Today I Fell in Love

Yes, today I fell in love.  But no worries for my husband. I fell in love with a  place - Popham Beach - I had never been to this beach before before but man I do want to go back. All you Mainers are probably familiar with this beach but it was a real find for me.  It is a beautiful beach, that was not crowded and very peaceful.  You could see for miles, sun, blue ocean, sand, waves and evergreens! I loved it.

I didn't go in the water. Maine ocean is always cold and the fact that I was farther north than usual didn't entice me to try it.  But I loved sitting in my beach chair, smelling the ocean, listening to the waves and reading my book which happened to be a literal beach read (The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe).  Perfection!  I could have sat there forever.  The pictures don't do it justice. It was wonderful, believe me.

A Vacation Run and Whale Watch

First I went up......

......then down.  Repeat many times.

Now I know why Joan Benoit won the marathon in 1984. She was from Maine and trained on hills! Who knew Maine was so hilly?  I figured the coast would be flat. Well, I went for a run outside today and believe me it was a series of go up a hill, come down a hill, go up a hill, come down a hill and so on. You get it.  It felt great to be outside running regardless especially with the smell of the ocean permeating the air. The temperature was perfect. What  a great day to be a runner! I got a glimpse of the water through some trees....

and then a more direct sighting! Tomorrow I am going to explore and see if I can find a different route.  I do love running in new places and seeing things I wouldn't notice otherwise.

For example I got a good look at the workings of the swing bridge and what it swings out on to.

Before I knew it I was "running" up one last hill and I was back at the cottage. 

Relaxing time before I left to go on a whale watch with my friend, Heather.  I have been on many whale watches and of course they are all different because these are wild animals who do what they please.  We saw many whales, sometimes 2 or 3 at once.  They were mostly fin whales plus a minke.  We also saw harbour seals more than once, not at all close to the harbour. In fact they were 20 miles out. I thought seals hung around rocky places.  I took about 80 pictures on the whale watch. Many of the pictures I got were of the sky or just water. It is not easy to get a picture with a point and shoot camera that responds in it's own good time.  But I got about 20 and picked my favorites to put here.  I came back very chilled and tired. All that fresh air I guess.  Surely I am not this tired from a 4 mile run!

Maine - My Other Happy Place

 I'm in Boothbay Harbor, a part of Maine I have never been to.  A lot of today was spent getting here. I'm going to be lazy and do this post mostly with pictures.  I am actually on an island and you get here via the swing bridge (as opposed to a drawbridge). When I got here it had swung open and several boats were going through.  Way cool......then of course it swung shut so we could drive across.  Now I'll show it to you.

What could possibly top or equal that you may wonder?  Well, next on the agenda..... a trip back into town to see a parade - an hour long or more and some tall ships.  It was a typical small town parade which was actually quite fun even though I knew no one in it.  Highlights - the L L Bean boot (which I had thrillingly seen on the side of the road on the way) and a giant lobster. Things I have never seen in my home town parade.  There had been a race at the start of this four day festival - and the winners of the race were in the parade! Great idea.

Actually the tall ships were before the parade.

Race winners - sorry back sides.

Best parade float ever- the LL Bean boot

Never saw this in my home town parade

Then you go to a church supper to have your own lobster!

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Running

Got it covered.....more than covered. It's going very well!  Still been on the treadmill. But my pace is great and I feel like I could run forever. Of course that is easy to say when my long run last week was 5 miles!  But I am pleased that running is going well although I want to be careful and not run so much I get injured with a running injury!! I do not want that to happen!

Swimming

No, I didn't just dive off a block.  This may be a different

family member.

I have been swimming the last two mornings.  I can't say I've been doing a lot to help my tri skills but I.AM.IN.THE.WATER.  I have mostly been doing the breast stroke as that feels the best. I am aware of my wrist but it doesn't hurt.  It feels like it is good therapy for it.  Today I did the free style a bit more.  Yesterday it definitely hurt to do it. Today not so much although I was still pretty cautious. Truthfully it hurt the most when I had taken off my splint and I was putting my bathing cap on!  I have found that wrapping a towel around oneself is pretty awkward with a hand that doesn't work well.  Ouch.

Biking

TBD.  I do want to bike before my next ortho appt. but not yet. I am leaving for Maine tomorrow and ordinarily would be chomping at the bit to take my bike.  But not this trip.  Although not taking MY bike didn't prevent the mishap on the last trip this time it should because I'm not ready or wanting  to bike yet.  Yeah, I'll get back in the saddle again, just not yet.  Maybe Sunday.

To say that missing and then watching the triathlon on Sunday whet my appetite to do a tri is an understatement. I have been scouring the internet obessively looking for a tri that works for me to do before the end of August, maybe hopefully at the end of July.

 Most important criteria:

• close enough to drive and get my bike to
• swim 1/3 mile or less
• swim NOT in the ocean
• sprint distance
• swim, bike, run order ( I found one that met all of the above but went run, swim, bike. That seems nuts.  The time putting on the wet suit would count against you.  Maybe no one wears a wet suit?? Whatever... I didn't put it on my list of potentials.)

So assuming:

•  I can find a triathlon that meets these criteria
• I get back on the bike and it feels fine
• I can eventually put some "speed" into the swimming and biking
• I have enough time to do some training

The August triathlon may not be my FIRST tri!  

A Mini Pity Party Then Once Again Moving Forward

A very pretty sight for a tri 

the first swimmers are in the water

I wasn't sure if it was a good idea but today I went and watched the race that was going to make me a triathlete.  I was prepared to be sad but wanted to observe a tri through the eyes of a future participant. I have been to some tris but only as a spectator who never ever wanted to do a tri.  Things change.

I got there before the start. It was a gorgeous day although when I left home it was 48 degrees and that hadn't changed much when I arrived.  Most people had wet suits on but not everyone.  I heard the race director giving instructions and then people headed over to the start. There were 4 waves and I would have been in the fourth one.

This would have been my wave.  Sigh.

And they're off. I noticed some people walked in quite

a ways.  This might be a good thing for me to do.  

I had already indulged in some sorrowful thoughts in the last few days even before I arrived. Yes, I know I can do one later this summer.  But this one was the one I spent literal months preparing for. Someone said I had more time now. Well, no because first I need to build back up lost fitness.  I also liked this one because I thought other people might be doing their first one. I don't think that will be true at the end of August. Everyone will have had some practice when I do compete. Do I know this is true?  Of course not, but it is me being negative.  Plus I found out today that the August one is coupled with a half ironman distance race.  Great.  Once I  start up again and get somewhat ready I plan to find a race I can do before the end of the summer one.  

I must admit I did get teary more than once today. I was glad I went but I so strongly felt I should be in the race, not watching it.  Oh well.  No one pushed me off the bike.

At the end of the swim

First I was amazed and I will say amazed at how far 1/3 of a mile looked! Wow!  There were some poor swimmers for sure but even as poor swimmers they were much faster than I am.  I do like that I saw the course and now when (not if) I go swim there I can kind of practice the course.  All the women would have come in well before me. There was one guy I would have beaten and I pray  he comes back in August.  As he was getting out of the water I heard him say he should have done a relay.  Yeah, good idea.  Not for him .... for me!  He actually appeared to quit but I guess he didn't and he wore a life jacket. I didn't know that was allowed but the guy in the rowboat was heaping compliments on him like crazy for not giving up. :) He went to the transition area and got on a bike but I didn't see him again. I did see a few older women, one much older woman.  I saw no one I knew from anywhere, not a familiar face in sight.  I didn't pay a lot of attention to the transition from swim to bike which I intended to so fail there.  One of the later women who came out was yelling she didn't know how to get out of her wet suit - man could I relate to that - but she did it.  I saw women biking and running in just a bathing suit. That is so something I would not want to do.

Bikers are coming in and runners are heading out.

Now runners are coming in too.

I heard some people saying the bike course was hilly so I guess I do need to ride it a few times before the end of August. Shouldn't be a problem.  There were bikers that looked rather impressive.  I got more into the slower people though!  I always always always love how supportive the crowd is.  I saw so many big grins as people were cheered for and encouraged on.  It was a pretty small race, very easy to spectate.

Some runners were finished way before most bikers even came in.  Everyone looked impressive to me.  And they all seemed fast!  For the most part racers were quite spread out.  I had a time in my mind I thought I could maybe do this race in and believe me others were all done. Results aren't up but I am curious to see them. I didn't stay for the very end as I had a friend stopping by. Results are up.  I actually did see the last racer. 

I paid attention to the whole dismount thing

and which way to go.  

I did watch a few people transition from bike to run.  I saw that if

you are later (slow like me) it can be harder to rack your bike

because it is crowded.  Looked like a pain.

It will be sweet to see this as a finishing triathlete for sure.

I do know that watching this definitely whet my appetite for doing a tri, no matter my speed. I just want to prove to myself I can do it.  I like the idea of being out there for a long time but not all running.

A last look at the lake - should have brought my suit and I could

have tried swimming.  

What does my cat have to do with all this? Well, I get home and grab my camera to go upload the pictures.  The damn lovely cat sees me heading for the computer and does his own sprint to beat me to the chair. And he won as he's pretty fast when he has a goal. I hope to emulate him sometime this summer.