It's a mixed bag.

So, this post was supposed to be the pivotal earth shattering (not really) decision announcing one about whether I'd be registering for a big race or not AND which one if so. Right?

Well, hubby threw an amazing (but utterly confusing) curve ball last night. So much so, that I'm still wrapping my head around it and I'll have to postpone the announcement for the BIGGER announcement?! Uh. Yea. 

So hang tight y'all. I'm so sure you've been on pins and needles. Lol. (At least I entertain myself!) 

In the mean time, keep on moving and talk at ya soon! 

Valerie

Breathe, Keep Calm & Swim On

That's the mantra on repeat in my head. 

After a week off from swimming, getting in the pool last night was absolutely necessary but also terrifying. I decided to try simulating open water swim conditions. 400M, nonstop without warmup (other than dynamic arm stretches), no walls and sighting drills throughout. Ugh. It was like swimming for the first time. Again. I've said this before, swimming is not like riding a bike at all. 

My breathing pattern was off. No, it was nonexistent. I guess my imagination took the best of me as I was visualizing race day conditions...

1- can't see the bottom, my goggles got foggy and I didn't allow myself a break to fix them...

2- getting to the length end & awkwardly turning sans touching the wall and starting again was draining. I worried about fatiguing in the lake. Which led to eradic breathing and caused me to flip on my back to catch my breath. 

3- The start & stop also broke any kind of rhythm I was even close to attaining which I figured would be much like getting smacked in the head. 

A fantastic training swim, don't cha think? :/

It was the longest 11 minutes ever. And then, I took a break and did it again! It wasn't easier because now I was tired. Swimming for your life has away of sucking the energy out of you, I suppose. It took an extra minute too. 

I really just wanted OUT of the pool by then but I had to get past this craziness. I did another 400 of drills (100k, 150p, 150fs DPS).  Good grief, so much better. And then, I did another 400 straight, with wall and was AMAZED at how fluid my breathing was. WTF? I could have swam forever. Ugh. So frustrating!

In any event, I realize that practice is the only thing that will help me, plus the actual experience of DOING IT. 

I've been repeating this mantra to myself all morning every time the race pops into my head. And then, I get an email from a buddy who just finished Ironman St George, Utah last weekend. He sent some inspirational finisher videos and had this to say about my OWS qualms:

"HI Val!  I hope you will watch the “recap video” below!  It’s soo inspiring and you can see the amazing scenery at Ironman St. George.  It was totally amazing!!!  Maybe you’ll be inspired too and I’ll see ya there next year!  Ha! Man, I LOVED that course!  Soo beautiful.  I found myself just looking around soo much during the race!  Wow.  I'll be back for more next year. 

OMG!  Open water swimming is a different world.  EVERYONE feels just like you do the 1st couple times! EVERYONE!  If you have to float on your back for a bit fine!  If you have to do breast stroke for a while fine.  Who cares!  Just get there early and do a practice swim to calm yourself.  And if someone pisses you off in the swim (likes kicks you in the face!)  just pull their feet REALLY hard. Ha!

I'm Sooo excited for your VAL!!!  You goo!  I can't wait to hear about it!!!"

That coupled with all the articles I've read on the subject since my swim makes me 

feel slightly better. But not sure I'll be joining him so soon. Baby steps. :)

Stay tuned!!

Valerie

Indoor Tri -The Not So Race Report

Another triathlon checked off the list! This one was an indoor Tri "powered by Lifetime Fitness and Ironman".  I started by membership at Lifetime in early January and had seen the posters all around about their push to get people into triathlon with their "Commit to Tri" slogan.  I learned upon joining that my particular gym had just hosted an New Year's indoor tri a week or two prior.  I was bummed that I had not known about it, it would have been a great way to get my feet wet with this whole tri business.

I asked about when the next one would be and it seems that not all clubs do all the events every time. The next one would be in April in the location in Katy or Sugarland.  Both those are pretty equal in distance from me so I just flipped a coin and registered for the one in Katy.

I got my friend to sign up too and sold her on how great it would be for us newbies.  And that it really is. The triathlon is set to be a 10 min swim in a pool where they count your lengths and later assign points based on number of participants.  Then, you have a 10 minute transition window (which is SO generous!) and then you hop on to a spin bike for 30 minutes (tennis shoes in basket clips or bring your clip ins) and then another 5 minute transition to jump on treadmill for 20.  And you're done!

After the initial sign up (and the friend boondoggle), I didn't think much of this again.  In fact, this week I pretty much gifted myself a recovery week because I flat out just felt worn out.  I probably should have swam at least once but I got my hair "did" on Friday and wasn't about to mess with that. For this.  On Saturday, I went down to Galveston to pick up my daughter and 4 of her friends from a sleepover party.  I had already decided that a side trip to Moody Gardens where Ironman 70.3 Texas would be taking place the next day was inspirationally necessary.  This gave me the nervous race energy I was lacking and am still not sure was necessary!

Late Saturday afternoon, I learned that my friend was sick and would not be joining me.  I was a little disappointed because I just didn't feel like going at it alone.  Again.  Nonetheless, I was registered and committed and I wasn't about to skip it.  Hell no.  I packed up my stuff and my daughter (12) asked me what I was doing.  She asked me who I was going with and I explained my solo status to her.  I asked, on a whim, "do you want to come with me?" and before I could brace myself for a "no", she said "sure" and then followed with "but I don't just want to watch, I want to DO it".  Um.  What? What a pleasant surprise!  But then I thought, is she joking?  Is the lack of sleep from her party making her delirious?  I had no idea if that was even an option but I didn't hesitate to call the club to find out.  As expected, no one that would have the answer to that question was there so we'd have to just show up in the morning and see.  Worst case, she'd be my cheerleader.

By morning, I thought maybe she'd have a change of heart.  But her bag was packed and I learned later that my words to her about being "together" with her struck a chord and motivated her to get up and go.  I was scheduled in the 8:40 wave so we left with plenty of time in the case I had to fill out paperwork for her late registration.

It was touch and go for awhile as there was uncertainty about her ability to join the event but after speaking with the club GM, he said that although the event was "closed", if anyone was a no show, she could fill the spot.  Lucky for us, that was exactly the case!  It wasn't until the last minute before start time that she was given the green light to jump in the pool and share a lane with me.  Happy day!

The Swim:

I was so happy to see her giving it her all with no training whatsoever that I barely paid attention to what I was doing.  And then I remembered what I was doing.  Ugh.  Swimming is not the forte for me and especially not without a warm up. It was WAY better than the last tri but I had moments where my breathing was way off and I had to catch my breath or when my legs just burned and I had to backstroke it.  I made the mistake of stopping for a few seconds to ask her how she felt and I'm afraid that ate up on the time for us to have completed another length.  I lost count and didn't do a good job of looking on the counters sheet to see how we did but I think we were both at 14?  I'll find out for sure when they post the results tomorrow.  I know I could have done better but I also know that I didn't swim all week and I was distracted.

T1:

That long transition time surely felt like a luxury.  I noticed some people completely changed out of their swim gear but I just opted to put on my tri shorts.  Maybe it's why I had so much extra time.  I put on my bike shoes and warmed up while we waited for the time to start.

Bike:

This is was all about high cadence.  A 30 minute sprint consisting of your legs spinning as fast as possible.  I initially set a personal goal of 10 miles and was spinning away and decided to ask one of the volunteers what the "average" distance had been thus far.  He said it ranged from 8-10 miles but no one yet had hit 10.  I thought maybe my goal was a too aggressive and had miss calculated how the spin bike worked.  I didn't think of it much after that because I was more concerned about my daughter.  Her bike seemed to be set up too high and she was wearing tennis shoes that kept slipping from the basket.  On numerous occasions, I had to stop spinning and help guide her foot back in.  She hasn't quite learned the "flip" like I have on my mountain bike.  ;)

As the volunteer walked by, I noticed he would casually whisper to some what their "place" was.  When he didn't come to me, it dawned on me that I was NOT in the top three.  WHAT?  So, I stepped it up a notch.   I pedalled my heart out until I had to stop again for the kiddo.  I figured I'd make up for lost time while I could.  At the last 5 minutes, my legs were flying and I knew I was going to hit over 10 miles (the goal I had brushed off earlier).  I think my final was 10.10 but have no clue how the others did.  It will be a big surprise later.

T2:

Again, no stress transition.  I just had to switch shoes and walk over to the treadmill.

Run:

I started off I think at 6.7 mph which is a 9 something pace and cruised there for awhile.  For some reason, I kept hitting the front bar with my hip so I took that as me needing to go faster so I upped the speed.  I kind of played with it a little and kept upping it after the first mile.  I think the treadmill workout I did recently (5 miles in 45 minutes) really helped.  I felt strong and like I could have gone faster but kept worrying that I would run out of steam (or fly off the machine).  I didn't want to do either so I ended with a 2.33 in 20 minutes.  I know I could have gone further if I hadn't waited until that first mile to start increasing the speed.  Oh well.  Now I know.

Overall:

I think the organization of this event was fantastic.  The facilities were clean and neat and the equipment was top notch.  The volunteers were great and they were especially sweet to my daughter. I LOVED having had been able to make this our first mother/daughter event.  She did great and I am so thrilled that she wanted to do it with me.  She rocked it!  I can't wait to do it again!  Hopefully she feels the same!  She wore her tshirt to school this morning so I am thinking she's feeling pretty good about it to.

I am not sure when they will be doing it again but check out their site on the link here for the list of events and locations.

me and my girl with race swag..tshirt and swim cap!

I'll be sure to post the final results when I see them.

Happy Monday all and congrat to all those racing in Galveston yesterday!  I've seen lots of photos and updates and it sounds like the wind was a bear and the heat was brutal on the run.  But the bling...super cool!!  Well deserved!

Valerie

Update!  Results are in.  I came in 10th overall and 4th in my division (Women's Masters).  I guess I should have held off on the chatting in the pool, huh? Haha.

Valerie Villarreal 14.5 17 10.12 26 2.33 29 72 F Masters

T-minus 12

12ish hours til the next triathlon experience. As per usual, unexpected turns in the game "plan".

We'll see how this all plays out.

I had a glimpse of inspiration checking out the setup today for the Texas Half Ironman tomorrow in Galveston. It was motivating but also made me nervous too  as if I were racing with them!

Anyway...very cool. 

Hopefully a recap late tomorrow of my little itty bitty indoor Tri. :)

Valerie

Morning Psychology

What goes through a person's brain when the alarm goes off at 4:30am is quite remarkable.  Actually, it's pretty annoying.

~You've heard it all before so you can leave now if you don't want to be a part of my personal vent (beat up) session with myself.~

You've had fair warning.

I followed *most of the tips to help the process of getting up for an early workout today.  However, I had to push my alarm back FURTHER.  Hubby is leaving town so I had to be back before he headed out for an early flight.  Plus, I had a REALLY long swim workout in store which required more than 45 min to an hour.  Plus...did I mention SWIM?  Ugh.  The thought of getting in the cold pool while my body is in a warm, soft bed is enough to end this post because you'd know what I'm talking about.
I even had my new swim gear ready to go.  That was extra motivation right there!  Right?  I even text with my virtual buddy to make sure she was up for her swim.  And then my brain started doing this nonsense...this nonsense about "why are you doing this?" "you are not cut out for this" "this is like chasing rabbits" "why bother"  I can go on but you get the gist.

On the heels of being so super inspired and motivated by the Boston Marathoners yesterday, I was ready to find out what my friend's "40th" marathon was going to be so that I can train and do the same one.  Wherever in the world it would be.  What the heck...I was inspired!!

And then this morning I want to throw in the towel because I just can't get up?  Ugh!

Boo, me! :(

My friend did swim.  I am so happy that she got out there and did it despite her obstacles.  And the best part, she came back and gave me a pep talk.  Told me all the things I really needed to hear (although I didn't believe her right then).  I got a little teary eyed but brushed it aside because I had bottles to pack, clothes for two to pick out, a kid to drop off and breakfast to make for a STAAR test taking middle schooler.  Mama ain't got time for that! Haha.

By the time the kids all made it to their separate destinations, I had already thought about what I needed to do.  I felt better already and honestly was kinda pissed at me for being so hard on myself. It didn't occur to me that maybe, just maybe, I NEEDED sleep?  Last I checked my sleep patterns on my Misfit Shine device, I am getting 3-4 hours of restful sleep.  I am particularly worn out when I back a night workout with an early morning one (Sunday night/Monday morning) so good grief, Val...give yourself a break!

I decided that this open ended, pseudo, base building training program I'm on is quickly approaching the proverbial fork in the road.  I'm putting in a decent amount of work and time into my workouts.  I don't feel particularly overwhelmed however at times, it can be taxing and yet, I am STILL not getting in as much as I would need for a REAL training program.

So, I'm giving myself until the end of May to the pull the trigger on signing up for a 70.3.  I'm looking at two options...November in Austin or Galveston next April.  I think having a defined program with a start and finish will give me the structure (and satisfaction) that I am currently lacking.

This is me about judging me.  I'm my worst critic.

I do feel that my swim has improved dramatically since I started this thing a couple of months ago and I see improvement in my run times and my bike cadence has increased turnover as well.  But going on like this indefinitely brings concerns of burnout. Which then leads to quitting altogether.  Ugh.  I can't.

Because if I am not training for "something"  would I normally workout out 7 times a week? Um, no. I'd probably be content with 3-5 a week and have no guilt if I skipped a day and certainly not feel like making anything up would be necessary.  I'd gladly take the extra time to work on my house and a gazillion other projects I have my sights set on.

It's afternoon now and I'm feeling pretty darn good. The funk has been eradicated and considering I am a night owl, it's all upside from here.  Ha!

Now, how to make up the swim I missed?!

Hope your Tuesday is less conflicted than mine has been and that you make it to the other side too! If you're still here, thanks for sticking around.  As motivating and positive as I normally am, I have my down days too.  This space has me committed to keepin' it real.

Valerie

Oh, that 40th Marathon my friend is running is in LESS than a month...in Colorado.  Um...yea.  We're gonna go ahead and scrap that idea.  I have already asked her when #42 (or 45) will be.  Maybe I'll join her for one of those.  :)

Update:  Late afternoon...worked through my lunch run (and meal) but holding out that I can get something in between kiddo pickup or at home later (not my fave).  Still feeling great (in case you were concerned...haha) and weather looks amazing...hoping I can lace up for a quick run!

Mid Week Motivation - Don't Quit!

Thoughts of the race and some of the difficulty I experience allowed self doubt to creep in.  I've manage to swing out of it by getting a daily workout in.  This morning's was the toughest.  Getting up early for a pool swim wasn't all that fun of a notion.  I always feel more enthusiastic about my morning workouts the night before...the not so fun notion feeling was dread by morning when my virtual workout buddy texted and the alarm went off soon after.

Ugh.  I procrastinated getting up.  I procrastinated getting ready.  I procrastinated leaving the house.  I even wondered "am I really ever going to get where I envision?" "is this a realistic goal?" "should I just quit the whole thing and go back to bed?"  I knew the answers to all the questions.  I am a positive, strong minded person so of course, I knew that was just the fear of failure creeping in to rattle me a bit and I just had to kick it to the curb.


I procrastinated getting out the car at the gym.  But I did.  I found a lane, set up and got in to that cold water.  I didn't procrastinate to start though.  I had a workout to follow and off I went.  Y'all it was SO good.  So very good that I was sad it was over.  WHAT?  Yes, I was sad it was over.  My breathing was rhythmic the drills were feeling effective and I was imagining swimming in a lake for a long distance and how that would go.  Progress!  I realized that I had procrastinated over a half an hour of my workout away where I could have actually finished all 2300M had I started on time. Shame on me but yay me for showing up and getting some of it done. 1650M!  One mile swim before 6:45am and lots of positive vibes and hope coming out of the pool.  I am looking forward to my next swim!

Sooooo....here it is.  It's hard and it sucks at times but gosh the redemption of success when you follow through is SO worth it!  It's that carrot dangling out there that lets you touch it every once in a while in hopes you can grab it.  Keep reaching, you'll get there!

Go out there and get moving!  Happy hump day!

Valerie :)

Roaches, flying bugs & roadkill - a race report.

Top that for a race report title! Ha!

I just participated in the 4th annual No Label Triathlon in Katy, TX. The race director and organizers did an awesome job.  It was a very well run event. The title has less to do with the actual race and more with my personal experience. 

When I told my husband the sequence of events for the morning, he shook his head so many times, I thought maybe he thought I was messing with him. Or maybe he thinks this story solidifies that I (and participating in this type activity) is just nuts. Three sports in one shot is not enough but having to endure the extra "fun" stuff? He's all smh. Ha!

This is officially my second ever triathlon.  My first was the Spa Tri in Bastrop, TX last fall (2014). The blog was in the abandonment stage at that point so it didn't even cross my mind  to write about it (or even look at my results) until now.  I'll have to back track and do a recap on that one but I've slept some (not much) since then.

Back to the No Label Tri this weekend...yes, this one was a little more nerve racking for a few reasons.  For starters, I was going at it completely SOLO.  No one there with me before, during or after.  Secondly, two separate transition areas.  The second of which, you would arrive to from the bike, sight unseen.  Third, a pool swim snaking lanes (no clue what that was going to be like) plus the added anxiety of swim altogether.

Pre-race, I felt a little nervous but mostly ok.  There are many things to think about and remember and having picked up my race packet on a Wednesday, I had extra days of questions swimming in my head to deal with.  What do I wear?  Two transitions?  Shuttle?  Where do I leave my flip flops and keys? And finally when looking closely at the weather...what do I wear on the bike?  I'm going to be freezing cold and wet!  (Wussy)

To my first tri, I wore a one piece swim suit with my tri shorts over it.  I had no issues and was glad to not have to change or pull any pieces on or off.  I thought about doing the same but wanted to try two pieces this time to see if I like that better.  I found a great tri kit top (on sale!!) and decided to give that a shot with existing tri shorts.  I brought a run jacket to throw on for the bike to cut down on the cool wind and an extra towel to try to get excess water off.

My T1 set up

I got there very early (VERY) because I was still unsure about the shuttle, double transition situation. It turns out, you drive to the high school (where the natatorium is), set up your TI and hop into your car and go to the brewery (the finish) to park and drop off your T2 bag.  No T2 set up in sight...just a guy and a pick up truck collecting bags.  I decided to keep my phone and keys with me (because visions of my keys falling out amongst a sea of white bags in the dark were haunting.)  The shuttle bus takes you back to the pool and access to  T1 was still available until 6:45 (I think I arrived at 5:15?) so I had plenty of time to check things out.

It was a cool 50 degrees so I kept my jacket on as long as possible.  I went to check out the pool and learned that we'd be lining up by time.  This meant that the super fast people knew exactly where to be and everyone else just winged it.  Every 5 seconds, a swimmer would jump in and go.  You'd swim 25 meters up the first lane then under the rope and 50 meter laps each in the next 5 lanes and 25 meters in the last lane and out of the pool.  It seemed logical and very civilized.

Calm before the madness began.

Right before 6:45, I dropped my jacket and flipflops off at TI, stopped at the potty (I have little kids okay?  This is what we call it right now) and walked to the back of the pack where I logically thought I belonged.  One of the advantages of being back there was the ability to observe exactly how this all plays out and visualize your personal performance.  I had visions of an easy warm up of 25 and then focusing on breathing and calmly zipping (not racing, although it's a race) through the other lanes and having a mad sprint for the last 25.  Ya.  Right.  I'll get back to the reality of that in a sec.

But first, the disadvantages of being a slower swimmer.  More time to stand around.  More time to realize you're hungry again.  More time to watch how the fast swimmers do exactly how you visualized and then how the middle packers got all mixed up and were crashing, swimming over each other and bumping one another.  More time to worry about that.  Also, another fun thing...with all the splashing in the pool, the water started to fill the drains surrounding the pool which apparently is where the roaches live?  Ugh.   Those suckers were not too thrilled about getting pushed out.  If you know anything about me, you know I can deal with just about anything except THEM.  Ick, ick, ick. I've had a horrid CreepShow type event occur to me and in I've become less jumpy and more calm about how to deal but I am also extra vigilant to keeping my distance.  Ick again.  Those f&%#$ers were everywhere!  All shapes and sizes too. Ick, ick, ick!!  I was at the edge of the pool.  I'll spare you too much detail just know that a ninja like roach managed to make it half way up MY THIGH.  I didn't jump in the pool or scream. I just swatted it away with cat like reflexes and kept my cool.  I think I should get a special medal just for that.  Gah.  So gross.  See what you missed out on fast swimmers?

The Swim: An hour of waiting, observing, getting hungry and then losing appetite altogether and it was finally my turn.  The first 25 went as I imagined.  Nice and smooth and no panicky breathing like I worried about.  Then under the ropes for the first 50 and I get to a dude who I need to pass. However, he is taking more than half the lane and oncoming traffic is taking the rest.  I try to swim as close as possible to him but am afraid of getting kicked in the face.  I tread water and stick my head out waiting for the opportunity.  Before I know it, I'm at the wall.  Time to go under the rope and do this silly dance again.  Maybe 5 strokes and doggie paddle, tread, stall.  Swim a little and do it again and again and again.  I could never get into a rhythm which meant every time I did swim correctly, I was gasping.  My legs were burning from all the treading so I had to go on my back.   What a hot mess of a swim.  I got from one end to the other by NO athletic merit.  It wasn't until the end of the last 50 (at the wall) where I was finally able to pass.  The last 25, free and clear and I booked it out of there.

T1 before the race

T1: I had no watch with me so I had NO CLUE what time I actually went in and came out of the pool. Ditto with transition.  I wasn't racing for time so I didn't bother with worrying about how to track my performance.  On a last minute whim, I brought my old Garmin 305 and had it set up on my bike so at least I could see if I'd get close to beating my "time trial" from the previous weekend. I know I didn't hustle as fast as I could but I didn't think I took THAT long.  Drying off took a little longer because I wanted to put that jacket on.  I think that's what hurt me the most.

The Bike: The bike was pretty good.  Uneventful for the most part.  It was very flat but windy at times.   During a headwind, I was pushing pretty hard and a bug flew in my mouth. Lovely!  Another hit my sunglasses a few minutes later and I couldn't help but think of my dad's advice to never ride without eye protection for that very reason.  I passed about a dozen or so people and got passed twice. On one of my pass attempts, I had picked up quite a bit of speed.  I was approaching a rider who was in the middle of the lane and I called out that I was going to be "on his left".  He moved over and right went he did, I noticed a poor possum that didn't make it on his trek across the road.  My immediate decision dilemma after cursing:  Avoid roadkill and potentially lose control on gravel and wipe out or brace myself and go for it and hope to not lose control and wipe out.  Ugh.  I chose the latter.  I may or may not have closed my eyes for a few seconds as I ran over the roadkill.  I got out my saddle because I felt maybe I'd feel less?  Ugh. Anyway, I made it and it didn't hurt it one bit, I assure you. Ha.  But ick.

T2

T2: I made it to T2 in one solid piece and was ready to get my run on.  But first, finding my bag.  Since I had a late start at the swim, there were many bikes already in T2.  They were set up by numbers so I had to squeeze my bike in to a spot and find my bag tangled up with those from the people who had already been through there.  This made it a slower process plus I made the mistake of undoing my lose wet bun for a ponytail under my visor.  I should have just left it and thrown the visor on.  Oh well, live and learn.

The Run: The run was an easy, flat out and back.  I was trying to run as fast as I could right out of the transition but I learned quickly that my legs decided to go back to bed.  From the knees down, I was worthless.  Foot pain and sore ankles made it feel like my feet were flopping onto the pavement. Then, my shins started getting really tight.  I mean VERY tight.  So tight they were burning and felt like the muscle would pop through the skin.  Shin splints or maybe my previous injury returning?  Not too sure.

I should have stopped to stretch everything out but I was SO mad that a simple 5K was keeping me from finishing strong that I pushed through. To add insult to injury, I never started or stopped my Garmin at the right times or forgot altogether. Eesh.  I guess because I am not using consistently, I didn't think of it.  Again, at the time, I wasn't all that concerned about it.  I just wanted to finish.  I was hoping that after the first mile, this ridiculous pain and discomfort would subside. But nope.  It hung out with me until the end.  I began rooting for those on the other side of the route "you look great!" "almost done! stick with it" "you got this!" and thanking all the volunteers and police along the route.  It helped distract me from my pain and I know it helped them.

I refocused and thought about some emotional events of the week and about the families that had to lay their loved ones to rest.  Their stories so different but yet completely tragic and heartbreaking.   It hurt so much to think of that and the loss their families have to endure that I forgot about my legs. My legs seemed so trivial.  I internally expressed my gratitude for all my blessings. My family, my health, my life.  Every day is a gift and here I was about to cross the finish line when I snapped out it just in time to raise my arms for that photo finish.  As I write this, I'm sad again thinking of Louis' and Rafi's families.  Heros in their own rite who are gone but will never be forgotten.   Strong, brave and kind both them and their families.

I had loosely thrown an approximate finish time of 1:40 as an estimate when talking to my husband the night before.  In case, he was able to come out with the babies to the finish, it would help him gauge time.  They closed the brewery parking area at 7:30 so I texted him before the race and told him to not bother coming.  It'd be a mad rush for him to get there by then and then have to wait too.  I wasn't even in the pool by 7:30!

Here are my results, finishing at 1:35:59, it was better than my rough estimate.  Coming in 13 out 14 in my age group made me look at the results of this (and the last race) a little closer however.   I was surprised to see how well I did on that first race without preparation or trepidation! On this race, LOTS of room for improvement.  Getting my transition act in order alone could have bumped me a good 5-6 spots!  The swim I expected much worse considering how I felt.  The bike I expected a little better but not having an accurate start time to track didn't help.  And the run...shocked it wasn't more like 13/14 minute miles!

All in all, a good race to take notes and give me a game plan on what to work on going forward.   Next up, an indoor tri at the Lifetime gym in Katy in April and in May, the Springs Back Tri and possibly the RockinR Tri in Gruene, Texas.

I'm looking forward to more adventuresome races and experiences just hope they involve less creepy crawlies!

Happy Monday all!!

Valerie

It's a long road...

...but don't lose sight of what's directly in front of you.

Quack!!

This road, like the Ironman journey, is a long and steady one.  I've got all the time in the world and right now, I'm focused on this guy right here.  The No Label Sprint Tri in LESS than 48 hours!

Am I ready? Nope.  Travelling husband, sick baby, carpools and fighting sinus/allergies/headaches have not helped a bit.  It's all good.  I will give it my all when the time comes.

Happy Thursday and come back to check in on me!

Valerie

Vacation and Workout schedules, an ugly but drinkable cocktail.

Ha! (random caption)

If you were here for my last update, you may or may have not been betting on whether I'd be getting my workouts in on Spring Break travel south of the border.

Just as suspected, it was not easy to peel myself away from the pool or sand (or my pina colada, for that matter) to get a workout in. I "planned" every night by setting out my workout clothes but those early sunrises and waking babies made it hard to "escape" for a workout.  I hate to leave hubby with the chaos when he'd much rather snooze.  I figured each day I'd just get away while babies napped but lo and behold, they never napped at the same time.  So without further ado, here's how it turned out:

M 1hr bike - do I get credit that the Sunday workout on the bike ended on Monday?  Eh, I didn't think so.  Travel day so working out was furthest on my priority list.
T 1:10 run - Yea...that didn't happen today either.  More rest.  :)
W Xtrain - Was going on a full day excursion so decided to head out for yesterday's run.  I couldn't get very good service so the MapMyFitness routes I was going to use was unavailable.  This meant I was just going to wing it.

Start of the run, leaving the resort.  Breath taking!

I ran through downtown and while looking around for my next turn, I stepped into a hole in the sidewalk and twisted my left ankle. Ouch! Then a few steps later, trying to run the pain out, twisted the right (which I had hurt on the TM last week) ugh!!  I put the pain aside and ran all the way to the highway and back then decided to go uphill to explore the neighborhood (cause I'm a glutton for punishment?).  I ran back down towards the resort and still had some time and distance to cover so continued around the marina and on to the end of a pier.  The pain was just now a dull ache and everything else felt so good, I honestly wanted to keep going but the bus was coming for me soon!

from atop a hill in the neighborhood

Cabo Marina

from the fishing pier

Ran 6.4 miles and little did I realize that the day's workout was JUST beginning!  We went on a zip-line adventure tour with Cabo Adventures that was absolutely jam packed with exhilarating fun.  We hiked to the top of a mountain and proceeded to zip line, some single, some upside down, some tandem and an amazing Superman at the end.  We also rockclimbed, rappelled, walked across the river on a tight rope, climbed a rope ladder up the mountain (41 deep squats!) and finished with a heart pumping ATV race through the mountain base.  I'll have to post those pics later, they were amazing and the GoPro video is pretty hilarious too!  All in all I think this qualified as the Xtrain workout for the week.  My arms and calves were toast the next day (oh and the throbbing ankle...yea, that was a little uncomfortable).
The fresh quesadillas they gave us at the end were devoured within seconds!

TH Rest - Hubby and I took the babies for a stroll through the marina after breakfast and later me and the ladies did a fun Water Aerobics class while the guys played beach volleyball.  We finished first so I decided to take what ended up being a loooooong walk on the inclined soft sand beach to the rocks and back while holding my 18 month old and towels.  If yesterday didn't qualify for Xtrain, today topped it off!! What was I thinking? I mapped it out and it was about a  mile and half (that kid's about 30lbs!)  No wonder I was pooped! I love the ocean and the sound of the waves so really, I was in my happy place.  I even got some great photos to last me a lifetime thanks to my oldest daughter.  :)

F 1hr run - travel day followed by unpacking and laundry. Fun! :/
S 1 - 1 1/2hr bike Oh, Houston.  We were welcomed with gloomy, rainy weather ALL. DAY. LONG.  Booohoooo!!!  We took the babies to a birthday party early in the day and the girls to see Cinderella at the movies later in the day.  That's all I could muster.  I felt a sinus infection (thanks Houston allergies) coming on so thought better of jumping on the bike.
S Rest  Making breakfast, cleaning, laundry and housework should be considered a workout.  Ugh. Happy homemaker I am not but it must be done.   Also, I casually looked at my calendar and like a smack upside the head, came the realization that I have my first sprint tri NEXT WEEKEND!? Wha? How did that slip my mind?  Good grief!  So, in a panic, I'm thinking I MUST get a workout in today!!  I had to get back before the Real Madrid/Barcelona game so hubby could watch uninterrupted but who knew I'd get to the park and have to untangle my chain and put it back on my bike?!  Ugh...just call me a grease monkey.  On wheels.  I got it fixed and jumped on for a 20 mile ride and 20 minutes late.  Oops!

I was so grateful the weather cleared up because riding indoors seemed like punishment.  Houston apologetically gifted me with the first sign of Spring on this beautiful day...bluebonnets!!

Warm Texas homecoming...bluebonnet sighting!

I think I was short a run and a bike but all the other activities got me pretty close.  And I really doubled up on the "Rest".  Haha.

So this week entailed about 11 hours of training but since I have the sprint on Saturday, I am just going to try to keep myself in check so I'm not at burnout by race day.  I'll flip the weeks and train more next week.  I'll plan on doing some light workouts in each of the disciplines and work on getting the gear ready and my nerves in check.  My friend told me to just look at it as another workout and forget the "race" aspect of it.  This helps because the distances themselves are totally doable.  300/14/3  so what's my problem anyway?

Stay tuned as I post on my first "official" sprint tri experience (and why I'm not counting the other I did as official).

Happy back to work Monday! 

Valerie

You Have 7 Days, Make Them Count

So did I?

I've mentioned before how I love to write it down as a to-do and cross it off or make notations (iphone calendar & notes just don't cut it for me). Well, I have a sweet new calendar that I unwrapped and am trying really hard to not make it look messy with all the switcheroos.  I think though that seeing this pack of pages over the course of time with all my doodles, scratch-outs and notes will be quite telling of my training journey.

Thank you Corey!! :)

Let's take a look at week 4 (days 22-28) of what I'm going to call: off season/base training (sounds official, doesn't it?)

3/2 Mon 1:15 bike seated hills - I forgot what the workout was...just remembered required time. I got on late at night after all the kids were in bed and gave it a go.  I did some climbs, seated and standing, sprints and 1 leg drills...I figured it was all-encompassing.  Went 1:17 and only 11 miles?  Turns out the speed sensor was not properly aligned for the first half hour.  Sigh.  Garmin is still dead so no HRM.  I decided on a whim to also casually join in yet another yoga challenge: #JourneytoHandstand because, who doesn't want to master a handstand?  I've gotten to the point where I could and then let it all go.  It's all core so I thought if I tried this, I would be working muscles I need anyway.  I did 3 days worth of the challenge and the last, hand standing for a minute, though supported by the wall, was tough!  My shoulders were screaming!  Extra time in for the photo ops too. :)

#JourneytoHandstand

3/3 Tues 1150M swim /45 min + strength training -  Hubby is out and I had to get son to & from soccer practice and pick up babies at daycare (and work a full day!) today.  Swim workouts are the only ones I can't alternate with something I can do at home.  Going to the gym was going to be a stretch so I was going to switch the days around and play it by ear.  I managed to taxi my son to 5 o'clock practice, race to the gym, swim (change twice!), pick up the babies and pick up my son at exactly 6:30 sharp!  I was so proud!   I knew there was a 1200 swim this week & I assumed it was today.  Swam 1200M in about 36 minutes and in the last 600 came across a breakthrough in form!! More on that later, but I am looking forward to "testing" this on the next swim.

After dinner, baths, cleanup and getting everyone to bed, I pull out some small weights and did a series of arm exercises followed by tabata burpees, the yoga challenge and even foam rolled by achy glutes and hammies.  Yay!

Not so yay...I was done with all this by midnight which is precisely the time the baby decided to wake up.  Cranky.  He fell quickly back asleep but I should have known it was a preface to what was to come...he was up at 4am ready to rumble.  I brought him to bed in hopes he'd cuddle and fall back asleep but instead, he treated me and my bed like a trampoline and was WIDE AWAKE and wanting to play until about 5:30.  When the alarm went off. :/ That's two nights of interrupted rest in a row.  Sleep deprived? Uh yea.  Let's see how this affects the rest of the week shall we?

3/4 Wed 1st Brick 1:10 bike Z3 Aero/30m run - Hubby's back! Thankfully that means no cooking or working out at near midnight.  Got a good 15 miles in on the allotted time and 3 miles on the run.  Not fast but I spent the first mile fidgeting with apps and music, good negative split though. He brought home dinner. :)

3/5 Thurs 1200M swim (sets of 100) - Well, made it to pool about 5:45am, Masters class had started (I forgot TH was class day).  Rather than interrupt to join a lane when I knew I'd be leaving quickly, I jumped in the other pool.  I had been told that it was 25Y and I *thought* (ugh) the wko was 900M.  I was thinking I'd swim 1300Y and it should cover me.  I wanted to make the 6:30a Hot Yoga class (since hubby is back and I'm so tight and sore everywhere) so rushed through it and asked the instructor on the way out what the length of pool I was swimming in was just to be sure.  It is 17 meters, long...or short.  Ahhh!!! No wonder it seemed easy. Ugh.  So, after doing my math homework
I learned that my 52 lengths were worth only 884M.  BOO, so I'm 266M short for the week but got a great yoga class in that included some fun inversions and arm balances!  Got to check off the yoga challenge to boot. Whoohoo!

UPDATE!! - The instructor was wrong!  Signs are now posted...the "short pool" is 20M!  So, I swam 1040M so I went OVER 140M...haha!! (Yes, I am updating this almost 2 months later...feeling redeemed!) :)

3/6 Fri Rest - I really could use it but I rather "rest" on family days (weekends).  I have another brick Sunday so running while everyone is in school/work is optimal.  But, having the kids in school on a sorta half day of work means me and the hubs can get some one on one time if he doesn't have any meetings or anything pressing at work.  I packed my workout bag and brought it to work because THE SUN IS OUT ALL DAY TODAY (albeit bringing 30 degree colder weather with it)!  If I can meet all my deadlines at work, get a quick loop at the park on the way home, I'll still get to hang with my babe with time to spare.  The sun is "forecasted" to hide tomorrow for the rest of the weekend so...the day must be seized!

Finding my sporty Revo shades in hubby's car made up for losing my earbuds on the walk to the car from my office. It was a gorgeous day, no music necessary and got date time in too. Win win win! :)

3/7 Sat Fast 5k - "Rest" day

3/8 Sun 2nd Brick Swim 45m (250wu 5x100 30' 150cd) Bike 45m (Z2-3 85-100rpm). - big fat workout fail today. Wet, dreary day filled with awful food and adjusting to daylight savings on a sleep deprived week was not the best formula to getting it done today. Never got a chance to leave for the pool, though I didn't try too hard. Had a fun day running around with the family so it's still a win. No regrets. :)

So, I almost made it. I was short 260ish  OVER 140 meters but short an hour and a half brick workout, though I added a good hour of hot yoga and handstand work throughout the week. 

Next week, make up the missed workouts plus the "plan" and a hot yoga class all while hubby travels. AGAIN. 

Happy Monday all! Make your days count!

Valerie

P.S. - I was all packed up for the gym this (Monday) morning hoping get A) 8ish miles on TM B) 1200M Swim C) 8ish miles + 1200M Swim.  Alas, rainy morning & daylight savings got me again (and hubby binge watching House of Cards into the wee hours didn't help).  Monday morning workout scrapped but all packed up to hit the gym at some point! 

1st Recovery week round up

I guess recovery week means lesser effort rather than fewer workouts.  I straddled the line between the two this week tweaking away as is the norm.  No travel for hubby this week but yucky cold and wet weather coupled with evening commitments made for another week of switcharoos.  I won't bore you with the details but here's the round up depicting the prescribed plan in bold and what actually went down following.

Monday - Day 15 -   Rest - 1 hour, PowerOne Cycling class (indoor bike on trainer)

Tuesday - Day 16 - 1:30 Bike easy - Rest since I did hard class yesterday (and have birthday brownie/ice cream dessert) :)

Wednesday - Day 17 - Rest or swim 900M - 1000M swim (10min time trial w/o warmup: 300M, 100k, 100p, 10min time trial warmed up: 400M, 100k)

Thursday - Day 18 - 1:15 Bike easy - thought I'd wake up early and knock this out but sleep felt too good.  A little regretful since fitting in for the rest of the week will be tough. Birthday happy hour will make early Friday workout a little more difficult too.

Friday - Day 19 - Rest - Um, yea...I swear they put everclear in those margaritas. Rest it is.

Saturday - Day 20  30 min Swim, 850M  - Feeling guilty for all the rest days, pulled the trainer in and did Thursday's workout. About 14 miles...I started with easy effort and then pulled out all the stops in the last half hour because...me.

Sunday - Day 21 1:30 Run Z1-3 -  I was hoping to leave the house early and get the "or swim" from Wednesday in before the long run.  I forgot how toddlers wake up at the crack of dawn full of energy.  Hubby got my distress signal late morning (he's so awesome) and took the whole crew out so that mom can have a "free" day.  No nails, shopping or massage but rather a solid 2 hours of putting my house back in order from 2 littles (I'm looking at you, Mateo aka Monster-teo) transporting random household items to all the places they don't belong.  A good solid 20 minutes were spent looking for remotes, not even joking.  Is it in the trash? (dig through trash)  Did he put it in the snack drawer? (dig through drawer and reorganize the mess) What about the shoe basket?  Oh, no...is it in the washing machine?  High cardio, super fast hide and seek and put stuff back before I lose time to run counts for a workout right?

All this, followed by the prescribed hour and a half run.  A little over 9 miles that I couldn't keep below Z4 because that would be walking?  How is that possible?  Anyway, it was a non issue because Garmin went dead before I made 3 miles.  Pace was fairly slow so I know I didn't over do it and given it was the longest run since my injury, I'm feeling pretty good.  Success!!

So how'd I measure up?  Well, I didn't do the extra swim and never made it around to Yoga and the foam roll effort really was pathetic.  But all the other stuff was done!

Coming up this week are brick workouts (8 total workouts +- 6-7 hours), crappy weather (cold, wet and dreary) and a travelling hubby.  Great recipe for getting it done dontcha think?

Here we go!

Happy Monday all!

Valerie

Is there a badge for that?

I've earned a recovery week apparently. Based on how I felt last night , the sound of that should entail at least confetti, balloons and a whole week off. Nike and Swarm give me badges or stickers yet, this recovery week includes 2 bike rides, 2 swims, strength training session and a run. What?! Sigh.

Since the marching band didn't come by to celebrate for me, I decided to give myself a little Monday inspiration/motivation for recovery week and good 'ol pat on the back for last week. :)

Goals this week: all SIX workouts, yoga and plenty of foam rollin'.  With hubby home, I should be less of a taxi so rest days will be somewhat more restful. :)

Happy Monday!

Valerie

Switch it In, Switch it Out

...to the tune of "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift.  Can you hear it?

Anyway, I don't know how to juggle balls.  I've tried over the years to throw them up and attempt this maneuver that seems simple enough but end up smacking myself in the face or throwing a ball across the room.  Perhaps it's my lack of coordination.  I tend to trip and hit sharp edges and corners on tight turns too.  Luckily for me, lack of coordination does not equate to lack of flexibility...both literally and metaphorically.

You see, my life is in a state where "balls" are always in the air.  I work best under a structured, and somewhat routine based environment, however, curve balls cometh on the daily.  As a result, I have learned to be flexible.  I have become quite comfortable with winging things and in the last couple of years have REALLY just turned into a fly-by-the-seat kinda gal.  

There is always uncertainty when doing things this way. But with that uncertainty comes the excitement and satisfaction that you still got everything accomplished as anyone one else would have had to anyway, without losing your marbles because you're off some sort of track or schedule.  It's not for the faint of heart, admittedly but it's working for us.

Most "normal" people that exercise regularly have a routine.  A set time, day that they go to the gym or head out for a run.  I have friends that are 6 am bootcampers, 5 am crossfitters, 4am long distance runners, midmorning yogis, afterwork gymrats, afternoon cycling machines or weekend warriors.  I can't seem to fit in, or be able to commit to any of those with any kind of consistency.  

A good friend and exercise buddy and I have the hardest times getting our workouts to "gel".  There is always something prohibiting us from getting into any kind of routine together, even if for a once a week workout.   We don't quit trying though.  Our text messages go something like this: Her: "Cycle Monday?" Me:"I think so, let me check" Her, the night before class:"did you sign up?" Me:"oh, shoot I'll do it now, yes I can do it"  Her:"they just cancelled the class" Me:"UGH!"  or...Me: "run tomorrow?" Her"Yes, I'm in" Me at 4:45am:"Baby is sick, can't" Her:"That's ok, kiddo is sick here too." If this were two people trying to go on a date, it'd be doomed.  

So when unexpected "openings" in our schedules occur, we literally jump for joy.  President's Day was that kind of gift to us.  Gift to workout...at 5am? Ya, for real.  It's a gift.  Our cycle class cancelled and we scrambled to find an alternative because OH EM GEE, we don't have to worry about getting the kids off to school in the morning!  We can't be wasteful of that opportunity!  So, off to Rev class we went.  Perky front row, that's us! (well, not the perky part)  And what do you do at the end of a date that you just don't want to end?  You have a nightcap!  Right?  For us, that meant a 4 mile run immediately after a full body workout/high intensity spin class.  I'll call it a proactive training baby brick! (two back to back workouts swim/run swim/bike bike/run)   

Well whatever, you gotta get it in when you can.  So we pulled a double! And, we got to catch up too!  Win, win, win.  

On our run, we discussed the very nature of our schedules and how difficult 'fitting' a workout in can be.  I equate it as feeling like an old school switchboard operator.  I start the week with a list of workouts that HAVE to be done (you know, for that self imposed plan) and I slot them in to my calendar where I find a hole.  I may have to send hubby a text here and there to confirm kiddo coverage or get a feel that my absence would not be a nuisance or burden and also make weather adjustments but I start the week with a penciled plan.  Then, the inevitable switching occurs.

I had full on operator duties this week with hubby travelling.  This is what it (and I) looked like:

Me, every. single day.

Monday DAY 8 - as planned: 1000M swim

Monday switch - Oh hey, holiday!  Scrap swim & pull double duty w Rox (Rev & 4mi run), swim tomorrow.

Tuesday DAY 9 - as planned: 1 hour Bike Trainer

Tuesday switch 1 - Aha! Bike trainer day was checked off with spin yesterday so swim in the morning to cover Monday's workout.

Tuesday switch 2 - my alarm went off and hubby turned it off and did NOT wake me. Ah! Swim between soccer practice dropoff and baby pickup.

Tuesday switch 3 - I must be an adrenaline junkie. Soccer practice to gym, 20 min TRAFFIC heavy trip. Had exactly 30 minutes to get 1000M in (and change into dry clothes) before racing to daycare & soccer pickup. Ahh!  Only got 900M & was light headed & winded running to the car!

Wednesday DAY 10 - as planned: 4 mile run 

Wednesday switch 1 - Run was covered on Monday (yay!) -  Run anyway after baby dropoff or Hot Yoga at lunch

Wednesday switch 2 - no run, stay home and wait for appliance repair man - maybe Hot Yoga at lunch or strength training at house while waiting. 

Wednesday switch 3 - no lunchtime workout...late to work from 2 hour repair aaaand gotta leave work early to p/u son who's staying late at school for project.  Will be home early and weather is gorgeous, so maybe run Sunday's track workout?

Wednesday - sigh.  Rest day today. Traffic, tween discipline & study, grocery, dinner & toddler melt down...#hardlyrestful ;)

Thursday DAY 11 - as planned: Rest

Thursday - all caught up, no need to switch Rest day, hooray! but still need Hot Yoga that I missed yesterday, whole body feels tight.  Shooting for a lunchtime class. *Update - son forgot lunch and I have to leave early for soccer drop off. #yogamaynothappen **Update - his so called lunch was pathetic! Made him buy lunch, went to Yoga and it was A W E S O M E.  Sore all over and it feels so good...and tonight, he will pack a REAL lunch and get up on time to not forget it. ;)

Friday DAY 12 - as planned: 900M drill swim

Friday - half-ish day of work, ride outdoors (for Sat workout) after swim, rain in forecast, may have to get on trainer or join noon spin class

Friday switch - stalked weather all morning and decided to skip swim and go for the ride despite high gusting winds and dropping temps because the weekend rainy forecast looked less promising for a ride.  On my way out got an unexpected invite by hubby for a little date time. Cut my ride short but rode hard with a killer headwind. Not quite an hour but 12 hard miles rather than the prescribed easy hour. I'll take it. :)

Saturday DAY 13 - as planned: 1HR easy Bike

Saturday switch - rode yesterday - get a swim in after soccer. 

Saturday switch 2 - family day - no swim, gotta pull a double tomorrow. 

Sunday DAY 14 - as planned: Track Run 4x800 @5k pace, 400 recovery in between, 2mi at 10k pace (~5mi total)

Sunday switch - track run & 1000m swim I missed & foam roll all the sore muscles.

Yay! Rain threatened all weekend but even got a bike ride trip to the park with babies! Track workout was great but HOT! Sun blaring, balmy and humid...felt like summer! I changed and raced to the gym, my quads were toast and was plain tired but still wanted a good workout so I made my own:

Sure enough, I left the gym in flip flops, shorts and wet hair only to get hit with the windy cold front. Yay, Houston weather! Brrrr.  Did some foam rolling during Oscars. I wore my daughter's Sleeping Beauty tiara so I'd fit in. Ha! (Kidding, but I did wear it earlier in the day & forgot about it only to be reminded by a passing jogger while I was loading the kids into the bike trailer "nice tiara"...um. Heehee)

So...did you get all that?  I'm not sure if I did but I do know that somehow, it all got checked off.  It wasn't pretty but every workout is accounted for and this makes week 2 a success! Check, check and checkity check!  I'm wondering if the challenge of getting it all done is my driver. Something to ponder...also, just as a behind the curtain tidbit:  I wrote this post on Sunday night (2/15) and have edited the "switches" daily so it's ready to post on Monday (2/23).  There would be no other way for me to remember the details of this craziness! 

So tell me, do you follow a routine or are you more on the wing-it regimen like me?  What drives you to get 'er done?  Tell me in the comments below, I'd love to hear from ya!

Valerie

P.S - I think I hit most of my goals for the week I posted here.  I've got my HR zones ready for the next training run/ride that requires it, signed up for a small tri (and am contemplating a couple others), got all my workouts in plus yoga and a foam roll.  I am short a foam roll session but after this week, I plan on 10-15 minutes per night! 

Dabbling

You've got to start somewhere but if you're doing it unofficially, somewhere is everywhere. A training plan and coach would be the optimal thing but since I'm not committed, the expense for those is unwarranted.

I feel like I need to have a solid fitness base prior to pursuing these goals (officially) so I've gathered a few free plans that I've found on the interwebs and created my own. I know the gist of how many weekly hours I need to be logging and I also know that with a long term commitment, er...thought in mind, I have plenty of wiggle room. 

I started such a plan this week. I haven't really mentioned it at home other than to say "I need to get an hour and half on the bike today". No one has questioned the "need" part of the statement yet so I'm just rolling with it and assuming they think I'm just being neurotic about my workout plan. You know, me just being me. :)

As expected, there are a lot of events that occur in my day-to-day that make such a plan vulnerable to failure. Work commitments, hubby's business and schedule as well as the overall health in a family of 6. Odds are, someone is sick at some point that will trickle a domino effect. It can be a total nightmare but luckily we are healthy more often than and these things tend to be a rare occurrence (once a year, maybe two). Ofcourse, that would happen to have been the entire month of December, a week in January and another in February (yours truly). The rest of 2015 will hopefully be golden. 

In normal stubborn fashion, I had set out to start this plan last week because it was following back to to back weekends of travel week and birthday parties. The very week that also coincides with me coming off of a sinus infection & severe head and chest congestion.  Good a time as ever, right? After all, I nursed a stress fracture all through the holidays (8 weeks NO running!) and I missed participating in the Houston Half Marathon that I had been training for because of it. So, no sinus infection is going to stand in my way now (stubborn was the key word earlier...). 

So here's the round up of week 1 of ? of the made up, self imposed plan for the goal I've yet to commit to. Pretty solid dontcha think? Humor me.

Day 1 5 mile run (still coming back from injury so taking it way easy ie slowish, felt great despite being sick, until I stopped...hack attack)

Day 2 1000Mswim (50s 50k 50p x3) (100p 100k x2) 150s (easy drills, hard to breath w chest cong)

Day 3 1:15 16-17 miles trainer (struggled with getting sensors to work only to discover baby had pulled it off the bike! Half an hour into workout, paused for mommy duties and came back to the same struggle.  Little bugger snuck in there and pulled if off again!  Lost my distance data from the first session so started over.  Good climbs and sprints. Solid workout! (bonus:watched some TV too!)

Day 4 rest

Day 5 950M Swim - squeezed in a super quick workout between early Vday day date with hubby and getting babies from daycare...more drills, used fins this time too.  Breathing is tough still, so not trying to measure anything...though I did peek at my 50M times at about :45...I'll have something to compare when lungs are at 100%

Day 6 1:30 Bike 22 miles outdoors - testing my revived Garmin 305. (My frustration with said equipment peaked in late 2012 & I kicked it to the curb then. I've found a way to charge it & have it function for an entire workout successfully, mainly to save the expense of buying a new Bluetooth HRM or even a more expensive, up to date, gadgety GPS watch. Not quite prepared to commit to that, but want to train in HR Zones) It worked great but transferring data is still fidgety.  

Day 7 45 min track run (5 miles) - this was supposed to be a low HR Zone workout, 5 minutes at one zone, 1 min at at lower one for several repetitions.  It was a frustrating mess. Staying within "Zone 3" felt impossible...I kept thinking, why bother, this is like walking! I tried it for 4 reps and ditched the idea and just went full out Zone 5 all the way home.  Found out at home later, that the zones on the watch/app where preset rather than based on personal calculation.  Ahh! No wonder! Epic Fail, but I got the miles in.

Goals this up coming week:

- Figure out what MY heart rate zones are and set them.
- Follow & try to stick to the self imposed plan (6 workouts) with the added juggle of hubby going out of town for the week.
- Try to add a session of Hot Yoga & at least 2 foam roll sessions for achy muscles.  Everything is feeling a bit tight.
- Look at race schedule and choose a sprint to SIGN UP for.

I found this and thought how fitting it is that I am working my way up this sequence backwards. Plenty of action this past week!