There's a Reason my Swimsuit says KILLA on the Ass.

Yesterday was a pretty great day.

I ran for the first time in a week and a half. The first two blocks felt pretty awful, and my hips were hurting, but I kept going and after a few minutes, I felt fine. It was a short run- 30 min- but I didn't want to push my legs yet. Still, it felt good.
Then, I hopped on the trainer for 30 min- sort of a reverse brick so I could cool down. Showered, then realized I still had dirt in my ears from the wet and muddy ride the day before.

Later, did another hour of intervals while watching Bridget Jones Diary. Great fight scene in that movie!

Headed to the gym for a swim, and was really not looking forward to it. I was just going for an hour by myself, and not exactly thrilled. The first 20 minutes were great because I had the lane to myself, but naturally, a breast-stroker (minds outta the gutter!) got in the lane with me. Another 15 minutes passed with me dodging kicks to the head.

Then, for some reason, a gaggle of girls in what I have to assume was some swim club (given the 20 or so people standing together looking super fit and ready to swim hard) got in the lane next to me. They started going, and my competitive instincts kicked in. First, I passed the slower girl. Then, the medium girl. Then, I figured I only had 18 minutes to go, so I took on the fast girl.

All I could think of was that my suit reads "killa" on the ass and has the grim reaper on the front, so I had an obligation to be awesome. They were going 300 meter sets and stopping, but I kept swimming at the same fast pace for the last 25 min of the set. It felt great- normally I'm just swimming as a rest from biking and to keep my swimming skills intact, but this time, I was legitimately swimming hard. Finished strong, got out, and headed for the gym to cool down on the bike- finally, a correct brick!

After that, 30 minutes of weights. Lots of abs and arms, but I noticed 2 bodybuilder types on the leg press putting up ~450 lbs. Feeling cheeky, I decided to hang around until they finished their set. They must have noticed, because I saw them glance at me and start talking. Finally, one asked if I was waiting. I said yes, and they said they were done and started taking weights off. "Oh, don't bother," I said and slid into the seat. They looked at each other and stepped back.

10 reps later, one of the guys was turned around doubled over laughing and the other was just staring. I stopped. "Well, you just made me look like an asshole," the one guy said.

"Why?"

"My friend bet me that you'd put up the same weight as me and I said there was no way in hell."

"I can put up way more than that if I'm trying and don't have to ride home or again in the morning."

So I did another 15 reps, laughed, and walked away, leaving them staring. It felt awesome.

I think that I'm joining a non-collegiate team (Somerset Wheelmen) so I have a team to race with locally over the summer. I'm also doing a time trial in Readington with them in May, and the Giro Di Jersey, a 3 day stage race starting the day after my birthday. Of course, Rutgers Cycling will always be my #1 priority, but I'd like to branch out a bit too. The women on the team seem super nice, at least via email, and I'm going to a meeting next Wednesday. I figure if I'm ever going to start a tri team or do any coaching, the more credentials I have, the better!

Either way, I'm bummed I'm missing racing this weekend for job training and family life, but I expect great things at MIT next weekend. This weekend off is just what I need to refocus, I think.

Also, after this weekend, no more baked goods or candy for a month. Gotta get to serious race weight!

I somehow got the theme song from Friends stuck in my head, and now I really really miss my best friend from high school. Maybe a road trip to Rhode Island is in order as soon as the semester ends...