Extraordinary Mundane

My goals for this week were:
• Get in the pool twice. (Done!)
• Be able to swim 100 meter sets with 30 sec rest breaks full 32 laps (Pretty good but still need to rest after only 50 meters during later sets.)• Join Pool Club (done!)
• Do two speed work runs where I decide the pace and do intervals to pick up my speed (I’d like to get to 12 minute miles) (Half completed: I did only one speed workout because I was tired and it is not worth getting injured)
• Buy Bike (Monday probably?) (Almost completed: put a deposit down and will buy it next week )
• Take my kids for a bike ride (they are so excited mommy is buying a bike!) (Not completed: no bike! But we did go swimming!)

The sweetest moment:
I achieved a personal record this week with regards to my running pace (see below under Proud Moment). It’s a very sweet victory for me because running has been such a slow, long struggle. Not really that long and slow more like just I got smacked into reality realizing that improvement is going to come at it’s own pace not what I just think in my head! Anyway - I realized my turnover was slow and I am trying to land more on my fore foot. We are coming up on my “one year of running” anniversary in April.

My biggest emotional struggle is: How I see my body. I can “feel” the changes under all this skin but I can’t SEE them. That is very depressing. It’s very hard for me to put all this work in and not have the body payoff. Why I have to have a visual ideal of what an athlete is I do not know – but I seem to crave it. Maybe I need to take some before pictures? My body fat did go down this week but the scale did not. I know, I know… this is good. Blah blah blah.

My biggest physical struggle/worry is: The hill at the end of the race. Still. Still worried — and oh btw — the hill is still there. LOL Even well rested, hills are difficult for me. I just haven’t been able to run up that kind of grade all the way to the top even at the beginning of a run. How am I going to handle it at the end of a race? I have no doubt I can train for hills but I do have doubt I can train to do a hill at that level of exhaustion. I did run up 40th without stopping though this week. Pace was like 15:30 but at least I didn’t stop. That is progress right?

I am also a little bit worried about the biking. Mostly because I haven’t gotten into it yet. Once I start brick workouts I’ll feel much more secure.

I’m still worried about what to wear. I just need to go try on Trisuits. Surely someone makes tall sizes. Please dear God, do not make me have to wear two pieces because there are no other alternatives.

This is what I did this week:

Tuesday,
Mar 13, 2007

Running
Hills
Neighborhood Loop (hills)
3.60 miles
56:20 (15:38/mile)
Hey… progress is being made. This was over 900 feet of elevation and my walking pace up the hills (i can only run in spurts) is getting faster! ha!

Wednesday,
Mar 14, 2007

Swimming
Gym
1000 meters
Foot cramps slowed me down. But overall I felt so much better then last week!!! Great swim. Just felt like I was gliding through the water. (’cept for the damn cramps!)

Thursday,
Mar 15, 2007

Running
Big Ass Hills
3.60 miles
52:21 (14:32/mile)
I kept my pace under 12:30 for the first two miles! YAY ME! I know this is NOTHING for other folks, but for me it’s a real milestone. Last mile and half was mostly uphill. Had to walk some — but still pretty happy

Saturday,
Mar 17, 2007

Swimming
Gym
1000 meters
My daughter timed me and I did 50m at 55 sec pace and I did 100m at 155sec. Couldn’t hold the pace obviously. But it’s my first benchmark. I was going to run today but decided to swim instead because my legs feel like lead

Most proud moment: 2 full miles under 12:30 pace. Yay me. (insert cabbage dance icon here)

What I am thinking about with my training: I have to get a handle on pacing and how different paces feel to my body. Historically in my head all exercise just felt bad. Everything was equal. If it was exertion, it was bad. So going “all out” was the same as “just trying”. Turns out… it’s not the same. So I am working at reprogramming myself. I think I am starting to feel it with running. I can definitely feel it with swimming. I am working to understand the difference and how it affects my endurance. It’s a hard lesson for me really. The lesson of “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should”. And there is a big difference for me between thinking and feeling. I have educated myself on the thinking but now I am working on the feeling.

Training tip that most impacted me this week:
Swim downward.

How I feel overall: By the end of this week I felt tired. I was going to run today but I just wasn’t up to it. My legs felt like lead. I was so tired that I worried I might be getting sick. Since I malabsorb nutrients (I fight anemia among other issues), I don’t’ know if it’s tied to nutrition or just general fatigue everyone else feels too. I am also struggling a bit with hydration. I know it will come. I just have to learn my body and adapt. Muscle soreness has improved 100% since I upped my Vitamin D intake.

Goals for next week:• Buy the bike and stop worrying about finding the perfect bike.
• Watch “Total Immersion” Freestyle swimming video
• Just do a few rides to get used to the bike
• 30 mins of practicing pedal clipping in and out
• At least two runs at 45 mins each (next week is super busy for me and I’m a bit worried about fitting everything in). Continue focus on stride turnover and hill work for strength.
• Two swims of at least 45 mins each.

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