Ran 10 miles this morning...just another day!

It's weird how extreme exercising just becomes the "norm." Riding 66 miles yesterday, running 10 miles today, swimming 3,000 yards tomorrow...

What is normal? It appears the body can adapt to whatever "normal" we throw at it. My normal NEEDS to be 15 mph on the bike--not 14.3 or 14.6, but 15. This weekend I will go 15, period. That's my new normal.

Salt, Salt, Beautiful Salt!

Wow, was today tough!! It started out fine...on my bike by 8:00am in lovely 65 degree weather. And then it was all downhill from there--and I don't mean the terrain! It started really heatin' up and by 12:00 noon it was about 98 degrees, but it felt like 110. No matter how much I drank I couldn't quench my thirst (never a good sign) and by the third hour I was making salt tracks on my riding shorts--a worse sign. Losing sodium is one of those things that you have to deal with on long rides and especially in hot weather. But if you miss the first sign, and don't replenish that salt it's almost too late to reverse what is happening--feeling lethargic, over-heated and just plain miserable! It won't be this hot during my race, thank goodness, but I am going to have to figure out how to cope better with this type of setback.

A two hour run tomorrow...early in the morning!

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Recovery weeks are so lovely. Especially when the next five weeks are going to be the TOUGHEST of the entire twenty-four! The hardest thing I did this week (and it wasn't hard at all) was to visit a middle school to videotape a broadcast for their Leadership class. They are going to use The SamFund as their annual fund raising recipient! I was incredibly impressed by the students there and their commitment to helping others. If you haven't donated to The SamFund yet, there's always time...go to: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=296591&supID=249483369

Tomorrow the real "meat" of this odyssey begins...a 5.5 hour bike ride on Saturday and a 2 hour run on Sunday.

This Entry is Dedicated to my Pillow!

Weird how a pillow can make all the difference in the world, but it has. If you recall from last week, I suffered from neck issues, back pain and general fatigue. I switched to a Tempurpedic pillow on Wednesday and oh my goodness, it's like I've finally found my groove!! I did a 8.5 mile run yesterday (felt great) and today was awesome...I rode my bike 63 miles, had no neck pain and kept a pace of 14.1 mph. After getting off the bike I ran 3.8 miles and felt fantastic, wishing that today was the race! It was amazing to feel that good because just a short 6 days ago I was seriously questioning my sanity in regards to doing this race. The best part is that I have a recovery week this week--which I plan to take full advantage of!!

I'm on a Scary Roller-Coaster!

One day I'm up and the next I'm down. Today I was definitely down! During my 10 mile run I experienced the beginnings of shin splints, a massive gas bubble in my gut and neck pain so intense I was running hunched over. But I guess that's what these training runs are meant to do-- work the bugs out. So today I will ice my lower legs and start doing some different weights in the gym. I will go back to using my smaller water bottle (with the really cool top) that minimizes the amount of air going into my stomach. And next week I won't start my run until I have fully stretched the muscles in my neck.

Some days I think I'm absolutely crazy for doing this.

The training program states, "Warn your family and Friends!"

And I'm thinkin'...what the hell does that mean? After looking at my weekend work-outs, it means I won't be that much fun for the next 11 weeks. It means 50-100 mile bike rides on Saturdays and 7-15 mile runs on Sundays. It means 4,000 yard swims, increasing the weights in my gym workouts and making many calls to my chiropractor and massage therapist!! And in the end, come November 22nd, it will all be worth it.

Today my bike ride was 53 miles and I got it done in 3 hours and 47 minutes. I then had to get off the bike and run 30 minutes--ouch! Tomorrow is a 10-12 mile run. And now it's off to the massage therapist!