A Sweaty Top Ten

Next up....a runner. What do they think about when they are running for 1 1/2 hrs or in my case 10 miles?

10. Running outside.....maybe not the smartest thing for my shin, but even I'm tired of the treadmill. Gorgeous outside. No wind...yes.
9. 4 miles out and back then pick up Dave. Glad he said he would run with me.
8. Kinesio tape not holding up well.....humid out here...still sticking but not supporting.
7. OK back to get Dave hope he's ready to go. I'll stop have a GU, water and off we'll go. Will he be able to hold my 9:16 pace?
6. Heading back to the park for water. Man where is the wind when you need it? Getting hotter.
5. 1 mile away from water. I think it got 10 degrees hotter since I started. Sweat never pours off my hands.
4. OMG what happened????? Husband growling, squinting, jumping in circles. Turn off garmin. What the heck is wrong? Stung, I've been stung, right above left eye. Flashback to a week ago when I was stung. Maybe it's me? Water fountain in less than a mile can you make it?
3. Stop for water, a rinse of my husbands face and an apology for not being a good training partner. My thoughts.............you just being here and trying to hang on and go my pace is all I need. TY.
2. Lost husband after his 3 miles. I'm on my own again. Crap my easy run is now about a 9:20 pace which means I have to run 10 miles not 9 in 1 1/2 hours. It's frickin hot.
1. I did it and today's 10 miler was much easier than last weeks 7 and faster. Avg pace 9:18.

Well in 3 days I did exactly what I will do on June 19th. 1.2 miles swim, 56.7 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. Months ago I said to my husband, " I don't know how I'm going to do that all in one day." His response.........in a few months you will have more training and you know you'll be able to do it. I am now 3 weeks away and still I wonder..............really all in one day? How? HOW? That worries me that I'm still questioning it. I know I could swim and bike or swim and run but swim , bike and run scares me to death.

Never, never, never give up.

A Windy Top Ten

So what goes through a bikers mind during a 3 and 1/2 hour ride?

10. You have got to be kidding me what happened to my cyclocomputer? Stop pedaling, adjust, nothing. Guess I will bring the garmin for mileage.
9. It's nice out. Should be a good ride.
8. Ummmmm....is that a head wind I feel? Already? Well I guess I'll get a tail wind on the way home.
7. Wonder what Chloe is doing? Wonder how much fun Jeff is having at the park all day?
6. Ugh. EWWWW. Bug in my mouth. Swish and spit it out. OUCH dragonfly to the head.
5. I'm doing good. Keep it up.
4. OMG.....a head wind home too?
3. Holy crap scare the hell out of me bikers. Sneak up on me...not nice. And yes it is hard being in farm country with head winds for the past ten miles. You two enjoy drafting off each other, you have it easy.
2. Head toward houses. Tired of smelling cows.
1. Well lets see. 4 weeks ago I did 50 miles in 4 1/2 hrs. 3 weeks ago it was 40 in 3 hrs. 2 weeks ago it was 48 in 3 1/2 hrs. And today on my own drum roll please..........57 miles in 3 1/2 hours.

Not bad. Not speedy but I'm getting there. I have tons of room for improvement that I hope will happen over the next year. But for now, after checking results from last years iron man I'm a bit on the slow side. I have no idea if I did more hills today then what I will have to do for the race. I have a feeling I did. So really I could get to an avg of 17 mph. instead of 16.2. That would put me right in the middle of the pack. Perfect.

A Wet Top Ten

What does a swimmer think about for 45 minutes while their head is underwater staring at a black line for 80 laps? Let me tell you.....

10. This may take awhile
9. I wonder what the finish line is going to look like at the race?
8. Don't look at the lap counter until water aerobics starts, by then I'll be 1/2 way.
7. I wonder what Chloe is doing?
6. Maybe I should run tomorrow instead of bike.
5. No bike then run...with today's swim I'll be doing the 1/2 in 3 days.
4. I'm hungry. I'm always hungry.
3. Glad I ran before I came to swim. Got plenty of time to go to the store. 68,69,70....
2. Band banquet tonight........oh joy. The one school function I can't stand.
1. 100m to go. Hope I'm under 45 minutes.

Total distance 2000m in 44:03.

I came home and looked up last year results from the 1/2 ironman to get a feel for times in my age group. Now I have to keep in mind that I went 2000m today. The race will be more like 1950m. Add in a wetsuit and good weather conditions I should be able to cut at least two to three minutes off the 44 mins I did today. The range between 1st and last in my age group is 32:12-49:23. Avg time was about 40 mins. So I'm right on target.

Tomorrow a bike time trial........

4 Weeks

It's getting close....

I have 4 more weeks of training.

Time to get serious. If I wasn't serious before, I am now. How I handle myself for the next 4 weeks will either give me a great race or a horrible race.

What I eat.
How I handle stress.
How well I hit my training goals.
How I sleep.
How much I push myself.
What I choose to do when I'm not training.
What I drink.
How well I treat my body during recovery time.

All these thing are utterly important this month. I need to keep all these things in check. Right now this race is my top priority with my children running a close second ;)

I kept this in mind today as I entered the front doors of the gym. 4 weeks to go. Actually this week is a bit on the lighter side. An active recovery week. However, since I missed a few workouts last week due to my cold. I will be adding a few more shorter workouts to the mix. I need to make it a point to be in the pool often. At least 3 days a week. I have to get smooth. I may not be fast but if I'm smooth it will take very little energy to accomplish the 1.2 miles swim. The less energy I use the better. It will be needed for the run. This will be the last of the recovery weeks. The two after this are full on training and the last week lightens up with a small taper. I need to nail the long bike ride. I would have last week if it wasn't for the 20mph head winds for the last 15 miles of my 48 mile ride. After complaining that I didn't get to 56 miles I was reminded that those head winds actually gave me a tougher workout than cruising through the 56. I would agree since the following day my legs were killing me. The running will go on as planned. I can run. It hurts to run. I won't be pushing any runs for the next month. I'm not going to get faster in a month so why hurt myself even more trying. Most if not all runs will be done on the treadmill. I ran 7 miles outside Sat and my shin screamed at me for the next 24 hours. When I run on the treadmill my shin announces it's pain but keeps it at a normal volume, no screaming involved.

It's time to get serious. Serious I am. As the days tick on I will get even more serious. To the point that I'm sure my family is going to be praying that race day come sooner. I will doubt myself. I will feel like I haven't done enough. I will question if I can finish. I will start freaking out about everything. I will be excited. I will cry. I will be anxious. I will be scared to death. This race is nothing to bat an eye at. I respect this distance will all my heart. I respect anyone who has done a 1/2 IM. I respect anyone who attempts to do one. This is not a race that you just show up and do. This is a race that you have to train for. This takes at least 3-5 months of training. That is if you are already fit. If not more like a year of intense training. To the people who have already done a 1/2 IM I am in awe. I want to be just like you. I will be just like you.

In 4 weeks.

Not Planned

Well this week didn't go as planned at all.

I got a cold.

I hate colds.

I'm a baby when it comes to colds.

I can run a marathon. I can put my body through so much pain and keep moving.

If I get a cold, my world stops. I whimper on the couch like I'm 5.

That is how the week started.

I made it to spin on Monday morning and did my best to do what needed to be done. Once 10 mins went by I was drenched. Maybe I had a fever. I didn't check before hand. All I know is that I couldn't get my heart rate above 140. If I had I think I would of keeled over. Swimming was out of the question as I couldn't breathe normally how was I going to breathe while swimming.

Tuesday was my "woe is me day" I sat on the couch for almost all of the day. On top of the cold I was noticing that I had a pain in my upper right side. Came and went for a few days. Sometimes felt tight sometimes like someone was poking me. But by Tuesday afternoon if felt like the start of labor pains. It only went across the front of me and lasted about two hours. Every few minutes my insides would tense up and squeeze. Thinking to myself, ok this may be more than just a cold, what the heck is going on? Gall bladder disease runs in my mother's side of the family. I'm thinking that it may be my time to carry on the tradition. I vow to start changing my eating habits in hopes that will help. I have been eating like a lunatic. Practically bingeing on anything I lay my hands on. Not a smart way to train or to expect my body to feel good.

Wednesday was tough. I started out with tears stressing that yes indeed I may be in for some surgery. But could I hold it off? Could I get through this next month so I can do this race? I should call the doctor and have it checked out. But in my eyes what I don't know right now is better. If the pain subsides than I can keep going. Who knows maybe it was just a fluke thing. I promise my husband if the pain comes back like it did Tuesday I'll make the appt. Right now the area feels a little sore but nothing more than that. So I do my best Wednesday to change my state of mind. I still have the cold but it is quickly getting better. Only some sinus pressure and sneezing attacks. So I hop on the treadmill and battle out 8 miles. It was slow for me. 10 min miles and a heart rate about 10 beats to high but that's to be expected with the cold.

Thursday I feel the same. No more severe pain and the cold is getting a little better. Yahoo. My eating habits changed dramatically and it's already showing on the scale. On the schedule for the day 48.5 mile bike and a 2 mile run. Even with the 20 mph winds on the second half of my ride and the lovely bee sting I got at mile 10 I made it through. It was not easy. My legs are killing me today. I avg about 18 mph for the first 1:45 mins. Then it was a whopping 12 mph. due to the wind. My legs are paying for that wind today. I hate wind almost as much as I hate colds.

So here we are, Friday. I have already gotten my long ride and long run in for the week. I will go to spin, ouch, and swim today. I will have to run both Sat and Sun to make up for lost training time. I also have 2 swims that just didn't get done due to my cold. That doesn't sit well with me but I know it's not the end of the world. It's been a week since I've been in the pool. Today won't be pretty. It won't be smooth and my breathing probably won't be quite right. But at least I'll get wet and be able to check off at least 1 swim workout this week.

Here's to hoping that next week may go just a little smoother..........

Flashback

After watching the trees blowing around in the back yard I decided to ride indoors for 3 1/2 hours. Not something I like to do at all. Just as I had made that decision my husband text me about my ride. After going back and forth with him I decided to postpone my ride for tomorrow. He will be coming with me. Out to the country passing farm after farm. We will see cows, horses, cranes, ducks, geese and if we're lucky maybe a deer or scooter (aka ground hog). Question is will he be able to keep up with me? Can he hold a comfortable 17mph for an hour or two? I'll be dropping him off after the first loop while I tack on a second. I'll let you know how he does.

SO no riding for me today. Only thing left on the schedule for this week is a two hour run. So that was now my plan. I'm still running on the treadmill even when it's getting nicer outside because of my shin. It is slowly getting worse. It bothered me the entire run. I had so much tape on it pulling the muscles up and closer to the shin but even the slightest pull away with every step causes pain now. I wake up with it hurting and I walk with it hurting. Please oh please hang on shin. 5 more weeks to go. Been over a year with this injury. Rest doesn't work. New sneakers doesn't work, 3 months of no running doesn't work, PT doesn't work, ultrasound doesn't work. Nothing, I have chronic pain that will always be there, lucky me.

Well I kind of got off topic with what I wanted to talk about today..........let's get to it.

I was running on the treadmill thinking about my shin and a song came on. Cory Hart's I wear my sunglasses at night. We all know the song and probably can sing a good portion of it without the karaoke machine. Anyway that song always makes me think of a friend of mine in NY. I've known her since I was 15. I met her in middle school when once again I became the new kid. I was always the new kid. Just when I would feel like I wasn't it was time to move again. Hence my personality developed into a very quiet, shy loner type kid. Don't get me wrong, I had friends but I'm more the type to have a few very close friends and that's it. I'm still that way. But this friend is not. She is very social, very out going and very very dedicated. She took the chance to get to know the new kid and I so appreciate that about her. We were very close during those high school years. I would hound her every time I got in her parents car right after she got her license to play the Cory Hart song. I swear she must have been sick of that song. We played it all the time. I wonder if she remembers like I do?

So as the song played I thought about our relationship and my life growing up. I moved so much that I never really had friends that I kept in contact with. I was young and of course there was no such thing as cell phone, free long distance, computers and email. Snail mail really was the only option. By the time I met her though I knew we would always remain friends. She had a group of friends in HS that I really didn't hang with. And I had a few other friends that she didn't hang with. But it didn't seem to matter to her. Some of her friends thought I was odd, the new kid, too quiet, and looked weird. I did stand out. I came from a school in CT that was a year ahead in the learning process and fashion. That tail I had growing at the base of my hairline just wasn't impressing the NY gang. I was very tall and stood out like a sore thumb. But she didn't care.

That was almost 25 years ago. We graduated and went to college. I visited her, she visited me. We have been on vacations together.......cape cod.......Disney. She was in my wedding and I in hers. We don't really see each other much unless it's for a race. When I asked her to run the Chicago Marathon with me back in 2005 she thought I was kidding. Not because she couldn't do it but because she was shocked that I wanted too. Since that day she has ran 4 or 5 marathons now and I have done 4. We compare notes and applaud each other victories. I'm just waiting for her to finally convert over to triathlons. Swimming is not her thing. But I swear she would do great if she started training for it. She would be a great triathlete. She has the perfect mindset.

Thinking about old times put a smile on my face as I was running today. I have had a few very close friends in my lifetime. Some have come and gone. Some I moved from and lately it seems like they move away from me. But she's the one person that knows me when I was young. When I was the new kid. She's the one that made the effort to go the extra mile and not care what her friends thought. She is very important to me and I thank you, Marcie!

1,2,3,4,5.....laps

Today was a swim day. The question was, Do I swim outside or inside?

The weather for the past 48 hours has been horrible. The last 12 hours pouring not cats and dogs, but horses and cows.

The rain was so strong and along with it came rolling thunder and lighting. I was up pretty much the entire night. I thought for sure when I got up the basement would be under water and our leaky window would leave us a huge puddle on the floor. Luckily the basement has survived so far as long as the sump pump keeps pumping but that puddle, it was there. The carpet was soaked. Guess we need someone to come take a look at it. I'm afraid it's going to be one of those things that becomes a giant issue. Like the whole wall is soaked.

Anyway I could of put on my wetsuit and headed outdoors. Not into the river or lake but into the mini pond that formed at the playground. Or the pond that has appeared at the bottom of the "snow hill" that all the kids flock to in the winter. But I refrained and headed to the gym.

Pool has been very crowded the past 2 weeks. Not sure it that has to do with triathlon season starting or not. I'm thinking that some of the swimmers are athletes but many are not. Why now do they start swimming? I was lucky enough to grab the outside lane which isn't supposed to be shared as it's a tad bit smaller and against the wall. I did this because I had a whopping 4000yd swim today. It started with a 300m warm up followed by 1000m then 800m then 600m then 400m then 200m then 100m then a 100m cool down. All totaling 4000yds. To put this in perspective 4000yds is 2.3 miles. The half iron man is 1.2 miles. Why my training programs has you swim almost twice that more than once is beyond me. But I do what it says. Most of the time anyway. It's the easiest on the body of the three sports and it does increase your overall endurance while keeping your heart rate in check. Chances are you won't hurt yourself in the pool. Cramps in the calf's and toes, yes but not much else.

So I decided to swim the 1000m and not do the 1 minute recovery and go straight into the 800m which is a total of 72 laps of the pool. I wanted to get a feel on how long it will take me for the race. It took me about 42 mins. That was going at a very comfortable speed not really trying much at all. Now the race is about 1950m. So lets assume that if I was racing and had a wetsuit on I would still be able to do the 1950 in the same amount of time 42 mins. Certainly within the range that I would hope for. Anything under 40 mins would be fantastic. 40-45 I'll take it. Over 45 and I'm in for a long day.


So today I decided I'm ready for the swim. I can handle the distance and I'm comfortable in the water. I will get to race in open water just a week prior to the iron man which will be good. It will be under 1/2 the distance but still will get me even more prepared. If I can swim 140 laps in a pool I can swim 1950m in open water!

Mindset

I think it may be time to post my favorite quote all over the house. On the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator door, on the door that I use to walk into and out of the house. Maybe in my closet, next to my bed, in my purse and under my dinner plate.

I have been pushing myself for months. Little by little the miles have increased, the endurance has increased and low and behold my speed has increased. I am in no means a speed demon and will be lucky to place in the top 20 of my age group out of 30 but I have seen and felt the speed. This is all great but something is missing.

My metal game is not all there. I do the training but my mind is elsewhere. Sometimes I have family on the mind, sometimes it's the crazy May schedule I'm keeping with the kids and more times than not it's about how much food I eat and how I need to eat healthier and not eat an extra 2000 calories of junk every day. And yes I do mean everyday. Hence why I haven't lost much weight during all this training. I have a lot on my mind. Some good and some not so good. It's been a tough year and it's not even half way through. I thought last year was bad. This one isn't getting any better.

All athlete's know the secret. Let me share it with you if you don't already know it. Anyone can compete in races. Whether it's a 5K, 50K, sprint tri or a full Ironman. Anyone can cross the finish line, pending of course any health issues. If you are healthy you can do it. I didn't believe this years ago. A 5k, ok maybe anyone, but a marathon? No way. Forget about a Ironman. Can't be done. I was wrong. Very wrong. Any healthy individual can cross that finish line. All you need is the mental strength to do it. Your mind is the most powerful asset to your race. It will make or break you. If you believe you can do it and convince yourself you will do it. That finish line will come. I know that by the time I get to the 13 mile run portion of my race it will all be mental. My legs will be trashed, my body screaming to stop. My mind has to tell me to continue in order to finish. I have just over a month to get my mental strength in check. It's lacking right now big time. I need total focus and positive thinking. I need to start visualizing myself on the course. I have about 5 weeks left. 5 weeks to a perfect mindset.


"The mindset- not the miles- separates those who finish long distance events from those who only dream of finishing."

Made it!

My schedule for last week was insane...........

I spent last week swimming 5900 yds
I spent last week biking 136 miles
I spent last week running 20.5 miles

While this was important to get done I also had so much more to think about.

We had band practice. We had two band concerts. We had baseball practice and 2 baseball games. We had open house. We had a play. There was volunteering at open house. There was a need to be at school at 6:15am on a Sat for a day of band and 6 flags. There has also been a dog sleepover for the past 24 hours. Not a big deal but you have to adjust as our puppy and our elderly dog visitor don't see eye to eye. Literally and figuratively.

Along with all these activities we had company for 4 days. Whom came just at the right time to enjoy all the festivities. Nice dinners were made in the mist of the drop off's and pick up's.

There was allot going on last week. But we all made it through. And I got all my workouts in and was able to take today off. A Mother's Day gift to myself.

Tonight we are off again to my Dad's house for more celebrating of Mom's day and drum roll please...............

My sister is home from college! Yea! Just one though. I have to wait another 3 weeks for the other one whom is gallivanting over in Europe.

If I can make it through this week next week will be a breeze!

March

Monthly totals & Avgs:
Bike 416.50 Mi - 25h 55m
Run 95.06 Mi - 14h 58m 43s
Swim 27102.54 Yd - 11h 55m

April

Monthly totals & Avgs:
Bike 370 Mi - 22h 57m
Run 71.50 Mi - 11h 00m
Swim 26350.00 Yd - 13h 29m

When I see it all laid out like that it doesn't seem like that much. But I swear everyday it seems like I'm working out for hours. In reality I am working out a few hours a day. It just may only be 6 days a week not 7.

It's been a busy few days. Took a long 4 hour ride on Sunday out in the boonies. Took 1 wrong turn but that was all. What good does it do to use a website to map out your route? It does no good if your riding where I was. I wrote all the street names and turns down. There was about 15 of them. However this is not helpful if there are no street signs. Somebody somewhere has the sign Perkins Rd and Sunnyside Ln displayed nicely in their garage or better yet over the mantle. Why do people feel the need to steal street signs? Not not all were stolen, I'm sure. A few times there was just no sign or pole for the sign! Thank goodness for Dad's GPS. Total for that ride was 50 miles.

Monday I headed back to the gym for a swim and spin day. Today it was another 1:20 min ride followed by a 5 mile run. Last Sat was the first rest day I had in about 11 days. However I spent it landscaping, pulling weeds, shoveling mulch and mowing. I'll take that as cross training. So I am overdue for a rest day. I am hoping that either Sat or Sun will provide me with one. I am doing my best to get the workouts all in so that happens.

My in-laws are here for a few days, but my husband has taken off yesterday and today which provided me the opportunity to get my workouts done early. No waiting for the kids to go to school. He has taken care of that. So I have been done by 10:30, whereas normally I'm done by noon. It's amazing how much longer the day feels. Tomorrow he's headed back to work and I'll be back in charge of the house. Once the kids are off to school I'll hit the treadmill once again. Then I'll give my father in law some work to do out on the deck. He can help me scrub down the patio furniture and clean up our 3 season room. I hope to get a chance to use it soon!

It's official, I already have the triathlete tan for the year. It's inevitable. But that 4 hour ride I mentioned before was at 8 until 12. There wasn't sun the entire ride. But that night I had the dumbest sunburn I have ever had. Actually I still have the burn! My arms bright red up to my shoulders as I had sleeves on my bike shirt. Not horrible until you notice my hands. I had bike gloves on so my hands are white. And a nice spot of white on my left wrist where my HR monitor watch fits. With that I have two nice red lines going across the middle of each thigh. Just low enough that most workout shorts I wear with display this lovely line for the rest of the summer. I look ridiculous in a bathing suit. Almost so much so I didn't go swimming on Monday morning. But I did and I am wearing my sunburn as a badge of honor. 50 miles is a long way.