muni shmuni - my nike women's race report kinda

i'm a little frustrated with myself because i know i'm skipping around with my story telling here. i KNOW over the last couple weeks/couple long rides & runs i've come up with some gooooood stories to tell, i just haven't had the time to sit and write them. so i'm skipping forward, so as not to get more behind, we all know i don't like doing this and it's making my palms sweat as we speak. moving forward.



this past weekend i decided to not only participate in the nike women's half marathon, i guess i should say, "i was selected to participate" as it is a lottery system to get in. even more pressure to have fun right?? in true katy fashion, i couldn't just go to a race, run, & come home like everyone else, so i decided to make this a true adventure and go car-less to this race. being that the race is in san fran. and lots of people there don't own cars anyways, AND i hate driving there, this sounded like a great plan. i was also staying with a friend (this detail is important so listen carefully) who lived BETWEEN the RACE START and the RACE FINISH. the race was to start at union square, and finish on the other side of the bay near golden gate park. if you flew straight overhead start to finish, erica's apt. would land right in the middle (you will need this picture later to enjoy the full humor of this story).



i was so excited as this (choose your adjective here) [silly,dumb,crazy,funny,eco-friendly,cheap,etc.] plan was developing. i was envisioning myself studying on the train, making friends, arriving in san francisco, and being some cute traveling girlie, registering and hanging out drinking coffee with friends, then just taking the muni all around town where ever i wanted to go (remember this statement later, it's important), taking muni to my friend's apartment, and then taking muni to the race, etc. i was pumped and i was ready.



two days before the departure date, i (also in true katy fashion) started studying my san francisco maps, and the muni transit system to maximize the fun and decrease my transportation anxiety. i printed out which muni's i would need to take where and had my little travel packet ready to go. i was READY!



**please note i will talk about the race, but the transportation portion of this trip is WAY more interesting**



i jumped on the train saturday morning before the sun came up. i was instantly totally into train riding. i got my studying stuff out and turned my music up. this was FUN! before i knew it i was hoping on a smelly, cramped, uncomfortable, and crowded bus to take me into the city. this is where things started to go downhill. i got off the bus and was INSTANTLY completely overstimulated and overwhelmed. there were loud noises, people yelling, terrible smells (i got off on market street). i had no idea where i was. naive-katy-from-big-creek assumed the union square bus stop was literally in union square (it's not). finally i found my way to union square to register for the race. still thinking things were going to just fall-into-place as i typically imagine the worst case scenario for such situations and then typically things go WAY smoother than i expect. i thought, it's all down hill from here, i'm going to have a fun day. (insert evil laugh here).



race registration was more overwhelming than the rest of the entire city. imagine loud music, people bumping into you constantly, a crowded room so packed you can barely make forward progress (those who know me well, know i can't handle any of these options). i basically walked straight through the expo from one end to the other without stopping to look at anything. i felt the world was spinning around me. i decided to try and calm down and call my friend i was staying with and see what her day looked like. a few phone calls and texts later and i had no information (i didn't know at this point i had the wrong number). called another friend and we met for lunch. always nice to catch up with old roommates! after lunch i decided to try and "take in the experience" and check out the expo one more time. again, walked in the tent, freaked out, and walked as fast as i could go to the other end! agh! ok, now what? obviously done here, still haven't heard from my friend i'm staying with. can't even hear my phone, or my thoughts, i'm not sure where to go from here, i'm freaking out, i'm getting cold, BORDERS! i saw borders on the corner near union square. i bet it's quiet in there i thought! felt like i ran to borders to relish in the quiet and get my head around things. (note: i'm almost in tears at this point, this story is much more funny in retrospect, fyi).



after studying my muni maps in my quiet little borders corner, i decided to head to my friend's apartment. ok. here i go jumping on my first muni. found the bus stop, found the "right" muni, hoped on. whoo hoo, this is easy. before i knew it, the driver said, "last stop". i was about 10 blocks from union square, and definitely NOT closer to my friends apartment. hmmmm? this could be tough (and the muni drivers aren't friendly so don't ask them questions fyi). i asked directions to the "right" muni at starbucks (after aimlessly walking 3 blocks in the wrong direction) and got multiple answers. the best advice was, "head north to the muni-1". north? i have no idea which way is north in san francisco?!? ended up walking east. ended up back at union square. headed in the "right"direction towards the street i was looking for (to the north). found the street......started looking for the muni.....walked about 10 blocks (up hill mostly) finally realized there weren't even any muni's ON said street. ok.......finally busted out my muni-map (yes, i had a muni map that whole time!) apparently i was walking the same direction as the muni just one block over. finally made it to that street, got on the right muni. PHEW! missed my stop, had to walk 3 blocks up-hill (i think it was all flat while i was actually on the muni). finally made it to the apartment about 2.5 hours after i started there (i think it's like 2.5 miles from union square, i suck).



race morning given my recent failed attempts at muni-ing. i was a little bit nervous about getting to the race site on time. i headed out to the bus stop at 5:30 am. luckily my friend's neighbor was also racing and told me i was standing on the wrong corner to catch the bus, and she also accompanied me through the part of san francicsco where, "she doesn't walk" when the muni didn't take us all the way to union square and instead dropped us, "in not the best part of town". we weaved our way through hookers and bums, and finally just before sunrise we arrived in union square. just so everyone is clear on this. #1 i would have missed the muni had it not been for my new friend and #2 i would have FREAKED out when the muni dropped me off, alone in the dark, having no idea where i was with all the hookers and bums of san fran.

at this point i was just thankful:
#1 i wasn't wearing my new hot pink running dress
#2 i wasn't running the marathon
#3 i didn't have to worry about getting to the race on time anymore



the race went really well. i thought my legs would be more tired from walking up hill around town all day the day before. the day was beautiful, warm (for SF morning standards), and clear. it took me my usual three miles to warm-up and enjoy myself, and just as i got in my grove we started going up-hill and didn't start going down until mile 9.5. DUDE. that was rough. the rest of the run was fun. i started running with a couple of girls who were #1 hilarious and #2 wanted to push hard from mile 10-13.1. OK. i was ready and excited. we set mini-funny-goals, like catching blue-shirt-guy etc. it was a lot of fun!! i wore my ironman hat and unfortunately these ladies felt it necessary to pull the ironman card. "c'mon you're an ironman!?" agh! the race was over, i felt great, got my new finishers necklace, water, food, massage, and headed out on my next muni adventure.



honestly, i really thought my muni-mishaps from the day before were flukes. how hard can it be right?? i found the corner i was supposed to be on found the "right" muni and hopped on. i was supposed to take this muni to Geary & 33rd. i'm watching the streets go by, 34....33....(aren't we turning here?), 30....29...(maybe it's going to make a u-turn up here).......17.....16....(not getting off here!! this is NOT a good place to get off).....7....6.....(this is looking worse and worse! again, glad i didn't wear my running dress, in case i need to get off here, can it get worse than this?) market st!......i know market street! i get off the bus, JUST because i knew the name of this street, thus feeling like i knew where i was. luckily after a few blocks i realized i was just south of union square (yep, got my NESW down now! kinda.). i make it to union square and luckily know how to get back to my friends apt. from here (after the prior day's adventure). i make it back to her apt., take a shower, and we went out to a nice brunch. luckily she drove me to the bus, i had had enough of SF public transportation.



the funny thing is, i really want to go back and do better at muni-ing. do they just go where ever they want?!?

oh and i forgot to mention earlier. i just bought new running dress...that's right people you heard correctly. a dress. i am known for lovin' my running skirts and for being a big fan/supporter of www.skirtsports.com and today i bought a HOT PINK running dress!! i'm definitely wearing this number for the fresno marathon (can't miss the "four hour fairy" in the HOT PINK DRESS right!?!)and, if things go well during the marathon (or half of the marathon, i should say). this could be the get-up for the ironman run! who's not excited?!?!? (and no that's not my booty nor will my booty ever look that good! but that pic. certainly makes you want to buythe dress right?? :)

purses and such

i'm on this new kick of cleaning out stuff, because i'm going to be moving soon. well for me (before it's crunch-time, at least) i like to slowly organize and clean out and perfect things. (when it boils down to the day of moving i'll be all about throwing stuff in any vehicle and getting it the heck out of here!) so yesterday i started going through my craft drawer. #1 going through the craft drawer is rarely a good idea unless you plan on crafting all day, because you find all the unfinished (uh, oh) projects that you've been meaning to complete when you get time! #2 the craft drawer has A LOT of stuff in it. so, i came across a few things that weren't worth moving, a few things that i needed to return to people, a few halloween costumes i can't get rid of, and some fabric.......hmmmm...some fabric that would be PERFECT to line my corduroy PURSE WITH!!!!

uh, oh. many of my old friends probably remember the ol' corduroy purse. it actually used to be my pants in high school and one day i decided those pants would be a purse, and cut them up accordingly. the purse turned out pretty cute and i've used it a ton, but it has always needed to be lined with another fabric, just to make it look more "finished". (i made it almost 10 years ago!) so last night around 10 pm i got on this sewing kick. (i also have other sewing projects i want to finish so i can put my sewing machine away!!). so i threw this liner together (see pics!) and i love the purse even more now!!

maybe every ten years or so i'll change this little purse up and i'll keep re-loving it more and more!? :) so, this morning (while on my sewing note here) i decided to finish the other purse i'd been working on for the last month. (it was supposed to be a birthday gift for a friend in july, oh well. so, while my internet was frustratingly down this morning i finished this adorable clutch up. go me! i'm so excited. now, all i need to do is finish one more apron and i can put the sewing machine away, at least until after the ironman!!! and then it will be time to start the christmas presents that i will give to people in july! nice! :)

so this isn't really ironman related........but at least you all know now what i do when i'm not swimming! :)

Dr. Tiki and Amtrekker: How To Make Moonshine! (kinda)

“Amtrekker travels to international waters to meet with the famed Dr. Tiki for some moonshining hijinks!Uncertainty ensues.”

read more | digg story

Shaver Lake Triathon

this post is a couple weeks late but i got distracted 1. by doing my workouts as i should (hmmm...?), and 2. by during each workout thinking of new stories to tell on here. now, the problem with that is, i'm the kind of person who HAS to do things in order, so i can't tell a new story before an old story. sadly that equals no stories. how lame is that?

so, shaver triathlon was an interesting and successful event this year. the race itself holds a soft-spot in my heart (does that make sense?). so, i like the race. it was the first triathlon that i ever did, and it's kinda in my old backyard, growing up just 15 minutes from the race site. i haven't always raced at shaver #1 because it's always FREEZING! and #2 it's a REALLY tough race!! this year, i decided i would brave the cold and at least get this race in as my only real race heading into Ironman Arizona.



the week leading into the race was a recovery week according to my training schedule. i was happy to oblige! i was really feeling tired! friday before the race i headed up to shaver in the morning to go on a longer bike ride and check out the course a bit. it was a beautiful day, and i felt strong on the hilly ride. afterwards i headed up to my mom's house in big creek for a relaxing saturday before the race sunday. all night friday my legs were still feeling achy and tired from my ride out dinkey creek road, and i was a little worried about how i would feel come race day.



sunday morning i woke up, ate some oatmeal, and headed out the door with coffee in hand. i stepped out of the car at the race site and instantly started wondering why on earth i would do this race! didn't i learn the last few times i had done it!?! it's NOT fun! it's COLD and it's HARD! i instantly found myself in a crabby mood. i set up my bike and gear said hello to all my friends as we complained together about why we should never do this race again!



i was pretty excited to use my new sleeveless wetsuit (yay!) and feel like a dolphin in the water. well, the wetsuit felt great, but i didn't feel like a dolphin at all! i instantly felt really tired and slow. i tried honing in on my mental toughness skills, but just found myself feeling slow and frustrated....and thinking how much farther i was going to have to swim in Arizona. i exited the water the fourth female, my toughest competition was going to be my friend shelly, as we've raced together a lot. she was already on her bike when i got to the transition area. i striped out of my wetsuit and threw on a jacket...and i was off. the hunt for shelly was on. typically i catch her within a few miles on the bike course so my focus was on finding shelly.



shelly was no where to be seen. i tried to focus on getting my rhythm, and warming up my legs as they still felt stiff and achy. i thought by the time i got to the first couple hills on the bike course i would catch shelly for sure. not seeing shelly out there made me feel like i must be moving SUPER slow, and feeling terrible. it's one thing to feel terrible when your hammering away, it's another to feel terrible when you are creeping along. luckily for me (shelly and i discussed this later) shelly was just HAMMERING to get away from me and she's just gotten that much stronger! :) not knowing these things, really put a damper on my morning. i even caught myself thinking, "i don't HAVE to do the run, i don't want to! i'm just going to go back and be done, who cares!". who would do that!?!? but i thought it. finally i'm about to the turn around point and THERE is shelly! cheering me on as usual. i was finally able to relax. i hit the turn around and caught shelly within a few minutes and then my race started looking up!

shelly and i later discussed how at that point in her mind she said, "agh! finally katy caught me i can relax now!". as she was just trying to hold me off the whole time. in my mind i thought, "finally! now i have to make up time cuz' shelly can run!". it's so fun being able to share racing with my friends and watch them improve!

heading back into the transition area, i knew this would be a painful run. #1 my feet were numb from being frozen, #2 my legs were DEAD from the climbs, #3 it's a REALLY hard run. off my bike and on the trails i was instantly elated and reminded of why i love this race. it is BEAUTIFUL and the trails are SO fun. i just love being outside doing what i love. at this point i was the first place woman. doing the math in my head i thought if i made up two minutes on shelly on the bike, then she would only have to run 20 seconds per mile faster than me to catch me. hoping that shelly's running hadn't improved as much as her cycling, i went for it. the run is a two loop run, so you run through transition which is nice to get a boost from all your cheer leaders, it's also nice because during your loops you get a chance to see where your competitors are. during loop one i was able to see that shelly was about 1/2 mile behind me. which in our world equates to about four minutes. knowing she was four minutes behind with three miles left i knew she wasn't running a minute per mile faster and i was able to relax a bit.

out on the trail i was trying to have a good time and chat it up a bit with the dudes i was passing. #1 i always feel a little bit bad passing super fit looking guys on the course, and #2 i'm always going for the miss congeniality award at races. to one guy i said, "hey, the second lap should feel easier since we can feel our feet this time huh?" i mostly just got a blank stare, and a tiny smile in response. i think he was still mad that the crowd told me to "demolish that guy" and "make him work for it katy!!" as we ran by together. hey, i didn't say it?? :) (i did enjoy it though). i ended up finishing first place female, yay....and i took about 10 minutes off my time from the last time i raced up there. no complaints here.....well, aside from those ones about it being cold and hard. but....i mean.....other than....that...??


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