Lesson Learned

Training cannot be crammed. If you blow off a training day or two and think you can make it up you are usually wrong. I have a training plan I created for myself but I haven't really been paying attention to it lately and the result is not pretty.

Summer is hard for everyone because of the heat. Summer is hard for me because I love hanging out with my kids. My boys are 16 and 18, I know they will not be around forever. The good news is for the most part they like spending time with me too so it's really hard to leave for a training session sometimes. Training also means having coverage for the girls so one of the boys has to be home or sometimes I can take the girls to the YMCA while I run or swim. Making everything a bit trickier is the kids activities. Cory is working but not yet driving, Brendan is taking a driving class at the local community college and band practice has begun, the girls are involved in cooking class, swim lessons, swim team, volleyball camp etc. I am a taxi Mom. So now that I have laid the ground work of excuses......

Yesterday I did not train, my Mama plate was very full so I got on the trainer around 8:30pm. I knew it wasn't going to be a long ride so I pushed it pretty hard. When I was done I ate some blueberries and a dollup of greek yogurt. If I was going to run today I had to do it before the cascade of activities started. Due to my stellar procrastination skills the run started at 10:15. The lesson I learned today is that a hard trainer ride the evening before + no breakfast + running at 10:15 in July = Disaster at the agonizing pace of 13 and small change.

Good Runs & Bad Runs

It happens to all of us, the horrible run. Maybe more likely to happen because here in Houston we are running in sauna conditions (with more humidity) a good part of the year. It is sadly surprising how much temperature and humidity has an effect on a run.

I am NOT a morning person, everyone knows this. However, I was coerced into a 5K on July 4 at 6AM! Of course by coerced I mean somebody said 'hey I'm doing a 5K, you should come' and even after learning it was at 6 AM rather than PM I agreed.

The great news is Ken and Brendan volunteered to race with me. This was a small neighbrhood gathering at our local YMCA of 15-17 runners. The good news is we all placed in our respective age groups :) The BAD news is I was DFL=Dead Flat (or substitute your own F word) Last! Most of these folks run together on a regular basis but I also run on a regular basis. There is no point to making excuses when it comes to a race it was either good or bad but I will confess the tummy issues definitley slowed me down. Making sure this run didn't include runs took some inner strength for sure.

Fast forward to Wednesday, traditionally my 'long' run day. I started running all over again going shorter distances/less time but running more often. I had a 45 minute run on my plan. Wednesday we were blessed with some much needed rain and that was all I needed to talk myself out of a run. Of course it stopped raining hours before I planned on running. I told myself I would hop on the trainer instead but I'm not sure how dedicated I was to that idea either.

At 8:00 when I was trying to look busy on the computer it occurred to me I didn't have a reason not to run. I am not injured and I've been doing a good job of sticking to my plan so why stop now? I got my running clothes and new Zoot shoes on and headed out. Turns out I had one of my best runs in a very long time. Unfortunately, the shoes were pretty tough on my feet and I am sporting some blisters today but I'd rather have a couple of blisters then regret skipping a workout.

New Focus

It has been a while since I posted last. I will admit I suffered a bit of burn out and have had some starts and stops in the last few months. The good news is I had a great sprint in May after a miserable Oly in April. Even better news is my new inspiration. How could anybody look at this photo and not be inspired? My new goal is to look like this in T2. Kerianne did her first triathlon May 14, she was 8 years old. This weekend she will do her third trithlon at 9 years old. What would our lives be like if we had started this early with her determination?

It's Double Birthday Day!

Yes, I have two children born on the same day 12 years apart! When I tell people this most assume the 12 year old was annoyed or inconvenienced when he got a little sister for his birthday. Nothing could be further from the truth. When we told the kids we were having another baby and told them the baby was expected around March 20 the first thing Brendan said was "Have the baby on my birthday Mama." I told him he needed to pray about it because his Mama doesn't control these things.

All of my children have birthdays with 3's in them 30, 23, 13, 31. So when I went into labor March 3, we thought the timing was perfect. However, after a little test run we realized it wasn't perfect timing, just a nice dry run to make sure we were ready.

When labor started very late at night March 22, we realized March 23 would carry a double blessing. My labors with both children could not have been more different. With Brendan I had a lot of pre-labor starting around 28 weeks and spent the last 3 weeks of my 37 week pregnancy 5cm. One would think this would lead to a faster labor but you would be wrong. After 12 hours in labor at the hospital at 6cm I was sent home. I returned 4 hours later and Brendan finally made his appearance after 22 hours of labor. The worst part was how managed my labor and birth were. Every decision was made for me and against my will. Thankfully Brendan was born healthy at 5 pounds, 12 ounces and I took him home less than 24 hours later.

Lilia's labor was peaceful surrounded by people who loved us, she was born at home in our bathtub. Brendan had paved the way, because of his birth I vowed to not have any more children in a hospital if at all possible. She was born into Ken's hands weighing 9 pounds 3 ounces and to my shock she was a girl!

Shortly after the birth Ken ran upstairs to Brendan's room and announced "Happy Birthday Brendan, you have a baby!" Brendan could not be more pleased, he thinks it is very cool his baby sister was born on his birthday, he is her "Birday Brudder"

Watching my baby boy and baby girl blow out their candles last night I remembered watching Brendan blow out 12 candles while holding his new baby sister, I couldn't be more proud.

Starting Healthy

Sometimes it seems the hardest part of endurance racing is getting to the start line injury free, this is always my #1 goal.

Training for my upcoming Olympic distance race was going very well. My run is really coming along this season, shaving 1:30-2:00 off my pace. In the off season my coach and I worked on my form to make me faster and hope to keep me injury free.  Well, I got faster, 1 out of 2 isn’t bad, right?

A few weeks ago I noticed a tinge in my right shin, this is an all too familiar feeling. It was tight at the beginning of my run but would get better as I went so I wasn’t too worried. About two weeks ago I noticed the pain lasted longer and bothered me while walking the day after my run. I knew it was time to give my ART (Active Release Technique) guy a call.

I got to his office and told him what was up, it was obvious immediately that I waited too long. I honestly thought this was a preemptive appointment and I would nip it in the bud…. Not so much. The good news is I still had some time to get better before my race and with help from Dr. Cadena I am confident I can get to the start. I also have a great coach so I have plenty of fitness already in the ‘bank’ so having to cut back on my run the last week shouldn’t affect me too much on race day.

Reoccurring injuries are very frustrating. The first step is trying to prevent them and taking care of them as soon as possible before a minor injury becomes something season ending.

Rest & Recovery

My coach has a quote on his website “The proper combination of stress and rest leads to success.”

After a long, hard run it is important to recover so your body can start to heal before the next swim, bike or run. I am very fortunate to have an incredible recovery crew.

When I stumble in the house after a long run I am asked immediately if I would like water and do I want ice in that water (Kerianne & Avery) followed by “How was your run Mama? Last night I came in to see the boys in the kitchen making dinner. I make my way to my bathroom and start the cold water running for my ice bath. The ice from our automatic ice maker is brought to me by one of the boys. Then the girls come in to check on me to make sure I am OK and ask if I need anything else.

I have a hate/love/hate relationship with the ice bath. I HATE being cold, hate it! But I know the ice bath helps my legs recover quicker. I start the water and shed my clothes except my sports bra. I have found that keeping it on helps me stay warm on top and not shiver as much.

Once the water is covering my legs I pour the ice in. I have a good size tub and long legs but I am able to straighten them so they stay submerged. The very important part for me in tolerating the ice bath is keeping my toes out of the water. My meaty parts can handle the ice cold but my bony toes cannot, having them in the water is painful and makes me want to get out sooner. I stay in the bath for 15-20 minutes, at least until all the ice is melted.

Then I get out, dry off and get some clothes on, log my run on BT and it is time to eat! I do my best to make sure I get protein, carbs and plenty of water. When I am done eating it is time to get wet again but this time it is a hot shower. I get dressed again, have a beer and then a date with my foam roller before hitting the sack.

Last night I had an 8.59 mile run at an 11:35 pace which is very good for me, I met or exceeded all my goals for this run. Tonight I have my first bike fitness test. I will put Dori on the trainer in the garage with a fan in my face. Warm up and then go as hard as I can for 20 minutes, recover a bit and then go as hard as I can for 5 minutes before the cool down. The purpose is to measure the amount of power I put out during times of stress to help my coach set power goals for me in an effort to improve my bike intensity and speed. I will admit I am a little skeered but I hope to get through it without tossing biscuits. Knowing my recovery crew is on hand to help me after makes it so much easier!

The great news is Friday is an OFF day for me. These are very rare since my coach thinks swimming is an OFF day (that’s what happens when you are coached by Aquaman). So and honest to goodness off day is very rare when there is a race on the horizon. TGIF for sure! 4 weeks and 3 days till Kemah Olympic!         

Halt!

Yesterday for my long run from the house I took a can of Halt! Dog spray. It is basically mace for dogs. Since the pit bull incident I have not run much in my own neighborhood. I usually drive to the YMCA and run from there. I am glad I have that as an option but it’s not always convenient. When I got to the Y the girls want to go and checking them in and out of childcare adds a good 20 minutes.

Over the weekend we were at Bike Barn, I saw a can of Halt and thought this just might be what I need to feel more comfortable on my runs. I took it with me for the first time yesterday. I have this awesome Zoot running skirt that has pockets on the sides of the shorts, a perfect spot to keep my Halt handy. I wasn’t expecting to use it and hope I never have to but I have to say it made me more comfortable while running past the homes I know have large dogs. I don’t run by the house anymore where the dog that approached me lives but I do run down a street where another pit bull lives and is usually in the back yard. I have only seen this dog on one occasion when it was in the front of his home. When I run down the street behind the home the dog always barks. Hearing him always send my heart rate up and I slow down looking behind me after I have passed. Yesterday while passing the back of his home I actually had the Halt in my hand for added piece of mind.

I had a very good run. I felt less anxious having the Halt with me so I would say it was well worth the $5.99!