Happy Swimming and Me 1, Bike Trainer 0

Happy Swimming

Last night was the Team in Training group swim.  Last week, I pretty much didn't do any of my workouts other than the group swim between the stomach virus and running off to be with the family, etc.  But this week, I'm literally rearing to go.

Of course, I remembered around 5 pm that I don't have any goggles.  I can't seem to find my goggles anywhere, and when I tried to use Mr. Darcy's speedo specials, they broke.  So, like the redheaded stepchild, I emailed Coach and asked if she could arrange for an extra pair for me to borrow.  I did stop at CVS and buy a pair of adult goggles from the beach aisle - I have a feeling they won't last long.  Coach evidently emailed Coach Geni who hadn't taken her goggles out of her car from last week, and she was awesome and lent them to me again. (I've now ordered a pair of my favorite Kaiman's - I'm trying the Ladies version this time around because I love the ones I borrowed from Coach Geni.)

I was so glad that Coach Geni lent those goggles to me.  It felt awesome to be in the pool last night.  It was a little brisk out and the pool wasn't quite as warm as it's been in the past, but it was still great.  We started in the small pool for our warm up due to the Canadians that were in town training at the pool and hogging up all the lanes.  But then we switched to the big pool and it was set up for long course - 50 m in one direction.  It was great!  I finished up my drills in no time flat, and moved on to 2x500 with the last 50 of each being a sprint.  I love the long swims and even enjoyed kicking it in the last 50 of each.  In a way, I wish it had been 1,000m straight because I was just enjoying the long distance swim.  But then the sprint wouldn't have been nearly as fun... anyway, I had a nice peaceful swim, despite sharing the lane with 4 gents a few of whom kept stopping every 100m and kind of breaking up the rhythm of the circle swim.  But, what can you do?  Then the cool down and a piece of recovery birthday cake (it was a small piece, no worries) for Coach's daughter's birthday.  She got clip in pedals and shoes for her birthday... ahhh to be 12 again.  I think she was pretty excited... she's been wanting to clip in on her bike for some time now.

On the way home, I noticed my tire pressure light came on.  I thought, hmm that tire patch must not have been a very good job.  By the time I got home, I figured something was a little flat.  Exit the car, front left tire looks fine.  But I hear the sound of air coming out of a tire.  I walk toward the back and my left back tire is FLAT and there is definitely hissing going on.  I'm not sure how this is happening.  I'm not driving erratically, driving over anything unusual, just the roads of Orlando.  2nd tire in 2 weeks.  Mr. Darcy figures I've run another screw or nail over and promises to take the car for a patch for me (but forgot this morning but says he'll do it tomorrow or later today).  Mr. Darcy handles all things automotive because when it comes to tires, I'm not sure when they're taking me for a ride down the million dollar highway.  Engines, I know enough to keep that from happening, but tires... no.

Then I was greeted by Angelfish who ran so fast and hugged my legs without slowing down that she almost knocked me and her over. It's nice to be loved.  Of course, then she was back to playing with the toy laptop (she's getting really good with her letters these days) and Ladybug looked up to greet me as she was rather busy drawing and coloring.  She drew a cute picture of the family... and had Mr. Darcy label everyone.

Once the girls were in bed - at 9:30 because Mr. Darcy didn't believe me that it was that late. Darn that Daylight savings time!  We got to bed shortly afterwards.  And just as I was waking around 3 am, 2 small children climbed into bed with us declaring they were afraid of the dark.  I'm guessing one of them woke the other and then they concocted their diabolical plan to get into bed with us. So I slept on and off until about 6 am when I discovered that Ladybug had peed in her sleep.  She's been doing great this past week with sleeping without a pullup and not having an accident, but evidently sleeping in Mommy's bed was the triggering factor. 

I hate pee.  I hate the smell of pee.  I can smell pee 5 miles away, I'm pretty sure.  So Mr. Darcy got Ladybug changed into dry clothes and carried Angelfish into her own bed while I stripped the bed and tried to soak up the pee that had been in such a quantity it went through the sheet, the matress pad and into the bed.  My side of the bed.  Did I mention I hate pee?  I soaked up as much as I could with paper towels and sprayed it down with lysol.  And suggested to Mr. Darcy that perhaps it is time to flip and rotate the mattress.

Me 1, Bike Trainer 0

Then Mr. Darcy helped me set up Ruby, my old road bike, on the trainer.  I didn't want any slipped chains, or other issues this bike trainer session.  We had to adjust a few things and find the missing spring from the axle, but it all worked out. 

After getting the little ladies up and dressed and out the door with Mr. Darcy, I turned on an episode about a double mastectomy breast cancer survivor who was 32 (and had cancer at 28) who was getting a new wardrobe.  (She was so inspirational and yet had no self confidence.  It was kind of amazing.)  Then I jumped on the bike and started.  I can only guesstimate my cadence because I don't have a computer on the road bike (the bike computer now resides on my tri bike), but since my regular rhythm on the bike hits around 85, I'm pretty sure I did what I was supposed to do.  10 minute warm up at 85 cadence.  6 sets of 1 minute of 1 leg pedaling.  The 1st 4 weren't so bad and I did them rather smoothly.  The 5th was a bit hard, and then the last one pretty much kicked my booty and was a little choppy.  But it got done.  The 5 minute recovery was nice.  The 10 minutes at high cadence (95-100) got my heart beating high and my sweat pouring, and then another happy 5 minute recovery and then jacking my gears almost all the way up (in the big chain ring even), I had to pedal standing up (which is not my favorite thing to do and freaks me out a bit on the open road, but doesn't scare me on the trainer) for 5 minutes.  I was uber happy when that 5 minutes was over.  And then the last 10 minutes in recovery.  I have to say I love the recovery spin at the end.  It's a nice reward for a job well done.

Today will be somewhat busy, but manageable all at once.  I have a conference call during the lunch hour for a Georgia Bar Committee, and I have to leave work on time because I have volunteering with Junior League.  Tonight I need to fold and put away laundry, wash some more laundry, and finish our taxes.  Tommorrow is going to be the tough one... 8 am conference call for my other Georgia Bar Committee, a department conference call, hopefully a fixed tire, and then TNT track and core practice after work, and an attempt at organizing us (and perhaps packing?) for our trip on Friday. 

I'd like to get all packed on Thursday so I can have one evening this week that I'm not doing something, especially since I find out the test results and such at the endocrinologist on Thursday.  I'm a little nervous about the endocrinology appointment.  I don't want her to tell me nothing is wrong with me because weight gain with all the training and healthy eating makes no sense and I've been depressed lately (and my little foray onto the Mayo clinic website's self test yesterday confirmed that for me) which I know is a symptom of hypthyroidism and one that I don't want to be a stand alone issue. 

But at the same time I don't want to have an additional health problem.  I'd rather not add to my list of why I'm an unlikely triathlete.  Of course, I guess that would make all of my efforts and accomplishments (as unimpressive when compared with the performances of others, but impressive for me), even more impressive.  But really, it's all relative.  I'm no world class athlete, but at least I enjoy doing it.  I just need to remind myself that I need to do this for fun and that it helps keep all those genetic wolves at bay the best I can.  Maybe it's in my head, but I feel like when people find out or know that I am a triathlete and they look at me they say to themselves "really? She does that?  She doesn't look like she does that."  Or even worse, running into someone from high school back when my genetic issues hadn't kicked in yet and I was a size 2.  I fear that everytime I go back to my hometown.

But in the end, I have to remind myself of something that the endocrinologist said to me when I saw her.  She told me that you can be in good shape and be bigger than expected.  And when people think of the BMI that I have, she said they think of round BMI but that I am not round.  And I have to remind myself that as an endurance athlete, I endure.... even my own genetic makeup.  As I said to a cancer survivor on my TNT team last night, we have to cut ourselves a break.  For him, he already endured cancer and cancer treatments before he ever stepped foot into the pool or on to a triathlon course.  For most people, what we do as triathletes is amazing.  But for ourselves, it's just something we do.  I just need a good reminder of the fact that I am amazing, or even just pretty cool.

Oh and if anyone has some good cures for children who are afraid of the dark, let me know.  I've tried spraying water to dissolve whatever is scary in the night and sitting with my girls and having them point out what shadows or things are scary to them and me explaining them and showing them that nothing is unusual there.  We've tried prayers and setting the house alarm to create an extra sense of security.  I even explained why we have night with the earth spinning and facing the moon instead of the sun as it rotates and goes through its orbit (not sure they got it, but I tried it).  I just don't want them to be afraid.  And on a selfish note, I wouldn't mind sleeping in my own bed without extra bodies - a Queen really isn't made for more than Mr. Darcy and I, especially because the Little Ladies are bed hogs.

Well, off I go....