Goals - revamped and 1st run in 6 weeks

This last week, I have started to become stressed out, unmotivated and just a mess about my training. The thumb injury, the sinus AND ear infection, and my 6th week of not running was taking its toll on me physically and mentally. I felt like I am started to get burnt out on biking and swimming. I feel my season cracking and falling through the cracks. I am so worried about re-injuring my foot, not having enough endurance or time in to do what I want. My first race is in 5 weeks. I am getting nervous and stressed. With the advice of a good friend, I sat down last night and re-wrote my goals for this triathlon season. This was very hard for me to do because you never want to lower your expectations, especially for those of you that know me, I only expect the best. New goals: 1st goal - Finish Ironman Louisville (this is the same and will always remain #1). 2nd Goal - PR Ironman Kansas 70.3. 3rd Goal: Finish Top 15 in my age group at Hyvee Triathlon. 4th Goal: PR Bluff Creek Triathlon. The top and overall goal is to not re-injure myself. As I look at this, these are still pretty high bar expectations of myself, but even if I lower my goal, I would not be happy if I didn't reach these levels. The only one that will be a push for me is a top 15 finish at Hyvee just because I don't know the competition that will be there. It will be a tough race field. I compared my "pre race" time to finish times last year and I should be right around #10 if I finish where I think I can and where everyone else finished last year. I could probably sit down and go through the entire list of entrants and pick out the people I know that will beat me at Hyvee, but who really has that much time and then there are people out there like me, who have worked their ass off and will be a surprise finish there. I am sure there will be several of us. I probably will end back up in the same place I finished last year, lol. I also looked over my return to running plan and my current workout plan and did a little changing around and I feel confident that it will get me through and help me return to running safely. I am still nervous about running 13.1 miles after only being back for 7 weeks. Not the distance, but the distance on my foot. Will it be ready? I sure hope so, but hopefully I will feel more confident when that time gets here. I did do my first run on Sunday. I got a very late start in the day. Around 5pm, I felt like running. It looked like it was going to rain, but I thought it would pass and I would run after it passed, so I waited and waited and waited. The storm was moving to slow, so at 6pm, I got outside. I walked 5 min, ran for 5 and then turned to head back. I was to do 5 more min of walking, but it started to sprinkle so I cut it at 3 min and started to run. Right as I started to run it down poured. I ran in the pouring rain and it was awesome. I really wanted to keep running, but that is ruining my goal of not re-injuring myself so I stopped at 5 min and headed into the house. I felt so great, but can tell I have lost a lot of endurance or it was from staying up until 5am drinking. I am hoping the latter. Monday, I went for a swim followed by a short bike. Still dragging a bit. Last night, I did a short bike and went to the batting cages. It was so much fun. I have not hit a softball in about 4 years. Next year I am getting on a slow pitch team for sure. I need to get out and scout teams that are awesome because I want to be on a good team, but until then, I am going to try to find a team to sub a few games for. Tonight I am back in the pool and then followed by a bike. I wish it would be about 5 degrees warmer out. The temp is right at that temp were my feet freeze and it just becomes a very uncomfortable ride so right now and probably the rest of this week I am stuck on the trainer again. Saturday I am getting outside for my 4:30 bike! Thursday will also be my 2nd run. 3 - 5 min blocks.

Going to be Famous

I was reading the Des Moines Register a couple weeks ago, and they were asking for bloggers that were doing the Hyvee triathlon. Last year I read most of the people that had volunteered to do this and was kind of disapointed about what I was reading. Most had not done a tri or they were very new. Mostly, no one really talked about their training. So this year, I decided to "apply" to be one of these people. I just recieved an email saying that I was chosen to be one of the bloggers. I am excited about it, because I am hoping to give people some insite on triathlon training. Hopefully I don't come off to technical or worse, to boring. Look for me in the paper before May 8th and my blog starting on May 8th for the register. I am excited. Don't worry, I will not deny my current blogger fans from this blog, lol. I need to get more fans.

Feeling good

The warm weather definatly can make anyone feel awesome. My foot feels good, my thumb is almost healed, and my sinus/ear infection is almost gone. Tonight I am taking the night off to recooperate and gather my thoughts on my upcoming return to running. I ordered new shoes, which are to arrive Monday because I want to have the best possible shoes, in the best shape so I know if I get reinjured it isnt because of crappy shoes. I am pretty sure that is the reason the stress fracture arrived in the first place was from wearing wore out shoes to long. I think tomorrow I will venture out for my long bike outside. I need to get use to riding in not so perfect weather. More for my mental training than physical. My mental training needs work.

Center Trails

Tuesday night, I ventured out to Center Trails to do some mountain biking mostly because I didn't want to ride in the wind. I had such a blast. I am heading out there again tonight. I need to take my mountain bike in to get it tuned up pretty bad. I definatly took it for a ride Tuesday night. Hopefully it makes it through tonight. I also noticed that I have already fallen behind on yard work. When did the grass start growing again? I have weeds and flowers growing all over the place that they are not suppose to be growing so I have to get that together. I might be working in the rain this weekend on that. Hopefully I will get it done this weekend. As for tonight and tomorrow, I will be spending as much time outside as possible.

56 glorious miles, wait, make it 60

Dispite the fact that I have a sinus and an ear infection, I ventured down to Lawrence, Kansas this last weekend for the free training ride they had. Let me tell you, it was a great day to do this great ride. It was up in the air or not if I was going to go because of the rain, but it looked like it was going to clear up so I went. Arrived at the race start at about 1pm. Got all of my stuff ready to go and ended up almost missing the group. I had to quickly catch onto the last group. This was such a nice ride. I am hoping race day will be as nice. I am glad I did this because now I know the course and know where the good spots are to take in some nutrition and where I can let me heart rate get a little higher or where to keep it low. Roads were all smooth. It was great. I am very happy with my training so far for the bike. I never felt like I was tired. I had a mental set back where I missed a turn and ended up going an extra 4 miles, but once I over came that, I was feeling good again. I feel like I will be able to be under my 3 hour mark on this course. Just hope my running will be where I want it to be. Sunday, I laid in bed all day. Today, I am skipping my swim workout to go home and rest. I finally have a little more energy today than I did all weekend. Hopefully I will feel much better tomorrow. Side note: Sunday is the end of week 6. I get to run. It is only for 10 min, but I am super excited.

Geezz, now I am sick...

If it isn't one thing, it's another. Today I have come down with a horrible head cold. I think it all started because of my Wednesday night swim. I got water in my left ear pretty bad and was never able to get it out. So today my head is completely plugged up and my left ear canal hurts. I spent an hour this morning laying on the floor at work and then went home for a nap. I am back at work, but I think I am going to go home again and sleep. My thumb is much better today. It is still tough to hold things that I have to move my thumb more than 2 inches from the rest of my hand. After my swim last night, I jumped on the elliptical for 45 min and then moved to the treadmill for a cool down walk. I wanted to see if my foot had any pain in it, so I did a brief 2 min run. It felt so weird to run. After I stopped and walked, my calves cramped up pretty bad. Tomorrow I am heading down to Lawrence, Kansas for a Kansas 70.3 training weekend. They have a free group ride on the bike course with an aid station and on Sunday they are offering a free entry to do the half marathon. I am not staying for the run, for obvious reasons. I am pretty excited though to do the bike course. It is suppose to be pretty hilly even though they won't come out and say it is going to kick your a$$. It will help me get prepared for Louisville. Hopefully I have enough energy to make it worth while and the weather cooperates. Hope everyone is getting out and enjoying the nice weather and your training is going good.

Really?!...

Things were going along great, so you know something had to happen. It did. Saturday, I was in Cresco on the bike trail doing my 3:45 bike. I was testing out my race setup. I was flying. It was such a great ride and such a great day. At mile 67 of 70, I come upon a dad and his 2 daughters. I slow up and let them know I am coming up behind them. They didnt hear me, so I said it again. They all scatter across the trail, so I said I will be passing on the left. Well him and his daughters move to the right. I started passing, when all of a sudden, one girl pulls back over to the left in front of me. I slowed down and then all of a sudden she slams on her brakes and I did as well. I couldn't get my feet unclipped and fell over. I got up and checked over my bike because I knew I was fine and wanted to make sure I didn't break anything. Everything appeared fine, so I started off again. Soon, my thumb started to hurt. By the time I rode the last 3 miles to my car, my thumb was very sore and could not use it. By the time I got back to my grandparents, I had thrown up because it hurt so bad. As of today, no fracture and not broke, but I do have a splint on it and it is still swollen pretty good. I can move it, but not hold anything with it. I did swim last night which didnt bother it enough to stop. Mostly it is just one of those mental set backs. I also decided today that I officially can not do the Dam to Dam. I just can't risk running that long of a distance that early returning to running and that close to 3 other big races. It is dissapointing and really kind of brings you down when you have been training so hard for something and then you are unable to do it. I have 1.5 weeks left before I can run again. I can't wait. I think that will really give me the boost I need to give me the hope that I can finish this season, but now that it is getting closer, I am getting nervous that my foot won't be healed and I am going to reinjure it and not be able to run for the rest of the year. It is stressing me out. Usually when I get this stressed, I run. Haha. Well, for now, I will keep up doing what I can. The warm weather helps.

Oh, How I wish I could run...

You will never realize how bad you want to and need to run when you can't. This hit me really hard last night when I was on the elliptical that I wanted to run more than anything in the world. I moved to the treadmill for my cool down walk and I wanted to punch the people that were running on the treadmill and yell at the other people that could, but weren't running. I am sitting at the office now looking outside at the gorgeous day and wanting to go for a run. How I miss it so. It has been 3.5 weeks now since my diagnosis. 2.5 weeks left! It is taking forever. I am sick of being inside, I am sick of the elliptical, I am sick of water running. I am to the point now that I feel like crying because I can't run. I am hoping next weeks warm weather will help because I will be able to get out on the bike instead of being inside. In the mean time, I will look to see if I can find the new Asics Nimbus shoes online for cheap. Maybe by the time I can wear them they will be on sale.

Week 17

This week I have found myself to be full of energy and ready to go. That was not how I felt this last weekend. After taking Friday off, Saturday's bike was long, hard, and pretty much worthless, other than the saddle time. I more or less could have just slept on the bike, it would have been the same thing. After going out Saturday night, drinking way to much, I found myself getting home at about 4pm Sunday afternoon. I was so exhausted. I did some lifting at home and some biking and walking. Very uneventful. Monday, I was full of energy and hit the water hard. I felt great and fast in the water. My hour swim flew by, then it was off to my house to do an hour bike, which also went by really fast. Tuesday, I was on the elliptical for 50 min and then went home to do a 1:20 bike. Before I knew it, it was 8 o'clock and I was painting my nails :) Tonight I have a :45 swim and a :40 bike. Should go by fast, plus I think I can get outside on the bike tonight which should be really nice. Tomorrow I will swim for :30 and be on the elliptical for 1:30 followed by some lifting. This weekend I am heading to my grandparent's for Easter so I will have a change of senery for the bike. I am glad it is going to be warm. I have a 3:45 bike. I am going to try out my disc wheel this weekend too if it isn't to windy. Also going to be heading to Lawrence next weekend for a group training ride on the Kansas 70.3 course. Should be fun and exciting. Hope it will be super nice.

Week 16

Why is it that some days when you swim, you can swim so fast with so little effort and other days, no matter what you do, you have to take 30 strokes to make it to the other end of the pool? Sunday I swam 1.2 miles in the pool in 43:20. If I finish that in the race, I will be super happy. Monday when I went swimming, not matter what I did, I just could not get my glide down. It took me 4 more strokes than usual to do one length. It was really weird and it made that workout super long. Sunday, after my swim, I did some water running and then went on the elliptical for 15 more min. Monday, I swam, and then did the elliptical for :40 and lifted. I think I lifted to much because my legs have been shot for the last 2 days. Tuesday night, I was suppose to do a 1:30 bike, but it ended up being 1:00 and then I went for a walk for :30. I just could not get my legs going. Wednesday night, I swam for an hour. Big, exhausting workout and then went home to do my hour bike. I only did :40 of that because I was so hungry. So while the burgers were cooking, I biked. Tonight I will swim and hopefully water run and with the remaining time of my hour run, finish up with the elliptical. I will lift after. Tomorrow will be a rest day, so I will hit the lifting hard tonight. Saturday I have a 3:30 bike. I can't wait until it will be nice enough out to get outside again on the bike. Sunday, I did make it to the Natural Living expo. It was kind of weird to see building green stuff for your house with nutrition, but it was all about "greening" up your life, so it made sense. I stopped at a booth that had metobolic testing. It was free, so why not. I got the results, nothing I wasn't expecting except it was not what I expected it to be. The body fat was where I thought it would be, but it also tested for your hydration level. It said 55.43%. I thought it was just because I just got done working out and didnt drink anything. The guy says, that will effect it maybe by 5%, but that at the most. It should be closer to 70% so now I am working on drinking more water during the day. It is hard. I just keep forgetting about it. Now I have a big, bright green glass that I have at work to remind me to drink. Plus, the constant going to the restroom reminds me that I need to drink more water. Tonight, if I have energy left, and I stop playing with my blackberry, I am going to apply my new spiral graphics to my wheel. It is going to be sweet.