Triathlons and training

It has been 2 months now since Ironman and I didn't go through the typical depression after a big-time race. I went through a euphoria for two weeks, then back to normal. I am always planning the next race and don't want to stop training, so I don't usually go through a down phase after crossing a major finish line.

However, with that being said, I have gone through major, major difficulties in stamina. My endurance isn't what it was before Ironman when I was doing 5 hour bike rides followed the next day by a 15-20 mile run and swim. Now, I have a hard time mustering 13 miles of running. I did 15 miles last weekend and could barely muster the energy past mile 12. I have planned on doing a marathon on Valentine's day (as I thought that is the perfect way to spend a silly holiday), but now not so sure. I should run 20 miles this weekend and see. If I don't make it, I'll switch to a half marathon on Feb. 14th and complete a full in the spring... maybe 2 fulls in the spring when I'm hoping my stamina level is back and 20 miles is a walk in the park like it used to be pre-Ironman.

I am also planning my international marathon and very excited at where I will be heading. I will also find out if I won the lottery into the NYC marathon.

Plus, triathlon season is just around the corner. Unfortunately, I do not hear the pool calling my name. I can, though, hear my goggles yelling "don't touch, don't touch." Hmmm...

Half Marathon

Exactly two weeks after Ironman, I ran a half marathon. Knowing my body hasn't properly healed and my ugly blood blisters on my feet seem to be clinging for dear life, I just used the race as a catered long run. I decided that I would use this race as "Thank a Police Officer Race." It is December; it is cold; it is near the holidays; it was on a Sunday and I'm sure they would rather be home with their families than blocking traffic for runners. So I ran from police officer to policer officer rather than run from mile marker to mile marker. I simply stated, "thank you for helping out today," which was always met with a "you're welcome." It made me feel so good inside and gave me motivation to finish when my IT band was killing me.

I then met my training group for a potluck and an afternoon of fun and stories of our racing experiences. After that, I went to a BBQ with friends and listened to beautiful Christmas music and watched concerts on television.

What a glorious day! I love my life right now. 2009 is ending on a happy note. Unfortunately, my post-Ironman feet don't think so, but they sure deserve my love for getting me through an almost 14 hour race. I have recently deemed my body "six feet of bad ass." It has worked hard for me all year.

Conversations at the bike shop

Last evening I picked up my bike from the shop as it was getting a tune-up. A lady there asked me if I were doing triathlon races and I said yes. I asked her the same. She said no she doesn't; she wanted to, but her husband says no. She actually looked sad when she told me this.

Another friend of mine is doing the same training I am and he has three children and is a single dad. He says the training is making family life very hard. He wants to stop to enjoy more time with his kids. His kids are also very young.

Another friend of mine says he needs marriage counseling because of the time he spends away from his wife with early morning swims and long weekend workouts.

I will sometimes complain about being single, but other times I feel that singleness has so many blessings and I really have no reason to complain. I train as I please and get up early or stay up late and no one cares. I don't feel like my training is being selfish to a marriage or taking precious time away from children.

It simply makes me eat all the time and for that I REALLY can't complain because I do like to eat.

Happy Halloween

I started off the morning that began with a chilly bike ride and ended up with a run in some heat. I did 75 miles on the bike and ended with an 8 mile run around a lake. I even was a good cyclist and helped to stop a fellow biker with a flat.

I am all gelled up from sticky GU seeping its way down my leg and my poor bike just gets Gatorade and GU all over it. It withstands such a beating I give to it, as does my poor body. I ran with my headphones and listened to Michael Jackson's Thriller and The Monster Mash to get into the spirit of the holiday.

Tonight I am dressing up as an inmate in black and white strips and heading to a haunted house.

Tomorrow I will do a 14 mile run and a 2.5 hour swim. I am not looking forward to that long swim...it will be my longest. I end up completely comatose after my long swims and pruned as an old apple.

Fall...? Where are you??

Autumn is my favorite time of the year--when the weather starts cooling down, Halloween candy is stocked on the shelves in the stores for me to salivate over and the mornings are perfect for running.

But, alas, the weather Gods seem to be punishing Arizona for some reason. It has been 109 on Saturday and 102 on Sunday with record-breaking temperatures...three words that are on the news almost everyday.

This weekend was a big training weekend and unfortunately, was so long I had no choice but to deal with the weather.

My 17 mile run on Saturday ended up with me running to the Circle K to buy Gatorade. I grabbed a bottle and yelled, "Gatorade, where have you been all my life?" And I was only at mile 14. It was a long, long 17 miles with salt forming on my head and face and the salty taste of the fruit punch Gatorade was so delicious down my throat.

I love to run at Kiwanis Park, this lovely park by my house where the kids feed the ducks in the pond and boys go fishing with their dads. Some kids like to count the amount of times I run around the lake because I tend to run it at least 17 or 18 times around. I love this park. Well, I got there on Saturday and the whole thing was torn up with metal fencing around it. Say what? My beautiful run and crowd watching were not going to come to fruition. I also love to run at this park because they have water fountains and bathrooms, which are especially helpful in the heat of the desert. Well, the city turned off all the water fountains and locked all the bathrooms. I ran there anyway and by the end after downing all my Gatorade and 1 gallon of water, I was holding onto the fence just to stay up. My electrolyte level was just too low from the heat and my stomach was cramping and legs felt icky.

Then afterward, I headed to the gym to swim.

On Sunday, I had my longest bike ride in 102 degrees. A group was riding the 87 highway and I had 100 miles to bike. 100! No exaggeration. 100 miles after my really difficult run on Saturday in my fabulously icky park. I started off well, taking in 300 calories per hour and following my nutrition plan. I cruised down the hill at 25 miles per hour and averaged around 20 mph for the first half of the course. Then....the heat came! Salty bikers in colorful shirts headed up the hill cursing the desert Gods for giving us this Indian summer. I had something happen to me that has never happened. Sometimes during biking I wear a headset, which a fellow biker did not appreciate. He biked near me to let me know how he felt about this and to tell me how bad a biker I was...hmm? What did I ever do to you? He then found me again several times along the highway and even came back around biking the opposite direction of traffic to bike next to me to yell very mean words to me. I told him I couldn't hear him because I was wearing my headset..lol! That made him more upset, but I loved it.

I came back to a much needed shower, as I had grease and gel packets stuck to my skin. I am a beautiful biking sight! Ahhh, now to eat all the calories I can.

Aches and Pains

I went to the chiropractor last night for the first time since I was 14. I have been having back problems from biking. Whenever I bike, I get a pain in my upper back that won't go away for the rest of the day. He poked and prodded and stretched me out and I woke up this morning feeling like I had been weightlifting like crazy.

So this morning I went biking and within 45 minutes, the pain returned.

Plus, on Sunday, my knee that I injured in a 2007 bike accident has now started hurting again with any physical activity--even swimming, which has never caused me any pain. It's the least hard on the joints, so makes no sense.

This training is really tearing up my body. I think I can live with the back pain, but the knee pain makes me nervous. In September 2007 I got into the bike accident and ended up in physical therapy for it and it kept me out of some races. So I'm hoping the pain will go away.

I'll ice it and pray.

Working hard

I am hard at work with training. I just did a 15 mile run and then Friday before work I will do an 18 mile run and then Saturday I am doing a 2 hour bike ride followed by an open water swim. Sunday I do a 6 hour bike ride...6 hours is an awfully long time to be seated in a saddle. I truly am trying to dig deep to find the motivation for that...I can only listen to my iPod for so long before I get tired of the songs and the radio plays the Black Eyed Peas at least 6 times an hour. So I'll try. It's still very hot and training in heat is very hard on the body.

I have been contemplating a hair color change for a while. I've been blonde (fake blonde) for about 13 years now. I'm thinking of going brunette for a while. Chlorine makes the blonde just wash out anyway and it's expensive to up keep, although I've been doing it for so long. Might be fun to see what life is like on the other side. I really don't remember what it is like having dark hair. I have no one to impress, so if it doesn't work for me, it's not like it'll really matter. I haven't been very social lately. Just training, working in an office where I don't have much interaction with people, and watching television.

I am addicted to the Real Housewives of (fill in city) series. I also am loving the Rachel Zoe Project. I just like seeing all the beautiful fashion and dreaming of far away lands where I get to be dressed up and have people do my hair and makeup and look fabulous or "bananas," as Rachel would say. But no walking red carpets for me in Dior and Jimmy Choos high heels. Instead it is jogging paths in Under Armour and New Balance shoes. At least I'm more comfortable.

I am working on a positive outlook on life. So I am listing a few things that make me happy:
1. With my love of running, I can eat sweets and no guilty feeling comes.
2. I like being alone. Most people aren't introverted, so when they are alone, they hate it. I love it.
3. I will have straight teeth when these braces come off. I think that will be the happiest day of my life.

Update

Last Saturday I attempted a 5 hour bike ride, but was met with pouring rain and lightening. Due to safety issues, I had to stop after 3 hours. It was actually quite cold and shivering. So I went to the gym, ran 8 miles on a treadmill and then swam 2000 meters. The next day I met a group for a 12 mile run on a trail; then Monday, a holiday, I got in my 5 hour bike ride. I didn't end up riding too many miles though in 5 hours. Guess I was a slow biker that day and I did get a flat tire. On Saturday, a member of my training group was off to the side of the road changing a flat so I stopped to help. She said a staple went through her tire...a staple? No way, I thought. But then guess what? Monday comes and I get a flat. I always try to find the source of the problem before I put in the new tube and wouldn't you know? A staple had found its way through my tire and tube. Maybe I was jinxed.

My long swim this week lasted 3500m and went just fine.

I have been very tired lately and getting bad headaches. I think my teeth from my braces are shifting quite a bit, so maybe that is why. Or maybe it's the never-ending heat. But I hope it goes away.

Today is September 11th and it's nice to see all the American flags flying in people's yards.

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.

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.

Braces

It has now been 1 month since I got my white braces put on my teeth. I got them tightened today. My bite is different and my teeth are now overlapping each other, but when I smile, it looks the same. Hopefully it is coming along. So for the next couple of days, it will be mushy food.

I was so good about my training last week. I was up between 4-5:30am to train every single day. This week...not so much. Been really tired lately and hungry. Need to snap out of it and get my rear on the saddle.

Weekend

On Saturday I did a group ride of 70 miles. It took a very long time to finish. I did get one flat tire, unfortunately. I wasn't the only one, though. I was considered lucky to only get 1 flat. So frustrating, but I lucked out and one member of my group who is Speedy Gonzalez with changing flats happened to bike by and stop and fix my flat in record time. It would have taken me over twice as long to change the flat. Perhaps our prayers to the anti-flat Gods need to be more faithful. I'll try exercising my faith all week before the long ride this weekend comes.

I was getting bored and hungry by the end of the ride. I was counting my pedaling with 100 times on my right foot and then switching to 100 times on my left foot, then singing songs in my head...anything to stay with it and not get too tired.

Afterwards, we all hit the pool and ate and ate and ate. Usually triathletes are quite loud and talkative, but as soon as we got food, we all went completely silent. I swear if I had two forks, I would have been double fisting it. I couldn't shovel the food down fast enough. I wonder if it possible to gain weight with this level of working out because it seems like I am eating my weight in food all the time. Some people in my group were complaining that they were tired of being hungry all the time. Amen to that! At least I am not alone. I am not using braces as any excuse not to eat food. I am still eating bread and bagels, which my dentist said not to eat.

The next day I went on a 14 mile (hot, hot) run. I was sweating like crazy and went through three water bottles. Then, I had a swim. I had bad memories of junior high gym return. I got put into a swim group that was clearly above my level. I was the slowest one in the group and made me feel like the anti-athlete I was throughout my elementary and high school days. I didn't like that feeling. It is not good for the self-esteem.

Then after that, no matter what I ate, I couldn't get full. My tank is emptying quickly.

But I love the training!! I just love it.

I also love eating cake and not feeling guilty. But I do not love the early mornings when my alarm clock has the number "4" in the hour. Getting up before 5am on the weekends is not my idea of a "weekend."

Training

I have been waking up early everyday this week to train. I won't get some extra zzz's till possibly Monday, but even then, not too much sleep. It's not bothering me though. I like the training.

I feel as though I am behind. I read some other people's blogs on training and it's so advanced. My training just got kicked up, but not to the level as others, so hope I am doing everything I need to do. But perhaps it is a good thing and I am not wearing myself out like others. Bike rides are longer and long runs are longer, but everything else during the weekdays is staying pretty stagnant in terms of the training program.

We'll see what happens. Hope no more accidents. Braces are still weird, but probably always will be a strange feel for the duration of wearing them. I feel like I have huge lips as they are forced out over the brackets.

Healthy Tip: Write down your fitness goals and you will be more likely to achieve them
My New Year's Fitness Resolutions:
1. Run 3 half marathons by February 2009
2. Complete an Ironman competition
3. Place in an event
4. Join a swimming team

I'll revisit these goals every so often to make sure I am on track. Happy training!