IT CAN BE DONE!!!

Yes it has been a month since my tri...but its done and it was awesome!  It was exciting, cold, painful, but fun :)  All my hard work def paid off and I am now a stronger person for having pushed myself...I can't wait to do it again!!!  So what I thought would be my best part, swimming, turned out the be the hardest for me.  I think I just freaked myself out :) I jumped in, missed the wall to push from, couldn't breath, got caught under the lain rope after the first flip, then had to do back stroke to breath...I eventually caught my breath and got into a rhythm, but that pool was sooooo long! As I got out of the pool I was instantly blasted by 40 degree temps, and I'M WET!  If you ever want to simulate a temperature....do a tri, you are freezing and sweating at the same time...weird!  I ran bare foot out of the pool and on to the track where my bike was halfway around the track waiting on me...yes my foot was wrapped, and I'm telling you, why have I not been wrapping my foot the whole time...I could have had so much less pain!!!  When I got to my bike I couldn't wait to put my jacket on, I looked over and my sister had left hers at her transition spot, I thought, ok well the sun is out maybe I will be fine...I put my shoes, helmet, and sunglasses on and trotted off with my bike, you can't get on it until you are out of the transition area and on to the street.  Burrrrrrr! 14 miles and 4 hills...average speed was around 15 mph...not too shabby! It was hard, but my spinning classes def paid off :)  After the bike it was on to the 3 mile run...the part I was dreading the most...as I got off my bike I realized that my feet were NUMB!!!  I couldn't feel them..so I started STOMPING, I thought man I'm going to look like such an idiot if I start running and can't feel my feet and fall.  My luck... but nope, I started at a VERY slow pace and just kept going....slow and steady wins the race.  Really the run wasn't too bad.  I remember thinking at about 2 miles, really why did I do this again... Then I remembered...oh yeah, cause I ROCK...one year ago I decided enough was enough and I joined the boot camp at my gym I could hardly run 1 mile without feeling like I was going to DIE!!!!  and then I did it again, and again, and again, and then I took matters into my own hands...my sister and a dear Friend said lets do a tri.  Now I'm 30 lb lighter and I have COMPLETED my first, def not my last, triathlon.... yep, I'm a tri girl... My next move will be on Aug. 13 in Republic...gotta start training :)

it's here

I can't believe its really here...this week has been such a blur, hell the past 12 weeks that I have been training seem like such a blur.  I feel like I really tried to slow myself down this week to rest, but it didn't really happen :(  I started off with 1000 swim, then spin class on Tues...one of the hardest tracks I've ever done, so much for taking it easy...then an easy swim on Wed.  That's when my week got really crazy!  With finishing up MAP testing, the death of a student, and all the other odds and ends that make up my crazy jobs, I was EXHAUSTED, my foot hurt, my legs were sore from being so stressed and tense.  Thursday night I went for a facial to calm myself down and I could feel my legs being super tense...it was weird.  So I went to be REALLY early, but didn't sleep and woke up any way Friday morning for a short, but relaxing swim.  It felt good.  I'm typing this as I try and think of all the things I need to remember to bring with me...ugghhh I hate packing with I'm nervous!  I'm also needing to watch a tutorial on how to tape my foot...I just really hope my foot holds up.  There is nothing that I can do about the weather (50 and raining), but I want to try my hardest to not injure my self any more that I already have.  I just can't wait until its all over...the feeling will be great.  Then I can get back to my regular work outs and start loosing weight again, this week was not good, I was stress eating :(  Well, I guess that's it...I'm on my way to COMO in an hour...will def write after this is all over!!!

prepared???

As I sit here and ice and stretch my foot, I can't help but wonder if I'm really ready??? I haven't run 3 miles in several weeks now...ugggh this could be bad.  As long as I finish, that's what I keep telling myself...no one to beat...just want to finish!!!  I swam my 400 today in 6min 30sec...not too bad...my best 500 time in HS was 6:09 I think??? I wore my tri shorts swimming today, that was weird :)  It's weird because this has been building for 12 weeks now...and its here??? Wow time gets away from you when your training hard... Cute guy at the pool today, chating it up about the tri...hummm, guess I will keep swimming until I leave the country...(side note)  So I guess its not SUPPOSE to rain...but be like 50 degrees!  That is going to be SUPER cold coming out of the pool and riding...maybe I will bring my legs for the bike...either way I will be WET!  WET + 50 DEGREES + BIKE = COLD!!!  Let the anxiety begin....

one more week!

I can't believe it is almost here!  I'm not sure I feel ready....but really, are you ever REALLY ready???  I haven't run in 2 weeks, so that is really freaking me out, but I don't want to take the chance...I'm just going to stretch really well every day this week, ice it and hope that all is well... My body does feel tired though.  This week I will not be lifting and will swim 2 days and bike 2 days and that will be about it... I was getting more excited last night as I was reading all about the festivities that day and the day before.  There is a clinic for first timers on Sat. at 5, and I plan on being there.  I hear there is a couple hills on the bike loop, I hope my 7 minute mt. climbing spin track helps with those... I do feel stronger, and if nothing else...this was my motivation to loose 15lbs...I am very proud.  My sister is already looking at the next tri...in Willard at the end of May, I'm going to see if I can get my foot to feel better by then!!!

options

So I def. swore off running after my crazy time on Sunday...I vowed to wear tennis shoes and my inserts no matter how dorky I look every day will nice black pant... (I feel like AN OLD LADY!)  I went to the dr. he said I have 2 options:  1) another cortisone shot and no running for 6 weeks...meaning NO TRI  or 2) "Suck it up" and do the tri...and take pain killers as needed, really  the dr. said that "suck it up"!  So I chose #2, and for whatever reason today I felt great....hmmmm.  I have been swimming and biking like crazy.  I really just want to finish, that would be enough for me!!! I have learned that this issue I have is very common among runners, and teachers :)  So my lovely family at work has given me tip after tip...and I'm doing well.  Less than 3 weeks, hope it all works out!

S.O.B.!!!!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I am so MAD!!! So I gave up running for 1 week, and well my foot didn't get better :(  Last week was sort of an off week for training.  I did however, get on MY bike!  2 times in 1 week...thank you SPRING weather!  So I was having sort of a blah weekend and thanks to my training buddy, I was able to get motivated to do about 16 mile ride today.  Not too much, but it felt good.  I was feeling so good that I decided to...you guessed it, RUN!  I was loving it, I missed it, there is something so amazing about nice weather + good music + a runner high :) So I "said" I was going to go "easy" but its really hard to do that when you know what your body can do!  My body was saying "finally...go, go, go, go, go, further, further, further" and then my FREAKING FOOT was saying...."DAMN YOU!!! I HURT, STOP!!!" So I limped about a mile home...I am so bummed...I'm not sure what to do.  Do I just try and push through for the next 3 weeks and then call the Dr.?  Do I call the Dr. and go and then ignore what he says...cause I freaking know what he will say!?! Do I not run until May 1 and then KILL myself, then go to the dr?  Ughhhh, I just don't know....

Not again....

I have officially given up running for the week...SUCKS!  My foot is so sore! Last week was a great week training, I wanted to write every day, but I was so slammed at work...I will be glad when the next 3 weeks are over.  That also means the Tri will be here...I'm getting nervous!  I ran 2 miles on Sat...at a quick pace, then did my weight class.  Then went straight to get a massage and facial, AMAZING!  As soon as I was leaving the place I could barely walk on my left foot and it just kept getting worse.  So I'm off running this week in hopes my foot will love me and STOP hurting.  Today I swam in the am and biked (spin class) in the PM.  I hate when I have bad swimming days, my body feel super sore.  Tomorrow I will do my weight class, Wed. swim and bike, Thurs swim, Friday bike, Sat run??? we shall see!  Pray my foot gets better!

sore legs

Time is ticking....I feel like I just keep getting more tired. I miss feeling really energetic.  Sad to say, but the only thing getting me to the gym today was knowing I would get to see  a cute guy in my spin class :)  Oh well, whatever works.  I ran yesterday and now my heel is killing me!!!!!!!!!  Ughhhh, I really hope I can continue to run...I would like to focus on that more once training is over for the tri...like a 10k or more.  We shall see. Due to scheduling I believe I will take tomorrow off, as work gets busier, I think its going to get harder to train...but I'm excited to leave work and go to the gym, so I think that is good!

mind over matter....

15 to 25 mph winds....not such a great day to run outside, but I really wanted to enjoy the sun and NOT run on the treadmill!  This week I have felt great in running and biking, but very tired at swimming.  Yesterday I did my spinning class at OFC and tried to not push it as hard as Monday since I would be doing a brick work out.  After the class I decided to take it outside and run from Battlefield to Sunset and back, the same route that I started running this time last year at my Boot Camp Class (yes the same route I could barley run a quarter of the way when I started, and yes the same route that I tripped and fell...and sprain my arm, yes, that route).  This is also my first time to complete my brick workout outside. So I get to my car to dump my stuff and get my music going, cause usually that's the only thing that gets me through my runs, and damn it, it was dead....no juice at all.  My first thought was to hang it up....I was tired and hate running without tunes, but I pressed on telling myself it wasn't the end of the the world!!!  So I did, and I was so shocked the entire time I was running that I was cruising right along and feeling great, even with the head wind in all directions! So moral of the story...as a good friend once said, running is all about mind over matter.... and I def let myself feel proud of how far I have come in a year, and how great I feel!

So tired!

As we speak I'm falling asleep!  Must get sleep!  Back to the pool in the am.... I will write more soon.............

excited for a day off :)

No swim today, but that's ok.  So I decided to go UP in all my weights today...ughhhh so sore.  I think that I will hold off on going up again until after the TRI.  Still have my blisters...blah.  I will be enjoying my day off at a wedding...I hope I don't eat too much :)  I'm debating about giving up alcohol for the remainder of the time I'm training.  I usually only drink once a week, but you never know it could make a difference.  We shall see.

OUCH!

I was so pumped today to run almost 5 mile! I do believe that is the most I have ever run!  I am very proud :)  I will say I stayed up way to late so I missed my strength class, but I will hit it tomorrow instead.  On my ever so long run with Amy, my tri training buddy, I felt so good, not tired at all....my feet were another story.  About 3 miles in I was doing so great, then I could feel it...the sting of fabric rubbing on my arches....and yes the beginnings of yet another blister.  SHIT!  So I pushed through, telling Amy I would be lucky if I wasn't bleeding by the time we got back.  I kicked it into HIGH gear around the lake a close memorial park and then we walked back to the care, Amy, Coop, and Cleo.  I took off my left shoe...sure enough a blister the length of my arch, no blood, but it hurts...guess I won't be running for a couple days.  I wish I could figure out why???

mid week blah

Ok so swim, bike and run all in one day...ughhhh I'm tired!  I'm excited about this blog though.  Yeah I know its 10:00 at night and I'm tired, I should get to bed if I plan on making my 6am weight class, then my 5 mile run.  I feel as though I'm hitting a plateau....a couple of weeks ago I thought I could run forever, but this week, I'm super tired.  I went to the foot dr. yesterday because I have heal issues, 2 time in 3 weeks.  Good news is, I was told to get new shoes (and boy are they cute!), bad news is I dropped some $$$ and my heel still hurts, but not while I'm running, which is good. So I plan to increase my miles tomorrow, we will see how that goes....