Three Days And Counting...

That's how long it's been since I've been able to run/bike/swim/do anything besides sit in a hotel room and watch the news. It's a pretty trivial complaint, considering all the people here who have lost their lives, lost loved ones, and who are still unaccounted for. I know how extremely fortunate I am that missing workouts is the worst thing I have to deal with right now.

I wrote a big post with everything I've experienced since the attacks started, but it was too long to post here. Basically, it's been interesting for sure, but I've never felt too much in danger. I was probably the most scared while listening to the explosions the first night. Whenever we heard voices in the hallway of our hotel we would turn off the TV and stay really quiet for a few minutes. That whole night we stayed dressed and ready to run in case we needed to (I made sure to put on my sportsbra just in case!!). I wore my pants with the cargo pockets so I could carry my passport and some cash without worrying about it falling out. But luckily, that was as intense as it got for us. We never felt too freaked out, even then. I knew there wasn't anything I could do about what was happening, so I just made sure to stay alert and be ready to act if we needed to.

Over here in Mumbai, it was late at night Wednesday night when the attacks started. The whole day Thursday, we pretty much just stayed in the hotel room watching the news. We did venture out at one point to try to find some water. Every place was closed, but we could see some people moving around inside a restaurant on the corner where we had eaten dinner two days prior. They wouldn't let us in but they sold us two bottles of water. This was about 11:30 AM on Thursday. I took a few pictures out on the street just to capture what was going on. The street outside our hotel was very quiet. There were more pedestrians than I expected, but still much fewer than normal.


Around the corner from our hotel, police and military were blocking off the street that led down to the Taj.



At the end of the next street, we could see all the parked vehicles from the news stations that were covering the story.



Soldiers from the Indian army were stationed along the streets. This truck was parked directly across from our hotel.


The next day, Friday, we were finally able to meet up with the rest of my family. We are now at a different hotel, further from the action. Originally, we were all supposed to stay at the Trident, so my brother had to scramble around to find rooms somewhere else. Friday afternoon actually felt pretty normal- my mom and I, along with my brother's fiancee and two of her cousins went shopping for saris for my mom and I to wear for Saturday's party. We went to a big department store where the whole third floor was all saris. So many different fabrics in every different color you can imagine. And the beadwork and stitching is just amazing. Saris are so cool!

Now it's Saturday morning. My brother just left to go to the Trident to try and retrieve his luggage. He and his fiancee had sent their bags ahead to the hotel, before everything started happening. They've been living in borrowed clothes since then. My brother's suit for the party is in his bag, so hopefully he can get it back or he might be partying in a t-shirt tonight!

Today's mission for me is to find a treadmill. Even though life is pretty much going on as normal where we are, it's still too dangerous for me to run outside. And unfortunately this hotel doesn't have a gym. I'm also starting to worry a little about being able to get my flight out of here. I imagine the airport must be pretty backed up. I know that missing my race next week would be another very trivial complaint, but I'd really like to make it. Not much I can do about it now besides just wait and see. And enjoy myself while I'm here- can't wait to wear my sari tonight!

Thanks so much to everyone for sending your thoughts and prayers. It really makes me feel good to know that so many people are thinking of me and my family. It is very sobering though to think of how many people there are in this city who have not been as fortunate as we have.

And you think triathlon is crazy?

The next time someone tells me I'm crazy for doing triathlon, I will laugh and say, "You want crazy? Try running in the streets of Mumbai."

People EVERYWHERE, narrow streets, unmarked intersections, stray dogs and livestock roaming around, horns honking constantly... and that was in the first five minutes!



And that's the tamest street of all, I didn't get a picture of the really wild ones (I was too busy holding my life in my hands!). I had to keep repeating to myself which side of the street I was on- "Now I am running WITH traffic" or "Now I am running AGAINST traffic". Although that doesn't help much, since the people basically just drive wherever there's room. Lane lines, if they even exist, are a mere suggestion. I figured out that whoever is in front is who has the right of way, whether you're another vehicle or a pedestrian- if you manage to get in front, they'll let you go, but if they nose ahead, you better get out of the way!

To prove I really did it, here's me starting out (I'm on the right side with a white t-shirt):



And a big shout out to my Bahraini running buddy. After I'd been running almost ten minutes, I saw another guy on my side of the street who was running too. He had sneakers and shorts on, so I figured he was probably running for exercise rather than just trying to get somewhere. We got stopped by traffic at the same point, so I asked him, "are you running too?" He replied, "Arabic, you know?" to which of course I said no, sorry. We started back up running, and came back together again a few corners down. I called to him and asked him, "Can I run with you?" and made gestures towards me and then him, while scissoring my fingers to look like running legs. I think he pretty much got it and he nodded, and then we were off. He helped me fend off traffic, showed me where to turn, and really helped me get my confidence up to handle the streets. We couldn't talk much, but I managed to figure out that he was from Bahrain and he was here because of the hospital (whether working or as a patient or family member, I don't know, but I asked him if he was OK and he said yes). I told him I was American and I was here because my brother was getting married. I'm not sure if he understood the wedding part, but he knew "American". After another ten minutes or so, I got the impression that he was done but I had about 20 still to go. I told him I had to get back to the Taj, and he ran me back there and we said goodbye. At that point, I was much more comfortable navigating the streets on my own, even though I did manage to almost get lost (luckily I ran into a Mumbai police officer who kindly gave me directions). So I don't even know his name, but THANK YOU, my friend from Bahrain, it was so nice to meet you and run together!

What are you good at?

Whenever I read an interview or survey with questions like "what are you proudest of about yourself?" or "what is your best personality trait?" I always think about what my answers would be. It's tough to come up with anything, because I don't tend to think of myself in those terms. So when a friend of mine recently told me "you're so fast" (yes that was you MD!), I didn't really think about it at first. Today on my long run, those words came back to me. It's funny that she said that, because I've actually never been fast. I did run a pretty surprising 10K last month at the end of my first Oly tri that I was really pleased with- don't get me wrong, I wasn't breaking any records, but it was a lot faster than I thought I'd be able to go at that point. But still- fast? me? That just sounds silly.

In school, we won a lot because we had a great team. We had two girls who were very good, then a few who were OK-to-decently-good (I was one of these) and then several more who contributed to the team in one way or another. Our team was very good because we didn't have just one or two superstars, we had a consistent level of pretty good talent among a lot of people. I loved being part of that: achieving more together than any of us could have achieved alone.

So, I was thinking about all this, and wondering if I'm not fast, then what am I? What do I do well? I decided that my best athletic strength is the ability to outrun my abilities. Meaning that when I need to, I can push through a lot of discomfort and doubt and pain and get more out of my body than I really had in there. My coach used to tell me I was a 'big-meet runner' because I'd always have my best races when it really counted.

I remember running my last leg of Hood to Coast in August, when I was still on my comeback from shin splints. I hadn't run anywhere near 7.28 continuous miles yet in my training, but that was how long my last leg was, so I crossed my fingers and off I went. I remember looking at my watch after about 2 miles and not really believing I could keep up my 8:45ish pace for 5 more miles (I'd been running around 11:00 pace in training!). But I thought, hey there's only one way to find out... and just kept going. I finished with an average pace of just under 9:00 which I was totally pleased (and surprised) with.

On my long runs lately, I've felt great, but I haven't felt like I could run much faster over that distance than I already am. But if history is any indication, I guess I won't really know until race day. I'm excited to find out.

Stuff I Like...

pbg's Product Hall of Fame:




My Nike FitDry sportsbras. These things rock. I am VERY picky about my sportsbras. They have to be tight enough to stop the bounce, stretchy enough to get on and off easily, have a wide chest band to be supportive and allow for the HRM, and be made of a good technical material. Check, check, check and check. I think I have one in every color!




Under Armour running shorts. They hardly feel like I'm wearing anything at all. And even on long runs, no chafeage. Sweet.




Nike running gear- whenever I go to the sporting goods store (which is way more often than I should), I always try on all the brands but I keep coming back to Nike. The materials are good, the fit is good, the cuts are good. They don't make me look like a sausage (like Under Armour does, except for the above shorts), they don't fit me weird (Adidas) or ride up (Champion, and many of the off-brands) and they seem to last a long time. This tank top is my current favorite. I like to wear it for my long runs. I think it has some special clip for your head phone cord, but I don't use that. I just like how it fits.




Garmin Forerunner 405. This thing is totally cool. It does way more things than a watch should ever be expected to do. I'm addicted.




Bike shoes. Easy on/off, comfortable, and apparently stylish- I had a girl stop me one time as I was leaving for a ride to ask me where I got those cool shoes so she could get some. She was disappointed when I showed her they were bike shoes and really not the best for walking around in, although she looked like she was still considering it anyway.




Angel Eyewear sunglasses, "Mystique". I first bought these on my first (and only so far!) trip to California. I lost them when I moved, and I was so disappointed because I don't think they make them anymore and they really are the best sport sunglasses I've ever had. They fit my face perfectly and don't bounce when I run. Fortunately I found someone selling them on ebay, so I bought all they had!




Calf sleeve. I am so in love with this thing. It helped me tremendously when I was trying to come back from my shin splints. At first I wore it 24x7, now I just wear it when I work out. I could probably wean myself off of it at this point, but I'm very attached to it. As you can see, it's been through a lot :)




The best running shoes ever- Saucony ProGrid Hurricane 9. I got fitted for these by my PT and I'm about ready to get my 3rd pair. Along with my orthotics, these shoes keep my over-pronating feet in line, which keeps the rest of me healthy and happy.




Foooood.... The best stuff I've found so far. I have a lot of experimenting still to do, but so far I love: Gu2O (great calorie/carb replacement without an overwhelming flavor or overload of sugar), Honey Stinger (honey as an energy gel- genius! And the gummies are great too), Hammer Bars and Larabars (very few ingredients, and they're all recognizable- cashews, dates, almonds, raisins- and the texture and taste are perfect for mid-workout), nuun (light taste, slight fizziness, great for replacing electrolytes when you don't need the sugar or calories of energy drinks).

tran⋅si⋅tion /trænˈzɪʃən, –noun

"movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another"

Before you can figure out you're transitioning, though, you have to know where you were, then that it's changing, and then where you want to be. Or at least where you think you're headed.

So before I could figure out that I was transitioning into an adult, I had to figure out what that meant. Who was I, really? What was I trying to be? When I was in college, I used to always hear people say that college taught them who they really were. Whatever that means. I used to get so frustrated at that because whatever that boat was, I missed it. If there was a class or a seminar on it, I didn't find it. Nor did I have some kind of "a-ha!" epiphany moment. But it did make me start asking myself the question. I never really thought to wonder about who I really was before that. I didn't realize it was something people actually thought about. But like everything else at college, what I ultimately learned was how much I didn't know. What motivates me? What makes me happy? What do I want to achieve with my life? Do I have a "type", as far as guys that I like, and what is it? What's REALLY my favorite flavor of ice cream? (OK so that last one was easy. All of them. Just not the ones with chunks of cherries in them, that's just gross.)

So now here I am, about 4.5 years post-college, and I finally feel like I've started to make progress on some of those answers. I guess you figure out those things as you see how you respond to different life situations. What motivates me? A challenge. Wanting to feel loved and appreciated. Pleasing someone. The desire to do the right thing. I'm still working on it, but it's a start. And I'm finding that the more answers I get, the more comfortable I feel with myself as a person. That's a transition I've been wanting for a long time.

What other transitions have I been up to? I've gone from New Yorker to New Orleanian; from dog sister to dog mom, thanks to the most amazing canine companion any girl could ever wish for and who I love more than I thought possible; from student to gainfully employed; from living under someone else's roof to being a homeowner; from reluctant athlete to inactive blob to finally an athlete again, and an eager one this time; from codependent to able to stand on my own two feet.

Not least of all, this season was my first time trying the transition from swimmer to cyclist and cyclist to runner. And I think I really like this triathlon stuff! In my rookie season, I did two sprint triathlons and one Olympic distance, and I had a blast. Now I'm getting ready for my first half marathon on Dec 7th which I'm very excited about (Vegas baby!). Next year will be even better. I've got a great coach and I'm happy with what I'm doing. So there's another answer to one of my questions- what makes me happy? Triathlon!

Now off for my 135-min long run, the longest until Vegas. Also the longest run of my life so far, actually. See, things are changing in a great way, and that's what it's all about!

Congratulations, It's a Blog!

I have never been a blog person. Not that I have anything against them, I just didn't really read them or picture myself ever writing one. I still think it's kind of a weird idea- I mean, do I really think I have enough interesting things to say that people will actually want to read it? Besides my mom, that is. I know she'll read it. Honestly though, I'm kinda boring.

But, I wanted a good way to keep track of my workouts, training-related stuff, and race reports. I'm excited about the new things I'm doing and I have some pretty big goals I'm working towards.

It's too bad that I can't blog while I'm running actually, since that's when I seem to do my best thinking. I've been writing blog posts in my head during runs for the last few weeks at least. Time to finally write them down for real, I guess!