Hurdle

I was anxious last night. Knowing what I know, today will be hard. Today will be a huge mental hurdle. Today I will fight to keep focused. Today I will cross that first line. The starting line.

I tried to start working out again last Monday and Tuesday and by Tuesday night my knee was in some serious pain. Not sure what I did or what happened. But I'm happy to report that it only is a tiny bit sore now. Problem is I'm not sure it's going to stay that way.

After spending an hour or so determining what I plan to tackle as far as training goes this year I have made my decision. I have a month to amp up the running to about 6 miles, get my bike legs back without soreness, and be able to swim 2000m without an issue. This is something I was able to do 5 weeks ago so it shouldn't take too terribly long to get it all back. Official HIM training starts Feb 1st.

So today I'm back at the gym. Taking spin class then heading to the pool to make sure I can still float. Tomorrow more swimming and a short run. We'll see then how the leg and knee hold up. I have a feeling that ice and I are going to be the best of friends for the next 6 months.

The gym is really the last place I want to be today. It will be the busiest day of the year for them. All those out of shape people showing up to do to much too soon. Many will be in spin class ready to take on the New Year with fitness. Spin class is not the place to start. How about a nice walk on the treadmill? These people will last a week or two get so sore then stop. The others that are more careful will last a few more weeks then quit due to boredom, no results or no time. By then we are talking mid Feb into March. Until then it will be a fight for a bike, a lane in the pool and a treadmill to run on. Get out of my way people. Don't you know I'm training for 4 races??

UPDATE: It's now about 4 hours later and the job is done. The minute my little one was off to school I hit the gym. Got to spin class early with 15 mins to spare. Hopped on and rode easy for about 20 mins. Knees were a little stiff but not painful. The instructor announced that it would be AT intervals today. Really? Today? Great. By 9:30 I was hurting. But then I got the runners high, or maybe in this case the bikers high. It rarely happens to me. I felt much better, like a weight had been lifted. I was glad I was there. Was good to be back. The rest of the class was hard don't get me wrong, with heart rates hovering between 150-163 but I felt strong. It was then onto the pool. I had to wait a few minutes for a lane and actually shared with someone else in order not to wait longer. I have to admit I've gotten slower. About 45 seconds slower per 400m then 6 weeks ago. But that should all come back to me by the end of the month. I was a bit clumsy, not cutting through the water as much as I would like but that too will come back to me. I ended up swimming 3 400m intervals. Nothing fancy, nothing extreme. Home now and icing the leg hoping it won't yell at me later today. New shoes came in the mail. Tried them on. They are either very very stiff or frozen. It'll let them warm up today and give them a try in the morning. I'm ready.......I'm back

Mind over Body

So here it is January 1st. I have been waiting for this day for over a month now. Not that I was rushing the holidays, but so much goes on in such a short amount of time that I look forward to the New Year and what it brings. Hopefully this year it will bring me happiness and a bit more peace. Last year was very tough not only for me but many of my family members. So many things happened that changed the course of my year, my plans and my hopes. But that is in the past now and it's time to look ahead to the future and what that entails for me personally.

Goal #1 1/2 Iron man in June
Goal #2 Recover from the shin splints
Goal #3 Stop getting injured in the first place
Goal #4 Try and relax, not everything has to be perfect all the time
Goal #5 Stay consistent in training
Goal #6 Reconnect


I could list more but I'd say that's the top 5. The hardest thing to accomplish I feel is staying injury free. Something always seems to happen. It may not stop me from training but it can slow me down, make it painful to train and not much of a motivator. I'm already struggling with the shin splints and I have hip issues and the other day I hurt my knee. So no workouts until Monday, per my PT, if the knee is better. If not then back to the doctor again and I didn't even get to start training. Hopefully, I'll heal enough to push on and get smarter about strenghtening my legs.

My motto for the 2010 year is Never Never Never give up. Have my poster and necklace already with the motto and my Ipod is loaded with some of my new favorite music. My bike has some new gear and my new running shoes are being shipped as I type this. The pool is waiting my return on Monday. I am ready, I want this bad, I want to get to that starting line in June. I will do whatever I need to get there. This year is about taking care of me, not everyone else. My mind is ready, but is my body ready? It has to be.