...if anyone finds it, please send it back! I barely made it through my workout today, and that was after I put it off until 3 p.m. today. I worked out 15 hours this week, and 15 hours last week. I so crave a break, but there are just under 90 days until the Ironman. The next few months are going to be brutal! I'm dreaming of the week (or maybe MONTH) after the Ironman, when I can do absolutely nothing if I don't want to. No schedule to follow!
Yesterday was the Ride for Friedreich's Ataxia. If you're curious to what that is, here's the link to their website: http://www.ataxia.org/
I had never heard of this disease, but it follows along the lines of MS. Only 5,000 people in the entire US is afflicted by it. Some of it's victims were at the ride finish to cheer us in. It was very emotional. The 48-mile ride in itself was a struggle - extremely windy and very hilly (yes, there are hills in the Dallas area, contrary to popular belief!), but nothing compared to what these people have to live through on a daily basis. I saw at least 6 of it's victims in wheelchairs. It's hard to imagine what that would be like on a daily basis. And here I am complaining that I "have" to go running. I'm sure some of them would kill just to be be out of that chair and able to go for a walk around the block.
Next weekend will be a challenge to keep the workouts up as I travel to Cincinnati for a wedding, but I have high hopes. My motto for the weekend will be "Just do it!"
But for now, I am going to get some well needed SLEEP!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Balance - it has disappeared!
My life as I know it is gone, and it will be until June 27. My social life is seriously suffering. Ask my good friend, Robin. She told me today that SHE is tired of my Ironman training lol Really? YOU are tired of MY training? lol Well guess what, I am too! I'm so tired lately. It doesn't help that my cat decides to play under my bed all night long and wake me up constantly. When I have a 5 a.m. wakeup call and he decides to start jumping on the dresser and knocking stuff off at 4 a.m., the squirt bottle comes out! He's not helping matters.
One of my fellow Coeur d'Alene Ironman athletes posted this conversation between she and her husband, on her facebook today:
Michael: "Are you starting to feel like an Ironman?"
Denise: "If feeling like a broken down old lady is feeling like an Ironman, then yes."
And some of the comments to it:
Karen - "That's how it feels. The last 3 months of training are rough."
Kris - "I just want to sleep!!! lol"
Chris - "HAHA.. hang in there.. you guys are going to do amazing."
Jim - "I feel the same way. Well not the lady part. Broken down old man :) Just remember "You can dooooooo it"
And the best of all:
Denise - "It will all be worth it because I WILL BE AN IRONMAN."
Ironman training is crazy, and the next few months are going to be even more out of whack than I can ever imagine. But I know, in the end when I have crossed that finish line, have that medal around my neck and a beer in my hand, every minute of this will be worth it to be able to say "I AM AN IRONMAN!" (Or as I've been reminded by a few people "IRONWOMAN"!
And don't worry Robin, the fun Kris will be back!
One of my fellow Coeur d'Alene Ironman athletes posted this conversation between she and her husband, on her facebook today:
Michael: "Are you starting to feel like an Ironman?"
Denise: "If feeling like a broken down old lady is feeling like an Ironman, then yes."
And some of the comments to it:
Karen - "That's how it feels. The last 3 months of training are rough."
Kris - "I just want to sleep!!! lol"
Chris - "HAHA.. hang in there.. you guys are going to do amazing."
Jim - "I feel the same way. Well not the lady part. Broken down old man :) Just remember "You can dooooooo it"
And the best of all:
Denise - "It will all be worth it because I WILL BE AN IRONMAN."
Ironman training is crazy, and the next few months are going to be even more out of whack than I can ever imagine. But I know, in the end when I have crossed that finish line, have that medal around my neck and a beer in my hand, every minute of this will be worth it to be able to say "I AM AN IRONMAN!" (Or as I've been reminded by a few people "IRONWOMAN"!
And don't worry Robin, the fun Kris will be back!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Travel is not conducive to Ironman training!
I don't know why I even pack my workout stuff when I travel. I never use it. I did get ONE run in this weekend when I was in Seattle, but no swims (unless you count the puddles we had to wade through on our run!), no cycling, and no weight training done. I have full access to the Poulsbo Athletic Club if I want, and I know the way to the Bainbridge Pool. I just hate to waste what little time I have with the grandbabies and my daughters with workouts. It seems so selfish to take time away from them. Besides, they're so much fun and I miss them so much! It's really hard to deal with.
The other evil of traveling is food choices. Many poor (but delicious!) ones were made this weekend. Including the most awesome banana cream pie at the Chimacum Cafe'! If you haven't been there, you simply MUST go!
I also indulged in almost all of my favorite Kitsap County locales, including Chungs Teriyaki, Los Cabos, Spiros, and the best breakfast place of all - Sheilas Waterfront Cafe! Oh, and we musn't forget the Cinnamon Martini's at Sono de Vino on the downtown Poulsbo Waterfront! (It's Heidi's fault...)
So I returned to Dallas at 1 a.m Monday morning (up a full 4 lbs!), and ended up pulling an 11 hour day at work. Fabulous. Another missed training day. Sabatoged again.
Today I was back at it with a 3000 yard swim before work this morning and then a 1.5 hour bike ride and 45 minutes of weights after work. Dinner was at 8:30 p.m., as it often is these days. I'm off to bed by 10:30 and will be up at 5:30 to get a 7 mile run in before work, and then hopefully a swim after work, if I don't end up having to stay late again. This work stuff really gets in the way of my training sometimes!
On another note, my USAT Membership packet came this week! Bring on the 2011 Triathlon season and a new age bracket!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Athletic Supporters
YES! My sister and her family are flying down from Alaska to watch me complete the Ironman!!! I can't tell you how excited I am! They'll be joining my kids and grandkids and hopefully a few friends at the finish line to cheer me in! Don't tell my brother-in-law, but I'm going to beg him to be my beer boy the day after because I have no intentions of leaving a lounge chair ALL DAY!
So this week has been a week of getting back on schedule, back into my routine after having the flu last week that derailed me from the Cowtown Half Marathon. I've done a pretty good job of getting things done and haven't missed a workout yet, so I'm pretty proud of that. So far so good! I am even planning an extra workout tomorrow morning, just because the morning is free! I feel like I'm back on track, and it feels good! My diet has also been good, for the most part lol What I eat makes a very big difference in how I feel and how much energy I have for my workouts.
Sunday night I made a batch of my favorite super food for athletes, brown rice and red beans. Easiest thing in the world to make and super delicious!
The past few months have really opened my eyes up as to why America is such a FAT NATION. For one thing, serving sizes are way too big. Sodium levels are extremely high, as well as fat content. It's no wonder we are all so fat! My mother told me the other day that she used to feed our family of 4 kids with ONE Cornish Game hen! (She also said one can of corn beef hash, but we all know now that isn't the healthiest thing in the world lol) But seriously, the nation is horribly overweight and the food industry is hugely at fault for that. Thank god for people like Michelle Obama that are trying to right that ship! We must educate our young people, keep them active and busy so that they don't end up with the same health problems that the rest of us are getting these days. I myself suffer with high blood pressure and I know it's partly due to the sodium content in all the foods we eat.
So please everyone, learn the lesson before it's too late. Eat healthy as much as you can. It makes a huge difference in now only how you look, but how you feel. Food is energy, not a luxury!
So this week has been a week of getting back on schedule, back into my routine after having the flu last week that derailed me from the Cowtown Half Marathon. I've done a pretty good job of getting things done and haven't missed a workout yet, so I'm pretty proud of that. So far so good! I am even planning an extra workout tomorrow morning, just because the morning is free! I feel like I'm back on track, and it feels good! My diet has also been good, for the most part lol What I eat makes a very big difference in how I feel and how much energy I have for my workouts.
Sunday night I made a batch of my favorite super food for athletes, brown rice and red beans. Easiest thing in the world to make and super delicious!
The past few months have really opened my eyes up as to why America is such a FAT NATION. For one thing, serving sizes are way too big. Sodium levels are extremely high, as well as fat content. It's no wonder we are all so fat! My mother told me the other day that she used to feed our family of 4 kids with ONE Cornish Game hen! (She also said one can of corn beef hash, but we all know now that isn't the healthiest thing in the world lol) But seriously, the nation is horribly overweight and the food industry is hugely at fault for that. Thank god for people like Michelle Obama that are trying to right that ship! We must educate our young people, keep them active and busy so that they don't end up with the same health problems that the rest of us are getting these days. I myself suffer with high blood pressure and I know it's partly due to the sodium content in all the foods we eat.
So please everyone, learn the lesson before it's too late. Eat healthy as much as you can. It makes a huge difference in now only how you look, but how you feel. Food is energy, not a luxury!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Oh my gosh...what have I gotten myself into?
114 days. In 114 days, I WILL have an Ironman finish under my belt and a medal around my neck. The next 114 days will be filled with long swims, long rides and long runs, diet restrictions and healthy eating. I damn well better lose some weight! I can't wait. Honestly, I just wish it were tomorrow so I could get it overwith! It's already been a long winter of training (indoors for the most part - which I'm really, really, really over!) The bike trainer and treadmill (fondly coined the "dreadmill") are great for keeping your base training up, but they are just not as fun or as good of a workout as being out on the open road. The pool will always be about laps, but the lake swims are important too, and as soon as it warms up a bit, I'll be out there once a week thrashing around with fellow teammates so we can get the feel of the swim start at the Ironman. A mere 2,000 racers start the swim ALL TOGETHER - think spin cycle on a washing machine.
You literally get beat up in the swim. It's a fight the entire way, no matter what your strategy in the lake. The swim start is just the beginning of a full day of beat down lol And let me just say, that women are worse offenders than men!
My journey to the Ironman has taken me 4 years to go to the point of "wanting" to do the full distance, and I'm still questioning WTF I was thinking! As I said in the title of my blog, this will more than likely (never say never...) be my first AND LAST Ironman. I am not fast enough on any of the 3 events to ever qualify for the Kona Championships, nor do I want to lol The training is long and arduous, and my social life for the next few months will more than likely be non-existent, and I love to be social! So I'm apologizing to all my friends now for all the invites that I will more than likely have to decline in the near future - please do not give up on me. I'll be back, with an Ironman checked off my bucket list. Save me a beer....
My journey to the Ironman has taken me 4 years to go to the point of "wanting" to do the full distance, and I'm still questioning WTF I was thinking! As I said in the title of my blog, this will more than likely (never say never...) be my first AND LAST Ironman. I am not fast enough on any of the 3 events to ever qualify for the Kona Championships, nor do I want to lol The training is long and arduous, and my social life for the next few months will more than likely be non-existent, and I love to be social! So I'm apologizing to all my friends now for all the invites that I will more than likely have to decline in the near future - please do not give up on me. I'll be back, with an Ironman checked off my bucket list. Save me a beer....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)