First Day Back, Ouch.

The bike ride didn't happen yesterday. I got home and was distracted by the Masters. Ah well. I'm trying not to beat myself up over it. Today is a new day.

Camp started back this morning and I'm feeling it. We had to do 4 rounds for time of the following:

Run 200y
30 squats
25 sit ups
30 push ups
10 burpees

By about midway through the third round, I was really feeling it. I guess that's what I get for doing nothing for the past week. I was eternally grateful I took today off because I came home and slept for 4.5 hours. I'm still tired even after that. It is good to be back because I don't have to think about what I'm doing. I just have to do it.

On that note, it's a nice day and I've taken my allergy meds, so I think it's time to bike by the creek. Shouldn't be too terribly busy since schools are back in and it's a weekday afternoon. Maybe I can go a little faster this time. :D

I'm Baaaaack

Yesterday was the first day back. Daddums and I headed out to the Creek to run. It wasn't all I'd dreamed and more for my first run back. I walked a lot more than I wanted to. I averaged a 13 min/mi pace. I think it was a combination of taking off too fast and not hydrating properly beforehand. I did the first half mile in 5'22", which I was proud of, but then it started to catch up with me. The good news is the ankle and IT band both felt pretty good. I've got my next 5k in 13 days, so I'm going to focus on getting myself ready for that. For comparison, I ran 5k yesterday and did it 2.5 minutes slower than my official time for my race. That was really the most discouraging part, especially since the creek is dead flat. Something to strive for, I suppose.

As if running three miles wasn't fun enough, I also had rehearsal yesterday. For those who don't know, dance is one of my other passions. I'm performing in a show on June 25 & 26 and we started rehearsal this week. It was tantamount to a cheerleading practice. The choreographer (whom I adore) wants to incorporate a lot of tricks and theatrics into the piece, so he had us doing toe touches, roundhouse kicks, and things of that ilk. I hadn't properly warmed up my hips, so my right hip is calling me nasty names right about now. As a result, I'm going to take a nice long bike ride this afternoon. I figure that should be a bit easier on the hip than running more or even swimming.

Camp starts back tomorrow and I'm really excited about that. I guess it was good that this was an off week since I was having joint issues, but I'm beyond ready to get back into it. I'm also taking tomorrow and Tuesday off from work, so I'm looking to get some really good training in. I need to reconfigure my schedule a bit because of rehearsals, but that shouldn't be a big deal. I'm also determined to stick to the nutrition plan this time around because I'm going to the beach the last week of camp and I want to actually wear the cute bikini I bought last summer. Of course, it probably means said bikini is too big as a lot of stuff from last summer is. It's a good problem to have methinks.

Making Friends With Fear

Fear #1: I won't be able to make the fundraising minimum.

I set my personal goal as $4000. How much do I have in so far? $100. I have my dinner in a little under 2 weeks and I'm hoping that will really boost things. I haven't gotten any response from my family members which is both odd and annoying. I mean, we have a history of cancer in our family, don't you think they'd be up for donating something to fight it? I may send out another email and start calling them. Bottom line, I can't cover the difference if I don't make the minimum, which is what we're required to do. I haven't really hit up my co-workers or discussed fundraising in depth with the TNT people. Just looking through the booklet was overwhelming.

Part of me wants to give up. I know I can't though. I have to do this. I have to succeed. This can be done. Time and creativity are on my side. Cancer can't be allowed to win. Fear can't be allowed to win. Who else is going to stand up if not me? Why look around and hope that other people are willing to step up when I'm just as capable? Maybe when people see I'm really serious not only about the triathlon, but about fundraising, they'll be inspired. It helps to be taken seriously.

Fear #2: My First Tri
I'll be competing in my first tri, a super sprint, in 23 days. I've been off for a week and it feels like I've been off for a month. It's a 250 meter pool swim, 8.5 mile bike, and 2 mile run. I'm alternating between being terrified of drowning or crashing on the bike. I still don't swim with my face in the water, which is probably part of the reason I'm having a hard time with it. I've heard horror stories about people being steamrolled during the swim and I *really* don't want that. Then there's the bike. There are hills! There are other cyclists! We're on an actual road! This is clearly a recipe for disaster. I'm going to go down and take everyone with me!

Time to take advantage of the massive number of clubs around me and run with the big dogs. They're doing a run on Sunday and a group ride on Tuesday. I'm not gonna get anywhere if I don't challenge myself. The only thing that's inconvenient are the swims. But two out of three ain't bad, right? They also tend to organize other rides and runs as well and it's not like it's hard to keep track. Plus, they seem pretty good about making sure the n00bs and slow pokes aren't left too far behind.

So, it's time to make friends with fear and show it that I'm the bigger person. Rawr.

Being A Good Patient

The sprained ankle has gotten worse. Maybe it was the shoes I was wearing today or something, but it's been pretty bad. I actually iced it and I never ice joints, have it braced, and I'm trying to stay off it. I think it's moderately successful. It's not really feeling any better. I'm going to try to be a good patient and stay off it the rest of the week. Camp starts back up again next Monday, so that gives me 5 more days to try and heal up a bit.

I hate that I'm losing training time, but I keep trying (tri-ing) to remind myself that it's better to miss a week than 6 because I ended up tearing a tendon or breaking another bone.

I'm also trying to get my diet in order. I'm not getting nearly enough protein for the amount of exercise I get and trying to lower my carb intake. We'll see how that goes.

Until next time, my intrepid readers.

Getting Back on Track

So training hasn't gone as planned this weekend. Yesterday I just did yoga and today I wanted to run 3 miles and bike 8-10. I've never run in 80 degree heat before, so I only made it through a mile of the run. I decided to wait to go out on the bike, then the temperature actually went up. I probably should've gone anyway and I need to learn to train in temperatures way worse than this. It also didn't help that I stayed up super late last night and threw off my sleep schedule. That's probably part of why I just couldn't get it together.

We're off camp this week so I can do some training in the morning. I won't have another chance to get out on the Greenway until at least Wednesday night. I guess I could bike through the neighborhood, but I'm not sure I'm ready to handle traffic yet.

Ideally the week will look something like this:

Monday: Run
Tuesday: Swim
Wednesday: Swim & Bike
Thursday: Run
Friday: Bike
Saturday: Swim & Run
Sunday: Bike

I guess we'll see how it pans out. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to it.

I Didn't Fall!

So I finally got a chance to take the bike out. I went to a trail not too far from the house and got some good practice time in. Since a lot of schools didn't have the day off, it was fairly quiet. By the time I finished, I was feeling pretty good. I only did 4 miles but it's a start. I also don't go in a very straight line yet, but that will come with practice. The point is I didn't fall and no one laughed at me. If anything, I was getting a fair number of sympathetic looks when people would come across me trying to get moving after I stopped. After a few more rounds I'm sure I'll be ready for a group ride. As expected, lowering the seat definitely helped.

My thumbs hurt from the death grip I had on the handlebars, but again, I'm sure that'll get better. I did about half the distance of the super sprint and that gave me the boost I think I needed. I might actually pull this off. I need to run a few errands near the Y, so I'll probably stop in for a swim. I also need to look into swim lessons since my technique can only go up. I think the Y does those free, though.

Tomorrow is a run, then maybe I'll take Gunter (the bike) out in the neighborhood now that I know I *can* still ride. The trail is a gangbang on Saturdays especially now that the weather is nice. Since I'm having trouble with the whole straight line thing, the neighborhood might be a better choice. Plus there are bike lanes through 90% of it. I might throw a yoga class in there as well to work out all the kinks.

Until next time!

Who Are You?

Well, won't make it to the tri club meeting. Thank you migraine. After I finish this entry, I'm definitely closing the blinds, putting on my sleep mask, and trying not to die. Not the point.

The point is I'm nowhere near the person I was even three months ago. It came to me as I was shaking turf bits out of my running shoes this morning. I had gotten up at 5am only to run and do pushups on a wet football field. And I liked it. I liked being wet, covered in turf bits, and sweating my ass off. It was a challenge I didn't back down from. FitWit laid the groundwork for my triathlon aspirations. Even when I think I can't do another push up or run another lap, I remember just how far I've come. Anyone who's known me for any length of time knows that 5am used to be for going to bed and I'd rather be covered in honey and left for ants than run. I'd like to think I've evolved into a better person. One of my friends even commented when I mentioned my bike matched my new car that he didn't know me any more. In the nicest way possible, of course.

I've always been stubborn as hell and I've finally found an outlet where it's an asset rather than a hindrance. I finished my first real race and that's mind boggling to me. I honestly never thought I would do something like that. Now I'm hooked. I've got some form of race scheduled almost every month for the rest of the year. Two 5k's, two 10k's, 2 (possibly 3) tris, and a half marathon. I'm also looking into adventure racing provided I can find a partner. Who is this girl? I'm not totally sure yet, but I think I like her. I don't think I'd mind if she stuck around for a while.

And after that burst of philosophical codswallop, time to hide in the dark until my head stops pounding.