Ready to "Tri" a little :)

Hola everyone!  The last time I checked in, I was in the heat of my "runcation", sitting out from lots of cardio and basically, being as much of a running bum as I could in preparation for marathon season.  And I may have mentioned something about a purchase that I had made as well....

So this is my road bike.  It took me forever and a million years to find one that fit my midget sized body.  It's a 41cm XXS.  It was like a needle in a haystack that my good friend, Javier so diligently helped me search for.

Since it came in the mail in early June-ish...I'm gonna be honest. I was afraid of it.  My first ride on it was at 12:30am post several cocktails.  It was all good.  Then my husband put clips on it...

**Clips are in place of my pedals.  I have special shoes that have a nifty thingy on the bottom of them.  I place my feet on the clips and my feet fasten into my bike.  So I'm biking and physically attached to my bike.  You have to learn to take your feet out.  And put your feet in.  And not eat shit.

So I have clips on my bike and I was scared of it for 3 weeks.  Didn't touch it.  Then one Saturday morning I got up, got brave, and I practiced the art of "clip in clip out" in the safetiness of my culdesac. And I haven't fallen yet.  Thank the Jesus.  I've even gotten much better where I can take one hand off the bike if I need to, and I can stay upright.  I also can now drink water on the bike and grab my bottle and put it back.  And I don't fall over.  So that's a success.

I did a mock sprint triathlon in late June.  I did it after I had only been clipped into my bike once.  I also did it after not swimming a single meter in over a year. Or running in 3 weeks.  I didn't die, but I wasn't super happy with how it went.  So since June, I've been kind of a sitting duck.  I continued to ride with my husband, and I got better, could go further, and felt more confident.  He pushes me and pushes me, then makes me sprint super fast. But I couldn't pull the trigger on signing up for a tri.  Even though I did a sprint and survived.

A week or so ago, I went to a gathering with some of our RGV Tri Club members, and some of the ladies coaxed me into signing up...for an OLYMPIC triathlon.  Not a sprint (usually a short swim, a bike of 10-16 miles, then a 5k run)...instead, I decided to go for...

1500 meter swim (thats almost a mile), 24.5 mile bike...and a 10k.

And I had 2 weeks to train...

Many had joked with me that I would skip the whole sprint triathlon phase and jump straight into the Olympic or Half Iron distance.  Afterall, my first running race EVER was a half marathon.  But I wasn't so sure.  I guess I proved myself wrong.

So the last several days, I've been immersed in swimming, and biking.  And running...Seeing as my full marathon training plan started last week.  I've swam 1500+ meters a couple of times, and Saturday I did a "brick" consisting of a 25 mile bike with a 4.5 mile run.  And I felt good!  I was happy that even in the late morning heat, I could keep an 8:30 minute mile run pace.

Really for me, I've had to go back to the basics.  And really try to channel the feeling I had when I trained for my first Half.  Saturday, when I line up to jump in the water, I will be trying to channel the joy I felt as a beginner runner, and I'll try to be ecstatic with whatever happens, because hey, I just got out there and did it.  No time goals, anything is a PR (personal record) because its my first one.

Kristofor says watching me train has been like watching me as a beginner runner.  I used to have one speed. 10 minute mile.  I could run a 10 minute mile for days.  I am much the same kind of swimmer and cyclist.  I have one speed.  Steady, measured, rhythmed.  I don't much deviate.  I'm sure as I get more comfortable that will change, but for now, I'm happy to get through the swim and bike, then hit the gas when I put my Mizunos on.

I am sure I will update everyone on how it goes as soon as its finished!  So stay tuned.

I want to close with just an observation I've made personally about myself the past few days. My "runcation" I took, honestly, took a lot out of me.  Now that sounds funny because hey, I was resting.  But it was very mentally challenging for me.  It wasn't all my (and by saying "my" I mean my brain) choice to take so much time off.  My body actually decided for me.  I took so much time off because I had been battling some very severe fatigue issues.  Fatigue that I had never dealt with ever in my life.  I've always been a very active person, even before I was so ACTIVE as an athlete and trainer. In late April, I felt like my body put on the brakes.  I couldn't make it through most days without a nap, heat would absolutely exhaust me to the point I'd be sick,  I would run 3 miles and have to stop, I ran in a relay duathlon and almost didn't finish.  I'd not be able to finish a workout with my girls.  Overall, it was probably more mentally taxing than physically taxing.  I started to wonder if I'd get "me" back.  Was it over?  Going to the Dr. gave me a few answers, I've changed a few things dietarily, and I'm now confident that all will be 100% for me soon.

Since getting back from vacation, I've felt much renewed.  Although not 100% back to normal, I can now do my cardio and workouts, and not get so fatigued that I spend all day in bed thereafter.  I'm slowly coming back.  And I feel so relieved.  Like I said, mentally, I started to have doubts.

Last night, I passed by my full length mirror in my bathroom.  The mirror I call the "fat mirror"...we all have one.  And I saw my reflection (yes this is going to sound cheezball...bear with me puleese).  And I saw ME for the first time in a while.  Not the tired, worn out, weak person I had been seeing (or thought I was seeing for the past few months).  I looked strong.  I could see my biceps and my shoulders and my legs looked toned.  And I smiled.  I think we all need to do that sometimes.  We often look in the mirror and we see what we see and dismiss it, or criticize.  I think we deserve, after all the hard work we put in, to marvel at ourselves a bit.  Appreciate what you see in the mirror, what you've worked hard for.  Find something to be proud of.  I did that last night, and it surprised me.  So appreciate what you have, what you've worked for, and if you start to feel disconnected from you and what you've worked for, really take a look at yourself.  You might be surprised :)

Thanks for cheering me on,

Lacy