Thursday, September 3, 2009

Swimming

I swam 4000m yesterday and wow, was that monotonous. Back and forth and back and forth. I did purchase a waterproof contraption for my iPod so I could listen to music while I swim. According to the website, both Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin use it, so if it is good enough for them...but I read some reviews online that weren't positive. Turns out once you get underwater and stroke and breathe, you can't hear the music. It becomes very muffled and sounds just like your neighbor playing music...you know it's there, but can't make out any sounds. So I may be returning that. If I wouldn't swim and just held my head underwater, you could make out the songs a little better, but still muffled. So I guess I will be listening to my breathing and sounds of my thoughts as I swim.

I did run 8 miles yesterday as well and then biked this morning a little. I think my iPod is done and dead. I fell on it during my bike accident and it got pretty banged up and I think I may have broken it permanently.

Today my little brother left for Salt Lake City. He has packed up his things and moved there, so I am sad. I will miss him. I hope I get to live near him again soon. Maybe he'll be back someday, I hope.

But all is well. I am ready for a good night's sleep at some point. Been waking up early to train everyday. But life is all good.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Moving forward

So I'm still moving forward with Ironman training. I swam 3300m yesterday and it was fine. Boring to swim all those laps, but fine nonetheless. I also swam this morning again at 6am and have sprints tonight.

I purchased a waterproof ipod case to swim and listen to music, so maybe that will help. See how that works out for me. I haven't received it yet.

I will see how my training adds up for the next month and then go from there. I don't know. I still feel very, very behind. I am not quick nor feel as conditioned as I should be by now I think.

Ironman training has been very interesting and wonderful and frustrating all at the same time. My body is now doing very weird things that is has never done before. So we'll see what happens, hopefully it'll work out, but if not...I'll cry.

I've always really loved triathlons. I like individual sports where I am just challenged by my own self and not by a team. I like the conditioning of it and the fact that my body can't plateau. Every workout everyday is different. I like the challenge; I like the racing; I actually like being a slave to a regimented schedule. I need that or I slack. But it is stressful and hard and I am having flashbacks to junior high days when I was not an athlete at all. It's bringing up some really bad memories, which I've never experienced in any other training I've ever done before...even for half ironmans, which are fairly grueling in training.

But we'll see. I will be an Ironman someday.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Weekend

On Saturday I biked 3 hours with my group and then we ran 4 miles, but it was so hot that we had to cut our workout short. We were supposed to do 4 hours of biking. It's been 113 almost everyday and tomorrow is September! We have been breaking heat records and I'm about ready to lose it. I tried to run yesterday and it was 10 miles that took me longer than any half marathon time I have run. I just don't know if I will be ready and it's been a bit of a heartbreaking weekend.

I hear how everyone is swimming 4000 meters already and I'm just not there. My swimming is behind and it's too hot to get in the full workouts. I've never given up on any physical challenge I've been given, so don't know what to do. But I just can't train in this heat and I'm too slow in swimming. Really sad right now, but we'll see. Maybe I can still pull it off. It's something I've been wanting for a very long time and signed up for this race in April 2008.