Sunday reputation

I am so lame. Or let's call it dedicated because lame sounds bad. Who spends her weekends biking/swimming/running followed by going to the library to get some books about biking/swimming/running (but I also got some non-fiction). Well, me.

I have mentioned this couple times already but I need to do it again because I do not know whether I should be pleased or worried. I am starting to have a reputation within tri club and even people who I have not met know me. And I have done only one tittle tiny triathlon! I have met 4 members I did not know before in past week and their first reaction was "I have heard you are a machine", "I am...and I love your emails to the group. You are fast", "Oh, you are that girl that always sends emails asking people to do bike rides with her" and my favorite "Are you THAT Monika?", not sure what the last one was about but probably something along the same line. I am not going to lie, I love that people see me as a crazy dedicated machine/person, but some people probably see me as a competitive jerk that thinks that she is funny in her emails. (Some Americans just don't get my clever little sacrastic jokes:) I guess that this reputation is better than having a reputation of a different, "bad" kind.
But I think that all this is only because other members are not as dedicated as I am (and this time I really mean dedicated, not lame. Although that might be true as well. Following me? :)) It is a very low-key club. Although they all do Ironmans and stuff they are not very competitive in doing them, except for few people. But they are very very nice people.

So today I did a open-water swim. I LOVED it. I did it in the morning with one other girl from the club and it went better than last week (although I loved last week as well). I was definitelly getting tired by the end but it was not as tiring as last week. Probably because last week I did it in the afternoon after spending the morning at tri race.
I wish I could do these easy/steady open water swims more often because they are not as stressful as pool workouts and therefore I like them. And I am sooooo much better at swimming in a straight line and sighting. I should have practiced that before my first tri:) But that's ok, I will have a chance to use my new sighting skills in races in a future.
I need to buy a waterproof watch and time my swims. Last week the watch died on me (ok, I admit it, I drowned the poor thing, but I think that it is coming back to life) so I just did 6 laps (from one buoy to another and back) and the first lap took me around 8min last week. So I figured that 6x that would be around 50min.
I did 6 laps today. But according to my friend's watch it took me much more than 50min but we do not know the exact time. So I should get a watch and keep doing 6 laps and then I can compare my times and see whether I am getting faster.

I biked to the lake (1hour) but then got a ride back with that girl. She is very nice, she took me grocery shopping once before.

Then I went for a run. I walked for an hour to the training fields, ran 5x2min w/ 1min walk + 3x1min faster run w/ 1min walk. ITB felt good, no problem. Although it does not feel anywhere close to 100%. Then I stayed there for an hour reading a book because it was very nice outside and I did not want to go back to my apartment and then walked back (another hour).

I still do not know about my visa status. I need to call somewhere tomorrow and find out! Because I seriously need to start looking either for a place to live for next 6 months or for a flight ticket home.
I do not want to stay at my current place because it is little too expensive now after move-in special is over. I would prefer to move somewhere else and get a new move-in special rate. I went to see one apartment complex today and it looks very nice. Every apartment has its own entrance and a small terrase or balcony (depending on which floor you live on) and it is $60/month cheaper than my current place. I would have to transfer my water/energy/internet bill + apply for an apartment but it will still save me around $300 for those 6 months. And I can get nice pedals and biking shoes and a proper ITB strap for $300:)
Originally I was hoping to find just a room because it would be $150-200/month cheaper but I have not found anything nearby and I would have to buy a car and then it would be the same cost with more worries. Although having a car would be neat. But no, I am not buying a car. Life is complicated! No, it is not that bad. My life is actually very simple (except for few occasional hick-ups). Although if my visa does not get extended I will be !'g& pissed and frustrated. But I do not want to think about that option.