Yes, I can see the whales from the hotel shore but that is not what I'm referring to. We arrived on Wednesday and spent a few days enjoying the 70+ degree whether. Late on Thursday the wind started blowing and it hasn't stopped.
After we picked up our bikes we took them out on a short practice ride. We rode to the transition lot and then took the route out to HWY 19. The wind was blowing so hard it was a tough short ride. Once we got to the highway we headed South toward the Kona airport. The wind was to our backs so it was pretty easy, but watching other riders heading North, it looked like another story. After a few miles we decided to turn around.
The ride out I was doing 25-26mph. When I turned around pedaling with the same effort I dropped to 8mph. The people who had just arrived stated, "don't worry there is no wind in the mornings', but this was not the case that morning.
On Saturday we met at the start of the race to do a practice swim. It wasn't a big deal, just get in the water, kick off together, go out and then come back in. I walked down with Jeff and the kids. When I hit the beach I realized I forgot my stuff. I was wearing my suit but I didn't have my cap and more importantly my goggles. I went out anyways just to get a feel for it and it sucked to not have my goggles.
We went out a couple of yards and everyone was really excited because there was a sea turtle at the turn around spot. It was even more of a bummer that I didn't get to the see the turtle. Oh well I decided to head back.
The wind was still blowing. The normally calm water in the lagoon was choppy. Swimming back to shore was tough because the waves would splash you in the face. Shore felt really far away and I couldn't see in order to gauge how true that was. I had to stop a few times just to make sure I was headed in the right direction. This wind is making me very nervous.
The good news is that my friend Cindy came to the big island to watch me race. She met me on the swim beach wearing a blue shirt that said "LAVAMAN, GO SABRINA!!" It was awesome and she also had one made for Jeff and the kids. The kids had shirts that said "Go Mommy!" I hope I can see them at some point during the race.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Ada Lovelace Day
This post has nothing to do with my training, my triathlon goal, or really me. Its a dedication to a person who has made a difference in my career although I've not ever told her before. Since I signed up for the Ada Lovelace Day, I've been thinking about this posting. I know this person reads my blog and I'm kinda excited to publish this posting.
Ada Lovelace, a woman from the 1800's is referred to as the first computer programmer. There was a brief mention of her during my college years as I was studying Computer Science, probably a historical fact during one of the early subjects. When I started my career with the Department of Defense I became familiar with her again. I've often been amused that people refer to her when talking to me about my role in Computer Science as if she was the only role model we could talk about. Its true there are less women in my field, but I've been fortunate to work with some that have inspired me throughout my career and I'd like so send a personal thank you to one in particular.
I graduated as the only woman in Computer Science during the Fall of 1995. For the first few years out of school I met very few women in my field, even at conferences. It wasn't much of a surprise, I knew what I was getting into when I started. The fact is, I was more surprised when I did meet a female peer. Then I interviewed at Nasa Ames - Moffet Field CA.
The team lead, a short asian woman who spoke very frankly interviewed me and introduced me to her team. The team had 4 other women of all different ages and backgrounds. The group also had a history of women moving through the ranks as interns, SAs, managers, security engineers. I couldn't believe that I was going to have the opportunity to work with this many women in one place.
Cindy Pang became my first female boss. She managed a wildly diverse team. We ranged from super techinical with years of experience to right out of school. The environment was organized, measured, documented, and challenging. Its an environment I've strived to model at several companies I've worked at through the years. In addition to managing a team of SAs, Cindy also had her technical work. She developed projects and prioritized the work of the entire team. I learned a lot about how to get things done while working under her that I continue to use throughout my career.
I wouldn't fully appreciate her abilities until I took over from her as team lead several months later. I'd always been good at managing my own work and projects and Cindy made it seem easy doing the same for others. When she left NASA she named me as her successor. She coached me on how to deal with the NASA management and did her best to help me learn to manage others. This opportunity and experience was one that I would reflect on for a long time.
Cindy went on to do just pure technical work. We stayed in touch and after I figured out I wasn't ready to manage other people, she recruited me to work with her at @Home Networks. The best part about working with Cindy is her straight talk. She looks at problems and figures out how to bring it to resolution. She is resourceful, calculated, balanced, and humble. Her ability to get the job done without having to do all the work herself was something that took me a while to learn. Her focus was always on the solution and getting the work done and she knew that a single person wasn't always the answer.
After the internet bubble burst we went our separate ways. Even though we have not worked together in almost 10 years we still get together and talk about what we are doing these days. I still talk to her about my career goals and talk strategy with her. Her experience and long term thinking always help put things into perspective.
There are very few people that I can discuss technical solutions as well as personal and career development with, man or woman. She was the best manager I've had and the single biggest influence on all that I've accomplished. I feel very lucky to have met her so early in my career and to be able to call her my friend.
And that is the next challenge, can I do for another what she has done for me? Still being inspired by her, I hope that I will be able to say yes to that question one day. Now if she can just stop being so awesome, maybe I'll be able to catch up!!! ;-)
Ada Lovelace, a woman from the 1800's is referred to as the first computer programmer. There was a brief mention of her during my college years as I was studying Computer Science, probably a historical fact during one of the early subjects. When I started my career with the Department of Defense I became familiar with her again. I've often been amused that people refer to her when talking to me about my role in Computer Science as if she was the only role model we could talk about. Its true there are less women in my field, but I've been fortunate to work with some that have inspired me throughout my career and I'd like so send a personal thank you to one in particular.
I graduated as the only woman in Computer Science during the Fall of 1995. For the first few years out of school I met very few women in my field, even at conferences. It wasn't much of a surprise, I knew what I was getting into when I started. The fact is, I was more surprised when I did meet a female peer. Then I interviewed at Nasa Ames - Moffet Field CA.
The team lead, a short asian woman who spoke very frankly interviewed me and introduced me to her team. The team had 4 other women of all different ages and backgrounds. The group also had a history of women moving through the ranks as interns, SAs, managers, security engineers. I couldn't believe that I was going to have the opportunity to work with this many women in one place.
Cindy Pang became my first female boss. She managed a wildly diverse team. We ranged from super techinical with years of experience to right out of school. The environment was organized, measured, documented, and challenging. Its an environment I've strived to model at several companies I've worked at through the years. In addition to managing a team of SAs, Cindy also had her technical work. She developed projects and prioritized the work of the entire team. I learned a lot about how to get things done while working under her that I continue to use throughout my career.
I wouldn't fully appreciate her abilities until I took over from her as team lead several months later. I'd always been good at managing my own work and projects and Cindy made it seem easy doing the same for others. When she left NASA she named me as her successor. She coached me on how to deal with the NASA management and did her best to help me learn to manage others. This opportunity and experience was one that I would reflect on for a long time.
Cindy went on to do just pure technical work. We stayed in touch and after I figured out I wasn't ready to manage other people, she recruited me to work with her at @Home Networks. The best part about working with Cindy is her straight talk. She looks at problems and figures out how to bring it to resolution. She is resourceful, calculated, balanced, and humble. Her ability to get the job done without having to do all the work herself was something that took me a while to learn. Her focus was always on the solution and getting the work done and she knew that a single person wasn't always the answer.
After the internet bubble burst we went our separate ways. Even though we have not worked together in almost 10 years we still get together and talk about what we are doing these days. I still talk to her about my career goals and talk strategy with her. Her experience and long term thinking always help put things into perspective.
There are very few people that I can discuss technical solutions as well as personal and career development with, man or woman. She was the best manager I've had and the single biggest influence on all that I've accomplished. I feel very lucky to have met her so early in my career and to be able to call her my friend.
And that is the next challenge, can I do for another what she has done for me? Still being inspired by her, I hope that I will be able to say yes to that question one day. Now if she can just stop being so awesome, maybe I'll be able to catch up!!! ;-)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The last workout....
My plan was to run on my own instead of meeting up with the team. I've been so busy that I really wanted to sleep in. My mentor informed me that I had to pick up my packet today so I had to make the practice. I woke up later than I intended and hurried to get dressed, grab some food and water and run out the door.
We were meeting at a new place, a school in Los Altos so it took a little longer than I thought to get there. When I arrived at the school, everyone had already left. I waited around for awhile and didn't see anyone. I decided to go run a little bit on my own, but given that I didn't know my way around I didn't want to go too far.
I ran to the Rancho San Antonio park. There were lots of runners but I wasn't sure which direction the team would go and having never been to the park before I didn't go to far in. I headed back to the car and found the TnT coordinator. She said the team should be on their way back if I wanted to wait but she had the packets.
I didn't feel like waiting around so I just went home. I grabbed the dogs (we're dog sitting) and headed out for a run. Its pretty impossible to run with both dogs so I left them off leash and ran around the Sun Campus in Santa Clara. We ran around the campus a few times. After the first trip around the dogs were ready to go home. When I kept running they were very confused and not too happy.
When I was done I was really disappointed. It was only a few miles but I felt really tired and beaten down. It makes me very nervous about the race. I'm sad.
We were meeting at a new place, a school in Los Altos so it took a little longer than I thought to get there. When I arrived at the school, everyone had already left. I waited around for awhile and didn't see anyone. I decided to go run a little bit on my own, but given that I didn't know my way around I didn't want to go too far.
I ran to the Rancho San Antonio park. There were lots of runners but I wasn't sure which direction the team would go and having never been to the park before I didn't go to far in. I headed back to the car and found the TnT coordinator. She said the team should be on their way back if I wanted to wait but she had the packets.
I didn't feel like waiting around so I just went home. I grabbed the dogs (we're dog sitting) and headed out for a run. Its pretty impossible to run with both dogs so I left them off leash and ran around the Sun Campus in Santa Clara. We ran around the campus a few times. After the first trip around the dogs were ready to go home. When I kept running they were very confused and not too happy.
When I was done I was really disappointed. It was only a few miles but I felt really tired and beaten down. It makes me very nervous about the race. I'm sad.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I swam a mile!
I made it a goal to swim a mile before heading off the Hawaii. I reached that goal last night. After getting the kids fed and ready for their bath, Jeff took over and I headed to the pool. It took me 45 minutes to get ready because as usual I lost just about everything that I needed. And when I did find all my swim stuff and arrived at the pool, I forgot my key and had to go back home.
It was nice that the day had been so warm and the night was equally as nice. I jumped into the pool and did a few warm-up laps. Now I needed to do the 32-33 laps to complete the mile. Because I wanted to practice for Lavaman, I had to try and do continuous swim. This is a little tricky in a pool. After about 10 laps in the single lane and trying not to kick off the wall or stop between laps, I decided to snake the pool.
This meant I would swim down 1 lane and back up another lane. After a few laps of using two lanes I added a third lane. Once I snaked those lanes I would then come back. I think at most I did 6 laps without stopping or touching a wall.
Keeping track of the laps is tricky, especially because my mind wonders and when swimming I'm so focused on trying to breathe, keeping form, and generally not dying. I now keep change next to my stuff. Each lap gets a penny. So I had 2 dimes, 2 nickels, and 4 pennies to keep track of the number of laps I completed. This worked very well.
It took me about 1.5 hours to complete the mile. I didn't feel exhausted getting out of the pool which I felt was a good sign. I'm still a little worried about the race and pretty anxious about everything but I expect that is normal.
When I got home the kids were still awake and very excited to see me. Cameron asked me about my swim and told me she wanted to go next time.
It was nice that the day had been so warm and the night was equally as nice. I jumped into the pool and did a few warm-up laps. Now I needed to do the 32-33 laps to complete the mile. Because I wanted to practice for Lavaman, I had to try and do continuous swim. This is a little tricky in a pool. After about 10 laps in the single lane and trying not to kick off the wall or stop between laps, I decided to snake the pool.
This meant I would swim down 1 lane and back up another lane. After a few laps of using two lanes I added a third lane. Once I snaked those lanes I would then come back. I think at most I did 6 laps without stopping or touching a wall.
Keeping track of the laps is tricky, especially because my mind wonders and when swimming I'm so focused on trying to breathe, keeping form, and generally not dying. I now keep change next to my stuff. Each lap gets a penny. So I had 2 dimes, 2 nickels, and 4 pennies to keep track of the number of laps I completed. This worked very well.
It took me about 1.5 hours to complete the mile. I didn't feel exhausted getting out of the pool which I felt was a good sign. I'm still a little worried about the race and pretty anxious about everything but I expect that is normal.
When I got home the kids were still awake and very excited to see me. Cameron asked me about my swim and told me she wanted to go next time.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Sprint Triathlon
Yesterday was the teams sprint triathlon practice. Organizing was a bit of a mess. Due to the drought we didn't get a permit for any open water swims so we had to figure out how to get everyone through the pool. The plan was to use Burgess' largest pool with buoys for the team to swim around. Then the heater went out. Plan B, get a wetsuit or swim earlier in the smaller heated pool.
At the last minute they changed the start time from 9am to 8am, arrival time from 8am to 7-7:30. I was almost out of the house when the kids woke up and by then it was impossible to leave and arrive in time for the team practice. I decided that since I always ended up separated from the team anyway I would just do a tri myself.
After getting the kids fed and settled I handed over the reigns to Jeff, jumped on my bike and headed to the neighborhood pool. I swam 17 laps (a little more than .5 mile), then got ready to ride the bike. Lesson about this first transition, get socks that slip on easier when you are slightly wet. I wrapped up my goggles & cap in the towel and went out for my ride. I swung by the house and threw the towel into the yard and then headed off.
About 3 miles from the house I figured I felt pretty good so I decided I would bike a full 25 miles. I decided to head over to my new office and turn around at the 12.5 mile point. I wasn't really sure how far the office was but I thought I would get pretty close to the Google campus. It was a great ride because there were no cars out on the roads because the route follows the border of Moffett most of the way. It turns out my new office is exactly the halfway mark. At this point I was wishing I had my badge to go to the bathroom.
I headed home and this was a much quicker ride. I think the wind was in my favor and I decided to make sure I checked how the wind blew on the big island for race day. I took me a little longer than an hour for the entire bike ride so I wanted to work on this. The good news is that I tried out my new Gu/Water Bottle. I love the chocolate Gu and expect this to be my favorite part of the race. The combo bottle was good, but I didn't have the top on completely so made a mess on the first big squeeze. I think I'll get another of these bottles.
When I got to the house I grabbed my next transition bag and quickly got my shoes on and the bike put away. I ran in the house to hit the potty real quick before trying to run. The lesson at this transition is, get a two piece bathing suit. I can't image trying to use the porta-potties during the race with one-piece suit I've been wearing for practice. I drank some water and popped some electrolyte gel squares.
Given how much I don't like running I figured I would probably cut the run short just because I hate the running part. I took off from the house to Lafayette. I made it past the post office. I knew I probably needed to run to the golf course to get the full distance. Once that was done I headed home.
I got home even before Grandma Cindy arrived. I took over the kids while Jeff got dressed and I cleaned the house. I took a quick shower and when Grandma Cindy arrived we all went out to lunch. This day felt super productive and it wasn't even noon.
I was surprised that I was not more tired. It wasn't what I expected at all. I'm either ready, or I'm going to really suck wind during the race. I do need to do a few things before we leave for Hawaii.
At the last minute they changed the start time from 9am to 8am, arrival time from 8am to 7-7:30. I was almost out of the house when the kids woke up and by then it was impossible to leave and arrive in time for the team practice. I decided that since I always ended up separated from the team anyway I would just do a tri myself.
After getting the kids fed and settled I handed over the reigns to Jeff, jumped on my bike and headed to the neighborhood pool. I swam 17 laps (a little more than .5 mile), then got ready to ride the bike. Lesson about this first transition, get socks that slip on easier when you are slightly wet. I wrapped up my goggles & cap in the towel and went out for my ride. I swung by the house and threw the towel into the yard and then headed off.
About 3 miles from the house I figured I felt pretty good so I decided I would bike a full 25 miles. I decided to head over to my new office and turn around at the 12.5 mile point. I wasn't really sure how far the office was but I thought I would get pretty close to the Google campus. It was a great ride because there were no cars out on the roads because the route follows the border of Moffett most of the way. It turns out my new office is exactly the halfway mark. At this point I was wishing I had my badge to go to the bathroom.
I headed home and this was a much quicker ride. I think the wind was in my favor and I decided to make sure I checked how the wind blew on the big island for race day. I took me a little longer than an hour for the entire bike ride so I wanted to work on this. The good news is that I tried out my new Gu/Water Bottle. I love the chocolate Gu and expect this to be my favorite part of the race. The combo bottle was good, but I didn't have the top on completely so made a mess on the first big squeeze. I think I'll get another of these bottles.
When I got to the house I grabbed my next transition bag and quickly got my shoes on and the bike put away. I ran in the house to hit the potty real quick before trying to run. The lesson at this transition is, get a two piece bathing suit. I can't image trying to use the porta-potties during the race with one-piece suit I've been wearing for practice. I drank some water and popped some electrolyte gel squares.
Given how much I don't like running I figured I would probably cut the run short just because I hate the running part. I took off from the house to Lafayette. I made it past the post office. I knew I probably needed to run to the golf course to get the full distance. Once that was done I headed home.
I got home even before Grandma Cindy arrived. I took over the kids while Jeff got dressed and I cleaned the house. I took a quick shower and when Grandma Cindy arrived we all went out to lunch. This day felt super productive and it wasn't even noon.
I was surprised that I was not more tired. It wasn't what I expected at all. I'm either ready, or I'm going to really suck wind during the race. I do need to do a few things before we leave for Hawaii.
- Swim a full mile. I always do less. I kinda get bored or feel like I just need to breathe normally.
- Get a two piece suit that I'll be able to run in.
- Get new socks.
- Put my transition lists together (swim->bike), (bike->run)
- Look at the Lavaman course.
- Figure out sun screen during the transitions.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Best Brick Yet
Its Saturday so we were back at Canada and Edgewood for a brick workout of biking then running. There was a Stanford Sprint Triathlon but I couldn't get a spot when I tried to sign up. I wasn't too sad about that since they were swimming at Redwood Shores (yuck!). I was late to the workout so I missed all the information about the ride, but figured this time I would just keep everyone in my sight. I let the fast group go past and waited for some people I thought would be easy to keep up with.
I was following two women. I would normally have passed them but I didn't want to get lost again since I didn't even look at the map that was sent out beforehand. I figured this was a good pacing exercise. At the end of Whiskey Hill Road, two members of the fast group were at the stop sign working on their bikes. The two girls I was following stopped. Some team members behind caught up. Everybody stopped and were just waiting.
As we stood there for a few minutes the coach's wife who just caught up with us took off. I figured I'd just follow her. She had a good pace for me. I was able to keep her in my sights even though I caught several stop lights. I almost lost her at the Junipero Sierra intersection, the one I took the wrong turn on last time but luckily guessed right this time.
When we reached Portola several members of the fast group came out of a parking lot. I was surprised to see them then a little amused that they could stop and have coffee while they waited for the rest of us (this isn't really what they did).
We made it to the Portola turnoff and the person I was following stopped to wait for someone. Now I was on my own. I kinda feel like I always end up that way. I'm not usually with the fast group but usually in front of the pack. At this point I knew where to go and just headed back to the start. I made it to my car, loaded the bike, changed my shoes, and started to run as the coach got back. He yelled "have fun" and for some reason that didn't sound appropriate. I guess that is just me ;-)
On my run the fast group was headed back. I caught a few people in front of me and passed them. My goal was to make it to the Filoli gate before I turned around. I ran up most of the hills but walked a few of the really muddy downhills. I felt good so I knew I could physically do the run if I didn't talk myself out of it. I didn't see anyone else and didn't hear anyone behind me. I figured I was running a little farther than others but I still wanted to reach my goal. I made it to the gate and it felt like a huge accomplishment.
On the way back I took the road to avoid all the mud. I caught up to a bunch of runners who were turning around at about the half-way point from Edgewood and the gate. I missed the kickoff instructions so I'm guessing that might have been the instructions and why I didn't see anyone else close to the gate.
I got back to hear some announcements about next week's practice tri. People started leaving so I did the same. I had lots to do so was happy to get back to the kids.
I was following two women. I would normally have passed them but I didn't want to get lost again since I didn't even look at the map that was sent out beforehand. I figured this was a good pacing exercise. At the end of Whiskey Hill Road, two members of the fast group were at the stop sign working on their bikes. The two girls I was following stopped. Some team members behind caught up. Everybody stopped and were just waiting.
As we stood there for a few minutes the coach's wife who just caught up with us took off. I figured I'd just follow her. She had a good pace for me. I was able to keep her in my sights even though I caught several stop lights. I almost lost her at the Junipero Sierra intersection, the one I took the wrong turn on last time but luckily guessed right this time.
When we reached Portola several members of the fast group came out of a parking lot. I was surprised to see them then a little amused that they could stop and have coffee while they waited for the rest of us (this isn't really what they did).
We made it to the Portola turnoff and the person I was following stopped to wait for someone. Now I was on my own. I kinda feel like I always end up that way. I'm not usually with the fast group but usually in front of the pack. At this point I knew where to go and just headed back to the start. I made it to my car, loaded the bike, changed my shoes, and started to run as the coach got back. He yelled "have fun" and for some reason that didn't sound appropriate. I guess that is just me ;-)
On my run the fast group was headed back. I caught a few people in front of me and passed them. My goal was to make it to the Filoli gate before I turned around. I ran up most of the hills but walked a few of the really muddy downhills. I felt good so I knew I could physically do the run if I didn't talk myself out of it. I didn't see anyone else and didn't hear anyone behind me. I figured I was running a little farther than others but I still wanted to reach my goal. I made it to the gate and it felt like a huge accomplishment.
On the way back I took the road to avoid all the mud. I caught up to a bunch of runners who were turning around at about the half-way point from Edgewood and the gate. I missed the kickoff instructions so I'm guessing that might have been the instructions and why I didn't see anyone else close to the gate.
I got back to hear some announcements about next week's practice tri. People started leaving so I did the same. I had lots to do so was happy to get back to the kids.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Not such a good swim
Tonight I made it back to the pool with the team. I was hoping it would go as well as last time but it didn't quite happen like that. We started with a warm up and then a few drills. During the open water swim I took a breath with each stroke and I found myself doing the same tonight. Its much more difficult to get into a rhythm this way. I didn't find myself getting into the appropriate position.
Then with the team they wanted us to swim with our heads out of the water. The purpose was to practice what it would feel like as you tried to spot the buoy. All this time I've been working on keeping my head down and now they wanted me to go back to the way I started. It felt ironic.
I almost thought I would have an advantage since this was how I'd always swam but turned out I couldn't swim as well as I once had looking ahead. After several laps of swimming with my head above water poorly we started doing sprints. I really hated the sprints. I was the slowest person on my relay team and that never makes me feel good.
Then we had about twenty minutes left. They decided to have us snake the lanes. This is where you swim down one lane, up the next lane over, repeatedly until you get to the end of the pool, where you jump out and start at the first lane again. I snaked the pool about 4 times. Your swimming with everyone at the same time so you get kicked, splashed on, I was breathing every stroke, and really doing poorly. I guess that is how some workouts go. There is only a 1.5 weeks of training left.
The coaches asked us to do some mental exercises for the race. "If you believe you can do it, then you can. If you don't then you will not make it." We are supposed to mentally play through the race every night from now on. I'm having trouble with the swim portion tonight...
Then with the team they wanted us to swim with our heads out of the water. The purpose was to practice what it would feel like as you tried to spot the buoy. All this time I've been working on keeping my head down and now they wanted me to go back to the way I started. It felt ironic.
I almost thought I would have an advantage since this was how I'd always swam but turned out I couldn't swim as well as I once had looking ahead. After several laps of swimming with my head above water poorly we started doing sprints. I really hated the sprints. I was the slowest person on my relay team and that never makes me feel good.
Then we had about twenty minutes left. They decided to have us snake the lanes. This is where you swim down one lane, up the next lane over, repeatedly until you get to the end of the pool, where you jump out and start at the first lane again. I snaked the pool about 4 times. Your swimming with everyone at the same time so you get kicked, splashed on, I was breathing every stroke, and really doing poorly. I guess that is how some workouts go. There is only a 1.5 weeks of training left.
The coaches asked us to do some mental exercises for the race. "If you believe you can do it, then you can. If you don't then you will not make it." We are supposed to mentally play through the race every night from now on. I'm having trouble with the swim portion tonight...
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