Weeks 3 and 4

I raced injured for the majority of this year and am committed to not doing that again in 2010.  Luckily IMFL is in November and I have plenty of time to heal, and build my running base back up.  There's not much to say because training right now is quite different from what I will be doing next year.  Rejoined LA Fitness so I can do yoga, spin, and lift weights.  Swimming one day a week and long rides on Sundays. 

Yesterday's ride was a drag.  I went from 16.6 avg mph to 14.4 for the same distance and course.  The wind was 10-15 mph and I went from loving Silk Sheets to hating it.  I mentally couldn't do it yesterday and wished I was off the bike almost the entire time.  The highlight of the ride was when a deer came flying across the road chased by two dogs.  It was a beautiful sight.

I ran the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving day with Jeannine and although it was a ball because we took our time and made many stops, I realize in retrospect, that it was not moving me towards recovery.  I'm headed off to see Dr Julien today so I can find out exactly what is wrong, and discover his path to health.  I am guessing it's 3-4 more weeks of not running.  There is plenty of time.  No need to hurry.

Week 2

This week was very hard on me mentally.  I was told by my doctor on Wednesday that I was to stop running for 6 weeks.  I love running.  During a low time in my training recently, and by low, I mean I'm sick of swimming and cycling, I had seriously thought about quitting tris and taking up ultras and just running.  Because running takes me to a place that is so freeing and peaceful and lovely, that I can't imagine my life without it.  So there I am on Wednesday.  And I'm on my back with Dr. Cho working on my left foot.  And I'm staring at the ceiling with tears welled up in my eyes.  And I'm thinking, did they really just tell me that?

Did they just tell me I can't do the thing that occurs to most people like breathing or eating?  How can I get around this and still run the Atlanta Half Marathon?  How can I still run?  And my friends wouldn't hear of it.  Beat me down.  Made me realize I was being stupid and stubborn.  So I won't run.  And I'll figure this all out.  And I'll come back healthy and start all over again.  Because that's what people do.

Success of the week?  Well, I was finally able to ride aero on my aero bars for 50 miles.  I had them installed about 6 weeks ago and have been incredibly nervous every time I got into aero position so I would never stay more than a minute and was freaking out.  On Sunday, I just told myself I could do it...and did.  That was on the flat Silver Comet Trail.  This Sunday I'm hitting Silk Sheets and hoping I can do the same on hills like I did on the flats.

All this happened while fighting off a pretty bad cold.  Next week will be better.

360 Days to go...

This past Saturday I joined about 20 of my friends in Panama City Beach FL to volunteer at and cheer on the athletes at Ironman Florida.  It was an absolutely amazing experience.  I was assigned to work the kayaks and woke up early Saturday.  Well yes at 2 am.  I set my alarm for 3:45 since we had to be there at 5 am.  But in true triathon fashion, I woke up early and laid in bed staring at the bottom of the bunk bed I lay under.  After a horrible experience at Waffle House, note to self: only drunk people go to WH at 4 am, I ran to the beach while eating my food out of a plastic container.  It was 37 degrees outside.  That was just plain wrong.  Originally supposed to be a lifeguard, I was elated to my upgrade to kayaker.  It was peaceful and serene despite the cold temps and amazing to see 2500+ people swimming by me.  I only had to help out one guy who was struggling.  And I was so happy to see Ben Holiday who is a friend of mine when he stopped to say hi.  The rest of the day is a blur.  Cheering, drinking, celebrating with friends.  Mostly watching everyone in the marathon since the bike portion was impossible to watch.

We dressed in costumes so that we could add some cheer to the long day ahead.  I'm pretty sure the athletes loved it.  Especially when we yelled out their names.  I was hoarse by mid-day.

But certainly the best part was the last hour when everyone went crazy bringing in the remainder of the competitors who were still on the course.  It brought tears to my eyes.

I went to Florida 100% certain I would not sign up.  I had no interest.  So I'm not sure what happened that I woke up Sunday morning and decided to walk down and sign up for next year's race.  It came out of peace.  There was no question in my mind that it was the right thing to do.  And I'm still sure of my decision.  It feels good knowing that in less that a year, I'll be making the same journey.