Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Truly, for the needle and hook obsessed, there is no limit to obsession, and no limit to the love.

Taper, you say?  I'll show you a taper fit for a queen.  Taper time, in Ironman Speak, is all about cleaning house, organizing tri-gear, catching up on the Netflix queue, and finishing projects.  Throw in some yard work, garage & and basement cleaning, you get the idea.  Last night we polished off the summer skirt project, otherwise known as the Zuma Skirt, designed by, yes, Doris Chan.  Hooked from the always divine and not too-ungodly expensive, Tahki Cotton Classic Lite, we're lookin' stylin for a late summer evening.  






And: "You treat me like I'm an adult and I'm just a little kid!" 







I brought out one of my main photographers, and she did me justice.  There was a bit of arguing about the clarity of shots, but, as my companion insisted: "Mom, If you get mad that it's blurry I won't take pictures of you anymore!"  And so, again, point taken.   











Our fine photographer also insisted that we pose in front of the "pretty bungalow.  I was going for the art shot of the soon-to-be Oak Park teardown.  Not much agreement, here.

Just you wait, this'll be gone soon. Or, at least unrecognizable.

"Now...Get me like I'm tearing down the house, get it?"


Yup, it's vino time.

See, that's a good one, Mom!  I was trying to capture all of the extra western light that's flooding over the former attic and roof of the house, but the haze is pretty sharply white.
Great Teamwork.


And, taper time, lots of sing-along music.  It's what gets us through on race day and until then....

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Ironman Training: Taper Time takes me down.

Only one week ago today, I was out for the last hundred of the season before Ironman Wisconsin.  I was feeling good and in the company of three others who are doing IM Wisconsin and a handful of other  volume junkies.  It was set to be a gorgeous day.  I was feeling a bit tired, after open water swim and long run Saturday, but by the time I got out the door I was ready to roll.

And, bam! Just five miles into the event, my snazzy profile rear bottle cage attachment snapped, fell into my ride and just like that, I was down, another meeting with pavement, which almost always has the immediate and often long term effect of slowing things down.  Really slowing things down.  Pavement and I, we've been together more than a few times.  In fact, the last time I went down was another "last long ride" in 2010, when I hit the road pretty hard along with another friend who was training for Ironman. Crash! 
This time, my injuries appeared to be slight (road rash) and my bike was fit for continuing the ride. After shaking off the nerves and cruising gently for a few miles, hunting down some bandages at a grocery store, I was prepared to finish the ride.  It wasn't really until we were more than half way through our ride that I realized my ribcage was bothering me as much, if not more, than my arm, shoulder and knee road rash.  And so it went.  By the time I got home, exhausted and a little elated, I realized that I had a problem that was less visible but rather uncomfortable.  For an entire week, I've been taking ibuprofen. No way that rib is broken, but most likely a bruise worthy of the sort of discomfort that makes sleep difficult, and running unpleasant.  I took this as a signal that Taper starts Now!  I spent the week organizing, cleaning, resting, crafting, and watching Netflix.












Seven days later it all feels pretty good, although I've got a lump on the affected rib.  But now, to deal with the accompanying burnout that a crash and inspired rest brings on!  The last time I went down,  maybe three years younger, maybe going all the way to Canada, somehow brought humor and enthusiasm to the whole thing.  Today, sitting at home, I'm having a tough time wrapping my brain around any of this.  How much training should I be doing this week/today?  What's the impact on race day going to be?  Who cares?  Essential signs of burnout, indeed....So maybe I'll just have to go back to square one.  After all, a year ago I was going through the same motions with the wrinkle that I was flying back and forth to Oregon as Dad's condition worsened.  A year ago, the stress and sadness level in this house was remarkably higher than today.  In fact, It's sort of a no-brainer that I'm hitting the anniversary marker of a grieving process and the next month, in whatever shape it comes, will most likely be a difficult one.  So I'm gonna throw in the towel and call it a truce.  I'm going to finish Ironman, that's do-able, but I'm not sweating the whole taper/exercise thing.  My work, essentially, is done, and now it's time to get my life in order so that no more chaos ensues before race-day.  Calm, rest, focus, order.  And while we're at it, let's dedicate this year's race (like last year's) to this guy:

Over What hill?! Where? When?
And, a selection from my annual Ironman CD:



Billy Joel's original music video, Pianoman.


And with Elton, more recently.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Unencumbered...At Last.

A metal lawn chair, a skein of high quality crochet thread, a vast sky, and a familiar vista, from which to observe the shifting tides of season and day and moment.  I'm so lucky to have a place to return to every year.  It never gets old.

I've been working this skirt since early summer.  It's a lot easier than some of the endeavors I've approached lately, and of course, it's another Doris Chan.  I simply can't get enough of her brilliant designs.  Found in this Spring's edition of Interweave Crochet, called the Zuma Skirt.
Another evening I caught a slightly different view of the meadow and barn.  On this occasion, I had no camera, planning to sit and yarn quietly, but the sky shocked me it was so gorgeous so I ran back to the house to grab a camera.  The late afternoon sky makes every little bit of everything worth it.

And at last, the beginnings of working a shrug with my gorgeous yarn fromToronto's Lettuce Knit yarn store.  This sea silk is hand spun, dyed, and simply amazing to touch and gaze upon.  My most special yarn treat of the season.



What's the point of being a gal on the go without a tidy little suitcase to carry objects of our passion?  This cutie-pie, the Travel Smart, has been a loyal companion for me.
With the assistance of Ashby's photographic eye, a moment, a mood captured.  Part of being unencumbered means taking the vibe back to the chaos and noise of everyday life.  So, here's my attempt to mark time, mark my own mood, and experience an unclenched jaw and deep filled lung breaths.
And, of course, waiting for us next time.  An even greater reason to return.  The Ravensburger Jigsaw puzzle 2000 awaits.  We've got the sky done, and a bit more.  I'm eager for the luscious obsession of puzzling with a giant mug of coffee at my side.  Put a fork in me. I'm done.
When you finish the sky first, you know it's a hard puzzle.