When Allen asks me, What did you do today?, my usual answer is... EVERYTHING! I quickly rattle off something like; get the girls up, get them ready for school, get myself ready for work, go to the hospital and round on my patients, have a meeting, swim, bike, and/ or run depending on the days schedule, run some errands, pick up the girls from school, take them to gymnastics or swimming, eat dinner (usually prepared by my wonderful husband), bath time for the girls, read them a book, put them to bed, prepare for the next day... and finally SLEEP! Phew! I knew when I signed up for this journey that it was going to be a challenge, the biggest challenge being, fitting everything in in a measly 24hrs! But as I've mentioned before, organization & time management are key!
Then Monday came... 45 degrees Swim Monday! From the moment I woke up I was battling it out in my head, how was I ever going to get my swim in, in an outdoor pool, in this freezing cold weather (yes, 45* is cold when you live in SA, but not when you live in NY!)?! I left work, drove straight to the gym, signed in, walked to the back corner of the locker room & stood there screaming at myself (in my head of course, not out loud like a crazy lady) to get changed & get out there! 5min later, still standing in the same spot, I conceded defeat... There was NO way I was putting on a swim suit and walking outside in 45* weather, although the pool is heated... I turned around and got back in my car & went home. I did not have a plan B! I was organized & I had the time, but I did not have a PLAN! Lesson learned... Planning is just as essential!
As my friend Kris pointed out, I was being a weenie! I agree. I let my lack of planning, and I have to admit, lack of motivation get the best of me. So now I have found a new pool, an indoor pool, so that when the "winter" days here get even colder... I have NO EXCUSES!
On Friday, I had the privilege of joining my friend Monica for her afternoon PT session in the pool, her first time in the pool since the accident almost 2 months ago... soooo exciting!!! The determination and fight in this girl is incredible!!! I had already done my pool workout earlier and decided I was skipping the 6mi tempo run. But after hanging out with Wonder Woman, I thought, no excuses... get out there and RUN! So I did, and it ended up being a great run. :-)
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
It's like riding a bike...
Two weeks back in training and I'm feeling great :-) It's like riding a bike...
So technically, I hadn't been "triathlon" training since the end of September after Kerrville 70.3. I had only been running, training for San Antonio RnR 13.1, which was an epic fail, but we won't get into that :-P My plan was to do a 13.1 every month from November until March, to keep me busy until triathlon season opened back up. Well... then we all know what happened... IMTX!
So now I'm back in the pool three days a week, trainer two days, long ride one day, and running 3 days a week... Phew! And this is just the beginning! At this point it is about the same training I had been doing for the 70.3, so it is easy to fit the training back into my daily schedule. I often get asked, How I do it all?! Organization & time management are key! I learned long ago that there are 24 hours in a day & there is no reason not to take advantage of as many as possible! Not to imply I am an insomniac, on the contrary, 8 hours are strictly devoted to sleep!
On Wednesday, Orissa & I attended a book signing by Craig "Crowie" Alexander, 3x Ironman World Champion, 2x 70.3 World Champion, & first man to win them both in same year! Now there is inspiration for you! He was very down to earth & family oriented, which I liked. Two points which he made stood out for me: 1) just because you are unhealthy, doesn't mean you are unfit. When you get sick, take time to recover! I learned that the hard way training for SA RnR, one "test" run became 3 days of NO running! And 2) he takes more pride in watching his family, sponsors, & friends rejoice over his victories than the victory itself! I'm no pro, so sometimes finishing itself is a victory for me! So when I get a kiss from my husband & girls on the course or know my friends will be along the course cheering me on... that's all I need to make sure I cross that finish line!
So technically, I hadn't been "triathlon" training since the end of September after Kerrville 70.3. I had only been running, training for San Antonio RnR 13.1, which was an epic fail, but we won't get into that :-P My plan was to do a 13.1 every month from November until March, to keep me busy until triathlon season opened back up. Well... then we all know what happened... IMTX!
So now I'm back in the pool three days a week, trainer two days, long ride one day, and running 3 days a week... Phew! And this is just the beginning! At this point it is about the same training I had been doing for the 70.3, so it is easy to fit the training back into my daily schedule. I often get asked, How I do it all?! Organization & time management are key! I learned long ago that there are 24 hours in a day & there is no reason not to take advantage of as many as possible! Not to imply I am an insomniac, on the contrary, 8 hours are strictly devoted to sleep!
On Wednesday, Orissa & I attended a book signing by Craig "Crowie" Alexander, 3x Ironman World Champion, 2x 70.3 World Champion, & first man to win them both in same year! Now there is inspiration for you! He was very down to earth & family oriented, which I liked. Two points which he made stood out for me: 1) just because you are unhealthy, doesn't mean you are unfit. When you get sick, take time to recover! I learned that the hard way training for SA RnR, one "test" run became 3 days of NO running! And 2) he takes more pride in watching his family, sponsors, & friends rejoice over his victories than the victory itself! I'm no pro, so sometimes finishing itself is a victory for me! So when I get a kiss from my husband & girls on the course or know my friends will be along the course cheering me on... that's all I need to make sure I cross that finish line!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Make decisions with your heart...
I often turn to my 8-ball app or fortune cookies to help make life changing decisions... The decision to do my first Ironman was no different. Allen & I had just flown back from a weekend in AZ & were talking over dinner. The pros and the cons were laid out on the table, and then came my fortune cookie... Make decisions from the heart and use your head to make it work out. Of course!
So, rewind about 24hrs before I made this crazy decision... We were in Tempe, AZ cheering on our friends who were racing their first Ironman: The Iron-Whiners! I had spent the better part of the summer training for 70.3 while Kris, Shelly, Orissa, & Herb trained for their "crazy" 140.6! I swore up & down that I would NOT sign up for IMAZ 2013 before leaving there Mon. morning! I was not ready to do a full Ironman! Well, long story short... about 5hrs into the race, we got the call. Kris called Robert that she got clipped on the bike & went down... She was done! Our hearts all collectively sank, but were relieved Kris was ok. Immediately, I started thinking, "OMG, all that training... What is she going to do now?!" The answer came as obvious as the question... "She's going to do another Ironman!... And she's going to need a training partner!" Well, I did stick to my guns... I didn't sign up for IMAZ 2013... But I did sign up for IMTX 2013!!!
So, week one of training is in the books! It's like riding a bike, getting back in the saddle. I try not to laugh when my "long run" is 1hr or my "long ride" is 1:30hr... I know in a few weeks, I'll be begging for mercy! A couple things I realized: I missed paddles, buoy, band swims!, I still find the trainer mentally exhaaaauuusting!, ... AND I have a LOOONG road ahead of me, which means A LOT of conversations in my head! Now I know why Ironmen blog :-)
So, rewind about 24hrs before I made this crazy decision... We were in Tempe, AZ cheering on our friends who were racing their first Ironman: The Iron-Whiners! I had spent the better part of the summer training for 70.3 while Kris, Shelly, Orissa, & Herb trained for their "crazy" 140.6! I swore up & down that I would NOT sign up for IMAZ 2013 before leaving there Mon. morning! I was not ready to do a full Ironman! Well, long story short... about 5hrs into the race, we got the call. Kris called Robert that she got clipped on the bike & went down... She was done! Our hearts all collectively sank, but were relieved Kris was ok. Immediately, I started thinking, "OMG, all that training... What is she going to do now?!" The answer came as obvious as the question... "She's going to do another Ironman!... And she's going to need a training partner!" Well, I did stick to my guns... I didn't sign up for IMAZ 2013... But I did sign up for IMTX 2013!!!
So, week one of training is in the books! It's like riding a bike, getting back in the saddle. I try not to laugh when my "long run" is 1hr or my "long ride" is 1:30hr... I know in a few weeks, I'll be begging for mercy! A couple things I realized: I missed paddles, buoy, band swims!, I still find the trainer mentally exhaaaauuusting!, ... AND I have a LOOONG road ahead of me, which means A LOT of conversations in my head! Now I know why Ironmen blog :-)
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