Training, Head in a Muddle

Tri training is going reasonably well, although I'm getting to the point of really pushing it by not having given the swimming a go yet. For the inexperienced, the swim seems by far the most intimidating. It definitely was for me the first time (which was an open water, one mile swim.) Why start small, right? But, with my training for that tri focusing heavily on the swim (I went like 3 times a week and took stroke improvement classes), I learned that it is a lot more technique oriented than anything else. Sure, swimming training helps build up the cardio too, but so do running and biking. Someone who is improving their cardio stamina through run and bike, and knows the proper technique to swim most efficiently, should, in theory, be fine on the swim even if a little rusty. HOWEVER, that's assuming I have the body memory to translate what I know the swim is supposed to be like back into an actual stroke, as it's been a few years since I focused on it.

Now, that aside, I have still been running here and there, and this weekend was my best run yet- 40 minutes nonstop, with a big heavy stroller on the flat, went 2.9 miles. That comes out to a snailey 13.8 minutes per mile, but I'd like to see how I do on the same route sans stroller boy. Additionally, I need to try the race route soon! :)

Plodding along on the bike, which is all I can do there. It's a horribly hilly leg grinding course, and all I can do is keep repeating it until I'm more used to it. I did it a second time this weekend with a friend, and let me tell you two things about that. One, it is a lot easier to suffer when you've got a distraction, such as checking up on and/or not wanting to look bad in front of someone else. Two, however, I do not recommend riding 12 miles up hills the morning after having a bunch of wine and 4 hours sleep! Enough said about that. :) I am planning to go pound it out again tonight, hopefully accompanied by the same friend.

Don't quite know what to say about the head muddle. Obviously, someone who chronically overeats and struggles with achievable weight loss goals is not in an ideal place mentally, anyway, but I feel weirder than usual the last week or two. I'm not even sure what I can say about it. I have not had anything significant change in my life, but I feel slightly less happy than I was bursting with a few months ago. I'll mull it over and write about it soon if it clarifies itself.