Blah, Blah, Blah

I am not in a good mood today. I'm tired and grumpy and I don't feel like doing much of anything. I don't want to study for my midterms, I don't want to clean my house, I don't want to grocery shop. It doesn't help that it is a gray pouring with rain type of day. What I would like to do is loaf around on the couch doing nothing...except maybe sleeping. But as a single Mom I can't afford that kind of luxury. Although I am planning to take a nap on the couch later this afternoon after I make lunch and get back from grocery shopping and putting my lil monkey down for her nap. Augh! I don't know if it's just that I'm a bit overtired from training or if it's just that sometimes my life is kind of tough. Wah wah me. Whatev.

Something funny did happen last night though. My daughter (the oldest one) and I went out on a Mother/daughter date. I got a sitter for lil monkey and my son was out with his Dad and step Mom. The plan was to go shopping, go for dinner and then see a movie. The shopping was fun, we bought some cute boots for her and some girly nail stuff. Then we went for dinner. Unfortunately we picked a restaurant (near the theatre) that was soooo packed. We looked for a spot at the lounge and this what I thought was a nice couple invited us to sit with them. So we sat down and then a third gentleman sat down. Well it turned out that the woman and the third guy were a couple and the other fellow spent I guess was on his own. We ordered our dinner and drinks. (My daughter had a smoothie and I just had pop) but it was quite funny cus the single guy kept flirting with me and near the end of dinner he discreetly slipped me his phone number. Just seemed so funny to me to get picked up when I was out with my daughter. My daughter who is only 11 (almost 12 she would insist) thought it was quite humorous. Her comment as we left the restaurant to go to the movie was "Gee Mom I think that guy liked you." Ya think. This whole dating in your late thirties is just weird.

Attack of the Grumpy-Grumps

I had a very hard training week and by Friday I had a serious case of the grumpy-grumps. Honestly I was irritated with EVERYTHING. When you have 3 kids this is not a good scenario. I'm certain my kids wondered who had taken over Mommy because it took all my willpower to not yell my head off. I even allowed myself to just flop and watch t.v. for most of the evening. I did make something for dinner but it didn't require much more than open, place in oven, serve. I just was so not into making anything more complicated than that.

I did really enjoy my Master's swimming. I find it challenging and interesting and I'm learning a lot right now. Hopefully in the next few weeks my body will be more adjusted to this challenging early morning swim. I like that I have been able to stick to my training plan but I've obviously pushed it slightly more than I'm able to handle. I did get adequate rest and after today (I'm going to do an easy recovery swim today) I have a rest day.

So Far an Amazing Week!

Yesterday I ran a full 22k, 1k more than the 1/2 Marathon. But I did it! So now I know that I can for sure. Now admittedly it was not a fast 22k but it took me 2hr and 25 min. However, I still have 2 months to improve on this time and this is the first time (in many years anyway) that I have completed this distance. I was quite pleased with myself for running for over 2 hrs and I even chose a new running route. (I'm not always very adventuresome.)

Then this morning I had a most excellent swim session with Hyack Master Swim Club. I got some stroke correction which I think will help with the reoccurring shoulder impingement that I get. I just felt so great, I felt strong and capable of finishing the drills. I still wasn't really that fast but I guess it's somewhat relative to who you are swimming with because one fellow kept telling me and another women how we were just smoking ahead. Anyway I really enjoyed my swim this morning and I still managed to get out for a quick bike ride this afternoon.

When I was leaving for my bike ride, my ex husband arrived to pick up my two oldest kids and he looked quite bemused at the sight of me in full bike workout gear. He wondered what I was doing although I've mentioned to him before my intention to race in a Triathlon. And you would think that me pushing my bike made it kind of obvious. But what I found even funnier is that when I told him I was going for a bike ride he looked almost horrified and wondered why the heck I might want to do that. As I pushed off and pedaled away I noticed that he was climbing back into his truck with his jumbo pack of Mike and Ikes. It's funny when we were married it infuriated me that he could stuff his face with fast food and sweets and pop and he was always so skinny but I would of course gain weight even eating a half of what he did. Well it's caught up with him now. He is starting to get a gut that rivals some of my past pregnancies.

I don't need to go into a huge ex-bashing session (even if he deserves it.) but it's scary because he's not the only one. So many of my friends and colleagues see their fitness levels drop lower and lower and their weight creep higher and higher and at some point they just give up they think that there is no hope, so why bother. It's true I will never look like an 18 year old and I am not always happy about my post-pregnancy body despite my fitness level but I know that I am working toward the most healthy me possible.

Some slight changes to pace...and figure.

Back to training after a few days off. I actually felt pretty good. I did an excellent run yesterday. Granted it was only a 45 min run but I felt like I could have gone longer but wanted to keep it short since I still seem very tired from my illness. I also kept a faster pace. I allready have been concentrating on maintaining a higher cadence on my bike and I think it's time to make at least one of my runs pace focused.



In the last year and a half of training I have always found it more difficult to increase my pace in any of my sports. At times I think it's my mind even more than my body. When I keep to a lower pace, lower heart reat ect I don't worry about wether I can finish my run, bike, swim. I know that I could keep on goin just like the energizer bunny. I don't even know why it's bugging me lately that I am so slow because I've honestly kept that out of my mind. I don't know if it's because I'm around more athletes lately and I'm a bit of a competitive personality or what.



The weather is definately begining to turn. It's colder, wetter and I had to pull out my longer run tights and long sleeve tops. It's so weird when the season changes and you put on clothes that you haven't worn in awhile. I was slightly pleased with the image that greeted me in the mirror. I seemed a little less bumpy, a little more trimmed down around the middle and overall a little more muscular. Boy I like that when I feel pleased about my figure and can focus on the assets instead of the liabilities. I actually noticed a strange thing about my favourite jeans too. In the thighs they are a bit looser but my butt....my word...I think it's bigger, not wider or anything just more muscular. I'm not sure how I feel about that. A muscular butt that rounds out instead of a flabby wide ass....well stated that way I'll take the muscular butt. I thought most of the major changes to my body were mostly over and only incremental changes were going to take place but obviously there is still room for further improvement. Cool. I suppose there's an upside to having allowed myself to get so out of shape, there's lots of opportunitty to experience positive change! Yeah me.

The Half Marathon is a GO

So I'm officially entered in my first half marathon on Nov 18th. Although now that I've actually entered I'm feeling a bit nervous especially since I've been sick this week and haven't done any training. Will I even be able to do it. I think that I can I've been running close to this distance in my Training for well over a month and it's still two months away. I can do it, I can do it! It always seems much scarier to me when it's something more official. If I said to myself that in training today I'm going to do 21 k I'd be alright then let's do it but when it's something officially timed and then posted for the world to see(As if anyone other than me will care much about my posted time!) it just seems a little scarier.

Well even if I had to walk the whole distance (which I know I won't) but it's an absolutely beautiful area of Vancouver to race in and although it will be chilly the trees will still be in full Autumn colours. Awesome!

Cures for a sore throat

So for the last four days I've been out of commission due to a sore throat.



This is how it went down. On Thursday at my swim I was feeling off but just figured I was a bit tired but Friday I woke up and felt like crap and my throat was sore. I thought I was getting a cold however by evening I was feeling worse. I could hardly swallow but it definitely was not a head cold. Saturday morning came and I wondered when the heck did I swallow this golf ball. Everything was so swollen I was finding that even my breathing was hampered. I went off to see the Doctor, who told me that it was probably just a virus I'd have to ride it out but she took a throat swab for good measure.



By Saturday afternoon I was miserable and the thought of another 4 to 5 days of this and missing my training had me pretty desperate. I started googling and found this cayenne pepper remedy on earth clinic. It basically consists of gargling with 1 cup of warm water and 1/8 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. I usually don't try these home remedies but I as I said I was desperate. Strangely enough despite the icky taste it wasn't too bad and my throat started to feel slightly better, by bed time it was mildly sore but the golf ball had subsided. Sunday was a bit sore but it was getting better. On Monday the pain was pretty much gone but it would sting occasionally if I drank pop or if I sneezed. Then I got a call from the Doctor...it turns out that I had Strep throat and I should take antibiotics. Weird my throat is definitely feeling better and I haven't even taken the antibiotics.



If I get another sore throat I would definitely use this remedy again. Hopefully I will start some light training today.

Terry Fox: A humble hero

I wanted to take some time in my busy day to reflect on a man who has inspired and brought hope to a city, a nation...the world.

This weekend in Canada has become an important weekend to remember a truly remarkable man and his amazing dream to raise money for cancer research. The Terry Fox run has been held every year for 26 years. I grew up in the area near to where Terry Fox lived and was about 11 when he began his Marathon of Hope. I can remember the first time my whole school ran the Terry Fox Run. Now my own children ask to bring a "twoonie for Terry" on their Terry Fox run days.

When things are going really tough for me I often think about his determination and perseverance. What do you think he would have thought about in those hours as he pushed himself through a marathon a day? How did he overcome doubt, fear,...pain.

I train for my own fitness, for my own accomplishment. I often don't think much about how this may impact on those around me. I may not be training for cancer research or anything loftier than maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But here is something that I just recently become aware of. We touch and impact people around us all the time, when we are not even aware of it.

A few days ago a parent of one of my daughters friends told me that I had inspired her to change her lifestyle. She said that she changed her eating habits and has started walking everyday. She said that since I had made my health and physical fitness such a priority in my life when I had to overcome much more time constraints than her that she could see no reason why she shouldn't be able to do the same. The thing is that sometimes we set out to do things but it is our commitment to our values and goals, the little things that we do day in day out that says far more about us than just one race or one shining moment in the sun. It's the getting up early riding out in the dark, swimming across the cold water or running in the rain, its moving forward when we are unsure, scared beaten down.

Terry Fox didn't set out to move and inspire a nation all he wanted to do was inspire each of us to donate one dollar. He said that if everyone donated one dollar that 22 million would be raised for cancer research. Terry did many things besides raise money and awareness for cancer research. He showed that one man can do miracles, he showed that often it is our minds that limit what our bodies can do and finally he showed the world that believing in your dream is possible.

Where are my water wings

I made it through my first week of masters swim club. It's a humbling experience. I felt pretty strong in my swimming and although I knew that I would not be the fastest swimmer there, I find myself in the last lane...the SLOW swimmers lane. I'm not the slowest in that lane, in fact I'm the fastest and I could potentially move to the slightly faster slow lane but then I would definitely be the slowest. Not that it's a big deal but I hate feeling to pressured to keep up so it's better for me to be in the slower lane.

It is definitely a challenge. The practise itself starts a 5:30 and ends at 7. This is at least a half hour longer than I'm used to plus the pace is faster. I like the different drills that we do and the other swimmers have been super friendly and welcoming. Yesterday I caught crap from the coach for not following the intervals properly. (I was trying but I was getting all confused and tired out) although at first he thought I was a swimmer from last year he didn't realize that it was only my second swim with them. I felt a bit sheepish but I can only try to do my best. It seems hard to believe that I will get any faster. I know that may sound a bit weird but I feel like I will be perpetually slower.

I also found that between the early start and the extra swimming this week I was pretty tired by 6 in the evening and a pretty major grump. My shoulders, triceps and biceps are all mildly sore but in a good way. Although on Wed I did my planned run but cut my long bike that day because my shin on my right side seized up. I was hobbling all over campus so instead of a bike I opted for ice, advil and a nap. I think I may be able to bike on Sat instead. The pain had disappeared by the following day so I don't know what was going on with that. I wondered if some of the kick drills may have aggravated something. (I've never done kick drills before.) I'll know if it's truly gone today because I have a brick workout planned.

And a little aside to my training. My daughters daycare is officially on strike as of Monday. Talk about suck. I'm not quite sure what I'll do but next week is a recovery week and I just cross my fingers that the strike won't drag on too long. It will have a huge impact on my school and on my training.

Masters Swim Club Starts

I have a great training week planned and I am looking forward to it even though I know that I will be tired out by the weekend. I plan on a long endurance run today. ( This semester I don't have any classes on Mon.) Tues will be swim and a shorter higher cadence ride, Wed Long endurance bike and a short morning run, thurs morning swim and Fri Brick work out Sat a recovery swim.



The biggest change in this week's routine is that Tues will be my first swim with the Hyack Masters Swim Club. I'm excited and freaked out all at the same time. My biggest fear is that I won't be able to keep up and I'll be in everyone's way. My second fear is that it will be so hard that I'll come home too exhausted and not be interested in going anymore. I'll have to be up very early to be ready on deck for 5:15 ish. Yikes, I'm an early riser but the thought of being up at 4:30 am does sound a bit daunting. 5:00 is pretty standard for me but moving to 4 just sounds stupid early. Nevertheless it still seems interesting to me.



I'm also still getting used to the new bike but it's coming along and I really like riding it. I'm hoping in the next few weeks to purchase new clipless pedals and shoes. This should make a difference to my riding as well, or at least I think it will. The only reason I'm waiting is more of a time issue than anything else. On top of my training I'm really trying to discipline myself to work on my schoolwork daily/nightly. I left way to much to the last minute last semester and it stressed me out WAY too much and I think my marks were lower as a result. When I'm not trying as hard I tend to come in at about a c plus B level but I know that I could do better. It's only been a week but so far so good. I'm feeling much more energetic than I did over the summer so I think that helps too.

On fitting Training into my life

I've had a few comments recently about how it must be hard to fit in training when I'm a single Mom with 3 kids. Truth be told it is hard sometimes. If someone had told me in April of 2006 that I would be working out 6 times a week and often twice in one day I would of said SHUT UP! There's no way and given at least one if not more of the following excuses

1. I'm too busy to fit in exercise.


2. I'm way too tired to go for a run and if I expend more energy how will I ever make it through the day I'm barely getting through now.


3. I have kids so I can't schedule time in and besides all that running after them must be giving me a bit of a workout.


4. Get up early to exercise ha ha very funny.


5. Get a babysitter while I go for a swim are you paying...cus I have no moola


6. Yeah I was in shape in my teens but I'll never get back to that level of fitness so why bother starting.

But one day I just got fed up of the excuses and feeling crappy both physically and mentally and I started running, four months later I started swimming and I tried out some spin classes at the local rec center. While there I met a man in his 50's who is an Iron Man and his level of fitness just blew me away. Someone on hearing that I was running and swimming jokingly said soon you'll be doing triathlons. And that little comment started me thinking why not? why couldn't I? And thus it started and at first just training once a day 4 to 5 times a week was challenging.

In many ways the training was gradual so that over time I never realized that what I was doing was hard to accomplish (both from a time perspective and physically) I get pretty creative to fit it all in. Mornings work the best because my family is still asleep and my oldest daughter is on alert in case anyone else wakes up such as my little monkey. I also often fit in a training session in the afternoon before the troop arrive home from school. This time works great because I don't need a babysitter and mentally it's my low point so I find it almost impossible to study at this time so heading out for a bike or a run re energizes me. Occasionally I resort to the evening to work out but this is a more difficult time because I have to pay a sitter and more often than not my family needs me for taxi service /confidante / maid / laundry service / cook/ tutour / entertainmnet director. The weekends are also a bit harder to fit in training but I have started to get a sitter on the weekends that my daughter is not around. (I actually pay my daughter when she does it also because it's so often it didn't seem fair to make her watch the other two without some sort of compensation.)

An interesting observation is that I am now willing to get up at any hour to fit in my work out, and I'm willing to pay a sitter to train but hesitate to pay for a sitter when it's just a social event. Training like this while I'm a student has also taught me some valuable lessons in time planning, priority setting and organization. In order to fit two workouts in especially an early morning one, I must get everything ready for the next day. This means all my stuff for the workout, breakfast, lunch, school stuff, clothes for the day as well as all clothes for my daughter and snacks for all kids.

Like many others I have a planned out my training plan and I review this at the beginning of the week. Then I visualize how the week might work out, Tweak it a bit depending on factors such as

1. how am I feeling (Am I sick, over trained?)
2. what are my children's needs. (Is anyone else sick, overtired, have upcoming events?)
3. Any venue changes needed due to weather, equipment failure, facility closures.
4. Anything else that might need my attention. (Housework that I've avoided for one to many days or a school project that will take up more of my time.)

This system seems to work for me. I think sometimes though it's come down to sheer stubbornness or in more positive terms determination. I have come to a point that I do whatever I need to do to fit in my training while balancing other important parts of my life. Another thing going for me is that I'm somewhat paranoid about getting injured from over training so I' m pretty self vigilant. When I start to notice something wrong I pay attention whether it means extra stretching, extra strengthening, a doctor or physio's visit, rest. Eventually stuff happens I think everyone will happen upon some type of injury but my hope is that I will address it before it gets worse. I have already had to deal with impingement in my shoulder and still have to really watch it but physio and stretching really helped.

I do feel a certain amount of pride in the training that I accomplish and I'm sure that when I start to do some races that it will translate there as well. I feel very fortunate that I am able to do the training that I do. I'm glad that I took the first steps to improve my health and physical fitness. On the days that I don't feel so motivated I tell myself just go out for a bit because at least your doing something and on the days I'm slow I say at least I'm out here, it's more than I can say for many of men and women in my age bracket.

I got my new bike!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. And here it is...

I'm trying to decide whether I should rename it. My Mom has always called it the "marinoni" which isn't terribly original but somehow I feel disloyal changing the name to anything else. If I think of something more fitting maybe I'll change it otherwise marinoni it is. I am super excited about getting out to ride. I hope the weather will be alright.

I also spent several hours with my Dad learning how to change the tires. Thanks Dad. Also as part of my birthday gift my parents bought new tires. I don't really know much about tired but my Dad tells me they are good tires and something about kevlar. I don't know it sounded impressive. It's amazing how much you learn though. I'm sure before long I will be spouting off info about this tire or that tire.

My new semester starts tomorrow. Man I just barely finished the last semester. I also found out that the Masters Swim club that I want to join starts next Tues on Sept 11. I'm super psyched but I'm kinda nervous too. I worry about whether I can keep up, and if it's too hard will I hate it? They told me that I can come for the first week to try it out before I commit to registering for the year.

The funny things is that I find the smell of the pool almost comforting, even a bit nostalgic. Sounds strange I know but I think it's because for several years through childhood and early teens I swam with a competitive swim club. You spend alot of time in that pool when you are a competitive swimmer. I can remember during peak season having practices every afternoon and a early morning practise twice a week. Of course there were the swim meets on weekends to. I have good memories of my time with the swim club. But that was a long time ago over 20 years ago. Eww I don't like the sound of that out loud.

Anyway lots of new things on the horizon.