Wake Up Call

Swimming:

Holy hell, swimming is no joke. I managed to swim 10 laps in 13 minutes which is way over what I'll have to swim in the real thing. However, I had to keep stopping to catch my breath. I also find I'm a stronger backstroker than freestyler. I'm going to have to practice my freestyle since I need to see where I'm going in open water. My next swim session is tomorrow morning and hopefully they haven't changed the pool schedule on me. The old folks swim from 6-7, so I'm shooting to be in the pool by 530 and done by 6. My time goal is 16 minutes and my personal goal is to swim as many laps unbroken as I can.

Biking:

The weather was much better today, so I took Gunter out for a spin. This is super embarrassing because I couldn't even get on without using the curb. I think the seat is set for more of a racing height than a regular height. I'm going to try lowering the seat and see what happens. I'm also going to find a parking lot to practice in away from traffic. Between watching for cars, having trouble getting on, and feeling painfully self-conscious about my lack of skills, I only managed to get about 20 feet in 20 minutes. I'm hoping the bulk of my problems will be solved simply by lowering the seat. And gaining a little more confidence.

Running:

My right IT band is bothering me. For those unfamiliar, it's a ligament that runs down the outside of your leg that runs from your hip to the outside of your knee. I managed to get my run in this afternoon, but I had to walk because it was bothering me. It's not pain, but tightness. The good news is it's relatively easy to manage, but it can be a sign of an overuse injury. I need to get a foam roller and just make sure that I'm massaging it regularly to keep it loose. Runners and tri folks swear by it so I trust them.

It's going to be a long, hard road to get there. I don't know why I thought it would be easy. All this stuff is straight up no joke. I think I'll feel a ton better when I get a hang of the biking again and can ride without feeling like I'm going to crash. Obviously if I learned it before, I can get it back. I just need to be patient with myself. I've got plenty of time to refresh myself and there's plenty to focus on with my running and swimming as well.

My fundraising has stagnated. I've sent out emails to family, friends, and businesses and still only have $25 to show for it. I'm sure once I confirm with Jill and start spreading the word about Palate, things will pick up. I need to check with the branch manager about my breakfast fundraiser idea as well. I'm gonna keep harping on this because it's the truth. It's not the big donations that make the difference, it's the little ones. Even if you can only afford $10, that's $10 that goes toward a cause that saves lives. It's also $10 less the IRS counts on your taxes. :D