Pot pourri

If my holiday tri challenge taught me anything, it's that making time for exercise is not as tough as I thought. It's easy to have a million and one excuses. Nobody would fault me for not exercising 4 to 5 times per week - I have a toddler, a full time job, new seasons of American Idol and Project Runway, and a million other commitments and projects pulling me in every direction. But I make time because I'm an athlete. It's part of who I am, and I need exercise just as I need to eat, breathe, and sleep.

Truth be told, I'm a slower runner than I'd like to be, weigh about 5 pounds more than my ideal, wish I could up the resistance another 3 notches on the bike, and am still desperately trying to reclaim my freestyle body roll that I lost after two pregnancies in a row. I think a lot of people, myself included, let their unreached goals and embarrassments keep them from pursuing many things. If I can't be the best, I just won't try. It's taken many years to find satisfaction in not winning.* At some point, it's better to be in the race and losing than to not be in the race and be at home on your duff.

So more days than not, I get off my duff and get moving. These days, between my shoulder problem (I may be the only person in history to have permanent shoulder damage from kayaking in a 3-ft. deep warm water pool), my foot issues, the weather, and day care colds, I have to employ a lot more ingenuity to maintain and increase my fitness level. Where I used to just swim, or just run, or just do the bike, I now find myself more and more warming up for 30 minutes on the bike, running a mile or two, and then hitting the weights. Or swimming at lunch, and going for a long walk after work, and then stretching in bed.

And so maybe I'm not faster or thinner or much stronger, but I'm a hell of a lot faster, thinner, and stronger than I'd be doing nothing. I've accomplished a lot of things over the past two years I never thought possible, and that is very satisfying.


*Satisfaction in not winning does not apply to Scrabble or Boggle.

hibernation

I've gone to the gym a bit, I ran 4 miles on Monday when the weather was balmy, but other than that, I've been hibernating. There was Max's birthday party to throw, getting back to work, not to mention the cold I've had all week. Oh, and my shoes never did come in at the shop, despite my calling twice and being told it would be just a few more days. I feel like a traitor, but I finally ordered a pair online, and they arrived Friday.

I took them to the track today to see how they'd do. So far so good, but it's tough to tell after just a couple miles on the track. They're definitely different - I can actually feel the ground a little bit, which I think is good. Super-stable shoes are so stiff (hah, say that ten times fast) that as the Supportive Husband put it, if my shoes got any more supportive, I'd be running in clogs. In comparison, these feel like ballet slippers. So far nothing hurts - I've got my tricked-out inserts in them, and since I'm back in Asics, I've got them lock-laced to prevent my heel from slipping. Hopefully I'll be over my cold soon, and back into the swing of things.

Hey, wait a sec!

I finally took a moment to plug the numbers into my spreadsheet, and realized that I actually ran at 10:15 pace overall, and was just 11 seconds shy of a PR!!! Damn, I should have kicked harder into the finish. There's always next year!! :)

Done! And Happy New Year!

Done! I think so, anyway. I may have skimped a little on the warmup since the start line was actually at the parking area this year instead of 1/2 mile away. But with the very long jog to the porta-johns and back, plus a little warmup, I figure I got in the 4 or so that I had left to finish.

It was extremely windy today, and I was on pace for a PR until the last mile, which is completely unsheltered. The wind was blowing so hard I was running sideways, and could barely catch my breath. I walked for a short stretch here, and ended up 30 seconds shy of a PR. Damn! But overall, I was pretty happy with it - I ran a 10:26 pace overall, though my first and second miles were both right around 10 min. I felt strong at the finish, despite having run comparatively little in the past month. I'm still waiting on my new shoes, but the pimped-out inserts seem to be doing their job, and my left foot is completely pain free, while the right only felt a little sore after the race.

So here's to another year of being a fit mama! I hope you all have a Happy New Year, and take the time to become a little more fit than you are right now. If I can do it with a toddler and a full time job, then so can you. A wise Jedi once said, "Do or do not, there is no try."

Done with the swim!

And all that's left is the run! I am not convinced that the gym pool is in meters, so just to be sure, I did 850, which brought me to a total of 4250 (yards or meters). 2.4 miles is 4224 yards, so either way I exceeded my goal. And I ended today with 25 of butterfly.

Done with the bike!

The Supportive Husband was working today, and I was afraid I wasn't going to get to the gym. I didn't want to leave Max in babyminding again, plus his afternoon nap often stretches till 4:30, and by the time he's up, changed, had a snack, and we finally get out the door, well, that leaves very little time for actual exercise before the babyminding closes up shop for the day. Luckily, Grammy came through in a pinch, and I headed to the gym around 4.

And it was closed.

What do you mean normal people don't go to the gym on Saturday nights? Luckily, the security guard was kind enough to tell me that the other location (freakin' across town) was open till 6. So off I went. And to my surprise, I discovered that there are actually 2 other bikes, not with the rest of the exercise bikes, because they're not hooked in to the TV sound system. But they are brand new and sweet and super comfortable. I pounded out 9 miles in record time, while listening to an audiobook on my iPod. I only wish I'd found these super-secret fancy bikes sooner.

I got home, and Grammy had to take off, so I ended up having company while I showered. Max rolled in on his "bike" and asked me repeatedly, "Mommy shower?" Fortunately, he's pretty scared of the shower, so I was able to lather, rinse, and repeat in solitude, if not peace.

Older but fitter

My birthday was this week!! I started off my day with a great workout. I swam about 600, had hoped to swim more, but the lady with the pool noodle doing laps in an already crowded pool just about sent me off the deep end, pun intended. I am all about novices, heck I am a perpetual novice, but really, if you are floating around on a pool noodle, then take it to the warm water pool. The lap lanes are not your personal lazy river.

An aside, the new suit is really awesome, and I feel like such an ass-kicker in it. The goggles are also amazing; they actually fit my narrow face.

Then I hopped on the bike for 30 minutes, and managed just over 8 miles. A quick stretch, and off to the treadmill for one (fast) mile. Whee!!

I met up with my family for lunch, took Max to the park, then headed home where The Supportive Husband and I watched a DVD while Max napped. That evening, grammy and Aunt M shared babysitting duties while The S.H. and I had a grown up dinner out and a very juvenile session of ice skating at the ice park. They even played "Ice, Ice, Baby" over the sound system. Who could ask for anything more?

I may be older, but I'm not slowing down. I'm aiming for a PR in the 5K on New Year's day. Between my foot stuff and the tri challenge, I haven't run more than 2 miles at a time all month, but every time I get on the treadmill or on the road, I feel strong and fast, thank you, stationary bike and ashtanga yoga.

I'm very nearly done with the tri stuff, and should have no problem coasting to my goal on 1/1. The totals so far:
Run 18.2
Bike 103 (booyah, broke 100 miles!)
Swim 3400 (meters, I think, but either way I have way less than 1000 to go)

17 miles

The gym bikes reset themselves after 30 minutes, but since I was the only soul on the bikes, I went through two cycles, and ended up with 17 miles. I did a little catching up on the New Yorker, and listened to my iPod with my amaaaaazing new headphones (thank you, Santa). Overall, it was quite relaxing. I even had time for a good stretch afterward.

I've got 10 left to run, 30 left to bike, and about 1200 on the swim. I'm planning on doing the rest of the swim, 15 on the bike, and a couple miles on the treadmill tomorrow, but that might be a little ambitious. I am super motivated by the fact that my jeans are now loose on me right out of the dryer.

Lucky 13

I did 13 on the bike today. I did it super-fast, too. I dropped Max off at babyminding at the gym for the first time. He boo-hooed when I dropped him off, so I was soooo anxious the entire time on the bike, that I pedaled as fast as my little legs could, so as not to leave him in the torture chamber any longer than necessary. In fact, I stopped at 13 instead of 15, hopped in the shower, stuck my hair in a clip without drying it and rushed to collect him.

Naturally, he was having a great time, sitting in one of the sitters' laps and playing with little toys. And then he reached for me and burst into tears when he saw me. I think he thought I was never coming back, and was overcome that I was there. I felt awful.

But he forgave me when I took him out for lunch and let him eat a whole pack of Teddy Grahams.

They gym's closed tomorrow, and I am wisely taking a day off from exercise. Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

1000 and 10

1000 meters (yeah! meters, baby!) in the pool and 10 miles on the bike.

I was overjoyed when I pulled into the gym parking lot - there were maybe 15 other cars. I thought for sure I'd have a lane in the pool to myself. No such luck. I think all 15 other people were in the pool, and I ended up on the wall half of an end lane. The other fella in the lane was a really buff young guy with just the ugliest, thrashingest stroke ever. If I ever do a real tri or an open water swim, this will be good preparation. Luckily, he tired himself out after about 100 yards, and my new lane-mate was quite considerate and sincerely apologized for *almost* bumping in to me. It wasn't the fastest 1000 ever, but I felt great the whole time, and even did flip turns for most of my freestyle.

Then transition, ha ha. I took the time to rinse out my suit and put it through the spinner, before heading on to the bike. I was under a bit of a time crunch, so I changed into my workout clothes as fast as I could. I was still pretty damp, and got an interesting workout trying to get my sports bra on over my head.

I rocked out to my iPod and read Entertainment Weekly and busted out a quick 10 miles before I had to hop off and get cleaned up.

Tri tally: 3062 of 4224 yards swum; 52 of 112 miles biked; 16.2 of 26.2 miles run

Yeah, those meters add up fast!!

Two miles

It occurred to me that all these miles on the treadmill may be contributing to my foot problems. So I ran on an actual road this morning! Woohoo! It was much colder than I was expecting. Partly because I've been running in the 68 degree gym, and partly because it was just cold and windy. I forgot my gloves, and was only wearing a long-sleeve shirt and tights. My teeth were chattering the first quarter-mile, but 10 minutes into the run I was feeling pretty good, and when I walked in the door afterward, the house felt stiflingly hot.

My inserts did well on pavement, and I had no pain during or after the run. It's a Festivus miracle!

As for my tri challenge, I've got 10 miles left to run, 70 left to bike, and about 2800 on the swim. Once again, I sacrificed a day to yoga, which doesn't count toward my numbers, but is an important part of my workout routine nonetheless. I've got just 10 days to finish the tri, so I'd better get to it. Daycare is closed next week, so you can plan on Max spending a healthy amount of time in babyminding at the gym while I make good on my goal.

Happy Solstice everyone!

News flash!

I was perusing the website for my gym today, trying to find the holiday schedule, when I happened to come across the description for the pools. The lap swimming pools are listed as being 25 meters in length. Meters, y'all!! So I've been swimming a little farther than I thought.

Good news - my new swimsuit arrived, and I splurged and got new goggles, too. I got this suit:

Yes, that's a giant fish!

And a shout out to Robine - may your vision soon be as crystal clear as my fancy new goggles.

Magic Shoes

You're know you're an athlete when your shoes look like this:


Even at very low mileage (the past few weeks I've only been running 1-2 times per week while I work on my swimming and biking), I've been having foot problems. Again. They started before Richmond in my right foot. The right foot stuff (mostly) resolved once I got into a stiffer shoe and insert. And then I started having arch pain in my left foot. That got better with a new shoe and insert. Now, I'm having pretty noticeable pain in both feet, during longer runs, and even on my days off. And that's no fun.

I'm due for a new pair of shoes anyway, so I headed to the shop, where Mark and his most experienced manager puzzled over my krazy-with-a-k foot issues. I spent about 45 minutes there, answering all kinds of questions about my shoe vs pain history. Apparently, my shoes, with 300 miles or so, look pretty battered, but my inserts, bought new at the same time as the shoes, look practically brand new. For the record, I've always been very easy on my shoes (street and athletic) and have never, ever come close to wearing a pair out. I despise shoes with a break-in period, because I can't even break them in properly.

The theory is that in trying to correct my issues, we've been going stiffer and stiffer, which really isn't helping things, despite my serious overpronation. So rather than go right for a stability or motion control shoe, we started trying flexible shoes. The first felt so weird I could hardly walk normally in it, let alone run. Then we moved on up the stiffness ladder, trying different brands. I finally tried on a pair of Asics that felt different than the rest - good different. Great!

But they were out of stock in my size, so I have to wait a few more days. In the meantime, the manager was nice enough to MacGyver my current shoes and inserts, building up the left arch and the right lateral edge with duct tape and cut up old shoe inserts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that schmancy new shoes and a little bit of duct tape can keep me running pain free.

I guess the old saying really is true: If it can't be fixed with duct tape, it can't be fixed.

And the tri update: Run: 12.2, Bike 42, Swim 1800. I had planned to do a big workout today, but, get this, I had two very small glasses of wine last night while at the Ellis Paul show, and woke up seriously dehydrated, and maybe a little bit hung over. I felt pretty unwell today, and just decided to write it off. I've got my gym bag packed for tomorrow at lunch - I can't wait to take my duct tape for a spin.

Tri-ing hard!

My totals so far:
Run: 9.1
Bike: 40
Swim: 800 yds

Meaning I have a lot of work ahead of me still. 17.1 run, 72 miles bike, and 3424 on the swim. Um, yeah.

I attempted to do a ton on the bike and then a couple of miles running today, but after 15 on the bike, my legs were a little wobbly, and I was pretty sure I was going to wipe out and go flying off the back of the treadmill. So I only did one mile. And (cue the tiny violins) my swimsuit did that thing that swimsuits do - for months, they look brand new, and then suddenly one day, they're faded into unflattering, anatomy-highlighting patterns. So I have been really reluctant to swim in my ghetto suit, and just finally got around to ordering a new one. And my shoes are truly thrashed as well.

I have 11 days off over the xmas holiday, and am planning on hitting the gym big time. In fact, I told the Supportive Husband that what I really want for my birthday (which falls near xmas) is to go to the gym and run some, bike some, and swim some. And then get gussied up and be taken out for a nice dinner.

10 more on the bike

...only 87 to go. A busy day, and I was just barely able to squeeze in 45 minutes at the gym. I figured that the bike, abs, and stretching were enough, as I got plenty of strength training last night changing Max's carseat from rear facing to forward facing. Make that car seatS. I did both my car and the Supportive Husband's car. No small feat, let me tell you. But I am confident that both seats are rock-solid. I even did the top tethers. Phew.

I can hear some of you saying it now - you're only just turning him now at almost two years old? Yes, that's right. The rule is that a child must be *at least* one year old and twenty pounds to face forward. But he can safely rearface to the limits of the seat. This means that unless the child exceeds the height limit (not a hard and fast height, but where the child's head is in relation to the seat) or weight limit of the seat for rearfacing, they can and should rearface. Here's why. My little chunkamonk is now brushing the uppermost weight limit for rearfacing, plus he's getting harder and harder to stuff through the extra-tiny back door of the Outback. So after lots of pulling, pushing, huffing, puffing, and grunting; a little bit of swearing, and one broken nail, his car seat now faces forward.

After two consecutive days on the bike, plus the exercise in car seat installation, my quads are on fire. So I'll either rest tomorrow, or go for a swim.

11 miles and congrats IronMo

First things first - IronMo qualified for Boston again!!!! Hotshot ran a 3:37 at CIM. WAY TO GO, IronMo! That is seriously hardcore. She's now a two time IronMan and a two time Boston Qualifier. Awesome!!!

And I took advantage of a rainy Sunday afternoon to head to the gym and do 11 miles on the bike. It only took me 38 minutes - the bikes at the other location fit me a little better, and are stationed right in front of a window. So I downloaded an old episode of Fresh Air and just pedaled my heart out. I was only going to do 10, but it went so much faster than I thought, so I just kept going. Then some abs and stretching, and I was home and showered by the time Max woke up. Only 97 miles to go on the bike!

Two more down

So, it wasn't all running. But I ran and walked my butt off today, so I'm giving myself credit for two.

My dad ran/walked the men's four miler this morning, so I headed out to Free Union to spectate. I arrived at the Chapel (about 1/4 mile from the start) just moments before the mass of runners pounded by. I saw my dad, cheered for him, waited for the last runner, and then headed out on the course. I went to just past the 1/2 mile mark, just over the crest of the last hill where I had a good view up to the 3 mile mark. By the time I got there, the first place runner was already zooming by. As a proud alumna of the Scream Tunnel, you better believe that I worked up a sweat spectating. Since I was just below the crest of a hill near the end of the race, there were some pretty tired souls, who were gracious enough to say "thank you" to me as I cheered and clapped and screamed encouragement.

It's these back-of-the-packers who make spectating so much fun. The guys in the lead are rightfully concentrating on staying in the lead. The guys just behind them are running really really hard trying to catch up, or win their age group, or set a PR. But then just behind them are those who are amateurs, and I mean that in the full sense of the word. The root of the word amateur is love. Without the promise of winning, their motivation is entirely intrinsic. For them to have cheering and encouragement is usually unexpected, and always icing on the cake.

I've read a few articles lately written by fast runners who don't believe that those of us who are 5+ hour marathoners have any right to run marathons. The arguments generally all take the tone of "if you can't take it seriously enough to put in 100 miles a week, it's dangerous and disrespectful." I beg to differ.

First, the danger aspect. There's danger inherent in great physical exertion, no matter how well trained you are. One only has to think of the recent death of Ryan Shay at the Olympic marathon trials. Gentle readers, I assure you that I am well aware of the toll that 26.2 miles can take on my body and mind. I ran Richmond in 80 degree heat and was, relatively speaking, about as comfortable as possible due to my careful hydration and electrolyte replacement. I trained in the heat, I researched the effects it would have on my body, and I took every possible precaution to stay safe. And I did.

Second, the disrespect. I assure you, that though I have an incredibly full life outside of running, and though I lack any genetic gift for running at all, I surely respect this distance. My relationship with it is different than yours, certainly, but my reasons for being at a race are no less valid than yours. Surely my presence isn't weighing you down from the back of the pack. Any animosity you feel toward me is yours and yours alone. You run your race, and I run mine.

And let's face it, it's the peons and the masses that make it possible for you to have a bevy of well-supported marathons from which to choose. There wouldn't be a Richmond without the throngs who enter for the fun, the challenge, and the life-changing experience.

Anyway, back to the four miler. My dad was in the last handful of runners, but still looked strong. I ran and walked the rest of the way to the finish with him, encouraging to keep a fast walk when he couldn't run. With the cones of the finish chute in sight, I told him to kick hard, and I slowed to a walk, to let him have the accomplishment of crossing the finish line all to himself. Way to go, Dad!!!

Anyway, I then had to walk the 1/4 mile or so back to the car, which brought me to nearly 1 mile for the morning. And all in jeans and carrying my purse! Then later, I pushed Max in the buggy for a 1.5 miles walk with Louise. So I think I'm perfectly legit in claiming a couple of miles toward my goal.

7.1 down, 133.5 to go

I am so far sucking on my goal to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, and run 26.2 by New Year's. It's been a busy week, what can I say. I hit the exercise bike at the gym during lunch the other day, and OMG, it kicked my butt, in every sense of the word. Must buy padded shorts. I found it really awkward, since those contraptions aren't built for someone 5'2", no matter how far down you can jack the seat. So I did 4 miles in just under 20 minutes. Which is slower than a lot of people can run.

I gave up my regular workout on Thursday in favor of a 90 minute yoga class, which seems like a completely insane indulgence these days. Something akin to bathing in champagne, or lighting Cubans with $100 bills. Good lord, it was so wonderful. But it just means I'm one more day down on this end of year goal. And at the rate I'm going, the bike portion is going to take a really long time.

Race Report: Turkey Trot

I did a "race for the cure" type thing when Max was 2 mos old, but other than that, I've never done a race that involved getting the both of us ready to go and out of the house at a decent hour. It was a total fire drill, and by the time we got there, all the good parking was gone and we ended up over 1/4 mi from the start. There was a brief moment of terror when Max loudly proclaimed "Max poop," but it must have been a false alarm, THANK GOD. There was no time for messy diaper changing before the start.

We started back with the walkers and baby joggers. My dad accompanied us, but got pretty wiped by the first couple of hills, so we left him behind at mile 1. This course is extremely hilly, even by Cville standards, and pushing Max up and down hills was immensely challenging. I walked most of the steep uphills, hoping to make up some time on the downhills, but keeping the stroller from dragging me headfirst down the steep hills was almost as challenging as going up. However, I still managed to run 11:30 in mile 2, my best of the race.

I felt a little crummy during mile 3, and by the time I got my second wind, we'd made the turn onto the crushed gravel path. It is narrow, and doesn't really allow for passing, plus they must have recently added a truckload of crushed gravel, and it was like pushing the stroller through sand. It was flat, but nearly as tough going as the uphills. Finally, around the sports club, and the finish line in sight, I kicked hard and crossed the finish in 42:40. Mark gave me a shout out and a pat on the back as I came through, and I saw a couple other friends as well. At the end of the chute, Max got a blue ribbon that proclaimed him a "PARTICIPANT."

The finish chute funneled me right to the refreshment tent, and I grabbed a bagel and some grapes, and headed back to the chute to keep an eye out for my dad. He kicked hard and looked springy as he crossed the finish in 51:00. I was way more beat than he was, that's for sure.

We had serious work to do, so didn't hang around for awards and prizes, but took the long hike straight back to the car. Max heard a train as we were walking and proclaimed "choo choo happy" and then "yellow truck" when he saw the yellow truck parked across from us. Hello, smarty-pants!

Athlete

Last night was the end of the season potluck dinner for the running group. After a quick workout (2 mi on the treadmill, some stretching and weights), I headed over to the shop. It was great to see everyone in regular clothes, hair done, rested and wide awake. Everyone was also wearing their medals, except for those of us who did Buck Mountain. It was neat to see all the hardware - the Marine Corps medal were enormous this year; Richmond, though they had promised a "commemorative" 30th running medal looked pretty much the same as last year's.

We ate, took a picture of the group, answered Mark's series of questions (who had negative splits? what was the worst mile? favorite training run?), and talked about plans for next year.

I felt pangs of jealousy hearing about Richmond, and the cool weather. But like IronMo said, it'll still be there when I'm ready again. Maybe next year?

Our group spans the range of those just hoping to finish to those who effortlessly breeze through BQ times. And Mark, bless his soul, treats each and every one of us like the athletes that we are. It's taken me a year and a half to get to the point that I don't feel like a fraud when I say I'm an athlete. My only hope for an age group win is to still be running when I'm 100. I can't do 60 miles a week, my diet isn't systematically tuned to be the best fuel for my runs. But I'm out there. I'm setting goals, and sometimes I meet them, and sometimes I don't. I'm always pushing to be better than I was, to learn something new about my sports (running and swimming). I'm out to have fun, but I take them very seriously. Running and racing are not the most important parts of my life or identity, but they are woven in to the fabric of my life, and can't be disentangled from all the other threads that make me who I am. I'm a mom, a wife, I used to be an airline pilot, I'm still a current flight instructor, I'm a woman and a feminist, I've got brown hair, two masters degrees, and a sense of humor. And I'm an athlete.

So thanks, Mark, all the other runners, and the staff at the shop, for welcoming me into this community. Many times you all treated my athletic aspirations with much more seriousness and respect than I could muster. Thankfully, that attitude has finally rubbed off on me.

I'm an athlete.