...I found myself...

Tonight I found myself eating a large piece of Teryaki Pork, and going back for seconds. It was meat. It was pure protein. It was firm and well seasoned. It tasted salty. And it wasn't in the form of a gel or liquid calories. It was divine!

This afternoon I found myself looking in the bathroom mirror, and making a face at the crescent-shaped sunburn streak across my lower back. Apparently I forgot to sunscreen myself properly for my long ride. And my tri top rode up my back while I was "being a good girl" and staying in aero (especially on the hills!) Now my extendo-crack is topped by a giant, red smile. Kind of like a weird shaped lolly pop. Right on my back. Nice.

This afternoon I found myself clad only in a towel, sitting on a bench in the women's bathroom, scarfing a protein bar. I was hungry. I thought I could at least get the sweat and grime off me before I consumed said bar. I was wrong.

This afternoon I found myself making a detour to the outdoor pool on Whiting Naval Air Station, before I had completed my run cool down. The blessed thing is still open, and the head lifeguard was amused at my request to jump into the 71-degree water, running clothes and all. Not quite as good as an ice bath, but my legs didn't seem to care. So I got a few weird looks. What else is new?

This afternoon I found myself looking at the Golf Course Sprinkler system and wondering if I should risk it and run through. I was hot. And I had already spent 3+ hours biking and running. Who would notice if I scampered through a few sprinklers? First - base security. I don't think they have a sense of humor. Second - I wasn't sure if the water was potable or not. And I figured that I could HTFU for another 10 minutes before I reached said outdoor chlorinated pool.

This afternoon I found myself stripping off my biking clothes for running clothes in a public parking lot. Nothing says fast transitions like the good old-switcharoo. I think the customers at the gas station were a bit surprised. Oops. I was discreet. We triathletes all are, right? (Okay - don't answer that).

This afternoon I found myself wishing that Santa Rosa County wasn't so rolling on the hill front. Whatever happened to the long flat roads that I kept hearing about? Apparently the people who promised me those didn't get the memo. No, I'll admit this is nothing like Colorado or California. But 50 miles of constant rollers can wear you down.

This afternoon I found myself thinking that the Tri Bloggers October No Candy! No Baked Goods! Challenge is stupid. And that I would be willing to ride another hour of rollers for a piece of sheet cake. No - I would be willing to push the 10-year old Birthday Boy in the pool from last weekend and then run off with the cake, for a piece of cake.

This afternoon I discovered that either my shorts hated me, or that my chamois cream decided to stop working at exactly 1:27 into my ride. Nice. Those rollers just got real fun.

This afternoon I found myself picking out my workout clothes based on tan lines. It's a never-ending battle, I tell you. And I'm not the only one out there who does it. Admit it!

This morning I found myself contemplating my gel selection, and then decided I needed to try something new. Vanilla is just so, vanilla. So Strawberry Bananna and Somthing-Mocha-flavored was the decision. And the extra caffeine was GREAT!

This morning I found myself looking at my workout schedule and excited for my long brick. This morning I was happy. And I knew it would be a good day.