Yes, just 16 more days until I start to address other topics in life other than my injuries and trepidation regarding the Iron Girl race. Until then, you'd best be believing I'm going to milk this for all it's worth.
So, my lovely, miserable, tight, heinous hip flexors are proving to be quite an issue these days. I gave them 8 whole days off from running and kicking (but not cycling-- can't stop that), so last night I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to partake in my team's track workout. OK, let me stop here. No, I am not so stupid that I did the workout with them. I just casually ran around the dirt track, walking around the ends for an entire hour with my very good friend and mentor, who happens to be on taper for CA 70.3 on Saturday. At any rate, I had a lovely time minus the slight pulls from the hip flexors. Managed to add 4.37 miles of volume into these legs last night, which I think is infinitely better than zero. And am I worse for wear? Well, maybe a little tighter than normal, but I brought my ice pack to work so I am working diligently on minimizing any damage. On Sunday, I'm going to attempt to walk-run the full 6 miles after my swim set. I need to get over this mental barrier, even if there's walking involved.
In the interim, I'm booking physical therapy AND ART massage to help counter the pain. I've heard of miracles from these people, so I am putting them to the test!
On Saturday, my dear blogger friend SixTwoThreeTries, my coach, my BT mentor and mentor groupee, and my good friend Denise and her hubby are doing CA 70.3. A HALF IRONMAN. Yes, I bow down to you. All of you. And I intend to show up around the bike-run transition time (sorry, must do a long bike before I go down to Oceanside) with POSTERS. So if you can think of anything fun or motivational that will help you get across the finish line, let me know and I'm happy to do some arts and crafts for you. I was thinking I'd ask my coach how her butt was feeling after 58 miles, but I may try to keep it PG.
So that's how I'm putting IronGirl into perspective. It's nothing compared to the Half Ironman, so I shouldn't worry too much. And coach says that even if I walk the run, I'll still finish before most of the girls on my team. (She's just trying to make me feel good about myself because she knows I am beat down) So there. Am calming myself down RIGHT NOW!
So, good luck to all my pals on Saturday. I shall be with you in spirit at the swim start, but certainly by the time you get to that run, I'll be out there cheering for you! Stay warm. :)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Closing in
I suppose I should be happy that my race is just around the corner, but I can't help this gripping fear that is coming over me. A lot of girls on my team who did their first Olympic distance race last September are already freaking out about their preparedness for this race....and I must say, it does not instill the least bit of confidence!
My swim is there. It's fine. You could send me out there to do the Ironman swim right now and I think I'd do just fine. Not blazing fast. Not super slow. Just fine.
The bike is iffy. I'm strong, but I don't know how strong I can be because we've never trained at the exact race distance. In fact, we've been going over the race distance by at least an hour of riding time for the past few weeks, so I haven't a clue what level of exertion I want to reach before my run.
And the run. My hip flexor is injured, and quite frankly, I cannot run for more than a mile without it tightening up on me and then starting to cause pain. I'm seeing my physical therapist for it, (for free-- he's amazing--- didn't have a referral but he fit me in and fixed me up just because --- it blows me away) but I really wonder if the time off from running will hurt me in th end. I'm not breaking any speed records in my 10K, but still....I'd like to consistently be able to make the distance, you know? I don't want the next time I run 6 miles to be on race day. It may very well be....
So, as you can tell, I am preoccupied, as I sit here with ice on my hip flexor and recover from my Easter morning swim. I know this is supposed to be fun, but this is more than just fun for me. This is proving to myself that I can do things I never thought possible. I HAVE to get to race day. Not to be competitive, but to prove to myself that I can conquer this.
My swim is there. It's fine. You could send me out there to do the Ironman swim right now and I think I'd do just fine. Not blazing fast. Not super slow. Just fine.
The bike is iffy. I'm strong, but I don't know how strong I can be because we've never trained at the exact race distance. In fact, we've been going over the race distance by at least an hour of riding time for the past few weeks, so I haven't a clue what level of exertion I want to reach before my run.
And the run. My hip flexor is injured, and quite frankly, I cannot run for more than a mile without it tightening up on me and then starting to cause pain. I'm seeing my physical therapist for it, (for free-- he's amazing--- didn't have a referral but he fit me in and fixed me up just because --- it blows me away) but I really wonder if the time off from running will hurt me in th end. I'm not breaking any speed records in my 10K, but still....I'd like to consistently be able to make the distance, you know? I don't want the next time I run 6 miles to be on race day. It may very well be....
So, as you can tell, I am preoccupied, as I sit here with ice on my hip flexor and recover from my Easter morning swim. I know this is supposed to be fun, but this is more than just fun for me. This is proving to myself that I can do things I never thought possible. I HAVE to get to race day. Not to be competitive, but to prove to myself that I can conquer this.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Still here
Just too tired to write.
I'm coming off a "taper" week, and I'm still exhausted. What's up with that?
Not much new, except my race is now less than a month away and I am freaking out! Training is really getting intense, and while my swim and bike are at the distance, my run has only been there once. I'm struggling with sore and slightly tweaked muscles, so it'll be a freaking miracle if I make it to race day in one piece.
One may also find it entertaining that I am no longer "Sprinter." Slow as shit should sum it up a little bit better now. I've trained my dear muscles to conserve, and consequently, my speedometer readings have plummeted. My poor ego is really taking quite a bruising, and it's no consequence that I still find myself near the front of the pack. I bet that on race day, I'll be sucking wind at the back. Ugh.
Anyway, there's my update. Most now go take my ice pack and nuke it so I can heat my hip flexor up a little. I swear, it takes me longer to recover from a workout than it does to actually do one. :)
I'm coming off a "taper" week, and I'm still exhausted. What's up with that?
Not much new, except my race is now less than a month away and I am freaking out! Training is really getting intense, and while my swim and bike are at the distance, my run has only been there once. I'm struggling with sore and slightly tweaked muscles, so it'll be a freaking miracle if I make it to race day in one piece.
One may also find it entertaining that I am no longer "Sprinter." Slow as shit should sum it up a little bit better now. I've trained my dear muscles to conserve, and consequently, my speedometer readings have plummeted. My poor ego is really taking quite a bruising, and it's no consequence that I still find myself near the front of the pack. I bet that on race day, I'll be sucking wind at the back. Ugh.
Anyway, there's my update. Most now go take my ice pack and nuke it so I can heat my hip flexor up a little. I swear, it takes me longer to recover from a workout than it does to actually do one. :)
Friday, March 7, 2008
Incoming!
It's that time of year again. Time to feel self conscious about what I eat. How I look. How I've decorated. How DH and I interact. Where we go. What we do.
Yes, the in-laws are incoming.
I have a 2.5 hour ride tomorrow morning, then I must RUSH home, shower, change, get beautiful, and then go pick them up at the airport and proceed to entertain them. Sunday morning, I leave them again for my long run....and Monday morning, I have a 6am flight to San Fran, for a day trip. I tell you what--- exhaustion does not even begin to describe my state, just thinking about the horror that is waiting for me in the days to come.
My sleepy state has crept into my work life, where today I had to feign a Dr. appointment so I could get in an early run.....except, I was so exhausted I couldn't get out of bed and ended up using the excuse for an extra half hour of sleep. I was then told by my boss that i looked exhausted. I said, "I am. I'm pushing my body to do things it never thought it could possibly do." To which he responded, "Really?! That's so exciting! I had no idea!" (Yes, perplexing....until you think that I am a married woman of child-bearing age, and pregnancy is a CURSE that apparently everyone suspects you of once you hit that target demographic) I flipped out, of course. "Hell no I'm not pregnant. I'm exhausted! I've done more running, biking, and swimming in the past 2 weeks than I've ever done in my life. And then I have to deal with all this crap on top of it. You bet I'm tired. Pregnancy is probably a walk in the park compared to this, but dude....give me a break..... Do I look fat?!"
Yeah, flipped out. Totally, completely flipped out. I'm not "THERE" yet in my maturity. And I cannot possibly do that to my body right now. I can't handle the stretch marks. The saggy boobs. The 'roids. Yeah, I can do without that. Don't accuse me of it prematurely.
Anyway, I digress.
The in-laws. If I make it through this weekend alive, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.
Let us all take this time to pray............. Have a good one!
Yes, the in-laws are incoming.
I have a 2.5 hour ride tomorrow morning, then I must RUSH home, shower, change, get beautiful, and then go pick them up at the airport and proceed to entertain them. Sunday morning, I leave them again for my long run....and Monday morning, I have a 6am flight to San Fran, for a day trip. I tell you what--- exhaustion does not even begin to describe my state, just thinking about the horror that is waiting for me in the days to come.
My sleepy state has crept into my work life, where today I had to feign a Dr. appointment so I could get in an early run.....except, I was so exhausted I couldn't get out of bed and ended up using the excuse for an extra half hour of sleep. I was then told by my boss that i looked exhausted. I said, "I am. I'm pushing my body to do things it never thought it could possibly do." To which he responded, "Really?! That's so exciting! I had no idea!" (Yes, perplexing....until you think that I am a married woman of child-bearing age, and pregnancy is a CURSE that apparently everyone suspects you of once you hit that target demographic) I flipped out, of course. "Hell no I'm not pregnant. I'm exhausted! I've done more running, biking, and swimming in the past 2 weeks than I've ever done in my life. And then I have to deal with all this crap on top of it. You bet I'm tired. Pregnancy is probably a walk in the park compared to this, but dude....give me a break..... Do I look fat?!"
Yeah, flipped out. Totally, completely flipped out. I'm not "THERE" yet in my maturity. And I cannot possibly do that to my body right now. I can't handle the stretch marks. The saggy boobs. The 'roids. Yeah, I can do without that. Don't accuse me of it prematurely.
Anyway, I digress.
The in-laws. If I make it through this weekend alive, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.
Let us all take this time to pray............. Have a good one!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I Keep on Falling.....
Off my freakin' bike! Swear to God, I have spent more time in the past week ON the ground on the bike than I have vertical. And no, I'm not one of those clip newbies who didn't practice adequately on the trainer. My Look pedals have got me spanked. It takes an act of God to clip me out of these puppies, and even if I do, sometimes I slip when I put my foot down and DOWN I go again. You'd think I was on ice or something.
So I sit here today aching, in pain, because I smashed my right knee up last night during a brick. Was at a four-way stop, stopped, got my left foot down, and then it was as though I'd slipped on a banana peel. The entire bike and my body crashed down to the right, in the middle of the intersection. Aside from the many expletives and sheer pain spewing from my body, I was pissed. I love my bike. Absolutely adore the thing. And nothing pisses me off more than falling over and hurting my bike. Is this me? Is it the pedals? What can I possibly do? I am staring down another 2.5 hour ride this weekend, and quite frankly, I am petrified at the thought of falling over again.
I've never had a problem riding solo, so I'm thinking that perhaps group rides get me all flustered and I get distracted from the matter at hand. (clipping out) I highly doubt I'll one day have some sort of epiphany, either. Woe is me. Woe is me!
On the plus side, we found some gnarly hills last night and I ate them for dinner. We followed up our hour ride (which didn't cover much distance, but did go quite vertical!! so proud) with an easy 1/2 hour run.....much easier than I was hoping, but my training partner for the day is a run-walker who has panic attacks when she misses her interval. So I decided that after butchering my knee, it wouldn't kill me to pull 11-minute miles. Coach will be pleased, actually. She loves it when I am forced to go slower than usual. I don't understand that, but whatever! I finished up our 3 miles feeling like I could have gone forever and ever...a very cool feeling. It's not often I'm left wanting more out on a run, and here I was last night, full of energy and loving being out there. What is up with that?
My new purchases are in transit to my house as we speak. Rather than buy the Garmin cadence sensor for my bike, I got the Cateye Astrale 8 off eBay. The internet chatter seems good, so sign me up! Rear cadence sensor, and apparently the Garmin shouldn't interfere with it too much. So we shall see.... I think I'm going too slow these days because rather than seeing MPH on my Garmin, I see how many minutes it takes to do a mile.....and honestly, I can't do math on the fly like that. So fingers crossed the now-discontinued Astrale 8 is a superstar for me.
I also got a sweet deal on a sexy black cycling jersey from Skirtsports. I still can't get up the guts to buy a cycling skirt (I'm afraid of being laughed at), but I was in desperate need of a jersey that didn't look like crap and cost a ton of money. Now I just need the arm warmers and I'm all set!
So that's my news. Peak week, baby! Lots of pain and suffering. New toys. And huge, dark circles under my eyes. Why do I do this again??
So I sit here today aching, in pain, because I smashed my right knee up last night during a brick. Was at a four-way stop, stopped, got my left foot down, and then it was as though I'd slipped on a banana peel. The entire bike and my body crashed down to the right, in the middle of the intersection. Aside from the many expletives and sheer pain spewing from my body, I was pissed. I love my bike. Absolutely adore the thing. And nothing pisses me off more than falling over and hurting my bike. Is this me? Is it the pedals? What can I possibly do? I am staring down another 2.5 hour ride this weekend, and quite frankly, I am petrified at the thought of falling over again.
I've never had a problem riding solo, so I'm thinking that perhaps group rides get me all flustered and I get distracted from the matter at hand. (clipping out) I highly doubt I'll one day have some sort of epiphany, either. Woe is me. Woe is me!
On the plus side, we found some gnarly hills last night and I ate them for dinner. We followed up our hour ride (which didn't cover much distance, but did go quite vertical!! so proud) with an easy 1/2 hour run.....much easier than I was hoping, but my training partner for the day is a run-walker who has panic attacks when she misses her interval. So I decided that after butchering my knee, it wouldn't kill me to pull 11-minute miles. Coach will be pleased, actually. She loves it when I am forced to go slower than usual. I don't understand that, but whatever! I finished up our 3 miles feeling like I could have gone forever and ever...a very cool feeling. It's not often I'm left wanting more out on a run, and here I was last night, full of energy and loving being out there. What is up with that?
My new purchases are in transit to my house as we speak. Rather than buy the Garmin cadence sensor for my bike, I got the Cateye Astrale 8 off eBay. The internet chatter seems good, so sign me up! Rear cadence sensor, and apparently the Garmin shouldn't interfere with it too much. So we shall see.... I think I'm going too slow these days because rather than seeing MPH on my Garmin, I see how many minutes it takes to do a mile.....and honestly, I can't do math on the fly like that. So fingers crossed the now-discontinued Astrale 8 is a superstar for me.
I also got a sweet deal on a sexy black cycling jersey from Skirtsports. I still can't get up the guts to buy a cycling skirt (I'm afraid of being laughed at), but I was in desperate need of a jersey that didn't look like crap and cost a ton of money. Now I just need the arm warmers and I'm all set!
So that's my news. Peak week, baby! Lots of pain and suffering. New toys. And huge, dark circles under my eyes. Why do I do this again??
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Breaking through
This post is all about me, because, frankly, I'm pretty frickin' proud of myself this weekend.
Not only did I do my longest bike ride ever (almost 40 miles), but I followed it with my FIRST EVER 6 mile run. I'm still bouncing off the walls thinking about it. I never, ever thought it would be something I could do, but I did it. As my Diva mentor said, I popped that cherry today. (She was kind enough to stick with me so she could partake in this momentous occasion)
I may actually finish that race, after all!
Anyway, just had to share. I think my favorite part was that after the bike, I ate a HUGE lunch and there was no guilt at all. NONE! I can get used to this. Want a burrito? Bike like hell for hours and hours on end. Yes!
OK, time to shower. :)
Not only did I do my longest bike ride ever (almost 40 miles), but I followed it with my FIRST EVER 6 mile run. I'm still bouncing off the walls thinking about it. I never, ever thought it would be something I could do, but I did it. As my Diva mentor said, I popped that cherry today. (She was kind enough to stick with me so she could partake in this momentous occasion)
I may actually finish that race, after all!
Anyway, just had to share. I think my favorite part was that after the bike, I ate a HUGE lunch and there was no guilt at all. NONE! I can get used to this. Want a burrito? Bike like hell for hours and hours on end. Yes!
OK, time to shower. :)
Friday, February 29, 2008
Liar!
She lied.
When asked if there was to be sprinting that night, she said, "triathletes only sprint at the finish line. We do not have to sprint every time we go to the track."
Like hell we don't! I sit here, crippled. Crippled as in, delayed onset muscle soreness has seized every spare centimeter of muscle mass in my legs, and lifting my legs to get into cars and to put them into bed is quite possibly one of the most painful experiences imagineable. Does one get crippled by slowly running around the fun fun track?
No. No, there was no slow. There was aerobic. Then there was "tempo." And then LT. Lactic Threshold. Hold in the puke 'cause it's comin' and it doesn't taste too good.
OMG, I did the most painful and excruciating 4 miles of my life on Wednesday night. It's 2 full days later and I am still bitching about it. Can you believe it? At one point, it hurt so bad that I was almost in tears. Seriously, if 4 miles can do this to me, what makes me think I can make the Olympic distance of 6??? How is this ever going to work out well for me? I still don't know the answer to that, but I'm kind of repressing it at this point.
To accomodate my dear hubby's desire to go out tonight, I went ahead and did my long swim last night. In retrospect this may have been smart--- the pain lulled my legs into submission and I was happy to let them float behind me like a rudder. I didn't even push off the wall hard. Just gentle and slow. I did my longest swim ever --- 1 hour --- and covered only 2650 meters. But like I said, I was slow, and this was a new milestone for me, so it was okay. Someone even asked me if I was a competitive swimmer!! I was flattered, of course, but there was nothing competitive about me in that pool last night. It was just me and the clock, and a rousing rendition of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. (I'm trying a new way of counting laps)
I'm still madly in love with Fiona. I may need to buy 5 versions of her so I don't have to keep doing laundry. I'm seriously that addicted.
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a few girls and we are doing our 2 1/2 hour long bike ride. This is the longest I've ever been on a bike before, and seeing how my 2 hour trainer ride last week resulted in me being in tears for over an hour, I don't know how this is going to go. It's an aerobic ride, so we're just going to enjoy the trail and take our time. Next week is our first peak week, so this week I just want to survive.
It's funny reading everyones' blogs lately. It seems that we are all on different schedules, but the sentiments are the same. Overwhelmed by the need for an improved time management skill. Stressed about increasing intensities and distances. Grumpy. Cranky. Bitchy. Starving. But we are pushing through, and we will get through these spots. I imagine they might even get worse before they get better. But I know I just need to put the doubt behind me and keep conquering the plan, day by day, taking advantage of any extra time I can get.
So with that, I'm leaving work early and heading out to dinner with the hubby so I can be in bed early to prep for my long ride.
When asked if there was to be sprinting that night, she said, "triathletes only sprint at the finish line. We do not have to sprint every time we go to the track."
Like hell we don't! I sit here, crippled. Crippled as in, delayed onset muscle soreness has seized every spare centimeter of muscle mass in my legs, and lifting my legs to get into cars and to put them into bed is quite possibly one of the most painful experiences imagineable. Does one get crippled by slowly running around the fun fun track?
No. No, there was no slow. There was aerobic. Then there was "tempo." And then LT. Lactic Threshold. Hold in the puke 'cause it's comin' and it doesn't taste too good.
OMG, I did the most painful and excruciating 4 miles of my life on Wednesday night. It's 2 full days later and I am still bitching about it. Can you believe it? At one point, it hurt so bad that I was almost in tears. Seriously, if 4 miles can do this to me, what makes me think I can make the Olympic distance of 6??? How is this ever going to work out well for me? I still don't know the answer to that, but I'm kind of repressing it at this point.
To accomodate my dear hubby's desire to go out tonight, I went ahead and did my long swim last night. In retrospect this may have been smart--- the pain lulled my legs into submission and I was happy to let them float behind me like a rudder. I didn't even push off the wall hard. Just gentle and slow. I did my longest swim ever --- 1 hour --- and covered only 2650 meters. But like I said, I was slow, and this was a new milestone for me, so it was okay. Someone even asked me if I was a competitive swimmer!! I was flattered, of course, but there was nothing competitive about me in that pool last night. It was just me and the clock, and a rousing rendition of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. (I'm trying a new way of counting laps)
I'm still madly in love with Fiona. I may need to buy 5 versions of her so I don't have to keep doing laundry. I'm seriously that addicted.
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a few girls and we are doing our 2 1/2 hour long bike ride. This is the longest I've ever been on a bike before, and seeing how my 2 hour trainer ride last week resulted in me being in tears for over an hour, I don't know how this is going to go. It's an aerobic ride, so we're just going to enjoy the trail and take our time. Next week is our first peak week, so this week I just want to survive.
It's funny reading everyones' blogs lately. It seems that we are all on different schedules, but the sentiments are the same. Overwhelmed by the need for an improved time management skill. Stressed about increasing intensities and distances. Grumpy. Cranky. Bitchy. Starving. But we are pushing through, and we will get through these spots. I imagine they might even get worse before they get better. But I know I just need to put the doubt behind me and keep conquering the plan, day by day, taking advantage of any extra time I can get.
So with that, I'm leaving work early and heading out to dinner with the hubby so I can be in bed early to prep for my long ride.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Triathlon and Significant Others
I am back from my trip.....and I certainly was active whilst away. Not active in the sense that I actually completed all of my necessary training for the week. But I did visit every museum I neglected to see when I actually lived in DC. I sacrificed hours of training time so that I could spend time with my DH and see the sites and enjoy what little time I had outside of work with him.
I'm starting to notice that the downside of my "new" hobby is that it really does consume my life. It's what I talk about when people ask me what I'm up to, it's what I'm thinking about when I'm all zoned out and my hubby asks what's bugging me, and it's what I want to be doing when I'm sitting at my desk at work waiting to leave. I'd even tell my cat about it if I knew he would understand. Yet the funniest thing is happening.....nobody seems to care anymore! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say my husband is pretty damn over the entire triathlon thing. I was fortunate last season, as he was gone in training for most of it and he never had to sit around in an empty house while I was away every evening and weekend. But now he is here. He is bored, And there's this.....tension.....involving my triathlon. He rolls his eyes at the mention of Half Ironman, which he thinks is excessive. He tells me not to hurt myself when I mention a long run. He really wants to be supportive, but I can't help but wonder if he's not a tad bit resentful of how much time this takes away from our time together?
I guess I see it this way. In order to be a perfect couple, there has to be a balance. Each one of us has to be personally fulfilled so that we can be a better partner for the other. I need a release so that I don't come home from a rough day at work and rip his balls off. So that I don't grab a carton of Ginger cats from Trader Joes and eat it in one sitting. (Yes, I have tried) Triathlon has been just the cure for these evils, and although it does consume my time, at least it makes me more tolerable to be around when I actually AM around. And it's not like I am training for IM right now or even have an interest in it. I have a very demanding full time job and a demanding husband.....IM would ruin both of those, I suspect.
Just had to vent. We're ramping up even more in our training, with the long bike rides creeping into the 3-hour range, and the long runs approaching 1.5 hours. These both have to happen on the weekends....OUR time....and I'm hoping that we can find a way to make it all work out.
If only I could get him to take swim lessons.....then he'd join me, I suspect. He's obsessed with mountain biking now and is on a couch-to-5K plan to get him up to a 5K run. Sounds like an Xterra athlete in the making, right? Gotta teach him to swim first and then I'm in the clear!!!
I'm starting to notice that the downside of my "new" hobby is that it really does consume my life. It's what I talk about when people ask me what I'm up to, it's what I'm thinking about when I'm all zoned out and my hubby asks what's bugging me, and it's what I want to be doing when I'm sitting at my desk at work waiting to leave. I'd even tell my cat about it if I knew he would understand. Yet the funniest thing is happening.....nobody seems to care anymore! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say my husband is pretty damn over the entire triathlon thing. I was fortunate last season, as he was gone in training for most of it and he never had to sit around in an empty house while I was away every evening and weekend. But now he is here. He is bored, And there's this.....tension.....involving my triathlon. He rolls his eyes at the mention of Half Ironman, which he thinks is excessive. He tells me not to hurt myself when I mention a long run. He really wants to be supportive, but I can't help but wonder if he's not a tad bit resentful of how much time this takes away from our time together?
I guess I see it this way. In order to be a perfect couple, there has to be a balance. Each one of us has to be personally fulfilled so that we can be a better partner for the other. I need a release so that I don't come home from a rough day at work and rip his balls off. So that I don't grab a carton of Ginger cats from Trader Joes and eat it in one sitting. (Yes, I have tried) Triathlon has been just the cure for these evils, and although it does consume my time, at least it makes me more tolerable to be around when I actually AM around. And it's not like I am training for IM right now or even have an interest in it. I have a very demanding full time job and a demanding husband.....IM would ruin both of those, I suspect.
Just had to vent. We're ramping up even more in our training, with the long bike rides creeping into the 3-hour range, and the long runs approaching 1.5 hours. These both have to happen on the weekends....OUR time....and I'm hoping that we can find a way to make it all work out.
If only I could get him to take swim lessons.....then he'd join me, I suspect. He's obsessed with mountain biking now and is on a couch-to-5K plan to get him up to a 5K run. Sounds like an Xterra athlete in the making, right? Gotta teach him to swim first and then I'm in the clear!!!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Happy President's Day
I would just like to take this time to thank the past Presidents for their service to our country, and for giving me this wonderful, sacred, well-earned, BEAUTIFUL day off from work.
I not only got to sleep in this morning, but I made myself TWO (count 'em!) pots of coffee this morning, which I leisurely sipped while catching up on my "internets" stuff. Yep, it's a good thing.
I'm sore this morning, but I suppose that means I've been working hard. I earned my respite. DH wanted to head down to some museum in San Diego today, but I put my foot down. I'm tired! I need some quiet time.
Yesterday was another lovely team practice. I took the Buff out with several of the Olympic-distance girls from last season (the ones I looked up to and chased all of last fall when I thought I was the shiz....boy, was I in for a rude awakening!), and we rode 3 loops of this neighborhood trail that required just a wee bit of maneuvering around toddler-powered Hot Wheels. We took turns leading the pack, and this was a total blast. I almost wished we could have gone longer-- it was that much fun to turn and burn with the group. I'm a bit disappointed in my speed (I'm no longer pulling 18mph minimum, according to my Garmin), but this is a neighborhood trail and we were stopping every 3 miles to regroup and turn around....and there was plenty of braking to deal with roadblocks. But still, excuses. I need to get faster. We did 19 miles yesterday, then went off and did a 30 minute run....except I opted to just do a quick 1-mile off the bike and call it a day because of those tender knees. They feel fantastic after I get off the bike, but then I get home and they start yelling at me. They are tricky like that--- never giving me any indication of when I am hurting them. It's like a game, I suppose.
Anyway, what a fun workout. I was invigorated for most of the day, and proceeded to gorge myself on food as well. This is definitely something I am noticing that's becoming a BAD trend. Workouts lasting longer than 45 minutes to an hour result in me wanting to eat myself into oblivion. I even went into Trader Joe's and bought a tub of Cat Cookie ginger snaps. What is up with that? Must get this under control or else I'll need a girdle. Rock hard legs, but a barrel of FAT around my vital organs. Ugh.
Today, I am on a quest for a new sports bra. It's a sensitive topic in the girl world, but chafing is a bitch. I never had this problem before, as I'd never run more than a 1/2 hour at the time, but the girls are starting to hate me. My husband finds this entertaining. Yesterday, at Road Runner, he thought it would be funny to throw "Nip Guards" into conversation at every chance he could find. He was slapped silly yesterday.....why would I ever publicly buy something like that? It's worse than tampons or yeast infection medication!!! (He's bought both, but he refuses to buy the Nip Guards---seriously, who calls their product something so embarassing?!) My Under Armour selection did not fit (they must figure that Large women have "A" boobs or no back muscles-- they are sadly mistaken), so now I am back to square 1. I hear Lycra is evil. My Body Glide isn't doing the trick. I am desperate. Wish me luck!
I not only got to sleep in this morning, but I made myself TWO (count 'em!) pots of coffee this morning, which I leisurely sipped while catching up on my "internets" stuff. Yep, it's a good thing.
I'm sore this morning, but I suppose that means I've been working hard. I earned my respite. DH wanted to head down to some museum in San Diego today, but I put my foot down. I'm tired! I need some quiet time.
Yesterday was another lovely team practice. I took the Buff out with several of the Olympic-distance girls from last season (the ones I looked up to and chased all of last fall when I thought I was the shiz....boy, was I in for a rude awakening!), and we rode 3 loops of this neighborhood trail that required just a wee bit of maneuvering around toddler-powered Hot Wheels. We took turns leading the pack, and this was a total blast. I almost wished we could have gone longer-- it was that much fun to turn and burn with the group. I'm a bit disappointed in my speed (I'm no longer pulling 18mph minimum, according to my Garmin), but this is a neighborhood trail and we were stopping every 3 miles to regroup and turn around....and there was plenty of braking to deal with roadblocks. But still, excuses. I need to get faster. We did 19 miles yesterday, then went off and did a 30 minute run....except I opted to just do a quick 1-mile off the bike and call it a day because of those tender knees. They feel fantastic after I get off the bike, but then I get home and they start yelling at me. They are tricky like that--- never giving me any indication of when I am hurting them. It's like a game, I suppose.
Anyway, what a fun workout. I was invigorated for most of the day, and proceeded to gorge myself on food as well. This is definitely something I am noticing that's becoming a BAD trend. Workouts lasting longer than 45 minutes to an hour result in me wanting to eat myself into oblivion. I even went into Trader Joe's and bought a tub of Cat Cookie ginger snaps. What is up with that? Must get this under control or else I'll need a girdle. Rock hard legs, but a barrel of FAT around my vital organs. Ugh.
Today, I am on a quest for a new sports bra. It's a sensitive topic in the girl world, but chafing is a bitch. I never had this problem before, as I'd never run more than a 1/2 hour at the time, but the girls are starting to hate me. My husband finds this entertaining. Yesterday, at Road Runner, he thought it would be funny to throw "Nip Guards" into conversation at every chance he could find. He was slapped silly yesterday.....why would I ever publicly buy something like that? It's worse than tampons or yeast infection medication!!! (He's bought both, but he refuses to buy the Nip Guards---seriously, who calls their product something so embarassing?!) My Under Armour selection did not fit (they must figure that Large women have "A" boobs or no back muscles-- they are sadly mistaken), so now I am back to square 1. I hear Lycra is evil. My Body Glide isn't doing the trick. I am desperate. Wish me luck!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Ouch!
I've been a delinquent blogger, I know.
To be honest, I don't have much exciting going on right now. Work is same old, same old, except I got to go to a conference up in LA on Thursday and Friday, so that was a bit of an interruption. And next week, I'm headed back to DC for 5 days. I love the travel, but I will miss my cat, and of course, I'll be missing LOTS of practice.
Now, this may not be an entirely bad thing, since I apparently have screwed my knees up again, but I missed one of the 7 workouts we had for the week. My 90-minute bike fell by the wayside because I just ran out of time and body strength. I was going to do it on the trainer after my 4-mile run yesterday, but the knees were sore and I just wasn't feeling good....I questioned whether any good at all could come from that session. In hindsight, that probably was smart, because this morning I crammed in a tough 1-hour spin class followed by a 2500 meter swim set. My knees are a wreck, and I was spent. I'm still spent. Ugh....why do I do this to myself?
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm still struggling with my time management and my weak body. I'm eating like a pig, and I can't seem to find enough time to fit everything in that has to be done. My dry cleaning bag now contains the majority of my wardrobe, but I can't seem to find the time to take it all in. I'm trying to fit hubby time in whenever I can, but even he seems to feel neglected. Why isn't this easier?
So that is all. Just wanted to get a quick update in before I fall off the face of the planet. Race is 7 weeks away and I'm scared to death I've done some damage this time around. I guess I get like this every time I have a pain, but I'm going to just bike tomorrow (no run) and ice the crap out of it.
Happy Day!
At least I saw the Space Shuttle and Space Station tonight. Gotta love my dorky husband. :)
To be honest, I don't have much exciting going on right now. Work is same old, same old, except I got to go to a conference up in LA on Thursday and Friday, so that was a bit of an interruption. And next week, I'm headed back to DC for 5 days. I love the travel, but I will miss my cat, and of course, I'll be missing LOTS of practice.
Now, this may not be an entirely bad thing, since I apparently have screwed my knees up again, but I missed one of the 7 workouts we had for the week. My 90-minute bike fell by the wayside because I just ran out of time and body strength. I was going to do it on the trainer after my 4-mile run yesterday, but the knees were sore and I just wasn't feeling good....I questioned whether any good at all could come from that session. In hindsight, that probably was smart, because this morning I crammed in a tough 1-hour spin class followed by a 2500 meter swim set. My knees are a wreck, and I was spent. I'm still spent. Ugh....why do I do this to myself?
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm still struggling with my time management and my weak body. I'm eating like a pig, and I can't seem to find enough time to fit everything in that has to be done. My dry cleaning bag now contains the majority of my wardrobe, but I can't seem to find the time to take it all in. I'm trying to fit hubby time in whenever I can, but even he seems to feel neglected. Why isn't this easier?
So that is all. Just wanted to get a quick update in before I fall off the face of the planet. Race is 7 weeks away and I'm scared to death I've done some damage this time around. I guess I get like this every time I have a pain, but I'm going to just bike tomorrow (no run) and ice the crap out of it.
Happy Day!
At least I saw the Space Shuttle and Space Station tonight. Gotta love my dorky husband. :)
Monday, February 11, 2008
I Heart my Bike
Yesterday ROCKED. I have to admit it. I'm still overjoyed and the thrill of my ride is still making me burst with pride. With love. I am in LOVE with my new bike. Not only is "The Buff" one sexy machine, but it's fast, too! Woohoo!!! We did 1/2 hour ride on the Santa Ana Trail yesterday, coupled with a 1/2 hour run, and the bike felt fantastic. We tried to focus on a very high cadence, but I was able to push hard without feeling the burn. It was comfortable, I figured out how to steer with my aerobars, and it just covered the ground 3000% better than my old Trek. I'm so psyched about this bike, let me tell you.
What I'm not so excited about is the fact that the race is less than 8 weeks away and there is some doubt in peoples' minds whether I can make the distance. Coach says I'm a very strong cyclist, but in the same paragraph, she also mentions that I can walk the run if I have to.
Ummm.....is this doubt? Does she think I'm that bad of a runner that I can't make the 6 miles? Granted, I'm only up to 4 in practice, but did I not do the 30-minute brick with the fastest runners in the program? Did I not keep up?! What's up with this?
I know Coach well, so it's quite possible she's pissing me off on purpose in order to motivate me to put in the time. She knows that time is my greatest constraint right now.....I guess this could be her way of passively kicking me in the arse?
Well, it worked. I'm a little cranky now. I somehow feel like she has identified running as my uber weakness, so now I need to train the weakness without injuring myself. (7 miles this weekend did nothing to help my knees, I'll admit) And I am SO SORE today. Ouch! Anyway, not sure how to fix the running aside from making the time during the week to get it in. I suppose I could try to run over a lunch hour, and bring lots of scented baby wipes to mask my heinous odors after the run??? Or maybe I could get up at the crack of dawn and run with the mountain lions? Or in the dark??? Drag hubby along? Ugh, I don't know what I'll do. Such a royal pain. But now I'm determined to improve myself in the next two months.
I hope I still heart my bike at the end of all this.
What I'm not so excited about is the fact that the race is less than 8 weeks away and there is some doubt in peoples' minds whether I can make the distance. Coach says I'm a very strong cyclist, but in the same paragraph, she also mentions that I can walk the run if I have to.
Ummm.....is this doubt? Does she think I'm that bad of a runner that I can't make the 6 miles? Granted, I'm only up to 4 in practice, but did I not do the 30-minute brick with the fastest runners in the program? Did I not keep up?! What's up with this?
I know Coach well, so it's quite possible she's pissing me off on purpose in order to motivate me to put in the time. She knows that time is my greatest constraint right now.....I guess this could be her way of passively kicking me in the arse?
Well, it worked. I'm a little cranky now. I somehow feel like she has identified running as my uber weakness, so now I need to train the weakness without injuring myself. (7 miles this weekend did nothing to help my knees, I'll admit) And I am SO SORE today. Ouch! Anyway, not sure how to fix the running aside from making the time during the week to get it in. I suppose I could try to run over a lunch hour, and bring lots of scented baby wipes to mask my heinous odors after the run??? Or maybe I could get up at the crack of dawn and run with the mountain lions? Or in the dark??? Drag hubby along? Ugh, I don't know what I'll do. Such a royal pain. But now I'm determined to improve myself in the next two months.
I hope I still heart my bike at the end of all this.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Going Long
So, the girl who used to die on a mile run considers anything above and beyond a 3-mile run to be "long." She thinks that any time she subjects her tushy to more than an hour of bike riding, she is going "long." That anything over 2000 meters in the pool is "long." Well, you get the point. Long is relative.
As the weeks progress and we slowly push the envelope into "long" workouts in preparation for Iron Girl, I am learning quite a lot about myself! I used to think that going balls-to-the-wall, all-out, all the time, was the way the world ought to be. I love creaming people. Seriously, last season, I enjoyed picking off my training mates one by one and using every ounce of energy I had. I even got this nifty nickname, "Sprinter." A reputation for being "fast." (Again, this is all relative....my fast is a horrid slow day for some of you average triathletes out there, but I'm comparing myself to slow beginners here) So you can imagine my disdain when the weekly workout lists arrived and the words "slow" and "aerobic" popped up. When a target heart zone is mentioned.....and it was significantly lower than what I'm used to seeing on my lovely monitor. It was shock and horror! Slow is simply not a word that is intentional in my vocabulary.
But I've been listening. I've been.....slowing down....and letting my body get used to the increased distances. And you know what? Sure, people may be able to keep up with me at the start now, but I'm much faster than them at the finish! Ah, the joys of patience. It's pretty flippin' cool if you ask me. We finish a 1400 meter swim set and I'm ready and rarin' to go for more. Coach DOWNGRADED me to the slow lane on Wednesday night, and I'll have you know that during our 10 x 50 marker set, I lapped my lanemate 2 or 3 times and finished a good 3 minutes ahead of her! Yeah, go ahead and brand me as slow. But I have endurance.
Hell yeah!
So that is what I've been up to lately. Going slow (relatively speaking,) and long (relatively speaking), and secretly trying to convince myself I'm still as fast as I used to be.
As the weeks progress and we slowly push the envelope into "long" workouts in preparation for Iron Girl, I am learning quite a lot about myself! I used to think that going balls-to-the-wall, all-out, all the time, was the way the world ought to be. I love creaming people. Seriously, last season, I enjoyed picking off my training mates one by one and using every ounce of energy I had. I even got this nifty nickname, "Sprinter." A reputation for being "fast." (Again, this is all relative....my fast is a horrid slow day for some of you average triathletes out there, but I'm comparing myself to slow beginners here) So you can imagine my disdain when the weekly workout lists arrived and the words "slow" and "aerobic" popped up. When a target heart zone is mentioned.....and it was significantly lower than what I'm used to seeing on my lovely monitor. It was shock and horror! Slow is simply not a word that is intentional in my vocabulary.
But I've been listening. I've been.....slowing down....and letting my body get used to the increased distances. And you know what? Sure, people may be able to keep up with me at the start now, but I'm much faster than them at the finish! Ah, the joys of patience. It's pretty flippin' cool if you ask me. We finish a 1400 meter swim set and I'm ready and rarin' to go for more. Coach DOWNGRADED me to the slow lane on Wednesday night, and I'll have you know that during our 10 x 50 marker set, I lapped my lanemate 2 or 3 times and finished a good 3 minutes ahead of her! Yeah, go ahead and brand me as slow. But I have endurance.
Hell yeah!
So that is what I've been up to lately. Going slow (relatively speaking,) and long (relatively speaking), and secretly trying to convince myself I'm still as fast as I used to be.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Painful Progress
I've done more swimming lately than I ordinarily prefer to do, mainly because it's freezing and dark outside and I haven't replaced my trainer....but I digress. Swimming. I'm not a huge fan. Last season, I tweaked my shoulder a little bit and every time I swam, I ached for days. My knees hurt. I get really bored. I HATE having to push off the wall when I've had :10 seconds of rest after going all out. I hate the drills.....the awkwardness.....the humiliation of sinking.....swallowing all that gross water because I'm incapable of breathing and thinking about the drill all at the same time. Yes, you could say swimming is not my favorite sport.
To top it all off, I'm no longer the fastest in my group. Monday night, I got placed into lane #3 of 7. That's like, middle of the pack! Talk about disappointment. But I am trying to take it in stride....my new purpose in life is endurance, so while I may be sacrificing a wee bit of speed, I can go long and strong. Anyway, last night, I had a breakthrough! Even though I was a little bit sore and it was not certain WHICH lane I was actually swimming in since we had to circle swim, I managed to do my fastest 100 meter yet --- 1:40. Now, I know that isn't remarkable compared to what I did last season or what most good swimmers can do, but it was 5 seconds or so faster than Monday night......wowza! So I am still excited about that. Despite all my moaning, groaning, and aching, something is working. I'm regaining my fitness and perhaps my form is improving as well......it's awesome!
So my goal is to be in the fast lane sometime soon. And I'm going to keep humuliating myself and doing drills, because I think they might be working?
On a funnier note, the Cheeto has stayed on my triathlon team, despite my efforts to be rid of it forever! It found a new home off of Craigslist on Monday night. I had thought it was going to a man, but a girl showed up.....I didn't recognize her, she didn't mention my team, and she didn't question me when I went on and on about my team. So imagine my surprise when I got to practice last night and she was there! I thought our Coach was going to murder me, seeing as how she hates the Cheeto, but thankfully, I'm off the hook. Fingers crossed she likes it so I don't have to take it back. (Another reason why it would have been better to have it go elsewhere!)
If the rain stays away, Saturday will be my first real ride on the Buff. I already love looking at it-- I can just imagine how fun it will be to ride! Bring it.....:)
So there is my update. I've made time this week, and I'm getting to my April 12th race, slowly but surely.
To top it all off, I'm no longer the fastest in my group. Monday night, I got placed into lane #3 of 7. That's like, middle of the pack! Talk about disappointment. But I am trying to take it in stride....my new purpose in life is endurance, so while I may be sacrificing a wee bit of speed, I can go long and strong. Anyway, last night, I had a breakthrough! Even though I was a little bit sore and it was not certain WHICH lane I was actually swimming in since we had to circle swim, I managed to do my fastest 100 meter yet --- 1:40. Now, I know that isn't remarkable compared to what I did last season or what most good swimmers can do, but it was 5 seconds or so faster than Monday night......wowza! So I am still excited about that. Despite all my moaning, groaning, and aching, something is working. I'm regaining my fitness and perhaps my form is improving as well......it's awesome!
So my goal is to be in the fast lane sometime soon. And I'm going to keep humuliating myself and doing drills, because I think they might be working?
On a funnier note, the Cheeto has stayed on my triathlon team, despite my efforts to be rid of it forever! It found a new home off of Craigslist on Monday night. I had thought it was going to a man, but a girl showed up.....I didn't recognize her, she didn't mention my team, and she didn't question me when I went on and on about my team. So imagine my surprise when I got to practice last night and she was there! I thought our Coach was going to murder me, seeing as how she hates the Cheeto, but thankfully, I'm off the hook. Fingers crossed she likes it so I don't have to take it back. (Another reason why it would have been better to have it go elsewhere!)
If the rain stays away, Saturday will be my first real ride on the Buff. I already love looking at it-- I can just imagine how fun it will be to ride! Bring it.....:)
So there is my update. I've made time this week, and I'm getting to my April 12th race, slowly but surely.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Time -- Where Have You Been?
Certainly not with me this week. In fact, it seems that every second of my life has been planned for five days now, and I'm wound up so tight you could probably snap me! What gets the shaft when work makes me this busy? Training.
Ugh. This week was a massive failure in the training department. I was supposed to do 2 swims, an hour spin, a long run, and a bike/run brike....and all I've accomplished is a 1/2 hour spin on my trainer until I BROKE IT!!! Ugh. Last night, I made a huge deal at work about how they owed me an hour off early so I could swim in between work and my Annual Goal-Setting Meeting with the tri team. So I actually manage to leave around the right time, get to the gym, start undressing, and then realize -- I left my swimsuit at home!!! Of course, there was nothing else that could fit in the bag after all the towels, so no contingency plan there. I nearly cried, then left and went to my meeting early. You know when sometimes things just aren't going to work out for you, no matter how hard you try? Yeah, that was this week.
I just have to say to all those people who swear that work isn't an excuse to not exercising -- KISS MY ARSE! Swear to God, you don't have my job. You must not be very important at your job. Because if I had to get up at 4am to swim and then went to work and tried to work a full 9-11 hours, and my brain was fuzzy, my company could lose millions of dollars. It just does't work like that. Oh, and my two travel days. After getting up at 4:30am for a flight and then returning to the OC at 10pm, was I supposed to go straight to the pool in my exhausted state? When I spent the day in LA and fought LA traffic to get home at 7pm, was I supposed to change and go head to a spin class? How do these crazy people function? I'm spent at that point. (And having the broken trainer doesn't help-- that's about all I felt like doing on the second night) I know, this whole paragraph seems an awful lot like an attempt at legitimizing my busy week, but I'm just trying to calm myself down.
This morning, I'm going to head to the pool and knock out one of those pool workouts. And because tomorrow is forecasted to be a torrential downpour and we had a group bike ride scheduled, I'm going to take the bike ride this morning and save my long run for tomorrow, in the rain. I think. Coach saw me all defeated and upset last night and now I think she's wondering how in the heck she's going to get me ready for a HIM!
Well, the big news here is that our race in Lake Las Vegas, Iron Girl, is going to be televised on NBC! Holy crap! My first reaction was, "great, now I'll get caught on camera being fat and slow." At least I know I won't be a human interest story, although my all-female triathlon team, with 50+ girls from our county alone, will be a large contingent there so I'm sure I'll spot the uniforms on the telecast. But how cool that a non-pro (okay, I'm sure the pros will sign up now), non-IM even gets put on TV? Yes, it'll probably be at 3am on a Sunday in July, but who cares? I think it's great for the sport. If it gets America up and moving, it can't be all bad, even if I am fat and slow.
At least I'm doing something about the fat part. My coworker and I weighed in for the 3rd week in a row on Thursday morning at Weight Watchers! I am down 2.2 lbs overall, which is just fine with me because these are hard-earned pounds and even at this snail's pace, I could be below the Athena category by March. (Woohoo!!)
My sexy new bike, The Buff, has yet to have its maiden voyage, but hopefully today will be the day. I'm itching to get on it, but my Look pedals are a little hard to clip in and out of so that's the only part I'm not so excited about. I'd hook it up to the trainer, but....I broke the trainer..... Yeah, need to go buy one. Thank goodness for the government and its $600 tax refund. Can we say "hello Cycleops Fluid 2 part 2?!"
Wow- that's a lot of text. There's my update, world! Still fat. Slower. Completely frazzled. But I'm going to keep at it and hopefully something will fall into place.
Ugh. This week was a massive failure in the training department. I was supposed to do 2 swims, an hour spin, a long run, and a bike/run brike....and all I've accomplished is a 1/2 hour spin on my trainer until I BROKE IT!!! Ugh. Last night, I made a huge deal at work about how they owed me an hour off early so I could swim in between work and my Annual Goal-Setting Meeting with the tri team. So I actually manage to leave around the right time, get to the gym, start undressing, and then realize -- I left my swimsuit at home!!! Of course, there was nothing else that could fit in the bag after all the towels, so no contingency plan there. I nearly cried, then left and went to my meeting early. You know when sometimes things just aren't going to work out for you, no matter how hard you try? Yeah, that was this week.
I just have to say to all those people who swear that work isn't an excuse to not exercising -- KISS MY ARSE! Swear to God, you don't have my job. You must not be very important at your job. Because if I had to get up at 4am to swim and then went to work and tried to work a full 9-11 hours, and my brain was fuzzy, my company could lose millions of dollars. It just does't work like that. Oh, and my two travel days. After getting up at 4:30am for a flight and then returning to the OC at 10pm, was I supposed to go straight to the pool in my exhausted state? When I spent the day in LA and fought LA traffic to get home at 7pm, was I supposed to change and go head to a spin class? How do these crazy people function? I'm spent at that point. (And having the broken trainer doesn't help-- that's about all I felt like doing on the second night) I know, this whole paragraph seems an awful lot like an attempt at legitimizing my busy week, but I'm just trying to calm myself down.
This morning, I'm going to head to the pool and knock out one of those pool workouts. And because tomorrow is forecasted to be a torrential downpour and we had a group bike ride scheduled, I'm going to take the bike ride this morning and save my long run for tomorrow, in the rain. I think. Coach saw me all defeated and upset last night and now I think she's wondering how in the heck she's going to get me ready for a HIM!
Well, the big news here is that our race in Lake Las Vegas, Iron Girl, is going to be televised on NBC! Holy crap! My first reaction was, "great, now I'll get caught on camera being fat and slow." At least I know I won't be a human interest story, although my all-female triathlon team, with 50+ girls from our county alone, will be a large contingent there so I'm sure I'll spot the uniforms on the telecast. But how cool that a non-pro (okay, I'm sure the pros will sign up now), non-IM even gets put on TV? Yes, it'll probably be at 3am on a Sunday in July, but who cares? I think it's great for the sport. If it gets America up and moving, it can't be all bad, even if I am fat and slow.
At least I'm doing something about the fat part. My coworker and I weighed in for the 3rd week in a row on Thursday morning at Weight Watchers! I am down 2.2 lbs overall, which is just fine with me because these are hard-earned pounds and even at this snail's pace, I could be below the Athena category by March. (Woohoo!!)
My sexy new bike, The Buff, has yet to have its maiden voyage, but hopefully today will be the day. I'm itching to get on it, but my Look pedals are a little hard to clip in and out of so that's the only part I'm not so excited about. I'd hook it up to the trainer, but....I broke the trainer..... Yeah, need to go buy one. Thank goodness for the government and its $600 tax refund. Can we say "hello Cycleops Fluid 2 part 2?!"
Wow- that's a lot of text. There's my update, world! Still fat. Slower. Completely frazzled. But I'm going to keep at it and hopefully something will fall into place.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Now introducing......the Buff
Now all I have to do is sell the Cheeto! Yes, I went with road bike, but I went with the adjusted seatpost and lower stem to get a better tri geometry. I love it. Felt F-75. It's like buttah! :)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Holding Back
Everyone who knows me would tell you that holding back is not something I am capable of. Everything I do is with intensity, sometimes to the point of hurting myself or making others stressed out around me. I can't help it......I just like to attack.
Today, on our first organized practice session, I held back, for the first time. We were doing a timed exercise to establish a base for the season....sprinters would go one loop (~1.3 miles), those in shape would do 2, and Olympians would do 3. McTherapist told me to aim for 2 and then reassess for the 3rd depending on how my knees felt, making it clear that I was to go "EASY." Now, fast for me is slow for some people, but I'm a solid 9-minute miler.
We got seeded for speed this morning, and yours truly placed herself in the 11-minute mile group! (I know, shock and awe!) I ended up having a blast-- I chatted the entire time with some of my old pals, and we had a grand old time while everyone else sprinted along and nearly vomited at the end. We took 41 glorious minutes catching up on our lives, and my knees felt pretty darn good! We were accused of "sandbagging" our time, but you know what? So what! I keep a journal....I know I can run it faster. Heck, the last 1/4 mile I decided to run it in on my own and I found myself back to my comfy 9 min/mile pace. Hey, gotta at least finish with a little gusto.
Anyway, I'm back. I'm purposeful. I'm excited to try to train for April! I've got a lot of homework to keep these knees functioning, but I'm confident that I can do it. With these ladies, the next few months are bound to be a blast.
So holding back....isn't so unsatisfying after all. Because if I can get through the next few weeks, I should be ready to rock and roll and prove to myself that I can go much faster on those loops!
Today, on our first organized practice session, I held back, for the first time. We were doing a timed exercise to establish a base for the season....sprinters would go one loop (~1.3 miles), those in shape would do 2, and Olympians would do 3. McTherapist told me to aim for 2 and then reassess for the 3rd depending on how my knees felt, making it clear that I was to go "EASY." Now, fast for me is slow for some people, but I'm a solid 9-minute miler.
We got seeded for speed this morning, and yours truly placed herself in the 11-minute mile group! (I know, shock and awe!) I ended up having a blast-- I chatted the entire time with some of my old pals, and we had a grand old time while everyone else sprinted along and nearly vomited at the end. We took 41 glorious minutes catching up on our lives, and my knees felt pretty darn good! We were accused of "sandbagging" our time, but you know what? So what! I keep a journal....I know I can run it faster. Heck, the last 1/4 mile I decided to run it in on my own and I found myself back to my comfy 9 min/mile pace. Hey, gotta at least finish with a little gusto.
Anyway, I'm back. I'm purposeful. I'm excited to try to train for April! I've got a lot of homework to keep these knees functioning, but I'm confident that I can do it. With these ladies, the next few months are bound to be a blast.
So holding back....isn't so unsatisfying after all. Because if I can get through the next few weeks, I should be ready to rock and roll and prove to myself that I can go much faster on those loops!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Bees Knees
That's who my Physical Therapist is. Not only is he a McTherapist, but he's a genius and totally cool.
Yeah!
As you can tell, I'm pumped. I have been having knee pain this week, and last night, after a short run, it was scary painful. I called McTherapist this morning to see how long I should wait to come see him, and he told me to just come in and he'd check it out. So I left work an hour early, came home to change and shave my knees (go figure, the one day I messed up my right knee would be the day I have to go to PT!), and off I went. He saw me immediately, and went about poking and prodding. The tendon that connects my quad and kneecap was the culprit this time around...very sore, but he says it's the same issue as this summer.....weak legs resulting in a displaced kneecap, first putting pressure on my tendons. So I caught it early, and now I get to do some preventative anti-inflammatory icing, taping, and tons of stretching and strength-building. He hooked me up to the electricity and iced me, then taped my knee for me and sent me home with both types of tape. For FREE!!! Seriously, McTherapist rocks my knees. And to top it all off, he's a triathlete too so we just chat forever about bikes, races, and training.
So that's my news. Our new season started on Wednesday and I enjoyed meeting everybody. Lots of new young people who may end up being faster than me. I don't like it. It means I need to get strong quickly so I can whip their tushes!
And in other news, I get to go to San Fran with my boss to discuss the disposition of our property with a huge foreign investor. Time to get the haircut, manicure, and buy me a nice pair of shoes. No San Fran flipflops for me! I'm shocked I've been invited to go--- this is HUGE. It makes me feel so....corporate.
With that, I'm off to do some strength training and catch up on my TV. Tomorrow night, the hubby and I are headed to Runner's Roost for new running shoes! A hit to the wallet, but they won't be if it saves us PT time. :)
Yeah!
As you can tell, I'm pumped. I have been having knee pain this week, and last night, after a short run, it was scary painful. I called McTherapist this morning to see how long I should wait to come see him, and he told me to just come in and he'd check it out. So I left work an hour early, came home to change and shave my knees (go figure, the one day I messed up my right knee would be the day I have to go to PT!), and off I went. He saw me immediately, and went about poking and prodding. The tendon that connects my quad and kneecap was the culprit this time around...very sore, but he says it's the same issue as this summer.....weak legs resulting in a displaced kneecap, first putting pressure on my tendons. So I caught it early, and now I get to do some preventative anti-inflammatory icing, taping, and tons of stretching and strength-building. He hooked me up to the electricity and iced me, then taped my knee for me and sent me home with both types of tape. For FREE!!! Seriously, McTherapist rocks my knees. And to top it all off, he's a triathlete too so we just chat forever about bikes, races, and training.
So that's my news. Our new season started on Wednesday and I enjoyed meeting everybody. Lots of new young people who may end up being faster than me. I don't like it. It means I need to get strong quickly so I can whip their tushes!
And in other news, I get to go to San Fran with my boss to discuss the disposition of our property with a huge foreign investor. Time to get the haircut, manicure, and buy me a nice pair of shoes. No San Fran flipflops for me! I'm shocked I've been invited to go--- this is HUGE. It makes me feel so....corporate.
With that, I'm off to do some strength training and catch up on my TV. Tomorrow night, the hubby and I are headed to Runner's Roost for new running shoes! A hit to the wallet, but they won't be if it saves us PT time. :)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Like Ripping off a Bandaid
I registered!
As of this morning, I am officially registered for the Iron Girl Olympic distance triathlon in Lake Las Vegas on April 12th. That's the goal, and I'm sticking to it.
Of course, now my stomach is in knots and I have no idea how I'll find the training time, but we'll see. Our training starts up again this week, so I'm starting my usual "how will I find the time?" freakout. But I will, because I put the money down for the race and I intend to do it. And I don't just want to finish, I want to perform to the best of my ability. So I am going to work hard to get there in that shape.
On the work front, I've been given an amazing opportunity to work with a woman I've become friends with over the past 2 years. She's my senior by two positions (a VP), and she is, in essence, a project manager. She takes land that is under contract and secured by the land acquisition guy, and she picks a team who will ultimately design and build whatever she can get approved and is appropriate for the site on the property. She goes through the entire zoning and entitlement process with the cities and communities. Although I may dread the latter, this is what I want to do in my career and being given the opportunity to work with her is a huge step in the right direction. I've been pigeon-holed as an analyst for so long because people trust me with numbers.....but this is not my life-long goal and I cannot wait to move along! In addition to this, I'm still spearheading a company-wide project with our underwriting models and I will continue to work on my San Francisco project, even though we are now selling it. I think I technically stay in the mixed use group, but with this VP, I'm working on apartments only.
So, that's the scoop. Big changes at work, and I registered for this distance that I never thought possible over a year ago.
Now I just need to do it and not disappoint myself.
As of this morning, I am officially registered for the Iron Girl Olympic distance triathlon in Lake Las Vegas on April 12th. That's the goal, and I'm sticking to it.
Of course, now my stomach is in knots and I have no idea how I'll find the training time, but we'll see. Our training starts up again this week, so I'm starting my usual "how will I find the time?" freakout. But I will, because I put the money down for the race and I intend to do it. And I don't just want to finish, I want to perform to the best of my ability. So I am going to work hard to get there in that shape.
On the work front, I've been given an amazing opportunity to work with a woman I've become friends with over the past 2 years. She's my senior by two positions (a VP), and she is, in essence, a project manager. She takes land that is under contract and secured by the land acquisition guy, and she picks a team who will ultimately design and build whatever she can get approved and is appropriate for the site on the property. She goes through the entire zoning and entitlement process with the cities and communities. Although I may dread the latter, this is what I want to do in my career and being given the opportunity to work with her is a huge step in the right direction. I've been pigeon-holed as an analyst for so long because people trust me with numbers.....but this is not my life-long goal and I cannot wait to move along! In addition to this, I'm still spearheading a company-wide project with our underwriting models and I will continue to work on my San Francisco project, even though we are now selling it. I think I technically stay in the mixed use group, but with this VP, I'm working on apartments only.
So, that's the scoop. Big changes at work, and I registered for this distance that I never thought possible over a year ago.
Now I just need to do it and not disappoint myself.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Do you want the bike? I SAID, DO YOU WANT THE BIKE?!
Oh, it's purrrty, isn't it? So nice. And fast. A little expensive, but you are getting the bonus and taxes are right around the corner. You could get it now. Really, it'd be so nice to start the season with this puppy.......You want it?
Lose 5 lbs!!!! That's the magic number. Lose it, and Orgasmo shall be yours. (It's already named-- isn't that convenient?)
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