Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Track practice

I had a rough track practice last evening. My times are staying put or getting faster, which is great, but everyone else seems to be surpassing me. I was so frustrated that I left early and finished my workout in the parking lot of the high school where we work out. I always compare myself to others and am too competitive to watch people get so much faster than I.

This training has really brought up how I felt in junior high all over again. I just need to keep plugging along.

I read a blog of someone who bikes 100 miles/week and is staying everyday between 850-1100 calories--always under 1200 calories. I think I eat that much by the end of lunch. How can someone work out a lot and stay at such a small caloric intake? I can't seem to cut back no matter how hard I try. I just get so hungry.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Weekend

Saturday started off at 5:30am for a 4 hour bike ride through Apache Trail and onto Tortilla Flats. Gorgeous! Best bike ride ever. Beautiful cactus and desert landscape with canyon lake looming in the background. I charged up the hills, but stayed behind the pack for the flats. We had a lot of switchbacks and straight climbs and downhills. Although, I am not feeling the love of my training group member who said "maybe Ironman isn't for you." She is on my bad side now. Let your haters be your motivators.

Right after the ride, we all did a 6 mile hill run: three miles up, three miles down. I averaged not too shabby on the run.

The next day at 5:30am, we all met for a 20 mile run and it went great. The first 15.5 miles flew by. I had problems with my iPod the night before and think it is done. I had an old friend give me an iPod last year, so I'll have to be using that now. However, for the 20 miler, I decided to use a small portable radio and knew the batteries would be dying. So I kept a spare pair of batteries with me in a pocket. Well, of course, the batteries died and I thought...no problem, I have back ups. Smart thinking! Well, somewhere between mile 1 and mile 4, they fell out. But alas, the 20 miles went fine.

At noon, I met my group for swimming practice, which I dread. I am not a swimmer and really struggle with swimming. The coach stayed with me to practice my form and it is so hard to relearn what I have been doing for so long. Plus, in races, a lot just goes out the window anyway when you wear a wetsuit and battle it out with 2000 other people who kick and pound you.

I am feeling quite bad about three things in my life that are weighing heavily on my mind. I won't go into it here, but I'll just say that I have had three disappointments recently all at the same time. They say things happen in threes, so maybe three wonderful things will be happening to me soon. I'll say that one has to do with my training group member who seems to take a harsh beating to me, one has to do with another harsh person in my life and another has to do with not getting something I really wanted for the past 6 years and someone else getting it who probably doesn't know what he or she has.

But life must go on. I feel blessed to have other good opportunities come my way, but not getting this one hurt. Not so much for not getting it, but for the person that got it.

But I am grateful for this training and for my braces and for celebrating my dad's birthday yesterday. My dad is in amazing shape and works so hard. I should learn from him.