sick

It's been a week since I worked out. Last weekend I was not feeling great .... I was congested and coughing, but I did not feel horrible and the weather was beautiful ... in the 70s and sunny. So I went ahead and did my 4 hour bike ride on Saturday. Breathing was a little difficult, but I still felt okay. Sunday, I only ran 8 miles instead of my planned 12. I didn't have school on Monday so I did hill repeats on the bike and an hour with Lisa, my personal trainer. And then I was done. I was planning to do my swim drills after the strength training, but I couldn't. It was straight home and to the couch. I should have rested the entire weekend.

I went to work on Tuesday even though I had no business being there. Even before my coworkers heard me cough they knew I was sick. I looked that bad. I was winded walking up a flight of stairs! I missed my last "swim better" session. I was really bummed about that. I stayed home Wednesday and went to the doctor. He said my cough was "impressive" ... I don't mess around. He gave me all sorts of drugs, including an inhaler and cough suppressant with codeine so I could sleep :)

So, I've been sleeping a lot and watching bad TV. The evenings are so long when you don't spend an hour or two at the gym. Saturday I did my good deed for the Team, and provided SAG as they rode up Latigo (a 10 mile monster of a hill) for the first time. Everybody made it up and down just fine, and nobody needed me. But it is nice to know someone is nearby if you do get into trouble. Sunday I left my apartment only once, and that was to take out the trash. I'm not sure what today will bring. I might do laundry! I do know that I want to make sure I'm completely healthy before I work out again. I definitely don't want this to linger.

Another Wet Sunday

So it rained again today. But it was dry and clear yesterday so I was able to get in my 2 hour bike ride and 1 hour run. I can deal with a wet run, but I hate riding in the rain. It can be dangerous and scary. The rain was coming down pretty hard when my alarm went off at 6:30 this morning. I had coffee, read the paper, ate my oatmeal, and then got some work done. It stopped raining around 9:30. I headed out for my 3 hour run shortly after 10:00, and of course it started to rain again just as I stepped out the door. But it wasn't too bad and only lasted about 30 minutes. The on-shore winds did not let up though, and it felt like I had a head wind the entire time. And never a tail wind. I hate it when that happens. I got it done and was greatly relieved that I didn't have to resort to the treadmill.

2 minutes

Two minutes is about all I have this morning before I head out for my run and then off to work. And two minutes just happens to be the amount of time I took off of my four mile run!! This is a rest and test week ... we cut down on the volume of training and do a couple of hard efforts to test ourselves. Tuesday I had a 40 minute time trial (TT) on the schedule so I ran my normal 4 mile route. On an easy day I run that in about 42 minutes. The last time I did as a TT, my time was 38:10, and it was hard to hold on to that effort. This week I ran it in 36:13! And it wasn't so hard to hold on to that pace. I have not been doing any speed work so I think it's the strength training paying off here.

Sunday I am supposed to do a 2k swim TT (assigned by my tri coach), but my swim coach says we're not ready to swim yet. Last night was week 2 of the swim better clinic. It wasn't raining this week, but it was COLD (about 45 and windy), and we swim outside. During the first length of side balance, my arm that was resting on my leg was freezing! I had moments of breakthrough last night where I could really feel the difference and the power. So I will stick with the drills this week .... 4 times before next Wednesday.

this and that

Well, I've been back to work for three weeks now, and trying to fit it all in. It's not easy. I've had many blog worthy thoughts come and go before I found the time to sit down at the computer and bring them to life. Last weekend I ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon. My good friend Liz came out to support me. It was also the year anniversary of my Mom's passing. It was great to see her, as always, but I discovered that I am not very comfortable with praise or compliments. Liz is so enthusiastic about my accomplishments, and I tend to focus too much on my flaws and shortcomings. It's a never ending battle, but I'm not giving up!

This week I began a four week, swim better clinic. I was proud of myself just for making it to the first session, Wednesday evening at 7pm. It was raining and cold and the pool is outdoors. Mapquest said it should take 17 minutes to get there or up to an hour with traffic. It took me one hour and forty-five minutes! They video taped each of us, and then we did lots of drills. Our homework is to get in the pool 3-4 times but NOT swim, just do the drills. It's hard to skip my scheduled swims, but I know I have some bad habits. Taking a couple of weeks now to improve my form should pay huge dividends for the rest of the season.

I got in two good workouts this weekend despite the bad weather. We had rain most of the week, but Saturday was clear and gorgeous. I rode for 3 and a half hours in Palos Verdes. My longest ride so far this season, and I felt good. Rain, wind and thunder were predicted for Sunday so I didn't set my alarm. I woke up at about 8, and it wasn't raining. For reasons I can't explain, I didn't get out for my run until about 9:30. I planned to run for 3 hours, but cut it short. I ran 12 miles in 2:15. I ran about half of it in the rain and strong winds, and decided I had had enough. I do like running in the rain though. The waves were awesome, and the Strand was mostly empty and I feel so hard core. I am glad I don't have to deal with bad weather for too long though :)

ABANDON HOPE!

Day 6 of the New Year, and already she's giving up? Not quite. I have been giving quite a bit of thought to what my New Year's resolutions should be. More so than usual. And number one on my list is to love and accept myself. As I am. Right. Now. No excuses. No what ifs. I must abandon hope* of becoming "perfect" for I am already perfect. Losing ten pounds will not make me a better person, nor will it make me happy. There will always be someone thinner, fitter, faster than me. To be truly happy, I need to be myself, and I need to love myself.


Having said all that, there are a few things I'm working on. And the new year is as good a time as any to work on changing some habits.

Living in the Moment -- I worry a lot and tend to over think things. Part of what made the Ironman such a great experience for me was that I was in the moment as soon as the gun went off. I stopped worrying and just swam and biked and ran for 16 hours and forty minutes. I was proud of myself for getting there. I soaked in the beautiful views and enjoyed the support and kindness of strangers. And the day just flew by! I want every day to be like that. People shouting my name and cheering for me eveywhere I go would be pretty cool too.

Stretching

As you can see, I need to work on my flexibility. This is me seriously stretching, and that's as far as I can go even with my knees bent. Right now. Lisa, my private trainer, says that my tight calf muscles are hindering my movement and has me using the foam roller every day. It's painful, but I am noticing an improvement. I went to yoga twice this week, and it felt sooo good. Once I go back to work (tomorrow!) I'll be lucky to fit in one yoga class a week, but I can stretch for 10-15 minutes at home everyday.

Nutrition -- I need to be more mindful of what I'm putting in my body. This mostly means planning, grocery shopping, and cooking so that I have good, healthy choices readily available. And it's not all that hard. The other night I threw a turkey breast tenderloin (preseasoned) in the oven and roasted some veggies along with it. It was very easy and tasty. The only drawback was that it took over an hour to cook. That's where the planning comes in.

So, I think this is enough to work on for now. Happy New Year!!

*I first heard the phrase "Abandon Hope" from my good friend and IronFan, Liz, on June 23, 2007, in Coeur d'Alene, ID.

Farewell 2007

Ah, the sun sets on yet another year. And I have to admit I'm happy to see this one go. Yes, I accomplished a great deal this year ... training for and completing an Ironman while raising over $9000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I made some great friends along the way too. Yet my Mom's passing on January 18, 2007, put a damper on things to say the least. I know she's proud of me. I just wish she could have been here to share this success with me. My Dad too (he died on January 15, 2002).

My Dad was my first coach. He had my four older brothers and me doing drills daily ... swinging the bat 50 times in front of a mirror, fielding balls, playing catch, etc.; but always we were thinking ... visualizing the ball and thinking about the play we would make. And quitting or giving up was never an option. My Mom was team mom, manager, score keeper, etc. If there was a job that needed doing, she did it. I don't know how she did it, but she seemed to attend EVERYTHING for all FIVE of us. Amazing! She even traveled from Arizona to San Diego to be there for my first triathlon! She was a little disturbed by the "skimpy outfits" worn by some of the athletes, and she thought I should have won, but she was there for me. Always. Thank you both.

11:46

For two weeks in a row my total duration of training has reached exactly 11 hours and 46 minutes. I ran more and swam less this week, but still the total time was exactly the same as the week prior. I don't think I could do that again even if I tried. Freaky. Maybe it's a sign that I can finish an Ironman in 11:46. Ha!

Yesterday I rode on PCH in Malibu with the Team. It was a beautiful day with an easy 2 hour ride on the schedule. PCH has some rolling hills and gorgeous views. Seven months ago it was our easy, recovery ride. But yesterday the hills seemed a bit harder than I remember. I'm a little worried about what's gonna happen when we start riding the real hills. Will I be able to make it? Will I be going so slow that I'll just tip over? Or start sliding backward down the hill? I doubt it of course, but still I worry.

Stats for the week of December 17th:
Swim: 6200 yards; 3:00
Bike: 67.0 mi; 4:42
Run: 11.0 mi; 2:04
Weights: 2:00
Total Time: 11 hours, 46 minutes

Stats for the week of December 24th:
Swim: 3050 yd; 1:40*
Bike: 52.3 mi; 3:50
Run: 20.3 mi; 4:01
Weights: 2:15
Total Time: 11 hours, 46 minutes

* I had to cut my swim short on Dec. 24th because of the aqua aerobics class. Those old ladies can be ruthless.

It feels good to be back :)