Worry Wart

Well, today wasn't as good as yesterday, but that's going to happen. It was a bike day.

I just started biking around the neighborhood earlier this week. It's hilly - which is good and bad. Half the time I feel like I'm cheating because I'm coasting downhill and the other half of the time I think I'm going to pass out from pushing myself uphill. I have to make little goals for myself...make it to the next parked car...make it to the next tree...make it to the next corner...

In the midst of that I worry. I worry I'm going to fall off; I worry I'm going to get a flat tire; I'm worried I'm going to hit a pothole or get stuck in a rut in the street and seriously crash. I can't take my hands off the handle bars. I have no idea how people grab a water bottle and take a long drink of water without having an accident. Maybe, someday, I'll get there.

I ended up having to walk about 4/10ths of a mile out of my 2.12 mile ride. I was going up a hill that lasted two blocks and could only make it about 3/4 of the first block. So, I walked to the corner of the big hill. Then, I was near a little shopping district and wasn't going to attempt getting on my bike in front of all those people. Then, I made it to the next corner and a man was with his daughter walking their two dogs. So, I had to let them pass before I was willing to brave getting back on my bike.

The last half mile didn't seem to be that hard - probably because most of it was downhill.

I just have to keep telling myself it will get easier and then I'll be able to go further and make it harder, again. Then, easier, harder, easier, harder, easier...Race Day!

Super Psyched!

I had an amazing workout, today.

According to my training plan I was supposed to swim 150 yards and do a 20 minute walk.

I went to the pool first. I knew I was going to do more than 150 yards. I was planning on 250. However, I was feeling so good I threw the extra 50 yards in there. I could have kept going, but I reminded myself not to push too hard.

Then, I went to the Trolley Trail for my walk. It's a cool day here for April  - overcast and about 50 damp degrees. However, I decided to run in capris and a short sleeved shirt because I knew I'd get too warm if I worn something long-sleeved. When I got to the trail I decided to start off running and go as long as I could...WHICH WAS THE ENTIRE 20 MINUTES! Granted, it was a slow first mile - 16:46, but still...I ran the whole time. Also, according to my Garmin that's the fastest mile I've run since having the watch a little less than a year ago. Yay, me!

I'm loving being active and getting out there and doing stuff for myself. Steve encouraged me a couple of weeks ago to actually put working out on my calendar and not just on my list of things to do. It definitely helps me make it a priority. I'll write about that on another day.

Week One

I am on my eighth day of training. I feel good. I'm not too sore, but my muscles are tired. I figure this is a good thing. I took more rest days than I wanted to, but got all my workouts in by doubling up on some days. I'm sure this is part of what has lead to my fatigue.

For instance, I did not workout yesterday. Reason being, the day before I swam, biked and ran. Then, yesterday I had to mow the yard. That took over an hour and by the time I was finished my muscles were pretty tired. So, I decided mowing could count as cross-training and I left it at that. So, today I had to bike and run - two taxing activities on the thighs.

What made today more challenging, besides the tired muscles was that it was my first day working out outside. So, my two mile bike ride and my 25 minute walk/run included hills and wind. The elements certainly make a difference. Being outside was worth it, though.

On the way back to the house the sun was behind me and so I was able to watch my shadow in front of me. I'm bigger than I want to be - and recognize I will be for sometime - but, I saw an ATHLETE in my shadow.

That's a pretty great and motivating feeling. Here's to week two!

Triple Crown

I had a REALLY good workout, today.

I've had to skip a couple of days this week. So, today, I doubled up and did two workouts (three sports). Now, you have to remember I am on a really conservative training plan. So, the distances and times aren't all that long, but doing two training workouts over the course of an hour and five minutes was a good push to see where I am at.

First, I did my 20 minute walk. However, I decided to put some running into it and ended up running six of 10 laps and made a 16 minutes mile. This is compared to a 21 minute mile when I've been walking it. Quite a difference. I feel like I could have run more of it - if I'd had someone there pushing me, but also didn't want to push too hard. Again, I don't want to injure myself leading up to the race.

Second, I did the stationary bike. I had a wait a little while to get on the bike I wanted. The gym has a lot of stationary bikes. However, there are two that are built more like a road bike than the others and I wanted to train on one of those. I think the calibrations may be off, though. The bike says I went four miles in 11:20 and I find that near impossible to believe. So, I decided it was more like two miles - which makes a whole lot more sense. I preferred riding this bike over the other bikes, but do wish the calibration was correct. Hopefully. tomorrow, I can get my own bikes tuned and tires filled so I can start riding outside.

Third, I swam. I only swam 200 yards. This feels super short to me, but it's what the training plan says to do. So, that's what I'm sticking with. It only took me 4:36. Granted, this is not fast when it comes to racing. It just seems like a ridiculously short amount of time to be in the pool. The roof over the pool was open a little bit, today. So, after I swam I sat in a lounge chair under the sun and let my suit dry out a bit before heading to the locker room.

I am super proud of what I did, today. To put it into context, last year I finished the triathlon in 2:06. Today, I worked out for a total of 36 minutes and went about a third of the distance of the triathlon. If I keep this up I'm gonna be rocking it by July 30!

Strength Training

Today was a one sport workout day. So, I sprinkled in some strength training.

It's another area I need to be patient with myself. It's difficult to not get frustrated because of where I used to be - how strong I was, my lean muscles, my tight legs and arms and stomach, my strength when pulling myself out of the pool. I really have none of that right now.

I did two reps of my arms and one rep of my legs. My legs were pretty shaky, but that's likely because I rode the bike for four miles. I also did some crunches. My goal is to eventually get up to three reps for arms, legs and abs - and to add in some additional exercises. AND, to do the exercises every day. I certainly watch enough TV that I can do my strength training while doing that and don't really have to find extra time to fit in the routine.

I'm looking forward to seeing (and feeling the power of) my muscles, again!

Keeping Focus

When training for anything it is important to keep two things in mind – your current level of ability and your end goal. I find this especially important in training for races. It’s also very challenging.

The WIN for KC triathlon is 3.5 months away (102 days to be exact, but who’s counting). I know by then I will be leaner and fitter and be able to meet my time goals. I have to keep focused on those so I don’t lose sight of where I want to be and what I need to do to get there.

Conversely, it’s also important to keep in mind what my current fitness level and weight are. I need to know what my present day ability is. Otherwise, I could force undue training lengths on myself and likely come out injured and unable to compete in the triathlon.

The challenging part is keeping both of these conflicting images in focus and not lose sight of either of them. I have to remind myself I won’t get to the fitness level of July 29^th overnight – or even a month from now. I also have to remind myself to push…just a little bit…with every work out, so that come July 29^th I AM where I want to be.

It would be impossible for me to run a 30 minute 5K today. However, that will not be impossible on July 29^th – as long as I stick to my training plan and push a little bit harder and stronger each day. A part of my mentality is telling myself that each day I work out is easier than the day before. However, if I’m pushing myself, this isn’t exactly true. What I should be telling myself is today’s workout is easier than it would be if I hadn’t worked out the day before.

Keeping proper focus is challenging, but it is the way to success.