This happy place involved miles and miles of walking and standing in lines.

My workout schedule?

I threw it in the trash that week, missing three scheduled workouts while away.

A friend recently went on a family vacation. Her workout schedule? She didn’t miss a day of biking, swimming, and cycling. Every single morning while on vacation she got up – once she even scouted out the local Y so she could follow her swim plan.

We are both training for our first tri. Mine is a week earlier than hers.

I missed three workouts that week.

She missed none.

What does this say about our attitudes about training? At first I was prone to say she’s more dedicated than I, but when I thought about that more in depth today during my nine miler (yes, we are back home now), I realized it might not have to do with our training at all.

My idea of vacation means sleeping as much as possible. I got at least 9 hours every single night, and before you go too green with envy, that’s what happens when you have young kids and you stay in hotel rooms!

My idea of vacation means eating things I normally don’t and not feeling guilty about it. I ate funnel cake and ice cream and sweets I won’t name here, and I didn’t care about one stinking calorie.

My idea of vacation means spending time with family. It means going to bed when they do, rather than heading out for a run, and waking when they wake, particularly on days that we have plans.

And my idea of vacation means logging miles on my shoes not from training but from sightseeing and hiking and doing things with my family.

It’s not that I’m opposed to a good workout while on vacation. I ran the last day, the day we left, because I got up early before the rest of the crew and was able to fit it in. I was lax about it, though, deciding I would figure it out when I rose in the morning and not feel obligated to get up, even though I’d already missed three days.

Do I think her way is better than mine or vice versa? Not at all. I’ve learned over the years that we all train differently. We have a variety of similar goals – ours happens to be our first sprint tri – but we go about it with different approaches. What works for her, including spending every morning of her vacation waking early to work out hard before doing things with the family, would not work out for me. That doesn’t make her way better than mine, or my way better than hers – it simply makes us different.

I am happy I took the days off. I came back strong. I believe my training may have improved with those few days off. I felt refreshed and happy the first time I pulled on my running shoes, like I was snuggling up with an old friend who’d I had sorely missed while away.

I really felt as though I were coming home.

What type of vacationer are you?

Do you head out with the intention of keeping up your regular workout schedule, seeking out local Ys and bike or jog trails before leaving?

Or do you pack your stuff with the intention of fitting it in only if you can?

And in an update . . . two weeks until my first sprint tri! I have done my several bricks, though I still need to practice transitioning. I have figured out what I need to pack, and I’ve gone over the race time and again in my head. I am as ready as I will ever be.

Happy Running (& biking & swimming!)

Today I spent an hour in the bookstore.

I wasn’t looking at cookbooks, which I love, or magazines about writing.

I wasn’t drinking coffee and working on my American novel, though I only have two chapters, or 40 pages, left before completion.

I was, in fact, looking up information about triathlons.

Three years ago, while living in Los Angeles, I got it in my head to do a tri. I joined the local gym since we were pool-less and I began to train. Swimming, running, and biking took up my workout schedule several times each week. I was ready to go, and only one month away.

Then we found out my husband was being transferred.

So I switched gears, literally.

That fall I ran my second marathon, and I gave up my idea of competing in a tri.

Until several months ago.

I began training again, and I’m doing fairly well. I can run 10 miles right now, swim about 1250 comfortably, and bike around 9. I have a tri in my sights, on July 24th, but I am, in fact, scared as crap.

Why?

I suppose it’s the unknown. I have a variety of obsessive questions: where do I put my stuff, what stuff do I put there, will I knock into someone else while I’m biking and ruin their experience, what if I wear the wrong thing, will I look ridiculous, what if I get lost in the swim, or I can’t breathe, or I have a heart attack?

As you can see, I can stress with the best of them!

In fact, I am more stressed about this than I am about running another 26.2 miles, even though the last time I ran a marathon I messed up my hamstring for six months.

I’ve obsessively googled numerous things, such as drafting on the bike, drowning during the swim, and cramping during the run.

What do I eat, what do I pack, what do I put next to my bike? What if I forget something? What if I commit an error and I don’t even know it, but the error pisses off a lot of other triathletes?

This doesn’t happen in running. You lace up, you go when the gun cracks, and you run.

But I’ve decided to swallow my fear.

Training has been done. I can do the mileage. I have:

• picked the race
• found someone to watch my children, and
• bribed my best friend to accompany me (okay, she doesn’t know this yet but she will as soon as I finish writing this post)

I’m going to do this.

Really, I am.

I’m committing so much I’m purchasing tri shorts tonight and using them for my practice tri next Saturday, when I do a swim, bike, and run in preparation for the race, which is only four weeks away or so.

So here I go, I’m buying those shorts, and now I will stop obsessing.

Well, okay, I’ll stop obsessing after I google what to do in the middle of my tri if my bike scores a flat.

Wish me luck . . .

Yep, I said it. Maybe you don’t vomit green or you can’t turn your head 360 degrees, but if you are a runner, chances are you constantly think about running.

What’s my speed?

How far did I go?

When will I run again?

Sound familiar? Look, I know you: I am you!

So it’s no wonder that we sometimes burn out, whether our bodies tank because we are doing too much or mentally we are unable to sustain a ten mile-or ten minute-run!

When this happens, it means we need to do some change ups. I’ve talked about this in previous posts, some of the aftermath of overtraining. This might include:

• being overly tired, despite a great amount of sleep
• feeling as though exercise, and running, is a chore rather than something you want to do
• getting injured
• ignoring and injury to continue running

For me, this list would also include being dizzy, losing too much weight, and getting frustrated with everyday things that should not be frustrating.

To tackle that head on, I’ve begun my cross training routine again. I had given that up when we moved since I wasn’t training for a particular tri, but now I have my sites on a tri this fall and figure I might as well begin X-training – especially since I was suffering from some runner’s burnout.

This morning I did 5 on the bike, 3 on foot. It went well, and I felt pretty energized when I finished. I can’t wait to get into the pool, wish the water would hurry up and heat! Next year, I’m definitely joining the Y to get in my swim workouts when the pool lis cold. I miss swimming; I think I love it as much as I do running. The cardio is awesome and the workouts are powerful. The bike – not so much for me. I enjoy it, I guess, but I don’t feel like I’m working extra hard when I’m pedaling. Still, I do like the fact that I can go much further than running during the same amount of time.

Every athlete can benefit from cross training. It keeps the various muscle groups working, it reduces your chances for injury (over repetitively doing the same thing – like running 6 days a week), it frees you up mentally (I feel) because it allows you to concentrate your efforts on a variety of training routines rather than just one, and since each exercise works different muscle groups it really helps improve your overall athletic ability.

Are you burned out? Try something new tomorrow. Bike rather than run, or split it up: Bike for a few miles, run the rest. Try swimming, which rocks when it comes to cardio and calories burning (in comparison to other exercises). Do a mini-tri, which was one of my favorite workouts in LA: bike, run and swim each in a set period of time – say one hour – breaking it up into 20 minute increments for each sport. Fun! Challenging! And sure to get you out of the workout doldrums!

Til tomorrow (my running day off, now that I have switched my long runs to Sunday), happy running!

I did a bike ride next, going for six miles. I tackled the hill I ran yesterday and it was a heckuva lot easier to run up than bike up!

Came home, had coffee and breakfast, then headed to the gym with the girls. I did a thirty minute swim and then sprinted for about five minutes or so, resting in between 25 and 50 meters. I worked on form, and I think I am doing better with the continuous motion even when breathing that I realized I was having trouble with the other day (Thanks again Shirley!)

Today’s Stretch: Legs

As a runner I often get tight muscles, particularly in my hamstrings, as well as some knee pain when I do too many squats (which I probably shouldn’t be doing at all but simply can’t give up!) So, I do this stretch after my runs and also when I do my yoga routine at night to help stretch out my legs.

Place hands flat against a wall. Extend arms so that they are straight (don’t lock elbows). Place legs behind your body, so that you are pushing against the wall. Your legs will be about four feet from wall or so. Stretch! Do both legs together and then work one leg at a time. Remember, though, don’t stretch until your muscles are WARM. So, if you are going to stretch BEFORE a run, then do a three to five minute warm up job before you begin stretching. I generally stretch after a run and then in the evening with my yoga routine.

Swim Flip:
What the heck? I practiced today. I’m too afraid to get so close to the wall. I got it partially down. No longer do I get water up my nose and sputter and come up flailing like a dying fish, but I just can’t get close enough to the wall to push off, and then when I did at last, I couldn’t remember if I was supposed to immediately turn over or swim upside down for a bit!

I guess I’ve got a ways to go on this!

I love swimming, but I really don’t think I’m very fast. Or that I look very good. I haven’t perfected the whole flip and turn technique, which means I tap the wall and turn. I’m sure this is ineffective, but when I try to flip I wind up with water up my nose and I come up sputtering.

I think, too, I probably resemble a fish just learning to swim – only not that good. I have no idea where my hands should be placed, how I should stroke, if I should kick a lot, a little or none. I kick none because I read in tri you want to conserve leg energy for the bike and run.

A girl was in the lane with me, and then she moved to the lane beside me when it opened, and she got ahead. So of course I am so competitive I got this streak and started swimming as quickly as I could. I felt as though my strokes were not at all efficient. I stayed with her, but quite honestly had I been in open water I probably would have drown! I was out of breath and felt my technique was all wrong.

So . . . I came home and did some research on swimming. I read a few articles and then found this series of videos on You Tube. This one shows how to stroke with the arms. He has a series of videos on You Tube; I can’t embed them, but you can check them out there.

I’ll practice these techniques next time I swim, which should be Tuesday.

Going to do 13 miles on Saturday. Can’t wait; it is my favorite running trail around here and the turnaround point is awesome. Great ocean shots.

Happy Running!

We headed to the girls this morning, got there a little after eight and I did a 35 minute swim. It was a great swim. Only issue is that I had eaten my oatmeal beforehand and kept burping it up. Nothing like burping while swimming . . . not so good!

I know I have said this before but I really love swimming. lt is just me and the water, no other sounds. No impact. Nice and quiet and just womb-like, I suppose. I enjoy the stretch it gives my sides, and always feel as though I have had a good workout when I get done. I’d like to have an accurate way to count calories, just out of curiosity, to know what you really burn when you swim. I know some great formulas for figuring this out when running and walking but not with swimming. If you have one, let me know!

The girls had fun in the childcare center. I’m going to miss the gym when we move, and it is funny because I really wasn’t sure I was going to join the gym at first. I figured it would be a waste of money, but I use the membership constantly.

Afterward I took the girls to the park and we had a picnic. We ran into a friend of mine who lives a few doors down. The girls had fun, and it was great to be out of the ‘sick house’ and into the sunshine for a change. We saw a few blue birds, smelled some roses, and played on the slides.

So I looked around a lot lately and realized what my blog is missing: Photos! So I thought I would start adding them to my posts. I realize that I am more attracted to blogs with photos.

I’m going to do a photo documentary of sorts. First, the things that I will miss most from here: At least those that I still have time to photograph.

Then: Our trek across the country. I thought it would be fun to show and share all of these things with readers! I hope you enjoy them.

In the meantime, I’m taking some ideas from one of my favorite blogs, Fab, Fit and 40, and incorporating some food photos for you! I figure since I’m food journaling this week, it may be fun to share what I eat. (I am addicted to food lol. I read food magazines, watch food on television, love to look at pictures of food . . . you could say it is somewhat of an obsession of mine! I enjoy the kitchen almost as much as running . . . but not quite!)

My Food Journal!
I was bad today, pigged out on the chocolate chip cookies we baked! I am not a sweets person, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE warm chocolate chip cookies! I just can’t resist! Once they cool down, I don’t eat them. But when they are warm and they are sugary and chocolaty and OH MY GOSH! So we baked some today. Want to know how they turned out?

Here they are on a plate:

And here is what my wee one thought about them! (She ran to her chair when I asked if she wanted one!)


Breakfast: (Pre Swim)
Oatmeal
Almonds
Honey
Bananas

Snack after swim:
Tiger Milk Bar
Apple

Lunch:
Pita bread, turkey, cheese, avocado, pretzels

Snack:
Half a banana with peanut butter

Two (and a half!) cookies (and some cookie dough!)

Dinner:
Fresh snapper with lemon
carrots (steamed, fresh, baby)
pierogies with sour cream (2)

According to Spark People I only ate 1700 calories today. Weird, felt like I ate more than yesterday! Maybe it was that sugar.

I swam for 35 minutes, and according to Spark People burned 210 calories for that 35 minutes.

So, total calories consumed (minus the workout) is only 1490.

Hm, maybe I should hit that cookie plate again! Nah, they are cold now . . .

Off to do some reading. The kids are both in bed, husband is home and relaxing, so maybe we can have some nice quiet time tonight.

Here’s hoping everyone sleeps all night long again!

I started off with a 1,000 meter swim. Not bad, as I did it first and was glad that I did because the pool was open with only one other swimmer. The swim was a good one and I realized something funny during it: While I love swimming, I loathe biking, but only at the gym. I have a feeling if I were working out outside, swimming would be tough in the ocean or lakes because I’d be concerned about whatever was below the surface and biking would be great because I’d actually be going somewhere!

Swim: 1000 meters/40 laps; approx. 29 minutes. I stopped a few times to listen for the paging system, in case my youngest needed to leave childcare! I want to do this entire swim next week without stopping, and I’d like a better way to time myself. I know that I did the first 250 meters in about 5 1/2 minutes without stopping; after that, it’s a guess.

The transition was easy: I shed my suit, put on my running clothes and headed upstairs. I did a five mile bike ride. The other day when riding I stood up after and had a really sharp pain in my calf muscle. I made sure that night and the next day after my run that I stretched the hell out of it. It felt better today; no sharp pain. I took it easy on the levels though just in case. I have to do a 11 mile run on Saturday and don’t want any odd pains to stand in my way!

Bike Ride: 5 miles (like 5.2 or something) in 15 minutes.

I then stepped onto the treadmill, glad to see my legs held me up. This is only the second time I have biked and then run after. I’m sure when I get going a little farther on the bike, the run after will be more tough.

I did 2 miles and averaged just 9:30 min miles. I really wanted it to be closer to 9, and I did get down to 8:40 min miles a few times, but not enough.

The entire workout took about 65 minutes. I got done feeling great but really, really hungry! I had started off this morning with a cup of coffee, a hard boiled egg and a banana before the workout. I have a feeling if I go much longer than the sixty-five minutes I’m going to need to eat something during, or take one of my gel packs that I use on long runs.

I realized something about the bike: I need to practice. I don’t enjoy biking. I love to swim and run, so I want to do these two, and I don’t want to increase the bike because I don’t enjoy it. I think if I were outside, again, I would, but inside I just don’t.

So, with shower and all I was at the gym for about an hour and a half. The girls, of course, did fine in daycare, though I was feeling a bit guilty by the amount of time it took. And I know that when I get to doing some longer bikes and runs it will take even longer. However, I think I will cap myself at a certain point before this triathlon. I have to check and see again how long the distances are, but I think the run is only four miles, which isn’t too bad.

Completing all three of those today really made me feel great! I am feeling a bit more confident, like the triathlon won’t be unattainable, especially if I start small.

A question for all of my tri friends; How far are you going in training before a race? Do you try out the entire length first? Or, like a marathon, only go to a certain point in training and push it a bit farther on race day?

Oh, I try, I really, really do!

I try to like it. But I just don’t.

If I have to train, I want to be outside. I mean, why ride a stationary bike at all? I don’t understand the benefits, other than a few calories burned. It isn’t as good as the workout outside, it’s boring as hell, and there is nothing to look at, except for the other people in the gym. But I think there is a rule about not staring them down while working out (at least, they seem to look at me funny when I attempt to check them out while I workout!)

RUnning on the treadmill is just as bad. BORING. Oh my gosh, first of all I can’t read a damn thing on the closed caption television, secondly the music is good but if I sing along people look at me funny. Thirdly, it is hot as hell. What do they do, crank the heat up in those places? And it is BORING.

Did I say BORING?!

The only thing I DO like about the gym is the pool, because I’d be terrified to go out in the ocean and swim alone. So the pool is good, minus the snot that I talked about the other day.

Oh, and today there was a spider at the bottom of the pool. Seriously, he was standing on the bottom of the pool. Shouldn’t he have been floating if he were dead? I began to make up this story about him as I swam (yes, I do entertain myself during these long workouts: Hey I run marathons, what else will I do for all of those hours?!). I decided he was a mutant chlorine spider that could survive the harshest of chemicals AND breathe under water. He did move while I was there, inching over into the other lane, moving toward the little Asian lady that I nearly pushed over on my way to the pool (there are only three lanes and I knew one was already in use; I wanted to beat her just in case she got down those stairs before me!)

Anyway, the spider did not attack as I thought he might. He stayed where he was. His dead, squashed brother was up ahead of him. I’m guessing he wasn’t quite adapted to the chemicals. A mutant, if you will.

I saw some interesting things at the gym this morning, though. Things I would not have seen outside, I’m guessing. For one, the woman beside me got onto the treadmill backwards and commenced to jog. Yes, she jogged backwards. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen, seriously. I have trouble jogging forwards on the treadmill! I always feel as though I’m going to fall over. She did it backwards. Unbelievable.

I saw the physical fitness trainer hitting on a few ladies as they walked on the treadmill. He stood there the entire time that they walked.

Then I did my swim.

I’ve been swimming for a year or so now. That’s why I originally joined the gym. I really love swimming. I love the solitude of it all. It is so quiet in the water, and it really gives me time to think, reflect, consider, imagine, dream.

I love the way that my body feels weightless, and every ache and pain that I have from running, biking or just living goes away. I have done something to a muscle in my back, and it hurts now as I type. In the water I didn’t feel it at all, even though I was using my arms to swim.

I love swimming. I have no idea how fast I go, though I know from the way the other guy was passing me I don’t go very fast at all. This is the down side. I guess I could figure out how long the pool is-aren’t they all about the same, if they are Olympic sized?-and then how far I go in the half hour , how many laps, but for now I just swim.

The only down side I find is the snot. The water seems to work as a snot softener, creating lots of it, which ends up, well, in the pool. No, let me say, first it ends up on my face, and then in the pool.

Now, shudder as you may, this is definitely a gross thing. But my snot, and my kids’ snot, well, I can deal with that.

It’s when I see floaters that don’t belong to me that I shudder.

At this time, the snot issue is the only thing I really don’t like about swimming. I try to remember that’s what chemicals are for.

The morning routine went well. I did the ten minute bike, but the damn thing was stuck on RPM, not MPH, which I wanted. I am going to wear my forerunner next time to figure out how fast I am going. Thursday I will do a ten minute bike, ten minute all out run and probably twenty in the pool. My plan is to increase that.

I don’t want to increase too far, too fast though. Since the marathon is first, I really need to focus on staying injury free through October. But, I figure if I build up just a tiny bit over time it will all work out. I only need to do a 5K in this tri. The running will be my strong point as long as my legs don’t go too wobbly from the bike.

Day one of tri training has officially begun and I feel good. I can do this! It’s all in my head anyway, right?!

It’s always nice when that happens, though I do feel a wee bit of guilt for not getting up! However, I know that running and biking today would be too much. I can feel my knee a little. I think it is the flip flop obsession I have developed. Today I”m off to the store to find some regular sandals with some cushion. I think the flip flops are wrecking my knee (I’m going to post about that separately later).

Today I’ll do abs and arms as the girls nap and have quiet time. That will mean 5 days of cardio this week. I think that’s good. I don’ t want to get to the point I was last time and burn out. I have a tendency to really focus on cardio sometimes, I love that ‘feel’ when it is over, but then I get really tired after a few weeks. I think that has been happening lately.

I’m going to try to get to the gym to do my swim on Sunday. Husband has to go into work, but if I can get there right when it opens I can get back in time. That means my nine miler tomorrow, and then I will do a ten minute bike and a thirty minute swim on Sunday.

Hope everyone has a great running weekend! I’m ready for my nine tomorrow! I can’t wait to get back up to 13 miles. That was my favorite a while back, when I was steadily running 13.