My First Triathlon!!!!!!!!!!!

I know that I have been absent from the blog…but that is bc noone reads the damn thing. 🙂

I have completed my first Sprint Triathlon. It was 2 days ago on Sunday April 11, 2010. The distances were 500 meteer swim, 14 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.

The day before Elisa and I went to pick up our packets. I got really emotional. I was scared….and thinking to myself “what the hell was I thinking signing up for this?”.

The morning of the race was exciting and full of nerves. There were 340 competitors. As we moved to the entrance to the water I thought I would vomit. They started us one at a time instead of a group start. That made me more comfortable. The water was not cold at all.

The Swim: Complete torture. This is totally a mental battle. I had done some open water swimming prior to the race, but it just did not compare to race day. It seemed like such a long distance. The weeds in Aquarena kept wrapping around me and rubbing me. You know it’s just weeds, but it kinda freaks you out. My heart rate got too high and I did not have the capacity that I needed in my lungs. I tried to slow down adn take control of a slow pace, but that was very hard to do. Since the swim was so tough, it made me afraid to get to the next two events. I finished the swim and walked to my bike.

The Bike: This event was challenging, but manageable. I was probably close to mile 5 before I realized that I was on a bike and done with the swim. It was an interesting mental process. Most of the bike route I was alone. That was nice at times for sure. Some of the other riders were encouraging. There were a few others who were first timers too. That was comforting. There were a few hills that I wanted to just fall over and die before trying to get my butt over them, but I made it!

The Run: There was a BRUTAL hill right at the beginning. I walked it for sure! I wound up having to stop and pee on the side of the road at mile 2. When I was getting close to the finish line there were so many people leaving with their stuff…they encouraged me on my way in! I was not sure if I would make it to the line to be honest…lol.

My friends screamed me all the way in. They were amazing! I cried as soon as I finished, not bc I was so happy that I did it, but bc it was so damn hard!

I dont have my time yet, but I think it was about 2 hours.

I am still processing it all to be honest. Im happy that I did  it, and I want to do more, but it was so scary and amazing at the same time…wow.

fml

My foot has a stress fracture. I have been swimming 4 times (?) since the half marathon two weeks ago. I need swimming lessons. I dont know what I am doing. I dont feel like I have had a good workout after I swim. Im not motivated to go swim. The triathlon is in like 40 days. Are you kidding me?

I DID IT

The Half Marathon is OVER!

The morning started with a 4am rise. Elisa and I headed out by 4:45. We got downtown and made our way to the clothing drop off. There were people shuffling around everywhere! It was really exciting. I will have to be honest and say that I was kinda scared. I kept thinking to myself….”what was I thinking signing up for this race?”

We found our place in the road, by the 11:27 pace sign. They started the race with 20 seconds of fireworks. It was cool. The mob began to move, and along the way to the actual start line, we jumped out – used the potty and jumped back in line! Once we crossed the start line we began to run! YAY!

Things were going pretty well. There were bands along the way and a ton of people running. There were runners and walkers. The only pressure was whatever pressure you placed on yourself – and the whole 10 mile marker! The race people said that you had to be at mile 10 by ten am or you would not finish and get a shirt or medal.

We made our way through and I had to stop and walk a few times in the first 4 miles, but really ran a whole lot. I got to a place where I could not feel my legs anymore. Around mile 7 I was started to have some pain in my knee and hip. I just hoped it would not get worse. After mile 10, it started getting a little tough. Then we got to mile 12 and it was a HUGE hill! Have mercy! The last mile was tough. There was alot of run/walk. Once we made it around the capital we ran the whole way in! Seeing that 13 mile marker was amazing! Crossing the finish line to get our medals and shirts was really cool! They had bagels, chips and bananas with powerade for us.

I still really can’t believe I did it. I truly feel like I probably only walked a mile – definitely no more than two – if you added up all the times that I walked. That is really amazing. I’m sore as hell today though! I went home after the race, ate, and took a nap. I put some ice on my legs and knees.

Today, the day after, my right foot hurts, and my body is sore, but I’m ok.

Triathlon is less than 2 months away!

Half Marathon is 3 days away…holy shit

Honestly I have not felt like writing in my blog. I feel like nobody reads it so why bother. BUT….I did commit to it! 🙂

I have been really focusing on running. I did complete 1 entire week of P 90 – X bc I got a free copy from the library. I felt pretty bad ass after one week of that. It’s tough, but doable. I went to renew it and someone had requested it, and therefore I no longer have P90!

I have not increased my running too much. I STILL have not run 3 miles without walking, since October. I think that is pretty sad actually. All my little mental melt downs..blah blah blah. I had a lot of anxiety about this half marathon, but now I feel fine about it.

Truth of the matter is:

I can walk and run. It will be fun. There will be 15,000 people there. It’s all good in the neighborhood.

The weather is pretty nasty right now. It might be raining and cold on Sunday for the race. Not too sure how I feel about that. Frog and I are going to the EXPo friday night to get our race packets!

I’ll let you know how it turns out!

proud today

I got up today thinking it would be raining. It WASNT! I decided that I would go run outside. I have created a little fear about running outside these days. It’s ridiculous, bc I started running outside and ran outside only up until a couple of months ago. I am usually afraid that I wont be able to run as much as I would like bc it’s harder to run outside. That mental thing again! lol

For P 90 X it’s a Yoga day, so I decided to run outside. I ran downtown and to the river. I ran the river trail and came back to San Jacinto. Overall it was about 50 minutes of running. I did walk some in there, but I did not let that discourage me! I think not getting down on myself is the big winner today!

I plan to do the Yoga X tonight, but we will see. I’m pretty beat in the evenings. I have meetings EVERY DAMN night of the week. I need my down time, so if exercising is supposed to happen at night, it probably wont happen for me. It’s Yoga, so hopefully I can do that tonight to relax.

I bought some new workout clothes! The gear always gets you motivated right? 🙂

I want to go weigh today or tomorrow. Im feeling pretty good about how I look these days. That is ALWAYS great!

Im BAAaCK!

My last post was disgusting. How pathetic. It was true though. I am learning more and more how you have to work through the mental stuff. I was in a bad place. I realized that I needed some sort of success. I found my success and changed the way I was thinking. I knew I needed the smallest thing to feel good about. For me, that was just not feeling like a bog old piece of shit after my workout. I decided that I would be proud of myself. There you have it. Sounds simple right? Like something I have done for months? lol It pretty much is….

The mental struggles are the same. You just get better at what you are doing. Then, you raise your expectation of yourself. It’s really the same mental battle. YOU have to learn how to keep winning. “let your mind run your body, not your body run your mind” right?

Since my self-deprecating, I have done a mini tri at the gym. i swam 20 minutes, cycled 30 minutes and ran 20 minutes. On the run I was pretty beat. I had to walk some of it, but I felt great! It was my first tri experience. Granted it was in the gym and more time in between events, but it was cool. I was super proud of myself. I have also checked out some books and DVD’s from the library. I checked out P90X! It’s pretty damn cool. I am trying to work those work outs into my schedule. This is becoming a challenge, bc the better you get and want to create endurance, you need more time to exercise. Time is not my friend this semester. I have evening meetings EVERY NIGHT! It sucks. I am also job searching.

I was really stressed about the half marathon. I’m not now. I’m a little anxious, but I have decided to do what I can with where I am on that day. Worst case scenario I can walk a lot of it. I hope to record my longest run that day – along with the other 15,000 runners! 🙂  It’s all about attitude folks!

I’ve lost weight and people are noticing! I LOVE IT! It’s more fun this way, meaning working toward a race and not a weight or size goal. That part is just happening and it’s nice.

I’m trying. It will be interesting to see what adventures are ahead!

slef deprecating

I have really been struggling. I have had 2 crying sessions now bc I feel like a failure. My workouts have not been good. I have felt like the only positive thing to focus on has been the fact I am actually working out period. I know it’s all me and I am in charge of my thoughts, but it’s really tough.

I am a positive person, but now I am scared. I’m afraid I can’t do it anymore. It’s that thought…”what if I can’t do it?”…That is a VERY powerful thought. WHen you feel like you can do anything you put your mind to, then think of the possibility that you might not be able to. That is really scary and can really fuck with your head.

I’m trying to push through, but I have recognized the fact that I need help. I am trying to have conversations with friends to help me STOP my own crazy thoughts that are self deprecating. I have had pressure bc the half marathon is in ONE MONTH. I have not been able to run 3 miles or more since my 5K in October. I feel like that is ridiculous. I should be running at least 5 or 6 by now. But should I? That’s the thing, I don’t really know how much I should have progressed at this point. I just feel like I should be further along.

3.5 has been talking to me. I trust him, so he makes me feel better. And hell, he’s 3.5!  🙂

He said I should stop focusing on my miles and work toward making each workout longer. He also said if I need to walk, then walk, and run again. Today I went to the gym with friends. It helped alot. I did much better than the day before. I only did about 3 miles on the treadmill and I walked some of it, but I did it! I know it’s not great and definitely not a big leap towards a half marathon, but I feel like I need to give myself some slack and just do my best. I never intended to run the whole 13 miles, but I want to run my best run that day.

I gave myself a sticker on my workout calendar today. I’m trying to bring the positivity back. 🙂

home sweet home and back into it

I started back into my work out routine yesterday. I went to the rec center. I joined and paid for the exercise classes too. I basically just did the treadmill for about 3 miles. I ran/walked it.

Today I tried to do something different. I warmed up on the bike for 10 minutes. I stretched and got back on the bike for a few minutes. Then, I got on the treadmill and did about 16 – 18 minutes. I walked some of that. I am trying to not go below a pace of 4.5 and push it when I can.

I went and did my free weight exercises. I feel insecure about those. I don’t like doing them because of that. I am weak and I know part of that is I need to do more strength/weight training. My own mind is a deterrent bc I am focusing on running for the half marathon in a FEW WEEKS. I have also realized that the TRIATHLON is not far away either at April 11! I need to get swimming in with cycling! Not going to lie…feeling a little pressure. A little discouraged. I’m still pushing and giving myself credit for going and working out. I will keep the positivity coming as much as possible! lol

I finished my work out with 2 minutes on the bike and 3 on the treadmill. I was at the gym for a little over an hour and a half.

I wish I had lots of money! I would get a personal trainer and swim lessons!!!!!!

it’s so beautiful…I just CANT work out!

So I am in North Carolina visiting my friend. I have been here since the 29th. It’s quite cold – to the tune of 20s and 30s..BURR! I feel so out of whack with my workouts bc of the holidays and travelling, but I must give myself credit in that I did work out ONE day here!

On Wednesday my friend went to work a basketball game, so I asked him to drop me off at the recreation center. I got on the treadmill and off and on probably go tin 3 miles. I’m not sure. Mentally I was pretty self-defeating. Lame, I know. Once I finished my workout, I went outside for a walk. Did I mention mountains and 30 degrees? 🙂

I leave tomorrow and honestly probably wont work out until I get home. My sleep schedule is a mess!

Anyway, Happy New YEar to ALL!

Get your ass off the couch and change your life. You are the only one who can.

I cried like a little bitch

Update on last week:

Wednesday I went to BCV and  used the treadmill. I think I did like 2.5 miles. I really don’t remember at this point. Then I came home and did weights. I did several exercises from my body  and free weight cards.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were fresh out of any real exercise.

On to the crying like a bitch.

I went to the hospital and thought I could do 4 miles. Each loop is a mile. There are some slight hills on the path. Well. I did 3 loops, but I could not do one entire loop without stopping to walk. WHY? I read this quote before I left about not letting your body run your mind, but yet make your mind run your body. It says that your body will give up every time. Mine did. I just don’t know how to get past this 3 miles barrier and on top of that I did not do 1 mile without stopping to walk. I can do 3 miles on the treadmill without stopping, but outside is kicking my ass.

When I finished I sat in the car and cried. Yes really, I cried. Why? Bc I have been running for a few months now and I can’t do more than 3 miles! What the Fu*#? Shouldnt I be able to do more? Is it REALLY all in my own head? Why couldn’t  I do a mile without walking?

I’m really scared of the half marathon. I never expected to run the whole thing, but I did think I would surprise myself with how much running I get in. Now, I feel like they might have to send out the car to pick my ass up off the ground!

I feel pretty discouraged right now.

Cried. Like a bitch.