Let's recap the last 2 months

Time does fly people!!! Especially when one is busy doing thins like being a mom, working, training and then training some more. Oh, and sprinkle in some racing too! Let's recap the past 2 months and hopefully after this I will be able to keep a more regular blogging schedule (ha!)

Strength training

I am still LOVING it. Group strength has been so much fun! I am starting to see some muscle definition, especially in my arms (hello biceps!) and my back. The workouts are still challenging, most of the people are friendly (with ONE major exception that to this day I can't figure out what I did to piss this person off), the instructor is great at both pushing me and knowing when I need to scale down the weights. I have some new skills, or rather, I have started to be less afraid to make a fool out of myself; which leads me to try new things and realize they are not as bad as I thought they were. I have discovered that despite all the biking/running... my glutes are still quite weak (won't fire up property), and I am working on getting that fixed. All in all, I am still going 3xs a week and hate it when I can't attend a session --> motivation WIN

Swimming

I am still not as smooth or fast as I'd like to; but I am slowly getting there. After my favorite coach left the local YMCA masters program, a massive exodus of swimmers occurred... This left ME being the fastest swimmer in the program... wait.. there is something wrong with that as I am not that fast. I noticed I was not making further improvements, so I searched and found a new masters team. Made the change about a month ago, and have not looked back. The new coach is great, she has given me great feedback on what I am doing right and what I need to change. We swim in a 25 meter pool (at first the wall seemed SO far away!) and my new lane mates are wicked fast! I can sort of keep up when we do short speed sets, but when it comes to long endurance sets.. I end up getting lapped. I am working on learning how to pace my efforts the right way and not fizzle out as the distance progresses. We have also been having fun with "open water" practices in the pool. Coach Patty brings makeshift buoys, lane lines are moved and we swim in packs, practicing sighting, turning (hello backstroke!) and drafting. All in all, a lot of fun. I am up at 4:45 to hit my 5:30 masters practice --> this is commitment!

Racing

About a month ago I had my first race of the season, a nice flat little sprint race. Things went pretty much as expected. It was a wetsuit swim and since I had not worn my wetsuit since IMAZ back in 2012; to say I freaked out a bit is an understatement. I went out hard on the swim... which I never do, and then had a mini panic attack when my chest felt so compressed. Note to self: do not try to go hard for the first time when wearing a suit you have not worn for over a year. Despite the little panic hiccup, I had a pretty fast sprint swim and came out of the water a lot sooner than I thought I would. Biking is always my strongest part, and I was able to hammer down and put down some good watts. I passed some people but was not really looking for the competition. I thought that since my swim was not as good as I had hoped, all chances for placing (which is what I secretly wanted) were lost. So, I just raced as hard as I could and hoped for the best. I rolled into transition to drop off my bike and got to running. Boy, my legs felt horrible. I focused on my turnover and on squashing the walking thoughts out of my head (those thoughts usually come pretty strong on the first mile). I succeeded and while I did not run a 5k PR, I was able to run off the bike only 2 seconds per mile slower than my open 5k a couple weeks before the triathlon. As a nice surprise, I discovered I actually ended up 2nd in my age group. With this being the first time I have ever stood on a podium in a triathlon --> progress!

Sponsors

Coeur Sports: What can I say? Not only this company makes outstanding racing/training gear (hello seamless chamois!), their philosophy and core values are something I can identify with. Kebby, Reg and Hailey have been able to put together an outstanding team of triathlon professionals and age group athletes of all levels, that are inspirational and supportive. I have gained some great new friendships, have received wonderful words of encouragement and connected with like minded gals in a very welcoming setting. I am super excited to have Coeur's support this year and look forward to representing them through the rest of my season.

Osmo Nutrition: Osmo partnered with Coeur Sports and being a member of Coeur's ambassador team has allowed me the opportunity to also enjoy Osmo's support. I have been using Osmo products since the beginning of the year and love them! Right before my first triathlon of the season, I used the Osmo Pre-load formula instead of regular hydration mix in my one bottle before race start; and I really believe it played a very important role in keeping me hydrated during the race. 

What's to come

In about a week I will be racing another 5K, in hopes of improving my time from earlier in the year and perhaps setting a PR. The course for the race I signed up for (a fundraiser for a local athlete that had to have her hands and feet amputated due to severe sepsis) is not disclosed yet, and I have no clue how flat or not the race will be. I will just go and race my booty off.

June will mark the "serious" kick off for my tri season; having one sprint race per month until October. This year I am racing locally, and in the same triathlon series; hoping to rack enough points to place top 5 in my age group --> there I put my goal out in the open.

September will see me traveling to Wisconsin, to volunteer at IMWI so I can sign up for next year. I have not even committed to the race yet and I am already stupidly excited about it.

Great things are coming, I can feel it. Let's go after them!!!

Training camp: coach ELF style!

Yesterday was day one of Camp ELF. Andrea, Cat and I made it to Chicago after lunch and after getting acquainted we headed out to do our first training session. We are not talking smal potatoes here... It was a 2 mile open water swim; where we got to meet Jen H. as well.

The lake was a good size and with the exception of Cat who was doing a combination of swim/run/swim, we swam around it. Each loop was about a mile, so we headed for 2 loops. Immediately after we started I lost sight of everybody. Jen and Liz are very fast swimmers and there was no way in the world I would be able to keep up with them. So, truth be told I didn't even bother.

Sighting was a bit difficult mostly because the landmarks were unfamiliar and the lake was new to me; so I did my best to try to follow other swimming caps. The first loop was uneventful; I swam and swam and swam and eventually made it back to the beach. The second loop felt much longer than the first one but I made it around. I had a few moments where my left calf/foot cramped up and I managed to push through. I was happy to finish up though. This was mostly a confidence builder for me. I set out just to swim the 2 miles; without concern about times, to gain peace of mind that I could finish the Ironman swim. And you know what? I can. I totally can swim the 2.4 miles; and I think I might be able to pull in a pretty decent time as well. Only time will tell.

After swimming we all headed to Noodles for dinner. It was delicious; and it really hit the spot. Conversation was awesome too; but we were all pretty shot. Long day of travel and workouts; we were ready to hit the sack.
I slept pretty well; and the morning came all too quickly. I was greeted by the one and only BOSS; and I do have to say he is the cutest Chihuahua I have ever seen. Not your typical loud, obnoxious Chihuahua; but this sweet little thing!

Everybody got up and after a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee (of course) we headed to the track to get our running videotaped and critiqued. One by one; we ran, got taped and then carefully listened to what Liz had to say about our form. It was very interenting to see the different running forms and to watch Liz run. Oh my gosh! Her body is able to move in ways that I am not sure I will ever be able to. There is no "bounce" to her running. It is pure forward motion. I am hoping someday I'll get there. We did a couple of timed sets; before and after run critique. It will take some getting used to the new way; but it should be more efficient.

We headed back to the house for some lunch; and since Cat and I were borrowing Liz's bikes we got fitted to them. Man she has some nice machinery! We chilled for a while and then it was time to head out to swim. Again. This time it was about form and stroke efficiency. We all got some excellent pointers and I was able to discover my lats. That is a whole new source for swimming power right there. Truth be told, it is harder to swim with my lats and it will take a while to build endurance. Anything to get better and faster, right?

Next on the list was a spin through the Arboretum. I loved that we were able to just ride there. I am always having to get in my car, drive somewhere and THEN ride. But here, we just got on the bikes and started pedaling. Awesome. The place was gorgeous. Mostly shaded (a nice break from all the sun we were exposed to), with a lot of turns and some little climbs thrown in for good fun. We rode for an hour and then left Liz to finish up her 2 hour ride.

After everyone showered and cleaned up, Andrea and Liz made this awesome chicken dinner with curry and coconut milk. VERY YUMMY. Add some veggies and brown rice and you have the perfect athlete's meal.

Right now we are just chillin'. Boss is by my side murdering Squeaky Carrot, Andrea is watching The Office, Cat is Facebooking and Liz is writing schedules. Pretty soon I think I will be crashing hard and hitting the bed and it's onle 8:15. The day has been long but super fun. The company is great and that makes training that much more fun. We have been bad about taking pictures, but I am taking the camera during our ride tomorrow. Hopefully something good will turn out.

Coping & Inspiration

It has been a couple of hard weeks around these parts. Weeks with some accomplishments and some setbacks.

I finished the first training block for IM; and I managed to get in every training session with the exception of a recovery bike after my long run last sunday. That long run was the hardest one I've had in a long time; mostly because I have been battling some really nasty leg pain on my left leg. I have been coping with it as best as I can; but sunday I'd had enough. My run was so painful that it made me incredibly angry/upset. I had to hobble/walk the majority of it and I felt cheated out of my session.

The pain basically boils down to having really tight muscles on my butt and that is putting pressure on my sciatic nerve and making my leg hurt/tingle. I have started massage therapy and it is better; but still not 100%. I will continue to go as often as I can afford it and I am doing a lot of stretching/rolling at home as well. Hopefully if I work at it diligently I will be able to solve the problem. I'll give it all I have.

Last weekend I was also asked to participate on the swim portion of a relay team on a small sprint tri. One of the coaches from my old tri program asked me if I would relay for one of the women she is coaching now; who was not so comfortable in the water. I did not hesitate to accept. I remember when I was in that same position; being afraid of the OW. The race went well; the woman had an awesome race and so did I. I had my best 1/2 mile OW time... almost 3 minutes faster than last year.

Of course while watching everybody riding and running I wanted to race pretty badly; and I had to keep reminding myself of "the big picture"; what I am trying to accomplish this year and how a short sprint is not exactly the most "beneficial" for me at this point. Next year.

The week was good; I had a nice recovery week and I mostly enjoyed my workouts. And then there was yesterday.

S (the woman I relayed the swim for) asked me if I was still planning on attending the OW practice they held at the local lake. I had told her that even though I was planning on swimming a mile (2 loops) I would swim the first loop with her. You see; she had attempted to swim the one loop by herself and found that when she got to the second buoy panic had set in and her head convinced her she could not do it.

Upon arrival yesterday morning I found S and was very specific about the goals for the day: "I will NOT let you quit. You will swim the entire loop. Doesn't matter how or how fast you go; you will move forward and you will finish." With that statement right there I also assured her that I would stick by her side the entire way and offer reassurance; I would not exactly "help" her swim, but I would be there to comfort and calm any nerves that might arise. From my own experience I knew that once you finish one of these OWS, your self confidence takes a huge boost; and that is what I was after for her.

When the horn went off we waited until everyone had left the beach to start swimming. S set off swimming and I was right behind her. A couple of strokes later she lifted her head and looked for me. I was able to notice the little "scared" feeling and I assured her I was right behind her. She sighed with relief. I moved up to her "breathing side" so that she could see me there each time she took a breath. Slowly but surely we made our way around the loop. At the final buoy; with a mere 150 yds to the finish I told S she would swim to shore by herself so that I could go on to the second loop. She agreed no problem; after all she had come that far and there was no way she was quitting now! I was SO proud of her; still am. Sometimes all that it takes is for someone to show you they believe in you.

Right now I am fresh from watching the coverage of the Irongirl Atlanta. Man! I want to race so much! I was watching the women and got flooded with this feeling of happiness and fun. I love this sport so much! Can't wait for my next race!

Change is here

I am still here. I am still training. I am still working. I just needed to collect my thoughts for a couple of days.

Change is upon me; both mentally and at work. The second one BIG time. Some things transpired within the last couple of days and I am now given the opportunity to show off my colors. If you are my friend on Facebook; you might have seen my status update: "Time to step up to the plate and hit some home runs. My chance to shine is here. Game on!" A lot of people thought it was racing related; not so much. It is 100% work related. Let's just say that I have been working hard with the hopes the "higher powers" would notice. And they did. It just came out of the left field; and now it is all me baby. And I am ready.

Training is going well. Last weekend I had an outstanding open water swim. For the first time in my Tri "life" I felt strong and confident in the open water. I got into a rhythm that I was able to sustain for the entire duration of the swim. I passed people... did you read that? I passed people. That does not happen often. I am usually a coward when it comes to swimming in the open water; but that did I didn't feel that way. The water was cold; and it was a bit shocking at first; but once I got used to it, it was just perfect. A common occurrence for me is to have to side stroke, to catch a breath. Well, I did not feel the need to do it even once. The only time I HAD to stop was because the rescue boats were blocking my way getting people out of the water. And you know what? I got a bit upset because they were preventing me from negative splitting the course; just like Coach wanted me to do. All in all, I think I chopped about 5 minutes from my one mile time compared to last year on the same "course". I call that improvement :)

As much as saturday was a high in regards to training; sunday was more of a letdown. I had a less than stellar bike ride; where I could not keep my HR in check and it became a matter of "just get through it". I was not able to hit any of my prescribed intervals and was sucky overall. It is funny how you go from an all high to a pretty low place. I wrote to Liz that things didn't go as planned and the ride sucked; to which she replied that it is patterns over time that matter. I would usually be upset about not being able to perform as expected; but not this time. I told Liz I was totally at peace with the workout. And I was.

I have been at peace with myself this week. And interestingly enough; I haven't had the best week ever. With all the ruckus at work, my head and my body are just exhausted.

Next week is my season opener. And this year I am going big. White Lake Half Ironman will be waiting for me next saturday. I am trying to eat even cleaner for the 2 weeks leading to race day, and I have not had a single piece of candy or added sugar since last saturday. My reward for the hard work? Hopefully a great race, and of course a special treat after the race.

GAME ON!

The week in review

It is sunday, 7:46 am and I am enjoying my rest day. This has been a crazy week. I feel like I am always saying that.... Oh well.

To say this week was busy is an understatement. On Easter Sunday the husband was brought to tears by some pain in his neck/shoulder area. Truth be told, it scared me. He never cries when something hurts; this must have been bad. I tried massaging it for him, used my handy stick and was able to find a couple of knots. I convinced him to go see my ART guy on monday. So he stayed home and was planning on driving himself over there; except that he was barely able to move his head... not very apt for driving, wouldn't you say? So I came back home, drove him over there and then picked Megan up from school. I had a long run on tap and after considering the idea of doing the 1 mile loop in my neighborhood for the hour and 40 minutes the schedule called for I realized doing that would be setting myself up for failure; so I moved the run to the following afternoon.

The run went well, I thought I was running slow as snails and it turned out it wasn't. That was particularly satisfying due to the fact that in my attempt to try and run the less amount of downhills possible (really bad for the IT band) I managed to score a route with some very steep and long uphills. Can you say: ouch?

On wednesday I had my long swim of the week. Since I am doing a 2.4 mile open water swim in May, coach has me swimming over 3000 yds once a week. The workouts always seem daunting, as swimming is still NOT my favorite; but on the positive side I have been able to "risk" it a bit more while in the pool. Before, if I was feeling too much burn on my lungs I would back off, now I have managed to overcome the fear of not being able to breathe and have pushed myself harder than I ever thought possible. Now, I am by no means fast, BUT I have been able to find my different paces in the water. Moderate IS moderate, fast IS fast; before it was all the same. While this progress is not fast or easy; I am getting there. One of these days I will arrive, one of these days my stroke will feel fluid and I will not feel like I am dying after a 500 moderate.

Thursday brought in a bike ride. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE riding?? Even when my butt is uncomfortable in the saddle. I love the feeling of power in my legs. I love pushing the big gears and feeling the burn. After a really bad bike test the previous saturday (where I could not bring my watts up - we then figured my calibration was WAY off-) it was beautiful to see I was able to put out some big numbers (for me) without much effort. BEAUTIFUL.

Friday was another swim, with some speed sets built into it. I gave them my all and did not chicken out once :) YAY! Victory.

For the longest workout of the week I had a 4 hour brick on tap on saturday. 3:30 on the bike and :30 run. I woke up with a sour stomach. Let's just say I considered apropriate to have a bathroom within reach.... So I stayed inside. Got my set up all ready, Buffy on the TV, drinks, cliff shot bloks, 2 fans, air on my tires, reset computer; and finally got on my bike. While the hours did not tick quickly enough, I really enjoyed the "ride". I never went over the HR zones stipulated and I was also able to ride over 65 miles. While I know it's just "indoor" miles, last time I had a 3 hour indoor ride I did not even get to the 50 mile mark. Definitely improvement. What's best of all is that when I got off that bike and into my T run; my legs felt fresh. My HR stayed in check and I was able to run at my goal pace no problem.

There are only 3 more weeks until my first race of the season. Up next, two weeks of lower total volume race specific work; then taper and then game on! Can't wait!

Form

Yesterday I finally was able to get my husband to videotape both my running and my swimming. Feeling a little on the ridiculous side while at the pool, I got over it and did my planned 200 yards of swimming. Prior to that I got my long run out of the way and also got Todd to videotape my running stride.

My goodness! What a wake up call it all was. Not so much the swimming, but my running. It did not look pretty. And here I thought I ran pretty good.

After struggling to get the videos out of the camera and into a decent sized file, I shot them over to coach. The running one first and the swimming second.

The critique came in that order... While I must admit it was not pretty, and a blow to the ego, after mulling over it for a couple of minutes I decided that was exactly what I had asked for. I asked coach to look at my mechanics and provide me with some feedback as to how I can improve to become more efficient.

I am now armed with new running knowledge and a set of swimming drills that are "just for me". Focusing on the things that I need to improve upon will make me a better athlete; a more efficient one. I must admit, letting go of the old "comfortable" way of doing things is not easy. This new technique will require me to focus, be more present during the workouts and make sure that I give 100% if not more at each single one of them.

I had a rough week in terms of self esteem. I did a lot of thinking, I felt myself sinking in a hole; and instead of letting myself go down, down, down; I asked for help. I tend to internalize everything; keep to myself. Know what I mean? I knew this time around that I needed to be proactive and reach out. And you know what? It helped. Voicing my fears and concerns actually helped me overcome them and put them behind. Will they never happen again? Heck no! I am sure they will return. But I will be armed with all the tools that I know helped me this time around.

This morning I went to hot yoga and that practice actually helped re-inforce the things I came to terms with during the week. I was able to focus on myself and myself only and with each breath I became more aware of the things I hold dear in my heart. It was fabulous.

I am ready to start this new week and focus on improving myself; both athletically and spiritually. I have some focus words that I will write down and put in my mirror next to my inspiration board. Just as a gentle reminder of the good things, both the ones to come and the ones that are already here.

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.

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.

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.

You win some, you lose some

Well, this week has been a crazy one. Work has been busy, Megan was extra needy and the race I did on Saturday finally hit me full force by about Tuesday… I was tired!

 On top of that, remember that book I had been waiting to come out? Well it showed up at my door on Tuesday evening and I HAD to read it. So I spent a lot of the evenings staying up just so I could read it. You know when a book has you trapped so deeply that you can’t put it down or stop reading to take a rest? Even when your eyes are burning and you are yawning because you got up at 4.30 and it is midnight already? That was me. This week.

 I started the book on Tuesday evening and by Thursday at lunchtime I had already finished it. And no, I did not take off of work. I just read during lunch, during breakfast, during dinner and after Megan went to bed. I was completely sucked up into this wonderful world of vampires. Did I mention that I LOVE vampires?? Crazy? Yeah, it’s my middle name ;)

 Workouts kind of sucked this week. My body was exhausted and my mind was fried with all my stupid deadlines and plans for next week (we are going on vacation for a week to the beach.. YAY!). My nutrition was less than stellar and my body could tell. I guess you could say I dropped the ball this week. I got sidetracked and lost sight of the big picture.

 Did I get discouraged? Yes, but just  a little bit. I decided that I needed to listen to what my body was telling me.

 Thursday evening I was ready for my longest swim ever. 2900 yds. Holy cow! When I saw it on the schedule I got a bit scared. Self doubt populated my head. When I got to the pool I remembered Coach’s post about letting the workout be unwritten, do not get into it predisposed to it being a bad one. Free the mind and just do what you know how to do. I did. And guess what? I had a very nice long swim. The 6x300 yds for the main set were not as hard as I thought they were going to be. Yes, I did struggle with some of them; especially the ones that were “speed” related. But I finished them. And when I got out of the pool I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. Maybe I AM getting better at swimming. Maybe I will become fast one day. I just have to keep at it. Perseverance (that is my second middle name ;) )

This morning I had a long run on the books, and I had been looking forward to it most of the week. I went out early, to beat out the heat. I was pumped. I started running and my legs felt heavy. About a mile into the run my stomach started to feel funny. I could not even stomach water. So after 20 minutes of  slow progress, I turned around and decided to call it a day. I walked the way back. I felt a little bit defeated, and at the same time a bit proud of myself. Proud because I was not super upset about having to cut a workout short. My body had had enough. I listened. I guess sometimes you just have to come to terms with the idea that you win some &  you lose some. And today I did.

Without a title...

The week came and went. Full of training hours, work hours and mommy hours. I had some hard training sessions and some not as hard. Some breakthrough moments and some regular moments. I guess what I am trying to say is that this week was just an average one at best. Coach was on vacation, so I was more lax on updating my training peaks account. Not as detailed if you would... 

Didn't really had the energy to update blog world so I neglected it until I found the energy... I am almost there my friends. 

My body is tired, I am glad this coming week is both rest and taper week. I have an olympic next saturday and I am hoping I can accomplish some of my goals.

Yesterday I had a good training day. There was an open water swim at one of the local lakes, and I got to swim a mile. I wanted to break 40 minutes (yes,  I am still slow), but I sort of panicked the during the first lap around and ended up side stroking more than I would have liked. I came out of the water in 40:11, still good (my previous 1 mile open water was 42 and change) but not as good as I would have wanted it. I did however, identify some things I was doing wrong, and some other things I was doing right, so I will be implementing the good ones during my race next weekend.

Speaking of the race, I know Wes and Deedee will be there, as well as Ashley; so I am hoping I get to meet some of our fellow bloggers. That would be TONS of fun. Once again I am going solo. It is about a 3 hour drive from home, so I will be attempting to take a 1/2 day from work on friday to get there and do some driving around the course, as well as getting my race packet.  It will be a wetsuit swim, my favorite (not really); so I will be able to use my suit for the second time :) I just hope I do not feel like it's trying to choke me and that it does aid me on becoming more streamlined, hence faster.

I picked up a book on swimming... Total Immersion it's called... Apparently it will "revolutionize" the way I swim.. Honestly, at this point I will try anything to make me swim more efficiently. I will report on how it works after I read it and put it into practice.

For now my friends, I am going to go rest for a bit. I have been feeling less than stellar since last night, and I better recoup before Husband leaves for work this afternoon.

Laters!

In a funk

Well, the weekend came and went. Lots of stuff going on around here.

Todd was back in town on Thursday night; Megan LOVED having her daddy around so much that she chose not to listen to me a.single.time. (I guess that is what is considered a daddy’s little girl, don’t you think?)

Friday was kind of a busy day. We got up relatively early as Megan is an early riser and I tried to do my outside run. I think the stressful week finally caught up with me and I was exhausted. My legs did not want to go. My body ached all over; my breathing was super labored, even though I was doing a zone 1-2 run. I ran 20 minutes of my prescribed 45 and decided to call it quits. I thought I was getting sick because of that aching feeling all over my body and was overly cautious as last time I got sick I was out of commission for the better part of a week.

We had breakfast, got dressed and went out shopping. Earlier this year we made the decision that for now we are sticking with just one child (if you remember it was a defining moment for us, and particularly me); and that left our house with an empty bedroom (what used to be the nursery-since we gave all of our baby stuff to my sister in law who is pregnant). Up to that point we had a total gym and my trainer set up in our bedroom, and had been talking about moving them to the spare room to use as a “gym”. I am happy to report that we finally did it. And not only did we put those pieces of equipment there… we also got a treadmill! Shocker! I am not a fan of the ‘mill, but with Todd traveling it is pretty much the only option I have if I want to do my runs during the week. So our little gym is all set up and our bedroom looks more like a bedroom, which is always nice.

In the evening we went to my in-laws house and had a small BBQ to celebrate the 4th and then we took Megan to see some fireworks. She was more interested in the puppy the people next to us had than the actually fireworks… And she had been anticipating the fireworks all day!

Saturday was pretty uneventful. I had my bike test on the schedule for the morning. Luckily I was feeling much better. I got some good sleep after the fireworks and I think that helped TONS. We stayed around the house, hit the neighborhood pool, ordered in some pizza for dinner and called it a night. Pretty low key.
I remember back in my 20’s when a Saturday night like this would have seemed “boring”. Ah! Growing older will change ya!

Sunday flew by. I went grocery shopping while Todd was still at the house. We had a nice lunch and then it was time to take Hubby to the airport for his second trip to Miami. After we dropped him off Megan and I hit target, and then it was back home to get back in the weekly wagon.

When Monday rolled around I was ready to tackle the week full force. Get back into the full swing of training after a challenging “rest” week (where I did not really get a lot of rest… not it terms of training though). And then I got into work. I was super busy and by the time I realized it, I needed to get my bootie to the pool before the camp kids got there. On the schedule, Liz put 2400 yds. Let me just summarize: it did not go so well. I freaked out on some of the sets (breathing 1-2 per 25… yeah, right). I got mad, upset, scared, wanted to cry. I thought: “I will never be good enough at this; I might as well stop now”. But I didn’t. Did I feel better afterwards? Not exactly. I guess you can say I am stubborn and I am not going to let the water win. I will keep at it, until I figure it out. It might take me my entire life, but I will eventually win. Man, I am just like my dad!

Yesterday I needed to do some hill repeats. I was really looking forward to the hurt. I needed it. I had arranged for my in-laws to pick Megan from daycare, so I could run after work. I was even looking forward to the heat and humidity (weird I know). And then, as I am getting ready to leave work… The sky starts falling in the form of rain, thunder, lighting and 50 mph winds (that is what the weather man said, so I will believe him). There goes my outside run. I was bummed. I drove to my in-laws to get Megan and the commute that usually takes me 35 mins, took me close to 1 hr! Traffic lights were not working at major intersections, trees had fallen into the street, accidents galore… you get the picture.

We ended up at home, eating dinner at 7:50 pm and I still had to do my run. After Megan went to bed I decided to jump on my treadmill. What followed was one of the suckiest run workouts I have had in a long time. My pace sucked. I needed to stay in zone 2 and could not even run an 11 minute mile without spiking my HR. I know that it was probably a combination of tiredness, stress, my stomach digesting the food, and the fact that I NEVER have done a workout at 9 pm (yes you read that right… I got on the ‘mill at 9 pm). I was still hoping for a bit more.

So today, I am in a funk of sorts. I am kind of disappointed. Mostly at myself I think. I am questioning if I am really doing my workouts right. Am I self sabotaging? Could I give more? How would I do it? How long will it take me to get to where I want to be? I know it is not easy, I know it will hurt, and I am ok with that. But evidently there is something that has not clicked 100% yet.

Tonight I have a session with my head. I will put on some nice mellow music. Grab pen and paper; and let it all come out. Hopefully I will find where the short circuit is and will be able to fix it.

Work, workouts and Mommy time!

I am so glad the work week is over! I cannot even begin to tell you how busy I have been this week. With year end closing, merger, audit and the whole nine yards; it was about time to get some time off! My boss let us leave early today and I took advantage of the extra time and headed to the pool.

I needed the time for myself. Adjusting to this new workout schedule has been harder than I thought. I think I am definitely a morning person, even though when the alarm goes off I just want to throw it out the window. My best "athletic moments" are in the morning; when I am not consumed by the worries of the workday and I also know that once I am done I get to relax and enjoy the rest of the day. It also gives me energy and helps me get through the day. I can't believe how tired I have been this week, and it is rest week!

I had my running test yesterday and it went very well. Coach said I have improved quite a bit. The self critic inside is still unsure of my performance. I did give it all I had, I just wish I had more to give. You know what I mean?

Todd is coming back home tonight and we will have the weekend to spend some time together. Megan keeps reminding me that "Daddy is still in Florida" and you can tell she misses him to pieces. Every time I pick her up from daycare she asks if daddy is home and when I say "No honey, he will be back thursday night" you can see the disappointment in her little eyes. 

We have had some good mommy/daughter time; we have enjoyed eating "brown pasta" (she loves the whole grain kind), veggies and grilled chicken. We have watched some favorite TV shows (ask me anything about Backyardigans or Phineas & Ferb and I will be able to answer your questions), read stories at night and also enjoyed the occasional sweet treat (PB cups and M&M's are some of the favorites). Today we might head to the pool when the sun goes down a bit; and I have planned for us to "splurge" with chicken nuggets and french fries.

It has been a tiring week, but a good week nonetheless. Let the weekend begin!

A good one!!!

I had a swim test today.

10x100's with 10 secs rest in between.

Originally Coach had put it on the schedule for tomorrow, but since I knew today would be a tough day at work (and potentially the only day I could actually fit it a pool workout)  I decided to take advantage of my last "morning workout time" and head out.

I got to the pool and warmed up just as Liz suggested. Looked at the water, concentrated, turned on my watch and off I went.

I pushed hard on this test. My lungs hurt, my stomach churned; but I kept going. It was me against the clock. I wanted to improve since last time.

You know me and the water.. Not exactly best friends. But I think we are getting acquainted pretty well. Why? Because I was able to chop off... 8 seconds of my 100's pace! 

The day at work was super busy, exhausting. But I felt good about what I had accomplished this morning.

As I told Coach... I guess I CAN improve my swimming; now I just have to learn to not freak out in the open water.

The comeback kid

Today I had my first pool workout after being sidelined for 2 weeks by my ear infection. Truth be told I was scared of it. I was afraid I was not going to be able to even swim a single 50...

The day started off wrong. I had set my alarm for 5 am but forgot to actually turn it ON. So, when I woke up at 5:36 because I had to pee, I cursed... Nice way to wake up my husband ;) 

Even though I was scared of the workout I was looking forward to it. Besides the morning was the only time I knew I would be able to swim for sure. It is month end closing at work and us accounting type folks get quite busy at this time of the month; so swimming during lunch was a long shot. But it was my only choice. I made sure to get to work about 45 minutes early so that I could take an extended lunch IF I was able to get caught up with everything that needed to get done today.

Lo and behold, I busted my little booty (well not so little) off and made it to the pool with plenty of time to do my much needed yards.

The warm up was good, I was actually able to feel myself "gliding" through the water and that got me thinking about Coach's post on how she felt better in the water after a few days with less swimming... I entertained the idea for a while, sometimes less is more. 

I think not being able to swim for a couple of weeks actually helped me realize what I was doing wrong when I got back in the pool.

The main set looked though, I was really concerned with the 400 continuous swim; but somehow I was able to do it. Then there was a set of 6x50's that I had to do at some intervals; and then repeat the entire main set. I did the 6x50's at the prescribed interval and felt that it was giving me way too much rest; so when I did the set the second time around, I cut my interval about 15 seconds shorter. Oddly enough I was still able to meet it and not be completely out of breath. 

After finishing my sets I got out of the pool feeling pretty good about my swim, and set my goals for the race on saturday. I will push HARD during the swim, harder than I have ever pushed in the open water before. My lungs will not explode, the pool helped me realize that; now I have to learn to get outside of my comfort zone on race day. 

And the winner is...

The double ear infection and strep throat I got...

I went to the doctor this morning and she just glanced at my ears and said: "Those are not happy ears"... No sh!t Sherlock. 

Then looked at my throat and said: "It is a little pink... I won't even do the swab because I will already put you in antibiotics for your ears". Great!

So I left, with a prescription for horse sized pills, a NO swimming for 2 weeks (or you could lose your hearing) warning; and a whole bunch of contraceptive advice I really didn't ask for... 

I guess I have to understand... the lady is a doctor with teenage daughters who evidently are sexually active, and she just HAD to share how she makes "sure" her daughters don't get pregnant.

Just what I needed :)

What not to do when you wake up with a fever on saturday morning

1) Do not get out of bed and change into your bathing suit to go open water swimming.

2) Do not take Tylenol so the fever goes away for a while so you can get to said open water swim.

3) Do not drive 1 hour to arrive at the lake for the open water swim.

4) Do not swim in the open water even if you are feeling good.

5) Do not ride your bike for 18 miles after the swim.

6) Do not run for 30 minutes after you get off the bike.

Why? Because after the adrenaline stops pumping through your body, and the Tylenol has worn out... You will have an even higher fever, be achy all the way around, and will want to sleep for hours... Only problem will be, you are feeling so miserable, you can't even fall asleep. And that my friends is what my saturday looked like. 

I think I learned my lesson.