The Flu

I felt a little yucky while swimming last Wednesday. I felt sick to my stomach and then very tired but headed to work anyway. I had a bad head ache and threw up all day. So, not much training went on the rest of the week. I taught spin and pilates classes on Saturday but felt sick afterwards. The good news is that I feel better today and have eaten everything in sight so I am going to try for an easy swim tomorrow and some weights in the afternoon. I am teaching pilates tomorrow at the Y so I will atleast get a good ab workout... I hate being sick!

This week, I am going to take it a bit easy so that my body will not revolt with more sickness. This is the pattern for me. Start to feel good, put a little too much on my plate (work 60 plus hours, train 10 hours, and teach 8 or 10 classes at the gym per week while studying for an additional cert), and then get sick. The truth is I really don't like sleep and I really don't like free time. I like structure, organization, and to get a lot done. This has to stop in the middle of March when official training starts. There will have to be a bit more training and a lot more sleep.

So, I am officially declaring myself "unsick" and ready to train next week. Bring on Monday!

It Is Almost Friday

I taught a 45 minute spin class this morning and the lifted with a bit of running this evening... The workout was basically 5 rounds of 400m run, 21 thrusters with 30 pounds, then 21 kettle ball something or anothers. The workout was fun especially since it involved a bit of running. It is perfect weather for running. Tomorrow is a swim workout. Hopefully, the pool will be in working order tomorrow.

Ouch is Good

Coach Karen said ouch is good this morning meaning I should pull harder and kick off off the wall harder. This means one of two things. Either she feels a bit sorry for me and my special swimming or it is really getting a bit better. The mental part of training seems to a bit tougher than the physical part. So, that being said I am going to hope that the ouch comment means my special swimming has become a bit less special.

I have officially made a goal time for IM Louisville and the swim will be in 1 hour and 25 minutes or less- hopefully less. My Roo suit who has his own special song will be retired for a new more boyant suit that will hopefully mean a bit more speed. Swimming is growing on me.

I enjoyed another 75 minute run this afternoon. I added a couple of two minute bursts- the first of which started because I wanted to catch a woman in pink. I don't like pink or red because that was the color of the second place ribbons we got during middle school track. I much prefer the first place blue ribbons. This is super silly especially since I am wearing pink. I guess it all goes back to the mental piece and what goes through my head during a run. It is always a battle between my legs and my head. Good thing my legs usually win.

Running is Always a Good Idea

This morning the pool was broken at the Y. It looked like the James River. Yuck! They thought it would be ready in an hour or so but when I returned this evening- still no pool. So, I had a nice long 75 minute run. I felt very strong, taught a boot camp, and headed to crossfit RVA for some lifting. Unfortunately the work out included rowing and box jumps. My legs are totally fried. So, let's hope the pool is ready tomorrow because another run would feel good but more lifting after running would not.

Feeling Strong

This week has been a solid week of training. I have been lifting and continuing on a modified mass gain program. Lifting heavy feels good but with a lot of my runs cut out, I feel soft all over. I know my coworkers are ready to literally tie me to my chair as I have a TON of energy.

I am also eating lots of good calories while minimizing my sugar and processed carbs intake. Someone at the gym told me that he does not even like eating things like cake and cherry coke- I think he is fibbing... Even his dog eats a "raw diet". Although, the puppy got to stay with his Grandma and got lots of treats last week. Good thing for her! I am definitely slipping her a doggy bagel treat this weekend.

I had good swims this week. Although, it seems that every time one thing is fixed Coach Karen finds something else that needs work. Sometimes she finds something that was fixed before but is now broken again. She asked the other day why I swim. I had to think about that one as it is literally freezing in the pool and my flip turns are very special. A lot of work goes into swimming without much return- it is definitely not as good as running. No quick fix from swimming... So, why am I swimming. It is an incredible challenge. I have to work really hard and think about every stroke. Think about pulling, think about rotating, think about not log rolling around at the end of the lane. Think all of the time. With all of this thinking, I hope there is a bit more speed.

Andrew's knee is healing so hopefully, he will be able to swim soon. He actually mentioned wanting to start swimming again. This is a good sign.

The Off Season

Last week I declared December 3rd the start of my "off season". Since my declaration, life has been a lot less hectic and I actually feel rested. Although, I feel huge that is not literally happening... For two weeks I am not going to follow a plan of any sort. I will teach a few classes at the gym and may run a bit this weekend but otherwise nothing for two weeks. Next week it will be time to create an off season training plan. Off season goals will be to clean up my diet (get rid of the crack (sugar) and eat more protein), gain as much muscle as possible, and work on my swim stroke.

This year was interesting! I finished my first ironman and ran a marathon for no apparent reason... Race results this year were all over the place which means that there needs to be a more intense training regime next year and more specific goals.

I must do laundry as my husband has made a deal with me. Dinner in exchange for taking care of the mound of dirty clothes on the floor.