My Legs Have Not Been Happy With Me

There are good days in Ironman training and then there are not so good days.  I'm not sure I like saying that I had few bad days last week because I am still so thrilled to be able to do this.  Any day that I can get up and take another step toward my goal should be considered a good day. 

Last week I hit a rough patch.  As the week went on my legs were screaming obscenities at me.  Thursday morning I showed for a track workout at 5:30.  My body was just plain tired.  It wasn't a sleepy tired, just a "I've been pushed too far and I'm not going any further" tired.  I figured my legs were just pissed because I was making them run again.  I left track early and headed out for a two hour bike ride.  My legs are generally very cooperative on the bike so I figured it wouldn't be a problem.  WRONG!  After one 9 mile loop around Whiterock Lake I was ready to pack up my bike and go home, but I went a head and began a second loop.  I'm sure the two people I scolded for not following trail etiquette wished I had made a different decision.  I was on the verge of tears by the end of that loop and didn't even contemplate the final loop to complete my workout.  I was done. 

I hosted a pity party for myself for the remainder of the day.  It began with hitting up Chic-fil-a for my second breakfast that morning.  Those little chicken minis are darn good.  Once home, my sofa and I spent some quality time together.  I worried how I was going to manage Ironman training and work in just a few short weeks.  The feeling of defeat ate away at me all day. 

By the end of the night I knew my attitude needed major adjusting.   I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself because I'm actually getting to do something I've been dreaming about doing for almost two years.  I'm not the first person to juggle a full time job and Ironman training.  Many people I know have a lot more on their plates than I do, and they still manage to get it done.  I also get a nice 10 week vacation from work in the middle of all my training! I shut the pity party down decided to move forward.

My remaining workouts for the week did go better, but the legs continued to curse me.  Yesterday my bike workout required me to go out with the fast group and try to hang on as long as possible.  I did stay with them for almost 6 miles before getting dropped.  As it turned out, one of the guys was actually trying drop the fast group so the pace got a little out of control.  Despite being way out of my league on the ride, I did have a lot of fun.  Maybe next time I can make it a little longer. Thankfully this week is a recover week with just under 9 hours of training.  I don't have any workouts today, and I'm fine with that, but in the next couple of days I know I'll be going crazy. As much as I'll want to do more, I know my body needs this rest, so I'll resist the temptation.

"It's hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is again the little voice inside of you that wants to quit." ~~ Dr. George Sheehan

Who Says Disco Is Dead

Today I raced Disco at Johnson Branch State Park for the second time.  Last year this race was my first olympic distance ever.  To be perfectly honest, I spent much of the week regretting my decision to do this race.  I figured it would be better for me to spend the weekend getting some serious mileage on the bike, but since I paid the money I figured I had to race.

One the way to race I had a little come to Jesus meeting with myself.  Whether I like it or not I was doing this race so I might as well enjoy the experience.  Once I got my transition area set up I made my way to swim start and found several NTM members setting up the tent.  Seeing my people helped get me more excited.

The swim was pretty choppy but I wasn't bothered by it.  I've swam in choppy water before so I just went with it.  Last year I freaked out during the swim...and the water was smooth.  Despite the choppy water and the several gulps I swallowed, I thought the swim went well.

 

I made my way to bike and ended up with the fastest T1 time in my age group! (It's the small victories:))  I hopped on my bike and immediately had two regrets: 1. I used regular bottles instead of my aero bottle so it was harder to drink. 2. I forgot to tape the number to my bike so it was sliding around my top tube and rubbing my leg.  I had a pack of peanut butter Gu taped to my tube, so after I ate it I was able to use the tape for my bike number.  As the race continued I was pleased with my pace and feeling pretty good.  Around mile 15 or 16 I ended up dropping my chain.  I quickly jumped off my bike and fixed it. Normally I wear black shorts for training, so when I get chain grease on my hands I can just wipe them on my shorts.  My race shorts are red and white so that wasn't an option.  The only black I had on was my sports bra. Soooo, I unzipped my top a little and wiped my hands.  I'm sure it quite a sight! I finished my the bike portion of the race in 1 hour and 16 minutes.  

 

 

My legs were still feeling good when I started the run, but I think I went out just a little too hard.  As the miles ticked away my pace slowed a little bit.  Because this race has a disco theme, there were people with big wigs and crazy outfits.  It was pretty entertaining, but I don't know how they race with those mops on their head.

I finished the race in 2:51 and came in second in my age group.  I was pretty pleased with my race and excited to place.  While I did miss out on getting some good training miles in, I think today's race is just what I needed.  With all the Ironman training, its easy to forget what I love most about this sport...racing!  Today was great measuring stick to see how far I've grown as an athlete over the past year. 

I have to give a big shout out to my coach.  With his help I was able to shave 17 minutes off last year's race.  I also have to give a big shout out to all the NTM volunteers today.  Those guys always make race day special and fun.  

"I'd rather look back at my life and say 'I can't believe I did that' instead of saying 'I wish I had done that.'" ~~ stolen from my Uncle John's Facebook page:)

Stacy and I both took home a little hardware!

Music To My Ears

Several months ago, unpon the advice of other triathletes,  I bought a Finis SwimP3 to use during my long swim sessions.  I'm so glad I listened.  Shortly after signing up for IMAZ I found a great deal on one at Trishop's Black Friday sale. 

I haven't been doing a ton of swimming by myself, so I haven't had many chances to use it...until  now!  After my hour swim practice on Wednesday and Friday mornings, I stay a little longer to get some addition distance in.  I wasn't sure how I would like this arrangement, but it's working out pretty well.  For an hour I get to swim with other people during a coached workout, which is what I like.  When everyone else is getting out of the pool I grab my music and get in some extra swim time.  Having music makes up for having to swim alone.  At first I was afraid that the music would be a distraction, and I wouldn't be able to keep track of my laps.  This hasn't been the case.  The only downside of swimming with music is that it's pretty hard to sing along.  It throws off my breathing and I end up with a lot of water going up my nose. 

Another handy device I purchased for my long swims is a lap counter.  It's a little ring that fits around my finger that helps me keep track of time and distance.  I'm sure at some point I'll need it, but for now I'm able to swim without it.  I don't like it as much as I thought I would. It actually makes my hand cramp up due to the funny positioning trying to keep it from falling off. Besides, I sometimes forget to hit the little button after a lap, or I don't press hard enough for it to register.  It probably wasn't the best $30 I've spent.

2.4 miles sure is a long way to swim.  It's 3860 meters or just over 154 lengths of a 25 meter pool.  My longest swim to date is about 200 meters shy of this distance.  On race day I will get to swim this crazy distance with over 2500 other insane people.  I don't even want to think about how much pee will be in the water just before the start of the race!!

I want to take a moment to give a big shout out to fellow triathlete, Heidi Lueb, who just signed up for her first Ironman!  Go Heidi!!

"Somewhere behind the athelte you've become, the hours of practice, the coaches who pushed you, the fans who cheered for you, is the little girl who feel in love with the sport and never looked back.  Play for her." ~~ Unknown

Just a Lot of Training...And I Like It

The big race is 4 1/2 months away and my Ironman training is really moving along.  This week I completed almost 16 1/2 hour of training....that's a lot of swimming, biking, and running.  Most days I get up early and train, go home and take a nap, and then I train some more.  My whole day seems to revolve around my training schedule.  It's like being a professional triathlete without the sponsorships and free stuff.  Going back to work in August is really going to throw a wrench into my training schedule. 

The last two Saturdays have consisted of 5 hour bike rides.  On Friday my legs were pretty tired and a little sore, but they really came through for me over the weekend.  Due to the heat I'm having to start my long rides as soon as the sun comes up...that means wheels down at 6:15.  Most people don't want (or need) to start that early, so I start off by myself and meet up with others later.  I love riding early in the morning.  Everything is quiet.  It's a nice way to start a long morning in the saddle.

This weekend I tried out a new route just to shake things up a bit.  I had some friends join me for part of the ride, but they aren't on the 140.6 training plan so they cut out early.  I got into a zone and ended up missing a turn.  Luckily I figured it out before I got off course too much and was able to get myself back on track.  At one point I ran into my coach.  He rode with me for a while and kept me company.  It was nice to get to ride with him and talk about my training. He eventually split off from me and I finished up my last hour of riding alone. I rewarded myself with a Cookies-n-Cream Muscle Milk and a couple of breakfast brisket tacos...can you say YUMMY!

This morning I wrapped up my training week with an open water swim, a 75 minute bike ride, and a 15 minute run. I do feel pretty good after this week of training, but I have to admit that I am a little tired.  This next week is a recovery week so I won't have as much training. My body gets to rest and recover so I can begin the insanity all over again.

Last summer my mind and body was trying  to adjust to this new training regimen.  I couldn't stop eating, and something on my body always seemed to hurt.  I'm happy to report that my appetite seems to have settled to a level that no longer embarrasses me. I've shed the extra weight that I gained training for the half Ironman, and I'm feeling great.

This journey isn't easy, but I love it.  I can feel myself getting stronger by the week.  While this is a good thing, I don't always feel...well...very girly.  The other day I was doing my strength training at the gym.  I wasn't wearing any makeup and my arm muscles were looking particularly muscular that day.  As a single woman, that really wasn't the look I was going for. I'm going to make a conscious effort to put on a little makeup before going to the gym.  I'm even thinking of brining my own weights that are sparkly and have pretty ribbons tied to them.  I am still a girl, and I want to make sure that my femenine side doesn't get lost in Ironman! I also need to look into pink chain grease.  Somehow I think it will look less dirty when it gets all over my legs. 

"What am I on...I'm on my bike 6 hours  day busting my ass." Lance Armstrong