Why I live here

In case anyone ever wonders why people pay an enormous cost of living premium to live in the Bay Area, I submit to you exhibit A.

When I bike home from work (17 miles on mostly bike paths or in bike lanes) I often feel compelled to stop and take a picture of where I live.

Yes, sometimes I have to elbow tourists out of the way to get the shot. Sometimes it is cold and windy on the Golden Gate Bridge and I have to hold tight to my handle bars to stay on my bike. Sometimes navigating around the tourists on their Blazing Saddles bicycles jerking randomly hither and yon is downright terrifying.

But the view — this view — or pretty much any view along my route — makes it so worth it.

Nothing is too good for my bike

Sent my bike, via a bike transport service, off to Honu this morning. She'll be spending a few relaxing days  on the beach before her big adventure at the Ironman 70.3 June 2 on the Big Island.

This was my first experience with bike transport and I have to admit it was mostly convenient.

Except for:
1. The incredible expense. For $351 (which included $6 in extra insurance) I might as well have bought my bike its own plane ticket and buckled it in right next to me. Good LORD this sport is expensive.

2. Nearly missing the drop-off: My confirmation said "Your drop-off time: 12:00." Because I work on the other side of the city, noon didn't work for me. So I brought my bike in early. That's when the guy at Sports Basement informed me that 12 p.m. was the CUT-OFF time to drop off your bike. YIKES! Good thing I went early.

3. The confusing wheel bag reference: I brought an empty wheel bag because during registration I was asked: Will you provide your own wheel bag? Turns out you only need one if you're bringing extra race wheels. So the aforementioned Sports Basement guy laughed at me, and sent me home with my empty wheel bag.

4. I don't have my bike for 11 days before my race: I know next week is taper week, but still, 11 days seems like a long time to be without my trusty Kestral.

On the upside, I won't have to lug my bike through the airport, assemble it myself or get it to the race start early in the morning. And this eliminates the chance that my airline will lose my bike (though I guess bike transport could still lose it). Those are conveniences worth paying for. Just hoping no other issues pop up for this bike transport rookie.

My training plan, not a plan at all

Three weeks til the Honu 70.3 Half Ironman and in nine weeks of what can only be described as moderate training I've put in: 12 bike rides, 25 ish runs, 10 swims. Give or take. I really don't know.

My husband, a data guy and an Ironman, carefully calculates every single mile he travels, every meter of elevation he climbs on the bike, the paces of his runs, the splits of his swims. He pours over this data. Makes a plan. Follows that plan precisely.

For me, Ironman training is less science, more art. I fit training in when I can. And, instead of planning what discipline I should do each day, for how long, I do whichever one I can get to. If I know I can leave work at a decent hour, I ride my bike home. If I've got only an hour and a half after work before I have to be at an event, I run straight out my office door for half an hour, then turn around. If my schedule prevents me from bringing my triathlon bag (nothing like showing up for an interview in a CEO's office with a giant backpack), I swim that day, since all of my swim stuff fits subtly into my purse.

I haven't written down what I've done, or calculated a 10 percent increase each week. I've just done what I can do. And here's the thing: I have definitely not trained as much as I'd hoped; but I definitely have trained more than I've ever trained before a race, for longer periods of time. My endurance, I think, has never been better. And now, I'm just hoping that I miraculously peak three weeks from now in the Big Island heat.

I've wanted to do a half-Ironman distance triathlon for several years, but committing to the training held me back. Now that I'm in deep, my do-what-I-can strategy seems to be working.


Two weeks ago I biked 50 miles, then did a 4.5 mile T-run afterward. Never in my life have I run so far after a bike ride that long. And I had this realization: I just might pull this off.


Here's what I think I've done:

Biking: 
3 rides home from work (17 mi x3)
2 computrainer rides Alcatraz course (18x3)
7 long weekend rides (40 to 50 mi X 7)

Running:
25 or so runs, worked up to 7.83 miles running

Swimming:
1-2 hours a week x 9 weeks.