Happy (early) Birthday to me!

My birthday is still a few days away, but I already got my present!  Actually, more than one.  About a month ago Karin gave me these:

Swim paddles add resistance to improve strength and technique.

It's not her fault.  She had to give them to me early because I bought my own, and she had already ordered these online.  So she had to tell me about them so I could return the ones I bought.  And once I knew about them, well, she couldn't very well keep them from me!

Then 2 days ago I came home after a 15 hour shift at work and walked into the bedroom to find this:

My first thought, naturally, was "Why is my bike inside?"  Then I got a closer look and realized why...

Attached to my bike was a brand new BIKE TRAINER!  This is how you ride your bike indoors!  As I am sure I have mentioned before, indoor riding is very effective training.  Until now I have been trying to do a couple indoor training rides a week, one focusing on speed (intense intervals) and one focusing on strength (intense hill simulation).  I have been doing them on this:

This is the spin bike at the gym.  It is great for training, as it allows me to set resistance and speed and is quite close to the positioning of my road bike.  What this really is, quite simply, is the second best choice for indoor training.  I do just about everything in my life with the second best equipment available, because I am cheap.  More accurately, I am very careful about how I prioritize my limited financial assets.  Indoor cycling trainers are expensive.  I already dropped $700 just to enter this Ironman, and there are many expenses involved that are not optional.  I need a wetsuit. (62 degree water for 2.4 miles)  I need padded shorts.  I need good running shoes.  It is absolutely ideal to train indoors in the comfort of my own home on my own schedule, but more importantly, on the actual exact bike I will ride in the Ironman.  But ideal is not my area.  Second best is my area.  That is where I am comfortable.  That is where I feel at home.  That is where I save my money for necessities.

Luckily I have Karin.  Karin loves to get me the things that I really, really should have, but that I will never get for myself.  Because these things tend to be extravagant (by my standards), she sometimes has to convince me that I really, really should have it.  

Six years ago, when I sold my car and decided to make a bike my sole transportation, Karin surprised me with this:

My beloved commuter bike

I was convinced this was an unnecessarily extravagant gift, because my sister had (indefinitely) loaned me her Madwagon 3-speed beach cruiser, complete with fat white-walled tires and a big metal basket in the front.  Braking required pedaling backwards.  Basically I looked like the Wicked Witch of the West riding this thing to work at the airport.  It seemed to get flat tires constantly, which were a pain to change without a quick release, but it did the job, and that is all I needed.  So I thought.  Needless to say, the bike Karin gave me made my life a lot easier and became my constant companion for the next four years until I got this:

This was not a gift from Karin.  But I digress...

The bottom line is, often Karin knows what I need more than I do, and as a result has made my life a lot easier along the way.  A lot of what I own will always be the second best option, aka the one within my budget.  But every once in a while (aka birthdays and Christmas) I move into the best option bracket.  It takes me a while to get comfortable in that neighborhood, but once I settle in, I sure love it there.