had been sore all Thursday afternoon, sleep was hard to come by Thursday night, and sore again all day today - until I saw what treasures had come in the mail! (Not to worry - soreness not from TRY training - pretty sure it was the 130 engraved bricks that I unloaded Thursday morning that did me in!)

Even though it was sprinkling and record high temps had fallen to 58 degrees I just had to go for a quick ride - fortunately someone at home noticed I still had tags hanging off the seat and bottom of the knickers before I got out of the driveway!

What a Day!

Left work at noon for 2 appointments in Evansville - both of course took longer than expected and I had a full load in the minivan (bricks!) so really was hustling to slip into the Y parking lot just a few minutes before training time!

The Steering Committee for the Women's TRYathlon has invited participants to complete a questionnaire, the information will be developed into stories promoting the event / encouraging registrants to run in the Vincennes paper. We had a lot of fun with the questions (favorite part of training - snacks on the way home!) and had a group photo taken of all 5 angels tonight. We'll see what comes of that - probably the paper will want to put it in the fiction section!

Tonight's adventure involved core training - we were in one of the gyms (where the walking track circles the gyms on the second level) and of course the track was deserted until we were on our backs, feet up in the air, attempting to lift our behinds! Another new move we promptly named 'water the fire hydrant' because, well, I think you can imagine it!

After that we adjourned to the biking room - it seemed like we were working really hard and everyone was really sweating and time was standing still - but eventually that came to an end as well.

Fortunately for us the AC worked great - one angel was concerned about being so sweaty on my cloth seats, but as I had a wet dishcloth draped over my head and dripping all over in a vain attempt to cool off, we quickly dismissed the concern!

After a nice piece of grilled salmon and some cold melon the shower felt fantastic - but I am certainly all done out for the night!

First Training 'Injury'

I bruise easily - very easily - and usually find this horrific bruises but have absolutely no idea what I bumped or ran into to sustain them! About a week ago I found a fading bruise on the back side of my left upper arm, but as it was on its way out I promptly forgot about it.

Last night, however, it was back with a vengeance and with friends - huge! Since we had only swum (and no, I did not cling onto the lane ropes) and 'ran' I was mystified as to what I could have possibly done to cause such damage - until I realized the bruising was where I strap on my MP3 player! Good grief - done in by my own foolishness with my own equipment! Fortunately my neon yellow 'running' shirt had a front pocket, so I think that's where the MP3 player will hang out in the future!

Hopefully that will be the last 'injury' of the journey!

Excuuuuuse Me...

Swim / Run on our schedule for today - we would have preferred reverse order but apparently yet another thing we aren't in charge of! After bemoaning our fate for the first part of the ride over we got down to business filling out an interview form sent by one of the TRYathlon Steering Committee members - they are collecting 'stories' to work up for the Vincennes Sun-Commercial!

Three of the angels did just fine in the pool - as for me, well, let's just say that I swallowed enough water that I kept us amused the rest of the session with a series of very unladylike belches (oh, but they felt soooo good!). I had a bad moment right off the bat - 'surfaced' for a breath into a ray of sun, which startled me, so I swallowed water, then realized I was in the deep end, which frightened me, so swallowed some more water - I didn't see Jesus, but I might have seen my Mom! Fortunately, one of the angels helped me keep a grip by reminding me that 'swimming is my favorite part'. Without her help I likely would have exited the pool right then! Definitely a red zone moment and something to avoid in the future! Our instructor, who has the patience of a saint, worked with me and diagnosed the issue as not rolling my hip enough so we'll be working on that some more I am sure!

Took a different 'run' route today - seems like everyone along the route had either mowed their grass on Sunday or was out doing it at that time - so lots of opportunity for allergies to take hold! The geese were also out in full force - none of us were 'chased' - this time - but we are told it has been known to happen!

25% Through Training!

We had our full complement of five angels for the adventure and boy were we all pumped to go get 'em!

Swimming went pretty well (from my point of view at least) as I managed 100 meters without significant sputtering or choking - surely I'll be able to do 800 by the day of the event!

Pool first today meant that I got to the weight room (and the electric scale) waterlogged and with wet hair (mine is longish and pretty thick) so I believe that, plus bloating, accounts for the weight gain of 1.8 lbs - as it does not appear to be new muscle!

Got a bonus point in core training for doing the plank full arm rather than from elbow - although still working from knees rather than toes - baby steps, baby steps!

Some great progress in the bike class which I attribute to getting the padded seat from home on top of the itsy bitsy seat on the equipment at the start of the class. Was able to do the warm up stretching while pedaling (a first for me!).

All in all another session well spent with great fun being had along the way!

Another Training, Another Adventure!

After missing training on Monday, I felt compelled to take the new bike out for a spin on Tuesday night - in the theory that it would help me make it through Wednesday's night funfest! Bike fits me well - smaller frame, great big seat, can sit up rather than ride all hunched over. Was feeling pretty neat until I got out of the driveway and the wind got ahold of me! 20 minutes later, after using pretty much every one of the 21 gears (and some of them twice) I was very glad to be back. I thought the route I had selected was pretty gentle - some uphill and some downhill - mostly flat (like the event course!) - but somehow it seemed the wind was always in my face and never at my back - oh well - I survived.

Wednesday three of we angels met up (one still on vacation) and beat the rain over to Vincennes. Had a brief presentation on stress fractures by Molly Weiss, MD - orthopod in Vincennes who is also one of the ladies taking the training and participating in the event - who knew! Tiffany was on to our 'extend the talk (defer the training) by asking LOTS of questions scam' (can't get much past her!) so our group went out for a short run. As we headed out we consoled ourselves that at least we had core training last, so could 'rest' since we'd be on the floor on mats - wrong again on that one!

Core training was in, of all possible choices of all the rooms at the YMCA, a mirrored room - so no escaping the sights of a group of ladies in various positions - except by closing our eyes - and then we tended to bump into each other! The first activity (after stretching, of course) was 3 sets of 25 ab crunches (oh goody) - when we collectively moaned the instructor said - it's ok, I'll count - and she did - about every 5th one - never gasping for breath at all.

This was followed by a series of various exercises - all good for us I am sure. I am particularly fond of something called 'superman' because we get to lay down completely on our stomachs and only lift arm/leg combinations (right arm/left leg then left arm/right leg). She said we would do a couple of set of 15 lifts but I was counting each lift rather than each set of lifts - so was amazed that I was ahead of the 'official' count by so much!

We also were introduced to something called a 'reverse ab' that involved laying on our backs, hands at our sides (relaxed), and our feet more or less together up in the air (making a 90 degree angle). Then, when she said 'lift' we were supposed to somehow mystically lift our butts off the ground - making our legs go higher. While I believe this goes against the laws of nature, several of the ladies seemed to accept this without question, others of us found this a bit more difficult!

It was raining when we left the building, we briefly flirted with the idea of 'running' to the car but wisely reconsidered that under the thought that the rain would probably make us smell a little better than the sweat we were presently drenched in!

PlayList Possibilities

I had to miss training class on Monday night due to a commitment to the Richland County Walk and Roll event (Luminaria Chair) that I needed to honor; but at 3:30 p.m. found myself heading out to our parking/meeting spot to see the rest of the angels off - and missed not going (how twisted is THAT!)!

This week's mission is to develop a playlist for the $60 MP3 player that so far has been used twice (!) - and once was around the house! Here's what I have so far - suggestions of songs and suggestions of sites to download other songs are greatly appreciated - must of 'my' music is still on tape cassettes:

First song - can't decide between Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf?) or Let's Give Them Something to Talk About (Bonnie Raitt).

Following songs - in no particular order:

• Hang on Sloopy (no idea - but a family anthem going waaaay back!)
• Born in the USA (The Boss)
• Graceland (Paul Simon) - the song or even the whole album
• Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself (who did this - Sly?)
• what I call the 'Wagon Wheel' song - you know ... "Rock me Mama like a wagon wheel, Rock me Mama any way you feel, ..." - believe it may be The Old Crow Medicine Show?
• Unchain My Heart and I Stand in Wonder (Joe Cocker)

almost anything by

• Santana - especially the early work (since I know the words to those!)
• Fabulous ThunderBirds
• Brooks & Dunn
• Tom Petty
• Creedance Clearwater Revival (or John Fogerty individually)
• Little Feat

We are not allowed MP3 players during the actual event (safety reasons) but having a righteous playlist could certainly make the training where it is appropriate and the treadmill that lives in an overflow storage upstairs room more tolerable!

Well, I hear my morning banana calling me - don't they come in other flavors (and I don't think dipped in chocolate and then frozen is part of a 'well balanced, healthy diet'!

Lost Weight!

Ok, so .2 of a lb isn't really that much but I'm counting it!

It was raining to beat the band this morning when I left - stayed for a meeting so drove apart from the other angels today although we met up at the Y! We're starting to match up faces and names with the other ladies

Weight - swim - core - bike - all our favorites today! I did bring a foam pad for the torture seat on the bike, but couldn't find it in my bag at the time I needed it - of course it fell out afterwards! We 'rode' over 5 miles in about 25 minutes today according to the odometers on the bikes!

Ate lunch at Fazzoli's as I had time between training and the Meet Up / Team Up event at Gregg Park in the early afternoon - and to celebrate that spectacular weight loss! Of course this was after the 3 bottles of water and several granola bars, so I had to bag up part of it to bring home!

Gregg Park will be the site of the BIG EVENT and it was nice to get a bit familiar with the Park and meet the representatives of Knox County Community Foundation - the folks who put this great activity together. There was a video from last year's event and there are truly ladies of every shape, size, level of ability, and fitness (or lack of, in my case!). What stuck out to me is that they are all smiling and it seemed like many of them are finishing strong. Truly, sometimes it is the journey - and we're on a great one!

Proud Owner of a REAL Bike!

Now know of 10 ladies who either live local or have a connection to my hospital participating in the TRYathlon in June - one of them is doing it with her mother and this will be their 4th year! Mom is taking the training class, so I'll have to see if I can figure out who she is!

No practice at the Y in Vincennes on Thursday night, but we dug out a bike that had been left behind by my oldest son probably 8 years ago when he returned to the Chicago area. While it is a Trek and has not too skinny tires, and a generous seat - it is a men's bike and pretty heavy. With a jump/boost I can get on it, but could really hurt myself if I had to stop in a hurry as dismounting is not too graceful!

So today we visited the Pacific Cycle company store here in Olney and came away with a ladies Cannondale Custom (or maybe it says Comfort) 5 - biggest seat in the store (yes - I asked!), handlebars that don't require me to scrunch over, small(er) frame, shock absorbers on the seat AND the front yoke - and it's silver, so it matches my helmet!

Packed my bag for the Saturday training trip and looking forward to the adventure!