Psyching upfor the bike

Ok so, tomorrow is a big day for me. Not only do I get to do a long run, but I along with a fine feathered friend, will be meeting Mr. P for a trial run of the duathalon. As such I am only planning to spin this morning!

I am a bit nervous about tomorrow-ok who's kidding who-a lot. It didn't help, when this fellow I go the gym with (who loves to give me unsolicited words of advice that often make me feel bad) told me that I would be crazy to ride in the rain. He went onto say that with my skinny road bike tires (which he referred to as slicks) would be skidding all over the place and that a likelihood of a crash would be great.

Now I know I should put this out of my mind. I know that this is just one person's opinion. But the suggestion has been planted and despite my best efforts it's niggling in the back of my mind and unnerving me! However, I believe that at the end of the day, I must learn to ride in the rain, wind, dust, you name it unless I can find someone who can 100 percent accurately predict the weather in Calgary Aug1st?

On another note, I bought a bike jacket and chose to match the color with my Snagster. This was quite by accident, but I love it....and the color is.....Red. Red also happens to be a color that reminds me of a Seema who puts up my daily QOTD, and provides me with inspiration, knowledge and encouragement. She is behind me 100 percent, and she she is not afraid to call me on my BS (please refer to the quote about how the Internet does not lie for anyone interested). But most of all, her friendship is based on honesty, integrity and a never-ending, always and forever love. I am so lucky to have her in my life!

So well I can not take Seema on my bike, (well I could but this would spell disaster for the both of us) this red jacket will remind me of her, and the inspiration she has given me. Red BTW is a great color I have since found out. In researching the meaning I found the following on the Internet:

Red is hot. It's a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare. Red is Cupid and the Devil.

Nature of Red:

A stimulant, red is the hottest of the warm colors. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure.

The expression seeing red indicates anger and may stem not only from the stimulus of the color but from the natural flush (redness) of the cheeks, a physical reaction to anger, increased blood pressure, or physical exertion.

Culture of Red:

Red is power, hence the red power tie for business people and the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs (very important people).

Flashing red lights denote danger or emergency. Stop signs and stop lights are red to get the drivers' attention and alert them to the dangers of the intersection.

In some cultures, red denotes purity, joy, and celebration. Red is the color of happiness and prosperity in China and may be used to attract good luck.

Red is often the color worn by brides in the East while it is the color of mourning in South Africa. In Russia the Bolsheviks used a red flag when they overthrew the Tsar, thus red became associated with communism. Many national flags use red. The red Ruby is the traditional Fortieth Wedding Anniversary gift.

Red sounds good to me, and if it attracts attention and gets people to notice, and to stay away from me on the bike, I will be a very happy girl indeed!

Watching the clock

Lately, I have noticed that I am having to watch a clock a lot. Strange, considering that I never wear a watch-which BTW drives my mother mad for some reason!

The clock watching started with swimming. My intructor insists that I swim laps within a certain time. I hate it because, I feel enormous pressure-which adds to panicky feelings, which in turn leads me to feeling like I'm hyperventilating, which makes me think I am going to drown. God knows what my heart rate is like?

Next, it was spin bikes. In September, the bikes had computers installed to keep track of your cadence, and ironically a giant clock was positioned right in front of my spot. One can not help feeling tired when your climbing a hill for 5 minutes and see the second hand tick tick tick away in a hypnotically s-l-o-w- way.

Next was the purchase of my Garmin, which tracks just about everything for running, biking and cross country skiiing including time, distance, speed/cadence, heart rate, elevation, you name it. I think I have alluded to this in previous posts, that once you start wearing a time keeper-you become a slave to it.

Finally my RT program requires I be a time keeper. Doing a plank excercise as you stomach muscles feel like they are going to rip away from the rest of your body is real nice example of when the clock moves at an even more exceptionally slow pace.

Now don't get me wong, I believe there is good that comes from watching the clock. It challenges you to become quicker, and motivates you to do better next time round. What amazes me though is the feeling of time. There are instances when the clock feels as if it is going purposely slow, and other times, when it goes purposely fast. It just so happens that the slow clock occurs when you are sapped of energy, and the quick time happens when you have a recovery interval and are allowed to rest.

But there is total freedom when you don't watch the clock. My most enjoyable runs, cycles and swims have been when I live in the moment, and not care what time it is. I guess that is why in part I don't wear a watch. I want to live in the moment- I don't want to feel panic.

As I reflect on time, I also think about my little boy, Isaac who was born 8 years ago today. Time moved by so slowly when I was pregnant. Everyday for 9 1/2 months, I would look up what the baby was doing inside my tummy. How big the baby was getting, what was forming. Would the baby be born healthy with 10 fingers and 10 toes. Would the baby be a boy? a girl? What colour hair, what colour eyes?

Then when I was in labour and delivering him, time moved slowly again-very slowly. I so desperately wanted to meet my baby! 18 hours of labour was an eternity after the 9 1/2 months of waiting with anticipation.

Oh and any mother can tell you that the first few months of a baby's life moves in an unreal time warp of slowness as you are up half the night feeding and changing your baby, only to realize that it could be days before you actually get to have a shower!

Now Isaac is 8. Where did the time go? I think it warped back into some crazy fast paced speed. The wierdest thing is that everynight I look at my precious child's face and don't notice him getting older-I mean I get that he is, but his little face is always my baby.

I guess that is why it is difficult to wear watches or keep track of time-because in this instance I want to hold on to time with my little boy for as long as I can. I don't want it to go fast, I don't want to measure it. Knowing we are mere mortals, means having to say goodbye one day, and I am going to have a fight with time, because I want to savour every moment-yes even if it means having to put up with the hard stuff!

Pilates Bands

I don't know what is wrong with me, but I just haven't really been wanting to RT training. Oops now I remember, it hurts!

When I first stared telling folks about my plan for this triathalon, many people would applaud my motivation. Well it's true that I am a pretty determined person, but I like the rest of the world have areas where it is hard for me to stay committed. RT is a prime example. I am pretty ok when it came to machines, but this whole balancing and core work is for the dogs.

But here's the thing, I know how important it is, and how much stronger I will become, but I just don't have the umph. For some people, it's staying on a diet, for some, it's getting out to run, for some, it's walking the dog. So how does one get past the stumbling block?

Well I have tried to motivate myself with music-works a bit. I have tried Yoga video-not great. I tell myself that I will do core work everynight before I go to bed-biggest failure of all!

Well today I was at Winner's and I found meself some Pilates Bands with a video for 10 bucks. They look nice, and there are 3 levels of elacticity for begginners, intermdiate and advanced. It also came with a DVD. I am excited to try it-maybe this will be my RT hook?

I guess at the end of the day, I just don't want to give up. I have the desire to get better at this. It's so not easy, but then again either was swimming. I will do this, I've got to do this, and if pilates doesn't work I am sure I will find something else to challenge me in my RT quest!

Zombie

Ok I felt a bit like a zombie doing my workout this morning. Very fitting considering last evening I attended a concert hosted by Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie.

It's amazing what sleep or a lack of sleep can do to one's body. Fortunately for me, this is a regeneration week so all my workouts are cut back a bit. If I am super lucky today, I will try and nap as 5 hours sleep is pretty hard to take!

Today, I am planning on going shopping for some bike clothing-something to protect me from wind and rain, and tornados. This kinda shopping makes me a bit anxious, as
1. I don't want top of the line stuff (my cycling abilities at this point would make me feel foolish wearing something that a pro would wear).
2. I have no idea-really what kinda questions to ask
3. I don't want to get ripped off

Anxiety is also starting to build as I am committing myself to complete 5 duathalons for the next 5 weeks as part of my training. I am seriously hoping that some of my friends will come along on this journey with me-or at least part of it, as I would love the company.

Usually I am very good about doing things on my own-heck most of my training is solo. I likely feel this comfort level as I grew up being a base brat and having to move constantly and meet new people and experience new situations all the time. That was my norm, so I am pretty cool with change most of the time. But for whatever reason, this new situation is creating feelings I am not so comfortable with. When I sit down to examine what it is that I am actually nervous about, it comes down to this:

1. Injuring myself or someone else because of doing something wrong (ie. slowing down to quickly or passing or losing my chain etc. etc. etc.-a million situations arise in my mind)

Now this is a very realistic fear-I can not simply put this out of my mind. But all I can do at this point is try my very best, and believe that the more practice I can get in, the less anxious I will be. In the meantime, until the first duathalon is actually over, I will be experiencing some heightened anxiety. Fortunately, Mr. P is going to assist me over the weekend, by doing a trial run of the course.

I know in the end, that this will be good, because trying something new, even if you do not succeed is better than doing nothing at all. It's very easy to avoid things that bother us, or cause anxiety. Hell it's in our human nature. But if you can perservere, if you can wake up in the morning and say you did your very best-then ultimately that is what really matters.

Regeneration

Trying to regenerate- did an easy swim and walked around like a slug. Will be attending a Heavy Metal concert tonight for future inspiration!

Celebration!

Followers- I am so excited about the regeneration week-today I do not have anything to do! Well that's not entirely true, I will be spending the afternoon in the swimming pool. But, for the very best reason....my little boy's birthday party! He is turning 8 this week, and I am the luckiest mommy on the planet, because of all the baby boys born in this world, I got the best one. I won the baby lottery indeed!

This kinda swimming will be the fun kind, the kind where you launch your child into the air, the kind, where you race around trying to tickle each other, the kind where you splash, but most of all the kind where you laugh and laugh and laugh! Today is a day where I don't have to count laps! Today I will celebrate. Today is a day where I feel blessed to swim, and to swim with a boy I love more than life itself!

Very Very Bad Ride-but maybe good?

OK so I decided to do a ride late in the day. For me, that meant at 1230pm. Since time is of the essence today, I did not do my ride at Bird's Hill park but elected for Assiniboine Park instead. That was mistake number one. Ever been to Assinisboine park on a nice sunny Saturday afternoon? Well talk about crowded-not only with people but a tonne of cars. Unfortunately for me, many of the young boys cruising in their vehicles are not really paying attention to the road, as they are scanning the park grounds for chicks. I had a few close calls, but lucky for me avoided a crash.

Mistake number two involved taking my Ipod along for the ride. While I had it at a very low volume, it was very distracting as I could not hear the cars nearly as well as I would have liked.

These two mistakes resulted in a very bad thing. I was not really focusing on my gear changing, and yup it happened...my chain fell off. When that happens, and you are not expecting it.....yup you guessed it, I fell off my bike. The fall was I think a bit more graceful than last but road rash is road rash and it stings!

After I picked myself up off the ground, I had my chain to contend with. After 5 minutes of fiddling (OK maybe a bit longer) and really greasy black hands, I got the chain back on. I was extremely anxious.....Had I done this right....could I successfully change gears again....what if Brad Pitt was in the park and saw me fall????

Well, I managed to get out of the park, and headed back home. However I nearly got run over. It happened when I was crossing a busy intersection and one foot was not clipped in properly. The driver upon seeing me struggle, thought it would be fun to speed up. The result......I panicked, changed gears too fast, and the chainring fell off again, after I got to the other side of the road. Fortunately, because I was not entirely clipped in, I did not fall off the bike a second time.

I can't tell you how lucky I felt at seeing my home, and really am amazed at how rude and inconsiderate vehicles are of cyclists. I had heard this said many times, but now I have had the unfortunate experience.

Will need to ponder this ride some more, but my wise friend, suggested that perhaps this was a good experience. All rides can not be good or perfect, and that it is these lousy situations, that can prepare me for race time. Again, a metaphor for life!

So tired

Oh my, I am so looking forward to my regeneration week next week. Today I was up at 445am as I had decided to do my long run (14 miles this week) as tonight I have a social to go to, and will have a late night. It's not even the alcohol issue so much as it is the lack of sleep that kills me. The problem is, that regardless of what time I go to bed at, I almost always wake up at my usual time.

Today my run sucked. I was several minutes off my pace, and felt draggy. Mentally, I was not in the game, and the darkness outside at that hour spooks me -perhaps even more after having watched the news moments ago to find out that there is a man on a bike who has been assaulting women runners in my neighborhood.

Today's temperature at 445 was 5 degree celcius-very nice. Oh I also forgot to take water with me, and sneaked into the 7-11 and drank some water which I mixed with some fountain gator aide. Unfortunately I had no money, so must pay the clerk when I am in there next. Course I don't know how much one would owe for 2 oz of Gatoraide?

Now a big delima is ahead of me. What to wear to a social? My wardrobe pretty much consists of spandex and more spandex (in the form of workout wear). I don't have a bra that fits anymore as all I wear are sports bra's (not really all that flattering) and my feet are so ugly and bruised and calloused, that I couldn't even squeeze them into a pretty shoe if I tried.

If only I had hit Value Village at some point today, I could have bought a Mrs. Roper dress (cica 1970 for anyone who watched Three's Company) and flat sandals and been really comfy. Perhaps there will be something in the back of the closet I will find. Cheers my friends!

Sleep Lab

Ok so today even though I am supposed to do a lot of things for my training today (run, RT and swim), I am not sure if I can do it as I am soo tired. This is causing me much distress.

Why you ask? Well last evening I had to accompany my little son to the sleep lab at the hospital. They attatched a whole lot of electrodes, monitored his o2 stats, respiration etc. etc. He was having the test done to determine whether he needs to have his tonsils/adenoids out as he snores a lot, and we wonder how restful a sleep he actually gets.

Well even though it is a sleep lab, for a light sleeper like myself, not much sleep was had. The technicians enter and exit the room all night long, monitors are making strange noises, and strange shuffelings are always going on outside the room. I also pee a lot in the night, so having to take a trek down the hall also keeps you up. Now that I think about it, I should have worn a depend and practiced for peeing on the bike. Rats-missed opportunity!

The worst part of it all, is of course, no one can tell you anything about the results, so must wait for a doctor to get back to us. My poor little Isaac is tired out too, as they kick you out of the hospital by 6am. Fortunately for him, he can go back to sleep and is hopefully having some sweet dreams as I type away.

For those of you who know me, I am also a slight germaphobe. Remarkable you say considering I worked in the hospital? Well lets just say hand sanitizer became my best friend. In fact first thing I did with Isaac this morning was to take a shower and use copious amounts of soap. It was only after I thought we were sufficiently sanitized that I let him get back to bed (yes my poor son will be relaying this to a therapist one day!)

Perhaps after reading this dysfunction of mine, one will realize how awful it will be for me if I get peed, poo'd or vomitted on by some stranger on the race. In fact, I believe if this state of affairs actually arises, it is going to be the worst part for me-not the actual physical endurance. Just thinking about this is causing a slight uprising. Alas, I must start my day- forecasting lots of coffee my way!

Chugging along

Ok so today was another brick workout. I was scheduled to bike and then run. But since I don't have time to be at the gym all day long, I try and incorporate my workouts into daily activity whenever possible. Today that meant running to and from the gym and doing a spin class. It's light out enough so at least I don't feel as if I will get mugged, or a car won't see me. The only thing I keep my eye out for is .....you guessed it Wild animals. None today-at least none that I saw.

The only problem-well not really a problem-more a pain, is that I run to the gym with my back pack. It is an el cheapo backpack that does not sit very flat on my back and jiggles a lot. Very annoying but what makes it worse, is that my Ipod often gets caught up in it somehow and then my ear buds either keep falling out or I feel like the cord is choking me. I refuse refuse refuse to buy another backpack, so I am content to deal with this despite people telling me that there are backpacks meant for running.

Now I know that running after cycling is hard-actually harder than I thought. But I have consistently felt that the running has been harder than normal. Then I think to meself, could there perhaps be another reason. Well my annoying jiggly backpack provided me with the answer. Today I weighed the thing, just to see, and realized than I am carrying an extra 6 lbs on my back! Alas, I have sympathy for those poor poor camels I saw at the zoo the other day!

It's official

Good thing I waited to buy any more gear,because its official-I received my triathlon membership in the mail, and there are several shops around the city that offer up discounts! However being a cheapskate I will still do some comparison shopping on line...or ahem...rather I might have to get someone to do this for me!

One thing I m finding, is that many of the cycling jersey's look quite zany. Now that kinda fits with my personality but seriously I don't want anything flashy. Perhaps I should consider a design that would make people stay away from me on the bike as I feel too panicky when anyone gets close. There must be a psychological study somewhere that can tell me what color people like to avoid!

Another wonderful thing that has happened in this journey, is the outpouring of support I get when I tell people I am doing this. I can not tell you how many people have extended their advice, or words of encouragement. Some are friends, some are family and many are people whom I have just met. It encourages me to know that humans are willing to extend their hand. If we could also do this for the sake of the common good, just think what could be possible! Now how great is that!

who hoo Monday

OK so I slept in-till 6am. It's my internal clock, so now I have gotten into a routine, that even if I go to bed late-er, I still get up early!

It's a recovery day for me,and while I was going to go and do an easy swim, I have elected to do some Yoga (in the privacy of my own home via DVD).

My legs are really feeling it this morning. While I have been consistently cycling on the spin bikes for 1 1/2 years,it is very different when you go outside and have wind resistance to contend with. It's not that they are sore- just tired.

I also have to figure out what cadence I should be trying to average- what is too slow? too fast? what can I maintain? I am guessing that I will be on the bike between 4 and 5 hours. I also discovered that I need to get on Ebay to find some appropriate clothing. Even my tighter fitting windbreaker was ballooning out, and after 2 loops, I had to stop to take some layers off.

Today I am going to take my little Ava to the zoo this morning (must study those wild animals in case I come across a bear-or monkey on my race) and then hopefully catch a few rays in the sun this afternoon! I really am going to try and be unproductive in the pm-we will see!

Good morning fellow followers. Currently I am eating a banana after having packed up my gear for a 3 hour workout-it's a swim/cycle brick today. I will be swimming at my gym and then I will hit the road to do a solo ride. I have packed my cellphone just in case, and plan on singing "on the road again" as I am too freaked to ride a bike and listen to my ipod even if there is very little traffic.

Today I will be practicing the usual gear changes, but also just being able to touch my water bottle with each hand (I haven't mastered getting it out of the cage and drinking while still riding). I know this sounds ridiculous, and perhaps its just me, but it requires some talent-and a whole lot of balance! If I get really brave I may even try and eat something-whoa!

I am hoping it will not be too windy. Dressing for the bike is a whole other animal! I always know what to wear in the pool, and since I have run for a long time, I know how to dress for that, but I don't really have any biking clothes. When I went cycling in the wind the other day, my windbreaker ballooned out from the back of me, and likely caused even more drag. Today I have packed a small arsenal of clothing and plan to layer tight to my body.

One thing this journey has taught me, is to change, to be open minded and to experiment to see what works. So often we get caught up just doing the same things over and over again. Usually we become creatures of habit-and I admit, I like that very much. But when you got outside your comfort zone and succeed-even if it's just baby steps, it truly is a wonderful feeling. I think of this, as I had the opportunity to play with a 6 month old baby yesterday. Such a sweetie as she was was trying new things and conducting her own little experiments. But it was that toothless giggle, the sparkle in her eye, and her pride that said it is all worth it!

A beautiful day

Ok so this morning was once again a long run. Mr. P kindly tacked on an extra 2 miles this week, so I thought my pace would slow down a bit, but remarkably it didn't. Perhaps it had something to do with a new product I tried-a non-carbonated version of Red Bull called a Red Bull shot. Same great flavour, but in a tiny concentrated bottle! During this time of month, I feel extremely sapped of energy. I have read a tonne about overtraining-so I don't believe it is that, as I don't really have any other symptoms. Hopefully I will rebound in the next day or two-that is what usually happens.

Today on my run, I saw several different species of bird-the bluest Blue Jay , bunnies, and yup....a fox. The fox looked at me and I looked at it. Usually I start to panic, even hyperventilate a bit when I see wild animals. In fact this happened earlier on in the week when I saw a raccoon, and several times with deer. But for some reason, this fox was so cute, and beautiful, and it looked at me for a long time, while I admired him from a far. I often wonder what these animals think of us humans....I suppose they are very wise ....especially in light of the fact that they stay away from us for the most part.

Upon my early morning reflection, I remember that this is the month my father was born, and was also the month in which he died. It is also the month that Isaac was born. It is a season for sadness for me, but also re-birth. As I run those miles in the quietness of the morning, I reflect on nature's beauty and know that we are all made of stars. I feel lucky to be alive!

Membership has its priveledges

OK....so excited...I signed up for a full membership with Triathalon Manitoba. I think I actually get a card and perhaps some discounts here and there at a few retail shops in the city. Actually I really did not have any choice in the matter, as to do any sanctioned race you need to purchase a membership.

The races are starting pretty soon with the Duathalon series in the park beginning in May (Jan check your email as I sent you info about this!). Apparently there are about 120 people who do these races, and Mr. P is strongly encouraging me to do so, so I gulp...guess...I ....must....face...my...fear! At least there is no swimming component in open water yet (that terrifies me!)

Speaking of swimming, I had a killer lesson yesterday. My swimming teacher got me to do a pyramid drill. Interestingly enough I think I heard an evil laugh coming from her direction when she said this. What this involves, is changing up your breath stroke. So for the first lap you breathe every 3 stroke, next lap every 4th, ....and so on until 6 in which you then start going back dow to the regular 3 stroke breath. By the time I got to 6, I seriously thought my lungs were going to explode or my heart (not sure which was going to blow first). Fortunately I had my fins on (which I love but are not allowed in races) so I just made it in the nick of time!

I also stopped in at one of the local swimming stores to see whether there wetsuits have arrived. Everyone and their dog has said this is a must for swimming in Canadian waters. The only place on the planet that absolutely forbids them is the Biggest Ironman race known to man in Kona, Hawaii. Since I am a weak swimmer, having a wetsuit is to my advantage because it assists with buoyancy. The suits are made of neoprene and very thin compared to a diving wetsuit or one that you would wear when boating or ahem...the kind you see at Costco. Unfortunately, they are not cheap-to get a decent one, at least 300.00 bucks. I thought initially of purchasing it through Ebay-but it is critical to get a good fit. Then I thought of renting-but its 60 bucks a pop for every race you do. Thus I have come to the realization that I will bite the bullet and fork over even more cash in mid-May when the suits are scheduled to arrive. Here's hoping my Triathalon membership has it's privledges, so that I can save a buck or two!

Energy

Does anyone got some they can lend me? Feeling a bit slug like today. I think it must be the cloudy weather, and that ahem.....that time of the month (sorry if I am sharing too much)! I just completed an interval run, and have a swimming lesson and core/RT work ahead of me.

Once the coffee kicks in, I am sure I will feel better. But there are days I tell you, when one mile feels like 100. That's OK though, it builds character and is a mental challenge to get through. Everyone tells me that completing a race, is always 5% effort and 95% attitude. Now I don't know if I would go that far, but there is always the psychological pieces involved. Mine is usually in the form of "oh I can't do this" or "I am going to feel guilty if I don't"-really a no win situation, unless you actually get er done!

Today I will get er done, and it will be good, it's just setting the wheels in motion. Does anyone have car keys they can lend me?

It happened

Ok so Winnipeg is a very very windy city. Yesterday I believe was a bit more breezy than usual...according to the weather forcast-winds were gusting to 59km/hour. Well my scheduled gear changing/bike ride at Bird's Hill Park occurred in these conditions.



Now I have been out on Snagster a total of 2 times-this was going to be the 3rd. She looked pretty in the wind, gleaming, sparkly...ahh I digress.



The first thing Mr. P did was felt my tires. He said that there were not enough pressure in them and that I would need to put more air in. He handed me the airpump and got me to do this. Since I learn way better doing then seeing, this was extremely helpful! He indicated that I really should carry my air pump with me at all times and check the tires before each ride. Apparently tires with less than adequate air are more at risk for getting a flat. Who knew?



Next we did a few practice turns in the parking lot-figure eights and leaning into the turn, and before I knew it, we were off! It was a tough ride because of the wind, and at one point it caught my bike pretty good, that I felt I was going to fall off. It's also amazing how fast a road bike can go if your lucky to catch a bit of a tail wind! Mr. P was so helpful in explaining how to change from my front to back chainrings. At one point my chain did come off, but I was able to get it back on with changing into other gears instead of getting off my bike! He also showed me how to draft (which is a big no no in Tri's) which was really freaky. You need to get close behind the wheel of the person ahead of you-and then it feels so easy in terms of effort you need to exert!



Mr. P also at one point decided to clip onto the back of my bike-I was very afraid at the thought of this as I was really concentrating on maintaining my balance with the wind. He did it anyway (evil laugh was included) and said I should be thankful that he did not weigh over 200lbs. So as I was pulling him and his bike up the hill, I once again thought I was not going to be able to do this. It felt as though I was pulling a five thousand pound man. However being stuck in this position, and not wanting to embarass meself, I did it! Not just once either! Must remember this moment when I feel like giving up!



I completed the 1.5 hr ride, I learned a lot and I was in sight of my van to get going to pick up my son from school. I was chatting away, not really paying attention, and.........did not clip out in time. I was falling and knew I could do nothing about it! So embarassing-my cell phone went flying, a part of my handle bar fell off. I think I must of turned a 1000 shades of red !

Upon reflecting on the circumstances, I guess I am very glad that I fell in a controlled setting. I am also thankful that I din't fall when I was going full speed ahead down the hill, and so glad that I didn't hurt Mr. P or myself. In the end, the two things I was most fearful of-my chain falling off and falling, happened yesterday. I am glad for that, because I now have confronted both of those fears and survived. A lesson for life-confront your fears head on instead of wasting energy worrying-alas easier said than done!

Guilt

Ok so FYI I was able to get some of the things I wanted to do yesterday done-I managed to print off the race schedule, I finished my daughter's scrapbook-but not the baby book, and I made some power bars.

Now anyone who knows me, knows I am not the best cook unless I have a recipe in front of me. Well, I had about ten recipes in front of me yesterday and kind used a bit of this and a bit of that from all sorts of recipes. In the end, my power bars consisted of coconut flour, goji berries, honey dates, chocolate chips, almonds, millet, applesauce, oatmeal and sunflower seeds. I quite like them, but they are a bit crumbly in a soft way. I think I must repeat and use molases or some sticky substances so that I can eat it easier-especially if I am on the bike. Also if anyone ever shops at bulk food stores-the bulk bin is awesome and way cheaper than scoop and weigh!

Today I am a bit nervous- I am going to see Mr. P today at Birds Hill for a lesson in gear changing. He also wants me to bring my runners-Yikes. I have a feeling that the weather is going to be lousy-but I guess I should prepare for this as anything can happen in Calgary.

I'm also gearing up to do another tempo run this morning at the gym. Last week, I set the pace very fast, and suffered ! Since I have to increase time, and I have a bike ride ahead of me this afternoon, I am contemplating slowing down just a tad. Knowing me though, I probabally won't. See that's the thing about running, you get stuck on numbers, on time, on pace, and then feel guilty if you don't maintain. I know this thinking is absolutely crazy-but then again is it perservearance or dedication?

I believe it is important to maintain balance, and I try my very best to do this. The last thing I want is for my children to feel like they are overdriven. Yet I also want them to be able to challenge themselves and maintain a level of self-discipline in whatever they do. I hope I am modelling that. How does one arrive at that? Must think on this more. So easy to say it, but to actually understand how the process behind this works and translate that into behaviour is another!

There is also the guilt in doing this race, as it is increasingly involving more and more time. When the training does not involve impinging on family, it is great. But today for instance I am feeling guilty about having Isaac stay at the lunch program and my mom watch Ava so I can go on this bike ride. Guilt, guilt, guilt......ahhhhh

Rest Day

Everyone hates Mondays, but I love em. They happen to be my scheduled rest day, where I take it really easy. Today I am going to do a very light swim in about 1/2 hour when the gym opens.

I also have to look at all the triathalons this city has to offer and start registering for a few sprint and olympic distances so that I can get some practice in before gulp...the big one. Must also look at what running races I will be doing.

If I get really ambitious, I am going to look up some recipes for things I can take on the bike. I seriously have continued to try different things-lately its been these energy bars. between Cliif, Vector, Power-and various granola, there is not one that I like. I suspect that I could do better and maybe it would also be cheaper. I have to make it to the bulk barn sometime today anyway! (weird-my computer won't let me make a capitol b- ha maybe it loves me and knows that I am not one!)

I also have to practice eating and drinking with Snagster- I didn't at all yesterday because I was scared of losing my balance. Also my water bottle was really tight in the cage, so that I couldn't pull it out until I stopped. bTW I clipped in in 30 seconds-hopefully that's my uber fast learning and not just luck!

I also have to catch up on doing some mommy stuff. It's been ages since I have updated Ava's babybook and I have about a million photo's to put into albums.

Hope all of you have a fantastic day! Luv's ya!

C C C...Cold

OMG I went for my usual swim-fine. Then I hopped on the snagster for my long ride with damp hair, and I am c...c...cold! Cold like I have never felt. Sorry for the short post, but I am planning on spending all day in a hot shower!!

Swim Cap delima solved-kinda

Ok so I am planning on doing a long swim tomorrow am and its almost time for bed (usually between 9 and 930 pm-so pathetic!). I am looking forward to the quietness of water, and focusing on relaxtion and breath work to avoid drowning.

One of the things that have really bugged me about the swim has been my swim cap. I have tried 2 different latex kinds-one made for long hair and one for regular.

The long hair cap was a disaster, as half way through the swim the thing popped off, and my long hair covered my eyes like seaweed so I couldn't see a thing even with my goggles. The second cap for "normal" hair is what I have been using but its so friggin tight on my head, that I struggle for a long time just to put on.

One day as I was struggling with my swim cap, a very kind woman Mrs. K gave me a very helpful hint. She suggested that I dust my cap with baby talcum before putting the cap on. Since I really don't like the smell of baby talcum, I opted for corn starch which worked like a charm. Easy on, but....I again ran into the problem of the cap popping off mid-way through my swim. I tried cutting my hair, thinning it, but I have come to the conclusion that it must be the shape of my head. Truth be told, I also did not go really short on the hair, but it was thinned like mad!

Then I thought to myself...Glue (kidding) I complained bitterly to my swimming teacher. She suggested a cloth cap. Well a cloth cap is all well and fine, but with the amount of swimming I do, and my very dry hair (I seriously can put olive oil directly onto my hair and it does not look a tad bit greasy), the cloth cap would kill my hair regardless of whether I swam in a chlorinated or salt water pool as there is absolutely no protection.

So I say to meself, self why don't I use a cloth cap, and then the latex cap over top. Guess what? It has worked like a charm.

The only thing I have got to figure out, is if I can take my cloth cap with me when I do some tri's. As far as I can tell, in tri races they hand out a different color latex swim cap based on your age/category. They are pretty strict about the rules, so I am not sure if I will be able to wear the cloth cap underneath.

Who does one ask about such issues? I doubt Mr. P has this problem, but seriously, could I be the only one? My worry is that if my cap pops off in an actual tri and I lose it in open water, will I become disqualified? Equally concerning, is that the murky water of open water will be even more difficult to navigate, should my seaweed hair get in the way!

Well with my long workout tomorrow, I should have plenty of time to reflect on such matters

The Snagster made her debut!

So all nerves aside, and after reading some very inspiring Quotes from my lovely Seema, I put my bike, my bike shoes, my helmet, my water bottle and my Garmin in the van and headed to the Park yesterday. The weather was sunny but quite windy (I think 10 degrees but not sure what it translated to with the windchill) so I layered with warm gear as you often feel much colder on a bike then if you were running. I even had some of my winter gloves along just in case!

Got to the park in the early part of the afternoon, and parked in a location next to grass so I could manage the clip in. Thank goodness there were very few people to witness the spectacle. The good new was that I did not fall, but it felt like it took me an hour to get my shoes clipped to the pedal. I suspect this will get easier as I get more used to it, but my bike shoe clips are very different then the clips I use for my spin bike. They are positioned differently on the shoe, so I am going to believe that is why I was having such difficulty.

Once I was on my Snagster, I have to say I felt very comfortable. She weighs a grand total of 18lbs and as corny as this may sound, Snagster felt like an extension of me while I was riding her. When I tried out road bikes last summer, I have to say that they certainly did not feel as good as Snagster. I felt wobbly and scared to take corners and go down anything resembling a hill. Oh and unike Bart (my mountain bike), she is light and has way more speed. The one thing Bart has going for him though has to do with butt issues. Way easier to ride a mountain bike over bumps than a road bike!

This was definitely a good experience in my books as it has boosted my confidence. I am so thankful for Mr. C who fit me on the bike. It was well worth the time it took for him to measure my limbs, take into account my height and weight and assess my flexibility. For anyone serious about getting into cycling-it is completey worth the money to do this!

I cycled easily for approx 55 minutes, and also practiced using my gears. I left the front gear in the largest ring while I fiddled aroung with my 10 rings on the back. I was worried that if I start changing my front and back at the same time, I would get too confused. The lesson I learned quickly is to ensure that you are in a harder gear going down hill and easier gear going up so that you can maintain a consistent cadence. I also learned that you can save a lot of enery and be way more efficient if you can master the whole gear changing thing. And, since I live in an incredibly windy city, I learned that you never ever feel like the wind is at your back!

According to my Garmin- the distance I cyled was 11 and a bit miles. I thought that was pretty good considering I was not even breaking a sweat. Then again maybe I was and the wind just caused it to immediately evaprorate. I also have to re-look at my speed and cadence sensor as I am not sure if it is correctly synched. Crap I hate having to figure out computer related issues!

Last but not least, I must say that I also wore my Oakley half jacket sunglasses that were purchased on Ebay for a steal by a computer savant (you know who you are LOL!) They are fantastic, kept my eyes from tearing and bugs out and helped me to see great in the sun and shade with no fogging or slipping. Another piece of gear that I would highly reccomend. Oh and they are fashionable too LOL!

Snagster debut

Well I am still very sore yet will be going to the gym momentarily to do some interval work and Yikes more RT later on in the morning. But since my afternoon swim lesson has been cancelled, I think I may take Snagster (my road bike) for a test drive.

I plan on going to the park in mid afternoon when I hope there is not much traffic or people around to observe. My better half has inspired me as yesterday he took my mountain bike (Bart) out for a spin. Unfortunately Bart's gears are kinda slipping so will need to see Mr. C or another bike doctor!

My game plan is to try and find a grassy area so that when I try and clip in, and Lord forbid fall, it won't be on concrete. I am also starting to panic a little as my better half, in his concern for me, challenged me to consider how fast snagster will really go and that I should be very careful.

It's true-road bikes are like sportscars-and taking a turn in them or someone getting to close to you can seriously result in injury. Also everyone keeps telling me that I should be prepared to fall, but that all I need to do is fall right. How the bleep to you fall right? Unless I was in a slow mo fall (which I doubt is how this happens) I don't think I will have time to think about how to fall right or get my body into falling position??? Ahhhhhh...............

I am definitely going to make sure I take my cell phone on my ride!

Resistance Training............

So I met with Mr.P yesterday. He is a real live athlete who has completed the Ironman before which is double of what I am doing (over 140 miles in a day) He is fantastically fit-really a person of steal (maybe in this case Iron-Ha Ha sorry bad joke!) and is also training to compete in the Triathalon season. Mr. P cares about his time-whereas I just want to finish!

Felt a tad bit silly in meeting with him as when I do resistance training (RT) I assume machines and often will wear gloves as I don't my hands get calloused (can't have that!). Well Mr. P does not train with machines-it's all core work and free weights. Sounds easy? Not!!!! Depending on how much you weigh-you got to either pull, push or get your body off the ground some how. Now I won't reveal the details of how much I actually weigh-but suffice it to say it is quite a bit over 100 lbs-and there are not many machines that I use with a 100 lb weight!

The other thing about core work is that you soon realize how good/not good you are at balancing. In my case it's not a pretty sight. My sister will recall the one Yoga class I took with her and spun around in a 360 degree circle while everyone else was able to hold their pose! Very embarassing then and very embarassing yesterday! Mr. P has confidence that I will improve-Ha!

Today I feel really sore once again-but a weird kind of sore- a core sore! This is supposed to be really good especially for things like swimming-which I would never have guessed. Speaking of swimming, this is how I spend last evening after the kids went to bed; painting my scraggly toes a seafoam green (to mimic the water), watching some trashy TV (American Idol is my fav) and then studying Youtube videos of swimming strokes. Not for everyone but it was a great night in my books!

Hello followers (ha ha ha-sorry I just can't resist it sounds so crazy!) feeling awake without Red Bull-so maybe I am back to Winnipeg time? Will be doing a Tempo run this morning which is good as I think I have to work out the jitters before meeting Mr.P later today for (gulp) a resistance training session.

I have also been practising getting on and off my bike with clip shoes. I have this fear of clipping in and then falling off the bike. I guess its bound to happen that I will fall off at some point but for whatever reason (ok lets be honest the pain and embarassment factors) I want to do whatever I can to avoid this!

I am also very worried about the whole gear changing issue. I have 2 gears in the front chainring and 10 on the back. Depending on what chainrings you are in, makes it more easy/difficult. This is very confusing in that on the front chainring (controlled by the left shifter)-shifting onto the smaller ring makes pedalling easier (Downshift) and shifting to the larger ring makes pedalling harder (Upshift)

Now the rear gears are controlled by the right shifter. Moving the chain ring from large to small is now called an Upshift, and from small to large a Downshift.

Clear as mud for some-but not me. If you shift wrong you could drop your chain or brake it which would spell disaster for me because I don't know how to fix a chain or to put it back on.
I knew I should have learned to drive a Standard-perhaps this would have helped!

I have yet to take Snagster on the road for this very reason (she's still sitting on the trainer) but with some guts she may make her first debut on the road this week! Wish me luck!

Red Bull

Ok in my quest to try new things, I elected to try a Red Bull before my Brick workout on Sunday. Why? Well I am still on Phoenix time-so waking up at my usual 530am time in Winnipeg felt like 330am. Needless to say, the promise Red Bull gives to wake you up in a snap, was a sure hit for me!

I must also admit that I love the taste of Red Bull-kind of citrusy in a non-offending way. The only problem I encountered was that carbonation factor. It makes you burp a lot. Normally, this really would not be a problem, but, being in a swimming pool and having to burp under water was not so great. I swallowed a lot of water (and probabally pee) but thought it to be good training for when I am in open water and will undoubtedly be choking on water all the time (and swallowing offending microbes of God knows what)!

I also have to say that I had a fantastic swim-I could actually say I liked it (who knew). It felt good, it felt easy and I did a total of 100 laps followed by a 90 minute cycle. The question I had, was the good feeling related to the rest/recovery week or the Red Bull? Hmmmm...so today went for another swim and did the Red Bull thing again. Still burped a lot but the swim was not as good. As Mr. P has reminded me, recovery is key!

So about the Red Bull-I think it will be something I may use-not on a regular basis I am pretty sure the caffeine overload can not be that good for you. But in a pinch....Hey whatever gets you through!

Next Phase

Ok my faithful folowers (hee hee I love saying that-I kinda feel like a cult leader) I have returned to Snow-ugg!! and wind and rain-but am very glad to be home! There is nothing like taking a shower in your own home and sleeping in your comfy bed. I am a creature of habit!

Phoenix BTW was great-it was hot and sunny and we all had a blast-mostly swimming, eating, shopping, playing and of course indulging on a few alcoholic bevy's. Yes there is nothing better than drinking a margaritta poolside! I also now have a new wardrobe of Under Armor. It was dirt cheap there and I got a steal of a deal on a Cannondale bike shirt for 12 bucks!

There is only one big problem though, when you indulge in drinking a bit too much, it does make running in the desert hard. I think they like to call it dehydration. Perhaps what made it worse was the hills, the heat and the wind. Crazy wind at times-way worse than Winnipeg! I say if your going to train anywhere-Phoenix will prepare you!

For my dear friend Seema-you'd be running like the wind-snakes everywhere-well I only saw 1 but it seemed like they were coming from everywhere-every scragely twig made me jump! and every tumbleweed made me look twice-nuff said!

So as per Mr. P's instructions, I did take it easy (no intervals, no tempos-just easy-although I could not avoid hill training)-. Fortunately for me, my better half likes to run too, so we were able to team off nearly every day. I also managed to do Mr. P's 22 minute workout-which was incredibly hard! My little Isaac kept encouraging me with his stop watch (the clock radio in the hotel room)-so cute! Hopefully I am modelling some good behaviour (while swearing vigourously under my breath in pain!)

Mr. P has sent me a lovely present for my return home to Winnipeg. It's this month's training schedule and it looks hard! Tomorrow I will be swimming 1500m and a scheduled long ride for 1.5 hours either on a spin bike or trainor. I am also planning on meeting Mr. P for a resistance training session on Tuesday (I must admit I am a tad bit fearful!)

I am also planning on abstaining from alcoholic beverages-its a killer on the liver (see I can rap too) and smarten up on my diet-need to really focus on the nutrition aspect! Let the good times roll!!!!