Twelve of Twenty-Four...DONE!

There are four, six-week phases during this adventure.  And today marks the completion of number two.  For those of you who care, here are the totals thus far:

I have swam 52,850 yards

I have biked 726 miles and

I have ran 77.1 miles

The next six week phase is gonna be hard, so get ready...

The Power of Mei Mei

During the past two weeks our elderly Siamese, Mei Mei has been experiencing the dying process. She is so weak. It takes all the strength she can muster just to lift her head to get a few sips of water. She can no longer get herself to her litter box. The vet was here on Thursday and told us she had 24-48 hours left. And yet, Mei Mei endures. Is it her will to live? Is it that she's enjoying all the love we are giving her? I've experienced this phenomenon once before in my life when my friend, Susan fought, and ultimately lost her battle with ovarian cancer. The doctor told us she had days and Susan endured for months. These amazing machines we call our bodies, whether it be a beautiful cat or a beautiful person, continue to astound me. What is your body capable of? I'm pushing and testing mine every day in hopes of discovering the answer to that question.

What a difference a week makes!

It could've been my nutrition, or that I got some good sleep this week. It might have been the fact that I was wearing a sweat band which prevented sweat stinging my eyes. Tracy says it was my mental attitude, but whatever it was, I would like to bottle it up and save it for race day!! We did the same ride as last week--remember the "Alps" looking thing named "Pig Hill?" Well, today it seemed more like a bump. Something standing in my way that I merely had to scoot around. If all it takes is a change in the way I look at things, then I must be really on to something!!

And I did my workouts a little backwards this week. Yesterday I ran for two hours (about 9.5 miles) and I just got done with a four hour bike ride plus a twenty minute run--and believe it or not, I feel really good!! And to make things even better, this coming week is a recovery week. Next Sunday will mark the end of week #12--half way done!!

You can NOW post comments...

...Because I fixed the settings!!

I WILL NOT MISS A WORKOUT--PERIOD!!!

So, one of my responsibilities at work (I'm a high school administrator, remember) is to support our student activities program. I really do love doing it, so don't misunderstand this blog entry. Anyway, for the past few days 33 students and their advisor have been on a "team-building" retreat--all great stuff, except they invited me to meet them for breakfast today....uhhhh, wait a minute, I have to swim! Last night I tried to figure out a way to get from my house to the pool (swim 2000 yards) get back home to shower and dress and then drive to Marin, all in less than 2.5 hours!! I almost--I said, "almost"--decided to skip my swim. Ludicrous! Absurd! Scandalous, even!! Give up a workout? After eleven straight weeks (with 13 to go) I have never missed a workout--and I don't intend to start now! So here's what I did: set my alarm for 5:00am and jumped into my bathing suit. Raced to the pool (got there at 5:25am and IMpatiently waited for them to unlock the doors at 5:35am), swam for 45 minutes, jumped into dry clothes and raced back home, landing in the shower at precisely 6:40am. After a 10 minute "try your dardest to get the chlorine smell off your body" routine, I jumped into my car and sped off to school (where I met my colleague who was going to the breakfast with me). We then experienced very little traffic over the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge and arrived at our destination at 8:15am--exactly 15 minutes late for breakfast--which, if you know teenagers is not late at all!!

My pledge is pretty clear: I will do what it takes to meet this challenge--and I will NEVER miss a workout--period!

"Hill" is a metaphor for challenge...

"Love the Hill" is my new mantra.  I did NOT want to run eight miles this morning.  Every reason of why I should just skip this one workout kept playing over in my head: you're fatigued, don't push it; over-training is worse than under-training; you're exhausted, make it up tomorrow.  But in the end, I was totally afraid that skipping this one workout would somehow make it okay to skip any of my workouts.  It was a difinite challenge to run that first half mile, but I did it.  In fact, I actually felt pretty good once I got started.  I ran my eight miles (well, let's be honest--it was 7.6 miles) in one hour and 33 minutes.  Not the best time, mind you, but I overcame that "hill" that was looming in front of me.  We all face our own "hills" every day.  My advice to you is to embrace the hill, it will make you stronger.

Lessons learned up Pig Farm Hill...

Today was one of those rides that tests your mental strength, and I'm sorry to say I'm not as strong as I would like to be. Pig Farm hill (and it really is next to a pig farm) is a half mile long with a 7.5% average grade and it kicked my ass today. Lack of sleep this week and not bringing along enough food on the ride certainly didn't help either! 55 miles felt like 155 and after the ride I had to do a twenty minute run, which I gotta say, also kicked my ass!! So what lessons could possibly be learned from four hours and 30 minutes of suffering?
1) Buy Ensure and bring it on the ride.
2) Don't let negative thoughts fill your brain--things like, "this sucks" or "I'm never gonna make it" or "my legs just can't go any faster."
3) Sleep more.
4) Eat more.
5) Love the Hill, for it can ONLY make me stronger.

Thank you for reading!!

Today, a friend of mine told me she had read my blog--I was both surprised and grateful that someone besides me (and my mom) were reading it! It's difficult to know how many people are actually reading along when my recipient is...no one! So, to all of you out there who are remotely entertained (or fascinated) by what I've been writing and are taking the time to read it...a very gracious, "thank you."

Can you tell I'm back to work?

I see I haven't written since Tuesday...and it's already Sunday!  The good news is that I was able to fit my workout in; the bad news is that I won't be writing about them as often.  So, on Thursday (my first day back to work) I woke up at 4:45am and did a four mile fartlek run (remember, it's been a recovery week).  Friday was my usual day off and yesterday I did a very easy 30 mile bike ride and today I ran a very easy 80 minutes.  This past week has been a blessing, in regards to the amount of training I've had, and I truly look forward to each recovery week!

Next week I'll be back on the longer training schedule--60+ mile bike ride and another 8.5 mile run during the weekend.  Four days of training during the work week will be the true test of Ironman dedication.

Still a little fatigued!

My legs feel a bit rubbery...but I managed to swim 2600 yards on Monday and did my 70 minute turbo trainer this morning.  I have another 2500 yard swim tomorrow and then it's back to work on Thursday.  That is when the true test of dedication will begin.  Getting up at 4:00am to complete these workouts and get to work by 7:30 can only do one of two things: make me a woman of steel (or iron, I should say) or send me into a state of pure exhaustion.  I'm predicting iron!

Sunday's run...

...was really good. I ran 8.3 miles in 1 hour and 39 minutes and feel really good. I was not breathing hard at all the entire time, so I know my endurance is getting better each week. I am now off to the gym for some weights.

Wow...I need to catch ya' all up!

So, I swam my 2000 yards on Friday and lifted weights. My neck felt marginally better, but thought for sure it would feel better by Saturday's long bike ride. Tracy and I started out together for a 60 mile ride, but within 40 minutes my neck was really painful. Tracy, as my coach, suggested I ride my trainer (that's indoors) for the remainder of the ride, so as to be in a controlled environment. So that's what I did. Came home, took Advil, jumped back on the bike and purchased, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," from On Demand. You see, this blog is really intended to help all of you future Ironman participants. I am here for you, to help you NOT make the same mistakes I make--DO NOT exert yourself on a bike whilst watching a movie that makes you cry--you WILL come close to hyperventilation! AND make sure you wearing a pair of bike shorts that doesn't have crappy stitching that scrapes and enventually tears the flesh from your legs. And for sure, DO NOT get into a hot shower after you've finished 3 hours on your trainer without fully preparing yourself that the area that is now missing some flesh will sting and burn and cause you to scream in horror, frightening everyone in the house!