Grin and Bare It

Fair warning: this is not a post for the delicate.

So I've been a little bit busy as of late, hence no post since August 21. Tim and I continue to ramp up the mileage. This past week, our longest run was 17.5 miles. Our longest swim was 3,500 yards. My longest bike was 87 miles and Tim's was 101 miles. We've got a couple of intense brick workouts tomorrow and Sunday, and then...recovery week!

But back to the present. With all this swimming and biking and running, we're covering a lot of distance around Orange County. And by "covering a lot of distance," what I really mean to say is that I am forever searching for a bathroom during our workouts.

Dedicated blog readers and close family members will recall that I have an exceptionally small bladder. Road trips with me in your car take an extra 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the distance. I've been known to finish a triathlon or two with a little more than sweat in my shoes.

Alas, while the rest of me is prepping for an Ironman, my bladder seems to be regressing. (Maybe I'm just doing a really good job of hydrating...) But I'm taking it all in stride. Literally.

On a recent night run in Irvine, on a full bladder, I thought I had hit the jackpot when I came across a park restroom. As it turned out, the bathroom was locked for the evening and I was forced to improvise.

During last Saturday's bike ride, I was on the bike for 5 hours and 18 minutes. I used the restroom six times. Oy vey, this is going to make for a very long Ironman...

But the cherry was placed on top last week as Tim and I were running in El Moro, a maze of hilly dirt trails for mountain bikers, hikers and runners. Not even three minutes into the run, my bladder started screaming at me. I managed to make it 12 minutes before I pulled off the main trail and onto a side trail, shielded in part by shrubbery. Tim waited for me on the main trail as I heeded my bladder's calling.

And then I heard it: Voices. Moving quickly. On mountain bikes. Toward me. I was stuck. And so I grinned and bared it. Because really, what else could I do?

I'm pretty sure I gave those guys a good laugh. Heck, I gave myself a good laugh. But I still don't think I shocked my bladder into behaving.

Guess I'll just keep going. ;)