T.G.I.F

Thank God I'm Finished. What did you think I meant?

It's been a very busy workout week after my duathalon. Four days straight of hard workouts. Well maybe yesterday's wasn't too bad. I figured in 4 days I got rid of almost 7500 calories. Too bad the scale won't show it! Tomorrow is a rest day. I'm looking forward to it. Instead I will spend the time cleaning my bike. The ride on Wednesday coated it with mud and leaves, probably a few leftover lady bugs too. It will take as long to clean it as it would to run 6-7 miles.

Today I had a first. I tried to switch things up a bit. Always good for anyone to do that when they workout. Constantly changing your routine is the best way to get stronger and faster. Anyway I ran twice today and it's only noon! I ran 4 miles this morning around 6:45am and then I ran another 4 miles at around 10:15. However, in between those runs I went to spin class to get my butt kicked. Luckily it was an endurance day. Yeah! I am learning that I need to bring food to the gym or eat some GU or sport beans between sports. My last mile today was very tough. I started to get a bit light headed and my body was struggling. Note to self. EAT! Two pieces of peanut butter toast in the morning is just not cuttin it anymore.

I plan on going out tonight for dinner and enjoying some family time. Lately I feel like my husband and I haven't had much time together. We are both busy doing our own things. We were trying to fix that awhile back and it lasted a bit but I see us falling back into a routine that I so want to get out of. The key is to keep switching it up. Constantly changing your routine is the best way to help your relationship get stronger. Funny how that works.........

Happy Friday!

More room in the pool!

It's that time of year again.......

The people who went to the gym all year to loose weight or to get in shape seem to be dropping off like flies. Happens every year. Once mid October hits people stop going to the gym. I have to confess I was one of those people. I would work hard most of the year to gear up for my fall marathon and then I would take a couple of weeks off to regroup and recover. Well those weeks turned into a month and before ya know it I had Thanksgiving, birthday's and Christmas to worry about. Who has time to go to the gym? We work so hard to get into shape and then we blow it the last 3 months of the year. I vow not to let that happen this year. I can't let it happen. I don't have time to slack off. I have to be in good condition to tackle a training schedule come Jan.

It's an ugly rainy day today. One of those days you just want to hide under the covers. Actually, I did do that this morning. I didn't get up until 7. My husband got my oldest off to school and I was lazy and just didn't get up to run. But I did get myself to the gym. Keeping in mind that it's a crappy day I figured that the gym wouldn't be as busy as usual and I was right. The pool was like glass as I got in. So quiet there today. I did 400m drills. One fast, 8:35. One with water gloves, 9:05. One slow, 9:40 and a couple of 100m kick board drills. Probably a total of 45-50 mins in the pool. There was an interesting man in the far lane of the lap pool. As I was taking a break I watched him and just giggled. He was an older man. Probably in his late 60's. He brought his flippers to wear. Which is not all that uncommon. I have a pair myself. However, he also brought along a snorkel. He went up and down the pool head down, snorkel up and just kicked. I'm not sure what he was looking for? He wasn't doing any strokes. Just kicking, like you would on vacation when your admiring the coral and salt water fish. I started swimming again thinking I wonder what he's looking for?? He reminded me of those old men that have their medal detectors on the beach as they go back and forth in search of the next golden treasure. He just looked ridiculous snorkeling in a lap pool. I hope he wasn't watching me!

After swimming I did an hour on the elliptical. I feel like I didn't do enough today. But I did run 5 miles, swim 2400m, elliptical for an hour on Tuesday and Wednesday I biked to Wisconsin for a total of 38 miles. I deserve an easier day, right?

Duathlete

Marathon...check. Triathlon...check. Duathalon...check.

It's official I am now a Marathoner, a Triathlete and a Duathlete. "Go Me"

Today was a great day for so many reasons. And really little of it has to do with me. But I'll give my race report anyway.

I was up at 5:45. First instinct is to check my knee, shin and my IT band which has been rather tight the last few days. Knee good to go, yes! Leg, not too bad, I haven't run on it since Monday. IT band slightly tight, did a few stretches before I did anything else. My father showed up an hour later and we were off to the race a little before 7. I was nervous, especially about the running. Dave was quiet. Asked him if he was nervous he said no. If I were him I would of been nervous! This was a first for him with no training on the bike and to add to the enjoyment a bike that is basically a 13 yr old piece of crap. Easy breezy check in and then we racked the bikes. There was supposed to be chip timing but that was not the case. About the only flaw the race directors made. We were set to go by 7:30. This is my most hated part of racing. The wait. You get cold. It was 34 degrees. You get more nervous. You start wondering if you're ready to race. I started sizing up the competition and quickly drew to a conclusion that I was not bring home a medal today. There were some serious cyclists there. There was also a lot of people my age. Much more than a typical race. This group was a well established bunch of runners and bikers. Ones that have been doing this for years.

The gun went off at 8 and let me give you the unedited version of the beginning. I started running and quickly realized that pavement hurts my leg. I couple of winces and an ouch or two later I completely forgot my leg hurt. Instead I was thinking "holy crap!" These people are fast. Everyone and I mean everyone took off. It was like a 100 meter dash! I have never been in a race where so many took off at one time. Usually you have about 25% fast 50% middle of the packers and 25% back of the packers. Not this time. I'd say about 80% were fast! So what's a girl to do? My thoughts, you've got to be friggin' kidding me? Really this fast? Don't they know we have to bike and run again? There's no way if I don't keep up that I have a chance as passing anyone on the bike. So I did the best to keep up. I ran way faster than I had intended. First mile was 7:56 and second was 8:10. This was not nearly fast enough.

Bike transition went well and I was quickly onto the roads. More than 1/2 this course I am familiar with. But yet it certainly doesn't feel that way when you are racing. Because there were so many good cyclists in this race I wasn't able to pass many people. I also felt like I was pushing hard but yet not hitting the 18 mph mark. I have realized today that this winter I will need to put in a lot of spin class hours and a lot of trainer hours to get faster. In order to be in contention for a age group medal I'm going to have to average 19-20 mph. I'm ready to tackle that mission. I had my garmin tracking the whole race and I avg about 3:35 min miles on the 12.4 mile course. I would love to get that down to about 3:15 min miles within the next year.

Transition from bike to run went well. Fumbled a bit with changing my helmet to my hat but not much time was lost. As I was exiting the transition area one of the race directors told me I was the 15th female to come in. What really?? I want to reply, "out of 16, right?" Well didn't he give me something to think about. As I shuffled my way through the first 1/2 mile with my biking legs still on duty I wondered how many age groups are there? If there are 3 top females in each age group maybe just maybe I'll get a medal. If like 1/2 the females ahead of me were all in the same age group which wasn't mine I definitely would get one. I quickly tried to get the math facts out of my head because I was really struggling. No one knows how difficult it is to bike then hop off and run until you do it. Finally after the first 1/2 mile my biking legs went on break and they were replaced with the slower version of the running legs I had about an hour ago. I averaged about 9 min miles for the end of the race. I totally forgot that my leg even was injured. That is progress. I finished the race in 1:22:26. With total miles of 16.4.

We stayed for the medal ceremony but to no avail. Maybe next year. I was rather disappointed. The race director got my hopes up. But really I think I did well today. But my husband is the one who deserves a medal.

Now maybe he didn't really go about this race the right way. Two spin classes doesn't constitute training for a duathalon. But that's what he had under his belt. Better than nothing, right? Smoked the run coming in only about a minute behind me. But what's most impressive is that he avg around a 5:15 min mile on that old crappy mountain bike. It's amazing how much the bike makes the difference in a race. He did the best he could with what he had. Worth a medal in my book. I was glad that he got to experience the bike to run transition. He now knows what it feels like to have biking legs when you are running. And again it didn't stop him. He came in only about 12 mins after I did. Amazing.

My father also did the race today and did great. There are not a lot of men that are 59 yrs old that can do what he does. After breaking his ankle in April he is finally on the road to recovery. Very impressive performance. There is 20 yrs between us and I have to say if he was my age he would beat my butt every time! I have no official times yet, but I believe that he was only 7 minutes behind me. Soon I'm going to have to start watching my back. He may pass me on the bike someday!

Thanks go out to the family for braving the cold and cheering us on and taking 1 million pictures. It's always nice to have them with us. Always nice to feel the support. Always important to share our victories with the ones we love. Thank You.

In Need of a Decision Maker

After racing for the past 5 years you would think that I would have a master plan. You would think that the day before the race I would know exactly what I need for that day. You would be thinking wrong.

Tomorrow I have my first duathalon. Should be easier than a triathlon. It's only a 2 mile run followed by a 12.4 mile bike followed by another 2 mile run. But really no race is ever easy. If your racing, it will be hard. I don't care what distance you're doing. Racing means giving it 100% of your effort. But along with giving 100%, part of the equation is picking the right clothing, nutrition, fluids so on and so on.

I have spent the past 24 hrs contemplating what to wear. Do I wear tri shorts? No, it's too cold. Do I wear tights? Not sure, as they have no bike pad. Can I wear my tri shorts under the tights? Probably not. But maybe. Do I wear the white shirt or the black one? Maybe I should wear both. Jacket is a must, but do I wear it on the run too? What about gloves? I have running gloves and biking gloves. Maybe I can wear the thin running gloves under the biking gloves. But do I wear them both the whole time or do I put on the biking gloves as I'm in transition? On to the electronics. Unfortunately they say no headphones. It's only a 4 mile run so I think I can handle that. But what about the heart rate monitor? Do I wear that or the garmin for distance? Heart rate monitor would be great for the biking. However, I like to know my pace with the garmin on the run. Solution would be buy the new triathlon garmin that has both. Not going to happen today. So which do I choose? Nutrition. Do I bring GU or beans? Do I take a Gu at the start? On the bike? Both? Can't eat the beans while running but can while biking. Gu however is easier to handle. Decisions. decisions.

It doesn't stop there. I have to make an effort to pay attention to what I eat and drink today. I need to pay attention to my knee that has been bothering me for two days now. I slept wrong on it Thursday night and now am paying the price. Of course my leg. I have to pay attention to not turning it funny or aggravating it today. On to tomorrow, what time do we leave? Where do we go? Where do we park? Where exactly is the starting line?? Will there be enough people directing us on the course? There are a lot of turns, it better be well marked. The Legacy Arts in Crystal Lake is hosting this race, it's a first for them. Do they know how to pull it off? Do they know what they are doing?

Funny part is that I can think of so many more decisions that will be made in the next day that I haven't even touched upon. There are so many variables to racing that you just have to try and make the best decision for that day and hope the rest will fall into place. That doesn't always happen but when it does it's a great feeling. I usually know how the race will go within the first 5-10 mins. As my body gets into a rhythm and I diagnose how I feel, I start to make a plan. I start to strategize. I start making very quick decisions. I become someone who knows exactly what to do. I have a master plan. That plan tomorrow is to bring home a medal.

Lucky in Love

My husband is getting a taste of what it is like to be a triathlete.  He went to spin class for the second time this past Friday.  He was a little smarter this time he tells me.  I understand that as the male way of saying that he wasn't as cocky this time around.  Instead of going full force right way he eased himself into the class, got comfortable and finished strong.  Isn't that what we all would like to do?  Ease into the goal or workout or  training program,  get acclimated and then end strong as the finish line approaches?  Sometimes I forget what the finish line is.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the day to day workouts that I forget to ease into the goal.  I forget to get comfortable.   I forget that I'm working towards what most people don't even dream of.  Maybe because they are smarter than I am!  Maybe because they haven't realized their real potenial.  A 1/2 Iron Man  is nothing to sneeze at.  It takes courage, smarts, patience, pain, endurance and mental toughness.  I should expect it to be hard, a challenge, on the verge to being impossible.

The day after my husband took spin class he went for a run.  He ran 3 miles with an average pace of 8:40.  See the problem with this is, he decided to tell me this as I was just starting my run on the treadmill.  My loving husband runs on avg maybe once a week and more towards once evey ten days.  How is it possible that he can run an 8:40 pace as I struggle to maintain a 9:40 pace?  My father is quick to respond, defending the both of us I think, that my husband is well rested and he goes out and gives his all once and has 7-10 days recovery.  So I try and take that into account.  But still it hurts.  I think it's great for him.  I know he reads this blog so, "Way to go honey!!"  But really I struggle.  As I started my run after he was proud to tell me about how fast he ran, tears started to fall.  I started to question myself once again.  Why after all these years and all these miles can he still run faster??  Doesn't seem fair.  But to quote my mother "Life isn't fair."  Mom your right it's not so get over it.  That I did.  I decided to run 7 miles at a 9:40 pace with pain in my leg and I was happy at the end.  I may never be fast but I am an endurance athlete.   I will cross that finish line strong, just as my husband taught me. 

Healing the Leg and Soul

This morning was a quiet morning. My husband left for work very very early and I had no need to get up since the kids are off for the next 5 days. Didn't they just go back to school? Quiet and peaceful it was until I decided that I had to get up as I just couldn't sleep. That was around 7:30. I realized quickly that my leg didn't seem to hurt as much today. That is a milestone. Now take into account that I took Wednesday off from working out but did clean the entire house. However, I have taken days off before where I wasn't pounding on it and it still always hurts. Today it was just a very dull sore. Progress. I could see the joy in my PT's eyes when she asked as she always does, "How's the leg?" Typically my answer, "The same." Not today. Drum Roll Please...."It's Better." I felt hope for the first time in months that maybe things are healing. Maybe I'll get past this. Then after 45 mins of PT it hurt again! But not really that bad. You expect it to hurt after PT. Messing with the injured area for that whole time should cause some pain. But I didn't limp out or wince when I walked down the flight of stairs out to the parking lot. Progress at it's best.

So I took yesterday and today off from the gym after working myself hard for 5 days in a row. Tuesday was tiring. I ran 3 miles, swam 2200m, elliptical for 30 mins then did a circuit core class for an hour. Tomorrow I look forward to scamming my husband into going back to spin class again with me. Anything to make the class more enjoyable for myself. Plus I also convinced him to register for a race with me in two weeks. 2 mile run, 12.4 mile bike, 2 mile run. Should be fun.

We have a holiday weekend upon us. One that typically brings me stress, anxiousness, pain, joy and then pain again in that order. It's Chicago Marathon weekend. Sunday is the marathon. I have done this marathon in 05,07,08. In 06 I chose a different location. This will be the first year in 5 years that I'm not running a marathon. Have to say I'm sad about it. But I know that it was the right choice, seeing that my leg wouldn't make it and I have other goals now. Still Sunday morning will be difficult as I watch the footage on TV. Before I ran my first marathon, I used to watch them on TV, with tears in my eyes, thinking someday I will do that. Sunday I will be sitting there, with tears in my eyes, thinking someday I will be back.

Trying it Backwards

Back at it and back on track. I spent the weekend, working out, shopping, eating, drinking, working out, sleeping, working out....

Yesterday was a fun day, except for almost crashing into a ditch. I rode 40 miles on a day that was windy and a bit chilly. Had to break out the new cold weather tights. I was glad I had them. Much of the time there was no sun and it did get a bit brisk. My Dad and I headed out around 11:45 and went north on the prairie trail. The trail was wet in places and leaves had fallen. At about 5 Miles into the ride I somehow managed to save myself from what would of been a brutal crash. I was headed downhill with a right turn at the bottom. I was riding the brake but just at the bottom my tires caught wet leaves and out went the tires from under me. I was able to pull myself up straight and stayed on the bike. At this point though I should of been turning right but I was pulling the bike to the left to keep upright. I missed the turn and headed towards the bushes. Luckily I stopped right at the tree line. I realized after I came to a complete stop that I would of fallen into a ditch if I had gone another 6 inches. Close one.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Although I did see a snake, baby turtle and the strangest bug beattle thing I have ever seen. I thought I was only going to go 20 miles at an easy pace. My father agreed to the easy pace but not the mileage. So 30 it was going to be. Then of course at 15 miles it was, why not go an extra 5 and make it an even 40 round trip? Ha, my father should of listened to me. I had a snack at mile 20 and I was ready to go. At 30 I felt great. My father was tiring. He was ready to be done. I give credit to my Luna Bar. What a difference it made. If only he had listened to me we would of been already home. Next time I'll bring him a Luna Bar.

Today I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and was surprised that my legs didn't feel too bad after that ride. I then got to spin class and started pedaling. Yup, I feel the tired legs now. It's amazing how you use different muscles to ride and run with. I also noticed that my shoulders hurt. Especially my left one. I have decided that it was due to my almost crash. I think I tensed up so bad and pulled the bike up so hard that I irritated them. After spin I headed to the pool for a few 400's. Plan was 1 fast, 1 comfortable and one 1/2 and 1/2. I'd say I got that down. I was at 8:55 for the first 400 then 9:30 for the second then 9:15 for the third. I accomplished my own sprint tri today, completely backwards.

I headed to PT this afternoon. She spent extra time with the ultrasound and massage today. I was very tight on both sides of my shin. Can't seem to get everything to relax in there yet. Looks like many more nights of ice threapy. The kids get a kick out of how cold my leg gets when I'm done and how long it stays cold. I certainly don't get the kick out of it when it starts to thaw and throb! But you do what you have to do to get it healed.

Tomorrow another day at the gym!

Use Somebody

I'm slacking with the blog postings. I need to do better. I feel that if there is nothing really worth blogging about then why bother? But there is a reason to this blog. I need to post about those non eventful days. I need to explain how training is going even when it doesn't seem important. I need to be able to go back to all of these posting and realize that not everyday can be awe inspiring.

Another week has come and gone. Another week of virtually no sleep. Which means little to no workouts. Combine that with physical therapy which I have decided that the theme to my injury is, "It's going to get worse before it gets better" and I reached a limit that I don't like to get to. The one where I eat everything, get mean, tired, hurt and wonder why? Is it worth it? I'll make myself reread my post "Is it worth it?" after I'm done writing this one!

This all brings me to today. I ran this morning a whopping 3 miles. Yes it hurt and it will continue to hurt for many weeks to come. My PT has been working on getting my two ankle bones to move more freely. Opposite of each other. SO now not only does my shin hurt so does my ankle! Anyway I ran this morning and fought with myself on whether to go to spin class. This was an hour long mental battle. Down to getting the clothes out to putting them away to getting them back out again. Because I hadn't been working out much and hadn't been to the gym in a week it's always a hurdle for me to get myself to go back. Nothing short of a miracle I went. I was glad I did as my father was there too. Yesterday he showed up at my house ready to scold me for not going to the gym, however he was surprised to see my son home from school with a giant golf ball bump on his forehead. A whole other story. Had I not shown up today I would of been grounded!

Today's class anaerobic drills. Not really what I felt like doing. A nice easy ride without raising my heart rate above 140 would of been more pleasurable. However that class doesn't even exist. Class started at 9 and by 9:30 I was glad I was there. I felt better. I was pushing very hard. Hills, sprints, recovery repeat. That would make for a good shirt. Anyway, I realized when the song "Use Somebody" came on that I needed to use this class. These people, the instuctor, my father and my friend. It was great to be there. I felt strong. I remembered my goal. I remembered why I do this to my body, I remebered that even though I haven't worked as hard as I could have this week I can still kick most peoples butt when challenged. I remebered that I am an athlete. A week of no sleep can't take that away from me.

Thankfully I am back to my normal sleeping habits. Of course that's not even close to normal for most but it's all I get and I'll take it. I can function. I can get stuff done. I can hit the gym. I can hit the trails this weekend. I can enjoy the weekend with my family. I can work hard and I can play hard!