Needless to say, there are literally a bajillion other things I should be doing rather than writing to you dear blogging friends, but I right now need a little down time and as I am sitting while I writing this post, I'm labeling this as rest and recovery.
On the racing front, I have an adventure race coming up next weekend. My partner and I had grandiose ideas on how we were going to practice orienteering together, take a spin or two in our friend's canoe, and I was going to run on the local cross country course to work on my trail running skills. Thus far, a week away from the race, a whopping 0% of those goals have been met.
Although I originally had no goals in my head for this race other than having lots of fun, I have now created two new ones:
1. We will not make complete fools of ourselves.
2. Not to be DFL.
Pretty lofty, I know, but I am hoping they will be accomplished. I will let you know in December, when I finally get around to writing the race report. I am sure that it will be pretty gosh darn funny.
And in complete, way behind schedule fashion, I am now FINALLY going to write a review of some Sugoi tri-shorts which were so awesomely gifted to me by fellow blogger T. when the weather was warmer. I received these shorts as a reward for being attacked by a bird (or at least that is how I remember it).
I was uber-excited to win the shorts. I could not believe how thin they were when I tried them on. They were like tissue paper. I was afraid of ripping them! The chamois was really thin too, not meant for anything much longer than an Olympic distance triathlon -- which left me with a problem as I only signed up to race HIM distances this year. In order to do a "kinda" review, I decided that I was going to wear the shorts on a really hot day during a brick workout. My reasoning was that you really can swim in most anything (except perhaps a prom gown), but the comfort of biking/triathlon shorts really come into play during the bike and run. Additionally, if I wore them on a really hot day, I would perspire (okay sweat) a lot and the shorts would get wet, then I could see how they dry during the run or after my workout.
What I failed to take into consideration in my plan is that summer never really did visit the state of Wisconsin this year and that really hot day in which I had to do a brick workout never came into fruition.
So, months passed and every time I opened my triathlon gear drawer in my dresser (don't we all have one of those?), those shorts would not so kindly remind me that I have not reviewed them yet...Leaving me riddled with sadness and guilt.
But... believe it or not last weekend (the September one), plan B emerged and I can (sort of) complete a full review (swim/bike/run) of the shorts!
Obviously, as indicated by my lofty goals above, I am not training for my upcoming adventure race. I am, HOWEVER, training for the Hot Chocolate 15K. Usually my long runs have been on Saturday, but due to a gymnastics meet for my daughter, I had to move my long run last week to Sunday. (I know you are thinking what has this go to do with the shorts, but keep reading it will all become clear soon!)
About two weeks ago, my friend called me and said that she got an e-mail asking if she would be available to be a swim angel for the Danskin Triathlon that was happening last Sunday. She asked if I would be interested in volunteering with her. Since triathlon has given me so much, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to give back. After, clearing it with Mr. Spie, I promptly said YES! Then, I had to figure out how to fit my 10 mile training run in that day too. I decided, the best way to do both and not compromise any more family time, was to run to the race venue in the morning (my friend would meet me there with my wetsuit and towel), swim as an angel, and then run home.
Naturally, I chose to wear the Sugoi shorts for my adventure into insanity.
The shorts were really comfortable during my to the venue run and as it was dark out, I appreciated the reflective accents on the leg making me a little more visible. They were really lightweight and did not bunch or ride up during my run. The chamois was a non issue as well. There was no diapered feeling at all.
During my time as a swim angel (and what a rewarding and eye-opening experience that was!) the shorts were covered by my wet suit. Although I cannot fully comment on the feeling of the shorts in the water by themselves, I can state that unlike my other triathlon/bike shorts that I have worn under a wetsuit. These shorts did not bunch up and make funny bulges on my legs or cut off the circulation to my thighs because they had rolled. They stayed close to the body and in place, which is really impressive when you consider they do not have any leg gripping elastic. I was also glad that when I was done, the shorts stayed on my body when I not so delicately stripped my wetsuit off!
After my swim, I packed up my gear, put on my running shoes, gave my wetsuit and towel to my friend, and went to collect my free t-shirt for volunteering (I received the technical T rather than the cotton T -baBING!). We then walked together to my run starting point. All in all I spent about 1/2 hour just getting ready to run. By the time I started to run my way back home, my top I was wearing was definitely still damp, the shorts however, were mostly dry! My run back in the shorts was the same as my run to the venue. The were cool (in both senses of the word) and comfortable!
Although, this day did not include biking, that is not to say that I haven't worn the shorts on the bike at all. In the "heat" (figuratively, not literally) of triathlon training, I was riding my bike upwards of 3 times a week. With all of the other stuff, not only swimming and running but also parenting, dishes, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., it did not leave a lot of time for laundry. The Sugoi shorts saw a lot of saddle time and they were comfortable, as long as it was no longer than a 2 hour ride. My three hour rides in which I road tested them were not all that fun in the end (or somewhere near my end).
All in all they are really great shorts, they are a bit shorter than my other triathlon bottoms, but what is the use of all that work if you don't show it off a little right?
Thanks to T. for her generosity (and forgiveness for the really late review!).....
....and send me really good racing thoughts for my upcoming race -- I think that we may need it!
