Taking the Reins

I’ve finally reached it.  That point where I’m fine with the number the metal devil is spitting out at me.  I’m fine with it, because I’m pretty darn happy with the way I look and feel!  Yes, the tummy pudge is still there, but it’s slowly, ever so slowly, creeping back.  I can wave hello or goodbye and not worry about jiggling in shame.  I wear tank tops and shorts without worrying what people think.  I can EAT stuff in front of people now without feeling ashamed…..yeah, I had a cookie.  I also burned 800 calories in my workout last night— what did YOU do? 

I never thought I’d get there, but I am.  I’m happy with myself.  I know I’m not perfect, but I’m healthy, and I’m fit.  And it’s only going to get better from here if I continue on the path I’m on.  I’m only 2 1/2 months into my beginner triathlon training program, and I’m already reaping huge benefits.  I’m so excited to see what is next!

 So with that satisfaction is the admission that I haven’t been counting points lately.  WW helped me lay a foundation for how I can eat, and what I can eat.  This is my baseline.  I know that I can’t eat pizza, donuts, or Chinese takeout like I did back in the day.  I get that deserts should be a rarity at restaurants.  And I’m fine with that!  But with all this working out, I have to eat a heck of a lot more points than I’m used to counting.  Today, for instance…..I had a 7-point breakfast, a 5-point protein shake for lunch with a 2-point bar, an 8-point PB&J after my workout, and 4-points worth of nutrition for my workout.  And then 2 points worth of snacks.  I think.  You see, I just don’t remember…..but I’m not eating excessively, and I’m staying in the healthy range of foods.  I think I’m going to go along with this for a while and see where it takes me.  I’ve held steady at this weight, plus or minus 1.5 lbs, since April, and clearly I’ve swapped some fat for muscle mass since then.  While I’ll have WW as my fallback, I don’t think I’m going to do my tracking tables like I once did……it just doesn’t work for me right now. 

 Anyway, there’s my confession. 

Tonight, I did 60 minutes of hill repeats.  We have a heinous trail outside of my house that has a continuous hill for 2 miles.  I literally bike up it at 11 mph…it’s that slow and painful.  I went up and down 4 times tonight, covering roughly 16 miles.  Wowzer!  It’s peak week.  I took it a little slower than usual so that I could sustain my pace, and aside from the rattlesnake crossing my path on the uphill on the 3rd climb, it was pretty uneventful.  Knees held up great, I didn’t feel nauseous (made sure to drink protein shake and eat a bar 1 hour before— really helped to get more than 100 calories down the hatch for this one), and I mostly enjoyed myself….except that my girl parts hurt again.  Why I can’t crack the code on this is beyond me.  Those crazy Ironman women are riding their bikes 108 miles after a 2.4 mile swim and before a 26 mile run—- if they can bike that long on their girl parts, surely my measly 16 miles should be painless?!!!

Thanks again for all the congratulatory posts on my tri race report.  I’m still really happy with my performance, but #2 is less than 2 weeks away and I’m already nervous.  It’s much longer and more difficult— just my luck!

I am once again a triathlete.

(insert heavy sigh and big smile here)

I’ll start from the beginning, since I’m never short on words and wouldn’t want to shaft the experience in any way. (Note to readers: this is obnoxiously long. Don’t even start it if you get bored easily…and to my other blog readers, this is a repost)

I think my triathlon story starts Saturday morning, as I’m just about ready to leave the house. Car is packed, cat is taken care of, and I’m doubled over the toilet feeling like I’m going to ralph all over the place. Was it the Peridium or the Cipro? Probably. Had I eaten or drank enough to take my meds? Probably not. Ugh. I intended to leave at 7am, but my nausea sidelined me until 7:20am. On the plus side, I learned a side effect from the pills and decided what not to do on race morning.

The drive up to Santa Barbara was almost pleasurable. Didn’t hit any traffic at all, and it really was a beautiful ride once I got out of LA. When I got to Santa Barbara, I parked my car at the Pier and then rode my bike to the race (about a mile— on the run route!) where I met my roommates and stored my gear. Our Coach was doing the long course that day, so we were trying to figure out when we’d see her again. She rocked her 1-mile swim and 34-mile bike, and had just gone off on her run when I arrived. I picked up my race packet, cheered on some elite athletes as they finished eons ahead of everybody else, and then met up with the other Divas and their signs. Coach KILLED the finish. She sprinted her little booty off coming down the “chute” and we screamed and clapped as loud as we could. I was just so proud of her….3 minutes under her goal time, and looking phenomenal in the process. She is such an inspiration to all of us, so it was fantastic to see her race and show her a little love in the process.

After our coach photo ops, we all went our separate ways. I walked to the Santa Barbara Zoo and had a lovely afternoon seeing the animals, then hit up the local farmer’s market for some race day fruit and water. We met back at the hotel pool and chatted for a few hours about racing in general and what we should do in different situations on course (I’m awfully concerned about getting a flat—- basically told Coach I was running it in because it’d be way faster than waiting for me to try to change the fricking tire) Then we all went to dinner at Palazzio, this cute Italian place in the main street area of town. Mmmmm…..garlicky, buttery warm buns and angel hair pasta with tomatoes, basil, and brie!!! I went to town and forgot about the diet. Coach made me do it. Actually, I wasn’t that bad. My sauce was just light olive oil, I only ate 2 little buns, and we shared a main dish— could’ve been worse.

***I must digress here and make a comment about a few of my heavier Divas. I had a chance to see what they eat behind closed doors this weekend, and now I know why they aren’t shedding pounds in the program. My awesome, sweet roommate downed almost a pound of toffee-coated peanuts, several Oreos, a bag of potato chips…..and a few other ladies munched down an entire bag of taco chips and Chips Ahoy cookies at the pool. At dinner, they ordered appetizers and multiple main courses, and had a lot of everything. I wanted to stop them and tell them about Weight Watchers. About how they were sculpting nicely and turning into gorgeous ladies, but they could really take it to the next level if they’d just moderate a little bit. Ah!!! But it’s not my place, and it’s a personal decision we all must make.

When I get offered these things and decline, they look at me weird, like I’m trying to be holier than thou. When I try to explain that I was 30+ lbs heavier several years ago, they still roll their eyes. Okay, so I know I wasn’t morbidly obese before, but my BMI was well above 25, I was wearing sizes 12 (tightly, I might add— should’ve been 14’s), and I was unhealthy in my eating habits. I’m over being told that I don’t need to watch my weight. I do! I swear!

****Back to the triathlon.

So, we woke up at the ungodly hour of 5am and walked over to the transition area at 5:30am. We stood in line to get in, but we were pretty close to the front and that assured us all “end caps.” (You want your bike at the end of the row so you don’t have to worry about traffic getting to your stuff) I swear Ducky from Pretty In Pink was in the co-ed race and was in line in front of me, but it was early so I make no guarantees. After setting up transition, I realized I’d forgotten my swim cap at the hotel so had to run back across the street. And then I had to pee. Again, and again, and again. Clearly, the bladder infection has not disappeared yet.

After group photos, more trips to the bathroom, a quick dip in the water (we won’t go into details about what went on there….but come on, we know everyone does it), and some last minute prepping, it was time to stand by our swim caps at the start and get ready to rumble. I was in the first wave, with all the teeny boppers and under 30’s. We were a pretty fit group, to be honest. I was probably one of the biggest ones there, which was not the way the rest of the heats were. I was pretty quiet, and the only thing going through my head was that I had to flippin’ pee again. Yes, the water was frigid. Yes, I had a whole race ahead of me. But pee was on my mind.

When it was time to go, the mass group of us sprinted to the surf. So much for going out first. I was three-deep in line going out and the fast girls were well on their way to the first buoy when I decided to stop running and just dive in. There was some wrangling for position on the way out, and I got groped by an awful lot of women. You’re all headed in the same direction, so it’s inevitable. I tried to just keep everything steady….not to get too fast or else I’d peter out in the water. You see, I only have one speed for swimming. In the pool, when I go “all out,” I only shave a few seconds off of a 100-meter time. So the excess energy just isn’t worth it for a race. At any rate, it felt like an eternity to the first buoy….and the 2nd buoy took a while to get to, too. I then felt like I was in a groove and trusted that I was swimming in the right direction next to a girl that swam at my pace. I kept with her the whole time, headed to shore, and then started dreading what was coming next!! I caught a HUGE wave to shore, sending me hurtling past everyone who’d worked so hard to swim past me on the way in. Hehehe…..I reached down, felt sand, and then jumped up and did my funky chicken run out of the water like Coach told us to.

Coach was there, bless her. At that point, I was feeling like, “I know I have a goal, but let’s reassess and just finish the race and forget about time.” But Coach was yelling, “Go Mtngirlincali! You can do it! RUN to the mat!” Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. The swim time includes a lovely run up the beach to the transition area. So rather than have a slow swim time because I walked like a granny, I ran and unzipped my wetsuit until I hit the mat. Walked through transition, got out of my suit, threw on my glasses and helmet, attempted to put on my shoes and socks, and then grabbed my bike and went. I was soaking wet, there was sand and water in my shoes, and the salt from the ocean was gagging me, but off I ran with my trusty orange bike. (It needs a name, btw…..I was thinking Flaming Orange Goose because it’s all funky orange with black on the fork, but I could be persuaded to call it something else)

I had some trouble putting my foot in the left cage when we mounted, but since it was only a 6-mile course, I decided not to lose any more precious time by attempting to put my foot somewhere it didn’t want to go. So off I went. Coach told me that to accomplish my goal of doing the bike in 20 minutes, I’d need to push 20+ mph on the straights. Seeing as how I’d never done that before, I thought I was done for. BUT on a whim, I geared up a little more than I’d normally be comfortable with and what do you know? 21 mph. Woohoo!! I was down to 8mph on two of the hills, but they were outshadowed by the downhills and straightaways. Not even the train, which stopped me in my tracks and took about :30 seconds to clear out, could slow me down! (That’s a funny story— these crazy women were swerving through the railroad crossing arms immediately after the train went by even though they were still down— there was a cop watching, too!! I behaved)

Overall, the bike felt phenomenal. I was cheering on other Divas as they were starting their course, and I felt great. What a rush! But then the realization occurred to me— the run was next.

I am not a runner. I do not pretend to be a runner. I even have trouble faking it ’til I make it. ( I suppose that’s the same as not pretending, but whatever) T2 was fast. I dropped the bike, took off the helmet, grabbed my race belt and hat, and took off. I put it all on as I ran and crossed the mat, then set my sights on the run. By then, I had checked my watch and realized I was miraculously still on target to hit my goal time. No way! But I was breathing pretty heavily and knew my heart rate was probably up at the top of the range, so if I was going to hit the time, I’d need to bring it back down and settle a little bit. Usually I wait 5 minutes until my first 1-minute of walk, but today I had to walk after 2 minutes. I collected myself, breathed calmly, and tried to visualize feeling awesome and having no troubles at all. I wish I could say it worked perfectly, but at least it got me through the rough spot. I settled around 10-minutes, which seems typical for me. If I can work through the pain of the first 10-minutes, I can usually go indefinitely after that. I walked the water station and drank, then took off for home.

The one bummer about Santa Barbara is that you can see the finish line from the halfway point. It might be a motivator for some people, but to me, it was SO hard to get geared up for it because I’d been staring at it for so long. I skipped my last scheduled walk at 17 minutes (I realized I could possibly beat my goal time, so I decided to just go through the pain) and kept pushing. My bladder ached, of all things. Go figure! But I have antibiotics for that, so I convinced myself to keep going….that I should not only look forward to the finish line, but also the toilets! So away I went. At the end of the finish chute (we’ll call it that….it’s basically the part of the trail that starts at the transition areas and goes all the way to the finish line, and it’s lined with cheering family members and friends), Coach was there with her Hawaiin leis. She handed me one and said, “Finish Diva-style…..sprint it in!” OMG, I had nothing left. But I picked it up as well as I could, gasping for air the entire time because I’m no better than a 10-minute mile and today I had to beat my pace.

And there it was. The finish. I kept on strong til the very end, and when the announcer said my name, I looked up and there was my time— I beat my personal goal by :10 seconds! (I’d tell you my time, but I have to try to be somewhat anonymous here) Wohoo!!!! It didn’t feel the same as my race in Colorado several years earlier, but it was still special. And I know it was just a super sprint, but I raced as hard as I possibly could, trusted in my training, and was really proud of myself. Today, I felt like I earned that Tridiva jersey.

Results were up just as I was leaving, and I had placed in the top 1/4 of my age group! There were over 35 of us, so I was really happy with that. Elated, actually. I was telling the hubby last night that I was wondering why I was doing triathlon, as it was a sport I’d never be able to be competitive in. Well, you know what? There may be hope after all!! I may not be an endurance athlete, but maybe I’ll be a decent sprinter in the future?!  EDITED:  Results are posted.  I broke the top 50 out of 335 people.  Woohoo!!!!

So, that’s the race. And the best part? Standing on the sidelines and cheering on my teammates as they made their way to the finish line. Some of them were crying it was so emotional…..I mean, people have no idea what they can get their bodies and minds to do. And it is true that really everybody can complete a triathlon….it doesn’t matter if you are short, fat, heavy, slow, or disabled….there is a way if you have the will. Moreso than a race against others, it’s really a sport where you race against yourself. And isn’t that the very best kind?

Kudos to the staff and volunteers at the Santa Barbara triathlon—- an awesome time, and they did a great job!

You know that life has gotten crazy when all you eat all week long is the same box of Raisin Bran and your husband’s leftover 1% milk.  (I know, shock and horror!  Non-skim milk and 200+ calorie per serving Raisin Bran– what’s become of my stellar eating habits?!)  Thankfully it hasn’t packed on the pounds, but I do feel like I’ve cheated the system a little bit.  To be perfectly honest, I haven’t thought about WW over the past week.  With training intensifying, I’m eating sensibly, but making sure I have enough nutrition before, during, and after my workouts.  I took some more progress photos last night and I can see a huge difference between June and today, and even some improvements over my July photos……so even though there is limited scale progress, things are looking much tighter!

I have to laugh, because last night I spent the majority of my evening reading Ironman blogs.  Mostly women in training for Ironman.  They are brilliant!  Funny, witty, professionals, multi-taskers extraordinaire, and wonderfully focused.  I loved reading their blogs— they totally put my sprint triathlon training to shame.  At any rate, I laugh because they did a lot of talking about nutrition.  During a century ride (100 miles) and a marathon, they actually have nutrition plans where every half hour, they consume at least 100 calories in the form of gels, bars, or liquids.  It’s amazing!  They have every pocket on their body and bike stuffed to the brim with food to fuel them through their long workouts, and then when they get home, they eat everything they can get their hands on.  Can you imagine their metabolisms?  I’m jealous just thinking about it.

Anyway, Ironman is a long ways away.  If my body holds up, next year for certain I want to do my first Olympic distance triathlon.  And then maybe the year after that (let’s not get ahead of myself here), I may try a half ironman.  I don’t think I’ll ever go the full distance, but I could be happy with the Half Ironman under my belt one day.  One day……

So, that’s the scoop.  My weeny sprint race is this weekend.  Sunday, to be exact, probably around 8am.  I’m nervous, but my game plan is to run as fast as I can into the water and go balls to the wall through the bike.  With what I have left, I’ll attempt the run and see how it goes.  So, wish me luck!  Will report back on Monday.

Yes, I am alive.  I did not get stung by sting rays, swept to sea by an ocean current, pillaged by gangs on the bike trail, or suffer heat stroke on my run.  I made it!  Woohoo!  I have to say, the high I had when I got out of the ocean today was HUGE.  Not only did I cheat death, but I made it out of Ray Bay without a scratch on me.  Apparently, that’s quite an accomplishment these days.

Mock tri went great.  I went into excrutiating detail on my other blog, so I won’t bore anyone with the details here.  Suffice it to say, I’m primed and ready to rock it next Sunday in Santa Barbara!   I can even inflate my tires….oh, yes…..dangerous now…..

My new favorite magazine, Her Sports, had a fantastic article this month on the powers of beans.  Apparently eating beans can extend your life.  So I jumped on the bandwagon immediately and made some black bean enchiladas.  They smell great, but I haven’t had any yet……  Anyway, here’s the recipe:

Bean & Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
2. 1 large onion, chopped
3. 2 cloved garlic, minced
4. 1 teaspoon canola oil
5. 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
6. 14-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
7. 16-ounce package of frozen corn, thawed
8. 28-ounce can of pureed or crushed tomatoes
9. 1 tablespoon chili powder
10. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
11. Hot Sauce to taste
12. Salt & pepper to taste
13. 12 corn tortillas
14. 1 cup grated reduced fat jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and saute bell pepper, onion, and garlic for 5 minutes.  Add beans, corn, tomatoes, and seasonings, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Assemble casserole in 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Cover bottom with one-third of the bean mixture.  Layer 6 tortillas on top of the beans.  Repeat once more, ending with bean mixture on top.  Sprinkle cheese over top layer and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30-40 minutes.  Makes 8 servings, for 320 calories/serving, 7 grams fat, and 11 grams of dietary fiber.  I calculated the points off of the ingredients I used, and I have each serving around 5 pts. each.  Anyway, it’s pretty good!

Oh yes……tomorrow is the mock triathlon with all the Divas from the OC and Long Beach, and the physical therapist has cleared me to go at my pace.  And you know what that pace is?  Fast!  (Well, for me….compared to the rest of the world, it’s probably a little slow)

Anyways, I’m a bit of a nervous wreck about this.  We’ve tackled one or two sports at a time in practice, but never all 3 together.  Tomorrow it’s a 20-minute swim, 45 minute bike, and 30 minute run……more time than I’ll need for a full-distance sprint.  So I’m hoping it all goes well and I get an idea of how to pace myself and make it through my races with a little left over for that last mile run! 

I have to say that today I’m not really thinking about dieting.  Tomorrow morning will take a bit of energy, so I’m going to eat some good carbs this afternoon and evening so I have something to burn in the morning.  I had a great week, but hubby came home last night and we had Mexican.  I demolished 3 grilled chicken tacos (no cheese), the rice, and a ton of chips……aside from feeling crappy, I think I needed it.

 So, that’s my update.  Going to go out now, enjoy the day, and hope I make it through tomorrow without getting struck by a sting ray.  Or car. 

Good grief, could it get any warmer today?  I was out walking around this afternoon in the 100 degree heat for about an hour, and had “swamp arse” for hours afterwards.  My coworkers and I complained incessantly about how disgusting we felt and smelled.  Hey, at least people left us alone!

So, not much to report here.  I went out to lunch today, and while I have no idea how many points my tilapia was, I’ll do my best to estimate.  Did my 1500 meter pool workout tonight, and I feel great.  It never ceases to amaze me how great I feel after working out in the pool.  My arms are getting tight, I’m getting a little faster in the water, and I just feel like I know what I’m doing out there.  Now if only my fellow gym-goers would leave the lap lanes and float in their own darn pools! 

I’ve finally been cleared by the physical therapist to run, so I’ll be doing that for 20 minutes tomorrow night after my 1/2 mile ocean swim.  Fingers crossed it’s a painless evening and that Friday is smooth sailing…..only 11 more days to my first triathlon of the season, so I need to get speedy.

Well, I’m back from my 10-year reunion and from visiting my parents and twin sisters.  BOY!!  Am I glad to be home and back in the swing of things.  For one thing, I have my bike here, and the trail is right outside my house, so getting practice in is EASY.  Secondly, it’s so nice not to have temptation around.  My mom, bless her, has chocolate hidden everywhere in the house, and if you are craving crackers, she has Cheese-Its and Wheat Thins galore.  My defenses are useless against the likes of simple carbohydrates….what’s a girl to do?

 And I must confess…..I committed the ultimate sin:  I ate 2.5 pieces of Beau Jo’s pizza.  For those of you who don’t know, Beau Jo’s makes “mountain pies.”  Gorgeous, quasi-Chicago style pizza with huge doughy crusts that you dip in honey.  Yes, honey.  So not only did I consume all the greasy fat from the pizza, but I added half a gallon of honey to top it all off.  I felt HORRIBLE whilst doing it, but did that stop me?  Heck no!  I stuffed my face like the inner cow I am and went to town.  The pious, “I Shall Not Be Tempted” Mtngirlincali appeared broken in front of her family, who desperately needed her to stay strong and help them fight their own temptations.  It was shameful.

Mom was so sweet.  I bought a cute outfit for the reunion, and she was calling all our family and telling them I looked like a Barbie doll.  How cute!  Don’t I wish, huh?  I guess my arms and legs are a bit more chiseled than they usually are, but I’m definitely not as thin as I was for my wedding last year.  I tried to work out and managed to get in a swim workout the morning of the reunion, but that was about it.  I’m hoping to buckle down in the next few weeks and “peak” in time for my 2nd race on September 9th.  (First one is next Sunday!!!  Woohoo!)

Day one back in Cali, and I’m back on the wagon….both of them.  I ate well today, and tonight I did the dreaded hill repeats on my bike.  2 miles of long, slow incline followed by 2 miles of downhill recovery….repeat 3 times!  It was pretty rough, but I managed to shave 6 minutes off my time from one month ago.  My heart rate was a little too high and took a while to go down, but to my credit it was in the high 90’s during the workout so perhaps some of it was the heat?!  I have PT tomorrow, and I can’t wait to report to him that my knees didn’t hurt at all during my ride today— a miracle!  We have our mock triathlon Sunday morning at Seal Beach, so I’m getting excited.  Perhaps I’ll be cleared for running?

 Well, here’s my menu for the day:

Woohoo!!  Why didn’t I think of this weeks ago?  I’m so behind on hair appointments, need a mani/pedi for my reunion, not to mention a dress, and also have PT and a workout to fit in……no time for work.  With the boss still on a ship somewhere in Alaska, what better time to take the personal day?  I feel like I’m playing hooky in school and I LIKE IT!

So, I’m a little sore today, but shockingly the pain is not courtesy of the knees.  We had practice at the beach last night, and I got paired up with the girl who trailed me on the bike at practice on Sunday.  (She was the next-fastest rider, so I wasn’t complaining)  We had to do our 1/2 mile loop….out 180 yards to the first buoy, down to the fourth, back to the first, and then back to shore…..then do a transition and head out for a 20 minute run.  In my case, that would be a 20 minute walk, since I can’t run this week…still.  At any rate, my swim buddy was a rockstar!  We quickly made our way through the crowd to the first buoy and eventually took the lead.  We distanced ourselves so much that my husband, who was out taking pictures, never once got us in the frame because he thought we were part of the big group!  We had at least 5 minutes on the next closest pair by the time we got to shore, and we weren’t even breathing hard.  Transition was horrible, though, as there was sand everywhere and we had to take our shoes and socks up to the showers and then try to put on socks over wet feet.  Nonetheless, we were still 5-10 minutes ahead of everyone and had finished our workout well ahead of the group.  Walking was painless and I felt like running so badly, so this is an excellent sign.  Maybe he’ll clear me for next week?

So, on the agenda today:  Fix the hair.  Make nails pretty.  Find dress to make me feel rockin’ hot at my 10-year reunion.  Somehow find time to get in a workout that doesn’t involve Physical Therapy.  Physical Therapy.  Laundry.  Pack. 

Must get moving!

Have you ever paid close attention to all the coupons in the Sunday newspaper?  Really looked at them over 12 weeks and seen what goes on sale?  See any trends?

I do….NOTHING HEALTHY IS EVER ON SALE!!!!  I could scream, I swear.  I have been doing The Grocery Game half-heartedly for the past 3 months now, and I can’t stick to “the list” because there’s so much crap on it.  3 bags of Doritos for 4 dollars.  Full fat Ranch dressing for $0.50.  Free Pillsbury cookie dough when you buy a trough of full fat cheddar cheese from Kraft.  I mean, give me a flippin’ break!  With DH leaving for training in a few days, I no longer have a need for coupons.  With the exception of Egg Beaters (bless them) and Tampons, I just can’t use the list and coupons. 

OK, off my soap box.  I just got really cranky tonight when I opened up my list and was again disappointed in what was on it.  To its credit, it does show fruits and veggies that are a good buy, but the coupons are really where you feel like you are beating the game….except, when the game makes you fat.  No wonder we have weight issues in this country.  It’s the default.

Not much new and exciting here today.  I had to take the day off because I had PT tonight, and my kneecap is all taped up again.  I won’t be cleared for running until next week, so I’m a little frustrated.  The pain is all but gone, but I’m having issues with the other knee.  So until then, I’m stuck swimming and biking.  Methinks I’ll be doing LOTS of pool time this week, thanks to my travel schedule.  Tomorrow we’re doing a long lake swim, and then Wednesday we hit the beach for a mile timed swim and a 20 minute run. (Walk for me!)  I’ll probably take my bike for a spin early Thursday morning, then it’s time for PT again that evening before my trip.

Eating-wise, today hasn’t been too bad.  At 24 points a day, I’m finding that I can handle the points, assuming I count.  I should weigh myself tomorrow and see how that’s going….but I’ve basically ignored the scale during this triathlon training and am just working out according to the program.  Anyway, here’s the day:

Just wanted to share the Meez Triathlon Barbie that Swizzlepop (I WILL Be a Size 6 Again) did for me last week that I totally missed on her blog!  I *heart* her and hope to be her very soon:

So I’ll just start out by saying the reason there’s been no menu this week is because I haven’t been counting points.  I know— shock and horror!  I do keep a mental tab through lunch, but then I end up going out, not knowing what the actual points value is, and not really caring because at this point I can’t lose at all.  Argh.  It’s a funk, that’s true.  All those endorphins from all the exercise are now gone from my body, and I’m feeling like a big old piece of turd.

I’m cleared for resistance-free exercise, which includes biking on flat surfaces and swimming with a pull buoy between my legs.  I had planned on going to spinning class this morning, but I am soooo tired that I slept through class!  (Well, it starts in 15 minutes, but I’m still nursing my coffee and haven’t had the right kind of nutrition to get me through class ok)  I wish I could explain to my cat that he gets X amount of food a day, and if he can see the bottom of his feed dish at 4am, he shouldn’t freak out on his momma!  Seriously, the love of my life starts screaming when he’s finished eating and wants more….NOW!  I think I remember every 20 minutes on the clock for 2 hours there before he tired himself out.  So yes, I blame the cat for that missed spin class.

Am thinking that since I miss being out of breath, perhaps I’ll do the elliptical today?  He didn’t “clear” me for elliptical, since I never mentioned it, but it’s a pretty safe activity, right?  I mean, I’ve got to sweat somehow, and my poor rotator cuff isn’t going to let me get that done in the pool today…..besides, the aqua fit class is in there until 10:30 and I cannot even fathom having to deal with the stragglers.  (Literally, they strap floats to their body and hop in your lane without telling you— and then they flail around like they’re drowning, except it’s under the guise of exercise)  The only workout I’ve missed this week is a 40-minute run, so perhaps I’ll just do it on the elliptical, except I’ll keep the resistance uber low and keep my cadence up.

It’s too complicated.

On the plus side, last night I did a fruit & veggie shopping spree at Henry’s.  They may be the most expensive place around for groceries on the whole, but bargains can be had with their produce!  I got some gorgeous blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries…..except now I need some yogurt so I can actually eat all of them in the next few days.  Also got some broccoli, apples, bananas, and grapes— finally, some good stuff!  I’m almost more excited about the produce than I am about anything else today.  Hey, at least I’m not working today.

So, that’s the scoop.  I intend to do my points today, so I’ll get back on track and kick this general feeling of malaise.  Got to look good for my reunion next weekend!

Just got back from a 1-mile ocean swim today….woo!  Felt great.  It’s so liberating to head out away from the beach and go for a swim.  I never thought I’d be a fan of the ocean, but it calms me down and is just so enjoyable.  Today we hooked up with a swim buddy and aimed at a nice and easy 1/2 mile to see how we had acclimated to the water.  My swim buddy did her best to keep up, and we laughed at every buoy about the warm bubbles in our wetsuits and the feel of the seaweed creaping over our arms.  ;)  Anyway, we felt so great after coming back that we decided to do it all over again.  Can’t say that my timing was fabulous, but it was fun and relaxing.  Desertmama asked about sighting…..  I swim pretty straight, so I look up once every 6-8 strokes, which probably isn’t enough but worked well tonight.  Swimming in a pool DOES NOT prepare you for sun glare and ocean swells, but I find that if you keep making forward progress, eventually the buoy comes into sight and you can swim towards it.  When it doubt, follow the pink swim caps from the heat in front of you.  ;)  Today I had new fog-free goggles and it was much, much easier to swim to the buoys than last time.

Hubby was there with his camera to take pictures of our practice, but to be honest, every time I looked up he was taking pictures of seals and dolphins.  (They swim between the jetties by the bait docks— far away from us!)  He was funny afterward when he said, “nobody looks good in a wetsuit.”  Thanks, darling.  I needed that.

 I ate a lot of non-home cooked food today, so I’m sure I’m way over on points…..between my McDonald’s Southwest chicken salad (1/2— threw it out because it was gross) & small yogurt parfait, and then my naked buffalo burger at the beach snack stand….well, I’ve made better choices in my life.  But I did work out hard, and I’m finding that I’m needing to eat more to make sure I feel energetic every day.  I never thought I’d start my day out by thinking, “how will I best prepare myself for my workout this afternoon?”  Literally, the day is planned around getting enough hydration and carbs/protein for my workout.  Craziness!

Tomorrow morning is physical therapy, so hopefully they can straighten me out.  I added a 3rd tri to my list for the season, so I have a lot riding on this PT to get me healthy.  The schedule is now:

August 26th - Santa Barbara Women-Only Sprint

September 9th- Pacific Coast Sprint Triathlon

October 14th - Suburu San Diego All Women’s Sprint Triathlon

I’ve heard enough stories about these crazy men and their breastroking that I can’t wait to do a race with only women!  Anyway, I have put a lot of time and money into this triathlon training, so I’m hoping that between the 3 races, I’ll start putting it to good use!