What's in a Name?

7.24.2006

I'm baaack!

don't call it a come back; i've been here for years...

or rather I've been on the sidelines for years... but I'm back! When I got up at 5:30 race-day morning it was pouring. I mean pouring! Thunder, lightening the whole bit... and I started thinking, "Should I really do this? Given my recent health issues and the weather, is this all a sign that I should just skip it this morning?" But then I reminded myself that triathlons are not for the weak! By the time I got to the race site the rain had slowed to a drizzle and things were looking good. I set up my transition area, scouted the entry and exit points, waited in the hour long line for the port-o-let and had time to kiss all my boys before heading to the sand. The weather was perfect - dry, little sunny, mid-seventies. However, the swim was a little tough. I really struggled to find an open place to swim, and I couldn't seem to get into any kind of a rhythm until well into the swim. I didn't really feel like my chest was tight (thanks goodness!) but I really didn't feel smooth either. I was just off. But the bike was good. I think that between the extra time spent on my trainer and the hills around my house, I really made some improvements on the bike. It was great. The run started out tough; I had a pretty solid cramp in my left calf, which hung on until about 8 minutes into the run. I didn't feel like I was moving well; in fact at first the only people I passed on the run were walking. When we went into the trail section of the run, the craziness really began. All the rain from the last couple days, plus all the people in the three waves in front of me made the trail into a pure mud-path. Everyone was mostly just trying to move from one rock to another to avoid the giant mud puddles. I even ran right out of each of my shoes at different points. When I got back on the road, it felt like each foot was an extra five pounds, and the mud was just flying off my feet as I ran. However, I think the trail re-energized me because I started feeling good again. I finished in 1:25:04 - a time with which I am quite happy. I am a little bummed about my swim (clocking my slowest swim in my triathlon history), thrilled about my bike (probably one of my fastest) and overall I am quite proud of my come back!

7.22.2006

tomorrow's the big day

So as recently as yesterday I thought I might not race tomorrow. We all had a rough morning on Friday, since Henry was up from 11 - 2am and the Wills got up at 7am. So tired. I went for a run around lunch time (87 degrees and humid) and felt pretty crappy the first five minutes. My chest felt seriously tight; lungs not expanding to full capacity. It got much better, but the beginning of the run really dissapointed me. I really wish I had gotten better rest, but I can't pinpoint that as the thing that I need to get better. Do I need rest? time? meds?... all of the above? At any rate, I decided to swim this morning to see how I felt and to finally decide if I would race tomorrow. I had a really good swim. My chest was still tight at first, but it got better as I went. I swam a 500 in 8 minutes, which is typical for a training swim, and I felt good afterward. I am a little concerned about the race tomorrow, since I haven't done any long workouts since this virus took me down. And during my run yesterday I kept thinking, "I have to start running an hour after I started racing. Can my lungs handle this?". I hate doubting myself. Its tough enough to prepare for my first race in four years, but to struggle with my health on top of it only adds strain and uncertainty. I really want a victorious comeback, but I might have to settle for just doing my best given the situation. After all, there are other races...

7.19.2006

4 days til race time

So its four days until my first triathlon in four years and I'm fighting a virus. It started a couple days ago with a sore throat (which resulted in laryngitis) and a chest cold. I went to the doc today and she said that my lungs sound clear, but when she gave me the lung test where you blow into a spirometer I couldn't even move it half way. Clearly my doctor was surprised, since she explained how to complete the test again, and had me try again. My results were the same. Pretty poor lung function for someone who is planning to compete in a race in a couple days. I think I need my lungs for my tri. She put me on a steriod (prednisone) and an albuterol inhaler. She also told me that I need to listen to my body and if I am not healthy enough to race I should skip it. Or if I start and find my lungs aren't doing well I should quit. The latter would be pretty tough for me; I would find it hard to quit once I've started. Actually either skipping or quitting would be hard for me, but I won't race if I'm not better. Its not worth it. I want my first time back to be a good racing experience. So I have a couple days to get healthy. Hopefully rest and the wonders of modern meds will do the trick.

7.16.2006

update

Overall our trip to Chicago was good. The boys had a lot of fun with the families and we certainly enjoyed seeing everyone. The only bummer was that the boys were sick. Will had a cold when we got there, and Henry had a high fever and a rash toward the end. That developed into an ugly cold and pink eye for them both... not a lot of fun for us.
On the training front I managed to run quite a bit in Chicago, but only biked once and didn't swim at all. I have been training well again since we got home last week, and I'm feeling pretty good for my race next week. I know that I can complete the race, but I want to do well. For me that means finishing in a time competitive with the times from my previous races. I guess we'll see next week. One good thing is that the King tuned my bike again, and now my bike is shifting like a dream. I had the greatest ride the other day and I have the King to thank for that. I love my hubby.

7.01.2006

running hell

We're visiting the families in Chicago and today I got up at 6:00 (thank you William) and the King watched the boys while I went for a run. It was already pretty darn humid, but I was optimistic that I would have a good run, especially since I took the day off yesterday. I had a horrible night's sleep (the King and I have William in our room, and he has a cold...), but I was still optimistic. I made it to the forest preserve and noticed that they have mile markers on the trail. I thought I was coming up to the first mile marker around 9:30, but saw nothing. 10:00, 10:30 still nothing. So I start thinking, "well, this is a bike trail, maybe the mile markers are further apart since people typically ride longer than run." At 11:00 I saw the mile marker. I was dumbfounded. 11 minute miles! That's horrible. I made it a few minutes past the mile marker and came back. I thought my return trip was better, but I did the mile in 11 minutes again. I was seriously bummed. I ran a total of 39 minutes, but clearly very slowly. I think its time to start running intervals again. =(