Thursday, October 13, 2011

Two more than Three Things Thursday and Pictures from my Bike Commutes


1. In case you missed it the lovely pumpkin picture that ended my last post was for Hurricane Irene that destroyed Vermont. It was not for some guy's wife, girlfriend, mother etc.!


2. I commuted by bike this week  on two of the most gorgeous fall days imaginable. I finally saw some of those brilliant reds.  I think taking pictures for this blog has made me  more observant and appreciative of what I am seeing when I bike and run.  Both mornings when I rode it was rather cold on the way to work and quite hot on the way home.  It simply meant I had more to carry in my back pack on the way home. Today when I drove home from work it was the prettiest it has been but I didn't have my camera with me. This weekend is supposed to be rainy.  Boo!


3.  This morning I got my one day of swimming in. I went early before school and loved it. What a great way to start the day. But man do I suck at swimming. I mostly do the breast stroke - slowly. I did a couple of laps of free stroke - don't think that is quite what it is called but best I can come up with right now - and I thought I might drown. That is supposed to be faster but don't feel like it is right now (maybe ever). But I guess if I keep at it I have to improve at least some. I would like to find a stroke class for adult beginners. And of course as I put this time in I am thinking about perhaps a tri in the early summer when there are sprints around.  So then I think - good God what do I wear? Anything I wear swimming is not going to support me running.  I don't see me stripping on the beach and changing.  I don't want to buy stuff for one tri I may hate.  Do I spend money to come in last?  Obviously I have a lot of time to find this stuff out but I have to think about something while I swim.  When I left I stopped and got pumpkin spice coffee to take to work.  It is the earliest I get to work all week.  Love it.


I did laugh because later in the day a student sitting near me said he could smell chlorine. Really?  I showered. I put on lotion. I used shampoo and he still smells chlorine??? He has  quite the nose.
4. Our NECAP testing is done (No child left behind) and none of my students were absent at all so no make up tests.  Yeah!  



 
5. Tomorrow is Friday. Always good news.

22 comments:

Darlene said...

The colors are great in VT. NY is not quite there yet. I'm not a swimmer at all. I wonder what you will do about a TRI???

Char said...

I know - point #1 was for me. Let's just say that sometimes I'm a bit slow :)

Kate Geisen said...

Your pictures are gorgeous. We're starting to see some beautiful colors here, too. Clearly I don't have the answer for the tri what to wear thing. :) And all your kids there on testing days? That's an early Christmas miracle! (Did I mention how thankful I am that Illinois doesn't have first graders take the ISAT?

Jennifer said...

OMG! Look at that color! And good job on that last 5K, the last minute ones are always the best.

Unknown said...

I'm envious of the beautiful fall color that you get to enjoy!!

Kandi said...

Those pictures are incredible! Our leaves are just beginning to change down here.
I have only done one tri (and it was a super sprint (yes, that means shorter than a sprint)) but I think you could wear a sports bra with your swim suit for added support so you wouldn't have to change. Then for the bike and run you can just put on shorts/top.
I do not know Emily's C&O canal story but now I really want to know!

HappyTrails said...

Fall is spectacular in your area - we have fewer colors than you. It is amazing how many times you think about where your camera is once you start liking good photos!! You know you will do the tri - don't even fight it at this point :)

JenCreates098 said...

We do our testing in March. I don't miss teaching 4th...they were tested for everything! I remember giving 3 seperate standardized tests one year. 2nd graders don't have to be tested...yet.

Beautiful fall pictures!

Average Woman Runner said...

Your commute is so incredible. My ride is completely urban, so very different.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, look at those colors! We get no color in Houston.

Black Knight said...

Yes, friday is the best day because I work only in the morning and after I have the week end-off (If I don't have any problem with the ships).
Beautiful colors in VT!
Keep on swimming, it is a very good training cross.

Kandi said...

Thanks for the link to Emily's C&O canal story! I have seen snakes along the path before but not of the size that Emily spoke of. I am not as creeped out by snakes though so I'd still go back. ;)
The super sprint tri I did was a 'tune up' race in March in Northern VA. They do it in reverse since it's still pretty cold and they don't want people out running and biking after the swim. You can read about my experience at this link http://atomickandi.blogspot.com/2009/03/tri.html
I think they do it every year. I only did it because a coworker couldn't and he transferred his bib to me.

A Prelude To... said...

Your fall is much prettier than ours has been (too rainy).

I find that people aren't really paying attention to other people during transitions...they are too focused on themselves. I usually wear my shorts and sports bra under my wetsuit and then when I get to transition, I just drop my wetsuit to my waist and pull my shirt on real quick and then remove the rest...that way I don't feel like I'm just standing there half naked (even though I am). You could even wear a singlet under your wetsuit. I've done that before as well. It dries out on the ride.

Johann said...

Beautiful photos with beautiful colors! Well done for getting that swim done, awesome!

Marlene said...

GORGEOUS fall scenery!!

Good for you sticking with the swimming. It will get easier, but the chlorine smell will get worse. :)

Alisa said...

Yay for swimming! The more you get used to it the more fun you'll have!

Also, wow those fall colors are just breathtaking. It makes me miss the east coast. When I lived in Boston we did as much eastcoast stuff as possible and one of those things was to do fall leaves tours every year, it was amazing!

Katie said...

wow, gorgeous photos!

Liz said...

Great autumnal pics. The leaves are just the best thing about this time of year...

Jill said...

Gorgeous pictures...fall is fast approaching your neck of the woods. I noticed the trees here turning when I was running yesterday; they are always a couple weeks behind here in Denver as they are in the mountains, so we get an extra long fall :).

Glad you're enjoying the swimming...and I seriously doubt you'll hate triathlons...I remember the text you sent me how excited you were with the duathlon :). And I assure you, you won't be last. Probably! :)

Have a great weekend!

The Jesse said...

the pics of the fall colors are beautiful. my dad is in upstate New York right now {Port Henry area} and he said the fall colors are at peak :)

Giorgio said...

Nice landscape with spectacular fall colours!
Have a nice weekend!

Suzy said...

You have a beautiful commute!! I am sure it is even better on bike during the fall.