Finished!!!!!!!

A race report will happen. Soon.

Overall results:
352/901
640/901 swim
240/901 bike
45/901 run


Age Group results:
47/148 in age group 35-39
53/148 age group swim
20/148 age group bike :)
39/148 age group run


Also, I thought it would be interesting to show what I did to train for that triathlon. I did screen captures of my log from May - August. The beginning of September was kind of light because of my back and tapering.

Final Week and a Back Pain

Tuesday night we did yoga, and that was a huge mistake. I had felt a tweak in my back, but stupidly thought yoga might help. No. Yoga is not flexy relaxing time. It is pull your body into weird ass positions time, contorting muscles into doing things they haven't done in a while. I'm so mad at myself for going.

I now have a bad back pain. It's deep, perhaps connected to my ribs, because it hurts when I breathe. It hurts to arch my back and move my arms in a swimming motion, so right now I'm not sure how I'm going to swim on Sunday. I really can't do much except pop the ibuprofen and rest and wait. I stretch, but actually don't think it's helping. I will get the back into a hurt position and let it sit there, trying to control the spasming and taking my breath away...and actually feel that may be helping. Sitting at my desk is really painful and I feel nauseous.

So...great news, huh.

In better news, I got my bike back from the bike shop with new breaks, new wraps, new break and shifter cables. I am going to try it out today to see how it feels. The guy said it would ride a bit different. I'm excited.

I have today and tomorrow to get this back thing better. I'm hoping the pain meds will help, but I know they don't heal. We shall see what happens I guess. Maybe this is some sort of triathlon god working a forced taper for me.

Second Open Water Swim

On Labor Day, I dragged Greg back out to Stonelick State Park so I could venture out into the open water again. I tried to drag other friends too, but they weren't interested.

This time, it went WAY better! It didn't take me long to get used to the water. I could just swim in it without freaking out. It did take a bit to get my breathing warmed up, but c'est la vie.

I swam a couple 6ish minute sessions. I kept getting really worn out. After a break on the beach, I went back out to swim 20 minutes. I learned I needed to kick less and then could keep my breathing in control.

So for race day, that will be the plan: kick barely, think pull buoy exercises, reaching and pulling. I'll get through it more enjoyably this way!

Allergy Season

The brick workout wore me out some, but not too bad. I got a swim in Monday, and did an "easy" run that evening. It was a 10 min/mi pace, which felt a bit rougher than it should have normally, but I think I was just tired. Tuesday I spinned in the morning. It was a hill interval class and I actually kept it kinda easy. My heart rate didn't get above 160. Tuesday evening J ditched yoga for a spinning class because she didn't go in the morning. That was pretty disappointing to me, but I decided I'd not go and give my shoulders a break before Wednesday's planned 1 mile swim. When I woke up today (Wednesday), my shoulders hurt pretty bad. I didn't go in the morning and opted for an early afternoon swim instead. I warmed up about 200 yards and then did 35 laps (down and back, 50 yds=1 lap). My my it was rough. I had a bad asthma thing going on, and my arms just hurt. I tried to keep my form, but I was terribly slow. I wanted to stop somewhere in the 20s, but I kept going and did the entire mile. 

When I left, I noticed how bad my asthma was. I sneezed a few times and that didn't help anything. There was a ton of congestion in my chest. By the time I got home, my breathing was shallow and I felt terrible. I took two puffs on my inhaler and relaxed. I still feel icky, and my chest feels tight, but I blew my normal suckiness on my peak flow meter. 

I have an allergist appt tomorrow and I'm glad. I guess I need to be on some more medicine. I'm really frustrated with the breathing issues and how my inhaler makes things worse when I exercise. I hope to get some help in place before next Sunday. 

Holy crap the tri is NEXT SUNDAY!

Brick Workout

The mile in the water really wore me out! I was sore for a couple days. As I mentioned, Thursday's run was kinda slow and painful. I took Friday off because I felt I needed it. Saturday morning I hit the pool (and was the only swimmer there) and did 1100 yards, with poor breathing. Today I decided I'd do a brick since I wasn't doing a long weekend ride. 

I set the trainer up and had a fan pointing on me. It was cool, but I knew I'd be dripping eventually. My plan was to ride for 20 minutes at a steady pace, then practice quickly tying my shoes and running for a mile. I set up Casey's spin mix #2 and started getting busy. I held a 17-18 mph and was beginning to warm up...

Then I hopped off my bike and changed my shoes. I undid the trainer wheel, hit pause on my playlist and ran out the fence gate to begin the mile. It was sunny and I forgot my sunglasses. The run felt ok...but I didn't feel I was warmed up. Mile 1 was 9:15. I didn't know what to expect for my times since I was biking too. 

The second bike session was ok. I was uncomfortable in my seat and my wrists hurt, but soon it was time to run again. I fumbled around with my shoes this time, putting one on, dropping the other, not taking my cycling shoe off very well... Just wasn't thinking. The run was pretty good though! 8:54. I felt like that was it for my legs though. 

The last bike was kind of rough. I felt like I had so much lactic acid built up in my legs. I tried to push but it was kind if hard to maintain 16-17 mph at the resistance I had set. 

I didn't have much hope for the run. And finally my legs had that familiar filled with concrete who's legs are these feeling. At least I could practice pushing and pacing with them in this state. However, I wasn't moving all that slow. The last mile was 9:03 and I was pretty happy. It was hard to move my heavy heavy legs, but I just kept pushing, knowing this is my last big workout before the race. 

Again the results:

19 min bike

9:15 min mi

20 min bike

8:54 min mi

21 min bike

9:04 min mi

I'm pretty happy with this!!

1 mile in the water!

This week the pool is closed due to maintenance. They drain it and clean it and I hope paint the air tubes above because they look pretty nasty. The competition pool is open however. I didn't swim Monday because I was in the water Sunday practicing my open water swim. I figured I'd swim Wed and Fri in this cold cold competition pool.

I was nervous about negotiating that side - it's where the swim team is and I didn't want to interfere. I went Wednesday after lunch (right after lunch to be specific...after a "your last day as a contractor" Mexican lunch). There was only one other person there, so turned out to be a good time.

The water was certainly chilly. But after a lap down and back, it felt fine. The competition pool has a movable floor. I thought it was the entire floor, but it's just half. The rest is the deep end. So it was the coolest thing to start swimming, looking down at the bottom, and then see the floor slowly moving away from me as I progressed into the deep water. I am not sure why this was so awesome, but it was.

I warmed up some. Some freestyle, some pull buoys. Then I was going to swim my half mile, like last week. About 3/4 of the way through it, I was having such a good time I thought "why don't I just keep swimming?" I thought about how hard the open water was and had already made my decision to increase my pool distances. And last time I had taken a short break then went another 1/4 mile. Maybe I could swim a full mile straight?

And that I did. It was pretty easy, and by the end, my breathing was even fine. I was going slow of course. I did it in 44:35. And I think I was swimming meters in this pool rather than yards. I'm slow and steady. I don't push off the wall either.

That evening, I rode my bike from the house around the neighborhood. I went 14 miles and kept it easy. Later I was exhausted!

Thursday my legs were sore and my arms...oh my goodness was I sore. I decided I'd run, but keep it easy. It was ridiculously slow. A 10:50 pace overall. But at least it felt easy, aside from my legs feeling like bricks.

Today I'm toying with swimming easy. But I don't want to thrash my legs more for the group ride Saturday morning. Casey probably isn't going to make it, and last time he had to pull me along in the beginning. I'm nervous I'll be dropped. So maybe I won't go if he can't go, and I'll do a brick instead. Still haven't done those yet...

Mile repeats

So I've been doing 1 mile repeats lately for my running. One night I was setting out to run, and just didn't feel like slogging along. So I thought I'd switch it up and just run hard. I ran around 9:15. Then I did the next around 9:02 (after a short break) and the last around 8:55. 

I think it's a good workout. It makes me push comfortably hard, but isn't a straight up speed workout, so my legs aren't toast afterwords. 

Tonight, I was going to warm up for one and then do 3 hard. My asthma kicked in immediately. Actually, I'm guessing I was already having problems before I started and just didn't notice. It felt like I was breathing through mesh, and my chest was super tight. But I still managed a nice warmup mile of 9:40. I did my inhaler and hoped for the best. The next mile was 8:44. The third mile was 8:39. :) It was a struggle, but I did it. Then I finished with a cool down mile, because my lungs just weren't going to cooperate anymore. It was 9:49 and felt really easy :)

Now I'm pretty pooped. But still. 40 miles on the bike Saturday, open water swim Sunday, and 4 1-mile repeats tonight? I'm feeling pretty awesome. 

In other news I have a huge knot in the middle if my back that I can feel when I lean on things. Plus it just hurts. Foam rolling errrrrrvrything tonight. 

First Open Water Swim

Today I went to Stonelick State Park to try open water swimming. I've never swam in a lake before. Swimming from a  boat out to water skis with a life jacket on does not count. 

I was super nervous about it, and really, didn't even want to do it. I kind of just wanted to ignore the issue and just face it on race day, though I knew that would be terribly stupid. So I made Greg go and be my "lifeguard". What I really wanted was a bunch of people out there in the water. 

After looking at the signs on the beach area to make sure there wasn't a known algae bloom or e.coli, we walked down to the water. The whole area looks run down and pretty dumpy, which didn't help my nerves. There was one other person sun bathing, and parents with their tween picking up random things by the water. It was strange- the girl reminded me of myself. Stuck hanging out with her parents, she picked up a snail shell excitedly, telling them about it. Then she said "do you think there are snakes in the water?"  Ugh.....

Actually getting in the water was the first thing to overcome. Walking out on the bottom, which I couldn't see, was difficult. I wanted my legs up quickly. So when it was deep enough I did that. 

I treaded water and tried to get used to my surroundings. I slowly and calmly swam side-stroke. Then, I tried to swim. As soon as my head went under and all I saw was green, I flipped out. I scrambled back to the shore and stood up again. I don't even think I was in deep water? But I wanted to be where I had walked before and knew I wouldn't step on something weird. 

I walked back up to shore. It was terrible feeling. There was no way I could swim in that. I tried to articulate my feelings about it to Greg, what was making me nervous, etc. He didn't have much to say about it, didn't know what would help. 

I stood there a long time, occasionally recounting some horror I had just experienced. And all I could think was there was no way I could go back out there.

But, I knew I had to. 

Otherwise, I would really be dangerous trying to swim a half mile in September. 

I cried a little. I was so frustrated. Why couldn't I do this? With the decision that I wasn't leaving until I made this work, I began to think about it again. What was making me nervous? What was so scary and bothersome?

I didn't like that no one else was out there. To me, if I saw someone else in the water, I knew I could be in the water. So we moved down to where some high school girls were swimming. 

I didn't like not being able to see anything  underwater. So I thought I'd get back in, near the frolicking high school girls, and just practice being in the water. Just being. 

So I walked in again. This time I stood for a bit in waste deep water. I tried to not panic about where my feet were or what was around me that I couldn't see. Then I bent over some and got on my belly in the water and put my face under. Argh!! No!!! I immediately popped up freaked out and out of breath. I hated the green. I tried again, putting my hands in front of my face so I could get a sense of depth of what I was or wasn't seeing. Green murk- I could only make out blurred preachiness of my hands. Ok...so I really just can't see. Ok. 

I floated on my back some. I tried the breast stroke, but didn't like that. The I stood some more. I was just trying to relax. Then I decided I could try to swim 5 strokes across the area. 5 strokes and that's it. Where I could stand up if needed. It was weird how much it freaked me out to not know how deep the water was. I don't know why this bothered me. I wasn't afraid of drowning. It was just scary for some reason. 

I swam 5 strokes and kept my head elevated a lot. But I did it. The I turned around and did it again. After this I took a break on shore. 

I complained and whined about things that bothered me some more to Greg. Pockets of cold water felt like they were their own being. I didn't like seeing the current on top. I didn't like not seeing anything underwater except green. 

I knew I had to actually swim. I decided I could try to swim to one buoy, then across to the other, then back to the middle, like a triangle. So I waded back out and tried it. I immediately breathed on same side each time, keeping my head high. I found this helped relax me and made it so there was less time in the green murk. I practiced sighting, looking for the buoy. I got as close as I could stand. For some reason, here is another issue I have with things in the water. I'm scared of them. I don't know what it looks like underneath and it bothers me for some reason. Strange, I know. 

So I got as close as I was comfortable with, then turned and kicked to go across to the other buoy. As I sighted I was surprised by how much the current pushed me into shore. I took some breaks on my back when I got flustered. I eventually made it and the headed back to the middle. 

Going across felt like I was going nowhere, but Greg said I looked fast. We determined I must have been moving the same speed as the surface water, so it looked like I wasn't moving to me. 

It was rough and panicky, but I did it. Then I did it a few more times to further get comfortable. Each time toon about 4:30 minutes and made me pretty tired. I felt like I was fighting the water. And I swear there was some sort of undercurrent. The cold water I'd feel near the buoy freaked me out and with the disorientation of swimming across the swim area, it was so strange. 

The last thing I did was just try to swim buoy to buoy and back again. I practiced sighting more and I was curious if swimming "against" the current would feel different. I really think there were two currents- one on the surface and one just below. I'm going to look this up later. The last time I turned at the buoy, there was a huge pocket of cold water and it felt like something was pulling me back. I hated it. And I wanted to leave on a good note, so I just got out of that area as quickly as I could and swam a bit more. 

Soooooo by the time I left, I had conquered my fears and actually swam in the open water!! It wasn't something I'd choose over a pool. And I am still certainly perplexed by a few things. But I'm so glad I did it. I made myself do something REALLY uncomfortable; I managed to figure out how to deal with it bit by bit so that I could do it. I am pretty happy with myself for doing this. :) 

Bring on Lake Habeeb. 

Rough 40 miles

Just another group ride... We've been doing them for awhile now. Maybe this was our 4th or 5th? But this was kind of a rough on. 

For starters, I thought I'd do my inhaler to get more air. Maybe I wouldn't have to suck wind so bad going up hills if I could get more oxygen. However, the inhaler seemed to make me worse. I coughed a lot and nothing was improved with my breathing. At breakfast, I sounded like I was hoarse from being at a concert the night before. 

Second, as we began, I could feel the tiredness in my legs. Two weeks now swimming a lot (went even farther Wednesday, without breaks) and some faster running intervals (two sets of 3 mile repeats at 9:00s-ish) left my legs lacking. 

And then, the group just went faster today! We were doing 20-22mph on flats, often. I already get dropped on hills. I couldn't keep up. As the group got farther and farther away after some early hills, I suggested to Casey we could maybe catch up if I drafted him. And that we did. It took a bit, but we made it back up to the group and I had no problem tucking in behind Casey. It gave me a chance to catch my breath and get that back under control.

So, that became the strategy for the day. It was an off day, but I still managed 17 mph overall. Considering the hard week, and my stupid breathing, I suppose I should be and am pretty pleased with the workout. It was mentally crushing during the ride. I hate being last. I thought with biking I wouldn't always be last, like I am with running. 

However, I'd say my body preformed pretty damn well today, and I'm really grateful for that. 

Update

Wow, so it's been quite a while since I've updated. Work has been consuming. Training has been consuming. Honestly, I've been struggling with the work/no business partner/whatthehellamIdoing adjustments pretty hard recently, and exercising has been my happy place.

Last night I realized that my body is changing. Specifically I'm getting overall stronger and able to handle more. I keep pushing and it keeps responding positively. That is so amazing to me. I feel like I have a new relationship with my body. On the flip side of this, I feel like I'm a freak and have confusion as to how I should be feeling. Maybe I should be proud of myself? Maybe I should just be happy and not worry about anything? But the reality is, this just doesn't seem like something Steph does. This crap goes back to my mom f-ing up of my perception of things based on her inability to handle things. I wasn't allowed to do things because that's not what Steph does. I was different, though it was never clearly defined what made me different. It was as if I had some scary disease where if I fell down I'd bleed to death. It took me years to figure out it wasn't me, it was my mom. But that shit really sticks around. Hence my ponderings lately. What I'm doing now seems so dangerous, out of line, unnecessary, and just down right wrong on one side of my mind. Then the other says no, this is great! You're being healthy and strong and enjoying pushing yourself and everything from it has been positive. Most of all I'm ashamed I feel any of this. It's very embarrassing.

I want to tell everyone about what I'm doing. Not because I want to brag or make them feel bad about their couch potato lives, but because I want to feel like it's normal. It makes me happy and I feel like it's something happy to talk about. I want/need reassurance that what I'm doing... this crazy learning how to swim from YouTube videos, biking more than I've ever biked in my life, and getting to be a stronger runner...I want to feel like all of that is simply positive.

Instead, right now I feel like I'm a weird obsessed fitness person. I feel if I mention things to my friends, I sound like I'm bragging. Or, I'm just talking about something that simply isn't interesting. If I mention things to my parents, criticism begins: have you checked with your doctor, what about your asthma, you're not a swimmer why are you swimming - why don't you just stick to running... it goes on and on. Even though I know (think?) that these kind of comments aren't exactly right, I can't shake them. I need help shaking them. I need someone to immediately tell me "Steph, don't listen to that - those statements are unfounded."

I am doing this all for me, so me is the only thing I need to impress. I've thought recently I should just shut up about all of it. No one needs to be bothered by it. If they're curious, they'll ask. But for some reason I still want to share it really really bad. It's just such a huge part of my well-being right now and I guess I am proud of my accomplishments, so I suppose that's a normal thing to want to share?

I guess, in a nutshell, I'm just having a hard time believing in myself right now.

Spinning Sub

We had a sub in spinning class. She did things quite a bit differently. But I still wasn't pushed and have come to the conclusion I cannot forget my heart rate monitor anymore. I don't have any instructors who give us guides on where we should be: our perceived efforts or anything like that. I was barely out of breath the entire class. And I remember sucking wind so often in Mel's class... So I need to start paying attention to my heart rate and make sure I'm doing something worthwhile my time while there.

Ultimate Frisbee was kinda hot. It was an ok game. I really ran out of steam in the second half. I'd have about two good sprints in me and then just had no energy. Meh.

Crowded pools = good tri training

Work is kicking my butt. Sundays have been late or early, and it kinda screws up the beginning of my week. I haven't been able to wake up early enough for swimming before lux. I do, but I think how it would be better if I just went at lunch, and that's what I do. 

The problem with going at lunch is it's terribly crowded. Today we were three in a lane. Eventually it went down to two. I was sharing with an older guy I see all the time. He did some back floating stuff and drifted into my lane...so I had a nice long reach and pull down his body. Shudder. I don't know what all I touched. 

I did two sets of 12x50s for a total of 1200. Then I did about 300 yards of drills. I put the bouy thing between my legs to try to feel my body correctly positioned in the water. I am so not positioning right. It was a good exercise. I think I'll look up more about it and maybe do that every time. 

3 Mile Recovery Run

I ran after work Monday, in the crazy hot air. It was slow and sluggish. I knew I had ridden 30 miles the day before, and that it was stupid hot. But I thought my "easy" would be about 10:30 pace. Mile 1 was 11:06. Mile 2 was 11:16. I was upset and just decided to try to run strong for the last mile. That ended up being 9:52...so that was good. 

Now why couldn't I have ran quicker from the start? I've really lost my running pace ability. 

30 miles

I took Saturday off from any workouts. It was a nice day, but I think I needed a day of rest. We all went on a motorcycle ride, which was nice. Finally. It's only July and I'm just now getting on my bike :/

Today I went on another bike ride, this one powered by me. I went down to the trail and did part of the route that I used to do with Rich. It's some nice back roads off from South Lebanon. Looking at a map, I'd like to explore out a little more before heading back to the trail. The roads are rolling and winding, but don't seem to have too much traffic on them.

I added some of the route to Lebanon and had to go down to Loveland and back to get the miles to 30, but I did. I drank two and half bottles of water. Keep this up, and I better get my dual cage on the back. I stopped to refill, which worked out.

It was a pretty uneventful ride. I don't even know what I thought about much. Thought about my bike shorts a couple times. I got new ones and they proved to be comfy, though the legs are still longer than I wanted. Had some bugs making me itch. Got passed by a guy and then I rode with him for a while...but he didn't know it. I hung back about 25 feet and just upped my pace to see how it was to hang. I was getting bored.

A screen shot of the route from mapmyrun.

Swimming is Hard

I've decided. Swimming is just really hard.

I'm going to look up some drills and just focus on those at distances. My swim Friday was terrible. I never felt I was doing anything right. I need to feel comfortable in the water, and it's just not happening yet. 

It may have been that I was tired. I'm certainly still adjusting to this increased amount of training. But dang. I can't imagine swimming a half mile right now!

I'm also going to start strength training (tomorrow) and hopefully that will help with moving myself through the water at the right height and with better ease so I can breathe. 

16 miles from the house

I can't remember if I've mentioned it here before, but in reading about triathlons (as I keep doing, because I have a LOT to learn), I've come across a bunch or articles concerning how much of each sport to focus on. Or, how to divide the time among the three sports. It's a good question, obviously. When you just focus on running, you do different running workouts to get better. And you take a day off to rest. When you have the same time but have to cram three sports in, you really start to wonder if something isn't getting enough attention.

One theory is to focus on your weakest sport. Running and swimming are both weak for me. Swimming is probably my weakest, since I at least have confidence as a runner. Biking is definitely my strongest. So, if I spent all my time working on swimming and running, the biking would get better only from a general fitness standpoint.

Then there is a theory about switching up the weeks to focus on one sport each week while also maintaining the others of course. So one week I'd do harder run workouts, but not hard swim or bike workouts. Then the next week I'd make the biking harder, etc etc. This makes a lot of sense to me, and I can see how it would also keep training from becoming stagnant,

Then another point is that in every triathlon, most of the time is spent on the bike. So, simple math tells you that if you can increase your pace on the bike, and the biking is a longer portion of the entire race, you have more opportunity to shorten your overall time. The swim has limited opportunity for this, as does the run. If I increased my pace from 10 minute miles to 9 minute miles, I'll shave 3 minutes off the overall 5K time. But if I increase my bike pace from 16 mph to just 17.5 mph, then I can shave 5 minutes off a 16 mile bike ride. And I think 16 - 17.5 is much easier done than 10 minute to 9 minute miles :)

Soooo that biking theory is what I am going to focus on. I'm increasing my biking days from 2 to 3 times a week. And staying with 2 days for everything else. I am going to have to either not rest or do some additional double days.

Right now the running is rough because one of the days is Ultimate Frisbee. I run a lot, but it's sporadic and not always quality. Sometimes I'm forced to run at levels beyond what is quality, and it just becomes a survival kind of thing vs when I'm on a track and can focus on speed and rest appropriately. I'm sure it's still good; I'm getting in great cardio and pushing my body. I guess the other day I run should be long and easy. That will help with endurance?

Swimming...I'm just trying to get it down. I can't believe how hard it is.

So anyway, Thursday was my first day of increasing biking. I had biked Sunday, Wednesday (spinning) and Thursday had an easy ride from the house. I went all around neighborhoods and surface streets. It wasn't bad, I felt strong. Averaged somewhere around 15mph I think.  I will plan to bike again this Sunday on the trail, maybe going longer.

Another thing I'm incorporating is lifting. I need to do some strength big time. It will help the swim and everything. But mostly the swim. My weak-ass core is not keeping me on top of the water too well.

A brief schedule synopsis. The weekends are always flexible, so this is just an example:

Sun - long bike and strength training
Mon - off or easy short run
Tue - swim, yoga
Wed - bike (spinning), Ultimate (running)
Thur - bike easy and strength training
Fri - swim
Sat - long easy run

Catching up in July

I can't believe how quickly this month is going by! But it's been a great time, fun training and consistency. I'm starting to see results and that is encouraging. I'm going to quickly get caught up here. Forgive my poor editing.

Let's see...after the tri...

I wasn't sore. Not even a tiny bit. It was an hour and half of exercise. I did crash and take a nap when we got home, but then I was completely fine! 

Tues 7/2

I didn't want to take a day off Monday but decided I needed to whether I felt like it or not. Tuesday I was anxious to get back to the pool and have a consolation swim. I wanted to get back in the pool the same day of the tri to prove to myself I can in fact swim. But of course I didn't do that. The swim Tuesday was OK. From my log:

Did 10 x 50s. Times were around 1:13. Then did 5 x 100 really trying to breathe and turn my head properly. Did those around 2:38, but the last ones got faster 2:33.

It wasn't bad. In the evening we did yoga.

Wed 7/3

Did the 5:45 spinning class and then Ultimate in the evening. Before the game I did a lap around the park. Then I wore my GPS for the game to try to get an idea of how much I ran. It was just me and Laur, so I ended up running around 3 miles. :)  Some of that was walking and some was running.

Thur 7/4

Day off for the fourth. Awesome grill-out at the Gways and general relaxing time. Ian and Erika came into town and I had a good time talking with E about the upcoming tri. 

Fri 7/5

The plan was for Erika and I to go swimming! I was looking forward to have someone who knows something about swimming watch me and let me know if I am flailing like a person being attacked by a shark or look like I know half way what I'm doing. She had a few calls to do for work, so I set my bike up out on the back porch and cranked Pandora so I could have a little ride. Her calls ended early, so I only got a little more than a half hour in, but it was still something.

We met at the pool and walked right in without having to pay :)   It was crazy crowded. We were three in a lane at one point. Eventually we got to swim in a lane together. We did all kinds of things - freestyle, she taught me breast stroke, some kicking, etc. After that we went to Loveland for lunch at Paxtons and then to Montgomery Cyclery where she got some good bike shoes. It was a good swim.

Sat 7/6

4.2 mile run in the rain. It was gentle and cooling.

Sun 7/7

18 mile bike ride with Casey! It was awesome riding with someone again. We drafted and pulled. Averaged around 19 total. I couldn't pull very fast, I was really getting worn out! It was great. I just can't push by myself like that. This is what I need for the bike... I've been reading about how to split time up while training for a tri. There are many ways you can do it. One thing that was pointed out is that the longest part of a tri is on the bike. So, it just makes sense to gain your time there and be the best cyclist you can. I'm going to up my cycling days from 2 a week to 3. One will be spinning, and two will be on my bike - either a spin on the back porch or on the trail. At least one of those will be a long ride on the trail. 

Mon 7/8

Took the day off.

Tue 7/9

I was tired from work and decided to sleep until I had to get up for Lux. Then I swam at lunch, and this could have been the best happen-chance decision ever. I met Diane, a 55 year old woman who has been swimming for 32 years. She asked to share my lane. When she asked if I wanted to do sides or circles, that sparked into an entire conversation about how I don't know how to swim and how she has instructed people....... Long story short, she was immediately giving me instruction on everything. It. Was. Awesome. After I tried swimming thinking about all the pointers she gave me, I took 6 seconds off my 50 yd time without even trying. I know how I'm supposed to feel in the water now. I just need to practice. I'm so excited!!! There may be hope for me swimming yet.

Wed 7/10

Spinning was easy and intervals. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, but it really felt too easy. I am not sure - maybe will have to start adding my own stuff in to what we do. We never progress and add gear. I think that is key to making it challenging.

And now I'm all caught up! Too long of an entry, but hopefully I'll be better about short updates going forward. There was just too much good stuff that's happened in this first part of July to not write it all down!

Oh My It's July! And My First Triathlon!

Well, it's been awhile! I have been super busy both with training, a race (yay!) and work. But I need to get an update on here before I lose my thoughts. It's been a critical time in training.

Sunday, June 30th I did my very first triathlon!! It was, in a nutshell, awesome. There were some lessons learned, and clearly I wasn't "race fit", but it didn't matter. It was fun.

I got there pretty early. I hate panicking about time. Oh wait; first I should back up and say that first I got into my tri suit. That is a feat in itself. And of course I had to pee twice after being in the suit, so I got to get into it for a total of three times :)

Back to the race site. It was a nice setup. I racked my bike near the exit, in the middle. Soon after that I saw Holly who I used to work with at Lux. It was really nice seeing a friendly face. After setting up my stuff, and mentally reviewing everything to make sure it was all perfectly placed, I went to the bathroom (trip #2) and then hung out with Greg, drinking water and listening to the peppy dance music blaring from the speakers. I didn't want to get tired, which is something that happens to me after I've been up for a little while. So I moved around and swung my legs and stretched.

Soon the speakers were announcing for the women to head to the pool area. We headed over and queued up by how fast we thought we'd swim. I was toward the back. I saw Holly again and she was wet! I didn't realize we were allowed to warm up in the pool. Looking back, that may have saved me from having to learn my big lesson of the day the hard way.

The line was slow to move, which gave me plenty of time to be nervous. Someone mentioned how we have to hoist ourselves out of the water at the end and that made me nervous. I was SO NERVOUS. I didn't even realize how nervous I was until the next day. As it became my turn, I stood on the matt and chatted with the man who was spacing us out 3 - 5 seconds each. Then he told me I could go. I jumped in and my breath was taken away. I think it was the cold, though I also remember it not being that cold. Then I tried to swim, except I just couldn't. Instead, my chest heaved back and forth spastically and I was hyperventilating! Crazy. I panicked, my eyes growing wide. What was going on? Why couldn't I swim. I stuck my head in the water and tried to go, except my chest did its own thing, quickly pumping back and forth, making me take in water. I switched to the side-stroke. I was bewildered and confused and not happy. I felt like a loser in the swim (there were some people walking in the pool. WALKING. And I didn't want to be associated with these "non-swimmers" who weren't even trying. I was trying, trying hard. But I just couldn't swing it. I side-stroked my heart out and probably made about the same time as I would have free-style.

As I climbed out of the water, which wasn't bad like I thought it'd be, I heard Greg say "the worst part is over, Steph." Those were the truest words. I couldn't believe how the swim went. My head was spinning with bewilderment as I trotted to the bike. But I had made it at least.

Bike! My favorite part! I was so happy to get on my bike. I threw on my shoes without socks and trotted out to the mounting line. Then I started an easy spin out of the park. When on the road, I tried to pick it up. But my breathing was still crazy. I climbed a steep hill and then kept climbing for quite a bit as the course wound around the back side of a golf course. It wasn't until the second lap that I could focus and get faster. My cyclometer is off, so my pace wasn't showing accurately. I ended up averaging 19.5 mph, but thought I only did 16. Not bad for only a couple times on the bike!

Back in transition again, I found my feet were wet still, and it was hard to get my socks on for the run. Slow transition, but I jogged out and took some water. On the bike I managed one Gu, but couldn't stomach another. I was wondering if I'd conk out on the run. I started slow and steady. I have been reading about taking the first 10 minutes to get in a rhythm, so that's what I tried. Slowly increasing my effort. I picked people off left and right, which was kinda fun.

I could see Holly up ahead, but didn't think I'd catch her. I knew we were about the same running pace. However, about half way through I noticed the gap was closing. So I decided to try to speed up and get her. I waited until I wasn't on a hill and then went by, saying a breathless "hey Holly!"  She said she was wondering when I'd catch her ;)

At the end, I felt like a rock star. It didn't matter that I was finishing back of the pack and slow (turns out it was more mid-pack...that's right. ME. MID PACK.)  I was sooooo happy with myself. I loved being in my little race bubble zone, pushing...hurting...figuring things out, etc.

Triathlon is different from duathlon. And it's different from the marathon. Despite the terrible swim, I really really enjoyed it and I can't wait to do another one! I'd like to do another one before September, so I can get in the water and be comfortable swimming in open water.

Tapering for my first tri

Ultimate was cancelled Wednesday because a bunch of storms came through. I think it was for the better for my legs and tiredness. We went to the chicken shack instead and had a nice relaxing evening.

Thursday I took the day off. I just felt like my energy levels were too low. I considered walking, but didn't even end up doing that (unless you count the walk to Buck's and back for dinner).

Today I ran 3 miles. The first half was terribly slow. And while the effort didn't feel hard, my legs just felt tired and stiff, so I didn't push it. Coming back, my effort was exactly the same, but it was 45 seconds faster for that 1.5 miles, which I might add, includes a long hill. Huh. So maybe I was just really groggy?

I'm getting really excited (and nervous) for the triathlon. I just want to do well and feel like I'm strong, no matter what my times are.

So Tired

So Sunday night I stayed up until 3:30 a.m. working. It was late. And it sucked because I had to be at Lux the next day. Big difference from being able to take breaks the next day after a night like that. Monday was also my day off from exercise, which was good. However I felt antsy and went on a 2.5 mile walk when I came home from work. If I didn't, I would have just crashed and then not been able to sleep later. It was a pretty good walk, though slow.

Tuesday I swam. I chose to sleep a little more in the morning and went during lunch while at work. I'm not busy there and could get away for a while. I looked up a swim workout I have on a training schedule and ended up modifying it some because I just didn't have the energy to do all of it. I ended up doing 10 x 25 yards very quickly. This ended up being 30 sec each for me.  Then I did 6 x 50 yards quickly. These were about 1:08 - 1:11 for me.  Then I did 2 x 100 which were 2:33 and 2:28.

I'm slow.

Tuesday evening I did yoga. It was hard for me to breathe. I wasn't having an asthma episode, but maybe because I'm tired or maybe it is just acting up I had very shallow breathing and couldn't do the u-jai (sp?) breath. It was a very relaxed class, which was nice.

Today (Wed)  I spinned at 5:45 a.m.  And now... I. Am. Wiped. It was a great class with sprint intervals of sorts. Seating sprints, jumps, standing sprints, etc etc. All short amounts before things switched. But man. I am so tired I can't walk fast. If I could put my head down I'd conk out for sure. Last night there were a bunch of storms that came through, so I was awake comforting Harley a bunch and just worried about the storms in general. I'm sure that has something to do with my tiredness, but I'm also wondering if I am just a bit over-trained at the moment. It's frustrating because I haven't lost any weight. I can't believe I haven't with all the work I've been doing. Maybe I'm losing fat and gaining muscle? I don't know. I'm just really frustrated about it. I suppose I should eat less. I thought I already was.

Tonight is Ultimate... and I certainly need a nap prior to that! Then I am forcing myself to take Thursday off. Friday I'll run. Saturday will be another rest day. Then I hope to do really well at the triathlon on Sunday!!!!! :)

26 Mile Bike Ride and Welcome to 10 Days in a Row

It's the weekend, and that's the time I have to do longer rides and runs. So even though today was the 10th day in a row of working out, I decided to get in a long ride anyway. Tomorrow I'm resting!

I decided to kick it up a notch and go 26 miles - out 13 and back. It went by surprisingly quick for the first half, but that's probably because I had to keep adjusting my MapMyRun app to get the mile splits feedback. I need a new battery for my cyclometer. Need to remember to do that.

For the most part, I was averaging 16 mph. I meant to wear my heart rate monitor but forgot. I just keep forgetting to wear that damn thing! I was never breathless, so I think I was in a nice low zone. But the ride was around 1:45 minutes, so it was certainly a long time.

When I got home, I was wiped out. Actually, it was after lunch that I really felt wiped. Maybe I should have eaten something on the ride. I napped for almost 2 hours and woke up with a horrendous headache. After more water, Advil, dinner and an iced Vietnamese coffee, I'm feeling much better. I have a stiff neck though, which I felt happening on the ride. I'm just a bit stiff still from Ultimate, swimming, etc. Need to stretch it out more.

So 10 days in a row. I don't think I've ever worked out for 10 days in a row. No, I know I haven't. The variety of this triathlon training is pretty awesome and fun. I am really excited about it and am loving the training. I will probably try to go for 10 days in a row again, if my body seems to respond well to the day of rest.

Next weekend is my practice tri. I'm so excited!

Run for Dreams 5K

My friend Erin asked me to do a 5K with her and so I did. My body was kind of saying "are you crazy? I'm tired!" so I just decided it would be a run and not a race.

It was so hot. Only in the 70s but 100% humidity. It was a small race in a park, which was very nice. The course was really tough - a few big climbs and the sun was brutal. But I felt really strong for the entire thing. I was pretty happy with my time given the condition of my body, the temps and the challenging course.

I think my time was somewhere around 32:20. So a 10:26-ish pace.

Friday Swim

At the Ultimate game on Wednesday, I had a collision with my own teammate, whose name is Jeff. Someone yelled for him, I thought they said "steph" and we both went for the Frisbee. My shoulder got slammed by him. Turns out it was still sore when I swam, which made turning and breathing difficult. It wasn't a very good session, but here's what I did:

1. Warm-up side-stroke and 50 yards freestyle
2. 4 x 100 yards with a minute/minute and half rests in between
3. 8 x 50 yards with a minute rest in between (because the 100s were sucking)
4. 1 x 50 fast.

Still got in about 900 yards at least.

Funny thing: I was the only person in the pool! So I got to be the show for the lifeguard. That was pretty annoying and intimidating, since I don't feel I swim well.

Ultimate Run and Run

I'm not sure how far I run during and Ultimate game. But our game Wednesday night was an hour and half, and we had all four girls there. So if we can assume we subbed pretty evenly, then I ran around for about 45 minutes. There is a lot of standing and stuff, so maybe 3 or 3.5 miles? I wonder if I could wear my Garmin and get an idea. It would really be interesting to know.

The game didn't wear me out as much as last week. I had a couple of plays and a couple of goofs. Oh well. The team we played were kind of not fun to play against.

Thursday evening I went for a run. Greg wanted to run after work, so I waited to go then as well. We didn't run together because he can't run as slow as me. :(  My run was pretty terrible. Slow, sluggish, etc. I think the days and days of workouts were catching up to me. It left me feeling pretty down about my body and running ability in general.

Yoga and Spinning and Pretty Consistent

Tuesday night yoga went better than I thought it would. I set my mind to breathing the entire class. I'm sure this benefits me to focus on this, since my biggest issues with things come down to being out of breath. Maybe I should break out the clarinet too...

This morning I got up at 5 a.m. and did my second spinning class at that hour with Kathy. It went well - it was kind of a hard class. We did half the class at a fast flat and the other half of the class on a hill. Then there were variations of standing runs, jumps, and sprints. The music was interesting. There were some wordless songs that were really driving. There was a Skrillex song that was pretty awesome. I don't know what it was though.

Tonight is Ultimate. I hope I do as well as I did last week.

Monday slog and 1000 yards

Having my run cut short Sunday thanks to the dog bite, I decided I'd run Monday instead of it being my day off. In reality, I'm thinking Thursday might be my day off anyway. Ultimate can really beat me up and I've been spinning the same day. Seems like Thursday makes sense as a rest day.

Anyway, I was soooo sore from the cross-fit stuff. But I vowed I'd do it no matter how slow and just keep my heart rate down and burn some calories. I went 3 miles. My pace settled in at a turtle-paced 12:00 minute miles. But my breathing was easy and it was quite pleasant. I'm not surprised. My body is just really tired.

But I can't seem to stop.

Today I had to work in the morning dark and early at 5:00 a.m. I should have worked last night but just couldn't get myself to sit down at the computer. So I worked and planned to do my swim at lunch time since I was working at Lux for the day.

It was a pleasant experience, though the gym is very crowded at that time. I had a lane though. I warmed up with some side-stroke and then about 75 yards. Then I started my watch and went for 200 yards (8 laps) and stopped.

5:24. OK. So maybe a 10:00 swim at the end of this month's practice triathlon isn't so possible.

I did it again and was consistent. And then I thought I'd switch up my kick for some reason. For the third set, I kept my knees together and tried to just flutter my feet more, quicker and closer together. It felt completely different! I think my butt was out of the water some and I didn't feel like my body was dropping as much, and therefor dragging. And when I stopped at the end, the watch read 5:13! So it's definitely faster and felt better. I need to look at some more instructional videos. I finished out the last 3 around that faster pace. It felt really good and I'm not tired.

Tonight is yoga. I'm predicting it to be a bit rough as I'm still sore all over! :)

Weekend Update #1: Exciting Dog Bite Edition

In trying to make this training blog more exciting, I think I'll do a weekend update! Each weekend I'm piling in the training whenever and wherever, so it's easy to lump those days as one rather than separate them.

So...weekend update.

I was pretty trashed from wearing my cleats on Wednesday, even the short time I wore them. I don't know what my problem is, but I just can't seem to be ok in them. Maybe they're just too cheap. Anyway, my lower legs were hurting. I spinned Thursday and then swam Friday and was wiped.


Saturday

Saturday we were going up to my parents' for Father's Day. I would have ran because that's quicker, but I thought a non-impact bike ride would be better. But it was going to have to be quick. So I opted to ride my bike down to Kroger to pick up my Rx. Very fun idea - I should do that more often!

The bike ride was uneventful and I took it easy. Then when I got back, I quickly changed into my running shoes and ran to the short end of the street. It was .38 miles, according to when I mapped it. It was rough, but a mini-brick to get me ready for the real bricks I should start doing soon.


Sunday

Sunday I was going to run, but thought some interval training with cross-fit stuff would help keep my legs from being overly-impact taxed. They still hurt so bad!

Greg also wanted to do a workout, so I convinced him to do something from the cross-fit app I have on the back porch, then run a mile, then do another workout, then run a mile... I wanted to run 3 miles total. I should have warmed up with an easy mile then started the cross-fit stuff. Next time.

The first workout set was 12 minutes long and ass kicking. Lots of jumping and immediate breathless work. Then I went out the front door and ran a mile. So did Greg, and not all that faster than me. My mile was 9:20!!!! I was excited. I don't know the last time I've ran under 10 min pace...or eve 10:30 pace for that matter.

It was rough for sure, but doable. And excellent practice for the tri.

The next cross-fit workout was 20 minutes long and way less cardio. But the strength stuff was hard. However, I finished-ish and then set out for an easy run. I did something to my hammy on the last run and didn't want to push it.

A few houses down the road and enter Hank, the big cute rottweiler. He charged me, ran into the street, and bit me on the ass. I couldn't believe it and it was terrifying. But it could have been way worse. I ran a little more and was going to try to cut through yards to get back without passing the house again but couldn't figure out how to. So I sneaked by ok. Then Greg and I went down and talked to the owners. They're very sorry and very lucky I'm an understanding dog person. They will supposedly always chain him up now. But he got out the back door this time...so...  Hopefully they figure it out because I'm sure no one else would have been as understanding.



So that was the weekend! I want to run today...make up for my run cut short yesterday. My arms are mega sore from all the planks. Swimming tomorrow should be interesting.

400 yards straight

So I signed up for a triathlon in Mason that is at the end of this month. I am not ready for a race yet, but I thought it would be good for a few reasons. 1) I also just bought a tri suit so it will be a good chance to test that. 2) The swim is in a pool so that will be a good way to ease into swimming with tons of people. 3) it's right here in Mason- so close and easy logistically. 

The swim is only 400 yards. So today in the pool, I decided I would try that distance straight. I warmed up and realized that my breathing is all whack. I'm at the end of a cold and it's kinda in my chest now. Not bad, but enough to make it weird. I took a few laps to settle everything down. Then when the timing clock seemed to be at an even number (it is hard to read) I began.

The first 100 was pretty easy. It got harder and harder and my form certainly got worse as I went. I coughed a few times in between turning around. But I pushed the last 50 and made it somewhere around 11 minutes. :) That's horrifically slow, but not bad for a sick girl who just started swimming maybe a month ago? :) 

It was a good reminder of how tiring the race is- after than swim...well then I have to bike 12.4 miles...and then run a 5k!

Yeah- like I said, I'm not ready for a race, but it will be good practice and FUN :) 

Race Weekend and Yoga and Ultimate

The 24 Hours of LeMons race left me incredibly sore. For the first day, there was a mirror mounted low that I couldn't see over when turning right. So every time I turned right, I had to pull myself up as much as possible, extending my neck like a turtle (a racing turtle!). It got better as the day went on and I was more familiar with the track, but my neck and upper shoulders were left in a lot of pain. The other thing that hurt pretty bad were my legs...but nowhere I'm ever sore with my legs. It was a weird inner soreness, and my hips hurt. I think it was again because of my having to really extend my legs so much to reach the pedals. And then my lower back sides (love handle area) were tight and sore. That tightened up with every turn, which makes me think I wasn't secured down in my seat well enough.

Amazing how strenuous racing is! I really start to find my groove around an hour. So the next day when I drove for 1:45, it was pretty awesome. I was hot, but then started to sweat a lot and cooled off some. I was tired but elated at the fact that we were coming into 1st place. We kept it out there - that's the name of endurance racing! I am still reliving moments. It was so incredible.

Tuesday was back to yoga. It went better than I imagined it would given my soreness and missing last week. But I think swimming is starting to kick in with helping my strength. And things like my quads weren't sore. Oh, I had a charlie horse in my bicep Tuesday morning. Never had that happen - it hurt really bad.

Sunday night as we were driving back from Joliet, I started wondering if I was getting sick. I had had a sore throat all weekend. It definitely hit Monday - running nose and sneezing all day. Tuesday I wanted to just work a half day but all the emails and responsibilities piled on and I couldn't leave until 4. I tried to sleep a little before yoga but that didn't work too well. Wednesday morning I got up at 5:00 a.m. for a 5:45 a.m. spinning class. It was intervals and surprisingly easy! After an hour of that and then a stressful morning at work, I was pretty beat but feeling pretty energized at the same time. Good thing because Wednesday nights are Ultimate. And I happened to be the only girl that showed up at first. The news that I'd have to play the entire game (in only the second game of the season) didn't make me too excited. Luckily a girl on the other team came to our team, and one of our girls showed up a little late. So it wasn't bad, but I certainly played more than I planned. I was going to try to stay out as much as possible and let the other girls play since I was sick.

Today my lungs are hurting. My throat is scratchy and I'm coughing a lot. It might be a good day to just rest a bit and recover. I am looking forward to swimming on Friday!

Friday Early Swim Before LeMons

I got to the pool the earliest I ever have on Friday. We were leaving for Joliet, IL as soon as we dropped off the dogs, so I had to get there early. The earliest I can go with my membership is 6, so that's when I got there.

I was sore from yard work and Ultimate, I soon discovered. My neck was tense. I took it kinda easy. I did 4 x 200 for 800 yards total. It was challenging to do 200 yards, but I did it! I'm pretty happy, but still have a hard time believing I can ever swim a half mile straight. Certainly glad I started this swimming thing when I did.

The rest of the weekend was car racing! Very physically exhausting. My neck hurt, my lower back on the sides hurt, and my legs hurt in places they've never hurt. More on that later though...

Today is my rest day and I need it. I hope I can get to bed at a decent hour tonight. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow morning. I don't think I should swim. Maybe I'll bike.

Ultimate Frisbee, season 3!

This is our third year playing Ultimate. Wednesday night was our first game. We played Ultimate Mutiny, which is not an easy team. But we did ok. I forget the final score, but we at least had 10...

That's all I did. I didn't get up to spin. I kinda figured after being so exhausted after the swim, I'd be better off saving my body a little. Ultimate was rough. I didn't feel weak or even that slow (aside from not being able to keep up with a woman that outran me) but just couldn't breathe. I was out of breath right away. That's kind of the story of my life these days...not sure what it means.

This morning I thought I could go spinning, but I looked at an old schedule where there used to be a Thursday morning class. Sooooo I might hop on the bike on the back porch. I still have yet to do that.

In other news... my stomach.
I'm not quite sure what is going on. It's been maybe about a month now where I'm having issues with bloating and indigestion. Sometimes its diarrhea, sometimes I'm just bloating as if I ate two Thanksgiving meals back to back. I really have no idea what's going on. There's no pain, until yesterday. I had was coffee and a biscuit for breakfast. Then for lunch I had a baked potato. On the potato I had green onions, sour cream, some broccoli on the side and some kind of butter stuff. I'm not sure - maybe I over did the onions? I was in a terrible amount of pain all afternoon. I also had iced tea, Lipton Sweet Tea. I don't normally do sweet tea but did today. Maybe that was it? I don't know. Nothing of that really should have hurt. I went home and slept a little and then felt better. After Ultimate, I had a taco salad. I only had a couple small bites of the shell. There was chicken and salsa and maybe a ranch sauce? I also had some sangria. By the time I got home, I was pretty miserable. My stomach was huge, and I didn't feel like I had over-eaten. There was a lot of grumbling and some mild pain. This morning for breakfast I had a Bolthouse Farms protein coffee drink. That usually really fills me up, but I was starving by 10:30. I did yard work, but still. Yet, my stomach was huge. Usually when my stomach would get big, I could "reset" it by just not eating much for the next meal. But now it's as if I'm over-eating every single meal.

Ugh.

Now I'm at Panera. I had a turkey sandwich on bread, with tomato, lettuce, onion and mayo. Drinking water. We'll see what happens. I'm getting scared to eat.

1000 yards

Swim day! I thought about doing 200 repeats, but after a shaky warm-up that had me super breathless even though it was easy, I realized my body was a bit tired and I'd be fine just doing 100s.

Warm-up:
50 yards side-stroke, 50 yards freestyle.

Main Sets:
5 x 100 yards with 45 sec rests in between.
2 x 200 yards with longer rests in between.
2 x 50 fast with rests in between.
total: 1000 yards

It was a pretty sloppy swim overall. I felt tense. And now, I am absolutely exhausted. My eyes are baggy, I could fall asleep if I put my head down, and I'm moving slowly. I feel like a kid that played really really hard. :)

I'm hoping I can cram everything in this week. It's rough with work being super busy while trying to get ready for our next LeMons race. A lot to do. I'm hoping I can swim Friday morning at 6ish or 6:30 before we leave for Joliet.

Crummy Running

Saturday morning I had a lot to get done. I needed to shop for two shower gifts for later that day (yay last minute shopping!), make a side dish to take to one of the showers, and a few other errands. So I decided to run instead of bike.

I am not sure if it's just the two solid weeks I've had of training catching up to me or what, but my runs have sucked. This day's was pretty terrible. I felt so sluggish, tired and heavy. I had to stop and walk once. I just went 3, but it felt like the last 3 of 15. On a brighter note, I saw some guy dressed in the same 55 mph yellow shirt and black shorts I had on (cymbal crash). He was running toward me. I shouted "nice outfit!" with a smile. I got a low "good morning" back.  Hmmm. I thought it was funny we were dressed the same...

Today I did yard work all day. We built a small surface with pavers for the trash cans on the side of the house. Lots of rock base, 37 lb pavers, tamping tamping tamping, shoveling dirt and moving it to some holes in the front, etc. It was a pretty solid day of work that I'm going to count as "off" or "strength" :) 

Since I didn't bike today and I guess I kind of switched my day off to today rather than Monday, tomorrow morning I'm going to ride my bike. But I'm going to do it all on the back porch to save time. Hopefully I don't get too bored. I'm thinking some tunes will help. I'm going to set up my trainer and pump up my bike tires tonight so I can just plop it all on in the morning and ride for an hour or so. Not sure I'll last an hour. Hmmm we'll see what kind of tunes I can come up with to make it possible.

900 yards and a couple of them 200s

Friday I swam...and just kept swimming. I did 100 repeats, as I proved to myself I can in fact go 100 yards slowly, instead of just 50. Then of course I wanted to see if I could maybe go 200?

I warmed up with 50 yards of side-stroke and 50 yards freestyle. Then I went into the 100s. Primarily after the first couple, I would do 50 yards breathing every 3 strokes (so taking breaths on every other side) then the last 50 would be every other stroke (same side every time). I did 25 on one side and 25 on the other. I began to notice that one side of me was much much smoother for breathing than the other side. I thought at first it was something to do with the current, or if I was at the end of the 100 and was tired. But I kept switching things up and just noticed that one side rocked while the other side felt clumsy and slow.

I have yet to look this up, but I suppose like anything it makes sense for one side of my body to be more dominant than the other, even in swimming.

After the 5 x 100s, I did what was going to be the last 100. But after I did it, I just kept going to see if I could maybe do 200 without stopping...and I did! I rested after that and then did 200 again just for good measure. I could really feel it in my arms. My shoulders were starting to burn.

3 easy miles and birds

I ended up walking in the evening before dinner last night. Never got a bike ride in after my shoe fail for cycling class. :)  It's ok though because my legs are toast right now.

Waking up with them still being pretty dead, I decided I'd literally jog for 3 miles. Just need to burn some calories, i.e. all the Indian food I stuffed into myself last night. So that's what I did. An easy 3 in the still mostly shady neighborhood that butts up against ours.

There are many roofers out roofing.

There are also many funny birds I've noticed in general this spring. Yesterday when walking into Lux, there was an adolescent robin chirping its little head off while perched on a parking space sign. I mean, he was chirping like it was his job to tell the entire world that it was morning, only it was already 7:45 so I think he slept in. I could tell it wasn't a full adult robin because its feathers were rough, but not as rough as baby robins. It made me chuckle.

Another funny avian Lux anecdote is the Canadian goose that likes to perch on the very top of the building (it's 4 stories tall) and honk away. Again, there must be some important things to say in Mason if you are a bird.

Today when I was running back into the neighborhood, I heard a duck persistently quacking and turned to see a male mallard on the top of a house. I've certainly never seen a duck that high unless its flying.

What are they all trying to tell me????......

Yoga and An Attempt at 5:45 a.m. Spinning

Did yoga again last night, for the second time after our 8 week break. We went last week and it was really rough. This week wasn't nearly as bad, though I was having a hard time because I was really sore from...well, everything I guess. Yard work, swimming, running.  Anyway, it was a good class despite being pretty difficult. And hot. It was warm in the room.

Last night I packed up my gym bag with work clothes and all the necessities in preparation for rolling out of bed at 5, throwing on bike clothes, and going to a 5:45 a.m. cycling class. And I was very successful...except I forgo the bag that had my bike shoes and water bottle. I could have made it without the water, but all I had for shoes was flip flops. So, after arriving at the gym and getting out of my car, noticing the absence of the crucial bag, I hopped back in and went back home. :)  It sucked, but I guess it was a good run-through for the 5:45 gym time!

I thought I'd run when I got back, but my back is so sore, I didn't think I would do myself any favors by pounding the pavement. It's my lower back, sciatic nerve area. I know it's from the excavation of the grass - using the shovel the way I did. It happens nearly every time I overdo it with the shovel :)  So this afternoon I'm going to go for a long walk instead, and run or bike tomorrow.

In other news, I'm having some annoying stomach issues. For the past 3 or so weeks, I've been bloating up like crazy after eating. I look like I'm 4 months pregnant, no kidding. It's really uncomfortable and I'm concerned. At first I thought I was just over-eating. But I've had barely anything and then will have a little bit of food and wwooooooooommmmmmm. Huge. I have also had problems with getting sick after eating certain things. If I have ice cream, that usually doesn't end well. But it's been all over the place with severity, so I'm having a hard time figuring it out. Last night I had a salad with blue cheese dressing, feta, and a beer. Maybe it's the beer? I don't know. I really want to figure it out though.

100s!

I tried it, and it wasn't pretty, but I was able to swim 100 yards straight, 6 times. I also threw a 50 yard dash in there. So a total of 650 yards today. 

Sometimes I go down the lane and it feels great. Other times I feel like everything is wrong at the same time. 

I think I'll look up some more videos this weekend. I know it seems stupid- looking up videos for how to swim. But there are some drills that seem like they'd help, and, well what other options do I have? 

Tomorrow morning I'm braving a 5:45 spinning class. With my new schedule at Lux, those morning classes are the only ones I can hope to fit in. And the benefits of spinning I think will be very helpful for this tri training. 

I really hope there's good music. 

When the run sucks, turn it into intervals

My 3 miles this morning were pretty slug-tastic. My legs felt heavy and my breathing was all over the place even though I was going pretty slow. I suppose that I'm not surprised given the yard work all weekend. 

So after the 1.44, where is turn around, I decided to run hard-ish and walk in intervals the rest of the way home. Just didn't feel like the slog was doing anything for me. 

So that's what I did. Clearly running is where I need the most work. 

Here's to a good week. 

Benchmarks

I think it will be nice to put down where I'm at now, and hopefully see some progress later.

Running: I'm running 10+ minute miles, usually more in the + range than 10.
Swimming: I can swim 100 yards without stopping.
Biking: I went 16 miles at 16 mph. It wasn't all out by any means, but I had to think about keeping that effort.
Weight: I'm overweight. I'll put that number somewhere else. Not that any reads this.
Strength: I'm pretty weak, especially in the core. I can't plank for more than 15 seconds and it's a real challenge.

So there are my beginning stats. Hopefully only up from here.

Saturday rocks.

And that's not rocks as in Saturday is really awesome. (Though it is, usually.) That is I moved 14 or 16 bags of rocks in Saturday and my back it hurts! :) 

I did a ton of yard work. Planted shrubs, rocks, stained the hot tub, moved dirt, did some trimming and mowed. Progress made. 

So I'm counting that as a cross training / rest day. :)

Today I went on a 16 mile bike ride and it went very well. I averaged 16 mph for the last 8 miles, so I was happy with that. It was pretty uneventful except I really really almost hit a squirrel. 

Tomorrow I'm going to run. Woohoo! 

Swimming Progress

Thursday I was going to run a very easy 2 or 3 after work. But my legs were really tired, and we went to Shaun's funeral. It's just surreal that he's gone. I really thought he'd make it. It's hard to believe. 

I did walk a mile Thursday, which felt good. Friday I was back at the community center in my stinky suit (got a new one today) for another 10 x 50yds. Also- I found out that the pool is in fact yards not meters. 

I had been reading up on swimming, since I really don't know what I'm doing, and came across an interesting tidbit about kicking. Apparently, when doing distance swimming (like in a triathlon) you aren't necessarily supposed to kick like crazy, or like a sprinter. Two events follow where you use your legs, so saving them a bit is recommended. I got to thinking about how I kicked and was pretty sure I was kicking like there was no tomorrow. Then I also thought about how out if breath I get when using just the kick board to kick (and my head is above water, no arms). Soooooo maybe I should try this barely kicking thins and I'll be able to breathe...

It turned out to be true. I was able to breathe every 3 strokes the entire 50 each time. At the end, I did my last 50 and then immediately kept going to see if I could. To my pleasant surprise, I was able to do it. :) 

So Tuesday in the pool I'm going to jump to 100s. Or at least 75s. I have a lot if other things to work on with swimming but it was nice to see this progress. 

First Bike Ride of the Season

Tuesday was the first swim for training...Wednesday was the first bike ride I've done this year! I haven't been spinning because of my work schedule and the gym cutting a class I could go to. So I reintroduced my legs and butt back to the bike Wednesday at lunch.

I rode from the house, and planned to take it easy. But I have a hard time taking it easy on the bike, especially when there is traffic involved. I'm not sure why. I rode through the salt barn connection and into the neighborhood that butts up against ours. Did a loop there, then turned right onto Irwin-Simpson, right onto Montgomery, and headed down Montgomery into the neighborhood that is across from Meijer. There is about a one mile loop there, and barely any traffic, so it's kind of a cool place to get some distance in. I've been there before to do intervals on my bike. There was another woman on a beach cruiser type bike going the opposite way. She was all frowny and didn't seem to want to be friendly, so it was awkward given how many times we were in passing. :)  Meh.  After a few loops, I headed home.

My cyclometer has a dead battery, so I have no idea how fast I was going or what the distance was, but I'm guessing somewhere around 12 miles for the distance. I mapped it, but couldn't remember how many loops I did, soooooo 12 give or take 2 miles :)

I meant to wear my heart rate monitor. Just curious about all the bases I have for things. My running, weight, swimming, etc. I'll have to remember it next time.

Today I am SORE. Just sore, from everything. :)  A run Monday, a swim Tuesday + yoga and a bike Wednesday + moving 10 40lb + bags of dirt into my car = overall soreness :) But it's good. I'm feeling so much better already since I've been working out this week. It's so great. Thank you, body.

Tonight I'm planning to do a very easy 3 mile run. Might have to run-walk some of it but that's totally ok. I also need to make a point to stretch a few times today.

And now...time for some (not so healthy) strawberry shortcake I made last night! Breakfast!

First Swim

Tuesday is swim day! I didn't even have to get up that early to throw on my suit, pack clothes for work,  and pack all the other stuff for the day. I did forget a towel for showering, so I had to use a couple little sweat towels provided by the gym, but no biggie :)  Other things I learned: I need to get "gym bag only" makeup, deodorant, etc. I'm just not that good at remembering everything, so this would make getting to the gym regularly even easier. Especially considering swimming and all the extras needed for that.

So, anyway...got to the gym, put my stuff in a locker and walked out to the pool. Another change since I've swam last is my hair is longer which means swim cap. Such an odd thing to put on the head. I got my ears tucked in such a way that I don't think I'll need to use my ear plugs.

Some people don't run and can't imagine being able to run 1 mile. I don't swim and can't imagine being able to swim a half mile. But that's the distance I need to work up to. I'm approaching it like a beginner runner; starting slow, taking breaks, methodically build up the distance. I don't know any other way to do it. I can't remember how long I've ever swam. I've gotten into the 1000s of yards I believe, between some different strokes and the kickboard. But I've never swam continuously more than 50 yards. Sooooo....I have some serious work ahead of me. :)

I started this swimming endeavor with 10 x 50 yards. So down and back 10 times. It was a workout suggested in my Multi-sport training book. I tried to make it super slow so I could go longer and not have issues breathing. For the first 25 yards, I was breathing every three strokes. Then turning around, I did that for maybe a quarter of the way then had to switch to every other stroke. And then at the ened I was out of breath. :/  A lot of work ahead of me. Depending on who you ask and how long the pool I swim in actually is (yards or meters - I should ask the front desk next time I'm there what the distance is of the leisure pool), I'm looking at a distance of somewhere between 33 - 36 laps. Continuous laps. Right now I can do...two :) It's a half mile to the end of our street. So it's like all I could do was make it to the neighbor's mailbox, lol.   It is a bit daunting.

I feel fine today from the swim. I was definitely tired for the 10th lap, my form (if you can call what I do in the water having any form at all) was really falling apart. I found something about a cross-over kick for long swimming. Sprint kicking will wear you out too fast, so it's recommended to barely kick at all. I had no idea! I thought you had to kick like mad while swimming. This makes me wonder if I can breathe easier next time if I take the legs out of the equation.

We did yoga for the first time in 8 weeks last night. It was pretty miserable. But also proof that yoga ws in fact making me stronger.

Kick-off Run

Today I ran about 3 miles. I took it slow, being pretty sore from yard work. But it was good. My breathing was good - so I was super happy about that.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to brave the pool. My schedule just changed at Lux. I was going to work  there Tuesdays and Fridays. Now it's Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning. Sooooo still won't be able to spin on Tuesday. But nothing really seems to be effected by it accept Fridays will be me going to Mason for the Community Center only. No big deal there. Mondays being off will be good. Tuesdays I'll still swim. Wednesdays will have to be a run, or I'll have to bike at lunch I guess. I can't fit biking in pre-work too easily. Thursdays will be run or bike, whichever I don't do Wednesday. Fridays swim. Saturday and Sunday long bikes and runs.

I was really hoping for the break in the week between all day stints at the office. Oh well.

Anyway - run this morning was good and I'm excited!

Tentative Schedule and Journal Making

This morning I sketched out the rough flow for the Triathlon training journal I am making for Erika (and me as well).  That felt good to do. I haven't been able to do anything "extracurricular" in the design or illustration arenas since...April I guess?

Anyway, I'm thinking it's going to be a bout 48 pages including the covers. There will be a couple intro pages. One intro spread about tri stuff and one that is a spread of the training months at a glance. I'm hoping to have it done by June. Then it will be for June, July, August and the bit of September. After the intro pages, there will be a month intro spread (or page in the case of August) that is just an opportunity for some fun illustration. :)  Then each week has its own spread with room to write in what we did for each day as well as a summary area for the week. It's the basic stuff I like about tracking things, so I hope it's what Erika would like too.

I've decided my schedule is going to look like this:

Mon - off
Tues - swim (ref swim workouts from multi-sport training book I've had from duathlons)
Wed - bike (and Ultimate in the evening)
Thu - run (track maybe?)
Fri - swim
Sat - run long
Sun - bike long

I think I'll do bricks every 4 weeks or so? And strength training...maybe Monday or Tuesday? I do think I should have Monday completely off though. Sleep in day.

I'd like to do a half marathon in the fall. Going for a PR this year. This is the year!! So this training will really be excellent for that I think. I'll get stronger somewhere else besides my quads.

So that's it. 2 days swimming, 2 days biking, and 2 days running plus Ultimate running. From what I can tell, that's your basic never done a triathlon training base schedule. I'll work out the intensities and times for all of it as I go.

I am going to run tomorrow because I did tons of yard work this weekend instead of running. So I'm just kicking off training with an easy run. The weather right now is so absolutely gorgeous.

Here I go.........

Finally done!

Last Thursday I completed my 3 day a week contract position, while the other two days were filled with my new 2 day a week contract position. Which means this coming week will finally be a normal work week! Hurray!!!

I managed a couple runs last week, but would like to make next week my official training start. I feel like I've began this training over and over. But really. No really... This week is it!! 

I'm thinking the two days I'm in Mason I should head to the community center to swim. Tuesdays and Thursdays- nice and spread out. Then for the other days...hmmmmmm This fitting three sports in and trying to balance them correctly is really hard! Here's what I'm initially thinking: 

Su- off or bike

M- run

T- swim

W- bike

Th- run

F- swim

Sa- run long

But I don't know if that's correct. I might need to double up some days. And I really want to get back to spinning again now my schedule's not so crazy. I think the long run is important because it gives me the best endurance training. Should Wednesday have biking and running so Sunday can really be off? Hmmmm...

I'll figure it out. I'm excited!

A Quick Note

One thing is certain: I need to start writing again.

A quick update of highlights:
•  It's almost May.
•  My business partner left in March and I'm struggling a lot to make things work.
•  I have a contract job downtown 3 days a week which is turning kinda terrible for a few very different reasons.
•  I'm now fully diagnosed with palindromic rheumatism and have decided to take the approach that it's no big deal.
•  I signed up for my first triathlon for September 8th and am really really excited!


I hit some sort of bottom last week. I entered into a very ugly fog of awfulness. Nothing on the planet was enjoyable. I was unable to process stress. I'm still kind of there, but the weekend has been full of hanging out with friends and that has been very helpful. I also decided that I need to write to work stuff out of my head and straighten out my attitude.

Nothing has a more proven track record to turn things around than exercise. I think it's because no matter how well or poorly you do something, the fact of doing it trumps all. I did a 10K a couple of weeks ago and haven't done anything since. I am drowning, and it might seem strange to take time to do something like running when I don't have the time to take...but I know that actually this is the only thing that will help. I'm sure there is some sort of idiom for this.

So I'm kicking off this triathlon training in hopes of being able to enjoy things, and myself, again.

I Hate Hurdles

I considered running when I got home Wednesday, but wimped out. The breeze was cool. I really just wimped out and talked myself into doing it the next day and replacing the workout with a Kinect trainer workout.

Running would have been easier.

This is the 8th Nike+ Kinect Trainer workout I've done. I keep "beating my personal best" on many of the exercises, and I do feel like I'm getting better. But there is one exercise I just can't do very well at all: hurdles. You stand on the floor and there are two low hurdles to jump over sideways across the room, as the arrows on the floor indicate. But you have to clear them for them to count. They're probably the equivalent of about 5 inches off the ground? For some reason I just can't do this exercise. I have no ooomph to get over them! Sure I can do a few in a row, but then I just crap out and start hitting them, or have to slow down a lot because I can't breath.

Last night I did the first set somewhat ok. For round 2, after all the other exercises, I had no oomph and I'm not sure any counted! For round 3 I decided making the workout work for me was best and I step-hopped over them with one leg at a time, which isn't how you do them so none counted. But at least I kept moving rather than jumping and landing heavy and feeling like a sack of rocks.

Other than silly hurdles the workout went pretty well! It got me breathing hard. I did a 5 minute short exercise that had dodgeball, split decision, high knees and squats which sealed the fact that I was done.

My legs feel huge. I'm not sure, maybe I'm bulking up somewhat? I haven't been able to run where I'm not sore and tired, so it's hard to gauge if this is helping my running yet. Spinning Tuesday was cake but that could have been because I let the intervals get to me mentally and didn't push hard.

Crafting a Training Plan

I love schedules. And I love making them. I've spent almost an hour or so now on trying to make one for the triathlon and goodness it's difficult! I spent a few hours making a marathon training plan in the past, but I got somewhere with it. For this, I'm just at a loss at how to fit everything in. 3 disciplines makes it tough I guess.

Begin ramble.

I'm not sure if I should bother with swimming all that much. Since it's clearly my weakest. Or...maybe it is that I should bother with that the most. Running is what I do the most, though it's pretty weak. Will it improve on its own? Biking comes pretty easy to me. I think spinning will be a continued benefit (sprints and strength emphasis you don't necessarily get on the road), but I must get out on the road at least one day in addition to that for the endurance and constant toughness that spinning just doesn't provide.

Hmmmm... so maybe 2 days biking, 1 day swimming, 3 days running? No I will never improve with swimming only doing it once a week. 2 days biking 2 days swimming 3 days running. That's 7 days crap. OK so gotta double up the days somewhere. Spinning day also has a run? While I'm at the gym? Ick that would be nasty. Swim after spinning? No, bad pool schedule time. Swimming is definitely going to be the hardest thing to fit in because it depends on the pool schedule so much. I think I'll have to fit that in during the week.

Sketching it out here...

BASE APRIL - MAY:
Monday:  crossfit + run easy

Tuesday:  Spin
Wednesday:  run
Thursday:  crossfit + run
Friday:  off
Saturday:  crossfit + run long / bike outside

Sunday:  crossfit + run long / bike outside


TRAINING JUNE - SEPT:

gym:: Monday:  Swim easy laps 8:00 a.m.
gym:: Tuesday:  Spin / run + bike + run brick every 4 weeks
home: Wednesday:  run (except after brick)
home: Thursday:  off (run on brick weeks)
gym::  Friday:  Swim sprints 7:00 a.m.
home: Saturday:  run long / bike outside

home: Sunday:  run long / bike outside




So this looks pretty difficult to keep, but I'm gonna do it. I think the most important thing is I just do stuff most days. Now the temperatures need to warm up also.

End ramble.

It's April! Hurrah!

If you know me, you know I like the beginnings of weeks, months and years. Well, April started on a Monday this year so...how awesome is that pathetic am I that that really makes me happy ;)

Alas, it is a new month. And to start it off awesomely, a friend on the east coast (Erika) posted that she just signed up for a triathlon. Her first, maybe even her first multi-sport or any-sport race ever! It's fantastic. And...she is trying to get other people to do it with her. I asked for details, she said I should do it, I looked up the race and signed up Sunday night!

I'm going to do my first ever triathlon September 8th of this year!!! Woohooo!! I'm really excited.

It's going to be so fun. I'm really glad to do it with someone, I think that's the best part. It's the Rocky Gap Iron Girl. I don't understand the name at all. I thought she was crazy when I read she signed up for anything with Iron in the name, thinking it was linked to the Ironman franchise. It's not though. It's actually pretty far from that. I'd say they're basing the distance off of sprint distance tri's. It's a half mile swim, 16 mile bike and 2.5 mile run. Kinda short on the run, but longer on the bike. That part of the country should provide some lovely backdrops for the race, and also provide some challenging hills on the course I'm guessing! Happy to be from Cincy...

So, I'm stoked. The race is women only, and has a attitude of getting everyone out there which is awesome. I've done a handful of duathlons now, and multi-sport is a great group of people who are really welcoming. But it's also an intimidating event, and not as easy-going as your local, friendly 5K. So I think this is a pretty cool race series, providing a more comfy environment for people to try their go at something.

I think I'll make Erika a training journal :)

The cost was outrageous. Not sure what that's all about, but whatever.

I've been "getting back to it" the past couple of weeks. Thanks to the Nike+ Kinect Trainer, I'm pretty much constantly sore :)  I'm waiting to kind of crest the hill so to speak and start to see the benefits from the strength training. My legs feel bulky. I know my core is stronger because for the first time ever in yoga last week, I could do the slow roll down in complete control. My upper body still is lacking though. I found the assisted dip machine at the gym and hit that last Thursday. I think if I can get to that regularly, I will finally be able to do pushups eventually.

Today I spinned. It was an interval class. We did pyramids from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long sets of seated base hill, add gear seated hill, add gear jumps, add gear out in 3, add gear out in 3 with last 30 seconds a push. So that sequence at 30 sec each, :45, etc etc all the way up to 2:00 each. It was pretty good class. I didn't push too hard because my left hammy was screaming a bit.

Anyway, going to try to write here again more regularly. Document the triathlon training and whatever else we do this season. I'm trying to get C and G to do a 5k/10k on the 14th at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Rough

It's been a rough month for a whole bucket o' reasons. But, here I am, and I've been rebuilding a lot of stuff, one being my fitness.

I was sick mid-march. It was just a cold but wiped me out a little more physically than the average cold. But, I've had almost two weeks of 'getting back to it' now.

We have the Kinect Nike+ trainer for Xbox. What a mouthful. I'm still trying to come up with what to call it for myself. I keep saying Kinect trainer, because I'd rather associate it with that than Nike I suppose? The program is really quite amazing. After a fitness assessment and choosing what I'd like to focus on (weightloss, toning or cardio I think were the options), a plan is developed. You simply choose the days you want to work out, sign in and do them. You don't even have to do them on your scheduled days, you just can't do 2 workouts in one day.

So I've been doing that since March 9th. Here it is the end of March and I've done 5 workouts now. Again, the sickness was in the middle there. But even after 5 workouts, and some running sprinkled in there, I'm able to tell a difference. We did yoga after a way too long hiatus Tuesday night and low and behold I noticed core strength. During canoe and rolling down into shavasana, I actually was able to control myself. Woohoo! Something else I've noticed is just an overall feeling of being stronger. AND, I ran 5 miles at Sharon Woods last Saturday. Those are hilly miles. This after having run a whopping 4 times in the month prior. Well...I know I went pretty slowly, but I didn't struggle on any of the hills, which was pretty surprising to me. Maybe my legs are getting stronger.

Today I ran 3 miles and did a Kinect workout afterwords. Neither went well. I'm not sure what my deal is today, as I took yesterday off. Meh, happens. Just tired or something I guess.

So...maybe by May I'll be back to some decent shape. I am planning to run a 10K at the end of April. I am happy about the Kinect trainer. It's fun, even though I'm doing a handful of the same exercises I am usually sore afterwords, and it's convenient as hell.

Might spin tonight. I am not sure - that or arms. I'm just doing whatever I can do whenever I can.