Sharing the Love

It's never a dull day when you are training for an Ironman. Lots of work, sweat and sometimes tears. 


My morning started early with a trainer ride at 5:50 am. That should read 5:30 am, but someone had a hard time getting her warm, comfy a$$ out of the bed today. Those first few minutes on the trainer are tough until you get the blood moving and the legs loosened up. Today's workout was a progressive workout starting with 75% effort increasing by 5% every 5 minutes and then bringing it back down. I tried and I tried but I couldn't get my legs moving fast enough to take on the 100% effort. Hmmmm. Must try harder!


I sent the kids off to school and I went to "work". How can I call it work when I enjoy it so much? Friday mornings mean Body Flow. My class was a little small today, but it worked to my advantage. We got into a huge discussion about nutrition due to a couple of the ladies gaining small amounts of weight in the Transforming Tremont competition. Yes, losing weight comes down to calories in vs. calories out, but there is so much more involved in it.


As a Type II Diabetic, I am constantly worrying about blood sugar levels and I believe EVERYONE should be concerned about it. Pairing protein (and eating it first) followed by a small amount carbs allows your blood sugar level to remain stable and prevents huge spikes. So many people today eat carbs without the protein to balance it out. The other issues we debated was the intake of water and sodium. A lot much has been written about the amount of water we need to drink daily. I'll just say this. I don't measure the amount of water I drink on a regular basis. I simply pay attention to how my body feels when I drink water instead of diet soda or even my morning hot tea. The pure, clean (hopefully) fluids really make me feel better. I feel as if I'm doing something right for my body when I drink water. I do tend to drink less water in the winter because I like it ICE COLD and let's face it: It's cold enough in Central Illinois. So drinking water in the winter is a major concern for me, but I try to constantly have a drink by my side to keep my body nice and hydrated. 

After Body Flow, I met Mr. Muscle & one of the Intimidators for a swim. Yes, it was time to face the demon and face him with a SMILE! On the way to the pool, one of the Intimidators said, 

"Yah I always hope when I get there that I'll realize I forgot my goggles and I'll have to go back home."

Wait a minute? Was he inside my head? That's how I feel....like every time I go swimming. Why is this sport so hard? I think it's because you are alone with your thoughts. When you are swimming, you are not able to hold a conversation with your workout partner. You just have to go. 


I started my swim with a nice relaxing 100 yard warm up followed by 2 sets of 500. My goal was to focus on relaxing my body and paying attention to my breath. Just this morning I read an article about triathletes who lift their head out of the water causing drag. They suggested keeping your head in line with your body as it rotates to the side leaving one goggle in the water so you are not lifting your head. I started my first set of 500 and again I had the negative thoughts invading, "Why are you doing this? Let's face it. Swimming sucks." So on and so on. At the end of my first 500, I took a 1 minute break and re-focused. Relaxed strokes. Breathe. That's all. 


The 2nd 500? A-PIECE-OF-CAKE. Seriously. I did the 2nd 500 and thought why was I so worked up about this? It's because of the distance. It's because I still don't feel confident in the swim even though I know I could swim 1600 yards continuous. It's because I'm a mental freak!


After the 2nd 500, I decided my triathlete ADD needed to kick in and I started working on speed work. I did 25 yards as quick as my little arms would take me counting strokes the whole time, 15 seconds rest, 25 yards back. After my 50 yards of "speed", I did 50 yards working on bilateral breathing...and then back to speed work back and forth. After my final lap of bilateral breathing, I slowed down for a 100 yard cool down just focusing on relaxing my body again enjoying the nice long glide as my arm reached out. Total: 1500 yards. 


Fear? I have no fear. The swim is mine. Until I face it again next Tuesday. I mean seriously. I think this is going to be a full 8 month battle. 


I am home now. Refueled. Resting. One last workout today...ZUMBA! Of course, I may need a nap in there, too!