If you’re looking for my recap of the practice 1/4 Ironman I did yesterday, read the entry below. It was the focus of my weekend. That said, I did a ton of other stuff this weekend as well and ended up spending $500. Sigh. It’s a good thing that I’m unmarried and make too much money.
Man, what a crazy thunderstorm we had this morning down here in Clear Lake. One boom of thunder was so loud that it woke me up (and let me tell you, after yesterday’s workouts I was one tired puppy). I laid in bed for another 20 minutes before falling back asleep, watching the lightning flash like some crazy disco strobe light. I closed my eyes, but the flashing was just as bright. Crazy thunderstorm. I’m glad it held off until today — the weekend was absolutely gorgeous. This is the best time of year to live in Houston, that’s for sure.
On Friday night after being lazy for a couple hours after work, Jose and I decided to keep things low key with dinner at Jason’s Deli. As we walked up to the door, Jose noticed that he had a missed phone call. It was Melissa, who’d called an hour earlier to say that they were all going to BJ’s for dinner. (BJ’s, for those of you who don’t live in Clear Lake, is right next door to Jason’s Deli.) They were still there, and though they were finishing up, they were also still waiting for a couple other people. That’s how we ended up having dinner with Melissa, Kelly, Nick, Heather, Laurie and Wendy. Because I’m sure JD is curious, I will say that I had the hefeweizen and it was good. It’s my favorite of their beers.
Saturday was spent running errands all afternoon, starting with the first $240 that I spent on a new stereo for my Xterra. This was a planned purchase; the rest were not. I got the stereo at Best Buy, but they had a long wait for installation and didn’t have the wire harness or dash kit that I needed. I took advantage of the long wait to go across the highway to Tweeter, where I bought the wire harness and dash kit for a total of $35 (about $15 less than it would’ve been at Best Buy). Went to the mall for a while, where Jose and I each got new watches (his was a planned purchase, mine was not), then back to Best Buy to give them the parts. Then off to dinner and killing some time at Borders (where I bought “Riding Rockets” in paperback; last night I read 9 chapters straight, it’s that entertaining). Finally back to Best Buy again where my car was finished. I now have in-dash XM radio (they even wired the antenna around the windshield and onto the roof) and an audio-in jack for my iPod. It’s very cool.
Yesterday after doing my 1/4 Ironman and sunburning the crap out of myself (side note: does anyone have a recommendation for a good waterproof and sweatproof sunscreen, SPF 30+, that won’t make me sweat even more and make my eyes sting if I use it on my face?), I headed up to Tri On The Run to check out wetsuits. I exchanged emails back in January with one of the managers about renting one for the race, but apparently I wasn’t clear enough about the “add me to the rental list” part. I wasn’t on the list. And the list was already full, with another half dozen on the waiting list.
Sigh.
I knew that I might have to buy a wetsuit, so in the end I was less concerned with the money (after all, I can resell it for a good portion of the price if I don’t think I’ll ever use it again) and more concerned with simply finding one that fit me. In all the sizing charts I had looked at online, the largest women’s size claimed to cover up to a weight of 170-175 pounds. Well, I’m 185 pounds. I didn’t know if they’d fit; I thought I might have to buy a men’s suit.

(Note the incredibly sexy sunburn.)
Thankfully, the guys at Tri On The Run were able to help. Johnny the store manager (who I met for the first time) was able to find a sleeveless Wetzoot suit, women’s XL, that fit me fine despite the tag claiming it was good for 155-170 pounds. It fits fine — tight enough that it made me start sweating immediately, but not uncomfortably tight — except the neck is a bit snug. I think the neck will loosen up in the water. I’m going to try it out at the pool tonight, looking like a wacko (who wears a wetsuit in a pool?). Jen’s coming too, so hopefully she can help me get the suit on properly! When I put it on yesterday, the woman at the store helped me get the last bit on by holding the shoulders and pulling up while I squatted down. Those things are hard to get on dry.