For a day that started out kind of badly, the rest of yesterday went pretty well. Work was work. I made the mistake of having coffee though and it made me really jittery on a day I was already feeling jittery. And in some weirdness, I forgot to eat. I didn't have "breakfast" until about 11 am and then lunch at 5:12 pm (which consisted of a calorie laden burrito from chipotle since it was next to the bike shop), and a meal replacement shake rather late at night before bed.
I ended up taking off 1 1/2 hours of PTO time from work yesterday, talked to Little Sister on the phone, took the bikes into my LBS where they kind of laughed a little and fixed everything easily, showed me what to do if there is a problem like those next time, they rode them to make sure all was well, and loaded the car back up (and they didn't even charge me - I teased them and said that now I knew I was helpless because they fixed the problems so easily they didn't even want to charge). I made it home in time to meet M and head out to our Junior League meeting, which was a fun social meet and greet type of thing at a Lilly Pulitzer. I ended up buying some really cute pajamas as a little treat for myself. I do need more pjs anyway, although I don't generally spend as much as I did on them.. I had a nice time talking with everyone, especially M who told me that my on edge jitteriness, insomnia, loss of hair, forgetfulness, crying spells, and anger/frustration issues sounded like what she feels like when her thyroid medicine is out of wack. It was nice to be told that I'm not crazy at least. But whether it's really a thyroid issue remains to be seen. All I know is some hormones somewhere are not playing nicely.
The good news on that front is that I have an appointment with the new doctor on Thursday. All I want is someone to explain things to me (and hopefully figure what the heck is up with all this stuff). That's not too much to ask in my humble opinion. I'm not looking for a quick fix, just to understand what the heck is going on with me physically and not to just be relegated to a weight loss pill (at least not without explanation).
This morning was a great deal better, although I was dragging my bootie out of bed. I was groggy for at least a good 20 minutes after being up and moving around. And getting up I just wanted to sleep a few more hours. I helped the little ladies get dressed, kiss boo boos, talk about how we'll get to spend the rest of the evenings this week together and most of the day on Saturday and all of Sunday together. (That even got a "whoo hoo" from Angelfish. Mr. Darcy told me that Ladybug asked him last night when they got home if they would get to see Mommy tonight, and that she was really missing me. That may be why she scared the daylights out of me at 3 am - I opened my eyes and she was standing next to the bed staring at me.) But I got them ready and almost out the door with Mr. Darcy and then I set out for my easy 45 minute recovery run. 5 minute walk warm up, 35 minutes of easy 5/1's and a 5 minute walk for a cool down. Can you say taper?
My calf muscles were not happy and my left IT band was even a little grumpy at times during the run. But I tried to be a good girl and keep to an easy pace. It seemed like I had less pain when I ran faster though. So, I decided to run the 5/1's as was comfortable and if my HR monitor started to beep then I'd slow up. Right around the 2.75 mile mark my calves finally eased up and the run got to be all the easier. I was actually pretty impressed with myself at the end of it. I ran/walked 3.7 miles in that 45 minutes, and since more than 10 of it was walking I figured that was a pretty good pace.
It was a nice morning for a run and I enjoyed being out and about in the neighborhood. It was overcast and cool, and while my favorite run weather is clear blue skies and cool, I also don't look a gift horse in the mouth. The neighborhood in the mornings is quiet and slowly comes to life as people start to leave their driveways to head out to the work place. Moms and Dads driving the kiddies to school or daycare. A few fellow walkers/runners/cyclists out on the road (although I think today they were inside because of the rain - I only saw one man walking his dog this morning). Various water fowl wandering around squawking. Birds twittering in the trees. People walking their dogs, most of whom are cute (the dogs that is) and don't seem to mind or want to chase anyone running by - save a greyhound here or there. A nice time to listen to your breathing, the sound of cars passing and the return to quiet. Thinking of nothing but the run, counting your 5/1s, and the sights you see on the run.
I used to dislike (okay HATE - in all caps) running, and about 1 1/2 years later and 1 1/2 weeks out from my 1st official 1/2 Marathon, I actually like running. Now that I'm in much better shape, and I've found the joy of the 5/1, I think that running is a peaceful existence. I rather like the 5/1. Sure, I can run without walking. I've done it many times and it's just fine. I can go faster when the 1 minute walk is a run on the shorter jaunts. But the thing I like about the 5/1 is that my back doesn't hurt (knock on wood) after I'm done - even if it's a 12 miler. And after I hit around the 3 mile mark, my body even stops hurting. The 5/1s make me feel like I can go forever - heck it's only another 5 minutes and then another and another. Plus there is the mindlessness that mixes with a sense of being just in that moment and living that 5 minutes on the run before the next 1 minute walk. And the 1 minute is just long enough for that swig of drink and my heart rate to drop a bit but not long enough for me to end the run. Sometimes the 5 minutes are easy as pie and others are not so easy at all... and they can be right next to one another. There's a simple joy in it, really. So, yes, I can honestly say that I like to run these days.
I guess that's a good thing since the Princess 1/2 Marathon is almost here. But even more than my race, I'm looking forward to Angelfish and Ladybug running in the Little Kids race. All 100 meters of it. I just hope they don't pull a soccer practice on me and refuse to do it. The princesses should be at the finish line, so that should make them want to run even more - I hope. They've been practicing on the front sidewalk, which is pretty cute. I havent' prompted them. I just talk about their race and they either decide to run around the living room and kitchen in big circles a couple of million times, or they want to run outside. Of course, Ladybug wants to run in her "party shoes" but we're trying to convince her that sneakers are faster. We'll see how that goes. Angelfish just asks me if I'm going to cheer for her, and I always tell her "Of course I am. You're my girl! I'll always cheer for you."
I definitely need to be around more. The end of this Team in Training season may have to be the start of a soujourn from Team in Training for a little bit. Last year the girls knew I was gone, but didn't seem to miss me as much. This year, they really miss me and really notice that I'm gone and that they can't play and snuggle with me. I think they need me more than TNT does right now. It won't be the end of triathlon life or triathlon training for that matter, but it will just need to be different, more local, and more mornings for my workouts. I think Mr. Darcy needs it too. He loves being with his girls but it's been 3-5 days a week that it's just him and the girls for either a workout or a Junior League meeting. He's vocalized that he needs a night off from being climbed all over and clung to (our children are like me - no personal space and they love to snuggle and be held and sit right on you... although Ladybug isn't as physically touchy as Angelfish. Mr. Darcy on the other hand needs his space sometimes.) It is a sad and hard realization because I love the Team in Training mission. But sometimes in this life we have to make choices and raising my children and being a constant presence in their lives right now has to come first. So in the meantime, I'm going to try to make the most out of my TNT experience and hope to get those funds raised and help others on the team get their funds raised too. I'm $290 short on the required total right now, but I have faith it will come. (And in case anyone reading wants to donate to my cause, please feel free to visit my fundraising page at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/cfl/anttry10/kmartinmou)
We're trying to put together a Team fundraiser - a beer tasting and perhaps even a Battle of the Bands at a local brewery. That way we can have a fun, social event and also help the team raise money. I have a little dream that we'll raise at least $5,000... but that would mean selling at least 200 tickets. With 14 people on the team, I think it's doable, but we'll just have to see. It also depends on what we can get donated and the like.
I may have lunch today with Mr. Darcy - King of the Xbox - if his work meetings allow it. But one thing is for sure, I won't forget to eat. I like eating normally a lot better these days. Oh and even though I haven't been posting actual numbers, most days I've been within about 100 calories of the magic number for the day... except the 3000 calorie days. But I'm trying and in the end that's really all we can do.
Kind of like running and like triathlon. Keep moving forward and let's see what we can do!
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