take that, winter!

I did it.

I ran outside in -2 windchill and didn't die. And I still have all my appendages. (Side note: Did you know penis frostbite is a thing? I learned that today. I also learned you should never google "frostbitten penis.")

The key is good gear and covering every bit of your skin. (Read Megan's winter running tips for an awesome breakdown.) I was a little nervous about getting it right -- would I be too hot or not warm enough? What about my eyeballs? And dear god, would it be horrible waiting for my Garmin to find a satellite? (Answer: Yes, it was uncomfortable but doable.)

I wore a fleece-lined beanie, a ninja mask balaclava, sunglasses to protect my eyes from the wind, a long-sleeved technical base layer, a 2/3 zip pullover, my North Face Isotherm jacket, fleece-lined gloves, tights, Smartwool socks and trail shoes for more traction. My core, fingers, toes and face were warm throughout the run (just 40 minutes), but my butt and thighs started to go numb after awhile. (I think next time I need to double up on the pants.)

The run itself felt great. I can't tell you how excited I was to be outdoors after being cooped up on a treadmill for so long. (Is this how I get out of my running funk? Only run in ridiculous weather conditions to keep things interesting?) I took it easy over the icy patches, though -- I'm terrified of taking a nasty fall. (This happened to me in grad school a long time ago. I got out of my car, slipped on a patch of black ice and hit the ground hard -- in front of a lot of people, of course. I've been paranoid ever since.)

What I loved: How quiet it was out there. Like having the whole world to myself. And the scenery -- the snow transforms everything.

Also: These signs that the nearby elementary school made are pretty much the best thing ever.

I don't ever want to see my poop cry.

The Minneapolis PD is standing by.

(Huge thank you to The North Face for the cold weather gear! It's great being part of the TNFLocals program!)

#questionmadness (and the bathroom drain)

So the mister and I swam tonight (we're both targeting Madison 70.3 in June and need to get back in the pool more regularly), and his ear was full of water afterward, so he decided to use the ear wax removal system on it, but unfortunately he chose the "questionable" sink in the house for this procedure, and as luck would have it, the stopper got stuck in the drain, and he now is trying to learn plumbing from YouTube.

Which brings me to tonight's question: Why live a life that's perceived as mad? Or in this particular instance: Why train for a crazy-ass sport like triathlon when it means you're up until midnight taking your sink apart and attempting to unstick the stopper by pushing it up from underneath with a screwdriver? 

Or perhaps even more pressing: Why spend half your rent on Ironman registration and devote six months (or more) to training and have no social life and then cross the finish line but not get anything but a medal, a hat, a T-shirt and some pizza that you can't eat anyway because you're allergic to gluten?

Because I can't imagine living life any other way. I love the people I've met through triathlon. I love the never-ending quest for self-improvement. I love being able to swim, bike and run in beautiful places. I love how triathlon keeps me honest and shows me that anything is possible.

Even learning plumbing from YouTube. 

Madness is a beautiful thing.

keep on keeping on

You may correctly assume that since I am writing this post, I did not get lost in the shit room and die of starvation.

Instead, I tackled that beast.

Right???

It's far from done, but at least it looks like an actual room now. My plan is to get rid of that desk (which I've had since college), add another bookshelf, mount a TV on the wall and turn the whole thing into the most epic trainer room ever.

Which will be perfect, since riding outside right now is dumb. Last Tuesday, lured by the sunshine, I took Muppet out in 36-degree temperatures. About 10 minutes in, I was convinced I was going to lose my thumbs and end up one of those sad stories you see on Weather.com. Because even though I was wearing full gloves, the cold and pain was searing. I had to stop at a bike shop and buy two pairs of gloves (one of which was wool) and layer them. (And when I pulled my old gloves off to put the new ones on, my fingers were purple.)

And I was still so cold after the ride that I had to take a hot yoga class. (Haven't been to yoga in probably about two years. My balance was terrible.)

Anyway, here are some treasures I found while cleaning the shit room:

For the record: I don't even own a toaster.

Yes, that second one does say "Sex."

Still my favorite distance!

Other recent adventures included a walk on the beach on a very blustery day ...

(Isn't my Thermoball jacket cute? Thanks, The North Face!)

... celebrating Thai and Josh's gorgeous baby boy ...

Future Ironman!

(I cannot wait to meet him. I also can't stop buying adorable, small-human-sized outfits for him.)

... and of course, ringing in the New Year. 

Here's to 2015. Let's dream, let's travel, let's keep looking forward.

Onward!