Training Hiccup

I've had a little trouble getting my training in this week. First, it is the first week the girls have been back since spending the majority of the summer with their grandparents in Minnesota. Second, we picked up a cold in MN and it's been making its way through the family (I am currently past the extremely sore throat stage and stuck on the obnoxious cough and chest congestion stage). Third, as I was rushing in to my office on Wednesday afternoon, I slipped on a mysterious puddle outside the law school door (mysterious mainly because things dry up so fast here and there was no rain or sprinklers in that area) and fell on my knee and bottom--resulting in a sore and bruised knee.

Despite the sore knee, I did go home that night and try out my new tri bike for a few miles. It's going to take a little getting used to. The new clips are a little more slick on the bottom of the shoes, so if I miss the hook, my foot goes flying forward and I nearly fly off the bike as well. Also, I am not used to the design of the handles, so I felt a little bit anxious when I was steering around corners. I can already tell that it's faster though! It's going to be a fun bike.

I am hoping to get an extra workout in this weekend to make up for some of the misses. :)

New Tri Bike!

I hadn't really planned on purchasing a new bike today, but after a quick trip to Bicycles of Scottsdale this morning, I found myself carting home a new Quintana Roo Dulce Tri Bike! I had been looking at tri bikes with a bit of curiosity for the past couple of weeks. I've learned that some of the big difference between the tri bike and the road bike are the post angle (tri bike's angle is designed to help save your legs from fatigue, but still be fast and efficient), handlebar positioning, and fewer spokes in the wheels (to reduce drag).

I found a used 2010 QR Chicquilo on eBay, for what looked like a pretty good price. It would have to be shipped from D.C., so I was worried about ordering it and then finding it didn't fit me quite right or that it wouldn't be in as great of condition as advertised. So, I decided to visit one of the only bike shops in the area that sells QR bikes to check out the fit. When I got to Bicycles of Scottsdale, I saw that they had a brand new 2011 QR Chicquilo for less than the used bike on eBay. They also had the Dulce (a step up because of the higher quality wheels and carbon body over aluminum) for just a little more than the used eBay bike. Apparently, the shop is under new ownership (or as it appears, back under the original ownership) and is remodeling and clearing out some of the current year model bikes for prices at or below cost!

Since I had been looking at tri bikes online for a couple of weeks, I felt confident the bike was a good deal. The owner and other shop worker were great! They answered all my questions and took their time helping me out. The owner also made sure I had all the equipment I needed, but wasn't pushy at all about buying things. He frequently said, "you don't necessarily need to buy this today, but you may find that down the road..." which I really appreciated. I ended up buying some new bike shoes and clips as well, so I will be trying out all my new equipment and will report to everyone how it all goes soon!!

Kate's Tuesday Weigh-in = Down .5 lbs

3 days of Hot Yoga plus
a 3:40:00 bike hilly bike ride = .5 pounds lost. 

I have to admit I'm pretty bummed.  I thought I did a good job eating this week.  At this rate I'm going to have a hard time meeting my goal before "serious" Ironman training begins.  I really need to figure out my diet issues.  Sure, I know, 2.5 pounds in 2 weeks is good.  I should be happy.  BUT, I want to weight to fall off as quickly as possible.  I know I can do better. 

I have a mini beach vacation this weekend.  When I get back I'm going to figure this out.  The trick will be not gaining weight while I'm on vacation.

I love HOT YOGA!

Yes, I love hot yoga.  I'm not good at it but it feels good to stretch it out.  I feel myself getting stronger.  Unfortunately, I feel like the picture below though when I'm doing it! 

Our Weekend Ride

I thought I'd share some photos from our weekend ride.  I love riding in the desert.  It is beautiful. I don't think I truly appreciated the beauty of the desert until I started riding my bike out there.  I love it! 

Unfortunately, it was a rough ride.  We knew it would be a harder ride than usual because we were gong to tackle two loops of a climbing ride.  What we didn't anticipate was Annette's accident.  She crashed twice because of a dropped chain and messed up her gearing.  Luckily she wasn't hurt worse.  She was just banged up and bruised. 

Later in the ride I got a flat.  We were almost done with the ride when it happened.  That meant it was getting HOT out!  Luckily, my honey Ron was there to save the day.  He is such a trooper. 

The next couple of weeks I'll be out of commission due to vacation and a program at work.  I'm bummed b/c I love our rides! 

Warrior Dashed!

I completed my second Warrior Dash yesterday. I completed the AZ dash in April and decided to join some friends to do it again in MN. The course was ALL hills. It was a much more difficult run than the AZ course. The obstacles were very similar. I think my strength training is starting to payoff. It was much easier climbing over the obstacles this time. :)

Movement on the Weightloss Meter!

Guess what?!  Lost some weight this week!!  I'm down two pounds!  I'll take it.  I know my weight loss is going to come down to my diet.  I really tried to watch it and I did a better job of eating breakfast.  I usually skip breakfast but I know it isn't good for me to do.  This is going to be a battle but at least it is going the right direction.  Now I need to make sure I don't blow it over the weekend.