Off to California!

       I'm almost packed and ready to fly away tomorrow morning for two weeks of fun in the sun.
Take a look at the video below to get an idea of what I'll be doing from June 20th-27th:

      
       The main purpose of this trip is to attend "Insulindependence University," a leadership training program for this year's group of Insulindependence captains in the Triabetes, Glucomotive, and Testing Limits clubs. All the captains will meet for four days of training sessions in San Diego before splitting up for "practicum experiences"; I will be hiking in Yosemite National Park with the Testing Limits group from June 24-27.
       Then, I'm meeting my mom in San Diego and the two of us are embarking on a lil' road trip.... our goal is to drive all the way up to Big Sur, CA and back, but we'll see what happens. 
Looking forward to posting pics and stories when I get back!

Mooseman

I don't really have the time or the energy to write up a race report right now, but it's been over a week since the Mooseman International Triathlon  and if I don't post something tonight, I'm afraid I'll never get around to it! 

The past week and a half has been pretty busy. After taking my last final exam and moving out of my dorm in Hanover, NH on Friday, June 3rd, then doing the triathlon in Bristol, NH on Saturday, June 4th, and then spending two days driving from NH to MD, I was exhausted when I got home on the evening of June 6th. Still haven't quite finished unpacking.

Anyway, the triathlon was SO MUCH FUN. I went into it being just barely prepared - I had trained to complete the distance, not race it - so my main goals were to enjoy myself, stay relaxed, and manage my blood sugars. Check, check, and check!

Here's a quick recap and some photos....

Me and my friend Laurie in the transition area about 20 minutes before the start. Laurie's a fellow student who I cajoled into racing with me!

Before the swim in Newfound Lake.

The swim was long, but exciting - I had never swum in a wetsuit before race day (dumb move, I know), Newfound Lake was pristine and not nearly as cold as I thought it would be, and I was able to draft off of other swimmers successfully. After exiting the lake, my wetsuit came off in a flash (with help from volunteer "wetsuit strippers," the idea of which kind of freaked Laurie out), and I felt very cool and collected as I moved through the first transition. I held a JJ Twister Sports Bar in my mouth as I mounted the bike, and munched and pedaled my way through the first couple miles of the bike course; those first few miles were the only flat ones. I had been told about something called "Devil Hill" at mile 5, and had expected to have to walk myself and my bike up it, but was pleasantly surprised when this hill turned out to be no worse than one I regularly train on in Hanover, so I stayed in the saddle and got to feel tough as most of the athletes around me had dismounted their bikes. There ended up being lots of hills on this course, making it challenging but also fun, because most of the tough climbs were followed by speedy breezy downhill descents.

Cycling is my weakest discipline, so by the time I started the run I was really in the back of the pack. This turned out to be a huge confidence booster, though, because not a single person passed me on the run, and I was able to chase down quite a few athletes who had been way ahead of me on the bike.

I finished the race feeling pretty good. Was I totally spent? No. That's fine by me, though. I really took my time soaking up the whole experience and enjoying the beautiful scenery on the course, especially during the cycling portion. That leg of the race was definitely where I could have pushed harder - I'll do that next time.

Summer's here

Today started out horribly, but ended gloriously. 
The good: an early evening trail run followed by barefoot strides on the school football field. The hours between 4 and 7pm have always been "prime time" for me in terms of feeling really good and moving swiftly on runs. This workout was no exception. After stretching and putting my socks and shoes on, I had the genius idea of making a quick detour to the river to cool off. It was hot, and I had gone swimming in the river for the first time on Monday, and the thought of diving in and then laying out on the docks post-run was just too sweet to resist! 

The Ledyard Canoe Club docks on the Connecticut River

Now I'm getting excited for my open water swim in the Mooseman triathlon this Saturday. 

Today was the official last day of classes for spring term here at school, and it was the first day that the local farmer's market was open for business on the Green - pretty clear signals that summer is here!

Farmers market on the green - open every week from June to September

Finishing up my classes and enjoying the warm weather definitely made up for the rocky start I had this morning, which was marked by a blood sugar of 32 at 3am, followed by mass consumption of smoochies, followed by going back to sleep without brushing my teeth, followed by sleeping through my alarm and barely, just barely, turning in my final project for my 9am class on time. There were a bunch of other loose ends I needed to tie up before this afternoon, but now they're all (almost) behind me. The only thing standing between me and a resounding cry of "school's out!" is an exam for my political game theory class on Friday morning. Oh yeah, and a triathlon on Saturday morning. Then I'll really be done with this term, and be on my way home :)