I guess rest does a body good...

This past week has been quite amazing.

I managed to survive one of the most stressful weeks work wise. Deadlines, problems to solve, people to please. I am not sure how, but I pulled it off. I managed to get everything on the list accomplished; and then some. Even when life threw me a curve ball.

One of my family members in Argentina was diagnosed with a nasty disease. At first I thought it was the end of the world. I was shocked; this person NEVER gets sick. I started imagining the worst. What would the rest of my family do? How would they keep going? Why did I move so far away? I felt guilty for not being there in this time of need. I worried, a lot.

That day when I got home from work; I called my family and they reassured me that even though the disease is there; it is early enough to where if certain measures are taken; it can be stopped in its tracks or slowed down considerably. I spoke my mind, loud and clear for all of them to hear. They asked I do not worry about it; and I said I would not if they promised to follow doctor's orders to the T. Luckily we came to an agreement. I know the road ahead is not an easy one for them as it involves quitting an addiction (smoking); but they are strong willed (as most of the members of my family) and I know they can do it.

On that day I decided I would go ahead and run my half marathon on saturday. I had not had a quality run (or a run) for a few weeks (since thanksgiving).In fact I was so focused on doing P90X that I had not swam, biked or ran for a couple of weeks. Now, let me tell you. After doing P90X for those couple of weeks, I realized that it was not the workout program for me. Why? It does not get me excited to follow it. As a matter of fact; I dreaded doing the workouts most of the days. Not because they were hard, but because they were boring. So I opted to just do their strength routines and kick up the Cardio with my own mix of Swim, bike & run.

Last month when I was sick for almost 2 weeks, coach and I decided that it would be best if i took the month off to fully recover. Besides, December tends to be a busy month for us in the accounting field; with holidays and fiscal year end all happening at the same time. So the training for this 1/2 marathon was put on hold. I still wanted to run the race, because stingy me had already paid the race fee and could not let the money go to waste, if you know what I mean :-). So I faced it as just a fun run. I would run it without any expectations. I would not push myself, I would just go and run, and have fun.

Saturday came along and I was up before the alarm clock went off. My body is so used to getting up at 5 am that I can't sleep past that time. Oh well. I got up and got ready. All dressed up in cold weather gear since it was below freezing and the high temperature for the morning was in the low 40's. I put on some tights, a wicking t-shirt and a warm wicking jacket (my favorite one... NIKE ) Got to the kitchen and made some breakfast. Some whole wheat waffles and propel water to drink. The breakfast of champions :-) I did my hair (pigtails and hat), grabbed some Gu's and headed out the door.

I got to the expo, picked up my packet, got my chip and bib number set up and headed to the potty lines. Of course, after all that propel water I needed to pee quite a bit. And then I witnessed something that was a "first" for me. The line for the MEN'S bathroom, was longer than the one for the women's. I smiled to myself. 

After using the facilities I headed to the start line. I tried using the signs for the pace groups to seed myself but once the crowd got bigger the pacers moved and I could not find them! As a result I think I was seeded incorrectly. Oh well, race was about to start and I did not have the energy to fight the crowd to try to go backwards.

The gun went off and we started running. The first mile is always hard. Your body is waking up and warming up. I passed the mile marker in 9.30.  I was going faster than I had anticipated but it felt good, it felt "natural".  I ran. I saw some familiar faces, I tuned into other people's conversations. I smiled at volunteers and traffic cops. I was just having a blast. I remember going through the 3 mile marker at 27 minutes. "Pretty good" I thought. I was running with my Garmin, just to see how long the course really was. Bad thing is that it had not acquired a signal when the gun went off, so I didn't start measuring until well into the first mile. I decided to keep it on just for the fun of it. To see what pace I was holding.

I was surprised. The little thing said I was running 8:54 and I did not even feel I was putting out an effort. I really cruised along the race. I was not "racing it"; I was just running. I drank at every water stop; alternating water and powerade. I even ran the water stops! Now, that's a first! I am always really clumsy and end up pouring the liquids on my body instead of in my mouth. But not this time. The course was hilly, and I could tell I was putting a slightly higher effort when going uphill, but nothing major. I was just keeping the pace. The only one goal I had for this race was to run the entire thing. I wanted to prove myself that no matter how slow I went, I would run it. Not even power walk it, run it. There is some kind of mental block I had with the distance for the longest time; and I wanted to overcome it.

I hit mile 7 in 1:03:xx. That is when I realized: "Holy shit! I am paced to come in at 2 hours or less". If you remember, that was my goal all along for this race. Break the 2 hour mark and have a great PR. I just could not believe it. Here I was, not even feeling like I was working; and yet within reach of my "dream goal". I told myself: "Don't get cocky, don't try to go faster; we are here to have fun". So I did. I just kept running.

Somehow, I was able to hold the pace. At mile 11, a guy in a Santa costume passed me and one of the spectators said: "Come on people! Run faster, you just got passed by Santa!" That made me laugh. That was another first... Laughing at mile 11. I am usually in some kind of mental battle at this point; but not Saturday. I was feeling it now though. I was starting to get tired, and putting an added effort. I just wanted to hold the pace to reach the sub 2 hour goal. I only had 2 more miles to go; but those 2 miles had some of the worst hills of the course.

Climb, climb, climb. Reach the top, turn right. Climb steep hill. Legs burn. Reach the top, turn right again; go down; reach the bottom. Repeat. That was how the last 2 miles were. My quads were burning. With less than .5 miles to go you took the last turn and you could see the finish line. Straight up there. Yes, I said UP. The freaking finish line was at an incline! No fair. I tried to kick it to the end; but my legs refused to turn any faster. I crossed the line. 

1:58:43. 

Holy freaking shit! An 18 minute PR. On a hilly course. I could not believe it. Seriously?! I was elated. Still am. I sent Liz a text. "I do not give my body enough credit".

I remember my first 1/2 marathon. It took me nearly 3 hours to finish it; and after I got back to the house I slept the rest of the day. Saturday, I ran and was FULLY functional all day. 

What baffles me the most is that I had taken my "off season" pretty seriously. I had been resting mightily. There had been no running for almost 3 weeks.  And yet, I managed to accomplish this. I guess rest does a body good :-). I am a believer now.

P90x

There is one word that sums it all up: OUCH!

So, ever since I said I was going to take the month of december off, I have done anything BUT take days off from working out.

I had been eyeing this workout program for a while but knew I would not be able to do it properly if I mixed it with the regular triathlon training. So, given the fact that I am taking december off as far a triathlon goes, I decided to give it a go. 

Husband has done it already and he had some really amazing results. He lost a whole bunch of weight, and got super ripped! Granted, he had a good "base" to begin with; but this took him to the next level... And you will have to take my word on that; but let's just say that the eyes are very pleased :) 

So this past saturday, I committed to the program for the first 4 weeks. I will follow the training and eating plan; see where that takes me as far as getting lean and strong, and if it is something I like doing, then I will try to incorporate the weight training into my tri training routine once I start back up in January. 

Did I get you confused by my use of the word training about 28 hundred times in the preceding paragraph? Because I just re-read it and got confused myself... Oh well, moving on.

I am 5 days into the first week of training and as I have stated above OUCH. I have muscles in places I didn't even know I had and I have spent the past 2 days trying not to cry every time I went up and down steps; or stood up from my chair at work to visit the bathroom for the millionth time. 

But I guess this pain is good, right? It means that I am actually getting some results... After all the phrase does say "No pain, no gain", right? RIGHT?

Change of plans

After much deliberating and a couple of good talks with Coach, we have decided that I would take the month of december off.

The past couple of weeks, I have been sick on and off. Cold, sore throat, sinus infection. I had them all. The body really took a heavy toll after all of these... And it needs rest.

It's not that I am not going to do "anything", I will be trying to get more muscular and lean; but I won't be "killing" myself or feel pressured about anything on the schedule. 

I am still undecided about the 1/2 marathon. A part of me wants to do it; because I know that even though I won't be able to go for my "dream goal" of under 2 hours I will be able to set a PR. I am in much better shape than last year. The other part thinks that I should take the entire month off, to properly re-energize myself with the want/need to swim/bike/run. Know what I mean?

So I guess I will play it by ear and see how I feel as the weeks progress. I will try to keep you all posted; but my life is not THAT exciting when you take training out of the equation.

Hope everyone is starting to get into the holiday spirit. We have started already, the tree is up; the Elf on the Shelf has appeared (he is one of Santa's helpers that comes and stays with us until Christmas, leaving every night to fly to the North Pole to report how Megan has been behaving), and Megan keeps repeating that we have to wait until Christmas to see the snow... 

Who knows? Maybe this year we will have a white Christmas in the Carolinas, and it will be her dream come true...

Doctor's orders.

The doctor said:

"It sounds like a sinus infection. I will give you some generic antibiotics, so the prescription won't cost you too much. Also I would wait 2 more days before you resume your workouts. Get the antibiotics in the system and if in 2 days you are feeling good, you can restart your physical activity"

So, me, being the extra good listener that I am; will do as the doctor ordered and won't run until Saturday.

Hey, at least now I don't feel bad for not getting in my runs. It's doctor's orders!

Sickies

Not much has been going on around these parts. I think I have finally embraced the off season. I am pretty much taking everything very relaxed and not really pushing myself to do much; except keep up with my running workouts. And I am only doing that because I had this insane goal of breaking 2 hours on my upcoming half marathon.

I say "had" because I had a double case of the sickies. 

Last week I had a monster cold where I felt like I could not even lift a foot, and that lasted for about  4 days. On Friday I was feeling like my old self again, so I ran easy for 30 minutes and that felt super good. Saturday I spent the day with the family, relaxing, doing some shopping; and on Sunday I decided to go for an hour long run. Boy was it hard! My legs felt like bricks and I really struggled to move forward. I will say that the wind was not helping either. I think I might have started that run a bit underdressed, but after I was able to get a bot more shielded from the wind I was ok.

Then yesterday... That feeling of soreness all over the body; like you have been ran over by a train. I had chills, a sore throat, a headache. Could not keep my eyes open. I think I must have fell asleep at around 8.30 PM. 

Today I am better; but still don't think I am at 100% health. That is why I have decided not to pursue my crazy goal of breaking 2 hours in the half marathon. For some of you this might not seem like such a "crazy" thing; but my best half marathon time is 2:17; so it would be a 17 minute drop on my previous PR. And that is a big number in my books. I will do the race; just because running a half marathon at this time of the year is what got me into sports 4 years ago; and it is my little way of celebrating my own "tradition", and also because it is fun. (And between us, it makes me feel less guilty about the foods I eat during the holidays)

After the race in December, I will take a break from everything except swimming. During december I will swim 5x a week. Why? Because I will re-create my stroke. I want to be able to swim much more efficiently and I know my body is used to doing things the easy way. I am on a mission to accept it will be hard and to embrace the challenge. When January rolls around I will let you know how I did on that. 

For now, I just hope this case of the sickies goes away soon. Catch you later, dudes!

Whirlwind

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the last time I updated the blog. I can’t believe it has been almost 2 weeks since my last writing adventure, but life had me busy. Deadlines, responsibilities, duties, you name it I had it. It’s not that I did not have any fun in the past week and a half, but everything went by so quickly! Let me recap the important events that had my head in a daze of sorts these past couple of days.

Last week was spent amidst preparations to my trip to Panama City Beach. You would have thought I was racing IMFL if you had seen the lists I made. Stuff that needed to get done; things that I needed to pack; phone numbers of people I was intending to meet; countless emails and plans on how to spend the 2 ½ days I was going to be away. All much fun, once you realize that you are doing this because you WANT to and not because you have to.

On my to do list for Thursday was the much anticipated run test. You know how it goes… You warm up for 20 minutes and then you run your booty off for 20 minutes, all while wearing a HR monitor to see what your cuore (I think that is Italian for heart) decides to do. Oh yes, and you can’t eat for 3 hours prior to the thing. I don’t know what is harder: the test or being at work in the morning starving already (mind you just 1 hour after breakfast) waiting for the dang test, only to realize you had forgotten about the stupid meeting that is taking place on the time slot you had planned to go to the gym. Anyhow, after said meeting I went to the gym, and let me tell you… a GU never tasted so good and hit the spot as nicely as the one I was allowed to down before the test.

I got on the ‘mill of dread (or Dready like I call it), and started turning my legs over and over. Warm up: check. Reset HR monitor: check. Set Dreadmill incline: check. The test itself was uneventful. I think I must have looked funny to a whole bunch of people since after running hard for 20 minutes, I basically got off Dready and stood still for a minute with a pen and paper in hand to write some all important numbers that coach wanted to know about. When that was all done, I jumped back on the machine and did my cool down. Now that I think about it, I did get some weird looks… Oh well. After shooting an email with the “magic” numbers to coach she replied saying that I had had huge improvements. Not exactly in the form of speed (which is the kind of improvement I like the most) but in the form of overall fitness. Apparently whatever it is we are doing, it’s working like it’s supposed to. Have I mentioned how glad I am to have the coach that I have?? She keeps me focused, gives me the best workouts and just plain rocks. If you are considering a coach, you NEED to give HER a try; once you experience what I have, you will be a believer!

The rest of Thursday went by without a hitch. When I got home from work I packed the bag (and a small one at that) for my Friday trip, had dinner with Megan, did some extra work and after Todd got home from the airport I went to bed. I slept quite well, but I think I was up before the alarm went off. I did my morning routine, shower, breakfast, coffee; and after leaving everything organized for the weekend Todd dropped me off at the airport. I got on a plane to Fort Walton Beach, FL; where I rented a car and drove to PCB. I drove for what seemed like forever and finally arrived at the hotel, the glorious Days Inn. I checked in, changed into lighter clothes and I went to the race expo (just it case you did not guess it by now, I went to spectate/volunteer at IMFL). Holy Bikes Batman! The place was spectacular and a bit overwhelming. I mean, seriously, there must have been at least 4 million dollars worth of bike equipment in that transition area…. The place was buzzing full of people; athletes, spectators, vendors, volunteers. I had never been to a race this big before and was surprised at the level of organization that it seemed to have. Of course I hit the merchandise tent, and after drooling over a whole bunch of apparel and Mdot stuff, I retreated back to the Days Inn.

That is when I got in touch with Mary. We met at the beach and I was able to hang out with her and Luc (her son). We built some sand volcanoes and even saw them erupt clear lava (ocean water); you should have been there it was pretty spectacular. We even buried a giggling Luc in the sand! 4.30 was my cue to go, and as Cinderella would have done I left the beach to head to the volunteer meeting. At this point I was starting to get a massive headache. I did a really poor job at hydrating that day, and my migraine reminded me of the mistake for the remainder of the day. I stayed as focused as I could and after getting my wrist band I left to go get some food and migraine medicine.

I woke up on Saturday and I was ready to roll! Mary was kind enough to drop me off close to the race site so I could do my volunteering duties. I had picked and was assigned to the women’s changing tent. After checking in and getting my t-shirt I headed over to the swim start. It was a bit chilly, but the ocean looked beautiful. After a few minutes, the canon went off and the athletes hit the water. What a sight! The calm blue water turned white and a sea of colored swim caps started moving towards the horizon. As the pros finished their first lap and headed in for the second one I walked to transition. I wanted to make sure I was on the tent with plenty of time before the first few people started arriving. We got debriefed once more by our “team leader” and within a few minutes the first pros started coming in. I was able to help a couple of them, and let’s just say that not all of them are nice. We got some thank you’s but we also got yelled at.

The age groupers were a different story. At first they were coming about 2 at a time, spaced out nicely and all. I was helping a lady put on her socks and shoes and when I looked up, the place was packed! There was literally no room for us to even help anyone. I limited myself to unpacking and packing transition bags. When things slowed down a bit I was able to help some of the latecomers and got some of the most heartfelt thanks I heard. One lady even called me her “angel” and gave me a hug. It felt mighty good.

After the last participant was out of T1, my duties for the day were done and I headed back out to meet with Mary and Luc. We had breakfast and went to the hotel to rest a bit. At around noon we headed out to the Memphis House. Mary and Luc were going straight there and I hit the merchandise tent one more time to get Megan a cute t-shirt that says “My Mommy is a Triathlete”. That is when I met Marit. She helped me find the right size tee for my little munchkin and I helped her find some things she needed. After our shopping was done, we jumped on Marit’s bikes (she brought both of them so I could borrow one. Thanks Marit!) and headed out the run course. We found the house no problem… Picture this… a whole bunch of girls in sexy costumes, playing loud music and dancing to the beat. We met Laura and a whole bunch of her Memphis friends ( I am sorry I can’t remember the names). We cheered on the athletes, hung out by the pool with Mary and Luc; we saw Curt (Mary’s hubby) go by and even managed to take some pics. Marit and I rode some of the run course and then we all headed to the finish line.

We were there all of 10 minutes when we saw Curt come in. He finished the race in 9:55 and what ensued afterwards was wonderful. The excitement on Mary and Curt’s face after realizing the feat he had just accomplished. It was beautiful to witness how they didn’t even need words to connect; to know what each other was feeling/thinking. Beautiful, I tell you. Behind my sunglasses, I cried. Marit, Laura and I decided to give the Eggers' some alone family time and headed over to the second lap turn around. That is when we saw Damie make her turn and Joy head for the finish. We hung out for a couple more minutes and then found Mary and Luc again.

That night we did dinner at Dirty Dick’s and went back to the hotel. Marit and I had a nice talk, and it was great to get to know her better. By the time 10:30 rolled around I was toast and went to sleep.

The following morning I woke up before the alarm went off. I changed and headed over to the race site, yet again. This time, to start my own journey. I signed up for IMFL’09. Yes, my bloggy peeps, in exactly one year, I will be toeing the line at my first Ironman. I still find it hard to believe sometimes. Me, an Ironman. Ha!

Sunday went by too quickly. After swimming in the ocean with Marit and Mary (THANK YOU both for taking the time to show me things and for your words of encouragement) it was finally time to head back home. We said goodbye to Mary, Curt and Luc; and after a quick shower we were out of the hotel and on our way home.

It was an incredibly intense weekend. The whole race setting was inspiring; not to mention the people…The camaraderie, the ability to strike conversation with anyone and being able to share experiences and tips, making friends. It was all great. When I got home I was beaming with excitement, I am still floating on air and I have been back for 5 days now.

Next year will be exciting, challenging, short and long at the same time. It will be full of achievements, goals, disappointments, sweat and maybe even tears. Whatever it is the training will bring me, I am ready to accept it with open arms. I am ready to give it my all and aim high for my dream. Here I go.

Wisdom

This past Friday I had my last 2 wisdom teeth removed. While it was a relatively painless procedure (I managed the pain with over the counter pain meds), the days that followed had me in a blue mood.

 

It is true what they say that exercising is great not only for the body, but also for the mind and the soul. Being sidelined due to much needed recovery is something that I do no appreciate much. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with resting. I love it when it is planned, but HAVING to rest is something that has the opposite effect in me. It makes me restless, it makes me second guess every little detail and decision. I guess you would call that insecurity, and perhaps I am plagued with it.

 

Thoughts of never doing enough, of never being good enough enter my head at least twice a month. Not good enough by whose standards? My own, of course! My husband and daughter adore me; and I am pretty sure they are proud of the things I do. But there is this little portion of me (or maybe not so little) that constantly thinks I could be better, that I should be better. And sometimes, it defeats the other rational side of the brain and sends me into a depressive panicky mode; where no matter what I do, it is never enough.

 

Call it weight loss, job performance, salary, mothering, being a wife, being a daughter, training, racing, whatever you want to call it. Whenever the nagging voice hits me, my performance on any of these things never seem to be good enough under my own standards. Self sabotage they say it’s called. And I am totally guilty of it.

 

I was raised in a loving family environment. Parents, brothers, extended family they were, and still are, all great supporters. Yet somehow, every once in a while their expectations seemed to be so completely outrageous that led us to failure and even lies. Yes, I admit it, I lied to my parents. But lets be honest, who hasn’t? And while not every lie is the same; a lie is a lie no matter what. And there is a burden to be carried because of these lies. Not because of the lies themselves but because of the feelings that led us to those lies.

 

One of the situations I remember quite vividly is during one of my finals in my 3^rd year of college. I had studied and worked for most of the year. Get up early; go to school in the morning; eat lunch; work part time in the afternoon; go home and study. There wasn’t a lot of time left for anything other than studying. Somehow I managed to have a boyfriend who attended the same school; but once he decided to change careers and transfer to another school; the relationship became inevitably broken. Heartache ensued, and no matter how much I tried to keep things separate and in perspective, there are times when your emotions take over your rational self.

 

I went to take the final; and of all the possible topics the Professor had to choose from; he chose the one I had not prepared. The one and only I was not ready to face. I failed the test. Call me silly; some people wouldn’t even consider going to take the final without being fully prepared; but I decided to take the chance. It did not go as planned and I learned my lesson. Knowing about my dad’s high expectations when it related to school work, I lied. I could not bear the thought about disappointing him; about telling him that I had failed, on a task that seemed simple enough. After all, the only thing they wanted from me was to be “good” at school. They didn’t make me work, I did it because I wanted my own money, my financial independence. So I lied. I told them I never showed up to the exam.

 

Would he have lectured me about prioritizing school work? Absolutely. Would he have been disappointed about me failing the test? I am not quite sure. Would it have caused him tons of heartache? No, it was just a test; it’s not like I did not graduate because of it. However, I  believe that it is because of little things like this; engrained in our brain, in our behaviors; that we self sabotage. Little past experiences build your character, and it is your actions back then that determine how you will face certain things in the future.

 

This is something I struggle with on a daily basis; balancing high expectations, with more rational ones. Wanting to be the best, with being the best I CAN be. Realizing that there will always be someone that beats you at something and letting go of it.  Being happy with who I am and how I am.

 

When I ask my husband how I look, or if there is something I need to improve; his answer is always the same: "your self esteem". Words of wisdom, from those who love us the most. It is time for me to start listening.

Addiction

Now, just admit it... You were glued to your computer pretty much all day saturday watching IM World Champs live. I know I was. Even though the chair I have at the Mac is hard as heck and it is not the best in terms of back support; I didn't seem to be able to care much about that. All I wanted to do is sit there and watch.

Multiple times I wondered that day why I was so addicted to the event; why I kept putting everything else in the back burner for that single afternoon. And then it hit me. It is about overcoming, about conquering, about arriving. About being left to your own resources and pulling through victorious. About facing tough situations and not backing down. About persevering. About setting our mind on a goal, having a dream and doing everything in your power to see it come true. 

I sat and watched those people in awe. The pros, the age groupers, the back of the packers, the disabled (that truth be told, are more able than a lot of people out there, so I think should have a different "name" to them). And it made me think. Not just about triathlon but about life in general. It inspired me to reach deep down and pull my true dreams to the surface. And trust me when I tell you I have some BIG dreams. And they are about everything and anything you could possibly imagine.

As I grow more and more disappointed at my job; one of those dreams is about finding where my true passion lies. Yes, I do love numbers, after all, I did go to school for economics; but I have an equal passion for letters, and for the english language. You might think it is odd since it is not even my birth language; but there is something about the way it sounds, the way it reads that has me completely enthralled. How some people are able to make you see things just by using words; how they are able to create entire worlds that captivate every single fiber of your being; how once you find their work, the work of these amazing writers, it fills you up inside, it makes you feel whole once again. And I want that. I want to be one of them. But excelling at something requires work, and I have a lot of that ahead of me if I want to become what I dream. 

I cannot afford to quit working; and let's face it, with the economy the way it is this days; it wouldn't be on the smart side to try to make a career change on a whim. There is a lot of thinking that needs to be done. A lot of planning. A lot of searching. But the idea is out there. 

Yadda, Yadda, Yadda

Not much to report around here. I am still in the “easy” recovery mode. I took last week completely off and had the green light to eat junk food galore. It is amazing how your body changes and how much you care about those changes. Believe me my friends when I tell you I tried to eat junk food, but nothing looked super appealing. Yes, I partook on my fair share of chocolate, cookies and ice cream; and while those could be considered junk food; they don’t exactly fall in my description on “junk” (burgers, fries, pizza, etc). They are just sweet tasty treats J

It took my body about 3 days to quit being sore. I originally thought I’d be much more uncomfortable, in a lot more “pain”; but was pleasantly surprised when that was not the case. I think it would be safe to say that after about 4 days I felt normal again… And then I tried to play chase with Megan… I literally took 4 strides and the body said: “Oh no, you didn’t”. As coach has said to me MANY times, recovery is important and I am making sure my body is fully back to being functional before I resume the schedule.

This week I have been slowly adding some workouts here and there. I went for a swim on Monday and even though the water felt cold when I got in (I was seriously considering swimming in the warm pool because I did not want to face the cold water); it was a nice relaxing swim. Yes, you read that right. I said relaxing. In my world, relaxing and swimming don’t mix often; but I guess there is always an exception to the rule, right? On Tuesday I ventured into doing some strength training with my husband’s P90X workouts. I have not touched a weight in months and I reached for the standard 5lb dumbbell that is usually heavy enough to make me hurt after the first 8 reps. Lo and behold: they were too light! I guess the swimming is really helping out my arm muscles after all! Yesterday I got up early and went for an easy run. It was short, a mere 2 miles; but it felt great! I am really looking forward to running more this winter. I want to get faster and more efficient.

I have signed up for a fall ½ marathon here in town and I am hoping that with proper training I will be able to set a new PR. What is that going to be? Not sure. I’d like to aim for less than 2 hours but I am not able to tell right now since I haven’t even started training and coach is away at Kona so we really have not chatted much about it.

I have also been busy scheduling doctor’s appointments and checkups. Not that there is anything wrong with me, but there were some things that I knew needed my attention; so I am taking care of them now. One of them was a visit to the dermatologist. I have a couple of moles I was concerned about; and since this sport has us being exposed to so much sunlight I decided that it is a good precautionary measure to add a visit to the specialist once a year; just to make sure everything is in order. By the way, my moles turned out to be just that: moles. Nothing to worry about. Exactly what I wanted to hear.

I started thinking about my season next year and toying around with what races I’d like to do. Some of you might have already read it on FB; but I made a HUGE decision. This November I am going to Panama City Beach, FL to volunteer at IM… The day after, I am signing up for IMFL’09! To this day, it still surprises me that I am even thinking about Ironman. I remember when it seemed so far fetched a mere 3 seasons ago; and now I feel like I am SO ready.

Husband and I have discussed multiple times about the commitment this will be for all of us as a family unit; and he keeps reiterating that he supports me 100%. I have even showed him some of the posts coach put on her blog about her personal experience with IM. He is still on board. And I am psyched!

Besides the BIG race, I will also be doing two half Iron events; a local one and then Augusta 70.3 with Muppetdog, and maybe some sprints (have not decided on those yet). For now, I am focusing on the Off season and becoming lean and mean. This november I am supposed to "Become a swimmer" in Liz's words... I will let you know when and if that happens. Right now, I am off to enjoy some homemade food (that reminds me of Home with my mom and dad) made by yours truly. Catch you later.

PS: Hola Mamma! Te extranio!

SC Half Iron RR

This is an adaptation to what I sent to my ELF (coach)

I woke up with the alarm clock and realized I was not nervous. Maybe because I was by myself and needed to make sure I did not forget anything; I was pretty much get down to business and get ready. I ate breakfast, filled all my bottles, got my nutrition ready and headed out the door.I arrived at the race site with enough time to get all my stuff done. Body marked, weighed in, used port-a-potties, applied sunscreen. All check. As I was getting ready to go for my warmup I ran into Kellye. I recognized her from her blog pics.. I am such a stalker! She is a very nice girl, not to mention super speedy! After introductions and a few minutes of chit chatting I headed to the start line to warm up. I put my wetsuit on and got in the water. It felt good, to finally be there and realized that it was actually going to happen. I warmed up and got out of the water as they were calling people to get out so the race could start. 

Swim

When my wave was called I finally felt the butterflies. I was able to quiet them down by repeating my pre-race words in my head. We got in the water and treaded it for about 3 minutes. The gun went off and I started swimming. I went a long way without feeling out of breath or anything. I found open water and just swam, as best as I could. I did not panic, but the swim did seem long. I am not used to swim long with just breathing to one side, so  my shoulder/neck started to get tight. I also had the feeling I was going nowhere if I breathed every other stroke, so I decided to switch to breathing every 3 strokes. My goal was to not side stroke, and I failed miserably. I got punched on the face by a guy on the wave after mine. It almost took my goggles off. I did not panic about it but it took me a split second to snap out of it. People swam on top of me and into me, and for some reason that just breaks my focus. The swim seemed LOOOONG.This is definitely an area that I would LOVE to improve upon this off season since I know that it will help my times so much if I am able to conquer whatever irrational fears I have with the water. I know I can swim… I have proved it many times… I just think I am not efficient and that if I swim too hard then I will have nothing left for the rest of the race. I came out of the water and was pleased with my time but knew I could have done better. 

T1.

I was on the second to last rack out of transition which made my run to the bike quite long. I think I managed to get out of T1 pretty fast, considering I took my wetsuit off, and took the time to dry my feet off. 

Bike

 As usual, I had a hard time clipping in. I think you could say I am afraid of falling as I try to get on the bike… I lost some seconds here, but in the big picture I don't think it matters that much. We were also at an incline (going up) and I made sure I had enough momentum before clipping in my second shoe. After I did it I was off. The first mile I was quite cautious as people were yelling different things and I got a bit of sensory overload. Once I was on the open road I started to pedal with a purpose. I realized my HR monitor did not work and I thought for a brief moment I was doomed.  Then I figured I'd just have to be more careful since I'd have to go by feel. The first few miles seemed really daunting when I drove the course the day before, but to my surprise I was able to climb all the hills with little to no effort. I guess looks can be deceiving. I started my nutrition at 5 minutes in and took a sip of my sports drink every 5 minutes. I stuck to my  nutrition plan and got everything in.  My legs felt really good most of the way, except when I hit portions of the course where the pavement was super rough. I think that more than anything else took a toll on my legs. The time on the bike FLEW by, and by the time I realized it T2 was around the corner.

T2

 After I dismounted, my run to the rack was long and it felt slow. I racked my bike, took my shoes off; put my shoes on. I did pause for 5 seconds to "regroup" and put my running skirt on. I was out of there faster than I thought I was. 

Run 

I got out of t2 and immediately realized I needed to use the bathroom. I decided to trudge along and hold it. But then I saw a port-a-potty with a guy that had just gone in and I thought he would not take very long and I could go in and out in a jiffy. I was wrong! The guy took longer than I anticipated. After I took care of things I was back on my way.  I ran for the first 3 miles pretty well. I was keeping it a constant effort but I did not feel I was getting out of breath or going so hard I could not keep it up for the whole 2 loops. I took water at the first couple of water stops and then a gel. After that my stomach got unsettled. I started having reflux and that was no fun. My legs were sore but they could keep going. It was my head and the knowledge of potential stomach issues that got to me. It was hot and I started to fall apart. I did let my fear of throwing up get the best of me. And I HATE that. The hills were not as taxing to my legs as they were to my stomach. Legs could have kept pushing, maybe even kicking harder. They did hurt, and so did the stomach. I could handle the legs hurting; I gave in to the stomach. I focused on moving forward. My goal was to not walk, and I failed here as well. I cut myself too much slack when I knew that I would definitely come under 6:30; and I did not push as hard as I should. I kept moving forward and the first loop went by pretty fast. I started the second loop feeling rejuvenated. I knew that was the home stretch so I wanted to have a better loop than the first one. Did not happen. By now  it was really hot on this particular stretch of the highway where there was no shade. My shoes were sticking to the pavement… I walked/run as best/fast as I could. I took another gel at mile 9. I think that calmed my stomach down a bit, but don't quite remember. When I hit mile marker number 12, my legs and spirit got a second wind. I was running fast now. I passed people. I was dumbfounded but not complaining. I think the last mile was my fastest mile. When I saw the finish line I knew I had made it. And I smiled. I climbed that last hill pumping my arms high.. I wanted a good running picture for once.. I think I even smiled a bit . I crossed the finish line and was done.

After finishing I let the volunteers take my chip off, weighed in  and headed over to the misting station. I got in a nice cool soak and then met up with Wes and DeeDee. I had seen Wes along the run course a couple of times and we even high fived when he was on his second loop. He said to me "Dig Deep Danni" and that helped me quite a bit.  We went for some food and I was surprised that I was actually hungry... I ate a chicken burger, a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie.. along with a couple of cans of soda... I guess the splurging on junk food started before coach gave me the green light to do so. Ha! 

After resting for a couple of minutes we saw Kevin cross the finish line, he had a really rough run and we were all expectantly waiting for him. He finished strong and then joined us for some R & R. I chatted with Wes &DeeDee for a bit longer and then decided it was time to pick my stuff up and head home. When I got back into the transition area I called Todd and told him the news. He was super excited for me. Then, I called coach, and after giving her the cliff notes version  I said something that will stick with me for a long time; and I quote: The good thing is that I didn't lose any weight; so I guess the hydration worked just fine. Now THAT is what I call geeky.

Overall:

I loved the race. I was out there 6:20:05, but I am still having a hard time believing that it was indeed so long. It did not seem long at all. Even the run went by fast. I proved myself that the body can do it. I now have to work on keeping the mind quiet and focusing on something other than the pain and discomfort. I am happy with my results. Could I have done better? Absolutely. Am I upset because of it? Nope. I gave it what my body and head were able to give at the time. The good thing is (besides not losing weight) that there is a lot of room for improvement here. And I am ready.

T-2

So tomorrow I head out to SC, to race on my first HIM.

I am ready. 

Packed? Not yet.

Panicked? Not yet.

It will all come, I'm sure.

Off I go friends, see you on the flip side.

The end of peak week

Well folks, I survived Peak week. It kicked my ass, but I survived it.

What did it include?? Let me tell you...

Monday: 1.5 hrs run. With 30 minutes in zone 3 and then on the last 30 minutes, some hard efforts x 8. Nice.

Tuesday: Easy 45 minute spin to get the leg circulation going.

Wednesday: 2400 yrds in the pool, with a LOOONG main set and speed (of which I have none). Man, it burnt in my lungs... But swimming always does, so what else is new, right?

Thursday: 45 min run in zones 1-2. Wake up the legs and get them ready for the next day.

Friday: 2 hr brick, as follows: bike for 1:30, following race day nutrition plan. With 30 minutes in zone 3 and them some time in zone 4 just for kicks. Get off bike and run, first 15 minutes in zones 3-4 and then cool down the last 15. Oh, and find a place that resembles your race course (that would be hilly).

Saturday: a 40 minute swim, with some drills and open water like practice. And then to finish it of a 30 minute easy spin of the legs.

Sunday: It's my day off :)

Oh, did I mention that my office was moving this week? So not only did I do all my workouts as prescribed by coach, I also packed, lifted boxes and got my arms a NICE tiring weight training like workout.

How am I feeling?? Race ready. I have written down my race plan. I have my "words". I have my timeline of events leading to the race (day before race and race day). I have my nutrition figured out... I still need to pick out my outfit... Wanted a new top because of the occasion, but I think I will have to settle with what I already own... None of my local stores carries Zoot :( and that is a bummer. I even got a new hat! Because now that I cut my hair I really look ridiculous in my Triathlon Mom visor, something about the layers bouncing up and down and making me look totally dorky. Oh well. 

Nest week is taper and then on sunday, game on!

I am ready to end my season with a bang. Wish me luck.

Peak week

Well folks, it's finally here. Peak week starts tomorrow. I can't believe I have only 2 weeks left until my "big" race. It will be my first 1/2 IM and I can't hardly wait. 

These past too weeks have been pretty hard on me. I have been extremely exhausted, busy at work, and with a gazillion other things going on. I spent an entire week without being able to sleep properly, and my body almost quit on me about 100 times. Somehow I managed to push forward and got myself to a rest week, where I was able to unplug, recharge and get ready for the Betty's (sorry, just saw a cartoon with Megan this afternoon and they have this very catchy song... "Ready for the Betty's", I have been singing it ever since) You know what? I like the expression, so I shall use it going forward... Ready for the Betty's. Yeah..

Anyhow, today we got back from the mountains. Very relaxing trip, short, and beautiful. I realized also that I would not be able to live in the mountains, as every time the road encountered a switchback I was holding onto anything and everything in the car. Vertigo. A lot of it. Not good.

The funny thing is that as we were getting ready to have dinner at the resort last night, I saw a guy with a 37 sharpied on his calf. Turns out he had done a tri that morning. And he said it was in preparation for his 1/2 IM on the 28th... The same one I am doing. Small world. 

Coach gave me my goals for the upcoming race. We took into consideration my current abilities, and we came up with a time that would be doable. A time that would be challenging but not a killer.  Do I have a super secret goal?? Of course I do! I have a super secret time goal for the perfect race conditions; that is if the star, moon and sun align... A bit of a long shot; but coach once told me "Dream Big"... so I am.

Of course, the first goal is getting myself to the finish line. I am NOT quitting this race, no matter how much it hurts; because I know it will. The long distance is a different beast than the short course, and I respect the beast. Does not mean I don't want to crush it, because I do; it just means that I will approach it cautiously and take a good look at it, study it for a bit before I decide to go at it with all my might. 

The focus is on executing the race plan to the T. Making my nutrition on the bike priority number 1; because I know that once I hit the run, my stomach is only capable of handling one gel every 50 minutes or so. 

So of to peak week I go tomorrow. Speed awaits. It's time to let the fun begin.

What do you do when you wake up on a saturday morning

and decide you need a change??

You go from looking like this...

To looking like this....

Yes, it's the hair; and no, I did not put those pimples there on purpose... I am having some kind of "oh, come on! I am done with puberty already" hormonal rage going on at the moment...

Week recap

Let me start by saying I can't believe tomorrow is the beginning of September... Where has the year gone???

This week has been a good one. I got all of my training sessions done, with a certain degree of success, and some disappointments too.

I swam the longest I have ever swam in one session at the pool. A whopping 3100 yds. Now, that is impressive for me, the non swimmer :) I discovered some things that I was (well am) doing wrong with my stroke and vowed to fix them during the off season. Trying to fix them now would be stupid, since my big race is only 4 weeks away (yikes) and the "new" stroke is something I am not used to and my endurance is non existent when I try to use it. For my mind's sake I have decided I would swim my regular slow way until after the race :)

I also went on a long ride yesterday (3 hours). I practiced my nutrition plan and I thought I had done pretty well. I drank 4 bottles of fluid (3 of them heed), ate like a champ, and even took in my salt tablets. I covered a decent distance (50 miles), and felt that come race day I would be able to go faster. I also tried a new saddle and to my surprise my "parts" were not as sore as with my previous one.

After the bike I had a 25 minute run in zones 2-3. My legs felt good, I felt I had a good amount of energy. My stomach felt a bit full, I thought I definitely took in enough fluids; and then disaster stroke. I started getting chills... In case you don't know, chills are a sign of dehydration. Dehydration?? I took in a ton of fluid, my stomach told me I could not have taken in any more. And that worries me. Why? Because I do NOT want to get dehydrated during the race. I have heard it tends to get pretty hot on that course, especially on the run; as there are some really long patches without shade.

I talked to coach about the ride and run, and after asking me about my food and drink  intake she suggested I need more sodium. So... I am off to trying a different sports drink. Heed only has 39 mg per scoop and apparently that is not enough for this body. I loved the almost bland taste of it, it resembles water a lot and it is sooo easy to drink. I am a bit disappointed that it won't work for me, at least during the hot summer sessions (I am not giving it up altogether).

After this discovery I headed to REI to pick up some samples from other drinks, and I came back with GU2O, Luna electrolyte drink and Cytomax. They all have at least 190 mg of sodium per serving, which knocks off the boots of Heed in a jiffy. Can't wait to try them and see what they do for me. Hopefully I will find the solution quickly.

Today I am glued to the computer following IMKY and cheering for Katie, Bree and Eileen. 

Hope you all have a great Labor day weekend!

I LOVE MY COACH!

Two years ago, when I first got involved in triathlon I was all about the group setting. Working out with other people, having the extra motivation to get up early knowing that I would not be doing the workout by myself. It was all laid out for us. We had awesome coaches, that handled the group very well. Some of them had their own coaching business and were pretty successful at it.

Fast forward to this year. When the time came to move on from the group setting, you would have thought that I would have chosen one of the people whose coaching style I know. Someone local, someone that already knew me. Oddly enough I did not. The coaches I had while training with the group were awesome; they knew their craft, they were great motivators, but they did not see "IT" in me. Not that they ever told me; that would have been totally classless; but you could tell by their actions. What is "IT"? I am not 100% sure, but I think it is a combination of potential, dedication and passion. 

So after stumbling upon Liz's blog and reading some of her entries (this one in particular) I decided to take a risk and sign up for coaching with her. And, oh boy! am I happy I did!!!!

Ever since I have started working with Liz I have learned more about myself than I have in a while. It is amazing how through something as simple (note that I did not say easy, because gosh, sometimes it is not easy at all!) as coaching me towards a goal she has helped me realize what I am made of. And we are still in the get to know you phase!!! I have been working with her for 5 months and I can tell you for a fact that I am in the best shape of my life. I am in better shape than I was before I had my daughter (and I thought I looked good back then), and I have been crushing all my times in my races.

Yesterday I had a Sprint tri. It was the one that got me started in Triathlons 2 years ago. Back in 2006 I finished that race in a little over 2 hours, I did it last year and I finished it in a bit under 2 hours. I did it yesterday and I finished 15 minutes FASTER than in 2007. 16 minutes!!!! The best part of it is that I felt awesome during the entire race. And after I finished I could have jumped on my bike and gone home. 

And who do I have to thank for these amazing results?? My coach Liz! Yes, I did all the work, but without her guidance I would not be here. It takes a great coach to get the best out of you; and LIZ is one of them.

Ups & Downs

So far this week has been interesting. After taking a week vacation and pretty much slacking in terms of training; I am back at getting up at the crack of dawn to workout. My body has been complaining about the “new” old schedule and not very keen on being put in motion at 4:30 in the AM. When 9:30 pm rolls around I am usually in bed, attempting to watch some TV and end up asleep with my glasses on. Can you say tired??

 

Work has been work; some good days, some bad days. Some days when I question my career, some days when I love what I do. I guess you could say it is a bag of mixed feelings. On one hand I’d like to have more free time to dedicate to the sport, and on the other hand I do not want to put the responsibility of supporting this family entirely on Todd’s shoulders. Not that he is not capable of it; he is more than capable. I just think it is not fair. Why should I be the one that gets to pursue the time consuming sport and not him? I am no better or deserve it more than he does. Know what I mean? My head has gone back and forth on this matter many times and I still have not been able to make a decision.

 

Not to mention how guilty I feel when I leave for 3 hours straight during the weekends to go ride my bike, or swim in the open water, or run. This sport is what keeps me healthy, sane in the head, it is my ME time. And yet, I feel guilty for spending time on something so selfish. That is why I get up at the crack of dawn, to make sure I am using as little of the available family time we have. I know this will get easier as Megan gets older and she becomes more independent. Not to mention when she reaches an appropriate age to even join me in some of the activities. Some days I can’t wait for that to happen; and some other days I do not want her to grow up. Another bag of mixed feelings here. See a pattern?

 

I have also been struggling with my diet. I am not trying to lose weight. I am not starving myself. I am just having a hard time with my nutrition. And my GI tract is paying the price. I do not think that my diet is horrible and full of junk food; but evidently there is something that is not working as it is supposed to. I guess I have always struggled with keeping my diet clean, and for some reason I am having the hardest time now. I know it is a very important part of what we do; of this sport, and somehow I can’t get around to fixing it. I even got a nutrition consultation to get some ideas on what I was doing right and what I was not; only to not even pay attention to it.

 

Lots of things are going through my head these days, lots of questions. Emotions have been taking me by surprise; and sometimes I have been able to handle them just fine; and other times I have crashed and burned.  

 

Ups & downs they call them, right?

My baby is growing up....

Megan is 4 today. Here she is through the years...

A few days after she was born....

At her first birthday party...

When she turned 2....

As a princess turning 3...

And now... 

She is getting big super fast!