As irony would have it, yesterday I read a great article posted by Big Daddy Diesel about bike safety and needing to keep yourself safe while on the road. I almost always follow the recommendations that they layout in the article, and add one more: choice of path. I do not go certain ways at certain times of the day because there are way too many cars. Yes, we need to learn to ride in traffic. But we also need to see our children graduate from college. So typically, I hit the closed road for any ride over 10 miles. (The loop is 9.8 miles and it's almost 2 miles to get there.)
Today, however, I decided that it was too late in the morning to get to the closed road. Yup. That's right. I would: 1) have to run the gauntlet of death past the elementary school and all the roads leading to it even if I went the way around, not once but twice (and that's too many soccer moms on cellphones for my comfort); and 2) have to deal with the main artery out of the subdivision which would be clogged with cars, school buses, trying to go fast and being frustrated with the number of people leaving (you would not believe the bad driving I've seen on that two lane road).
It was 7:35, and I had 15 miles to do. I mis-remembered my schedule and thought I was supposed to do the mileage at 16-18 mph, steady pace and staying in aero as much as possible. (Nope. I was supposed not go over 16 mph.) I use the neighborhood for various and assundry runs - anywhere from 1 1/2 miles to 10 miles. So, I knew I could find 15 miles worth of road to cover. Plus, I wanted to bike by a house that Training Buddy and Mrs. Training Buddy are considering buying. I knew I'd have some traffic on some of the longer roads, but I could be in aero at least 90% of the time safely.
So I set out. I purposely avoided all major paths leading to the elementary school. Luckily, I misremembered where the house I wanted to ride by was located and found a nice, 2 mile stretch of road that was seemingly empty although lined with cars. I stayed in aero unless I was approaching a stop sign or saw or heard a car. Then I popped up so people could see me better. At one point there was a little old lady in her car trying to pull out and not great visability so I stood up on the bike (I had the right of way)... luckily she saw me.
I wandered and meandered and even stayed in aero around some of the less sharp curves and turns. I found the house I was looking for, tried to cross a street at one point and had to unclip and finally just pick a different direction and then loop back later because there were so many cars that it was like the video game frogger. I remember how many poor pretend frogs I killed playing that video game and decided instead of going left, I could easily turn right add some mileage to the bike computer tally and loop around on a different street that would give me much better visability and easier right of way for the left turn.
The weather was great. Blue skies with some puffy clouds, a bit of a wind, but not overly terrible (and nothing like last week). I was sweating like mad, but loving every minute of it. I was pretty much going around 17 mph the majority of the time... although I loved the one little hill that I clicked into a harder gear at the top and cranked it out to 19.7 mph toward the end of the ride and then slowed myself down for the turn.
And that's when I saw the mercedes with the driver on the cellphone driving on the wrong side of the road. Luckily, I have a good sense of self preservation. I popped myself out of aero faster than you can say "Holy Sh#t!" and was as far over on the side of the road ready to slam on those brakes while unclipping and leap on to the side of the road. She saw me as I popped out of aero and threw the car on to the correct side of the road, and while I was on the brakes and had one foot unclipped already I never had to leave the bike.
But for Thursday when I do my 20 miles, I'm making sure I'm out of there earlier and I'm hitting the closed road. No more gauntlet of death... unless its a ride shorter than 10 miles. Period. Even avoiding the elementary school, it's not worth it.
I signed the girls up for Voluntary Pre-Kindergarden (VPK) yesterday. I spelled VPK out because a friend thought I was talking about Vacation Bible School (despite the abbreviations being different), and couldn't understand why I was saying "Oh my babies. They're growing up." We had a good laugh about it. The thought of my Little Ladies in VPK this August and then Kindergarden next August makes me cry. They're definitely ready for it and need it, but I feel like the next I know they'll be going to college or getting married. Perhaps that's why I left so late for my ride today.
I told Angelfish that I would see her after school and that I was going for my bike ride. She said "Not good." I asked why, and she said "I want you, Mommy." So of course, I had to sit down and have a snuggle while we put on her socks & shoes and talked about what a fun day she would have at school. Ladybug asked me to brush her hair, so I did and then held her hand as we walked to the car. They both told me they loved me as they put on their seat belts and waved and shouted "Bye. See you later!" through their open windows as Mr. Darcy drove off.
It was well worth the wait.... and even the Gauntlet of Death.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Where the Wild Things Are: Chik-fil-a, Training, and the Zoo
Chik-fil-a
Saturday was a nice "recovery" from Friday.
Friday evening Mr. Darcy had dinner plans with some people in his fraternity alumni assocation and then attended the UCF chapter's initiation. So I decided that uncharacteristically, I would be the one to take the girls to Chik-fil-a for some nuggets, fruit and milk and to play on the playground. Before we even got there, Ladybug asked me if they could have ice cream. Trying to be "fun" but still a good parent I told her, only if you eat all of your dinner and are good listeners. They agreed, and we went inside.
They were not being overly good listeners, but I was doing the best I could not to be overbearing and have fun. We ended up making two trips to the bathroom. After the 1st, I told them they had to walk and they ran back to the table. I told them when we sat down that they were not being good listeners and that I told them to walk and they ran. After the 2nd, the same behavior occured. So I told them that because they were not being good listeners and there would be no ice cream, but if they ate their dinner nicely we could still play on the playground.
Ladybug threw a grand mal hissy fit right then and there and would not stop. I had to take her face in my hand to get her to even look at me so I could try and calm her down (without giving in of course). After about 2 minutes of it, I packed the food up and picked Ladybug up, took Angelfish by the hand (who was now also crying and literally dragging her feet because she didn't want to leave) and exited the Chik-fil-a. It was perhaps the most embarrassing moments of my life with my kids in a restaurant. Literally, every person in the place was staring at us as we left.
I got them in the car and Angelfish calmed down because I told Ladybug that if she didn't stop she would have a time out when we got home. Angelfish said she didn't want a time out and that she was ready to be a good listener. Ladybug on the other hand screamed the entire ride home "Get me out of here! Stop driving this car. I want to go back to Chik-fil-a. I want ice cream now! Turn off the music!" And so on. I counted her and told her that she was getting a time out. That happened before I even got across the street from the Chik-fil-a. Then I told her that I didn't appreciate her behavior and that her actions were what resulted in our leaving. At one point on the agonizing 15 minute ride home, Angelfish told me that Ladybug was acting like a brat and she was tired of hearing her scream and cry. I told her I agreed, but that we shouldn't call her sister a brat.
When we got home, I let Angelfish out of the car, set her down with her dinner to finish and took Ladybug and put her in her room. I was so proud of myself. I didn't yell. I just ignored her the best I could until I could put her in her room and then I told her she had to stay in her room until she decided that she was going to act nicely, not scream or cry, and that she was going to talk to me nicely because I deserve to be treated nicer than she was treating me. And I walked away. She kicked the door and screamed and carried on a bit, so Angelfish and I played and did our own thing and simply ignored her. She stopped about 1/2 an hour later and decided to read a book and then came to be with us.
And I won't even get into bed time.
Training
Come Saturday, I was thrilled to be up and going to Lucky's Lake for a TNT training. Since my back is in it's little way, I was only doing a 2,000m swim. The rest of the team did a 1,000m swim followed by a 5 mile run. I finished up my 2,000m as the last of the group was finishing and heading out to run. At first I had felt a little off in the water... but somewhere I finally got into the rhythm and the last 1,000m was probably a good bit faster than the 1st. I put my stuff in the car, and Coach Geni had me run about 25 feet one way and back to check out my shoes to make sure it didn't look like I had too much stability. Shoes looked good. Hip and lower back area all jacked up and my shin was killing me as I did it. Walking - no pain. Attempt at running - pain. So they told me some stretches to help with my hips. Problem is, I've always had really flexible hips. To the point that my yoga instructor used to laugh when we did "the pigeon" because she had to make me do the hardest variation just to get a stretch. Which tells me, it's my lower back. So I hung out to cheer everyone in on their run and ruminate about St. Anthony's.
Afterwards, I headed home where the girls told me that I smelled yucky - which I did. I smelled like lake water! After a cleansing shower, we decided to go to an art festival downtown and called a friend to see if she and her husband would like to go to. Turns out they were planning on going too, so we met them there. The art show was a bit of a flop - it's was more like a crafts show. But we had fun with our friends, who were patient while our children tried to smell or pick every flower in creation, climb rocks and fences, etc. The things that we are definitely used to but that I realized those without kids may find rather annoying. The girls loved M & J though. Held their hands, sat in their laps and gave them hugs. When we made dinner plans with them and parted ways, Angelfish wanted to know where they were and why they weren't going home with us. It was pretty cute.
We got home and I headed out to the grocery while the girls were supposedly napping and while Mr. Darcy cleaned off our screened in porch from the pollen that gets out there so we could grill out with our friends. I got the groceries put away and all the sides made in time for our friends to arrive. We had some beers and hung out and the girls asked why they didn't have any kids. Ladybug stood up and declared - I want you to have babies! Luckily our friends laughed and said maybe in a few years. Of course, Ladybug also asked me if I would have another baby for her birthday. She prefers a baby sister, but she'll take a baby brother.
Angelfish merely announced that she wants her birthday party at the splashpad where last year's party was. I told her that we might not have a big birthday party this year and she said "Of course we are! June 28th! right there!" I told her that we were going to be at the beach on vacation and that we would have a birthday party with Grammie and PaPa, Aunt Sue and Uncle Rob, Laurie and Julia, and maybe some other relatives if they could make it. She decided that was okay. As for presents, Angelfish says that she "likes cars, trucks, and race cars." Ladybug on the other hand appears to only be concerned about the cake, and would like "a big cake with Ariel, all of her sisters, her Daddy the King, and even Ursula!" And Ladybug of course reiterated her desire to go to Disney and see the princesses - about 4 times in 2 1/2 days.
The Zoo
Sunday we all slept in. The girls and I got up and had breakfast out on the porch and could hear a rooster crowing, which they thought was cool. (There's a farm not too far from our house as I discovered the other week while running and heard a Moo sound...) Then we got dressed and I set the girls to work waking Mr. Darcy. We finally got on the road to the zoo (it's about 45 minutes away in Melbourne) and the girls were playing with a calculator, which was cute except Angelfish kept multiplying or subtracting and she'd say "the numbers changed! over and over again. Finally, they tired of trading the calculator every 5 minutes and we started talking about cows and birds and other things we saw on the drive.
We had a ton of fun at the zoo. We fed birds nectar, road a train (that was a waste of time and money) to see 2 camels, some impalas, a lemur, and ostriches, saw a ton of different animals. Played with the water near the wart hogs - Angelfish saw water on the ground but didn't see the sprayer and said "Eww. Those pigs are gross they threw their pee pee up here!" I cracked up and showed her the faucet, which she and her sister decided was cooler than the wart hogs. The girls favorite was the giraffes. I rather love the giraffes too... and the monkeys. We had a great time!
Afterwards, we played dress up and built a tower for their little ducky (named Quackie) to live in. Then we watched "Belle and the Beast" (known to the rest of the world as "Beauty and the Beast") while Mr. Darcy got a chance to watch the Masters. Then Mr. Darcy grilled for us and we had dinner on the porch and Angelfish and Ladybug declared that "Today was the perfect day! You're the bestest!"
And I must say that I completely agreed!
This morning, it was Monday again. I had a little insomnia last night and Ladybug wanted her Mommy in the middle of the night, so Mr. Darcy was kind enough to take the little ladies to school this morning while I did my trigger point leg rollers, the grid roller, back stretches, and a little bit of yoga to help with IT band issues should there be any (I pulled them right out of Runner's World magazine.). I also did the pigeon position to stretch my hips... and it's definitely not my hips. Flexible as all get out, which is good. I have to say that those trigger point leg rollers and grid rollers are awesome. Yes, I'm in pain a bit when I use them to the point that I sweat, but I also breath like they tell you to and feel so much better when I am done. I definitely need to do it more. I had some clicking with my back this morning (one when I was just sitting down even), but the stretching and pressure point exercises sure helped a whole bunch.
Coach has still banned me (and rightfully so) from running. I get to walk 20 minutes on Friday at a brisk pace IF I honestly feel okay and don't have anymore clicking. But I have swimming and cycling on tap. It's starting to be the taper for the race, so nothing super intensive. Swim practice tonight. 15 miles on the bike tomorrow. 45 minute continuous even paced, form focused swim on Wednesday. 20 mile bike on Thursday.
20 minute walk on Thursday (providing all goes well). And Saturday 2 crossings at Lucky's followed by a 10 mile bike. Last year, I would have thought this was hard and be wondering where the taper is... this year it seems so normal. that makes me pretty happy.
It's hard to believe that St. Anthony's is only 2 weeks away. I'm excited and sad all at once. I'm excited to race, but sad because I know I won't be doing Team in Training again for a bit. But I'm also glad to be able to be with the girls in the evenings on a more consistent basis for awhile and doing my training in the mornings too. I guess the word is bittersweet.
I'm looking forward to another rather busy but good week. Let's see what comes up!
Post Script #1: Super cool contest at a great blog I just found... Ryder Sunglasses and running gear at Shut up and Run! HERE: http://twentysixpointtwoormore.blogspot.com/2010/04/insane-contest-and-giveaway.html
Post Script #2: I keep seeing postings about this 100 pushup challenge. Pretty cool. After St. Anthony's I will begin the 100 pushup challenge... it's one way to get better toned arms!
Saturday was a nice "recovery" from Friday.
Friday evening Mr. Darcy had dinner plans with some people in his fraternity alumni assocation and then attended the UCF chapter's initiation. So I decided that uncharacteristically, I would be the one to take the girls to Chik-fil-a for some nuggets, fruit and milk and to play on the playground. Before we even got there, Ladybug asked me if they could have ice cream. Trying to be "fun" but still a good parent I told her, only if you eat all of your dinner and are good listeners. They agreed, and we went inside.
They were not being overly good listeners, but I was doing the best I could not to be overbearing and have fun. We ended up making two trips to the bathroom. After the 1st, I told them they had to walk and they ran back to the table. I told them when we sat down that they were not being good listeners and that I told them to walk and they ran. After the 2nd, the same behavior occured. So I told them that because they were not being good listeners and there would be no ice cream, but if they ate their dinner nicely we could still play on the playground.
Ladybug threw a grand mal hissy fit right then and there and would not stop. I had to take her face in my hand to get her to even look at me so I could try and calm her down (without giving in of course). After about 2 minutes of it, I packed the food up and picked Ladybug up, took Angelfish by the hand (who was now also crying and literally dragging her feet because she didn't want to leave) and exited the Chik-fil-a. It was perhaps the most embarrassing moments of my life with my kids in a restaurant. Literally, every person in the place was staring at us as we left.
I got them in the car and Angelfish calmed down because I told Ladybug that if she didn't stop she would have a time out when we got home. Angelfish said she didn't want a time out and that she was ready to be a good listener. Ladybug on the other hand screamed the entire ride home "Get me out of here! Stop driving this car. I want to go back to Chik-fil-a. I want ice cream now! Turn off the music!" And so on. I counted her and told her that she was getting a time out. That happened before I even got across the street from the Chik-fil-a. Then I told her that I didn't appreciate her behavior and that her actions were what resulted in our leaving. At one point on the agonizing 15 minute ride home, Angelfish told me that Ladybug was acting like a brat and she was tired of hearing her scream and cry. I told her I agreed, but that we shouldn't call her sister a brat.
When we got home, I let Angelfish out of the car, set her down with her dinner to finish and took Ladybug and put her in her room. I was so proud of myself. I didn't yell. I just ignored her the best I could until I could put her in her room and then I told her she had to stay in her room until she decided that she was going to act nicely, not scream or cry, and that she was going to talk to me nicely because I deserve to be treated nicer than she was treating me. And I walked away. She kicked the door and screamed and carried on a bit, so Angelfish and I played and did our own thing and simply ignored her. She stopped about 1/2 an hour later and decided to read a book and then came to be with us.
And I won't even get into bed time.
Training
Come Saturday, I was thrilled to be up and going to Lucky's Lake for a TNT training. Since my back is in it's little way, I was only doing a 2,000m swim. The rest of the team did a 1,000m swim followed by a 5 mile run. I finished up my 2,000m as the last of the group was finishing and heading out to run. At first I had felt a little off in the water... but somewhere I finally got into the rhythm and the last 1,000m was probably a good bit faster than the 1st. I put my stuff in the car, and Coach Geni had me run about 25 feet one way and back to check out my shoes to make sure it didn't look like I had too much stability. Shoes looked good. Hip and lower back area all jacked up and my shin was killing me as I did it. Walking - no pain. Attempt at running - pain. So they told me some stretches to help with my hips. Problem is, I've always had really flexible hips. To the point that my yoga instructor used to laugh when we did "the pigeon" because she had to make me do the hardest variation just to get a stretch. Which tells me, it's my lower back. So I hung out to cheer everyone in on their run and ruminate about St. Anthony's.
Afterwards, I headed home where the girls told me that I smelled yucky - which I did. I smelled like lake water! After a cleansing shower, we decided to go to an art festival downtown and called a friend to see if she and her husband would like to go to. Turns out they were planning on going too, so we met them there. The art show was a bit of a flop - it's was more like a crafts show. But we had fun with our friends, who were patient while our children tried to smell or pick every flower in creation, climb rocks and fences, etc. The things that we are definitely used to but that I realized those without kids may find rather annoying. The girls loved M & J though. Held their hands, sat in their laps and gave them hugs. When we made dinner plans with them and parted ways, Angelfish wanted to know where they were and why they weren't going home with us. It was pretty cute.
We got home and I headed out to the grocery while the girls were supposedly napping and while Mr. Darcy cleaned off our screened in porch from the pollen that gets out there so we could grill out with our friends. I got the groceries put away and all the sides made in time for our friends to arrive. We had some beers and hung out and the girls asked why they didn't have any kids. Ladybug stood up and declared - I want you to have babies! Luckily our friends laughed and said maybe in a few years. Of course, Ladybug also asked me if I would have another baby for her birthday. She prefers a baby sister, but she'll take a baby brother.
Angelfish merely announced that she wants her birthday party at the splashpad where last year's party was. I told her that we might not have a big birthday party this year and she said "Of course we are! June 28th! right there!" I told her that we were going to be at the beach on vacation and that we would have a birthday party with Grammie and PaPa, Aunt Sue and Uncle Rob, Laurie and Julia, and maybe some other relatives if they could make it. She decided that was okay. As for presents, Angelfish says that she "likes cars, trucks, and race cars." Ladybug on the other hand appears to only be concerned about the cake, and would like "a big cake with Ariel, all of her sisters, her Daddy the King, and even Ursula!" And Ladybug of course reiterated her desire to go to Disney and see the princesses - about 4 times in 2 1/2 days.
The Zoo
Sunday we all slept in. The girls and I got up and had breakfast out on the porch and could hear a rooster crowing, which they thought was cool. (There's a farm not too far from our house as I discovered the other week while running and heard a Moo sound...) Then we got dressed and I set the girls to work waking Mr. Darcy. We finally got on the road to the zoo (it's about 45 minutes away in Melbourne) and the girls were playing with a calculator, which was cute except Angelfish kept multiplying or subtracting and she'd say "the numbers changed! over and over again. Finally, they tired of trading the calculator every 5 minutes and we started talking about cows and birds and other things we saw on the drive.
We had a ton of fun at the zoo. We fed birds nectar, road a train (that was a waste of time and money) to see 2 camels, some impalas, a lemur, and ostriches, saw a ton of different animals. Played with the water near the wart hogs - Angelfish saw water on the ground but didn't see the sprayer and said "Eww. Those pigs are gross they threw their pee pee up here!" I cracked up and showed her the faucet, which she and her sister decided was cooler than the wart hogs. The girls favorite was the giraffes. I rather love the giraffes too... and the monkeys. We had a great time!
Afterwards, we played dress up and built a tower for their little ducky (named Quackie) to live in. Then we watched "Belle and the Beast" (known to the rest of the world as "Beauty and the Beast") while Mr. Darcy got a chance to watch the Masters. Then Mr. Darcy grilled for us and we had dinner on the porch and Angelfish and Ladybug declared that "Today was the perfect day! You're the bestest!"
And I must say that I completely agreed!
This morning, it was Monday again. I had a little insomnia last night and Ladybug wanted her Mommy in the middle of the night, so Mr. Darcy was kind enough to take the little ladies to school this morning while I did my trigger point leg rollers, the grid roller, back stretches, and a little bit of yoga to help with IT band issues should there be any (I pulled them right out of Runner's World magazine.). I also did the pigeon position to stretch my hips... and it's definitely not my hips. Flexible as all get out, which is good. I have to say that those trigger point leg rollers and grid rollers are awesome. Yes, I'm in pain a bit when I use them to the point that I sweat, but I also breath like they tell you to and feel so much better when I am done. I definitely need to do it more. I had some clicking with my back this morning (one when I was just sitting down even), but the stretching and pressure point exercises sure helped a whole bunch.
Coach has still banned me (and rightfully so) from running. I get to walk 20 minutes on Friday at a brisk pace IF I honestly feel okay and don't have anymore clicking. But I have swimming and cycling on tap. It's starting to be the taper for the race, so nothing super intensive. Swim practice tonight. 15 miles on the bike tomorrow. 45 minute continuous even paced, form focused swim on Wednesday. 20 mile bike on Thursday.
20 minute walk on Thursday (providing all goes well). And Saturday 2 crossings at Lucky's followed by a 10 mile bike. Last year, I would have thought this was hard and be wondering where the taper is... this year it seems so normal. that makes me pretty happy.
It's hard to believe that St. Anthony's is only 2 weeks away. I'm excited and sad all at once. I'm excited to race, but sad because I know I won't be doing Team in Training again for a bit. But I'm also glad to be able to be with the girls in the evenings on a more consistent basis for awhile and doing my training in the mornings too. I guess the word is bittersweet.
I'm looking forward to another rather busy but good week. Let's see what comes up!
Post Script #1: Super cool contest at a great blog I just found... Ryder Sunglasses and running gear at Shut up and Run! HERE: http://twentysixpointtwoormore.blogspot.com/2010/04/insane-contest-and-giveaway.html
Post Script #2: I keep seeing postings about this 100 pushup challenge. Pretty cool. After St. Anthony's I will begin the 100 pushup challenge... it's one way to get better toned arms!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Happiness is A Bike Ride
This morning, I woke up and let the dog out and almost cried. Grey clouds everywhere. Lots of wind. But I was dressed and I wanted to ride my tri bike! I was almost like a petulant child about it, really. I think I may have even stomped my foot the way Ladybug does when she's put out. (I swear I learned it from her and not the other way around.)
I asked Mr. Darcy his opinion. It didn't make a lot of sense what he said, which was if it rains you can just come home. If it rains, that means I'll be riding in the rain which is something I both loathe and am a little fearful of. At this point, I had the bike on the driveway and had my gloves and helmet and sunglasses on. I really wanted to ride the tri bike. The schedule had 1 1/2 hours. There was no way I wanted to do that on the trainer (ugh) or the stationary bike at the Y.
As Nike would say, Just do it. And so I did.
Traffic getting to the closed loop was a little more than I had envisioned. Not sure what the deal was this morning, other than it being a little bit before 7 am. What? People want to go to work or something? Luckily, I am smart enough to pick the lane of traffic that most people are not using to get out of the neighborhood and I trucked it at 16 mph up to the closed loop. I actually had to get off my bike and walk it across the road (or jog it, is more like it) to the closed loop because traffic was really that bad this morning.
Once safely across, I jumped back on the bike clipped in, avoided the trucks entering and exiting the construction parking area they've got going on, and then attempted to take off.
I say attempted because well, there were really tough head winds (and cross winds) today on the closed loop. Per the weather man, the gusts are 10 to 15 mph from the WNW. Well, all I know is it made it hard. At one point, I was pedaling as hard as I could and I could only get up to 13.9 mph. When I got one point where the trees really block the wind well, I was up to 18 mph with no problem and stayed there until I rounded the next bend and poof wind in the face again. There were points on the back side of the loop where I am guessing I had a little back wind because I was going 21.9 on only a slight downhill flat. Granted without the back wind in the "still" moments I was still cranking around 18.8 to 19, so I was happy.
I realize as I'm typing that there are cyclists who would scoff at my paltry mphs, but for me this is quite an improvement over last year. So I'm thrilled. Plus, I felt good! My legs weren't hurting, my muscles weren't groaning, I was in aero and felt good. So good I stayed in aero almost the entire ride - on the closed loop the only time I came out of aero was to turn around at the end of the road. I even rode in aero on the way home once I got into the neighborhood and onto less crowded streets. (I was smart and took the longer way home to avoid the elementary school all together.) My back got a little tight at times in the head winds, so I would just drop the gear one for a little to spin it out and then go back to the heavier gear a little later. With the wind and not being sure of how my back would do, I stayed in the small ring but at one point realized that in a race or on any other given day when my back wasn't in question, I would have switched to the big ring because I was in the hardest gear and my legs felt like they were spinning easy and my RPM was over 90. But I had to tell myself to "settle down Sparky." (Although I started out in the big ring because my friend Jose at the LBS ALWAYS puts my bike in the big ring when he gives it back to me, and I forgot about it this morning. As Coach would say... do we warm up in the big ring? NO!)
But I felt great. Legs were going. I felt strong. No nerve pain, which is key. I did 26.3 miles in 1:30:02, so an average of 17.5 mph. Not to shabby for a blustry day. And even better? The rain stayed away! It was just me and the birds and the construction workers at each end of the loop. No one else was out there. Usually there's at least one other cyclist or runner. So I had it all to myself. I did give a wide berth to the sandhill crane couple that was squawking at me as I rode up to them, but other than that the road was mine! And I felt like I owned it.
My Ryder sunglasses were awesome too. I won these awesome sunglasses from KC's blog. I really like them. Even in aero I didn't notice the frame, I could see easier when looking behind me or to the sides, and they were not too dark on an overcast day but work great in the sunlight too. (I wore them on my trainer in the driveway ride too.) Today I didn't have any problems with them fogging up, although I did when I was on the trainer (but there was no wind at all that day and being on the trainer all I was generating was sweat, so I figure it was a circumstantial problem). I love them!
So all in all it was a very, very good morning. I'm glad I gave up worrying about the wind and the possible rain and went for it. Awesome!
Tomorrow is a 2000m open swim. Coach is busy talking me down from a ledge. But it's a good ledge. It's the "I wanna race" ledge. I emailed her this morning to ask if it would be okay to sign up for a sprint tri in May. This is a tri that I keep going to sign up for and then don't because I remember it's the same weekend as my girls' weekend with my 2 best friends from college. She said Aqua Bike was fine. I said, "what if I promise to walk the 2.6 miles at the end?" She laughed at me and said no. I told her that I knew she was right and that I know I need to get my back stronger so it doesn't give me issues so I can race and that she is my voice of reason. It's nice to have one of those around.
But I'm looking forward to the swim tomorrow. I'm bringing my wetsuit in case it's cold, but I have a feeling I won't need it. What better way to start the weekend than with a swim?
My neighbor is doing his first ever triathlon in Miami this weekend... he's starting with an Olympic Distance... that's braver than I was my first go. I have a feeling he'll do great... and I can't wait to hear all about it when they get back. It was fun to tell him about how to go around the buoys with a one arm swim... I felt so knowledgable. : )
Well, I hope you all have training sessions you look forward to this weekend! If anyone is racing, let us know... and good luck!
Post Script: My favorite fed ex man was back this morning and this time he brought me my Brooks ID Team running shorts and tank! Amazingly the top was a hair to small so I've emailed to see if I could get a larger one. All of my other sleeveless tops from Brooks are a medium, but this may be a different fit. And it's not completely too small... just across the upper back so it pulls a little under my armpits. But this outfit is bright, and I am pretty sure it glows in the dark. (thus the 2 pictures below) The shorts fit perfectly, although from a style perspective I wouldn't personally put the neon stripes in a curve. Granted, many female runners are sans curves but for those of us who have what I prefer to call "an hour glass figure" excentuating the hip curve isn't always the greatest look. But they fit very nicely and were comfortable (although shorter than I normally wear, but then these are running shorts for skinny runners which I aspire to be) and even made my butt look decent. I've provided some pictures (although not of my butt in the shorts... this is a family friendly blog after all). And for once, I'm actually in the pictures... and as you can see, they do glow in the dark. So you'll definitely be able to see me on race days!
I asked Mr. Darcy his opinion. It didn't make a lot of sense what he said, which was if it rains you can just come home. If it rains, that means I'll be riding in the rain which is something I both loathe and am a little fearful of. At this point, I had the bike on the driveway and had my gloves and helmet and sunglasses on. I really wanted to ride the tri bike. The schedule had 1 1/2 hours. There was no way I wanted to do that on the trainer (ugh) or the stationary bike at the Y.
As Nike would say, Just do it. And so I did.
Traffic getting to the closed loop was a little more than I had envisioned. Not sure what the deal was this morning, other than it being a little bit before 7 am. What? People want to go to work or something? Luckily, I am smart enough to pick the lane of traffic that most people are not using to get out of the neighborhood and I trucked it at 16 mph up to the closed loop. I actually had to get off my bike and walk it across the road (or jog it, is more like it) to the closed loop because traffic was really that bad this morning.
Once safely across, I jumped back on the bike clipped in, avoided the trucks entering and exiting the construction parking area they've got going on, and then attempted to take off.
I say attempted because well, there were really tough head winds (and cross winds) today on the closed loop. Per the weather man, the gusts are 10 to 15 mph from the WNW. Well, all I know is it made it hard. At one point, I was pedaling as hard as I could and I could only get up to 13.9 mph. When I got one point where the trees really block the wind well, I was up to 18 mph with no problem and stayed there until I rounded the next bend and poof wind in the face again. There were points on the back side of the loop where I am guessing I had a little back wind because I was going 21.9 on only a slight downhill flat. Granted without the back wind in the "still" moments I was still cranking around 18.8 to 19, so I was happy.
I realize as I'm typing that there are cyclists who would scoff at my paltry mphs, but for me this is quite an improvement over last year. So I'm thrilled. Plus, I felt good! My legs weren't hurting, my muscles weren't groaning, I was in aero and felt good. So good I stayed in aero almost the entire ride - on the closed loop the only time I came out of aero was to turn around at the end of the road. I even rode in aero on the way home once I got into the neighborhood and onto less crowded streets. (I was smart and took the longer way home to avoid the elementary school all together.) My back got a little tight at times in the head winds, so I would just drop the gear one for a little to spin it out and then go back to the heavier gear a little later. With the wind and not being sure of how my back would do, I stayed in the small ring but at one point realized that in a race or on any other given day when my back wasn't in question, I would have switched to the big ring because I was in the hardest gear and my legs felt like they were spinning easy and my RPM was over 90. But I had to tell myself to "settle down Sparky." (Although I started out in the big ring because my friend Jose at the LBS ALWAYS puts my bike in the big ring when he gives it back to me, and I forgot about it this morning. As Coach would say... do we warm up in the big ring? NO!)
But I felt great. Legs were going. I felt strong. No nerve pain, which is key. I did 26.3 miles in 1:30:02, so an average of 17.5 mph. Not to shabby for a blustry day. And even better? The rain stayed away! It was just me and the birds and the construction workers at each end of the loop. No one else was out there. Usually there's at least one other cyclist or runner. So I had it all to myself. I did give a wide berth to the sandhill crane couple that was squawking at me as I rode up to them, but other than that the road was mine! And I felt like I owned it.
My Ryder sunglasses were awesome too. I won these awesome sunglasses from KC's blog. I really like them. Even in aero I didn't notice the frame, I could see easier when looking behind me or to the sides, and they were not too dark on an overcast day but work great in the sunlight too. (I wore them on my trainer in the driveway ride too.) Today I didn't have any problems with them fogging up, although I did when I was on the trainer (but there was no wind at all that day and being on the trainer all I was generating was sweat, so I figure it was a circumstantial problem). I love them!
So all in all it was a very, very good morning. I'm glad I gave up worrying about the wind and the possible rain and went for it. Awesome!
Tomorrow is a 2000m open swim. Coach is busy talking me down from a ledge. But it's a good ledge. It's the "I wanna race" ledge. I emailed her this morning to ask if it would be okay to sign up for a sprint tri in May. This is a tri that I keep going to sign up for and then don't because I remember it's the same weekend as my girls' weekend with my 2 best friends from college. She said Aqua Bike was fine. I said, "what if I promise to walk the 2.6 miles at the end?" She laughed at me and said no. I told her that I knew she was right and that I know I need to get my back stronger so it doesn't give me issues so I can race and that she is my voice of reason. It's nice to have one of those around.
But I'm looking forward to the swim tomorrow. I'm bringing my wetsuit in case it's cold, but I have a feeling I won't need it. What better way to start the weekend than with a swim?
My neighbor is doing his first ever triathlon in Miami this weekend... he's starting with an Olympic Distance... that's braver than I was my first go. I have a feeling he'll do great... and I can't wait to hear all about it when they get back. It was fun to tell him about how to go around the buoys with a one arm swim... I felt so knowledgable. : )
Well, I hope you all have training sessions you look forward to this weekend! If anyone is racing, let us know... and good luck!
Post Script: My favorite fed ex man was back this morning and this time he brought me my Brooks ID Team running shorts and tank! Amazingly the top was a hair to small so I've emailed to see if I could get a larger one. All of my other sleeveless tops from Brooks are a medium, but this may be a different fit. And it's not completely too small... just across the upper back so it pulls a little under my armpits. But this outfit is bright, and I am pretty sure it glows in the dark. (thus the 2 pictures below) The shorts fit perfectly, although from a style perspective I wouldn't personally put the neon stripes in a curve. Granted, many female runners are sans curves but for those of us who have what I prefer to call "an hour glass figure" excentuating the hip curve isn't always the greatest look. But they fit very nicely and were comfortable (although shorter than I normally wear, but then these are running shorts for skinny runners which I aspire to be) and even made my butt look decent. I've provided some pictures (although not of my butt in the shorts... this is a family friendly blog after all). And for once, I'm actually in the pictures... and as you can see, they do glow in the dark. So you'll definitely be able to see me on race days!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Kid in a Candy Store!
The fed ex man, who might possibly be my favorite person in the world at the moment, arrived a few moments ago. In his hand was a small box about 18" x 10". In that box were the items I ordered from Brooks (and I must say that it did not take the estimated 3 weeks to arrive)!
I was impressed too because I took a chance and ordered a t-shirt in a medium... I really liked the design and it would go not only with my new running shorts but 2 pairs of my "old" Brooks ones. And it still fit. Sure it's a little more snug in the body (I like my tops a little bit loose) and the shoulder seam is a hair (and only a hair) short, but for a woman that has really broad shoulders it was awesome! To give you an idea of how broad of shoulders I have, if a top is sleeveless (especially a running top), I can easily wear a medium (which in fact was the case with the racerback top I bought... see blue above) and the body will 99% of the time fit just fine. So to say the least I am thrilled.
I was so excited, that I couldnt' help myself. I was like a kid in a candy shop... I just had to try everything on. As expected, everything fit wonderfully! In fact, the running skort is so stinkin' cute, that I may order another one (but I'm going to run in it first, once my back lets me). I even wondered if I could get away with wearing it to the Team in Training Fundraiser we're having tonight... it's that cute (and I didn't even think my thighs looked big... and I pretty much always think my thighs look big!)!
I was impressed too because I took a chance and ordered a t-shirt in a medium... I really liked the design and it would go not only with my new running shorts but 2 pairs of my "old" Brooks ones. And it still fit. Sure it's a little more snug in the body (I like my tops a little bit loose) and the shoulder seam is a hair (and only a hair) short, but for a woman that has really broad shoulders it was awesome! To give you an idea of how broad of shoulders I have, if a top is sleeveless (especially a running top), I can easily wear a medium (which in fact was the case with the racerback top I bought... see blue above) and the body will 99% of the time fit just fine. So to say the least I am thrilled. As you can tell from the pictures, these are the things I got from Brooks. All I can say, is Brooks rocks!
I also tried on the tri shorts I bought. they're not bad, but with the top on (it looks like this but in the same navy color as the shorts; I would have preferred the turquoise) all I could think of is that I kind of look like a blueberry. Perhaps I won't wear them in a race (I don't want anyone referring to me as the speeding blueberry... or even worse the rolling blueberry), but they'll definitely be good enough to do bricks in. They have some cool pockets, though. Unfortunately, I do not look as shapely as the picture of the shorts... but I can hope!
To give you an idea of how excited I am... I put everything in the laundry to wash so it's good and ready to wear for upcoming training sessions. : )
Backs, Bikes and Disney
Thank you for your comments yesterday. They really did make me feel a bit better about things.
I'm of mixed emotions today about my back. I went to the chiropractor yesterday because well, the pain was bad and the run was really painful. He of course re-iterated the idea of getting an MRI to see if my disk is swollen/compressed/etc. He said this the last time I saw him too. I told him point blank that I don't really want an MRI because I don't want to hear him tell me that I cannot run anymore. Besides, the last time he said that to me, I went 6 months without back pain. Of course, part of that included the off season, but you know.
The fact is that I finally love running, so I'm not about to stop doing it now. So he told me that until my back stops clicking on its own (which it's done twice this morning), I am not allowed to run. I am allowed to walk. If I have pain, I am to come in for an adjustment. Once the clicking stops, I can run again but if it hurts, I need to come in for an adjustment.
I called Coach afterwards and we decided that with St. Anthony's less than 3 weeks away, we were not going to push it because we want me to be able to at least run 5/1's during the race. So today's 1/2 an hour on the trainer and then 1/2 an hour run on the treadmill turned into 1/2 an hour on the trainer. And we decided that Saturday's 2000 m open water swim and 5 mile run, would just be a 2000m open water swim for me. I've suggested that next week we put some walking into my schedule - no running, just walking - so that I can kind of keep that feeling of being on my feet for the run during the race. Coach says she wants to see how my legs and back feel first before putting walking in there.
It's frustrating, but it will all work out. One way or the other.
On the way "home" from the chiropractor I went to my LBS to get them to look at my derailleur. They fixed it right away for me so I wouldn't have to leave it overnight (and I think they didn't charge me either). Of course, I made up for the "free" fix by purchasing a new tire tube, Hammer Gels, shot blocs, and a new tri top and tri shorts. The tri top and shorts were on sale, and I'm hoping the shorts will fit because I didn't try them on, but they'll probably be fine. It was nice to have some new tri clothes, especially since one of my other tops was getting a bit stretched out. Then it was off to get the kiddies, who both asked if we could watch "The Princess and the Frog" and have chicken nuggets for dinner. I had to laugh about that, but decided that would be exactly what we'd do. They were the heart healthy chicken nuggets and since we were out of applesauce, we had apples along with them. My kids don't eat vegetables, so I decided for one night I wouldn't cook them as Mr. Darcy was out at a basketball game. We had a fun evening, and overall they went to bed pretty well, although Ladybug tried her screaming and crying routine for a bit. I think Angelfish wanted her to be quiet because this morning, Ladybug and Angelfish were both asleep in Angelfish's bed... all snuggly. It was super cute!
This morning Mr. Darcy had to leave around 5:45 am for a meeting in Boca Raton, so I had morning duties with the kiddies. I let them sleep until a little before 7 am, and I let myself sleep (interrupted in 9 minute intervals by the alarm clock) until 6:30. I was dressed and ready for the girls, and they woke up pretty easily. Ladybug was big time stalling, and I finally had to tell her that she wasn't allowed to put her clothes on herself because she was still naked after 15 minutes of me telling her to get dressed. She had her underclothes, dress and even socks for the day, but she refused to get dressed. Of course, she chose rainbow striped socks and a yellow dress to wear with black shoes. Yup, she's a fashion maven, that child. (Angelfish on the other hand wore a really cute navy and white striped dress that has bright pink around the neck and top of the little pockets... but I think her favorite part is the buttons - there are 3 buttons, one each of lime green, orange, and yellow... it sounds kind of wierd, but it's a really cute dress. Oh and she wore white socks that have a little dragon fly stitched on them and sneakers. She wears sneakers because they "make me run faster.") But they both did great when I told them that they had taken too long to get dressed and we had to eat breakfast in the car. They were making me laugh in the car too because Angelfish had mini muffins and Ladybug had a waffle. They were biting them into shapes and saying that they were eating "airplane muffins" and "waffle motorboats." When I stopped for gas on the way, Angelfish was fascinated in watching the numbers on the pump. So I explained to her what the top number was (cost of the gas) and what the bottom number was (number of gallons). She told me that my car needs "too much gas!" I completely agree. I am looking forward to the point when the car is paid off and we've not had to have car payments for awhile so I can get something other than a minivan that is much more gas efficient. The minivan was absolutely necessary for the first 3 years of their lives, but somewhere in this past year, we don't need as much space anymore. And when they got to school, they were all ready to play and I had to ask for kisses and hugs before I left!
So I made it home in time to do exactly 1/2 an hour on the trainer. I was tempted to take out my tri bike for the ride (which my local bike shop fixed for me - they said that somewhere the derailleur had gotten loose, so they tightened it and re-checked it out and viola it was working just fine again), but then I remembered that the elementary school traffic would be starting to get bad... and I did not want to have to lay my bike down again because of a soccer mom on her cellphone. SO, the trainer it was. I focused on riding in a harder gear and keeping my knees in. The irony was that the 1st 15 minutes of the "ride" seemed to take forever and then the last 15 seemed to only be like 5 minutes. This time I left the trainer in the garage (with the garage door up), so the neighborhood doesn't think I'm too wacky. The ride went pretty well and I stayed in a forward and down position almost the entire time. (I don't have aero bars on the road bike, so I bent down the best I could with my arms bent.) I'm going to stretch out my back and hamstrings in a little bit just to try to keep it loose. Tomorrow I have a 1 1/2 hour ride on tap, and I plan to take the tri bike out for a nice ride on the closed road loop. YAY! (Of course, I looked at the weather and it's saying it will be raining tomorrow by 9 am... let's hope they're wrong... or that they're right and it doesn't rain at all until I am done with my bike ride around 8:15 am tomorrow.)
It's another gorgeous day here. Now I know why people refer to living in Florida as living in paradise. I guess as a kid growing up here, I didn't know any different so I didnt' get it. 10 years of living elsewhere makes you remember.
Ladybug at the moment is fixated on Disney and going to Disney again. The poor thing. Last year when they were under 3, we could get them into Disney free. So we had seasonal passes and Mr. Darcy loves Disney So we went ALOT last year. To the point that I thought if I saw the performance "Dreams Do Come True" one more time, I might turn into Maleficent. (Even if he tries to tell you different, the man loves Disney. I like it too, but he loves it.) Once they turned 3 (and we couldn't pass them off as 2 year olds anymore), our passes had run their course and well, it was going to be around $1,000 for the passses. So we skipped it. We figured they probably wouldn't really notice not going all that often. Were we ever wrong!
Ladybug has asked me everyday for the past 2 weeks if we could go to Disney again soon. Before that it was at least once every other week for the past 2 months. Last night she told me that she really wants to meet the new princess, Princess Tiana. This morning she showed me the dress she wants to wear when we go back to Disney "for her birthday." Yup, she even planted that seed 2 nights ago. She said "Mommy, can we go on vacation to the beach and then go to Disney for my birthday?" Now, I don't know if her Papa had said something to her, or if she over heard Mr. Darcy and I, or if it is just that she wants to go so badly, but it just so happens that because the week of our beach vacation with Mr. Darcy's family happens to fall the week that it does we're not able to have a birthday party for the girls' this year (because it only leaves the weekend of the 4th of July and no one is going to a birthday party that weekend). So I convinced Mr. Darcy that we should take the girls to Disney because they've been talking about it so much. We've invited both sets of grandparents to go with us, and are going to as Mr. Darcy's brother's family to join us too.
SO at least I know what my girls like! I personally can't wait to go. I have so much fun seeing it through their little eyes. But we still have 2 months to go... we'll see how badly the Disney requests gets. But now we can't break down and take them before then because it won't make it nearly as exciting! They are a hoot though. Angelfish told us that she wants a giant princess cake with a castle on it and everything. I'm not sure we can do that one, but we'll have to see. I love birthdays because I get to spoil them just a little, for one day! And I always tell them that it is a special day because they were born and we're celebrating their lives. I love their little smiles when they hear that. Yup, I'm a sucker for a smile!
Anyway, that's what's traveling around in my brain right now. Disney, training and back pain.
Oh and I apologize for not reviewing the book just yet. I have a few chapters to go. If I get it done during my lunch hour, I'll see about posting then!
I'm of mixed emotions today about my back. I went to the chiropractor yesterday because well, the pain was bad and the run was really painful. He of course re-iterated the idea of getting an MRI to see if my disk is swollen/compressed/etc. He said this the last time I saw him too. I told him point blank that I don't really want an MRI because I don't want to hear him tell me that I cannot run anymore. Besides, the last time he said that to me, I went 6 months without back pain. Of course, part of that included the off season, but you know.
The fact is that I finally love running, so I'm not about to stop doing it now. So he told me that until my back stops clicking on its own (which it's done twice this morning), I am not allowed to run. I am allowed to walk. If I have pain, I am to come in for an adjustment. Once the clicking stops, I can run again but if it hurts, I need to come in for an adjustment.
I called Coach afterwards and we decided that with St. Anthony's less than 3 weeks away, we were not going to push it because we want me to be able to at least run 5/1's during the race. So today's 1/2 an hour on the trainer and then 1/2 an hour run on the treadmill turned into 1/2 an hour on the trainer. And we decided that Saturday's 2000 m open water swim and 5 mile run, would just be a 2000m open water swim for me. I've suggested that next week we put some walking into my schedule - no running, just walking - so that I can kind of keep that feeling of being on my feet for the run during the race. Coach says she wants to see how my legs and back feel first before putting walking in there.
It's frustrating, but it will all work out. One way or the other.
On the way "home" from the chiropractor I went to my LBS to get them to look at my derailleur. They fixed it right away for me so I wouldn't have to leave it overnight (and I think they didn't charge me either). Of course, I made up for the "free" fix by purchasing a new tire tube, Hammer Gels, shot blocs, and a new tri top and tri shorts. The tri top and shorts were on sale, and I'm hoping the shorts will fit because I didn't try them on, but they'll probably be fine. It was nice to have some new tri clothes, especially since one of my other tops was getting a bit stretched out. Then it was off to get the kiddies, who both asked if we could watch "The Princess and the Frog" and have chicken nuggets for dinner. I had to laugh about that, but decided that would be exactly what we'd do. They were the heart healthy chicken nuggets and since we were out of applesauce, we had apples along with them. My kids don't eat vegetables, so I decided for one night I wouldn't cook them as Mr. Darcy was out at a basketball game. We had a fun evening, and overall they went to bed pretty well, although Ladybug tried her screaming and crying routine for a bit. I think Angelfish wanted her to be quiet because this morning, Ladybug and Angelfish were both asleep in Angelfish's bed... all snuggly. It was super cute!
This morning Mr. Darcy had to leave around 5:45 am for a meeting in Boca Raton, so I had morning duties with the kiddies. I let them sleep until a little before 7 am, and I let myself sleep (interrupted in 9 minute intervals by the alarm clock) until 6:30. I was dressed and ready for the girls, and they woke up pretty easily. Ladybug was big time stalling, and I finally had to tell her that she wasn't allowed to put her clothes on herself because she was still naked after 15 minutes of me telling her to get dressed. She had her underclothes, dress and even socks for the day, but she refused to get dressed. Of course, she chose rainbow striped socks and a yellow dress to wear with black shoes. Yup, she's a fashion maven, that child. (Angelfish on the other hand wore a really cute navy and white striped dress that has bright pink around the neck and top of the little pockets... but I think her favorite part is the buttons - there are 3 buttons, one each of lime green, orange, and yellow... it sounds kind of wierd, but it's a really cute dress. Oh and she wore white socks that have a little dragon fly stitched on them and sneakers. She wears sneakers because they "make me run faster.") But they both did great when I told them that they had taken too long to get dressed and we had to eat breakfast in the car. They were making me laugh in the car too because Angelfish had mini muffins and Ladybug had a waffle. They were biting them into shapes and saying that they were eating "airplane muffins" and "waffle motorboats." When I stopped for gas on the way, Angelfish was fascinated in watching the numbers on the pump. So I explained to her what the top number was (cost of the gas) and what the bottom number was (number of gallons). She told me that my car needs "too much gas!" I completely agree. I am looking forward to the point when the car is paid off and we've not had to have car payments for awhile so I can get something other than a minivan that is much more gas efficient. The minivan was absolutely necessary for the first 3 years of their lives, but somewhere in this past year, we don't need as much space anymore. And when they got to school, they were all ready to play and I had to ask for kisses and hugs before I left!
So I made it home in time to do exactly 1/2 an hour on the trainer. I was tempted to take out my tri bike for the ride (which my local bike shop fixed for me - they said that somewhere the derailleur had gotten loose, so they tightened it and re-checked it out and viola it was working just fine again), but then I remembered that the elementary school traffic would be starting to get bad... and I did not want to have to lay my bike down again because of a soccer mom on her cellphone. SO, the trainer it was. I focused on riding in a harder gear and keeping my knees in. The irony was that the 1st 15 minutes of the "ride" seemed to take forever and then the last 15 seemed to only be like 5 minutes. This time I left the trainer in the garage (with the garage door up), so the neighborhood doesn't think I'm too wacky. The ride went pretty well and I stayed in a forward and down position almost the entire time. (I don't have aero bars on the road bike, so I bent down the best I could with my arms bent.) I'm going to stretch out my back and hamstrings in a little bit just to try to keep it loose. Tomorrow I have a 1 1/2 hour ride on tap, and I plan to take the tri bike out for a nice ride on the closed road loop. YAY! (Of course, I looked at the weather and it's saying it will be raining tomorrow by 9 am... let's hope they're wrong... or that they're right and it doesn't rain at all until I am done with my bike ride around 8:15 am tomorrow.)
It's another gorgeous day here. Now I know why people refer to living in Florida as living in paradise. I guess as a kid growing up here, I didn't know any different so I didnt' get it. 10 years of living elsewhere makes you remember.
Ladybug at the moment is fixated on Disney and going to Disney again. The poor thing. Last year when they were under 3, we could get them into Disney free. So we had seasonal passes and Mr. Darcy loves Disney So we went ALOT last year. To the point that I thought if I saw the performance "Dreams Do Come True" one more time, I might turn into Maleficent. (Even if he tries to tell you different, the man loves Disney. I like it too, but he loves it.) Once they turned 3 (and we couldn't pass them off as 2 year olds anymore), our passes had run their course and well, it was going to be around $1,000 for the passses. So we skipped it. We figured they probably wouldn't really notice not going all that often. Were we ever wrong!
Ladybug has asked me everyday for the past 2 weeks if we could go to Disney again soon. Before that it was at least once every other week for the past 2 months. Last night she told me that she really wants to meet the new princess, Princess Tiana. This morning she showed me the dress she wants to wear when we go back to Disney "for her birthday." Yup, she even planted that seed 2 nights ago. She said "Mommy, can we go on vacation to the beach and then go to Disney for my birthday?" Now, I don't know if her Papa had said something to her, or if she over heard Mr. Darcy and I, or if it is just that she wants to go so badly, but it just so happens that because the week of our beach vacation with Mr. Darcy's family happens to fall the week that it does we're not able to have a birthday party for the girls' this year (because it only leaves the weekend of the 4th of July and no one is going to a birthday party that weekend). So I convinced Mr. Darcy that we should take the girls to Disney because they've been talking about it so much. We've invited both sets of grandparents to go with us, and are going to as Mr. Darcy's brother's family to join us too.
SO at least I know what my girls like! I personally can't wait to go. I have so much fun seeing it through their little eyes. But we still have 2 months to go... we'll see how badly the Disney requests gets. But now we can't break down and take them before then because it won't make it nearly as exciting! They are a hoot though. Angelfish told us that she wants a giant princess cake with a castle on it and everything. I'm not sure we can do that one, but we'll have to see. I love birthdays because I get to spoil them just a little, for one day! And I always tell them that it is a special day because they were born and we're celebrating their lives. I love their little smiles when they hear that. Yup, I'm a sucker for a smile!
Anyway, that's what's traveling around in my brain right now. Disney, training and back pain.
Oh and I apologize for not reviewing the book just yet. I have a few chapters to go. If I get it done during my lunch hour, I'll see about posting then!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Frustration Central
I woke up this morning, jumped out of bed to take my thyroid medicine, jumped back into bed, and realized my lower back was stiff. I probably should have realized at this point that this might not bode well for my treadmill workout - increasing incline at a steady pace and then 6x60 second superfast intervals. But I was optimistic. Emotionally I am at the point where I just want to tear it up and train hard.
Unfortunately, it seems that my back has other plans. I stretched my back and hamstrings out really well before I went to the gym. Even though my back was feeling a little stiff again by the time I got to the Y, I still was optimistic.
Within 2 minutes of the warm up I was already having pain in my shin, but I kept warming up. I thought "maybe I have shin splints and it's not really my back." It hurt the entire time. I stopped for a few moments and stretched out my back and hamstrings again.
Then I started the 2 minutes incline level 2 at a 10:56 minute mile pace. I was able to handle the level 2 incline, but the 2 minutes at level 3 started to cause me major pain in both legs, and the 2 minutes at level 4 absolutely killed me with shooting pain through my left quad, sciatica, and of course the pain down my right shin getting worse and worse almost every second. I finished off the 2 minutes of it at level 4 and then laid down and stretched out my back and hamstrings again.
I tried incline 5 for about 2 seconds and it was too much pain, so then I tried level 3 thinking maybe that would be okay. Nope. So I dropped to no incline and just ran at an even 10:56 mile pace for 4 minutes from that point on. By the end of thatI was still in pretty acute pain, so I stopped and stretched my back and hamstrings again.
I figured, I'll try the recovery but walking instead of a 12:30 pace to see if that will help. I ended up walking for 10 minutes at a 15 minute mile pace and my legs were not having it, so I stopped and went home. I think that I did the right thing because my left leg was having shooting pains as I walked regularly and even sitting my back muscles are not thrilled and I'm having major pain in my shin at the moment - I'm pretty certain it is nerve pain. There's a throbbing/shooting type sensation that I've never had with shin splints.
I made a 4:30 pm appointment with the chiropractor for today, and I have an email to Coach to see if she wants me to make adjustments to tomorrow's 1/2 hour bike and 1/2 hour treadmill hard run workout.
Why can't my mind and body be on the same page? It is uber frustrating. I wanted this to be a great Team in Training season and it's like all these things are in the way. I want them to clear out. I have less than 3 weeks left until St. Anthony's and I've been looking forward to this race since December. I am truly fearful that I'm going to end up having to walk the 6.2 miles at the end, and I REALLY don't want to do that. 5/1's for the whole thing, fine. But I don't want to walk the whole thing, especially since my running has improved so much since this time last year. So, I'm going to will my back to fix itself (she says while having sciatica shoot down her left leg and her lower back hurts...).
I had such high hopes for this season and it seems like everything I try for is turning to dust, except for finishing the 1/2 Marathon. But I'm not going to give up. I do not quit, and I'm not going to give up. I am a doer and this sport called triathlon is something I flat out love doing. Not to mention that doing it helps me keep all those silly health things under control. Not to mention the mental health and stress reliver it is too.
As I said to Ladybug this morning when she was crying and begging me not to go to the gym so I could stay and help her put her socks on, this is something I do because it helps me be a better Mommy and I want to be the best Mommy I can be. I know the evening and Saturday workouts have been hard on the kids and Mr. Darcy, and after St. Anthony's the evening workouts will stop and the Saturday workouts will at least be shorter because I won't have to travel so far to do them. But I also know that I need this crazy swim, bike, run life... not just for sanity's sake but for the love of it all too. I may never win a race or get hardware other than a finisher's medal, but I compete with myself and I better myself every day with every training and with every race.
Sure, I feel guilty at times because I'm not home 100% of the time with the girls. And it doesn't help that my MIL said last night that once St. Anthony's is over it will be good because then I won't do any more races that take me away from everyone so much and that I'd just workout to keep in shape. I had to tell her that I was going to keep training and doing triathlons and 1/2 marathons and that I most likely was going to have to travel some for races. Or that in the past my own Dad has told me that I'm being selfish in doing this and taking time away from my family, and that I belong at home taking care of my children and my husband. While I agree that I need to be home more in the evenings with the girls at this age, I disagree that I shouldn't train for these events. It makes me feel good - physically, mentally, and emotionally. And that only makes me a better wife and mother.
I get that my obsession with triathlon maybe took me away too much with the 70.3 and the Team in Training commitment. But I also get that I would have been worse off for not doing it. Now I'm just learning balance. Balance between work and life. Balance between triathlon and family. I'm figuring it out, not giving it up.
I guess that's why I'm so frustrated with my back. It's keeping me from doing what I love, and it's messing with the balance situation I thought I figured out. I don't want to be back on the couch. I want to be out on the road either biking or running; or out in the water swimming like mad.
But like I said... I refuse to give up!
Unfortunately, it seems that my back has other plans. I stretched my back and hamstrings out really well before I went to the gym. Even though my back was feeling a little stiff again by the time I got to the Y, I still was optimistic.
Within 2 minutes of the warm up I was already having pain in my shin, but I kept warming up. I thought "maybe I have shin splints and it's not really my back." It hurt the entire time. I stopped for a few moments and stretched out my back and hamstrings again.
Then I started the 2 minutes incline level 2 at a 10:56 minute mile pace. I was able to handle the level 2 incline, but the 2 minutes at level 3 started to cause me major pain in both legs, and the 2 minutes at level 4 absolutely killed me with shooting pain through my left quad, sciatica, and of course the pain down my right shin getting worse and worse almost every second. I finished off the 2 minutes of it at level 4 and then laid down and stretched out my back and hamstrings again.
I tried incline 5 for about 2 seconds and it was too much pain, so then I tried level 3 thinking maybe that would be okay. Nope. So I dropped to no incline and just ran at an even 10:56 mile pace for 4 minutes from that point on. By the end of thatI was still in pretty acute pain, so I stopped and stretched my back and hamstrings again.
I figured, I'll try the recovery but walking instead of a 12:30 pace to see if that will help. I ended up walking for 10 minutes at a 15 minute mile pace and my legs were not having it, so I stopped and went home. I think that I did the right thing because my left leg was having shooting pains as I walked regularly and even sitting my back muscles are not thrilled and I'm having major pain in my shin at the moment - I'm pretty certain it is nerve pain. There's a throbbing/shooting type sensation that I've never had with shin splints.
I made a 4:30 pm appointment with the chiropractor for today, and I have an email to Coach to see if she wants me to make adjustments to tomorrow's 1/2 hour bike and 1/2 hour treadmill hard run workout.
Why can't my mind and body be on the same page? It is uber frustrating. I wanted this to be a great Team in Training season and it's like all these things are in the way. I want them to clear out. I have less than 3 weeks left until St. Anthony's and I've been looking forward to this race since December. I am truly fearful that I'm going to end up having to walk the 6.2 miles at the end, and I REALLY don't want to do that. 5/1's for the whole thing, fine. But I don't want to walk the whole thing, especially since my running has improved so much since this time last year. So, I'm going to will my back to fix itself (she says while having sciatica shoot down her left leg and her lower back hurts...).
I had such high hopes for this season and it seems like everything I try for is turning to dust, except for finishing the 1/2 Marathon. But I'm not going to give up. I do not quit, and I'm not going to give up. I am a doer and this sport called triathlon is something I flat out love doing. Not to mention that doing it helps me keep all those silly health things under control. Not to mention the mental health and stress reliver it is too.
As I said to Ladybug this morning when she was crying and begging me not to go to the gym so I could stay and help her put her socks on, this is something I do because it helps me be a better Mommy and I want to be the best Mommy I can be. I know the evening and Saturday workouts have been hard on the kids and Mr. Darcy, and after St. Anthony's the evening workouts will stop and the Saturday workouts will at least be shorter because I won't have to travel so far to do them. But I also know that I need this crazy swim, bike, run life... not just for sanity's sake but for the love of it all too. I may never win a race or get hardware other than a finisher's medal, but I compete with myself and I better myself every day with every training and with every race.
Sure, I feel guilty at times because I'm not home 100% of the time with the girls. And it doesn't help that my MIL said last night that once St. Anthony's is over it will be good because then I won't do any more races that take me away from everyone so much and that I'd just workout to keep in shape. I had to tell her that I was going to keep training and doing triathlons and 1/2 marathons and that I most likely was going to have to travel some for races. Or that in the past my own Dad has told me that I'm being selfish in doing this and taking time away from my family, and that I belong at home taking care of my children and my husband. While I agree that I need to be home more in the evenings with the girls at this age, I disagree that I shouldn't train for these events. It makes me feel good - physically, mentally, and emotionally. And that only makes me a better wife and mother.
I get that my obsession with triathlon maybe took me away too much with the 70.3 and the Team in Training commitment. But I also get that I would have been worse off for not doing it. Now I'm just learning balance. Balance between work and life. Balance between triathlon and family. I'm figuring it out, not giving it up.
I guess that's why I'm so frustrated with my back. It's keeping me from doing what I love, and it's messing with the balance situation I thought I figured out. I don't want to be back on the couch. I want to be out on the road either biking or running; or out in the water swimming like mad.
But like I said... I refuse to give up!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Blue Sky Tuesday
Swim practice was good last night, but I felt a little off in the water. Of course, that might have been because we did a lot of drills 4x 50 each of one armed, finger tip drag, slow arm, and catch up. I basically was doing a 1/2 butterfly stroke on the catch up drill. It was making me crazy. But once we got to the 4x200 descending with the last 25 of each sprinting, I was back on track. I LOVE swimming (see that's more than running - all of the letters are capitalized... not just the first one).
The bad news though was that I forgot to bring my bike to practice last night for coach to look at it. Which means I have to take it to the bike shop. But the only time I have to take it to the bike shop is tomorrow some time. So, instead of facing another day on the trainer for a 20 mile ride, I went to the YMCA and used the stationary bike, hill program, level 8, but I put that I weighed 10 more pounds than I do so that it would maybe more like being on the road. I still did 20 miles in 52:33, so I'm hoping that was a closer approximation of the road. And this time the random hill program gave me 3 max out hills with each being longer than the previous. I was drenched in sweat at the end of it, so I'm thinking I got a pretty good workout going.
As I exited the Y, the sun was up in all it's glory and the sky was blue. That blue that says "Don't go to work today. Go to the beach. Drink a margarita while wearing a straw hat and sitting on a beach chair and reading a book next to the ocean." It was severely tempting, but as usual, it's a busy day so I said no to that blue sky urging. (It may be a good thing for my job security that the closest beach is an hour a way.)
I am working, working, working and staring out the window a bit. I put together the goodies for the girls at the Callandale Center, and went to lunch with my friend J. We ate outside. Dining al fresco may be good for the soul but it is not good for the return to work. It was really hard to peel myself away and go back to "the office." But I made it.
I have a treadmill run tomorrow.- 50 minutes with varying inclines and paces. It looks hard. But then, when is any of this stuff easy? Thursday it's another gym day too - trainer for 30 minutes (I'll use a spin bike) and then a 3 mile run (and then cool down) on the treadmill at varying paces. But Friday, I'll need my bike back and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that this blue sky weather lasts because I have a 1 1/2 hour bike ride to do... 50 minutes of it at race pace. Hello closed road! If it rains, I'm going to cry.
Of course, on the family front we have a crazy week. Tonight I have the Junior League stuff, tomorrow night Mr. Darcy has a basketball game with a contractor; Thursday Mr. Darcy has a business trip returning (hopefully) by 6 pm and I have a Team in Training Fundraiser that starts at 6 (which the Little Ladies may or may not attend depending on whether Mr. Darcy has returned from said business trip). Friday, Mr. Darcy has dinner with fraternity people and then an initiation. Saturday I have a morning swim/run brick with the Team and possibly a night out for dinner and drinks with some girlfriends. Sunday we hope to take the girls to the zoo or to an outdoor art show (that has kid friendly stuff too). Next week is a bit crazy too, but on a slightly smaller scale. The following week, a little slower and ST ANTHONY's that weekend. It'll be here before I know it...
... and as long as these blue skies stick with me, it's all smooth sailing as far as I'm concerned!
The bad news though was that I forgot to bring my bike to practice last night for coach to look at it. Which means I have to take it to the bike shop. But the only time I have to take it to the bike shop is tomorrow some time. So, instead of facing another day on the trainer for a 20 mile ride, I went to the YMCA and used the stationary bike, hill program, level 8, but I put that I weighed 10 more pounds than I do so that it would maybe more like being on the road. I still did 20 miles in 52:33, so I'm hoping that was a closer approximation of the road. And this time the random hill program gave me 3 max out hills with each being longer than the previous. I was drenched in sweat at the end of it, so I'm thinking I got a pretty good workout going.
As I exited the Y, the sun was up in all it's glory and the sky was blue. That blue that says "Don't go to work today. Go to the beach. Drink a margarita while wearing a straw hat and sitting on a beach chair and reading a book next to the ocean." It was severely tempting, but as usual, it's a busy day so I said no to that blue sky urging. (It may be a good thing for my job security that the closest beach is an hour a way.)
I am working, working, working and staring out the window a bit. I put together the goodies for the girls at the Callandale Center, and went to lunch with my friend J. We ate outside. Dining al fresco may be good for the soul but it is not good for the return to work. It was really hard to peel myself away and go back to "the office." But I made it.
I have a treadmill run tomorrow.- 50 minutes with varying inclines and paces. It looks hard. But then, when is any of this stuff easy? Thursday it's another gym day too - trainer for 30 minutes (I'll use a spin bike) and then a 3 mile run (and then cool down) on the treadmill at varying paces. But Friday, I'll need my bike back and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that this blue sky weather lasts because I have a 1 1/2 hour bike ride to do... 50 minutes of it at race pace. Hello closed road! If it rains, I'm going to cry.
Of course, on the family front we have a crazy week. Tonight I have the Junior League stuff, tomorrow night Mr. Darcy has a basketball game with a contractor; Thursday Mr. Darcy has a business trip returning (hopefully) by 6 pm and I have a Team in Training Fundraiser that starts at 6 (which the Little Ladies may or may not attend depending on whether Mr. Darcy has returned from said business trip). Friday, Mr. Darcy has dinner with fraternity people and then an initiation. Saturday I have a morning swim/run brick with the Team and possibly a night out for dinner and drinks with some girlfriends. Sunday we hope to take the girls to the zoo or to an outdoor art show (that has kid friendly stuff too). Next week is a bit crazy too, but on a slightly smaller scale. The following week, a little slower and ST ANTHONY's that weekend. It'll be here before I know it...
... and as long as these blue skies stick with me, it's all smooth sailing as far as I'm concerned!
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