Wyatt in the World

A quick update on the training schedule:

Week 2: Worked out
Week 3: Worked out
Week 4: Got severely dehydrated. Rested and drank lots of liquids. Felt better.
Week 5: (The actual Workout Week 4:) Worked out.

New Week 5: Luckily I started my 12 week training program 13 weeks before the race, so I am able to do all the weeks of training. Tomorrow I’m doing my first BRICK (Swim, Bike, Run) workout with friends. They’re all athletes that have been doing triathlons and marathons, and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep up with them. I’m just going to go and try and see how I do. We’re starting out in a small lake - Green Lake, and all I can think about is the goose poop that is deposited arounnd the lake by all the geese that hang out there. Ugh.

Later this week I’m headed to Europe with my husband J and my daughter for vacation. I have no idea where and when I’m actually going to work out. I know I’m going to be eating copious amounts of good food and drinking wine and having fun, so I’ll have to figure out how to get my training in, even if it means swimming in a bathtub and building a bike out of sticks.

It’s week 1 of an 11 week training schedule. I have about 12 weeks before the race on September 12 called Escape from the Rock. I can’t wait to get the t-shirt at the end of the race that says that. The race is a 1/2 mile swim, a 12 mile bike ride and a 2.5 mile run.

So, this week I’ve registered for the race, bought a bathing suit, swim cap and goggles and tonight I got into the pool with my friend J to do some swimming.

My 93 page Tri Newbies guide said to start out with an easy 200 yard swim, which is 8 lengths of the pool or 4 laps. Here’s how it went down:

I got into my new TYR swimsuit, goggles and cap. J was in his swim trunks and goggles. We looked totally cool, like we were professional swimmers or something. Then I proceeded to head to the EASY lane of the 3 lanes that were available. J followed and we jumped in. I struggled through 1 lap (50 yards) and nearly had a coronary. J wasn’t even breathing heavy. By the end of the session, which was maybe half an hour and was supposed to be at a leisurely pace, J had done at least 12 laps, and I think I did 4 maybe 5. I lost count after the first one, I was so out of breath. We have to do it again on Thursday. God help me.

Did I mention the name of our team is “Tri-Curious”? You know, we’re all newbies and curious about Triathlons? Get it? J came up with that one.

So, my sister D, keeps sending these updates about how many laps she’s swum and how many miles she bikes to work everyday. It’s motivating me to get my butt in gear and not have a donut for breakfast every morning. Although I did have one yesterday while editing.

Earlier today I printed out a 93…yes I said ninety-three page beginner level training manual from tri-newbies online. I figure if I acutally read all 93 pages and do everything they say, I should be ready to run the Ironman in Hawaii later this year.

I haven’t really started training yet, but I did get up this morning and go to the gym and do a conditioning workout with my trainer. I need to start swimming and biking, though. The biking part is ok, but I don’t like the idea of having to jump into a cold pool anytime soon, much less a lake. I suppose I should call up my buddy J, who is also training, to go with me. That way if I have an apppointment I’ll be more inclined to go.

After a 1 year hiatus (having my daughter along with producing a film has kept me plenty busy!) from this blog, I’m back with a new type of adventure.

A bunch of my friends are into triathlons and my husband J runs the occasional half marathon. I can’t remember the last time I had to actually run anywhere, except now after my little one. I ran track in high school and my knees are shot. I was on the swim team in 8th grade and I sucked. As for biking, I think my bike is currently a condo community for spiders in the garage.

Somehow with all the triathlon talk amongst my friends, I felt compelled that I too must do one this year. It would be a good excuse to get back into shape, because the baby weight is proving to be more difficult to lose than I thought.

I have convinced my friend J and my sister D to do a sprint triathlon with me in September. A few other girlfriends are doing one the week after I do mine, and on of them, H, thinks that I should surely be able to do both in a week. “Sprints aren’t nearly as exhausting as you think they are”, she e-mailed.  (I’m exhausted just thinking about it!) This coming from her, an über-athlete for umpteen years who has been rowing, playing soccer, climbing mountains and doing triathlons. Is that even what you call it? Doing triathlons? Running triathlons? That’s how new to this I am.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to do both yet. Right now I’m just sticking with the first one to which I have committed. I’ve told everyone I know I’m doing one, so I could hold myself accountable. The over achiever part of me wants to say yes to doing both, but the cupcake-loving part of me wants to say, hell no, one for my lifetime is enough! I haven’t started training yet. Haven’t even signed up for the race. I have a little less than 15 weeks to go.

In the midst of gas-guzzling prices for travel these days, you’re probably thinking you’ll stay home, but what about the miles you’ve racked up for all of your business travels? You’ve probably got a bunch of miles on one carrier, or a few on this airline and a few on that. You even have travel rewards points from using your credit card.  Airlines and travel rewards companies are banking on the fact that most people don’t use their points and miles. However, you could be sitting on a gold-mine, but it probably seems more like a quagmire, as trying to make sense of all of the rules, restrictions and blackout dates can be a nightmare.

That’s where The Mileage Bookie comes in. April Schoen has the magical know-how to tap into that treasure-trove of miles and points. You won’t have the hassle of figuring out how to use what miles when and where. She will do all the work for you, and get you on that vacation that you’ve wanted to take. She’ll even book traditional travel plans using real dollars or add-ons to your mileage trip, as she is soon to be a full-service travel agent. Most traditional travel agents won’t bother with dealing with your miles and points. That’s what sets The Mileage Bookie apart.

A little goes a long way when it comes to Schoen’s willingness to help her clients have the best travel experience. For a nominal fee she will not only put your entire trip together, but offer tips on what to do, how not to let your miles expire, or even what to do with miles that will expire that you don’t plan to use for yourself.  “I tend to be a bargain hunter”, says Schoen. “I get excited about finding deals and sharing info with people.”

The Mileage Bookie has vast knowledge of the travel business and the inner workings of code-shares. During her many years in the travel business she has worked for companies such as Starwood and SAS. Schoen has had to work with VIP’s who were very particular about their travel needs, so she is meticulous and knows how to best utilize your miles and points for the things you want. She even knows how you can easily gain more miles from every day things like going to the grocery store.

Schoen realized that starting her own business would give her the opportunity to be more flexible and happier. She says, “Happiness is more important than money.” From the get-go she was good at organizing; she started her first business organizing birthday parties for children. Then a friend wanted to go to Hawaii for vacation and tried to figure out how to use mileage to get herself and her family there. After three frustrating hours of getting nowhere, she called for help. In 45 minutes, The Mileage Bookie whipped together an ideal itinerary for the whole family using miles. A new business was born as friends and associates appreciated the value of her services and became regular clients.  

A relatively new business, The Mileage Bookie just launched in July. Schoen has started to do e-mail marketing to friends, family and other contacts hoping that they will spread the word. She has also networked at several area business events, and she will be partnering with other agencies. Right now she is focused locally, with plans to grow nationally.

For more information:

The Mileage Bookie

http://www.themileagebookie.com

april@themileagebookie.com

April 14, 2008

My husband Jan and I were planning a trip for him to run the ½ marathon in the Whidbey Island Marathon this past weekend, but then he hurt his back and was unable to train for several weeks. We still had this Bed & Breakfast (B&B) reservation for two nights for the weekend. Plus my mom, JB was visiting, so we called the B&B to see if they would be willing to trade us the two nights on the weekend for one night with two rooms on a Thursday night. Instead we’d head up that way for the Tulip Festival, since we were staying in the Mount Vernon area anyway. Everything worked out for our new plan, and we headed up to Mount Vernon with JB and my sister Dost, mid-morning on Thursday.

The weather was not cooperating for us. As a matter of fact, the weather has been pretty miserable for the spring. It’s definitely been on the colder side, so we weren’t expecting to see much by way of flowers.

We arrive in Mount Vernon, which is kind of the center of Skagit Valley. It’s right on the Skagit River. The drive up there is scenic and we’ve been through the town a fair amount of times on our way up to the San Juan Islands. It’s a sleeply little town, so this is the first time we’ve actually stopped in the town to do anything. We found a restaurant, called the Potter House and had a tasty lunch. Then we made our way to Rozeengarde, which was our first stop on our tour of tulips.

We were expecting to see lots of fields of tulips at Rozeengarde, but there weren’t any. We did see a big field of daffodils, which was kind of neat. But the only tulips they had were in the small gardens. You still had to pay an entry fee to get in. We did that and got some “Kodak moments”, then proceeded to buy fudge and caramel corn before we hit the road.

After our visit to Roozengarde, we decided it was time for a break, so we went to check into our B&B, called Queen of the Valley Inn in La Conner. Jan and I had visited La Conner once before. It’s a quaint little town with antique and gift shops on a river. It’s kind of a little artist’s community out there in the valley.

We checked into this really great old Victorian house built in 1908 by an oat farmer’s son for his wife. The house has the original wood fixtures and is in great shape. The innkeepers having been running the place for about 4 years, and they live in a house on the property behind the inn. This is a perfect set-up because you don’t feel like you’re intruding upon a stranger’s dwelling/living situation. The innkeepers were friendly and helpful, but not too in-your-face, since they didn’t actually live in the same house. Nice.

The house has been a B&B for 20 years, so it’s got history of lots of people staying in it. The top (third floor) which is now a suite, used to be a big hall where the previous owners of the day used to throw parties. Each room has a theme from somewhere in the world. We had the Africa room, so yes, lots of animal print. JB and Dost were in the West Indies room. Our room was on the first floor and overlooked a field. In the distance were daffodil fields, like someone spilled a big giant-sized bucket of yellow-gold paint onto the green field. Beyond that you could make out the Cascades, which still had snow on them. For dinner we headed into La Conner and ate at the Brewery, then we went back to hang out at the Queen.

The next morning, we had a great breakfast of Dutch Babys, bacon, orange juice and coffee. The view was gorgeous, as the oat farmer’s pink Victorian house sits across the road, and in the distance the snow capped Olympic mountains were in view. The time at the B&B certainly brought you back to an era gone by, when oats were what oil is today, and life was simpler and things probably not as crazy as they are now.

After breakfast, before heading home, we went to Tulip Town, where Dost and Jan refused to pay 5 bucks to see the (however manufactured) tulip fields in different colors. JB and I went in and got some photo ops, which was fun.

On our way back to Seattle, we hit the designer outlet mall on I-5 for an hour and half of retail therapy, before making our way home. It was a fun little getaway, which every now and then one should do, even if it’s just for a day.