Saturday, August 22, 2009

6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 10 weeks...

... is all I have left until what were my "deadline" goal events. Instead of lamenting the fact that I've not succeeded and am out of time, I am going to use it, and the fact that I've just been surprised by how I look in a lot of recent pictures, as an opportunity (pictures are WAY more telling than the mirror or scale!)

Since I've been sidelined from the workouts for a bit, I've turned my focus back to the food. My current discovery and hopeful path to success is a book called "The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program". It's a 7-step plan to "detox" from sugar. I've talked before about the fact that my compulsive at times eating of chocolate and sugar is not that of a normal person. She gets it, and has both an explanation and a program to help.

Step 1 is having a very protein-centric breakfast, within an hour of waking up. (Not as easy as it sounds when you are allergic to eggs!) Step 2 is to start a food journal. I've been trying to master these two for almost a week now. Thankfully, she says NOT to try to achieve the steps all at once. Step 3, which I'm about to start fooling with, is apparently one of the tougher, and is called "Three Meals a Day with Protein." It includes limiting food to three meals a day, with protein and a complex carb, and with no snacks between breakfast and lunch.

The 4th step is when you'll think I've gone coo-coo. More on that when the time comes.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Swine SUCK and are keeping me off topic!

No sooner did the glory (and mild soreness) wear off from my triumphant triathlon moment than my body ate it and life caved a little around me.  My mother-in-law who's company I enjoy arrived Sunday afternoon, to spend the week with us leading into my son's birthday party weekend.  I had some fun explaining the permanent marker numbers that wouldn't quite wash off my arms and legs to inquisitive people at work, who were impressed considering I don't have the outward physique of a triathlete, and then Wednesday night was the return to my DivaFit class.  It was fun, but I wasn't able to pull off the inversion move without a spotter yet.  I'm the last in the class needing to be "certified" to be able to do so, a crucial component of completing this level and moving on. 

Meanwhile, Thursday brings the usual amount of muscle soreness, but by midday I was starting to feel miserable.  Like I needed to crawl under my desk and sleep, and like walking around was a big challenge.  We had a family dinner out, and I honestly had to muster enough energy both to sit upright in the restaurant, and to consider the seemingly "challenging" 10 minute drive home, wherein a fever joined the mix.  Friday morning I made a Dr. appt., after first attending my staff meeting.  Deep, extended coughing made an entry by that point, and I had to take a nap in the car outside my Dr.'s office while waiting for it to be my appointment time.

What do I have?  Swine flu.  FREAKING SWINE FLU!!  H1N1 is apparently still an issue, and has a strain that is apparently going around this area.  I was upset at first, but she told me that it is not as bad as the regular flu, which is something to be grateful for.  The regular flu I have only gotten once, about 6 years ago, but it nearly killed me, and disabled me for about 3 weeks.  This version I am on my 6th day of, and I am finishing the cycle of Tamiflu they give you this evening.  At this point the fevers have stopped, the body aches have eased up quite a bit, and I am just left with the coughing and STILL being tired, even after many days of much extra sleep.  That, and raw hands from all the Purell.  She said it is mostly spread by the cough, so I've been coughing into paper towels, throwing them away, and then cleaning my hands and nearby surfaces.  I've scarcely handled my son up close (which actually upset him a bit and had him peeing the bed 2 nights in a row, which has never happened before, but once I started tucking him in again he settled out of it), and he was a real trooper when learning that his much awaited Blue's Clues birthday party with a bunch of friends had to be downgraded to just a themed dinner with us and the local grandparents (the mother-in-law bolted for home within 30 minutes of my news...)  He's a sweet kid.  My also sweet husband has had to pick up a lot of slack for me, and is stuck sleeping in a different room.  

So, tomorrow I plan to drag myself back into work (although I'm sure that will horrify some people, but I think I'm basically at the end of most of any contagious time), and I'm not sure how long it will be before I'm back up to exercising speed.  Cranky and bitter about it!

(And yes, I KNOW swine are barely involved in the makeup of swine flu, but as I know not a soul who has been sick, never mind really sick, I've got no one to blame and nowhere else constructive to direct my bitterness toward!)

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tri Results Posted

The tri results from Sunday are posted:

20th out of 22 women in my age group (35-39), 68th out of 72 women overall (but last 2 dnf). Not fabulous but not last.

Swim in 10 min. 33 sec. (I had estimated 10 minutes, and we didn't get to wear wetsuits which are an advantage),
5 min. 27 sec. in the first transition, which seems bad except the time started leaving the gate of the pool, you did have to run to the way back of the bike rack first, and then had to walk or run your bike pretty far out before being allowed to get on it...,
53 min. 18 sec. on the bike, not too bad considering it had an extra piece of hill I didn't realize in training,
2 min. 33 sec. in the second transition, not bad, could have been shorter but I was basically resting and psyching myself up, and
43 min. 34 sec. on the run/walk. That was my weakness. Although I ran a lot, I did have to walk some here and there, which slowed me down.

Overall time therefore was 1 hr., 55 min., 25 seconds, so I DID meet my sub 2 hours goal. (If I had also met my no walking goal I would have obliterated it, though, so better goals for next year!)

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mission Accomplished

Even though that phrase has been ruined by a certain modern politician, it describes my weekend perfectly.  I started and finished the tri, despite the hip injury, the recent training horrors and reductions, and despite it being the very first day we've had this summer of miserable, typical August humidity and heat.  But it was still great.  I did not meet my goal of under 2 hours, and I did not meet my goal of not walking any of the run.  Nor did I lose the weight I had planned to beforehand.  (On the contrary, sidelined a bit and frustrated, I actually gained those 5 pounds back again...)  The swim had to be without a wetsuit due to temps, which helped with the breathing but meant you had to work a little harder, plus it was in the 50 long lap lanes instead of 25, which I'm not used to.  Yet I fit in just fine with my 10 minute prediction and didn't have people piling up behind me.  

The hills on that bike ride sucked as badly as ever, but I got up them without having to stand and grind, now that I figured out the right seat height.  Low gear a lot, check.  Loving and feeding off the support of fans, both mine and some of the random volunteers and spectators? Check.  I got through it not in danger of being last, plus getting to pass and be passed by my new next door neighbors a bunch of times made it a little bit fun.  After each of the first two legs, I was able to catch my breath fairly quickly, and didn't feel too awful, which was surprising.  I was glad my friend Chuck and I had practiced a "brick", because your legs really do feel like lead after getting off the bike.  But between having practiced that initial running shuffle and knowing it would get easier, plus leaving at the same time as a girl who looked twice as fit as me but was no faster at all made it better.  The very best part was getting to see my dear friends and family up close, cheering me on wildly with signs, kids, and the whole bit, despite having to stand around in the heat.  It also warmed my heart to see how happy my kid was each time I went by.  I did have to walk some here and there, but I was always running past my fans, and I kept the walks short.  The finish line volunteers met me with popsicles and smiles, and there was a table of free Dunkin' Doughnuts, which I am allergic to but appreciated the thought.  After collecting myself and my stuff, I had enough gas in the tank to pedal the bike back home, and not feel like I was going to die.  It was a wonderful day.