Just Call me "Gimpy"

It finally happened, nearly 5 months of training and I finally pushed things a wee bit too far.

Some people get knee pain, some back pain...me? It is always shin splints, guaranteed. They have been nagging for a few weeks but I was making sure to ice them when I got home from a run. Begin applying heat after 24 hours to help the muscle heal, and wearing a calf sleeve to help with compression when I ran.

Regardless, they rebelled and I am officially sidelined from running for at least a week. No idea why it got so bad, I had a nice easy run yesterday. 40 min on the treadmill (it was raining so I decided to make a temporary truce with my ex-fitness friend) at about a 12 min mile pace. I think it ended up being a little of 3.5 miles or so. This morning I was scheduled for a 2 hour run, approx 10 miles. I admit that I wasn't looking forward to it, mostly because I had missed my long run last week because I was out of town.

However, when I awoke the inside of my right calf was SO sore, and SO stiff, that I knew running was out of the question immediately. I had hopes of walking today, which is like running's cousin...close enough I thought. Points for at least trying to get a run like activity in today. That was until I actually put weight on that leg, and tried to walk down some stairs. Let's just say my family is calling me Gimpy, and I am out of commission until I heal.

On the upside, I am glad I ran yesterday and did the damage I did. Can you imagine how I would feel if I had ran 10 miles today? I probably would have done some sort of major damage.

Anyway, it is bad enough that I looked into my options for a refund for the triathlon I had scheduled in October. I am afraid I won't be able to get enough training in the next few weeks to make the competition anything less that torturous (I like to know my options). So far I know that the best I can do is defer until next year, and then compete then. We will see how it goes, I refuse to give in so easily to a sissy sort of injury. Today I have been mostly being grumpy and sulky. There isn't much room in my half marathon training for a week or more off, the more runs I miss, the harder those long runs will become. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

To be honest, I don't have a choice. Run and I can do damage that will last much longer than this calf pain. I read somewhere that resting and healing can be the hardest part of training as an athlete.

I sincerely believe it.

Are you Game? Making Training More Interesting

Allright friends, it is time to spice things up! I am inventing my own triathlon training game that is based solely on a points system. At the end of the training season, whoever has the most points wins, and earns the title of: BATT (Bad A$$ Triathlon Trainee...I might change that to something cooler but it's late, that's what I have for right now)



Let me give you the basics (I fully expect the game will evolve as time goes on):



1. Points are earned totally on the honor system
2. Points can be deducted by any team member who witnesses fouls
3. New categories of points/fouls can be requested by any player but must be approved by me. (I made up the game, thus I get to retain some sort of power...bwahhahahahahah)

This game is also only for beginners, you elite athletes have to make your own.

Current Breakdown of Points and Fouls:

Crashes:

• Every Cycle Crash: 10 points
• 5 points for every body part with road rash
• 5 points for every bruise, 15 pts for bruises bigger than your head
• 1 point for ejected water bottles
• 25 points if you get ran over by another biker...extra 5 if you have a bruise in the shape of the line where the tire ran over you.
• 1 point for forgetting to unclip and falling over/crashing on the bike
• 5 points for pitching yourself over your own handlebars
• 7 points for head on collisions in the pool (Only accidental counts)

Technical

• 25 points for changing your own flat tire
• 1 point for putting your chain back on the bike
• 5 points for understanding how to work a Garmin
• 5 points for understanding what in the heck a lactate threshold is and how to use it
• 2 points if you can install your own elastic bands in your running shoes
• 7 points if you can put conditioner in your hair and not lose your swim cap
• 10 points if you can wear a hydration belt with a straight face

Random

• 10 points for every successful Farmers Blow/Snot Rocket (get your mind out of the gutter, and google it)
• Minus 25 points if you use the Farmers Blow and get snot on a team member
• Plus 150 points if you use the Farmers Blow and hit someone in an automobile cussing at you while you are cycling.

More to come, I am sure :)

Joy...I missed you

Oh man, let me tell you about the last two weeks of training. I have been in a funk of epic proportions since the end of the IronGirls Triathlon. For a week or two I battled it, because I know myself well enough to know that sometimes I just have to weather the storm.

This was not one of those times.

Every single workout began to feel like a chore, and I even missed Happy Hour and a seminar on heart rate monitors. I rarely miss Happy Hour, because it is one of those rare times I can talk to my training friends in complete sentences. (As opposed to in between gasping breaths, praying my heart, or lungs, don't give out) But I knew I was going to be no fun to be around, and I desperately began to need to just have my nights off so I could catch up on chores, errands etc.

So...in hope of preserving my sanity and just as important, my love of the sport. I took a two week hiatus. I did a couple of light workouts, mostly because I am beginning to get moody if I don't have some sort of workout during the week (when did this happen? I think I am officially no longer a couch potato).

And this weekend I took a deep breath, said a little prayer, and went to training. My hope was that I had shaken my funk off...but I found something even better this weekend. I found joy, and deep satisfaction, and general enjoyment with training again. The weather in Dallas cooled to the 80's, and I was able to push myself without fear of over heating, and I had fun.

Three words, that make all the difference in this process.

I. Had. Fun.

A terrific bike ride on Saturday, snowballed into a fantastic training day on Sunday. I dropped my run time with my run group (scheduled for 1 hour, 50 min) to a 1 hour, 20 min run, so I could go to the scheduled Open Water Swim. The run was fantastic, I flew! We ran some miles at least a minute faster than normal. Then I hopped in the car, headed to the lake (smooth as glass!) did an 800 meter swim, which is race distance, swam around a little longer, and hopped out to get ready for a trail run. I ran with two of my fave Iron Girl training partners, and we did about 40 minutes of trail running. (Give or take, we had to dodge bikers, and I took a wrong turn so we had to back track once or twice).

Fantastic, just a fantastic weekend.

Joy...glad to see you are back, I missed you.

THE goals

Race #2 brings a whole new set of goals to the table. The Iron Girls race was mostly about finishing and not hurting myself in any sort of permanent way (i.e. drowing, hitting a moving car, etc.) I managed to meet both of those goals but I admit that I found myself thinking I had a lot left to give during that Iron Girls race. Not to get all psychological on you, but I know some of it was mental, and some of it was how I trained the last few weeks before the race...mostly slooooow.

There is no shame, because I finished the race, and met the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the training program. And I learned a heck of a lot. Which means I am ready to step it up, so let me tell you about my goals for the Toyota Open.

Druuuuuuuum roll please...

Goal #1: Begin pushing it on the bike, and I am not talking just mileage. I move slow on the bike, I caught myself doing it today, and then I tried ramping it up. Not to say that I didn't feel the burn, or that I am not sore right now...but I pushed my normal limits. Mind you I was so far back from the front of the pack that I never really caught up.

Goal #2: Learn how to ride in the bike pack. To be honest I am not 100% comfortable on the road bike just yet, and when I was on the hybrid I rarely road with the pack anyway. Time to get over this, I really think the whole drafting thing might make it totally worth it. :)

Goal #3 : Nutrition. Pizza apparently is not a very good training food, who knew? Time to clean this part up. I am going to be doing a 3 day analysis of my eating habits starting on Monday, I will let you know what I find out.

Goal #4: Wipe off 8 minutes from my run time at the Toyota. Which means pushing myself on runs during the week.

Goal #5: Continue to not cause myself any permanent damage. I just feel like this is a good one to hold onto from Iron Girls.

Wish I could say it started with a bang...

As an FYI, I am so not done with shout outs, but I decided to sprinkle them out through the posts.

I began my first week of training for the U.S. Toyota Open Tri this weekend. I wish I could tell you that it started with a bang...it started with more of a fizzle...maybe a snap, crackle, and then the popping sound of my lungs. Whew.

For starters I took nearly the entire week off from training after my IronGirls race. I did run, a little, because I knew that I had half marathon training. My hydration was bad, and I knew that this weekend would be rough. I bonked somewhere around two-thirds of the way into our 30 mile ride. I had flashbacks to my early training, the nauseousness, the weakness, and the pride being the only thing getting my bum back onto the saddle. And then we ran a pretty rough 7 miles this morning.

So ends my whining, but I want to look back on these posts and remember the workouts that were rough. So I don't look back with rose colored glasses about training and think it was all puppies and rainbows. It isn't always puppies and rainbows, a lot of times it is sweat, and tears, and a lot of other bodily functions I try not to think about too much.

Crazy.

Shout Out: To Tina who fell off the bike at White Rock. You messed up your shoulder, and you had a bruise the size of Texas. And yet you still made it to the Open Water Swim a week later. No whining around you, because you are one strong lady.

Shout Outs, Part I

There is no way on Earth that I would have been able to complete this triathlon without my IronGirls. So I am going to do a series of shoutouts to them individually...this might take a few posts but it's totally worth it.

Heck...let me start with my coaches

Coach B: You have more patience than anyone I know (with as much estrogen flying around, this was probably a survival technique) At the end of the day, you and Coach A set the tone of the group and it a positive atmosphere that made us one to come to training...every...single...day...6 days a week. And I know that we all loved having you announce at our race, thanks for making it spectacular.

Coach A: How is it that you are pregnant, and still able to out run, bike and swim me? Crazy. I consider you to be a friend, coach, and role model. I think you might also have race day picture taking down to an art, you were everywhere!

Assistant Coach S: I survived my first Sunnyvale Loop because you made sure the back of the pack stayed together. It was also great to have you at the race helping us with our last pre-race nerves. Thanks!

On to my training partners (this is done in no particular order, and I promise to get to everyone)

FloGlo: I knew the first day of training I was going to love training with you! You are hilarious, and an inspiration to me. You are my girl!

Melinda: Seriously, there were weeks on the bike I wanted to quit the whole triathlon sport. You reminded me no shame and I got back on the bike. You are a spectacular lady. Team in Training is lucky to have you!

Stephanie D: You are too sweet, and you have a sense of humor that never quits! Plus you are all kinds of an amazing writer, the poem for post-race dinner was...perfect. I hope you keep training, but I know we will stay in touch regardless!

JR: You have more energy than anyone I know, and I don't think I stop laughing whenever you are at training. (You also throw one mean post race dinner celebration.)

Jennifer B: You are one of the people I am always trying to keep up with on the bike. Your training took has just taken off, and it has been such a pleasure getting to know you over these 3 months. I would also like your banana pudding recipe...thank you.

Leona: Thanks for carpooling, and for being the one who researched everything triathlon. I learned more tips from you that I would have ever known otherwise. Get excited about Toyota!

Teresa: The group would never get started training on time without you :) Whenever we gab, Teresa is the one getting on the bike telling everyone to get their bums moving. She is tough, no doubt about it.

Cara: Anyone who crashes mid race and then gets back on the bike to finish...with no thought of quitting! Amazing. Way to go Comeback Kid. (Don't worry, you weren't too grumpy before the race, you were speaking in full sentences and everything)

Officially a Triathlete

I am officially a Triathlete.

I got a few goosebumps saying that...it's true though and I am amazed that 3 months went so quickly! I am a triathlete, I think I am going to have to keep saying that to myself for awhile until it sinks in. Wow.

Let me tell you about the goals I achieved today:

Finish a triathlon...Check!
Not walk the run portion of the race except for the water stop...Check!
Don't Drown...Check!
Finish in under 2 hours...Check! (1 hour and 43 minutes)

And because I do something crazy/dumb every single time I race or train, I have to share the worst battle scar story ever. My only injury the entire race is a straight, skinny raw line across the bottom of my stomach. The culprit...my race belt. I thought it was marker until I poked it, and yelped. At least Cara fell off the bike, skidded sideways, ended up with road rash, calmly fixed her chain, got back on the bike, and then she passed me! That girl is officially nicknamed the Comeback Kid! No wonder, she is tough!!!

Whew...it was a day. Thank you to my girls for our pre-race prayer, that definitely helped calm to the storm of butterflies in my tummy.

Oh, and next Saturday I begin training again for my next triathlon. I know you must wondering what flavor of crack I must be smoking...but this crazy sport is addictive. Or at least I am beginning to think it might be the people and the energy are addictive. Either way, I am hooked!

Check back tomorrow, I am beginning a series of shout outs to my training partners who I couldn't have finished without. Until then, this tired triathlete is hitting the hay.

The Calm Before the Storm

There are officially 12 hours and 20 minutes before my wave of the IronGirl Triathlon begins. 3 months of preparation, sweat, blood (bike chains are vicious) and some happy tears during our pre-race dinner last night.

The question everyone has been asking me today...How do you feel?

I feel ready, or I should say I feel like there is nothing more I can do. I have trained hard, worked hard, played hard, and hydrated hard. There is nothing left to do than to put it in God's hands, and have faith.

Aw, come on! You are feeling something besides inner peace...it's your first triathlon! I know that's what some of you are thinking. Honestly though, I am a procrastinating pro...and like all things I am procrastinating on giving into nerves. Tomorrow morning I am going to have entire flocks of butterflies ricocheting off my insides. (Do butterflies fly in flocks? I will have to look that up later). Tonight is about prep, and rest.

I do want to add a random list of things that I know are going to make me nervous/queasy/jittery/OCD tomorrow morning.

1. My wave has the pro triathletes in it. I thought this was a cruel joke on the rest of us, but then I realized it is probably more of a cruel joke on them. At least I have a cute light blue swim cap...seriously who wants to wear yellow swim cap?!?!? No thank you.
2. I haven't practiced drying my feet off during the transition when I move from swim to bike. What if I forget?? What if I end up running feeling like my socks are made out of sand paper because my feet were covered in post swim concrete grime??
3. I haven't practiced putting my shot bloks in my jersey before the biking...oh I am not kidding anyone...I am going to practice this one a couple of times tonight.
4. What if I forget my bike...this one is courtesy of Leona.
5. What if I fall off my bike trying to dismount (It's happened, totally legit)
6. What if I have to pee during the bike or run...I don't want to lose 15 min waiting in line at the port-o-potties!
7. There is only one water stop during the run in Texas, July heat. The heat index tomorrow is 89 degrees. When you run you add 20 degrees to get a feel for what the heat is going to be like. So my body is going to feel like it is 109 degrees outside...and there is one water stop.
   
8. I have never ran with water before and the gospel of racing is never try something new during race day. But it is gonna be HOT...
9. What if the pink wrist band the little old lady gave me at sign in and told me to guard with my life because it is the only way they are going to let me race, falls off somewhere in the next 12 hours. Seriously...3 months of training rest on one little pink wrist band...that is a lot of pressure.

To continue with my MO of procrastinating on stress, I cleaned my kitchen, took out my trash and blogged. Then I am going to put on one of my fav training songs and beginning packing THE bag which will hold all my gear...and maybe...just maybe get a little sleep before the big day tomorrow.

Happy racing everyone and all my love to my IronGirls!!!

A violent breakup with the treadmill

The treadmill and I are no more.

Once upon a time (January-March '08) I was a gym rat. I lifted weights, and hit the cardio machines like nobody's business. Then I got burned out.

Are you really surprised??

So I decided to pick up running and then moved onto the Triathlon training. It gives me socializing time (seriously, we talk while we bike, run, and swim...as best we can anyway), a goal to shoot for (10 days and counting till my first Tri!), and the fitness aspect I was looking for.

Anyway, I got the bright idea to go to the gym for a run instead of around the neighborhood for a change. It was AWFUL! I hated the running pace, I hated my music, I hated the gym's music, I hated the people talking, I hated the people on cell phones (seriously, why are you at the gym?), I hated it all.

I lasted 11 minutes and 37 seconds before I hit the emergency stop button (there was no other stop button on the machine) and was pitched forward so hard that I hit my stomach on the front hand rail, and nearly fell on my butt. I gave the treadmill the stink eye and informed it that we had to see other people.

After I picked up what was left of my pride I went outside for my run.

I learned that I love the quiet of running outdoors and being up early enough to see the sunrise. I love the sound of my feet hitting the pavement and my own breathing in my ears. I learned that I love when my body sets its own pace and my mind is at peace. I love that for that 40 minutes my only focus was one foot in front of the other.

I love easy runs on my own because it is a kind of therapy. I love long runs with other people because I keep running far after I want to quit.

Running might be a metaphor for life.

My love/hate relationship with running

I love to run.

Well, no, that isn't really true. Running makes me sweaty (yuck!), it gives me blisters (one so far, and I am a little proud of it), it hurts, and in the Texas heat I have to wake up ridiculously early so I don't die from heat exhaustion (generally I don't start firing on all cyclinders until about 10am or so, and yet I run at 5:30 in the frickin morning).

So I love to run, but I hate to do it.

However, here is the thing. Out of all three sports I train in, running is my favorite. Why? It makes me strong. Remember how I said I have never been an athlete? Distance running of any kind has always been this pie in the sky sort of thing for me. Me...run? No, I am not a runner I would say...I don't have the genes necessary for running or being athletic. That's what I used to think.

And yet, I am a runner, I am now an athlete. It is part of who I am, part of my identity, something that makes me feel strong mentally and physically and proud of what I am doing. For instance I ran 8 miles last Sunday...EIGHT! It hurt, and I was sweaty, and I wanted to quit 30 min. into the run...but I didn't. I fought through it and I felt on top of the world when I finished. I don't really get that same high from biking or swimming. Mostly I am like yay! I am not the last to finish our bike workout! Or...yay! I didn't drown at swim practice tonight.

My expectations are a little lower I think.

Heroes

Okay, I really am almost done with posting videos.

I heard about Team Hoyt from a friend and if you want some inspiration, this is where you should look for it.

Wow....just wow.

Just a few of my favorite things...well videos really.

Just a little Ironman motivation to get you through the day. Enjoy! (So what, I just learned how to post videos) :)

Bike Baby Bike

Holy Moly.

The bike continues to be the hardest of the three sports for me. Yesterday we did about 27 1/2 miles, and my quads cried like babies. Actually, come to think of it, I thought about crying like a baby myself. It was just one of those days where I struggled, swallowed a lot of pride, and ate my fair share of humble pie...neither of which is particularly appetizing.

I went on a new route, which was fantastic, the lake is starting to feel a little stale. I have to admit though, this will be the last triathlon I do on my hybrid/road bike. That stinker just wears me out completely. Thank goodness for fabulous training partner ( a.k.a. "Speedy" as I call her) keeps me motivated and laughing.

I had a lot of time to think while I was on the bike (Seriously two hours to kill, and I had to do something besides think about my quads). The one thing I have to share is that pushing yourself is part of the game of life. I have noticed since being completely thrown out of my comfort zone (college) that I have been doing more growing than I have done in a few years. Is it comfortable? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

I say this because I am sore, and I am tired from our cycling "adventure," but I can feel myself getting stronger. Not only physically, but mentally. I was talking to someone on my run this morning (6 miles!! 2 months ago I could barely run a mile!) and she was telling me how much of her struggle is mental. Her mind is so ready to give up long before her body is exhausted. I started to do a check this morning during our run. When I wanted to quit, was it because my body was really tired, or was it because mentally I wanted to be done?

10 out 10 times it was mental.

Think about that next time you are out of your comfort zone. I know I will!

Swim like a fish...oh how I wish

Let me impart on you some nuggets of wisdom that I gleamed from swimming.

1. No one looks good in a swim cap, especially if you have goggles on. You look like a bug, guaranteed. Not a pretty bug, like a preying mantis on steroids sort of bug.

2. Swimsuits show off your beautiful bike short tan. Mine is directly in the middle of my thigh, so yay for horizontal lines.

3. Spitting in your goggles helps keep the them from fogging up. I have yet to comes to term with spitting into something and then putting it directly on my face. (I usually end up spitting in them by mid swim practice just because I can't see through them anymore...)

4. Expect to panic in your first open water swim. If you don't, great. If you do...well seriously it is freaky how you can't see a dang thing, who knows what in heck is lurking in the water. I ran into a tree twice on our last open water swim.

5. I don't dehydrate easily during swim practice. I figure this has something to do with the 8 gallons of water that end up going up my nose.

6. Conditioner in the hair before getting in the chlorine is supposed to keep your hair from drying out. So far, it just makes my swim cap shoot off my head.

7. No man looks good in a speedo. Enough said.

No Shame

I had something of a revelation a few weeks ago...again, been meaning to blog about it.

Anyway it dawned on me that in general I consider myself to be pretty hard on myself about things. There is always that general fear of failure/embarrassment in the back of my mind...except during training. I have reached this place that I call "No Shame" and it has become my training mantra (and I have pounded it ad nauseum onto some of training partners as well)

So here is my list of things that I was worried about and how my mantra helped me overcome it:

1. I was worried that I would be last in training:

• On those days I am last...I am still miles ahead of the person sitting at home on their couch watching TV...so No Shame

2. I was worried that I would look silly in front of people:

• Again, regardless of what dumb thing I do...still miles of ahead of the person on the couch.
• I realized that when you try something new, something totally out of your comfort zone, you are going to make mistakes.
  
• Everyone in my rookie training group has done something silly/mortifying in their mind. And yet we are still out there...so No Shame.

3. I was worried that I would fall with when I bought clipless pedals:

• I did fall, and I landed on my rear. So did 5 other people in my bike group that day, we checked to make sure everyone was okay, we all laughed, brushed one another off, and got back on the bike...so No Shame.

4. I was worried that I would be the only one who didn't know what on earth I was doing:

• I'm not, most of group is made up of rookies who have never done this before. The most humbling part is even though you are good at the run, someone in the group is kicking your bum at swim practice, or bike practice. Everyone has a different strength, everyone is completely new to some part triathlon...so No Shame.

5. I was worried that my coaches would be uber unapproachable athletes:

• My coaches are uber athletes having competed in ironmans around the country, but they are completely approachable. They love to go to Happy Hour with us, joke with us, push us, and be inspired by us as we fall in love with the sport that they are already passionate about. They love coaching us and mentoring us...so No Shame.

6. I am worried that sometimes I forget to slip into my mantra of No Shame:

• Sometimes I still forget, I was definitely developing a complex over the bike portion of training. (Seriously I expected to suck at swim...no surprise, but the struggle with the bike portion caught me completely off guard) And then one of my favorite training partners reminded me...No Shame.

I love the question, what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

What would you do if you could make mistakes, act silly, and be yourself with No Shame?

Actually, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth

Okay, I have to be honest, it's been awhile since I blogged. Mostly because I am so busy with training for the triathlon I didn't actually have time to blog about it. Yeah, yeah no whining, I know.

Here is the thing though, I finally hit a mental block. The great thing about triathlon is that you train for three sports, and for the first 4 weeks of training I think I ran purely on endorphins (I am beginning to understand why fit people are so cheery) and excitement of doing something new. Aaaaaaand then we did our first brick workout, which involves biking and then running.

No biggie?

Oh, you are so wrong. Let me back up to say that normally we do about 20ish miles, and I ride a hybrid bike. Which means I have to work a little harder than my road bike compatriots...mentally I try to imagine how much faster my muscle fibers are growing than the people I ride with. I found that to be far more effective than straight up cussing inside my head as I am getting passed.

Anyway, we ride around the lake and it has hills here and there, and we work hard...but it was nothing compared with Celina Loop. Or Hades as I have come not-so-affectionately call it. (Just doin' my best to keep things PG) :)

-25 miles
-Hill after hill, with no downhills in site (That's ride I rode up hills both way...no really I did...somehow this place defies the laws of physics)
-And the wind...oh the wind...there are not even words to describe the headwind we were riding through most of the way
-The pavement...I considered riding in the grass/dirt....I think it would have been easier.

And then we ran 10 minutes, no I am not kidding, seriously ran 10 minutes. Needless to say it was tough, and then on Wednesday (We rode Celina on Saturday) we hopped on the bike to go our usual 20 miles around the lake. Too bad the winds were gusting at about 40 MPH and there were whitecaps on the lake. It was a bad ride.

The point of all this was to say that I hit a major mental wall on Wednesday and was disgusted with all things triathlon. As were many people in our group, so I scheduled a Happy Hour and told everyone we needed to do something together that did not involve biking/running/swimming/sweating/or being stinky. To quote a friend, "Hurray for bonding time that does not involve required head gear!"

And you know what, I am totally refreshed...it is also an easy training week which is helping. Moral of this very long story? Regardless of how much you love anything, we all need a break mentally and physically. It gives you a chance to regroup and recoup, and you come back stronger. Don't beat yourself up, I decided my body and mind were trying to tell me that we are tired, we need rest.

No Guilt, No Shame.

Also, I am, and will forever be a marketer at heart and I love a great commercial. Below is a Nike Commercial called Need Motivation? No, I am not endorsing the Nike product, I don't even own what they are selling.

Ravenous Hunger

It hits everyone eventually...the hunger.

Our coach warned us this first few weeks that we would be feeling fatigued and ravenously hungry. Fatigued...Check! But it wasn't until today that I really felt like downing everything in site. It didn't matter what I ate, nothing satisfied the beast.

Snack before run [5am]: almonds
Breakfast [7am]: Egg whites, salsa, and tortillas and a yogurt. (Yogurt is usually my morning snack)
Snack 2: Carrots, and apple [9:45am] (Usually my afternoon snack)
Snack 3: Oatmeal [10:25am] (I have a stash at my desk)
Lunch [11:30am]: 4 pieces of pizza!
Dinner: Not there yet, but thank goodness the pizza stuck.

In case you are wondering, this isn't dehydration...or my body telling me to drink more water. I am running a 5K on Saturday and I am drinking more water than I fish right now trying to stay hydrated. Really, I am talking over 80 oz of water or more at least, and that isn't counting the water during workouts or immediately after.

I wonder if I can count the calories I burn running to the bathroom and back to my desk all the time.

1st day of training...

Saturday was the my first day of training as an official triathlete to be...and I got lost. It's a very long story, and to be fair it really isn't anyones fault. Sigh. I usually am not one of those people who have random stories about activities that shouldn't involve any sort of real drama.

Lessons I learned:

1. Use the buddy system, that way when you get lost you have someone to talk to. It also allows you to ask that person 12 times per mile if they recognize any landmarks.

2. Take your cell phone when you train.

3. Program your coach's number in the phone so that it is actually useful.

4. Cars do not yield when you yell passing left and they are driving 3mph.

5. Sometimes runners, pets, and other cyclists also do not yield when you yell passing left.

6. Cyclists are handy for directions to the bike shop where you parked your car.

At the end of the day I had a nice bike ride around the lake, I met someone new, and found out about 20 million more accessories I needed to buy before the next training day. (Tire repair kit, and bike computer to help with training) I have got to believe I am almost done buying equipment...though I still need some bike shorts...

The swim, and my first prissy girl moment

I haven't forgotten to mention the swim.

You need a suit, goggles, and a swim cap. I have no idea how to put a swim cap on. My biggest question: Has anyone ever lost an eye trying to put one of those on? I am so going to end up hurting myself with that dang thing.

I have heard you can also pick up fins, and...a buoy? I think I am getting some of the terms wrong, but basically they are tools that help you train your lower body or upper body separately to work on technique. Luckily, the team I signed up with has a contract with a swim masters club in the area and they have all that covered.

The Swim is probably the event I am most worried about. I still say if you dropped me in the middle of the lake I wouldn't drown, right away. I mean I can sort of swim...sigh, fine...I look like a drowning rat, me swimming is not pretty at all.

Warning Prissy Girl Moment: Okay, I have to get this out here, I hate to swim for the normal girl reasons. Mostly, the fact that you have to wear a swim suit in public...no surprises, right? The other thing I am dreading is chlorine...it is going to kill my hair!

Ugh, curly hair + chemicals = Don King like hair.

I said it, I admitted to it, I have a prissy girl living deep inside me and she hates the idea of having crappy hair. Is that going to stop me? Well, no...but deep down inside we all think about it. No excuses ladies, train anyway!

The Gear, well just the beginning really

What I find just crazy about the triathlon is the huge amount of gear you have purchase. Now I don't want to scare anyone off, I just didn't realize how much stuff would be involved.

I mean, really...most of us have been biking, swimming and running most of our lives. (Not competitively, but most of us know how to bike, run and swim) So when you first decide to do a triathlon you think no biggie, I got this.

WRONG.

Lets start with the run: You need a great pair of shoes, not good, not okay, but great. My recommendation is to go to a run store and have them fit you for the right shoes. Otherwise you end up with all kinds of leg problems. It has been 3-4 weeks since I got a great pair of shoes, and I am just now finishing up healing from shin splints. Mine cost about $100.


Biking/Cycling:

Look into Tri shorts that have some padding to help you with the whole bicycle seat going up your bum thing, and you can still swim in them.

Bike: I am looking into a hybrid bike, which has big wheels and skinny tires like a road bike, and straight handle bars like a mountain bike. The plus side is that this bike is half the cost of the road bike, but much faster than a mountain bike. This is a personal preference thing, from what I understand it isn't unusual to see people racing mountain bikes.

Pedals: You can upgrade to pedals with a cage, or the ones that clip onto special shoes. I am holding out on those until A.) I know I like this crazy sport. B.) I can cycle well enough that I trust I can remember to take my dang feet out of the pedals before I fall over.

Helmet: Bike shops have good ones, I like them because they are lighter than what I could find at Walmart and they have lots of ventilation. I.Live.In.Texas. More ventilation = less cranky me.

THE plan

Allright, allright...I have been meaning to post THE plan as I call it for a week or so now. I feel like I have to capitalize "the" just because it sounds like that when I say it out loud. :)

So I am not coordinated or naturally athletic, what is a girl to do? Get a coach and training partners of course. Last week I began a running class at a local run shop, and just Monday I went to a triathlon training orientation. Which was pretty funny.

We went around the room introducing ourselves and our athletic prowess, everyone in the room was commenting about being a competitive swimmer, or running half marathons. My response was I began running last week on Tuesday, so tomorrow will make it an entire week.

Now I know this might sound like I am doubting myself, but really this a training group designed with couch potatoes like myself in mind. So I didn't feel self conscious about it, and I honestly believe if you don't take yourself too seriously you will have a heck of a better time in awkward situations. That and I talk a lot when I feel nervous.

So here is THE plan: Run training from April 18th-May 15th, Triathlon training begins May 3rd. 1st triathlon: July 19th...20th...somewhere around there.

There is a little overlap that I am going to have to figure out, or just skip one workout or the other. I haven't worked out all the details just yet. The hardest part is that 50-75% of the training is happening about 30 min from my apartment (55 in traffic...which there will be because evening practices start at 6pm, so good times in rush hour for me.)

Prologue, Flashback, whatever

I feel compelled to offer some background on myself, to give a little perspective.

I am not even remotely athletic, never have been. In high school I debated, really on the debate team, and a little art...which is terrible. My parents still have pottery in their house from 9th grade, I wince every time I walk by it. The clay looks like it's in agony.

The closest I have come to athletic were some cool PE classes in college, one of which was self defense and mostly I got the wind knocked out of me. I wore not being athletic like a badge. HA! I said, all you athletic chipper people are irritating, only crazy people excercise for fun.

And yet, here I am.

So, why now? Fair question, so let me give you the 411 on recent events I call my life.

1. I graduated, and now I am adult with bills, and a 401K and it makes me feel old. Being an adult sucks, no one ever tells you that...they should.
2. Moved back to my hometown, sort of. If you are from Dallas, I am from one of those million little suburbs around Dallas. If not, I live in Dallas. The problem is not many of my friends moved this way.
3. Finding people my age who are not creepy is a lot harder when you don't have class with and live near 45,000 other people who are your age.
4. I need a hobby, bad. Someone asked me last weekend what I was doing, and I said unpacking my apartment. Trust me, I was as mortified at the answer as you are. Packing is not something you do on the weekend, it's something you have to do, and put off for doing as long as you can.
5. For whatever reason, this whole crazy adventure doesn't feel impossible, daunting yes, but not impossible. I like that feeling.

Lesson #2: It takes at least 2 weeks to get over that shock that you actually committed to competing in a triathlon...

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap...

Okay, not the most inspiring opening sentence...but that is what I immediately thought when I first agreed to do a triathlon. Lucky for me, my brain is a little ADD and got tired of repeating that and so switched to"What in the heck have you done!??!?!"

So the loop in my head sounded something like:
crapcrapcrapWHATINTHEHECKHAVEYOUDONEcrapcrapcrapcrap (repeat as necessary)

That my friends is the mental toughness of a champion.

LESSON 1: The first stage of triathlon training...utter and complete shock at agreeing to do it in the first place.