Triathlon Update: I love Endorphins

The triathlon training continues to go well with the last 2 weeks being especially good. This is an excerpt from my last update email:

In my last email, I mentioned that I had been having some foot problems. The truth is, I had those foot problems at the same time that my bike broke. So me being the semi-autistic workout fanatic that I am, I did somewhat get out of my workout routine and dropped down to 3 workouts a week for about two weeks. This also coincided with a 2 week period in which I was just in a bad mood. Over the last 2 weeks, I really started ramping up my workouts again and my spirits coincidentally started improving. Then last Wednesday morning as I was riding up a very steep, painful hill going from LaJolla Shores to Torrey Pines, I was hit with a sudden wave of ecstasy at the same time that my legs were telling me they had had enough. So what caused this ecstasy out of pain? I have two competing theories. One, I realized while going up that hill that it was less than 5 months from the theoretical start of ski season. (Yes, I admit that I am a complete ski dork!) Second, I think that I am addicted to the endorphins that go through your body when you're working out. That endorphin rush I got while going up the hill gave me the extra oomph to power me through the last 25 miles and put me in a great mood for the rest of the day. So after I'm done this triathlon, I might have to find another race to train for in order to maintain my sanity.

At this point, I know that I'll be able to finish the race. As I enter the last half of my training, my goal is to do well. I know that I won't win it. But I want to finish in the top 10% of my age group. This weekend, we had a bunch of great workouts. Friday night, we did a 2.5 mile ocean swim at LaJolla shores. In regards to my last update email, I just want to let you know that I was using sarcasm when I said that I was going to lube my black wetsuit with seal oil just to give the swim an added thrill. I'm not that stupid. On Saturday, we did a great workout riding from Lake Hodges to Solana Beach and back. It was a very hill ride and it was hot...damn hot. I'm not sure if it was Africa hot...but it was pretty close. On the way back, the thermometer registered 115F in the sun and a cool 107F in the shade. And as soon as we got off the bikes, we went for a 5 mile run. Luckily I stayed hydrated pretty well. But some of the people who were out there longer got pretty dehydrated and were shivering uncontrollably. Today I did a bit of surfing in the afternoon and then went for a 7 mile run this evening.

Now I'll share a couple of my lessons learned with you:
1) The Energy Gu's are great. When I'm on the bike, I now prefer those over the power/lara/cliff bars. That being said, all gu's are not made the same. Avoid the cliff bar gu's at all costs. They are absolutely the worst! The raspberry gave me flashbacks to the fluoride treatments I used to get at the dentists when I was a kid.
2) It's as important to poor water over your head as it is to drink it. I know what you're thinking. But I never used to do it to. But when it's hot, you can totally feel the difference in your body when you squirt a bunch of cool water into your bike helmet. Even better is to put ice cubes into your hat when you're running. It basically just cools down your body and keeps it from overheating.
3) Don't go cheap when it comes to bike repair. I had to replace my rear derailleur last November. I took it Performance (big box nationwide chain bike shop) to get fixed. They ended up putting a derailleur that was incompatible with my bike. (2 chainring derailleur when I have a triple) So when I got sick of my derailleur and my tri coach said that they had sold me the wrong part, I took it to another big bike shop (bike warehouse) to get fixed. At first they did a great job and they even cleaned up my bike. However after 2 weeks, I noticed that they must not have relubed my chain after they cleaned it off because it was covered in rust. Lesson learned is to take your bike to the small shop that can you better service even it costs a bit more.
4) Hamburgers, wings, fries, and beer are not appropriate to eat before going for a run. If you are going to eat them, 1 1/2 hours is not enough to let them digest before attempting said run. That's what I had for an early dinner tonight after surfing. I felt like I was about to vomit the entire second half of the run. So don't do what I did.

I'd like to thank all of you who have donated an awesome $2925 over the last 2 months. You guys are all awesome. Two weeks ago was our recommittment weekend where I recommitted to raising a minimum of $4,000 by August 18th. As part of that recommittment, I have promised to make up the difference between what I raise and the fundraising minimum. So for those of you who haven't donated, I would really love to have your support.
http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/leister If you're already thinking about making a donation, I just ask that you make it before August 15th if at all possible so I can minimize the damage on my credit card.