to tri or not to tri?

There it is. The question that I've been battling for the past several months. Remember my goal? This is it.

I have absolutely no idea how the idea to even consider a triathlon entered my mind. I can't remember. It's almost as if I woke up one morning and said "I want to do a triathlon" and suddenly, it's all I can think about. I vaguely remember thinking that this was a better goal to strive for than agonizing over the number on the scale.

Obviously, I am not considering anything more than a sprint. I guess when this "plan" (if we can even be so bold as to call it that) formed in my crazed brain, it began as "I am going to do the Danskin Women's Triathlon". A sprint that is women only seemed like the perfect environment for a first-timer. Plus, a half mile swim, 20k bike and a 5k run? I can do that. Right? If JLo can do it after having twins, I can do it. I'm not going to fool myself. My goal is just to finish. Of course, I'd love to not come in last and a time under two hours would be excellent, but I would settle with finishing.

The run part, I can do. I've been running regularly for the past few months. And, I actually enjoy it, which is a complete surprise to no one more than me. The bike part, I can do. Twenty kilometers is about 12.5 miles. I can do it. Now, the swim part? That's more of a problem. My swimming skills are, oh, non-existent. This is a little bit of a problem considering that a triathlon is SWIM, bike, run. So, I sort of need to complete that first part to even be able to do the bike and run parts.

Clearly the biggest obstacle to the swim part is that I need a place to do it. I live in Wisconsin and I'm a realist, so outside is definitely not an option. That leaves inside. In a lap pool. Unfortunately, for me, swimming laps absolutely TERRIFIES me. To the point that the thought of it makes me want to scrap this entire crazy plan. Sure, I can swim. If by swim, you mean save myself from drowning. I can scuba dive and that requires swimming. I had to swim 200 meters to even get certified, so I can swim. I'm just not good.

I've dug up a few training plans that I like and I think this 11-week training program from trinewbies.com seems best for me. I also have found beginnertriathlete.com to be a good source.

I am still not sure on which race I want to commit myself to. I had originally planned on Danskin. I've just heard great things about the course and the event. And, in the past, it's been held in mid-July, which seemed perfect. In the beginning I also considered the Devil's Lake Triathlon, in September. For even a few crazy days, I thought to myself that I could do Danskin in July and if I loved it, I could maybe do Devil's Lake too. Unfortunately, Danskin isn't until September 27 this year. Which is the same date as the Race for the Cure that I do every year. If it wasn't the end of September and the weather that time of year wasn't so iffy, I would probably bail on the Race and do Danskin. I am also looking at the Spirit of Racine Women's Tri on my birthday weekend (which is really beginning to push it if I go with that 11 week training program) and the Pleasant Prairie Triathlon in August that is on the same course as Danskin. There are a few others around the state that I've considered, but, like I said, I just can't commit.

In addition to all of the concerns I've already expressed, there are a million more that torment me daily. Do I really want training to take over my life? What if the race comes and I don't feel ready? I've never done this before, how will I know what to do? What if I panic during the swim and burnout before I even get on my bike? What should I wear for this? How will I handle the transitions? I am going on vacation for 10 days a few weeks before Spirit of Racine, will that totally screw up and ruin all of my training?

What do you think? Can I do it? Should I do it? Should I stick to running for a while? Has anyone done any of these races and can offer some words of wisdom or advice?

alive

I'm still here. Still alive. Work and life and everything have just been crazy busy right now and blogging hasn't been top priority. I don't ever want blogging to feel like a chore that I must do. So, if it does, I just won't. I really can't believe May is just about here. But, that's totally fine with me, as I've never been much of an April fan anyway.

Otherwise, here are some random thoughts from the last few weeks:

-OMG, has spring finally come to Wisconsin? Last Friday, the temperatures were in the 80's, which, if I may be so bold, I would say is almost surpassing spring and going right on to summer. We pulled the bikes out and went on a long ride Friday evening after work and it was glorious. I've heard mumblings from the family that it won't be long before the pier goes in the water!

-Indy has a hurt paw. She ripped the pad on her front foot to shreds playing fetch a few weeks ago and is riding out the recovery period in a state of anger and pent up aggression. We've tormented her by making her our entertainment and do tricks for us. She can now roll over without even being asked.

-I think I kind of want an iPhone. I know, I know, I don't need one. That's why I said I want one. We have a small tax refund coming our way (before July, maybe? That's what we get for filing on April 14th) and it could be going to the iPhone fund.

-Have you seen the new show Pitchmen? It's Billy Mays! Tell me you don't want whatever that man is selling. Anyway, we're watching it tonight and they're trying out all sorts of infomercial products. I do love me some infomercial products. I have been known to happen upon the As Seen on TV aisle at CVS quite often. My favorite is the one that keeps the sharks away. They're testing it out while throwing chum in shark infested waters all while a warning that says "WARNING: DO NOT THROW CHUM IN WATER WHERE SWIMMERS ARE PRESENT! IT IS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS!". Um, duh? The only thing this show is missing is the SlapChop guy (I really wish I could say "stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life" more often without getting weird looks).

-In an attempt to save money and eat healthier, I have gotten really into making lunch each day for work (instead of taking a frozen meal or leftovers). Just about every day, lunch has been really, really good and I've spent the majority of the morning in anticipation of lunch and the rest of the afternoon relishing how good it was. Yeah, so maybe that makes me a dork. So what?

-Do you know what a Monchichi is? I didn't. I had seen them before, but didn't know what they were called. Man, did I feel dumb today when a coworker was talking about them and I just gave her a blank stare. Now I know. What else did I miss out on as a child?

That's my list and I'm sticking to it. If anything else happened in the past few weeks, it clearly wasn't earth shattering as I certainly can't remember it. I welcome you with open arms, May!

Why did the Easter Bunny hide the eggs?

Because he didn't want anyone to know he was messing around with chickens.

Happy Easter!

One of the Best Things to Happen to Me Since the Internet

Well, maybe not that extreme. But it's a good thing that's happened nonetheless.

I have discovered (and given into) Peapod. And, friends, it is magical.

For those of you not familiar, Peapod is a grocery delivery service. You visit their website, stock your cart, choose a delivery time and checkout. At some point during your selected delivery time, a friendly driver arrives at your door with your groceries. Walla! Groceries without ever having to leave the house! Now, I ask you, is this NOT awesome? Of course it is.

I really, really strongly dislike grocery shopping. I would even go so far as to say I hate it. As soon as I get to the store, I want to leave as quickly as possible and often forget half of the things on my list. This only upsets me further because it means I will have to go back. The aisles are tight, some items are hard to find and fighting for a parking spot on Sunday afternoon is an absolute nightmare.

We have periodically been receiving mailings from Peapod with tempting coupons and special offers, all of which promptly went into the trash. I mean, really, how lazy and/or busy do you really have to be to need a grocery delivery service? Yet, the idea was somewhat tempting. After one especially busy and stressful week in which I refused to deal with the grocery store and we starved as a result, I caved and decided to check it out. Just to see what it was like. I promised myself that I would give it a fair chance, but if it didn't work out, I wouldn't force it and I would continue doing my regular grocery shopping. I was most nervous about the produce, as I tend to pick through each and every piece to find something that I approve of.

I placed my order online and was pleased with the user-friendly interface. It was very easy to search for items as well as to browse the aisles. I picked a delivery time, entered my new customer coupon information and hit checkout. Of course, in true Sierra fashion, I forgot a few things. No worries! Up until 11PM the night before delivery, I could go in and add or remove items and make changes to my order.

The next day, our friendly delivery driver showed up within the first 10 minutes of our delivery window. As we unpacked, I thoroughly inspected our items and was very pleased with everything.

Since then, I've ordered from Peapod a second time and it was just as great as the first. While I am currently getting free delivery due to being a new customer, I feel that the delivery fee is worth my sanity and the convenience.

A few more things I like about Peapod: The site docks your cart on the side of your screen so you can see a running total of your groceries (helpful if you are watching costs). They have lots of specials and sales as well as their own generic brand which has some good stuff. They also accept manufacturer coupons. They carry a wide variety of brands and products, including many "local favorites". So far, I haven't noticed that the prices were wildly off base from our local Pick N Save. Most delivery times are two-hour blocks of time, with discounts available for some of the less popular times. There is also a four-hour block that is the cheapest. Then, on the morning of delivery, you get an email, phone call or text message (whatever you prefer) letting you know the two-hour window in which to expect your driver. We actually picked this option the first time and it worked out perfectly.

I really never thought I would be someone who would opt to have a grocery delivery service in my life (really, it seems so frivolous), but I am. And I really, really love it.

Our House, Part Four: After...and Beyond

(Parts one through three can be found here)

The walls were painted, the floors were sanded and finished, the kitchen was (almost) done. We were all moved in. Of course, we still needed some new furniture for the living room and dining area, but what we had would work for a while.

Once we were settled, we invited Helen over to see what we had done. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that she really liked it. Helen approved! Over the next few months, I came to understand Helen a little better. I was not working and was home most of the time. She would invite me over, just to chat. I could tell that she was lonely and liked having someone to talk to. She wasn't so bad after all. Sure, she usually forgot to pay rent until mid-month, parked her car in the middle of the garage so that we couldn't use it, and left her garbage on the back step where animals would ravage it, but we actually kind of liked her. Unfortunately, she didn't live in our house for long after we moved in and we had to find new tenants that May.

Since then, we've had two fabulous couples live next door. The first stayed for two years and we really enjoyed having them. They became engaged there and we attended their wedding last fall. When we heard they were moving, we were a little sad to see them go. Fortunately, she worked with someone who was interested and we ended up with new tenants. It was so easy. This couple is equally as great and have also recently become engaged in our house (we've decided it's good luck). I know that, as landlords, we're bound to have our share of bad luck with tenants, but so far, it's been great.

Anyway, back to the house. There will always be projects we want to complete here. A big one on our list is to remodel the upstairs bathroom in our unit. We did the tenants' bathroom last summer and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of it. The former resident of our home must have decided that the tile in the bathroom was ugly. So, he did what any normal person would do and painted it. Yes, we have tile that is painted white in our bathroom. The paint is, as I'm sure you can imagine, peeling and lifting up in places, so it really does need to be redone. Some of the less exciting projects to be done are new gutters and a new roof sometime in the next 5 years or so.

I'll end this post with pictures of the house from move in. Since these pictures were taken, we've done even more updating, rearranging (mostly in the office) and decorating and the house generally doesn't look at all like this. (I kid, it sort of does.)

(This last picture if of something we found in the garage post-Helen. We found it absolutely hilarious that our old lady had something like this and we made up several stories as to how or why she would have had it. Yes, we still have it.)

We love this house and hope to be able to keep it and rent it all out even after we move on to bigger and better. I love that we took this house and made it our home. It's been so good to us and though I've been known to curse it, I really have loved living here. It's home.