I think I’m in LOVE!!! It’s true!!! I’ve possibly found my true mate in life…his name is Triathlon. (Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic….at least I can count on Triathlon to never make a comment about my "big butt". LOL :)) That’s right, this Tri momma’s got her mojo back!!!! All it took was a mentally challenging session on the treadmill, an even more physically challenging session on the bike trainer (with the help of good friends!!!) and a couple dozen YouTube triathlon videos for inspiration. WHOOT WHOOT!!! Bring it on baby!!!!
Last night’s workout was proof to me that I had officially flipped the training switch, and am ready to get down to business. I mean, let’s face it in this crazy mixed up world of working 3 jobs and being a single parent and living in Iowa in the middle of winter, my training has taken a back seat to pretty much everything else. (Did someone say beer?...what??)
I’m not here to make excuses, but sometimes there just are not enough hours in the day to get done everything that I would like to. The past couple of months of settling into this new (and very rewarding!) life, I’ve at times (more often than not) felt like a chicken running around with my head cut off. Seriously, “me” time just doesn’t happen. Sure I’m trying to embrace and enjoy each moment and let go of my OCD/over analyzing/over planning tendencies, but I’ll be honest, the entire past year of my life has been all about planning. Planning out how this new life was going to work for me and my boy.
After surviving the holidays and my attempt at skipping Christmas, I’m finally able to refocus my attention on the things I do to make me “me”. (Mainly running, swimming, biking, weightlifting, and being slightly neurotic about following a good training and nutrition plan.) It’s time to start thinking and training like a Triathlete again.
(Yes, I know I keep referring to triathlon as my “it” sport and this year it is…I’m still a runner and will always be. Running captured my heart and led me to this wonderful life, but it is really truly the triathlon that I’m in love with. I’m so sorry running! I promise I’ll be back, my love affair with you is not over yet, I just need a little time to explore my other options…I hope you can understand. We’ll always have D2D and The Cowtown…let’s never forget The Cowtown *hugs*.)
In my past life as a runner and Triathlete in training, I had a partner, someone to help with the daycare pickup’s and drop offs so that I could go train in the evenings after work. Someone who was a physical presence in the house so that I could rise before dawn and hit the pool in the mornings before the rest of the house was up to start the day (since for some reason DHS frowns upon leaving children home alone…go figure?!). (This of course is a sarcastic statement!!!...I do NOT endorse leaving children home alone under any circumstances!!!!!!!!!) During heavy training sessions, I usually pull 2 a day’s…swim in the morning, then bike, run or lift at night. It’s the only way to fit in all the training that needs to get done (in my neurotic mind of course…I’m sure there are other ways…my personal theory though is to over-train the distances so that on race day, it’s nothing that hasn’t already been done).
In this newer life however, it’s just me and my boy, so my early morning swims are out, as are some of my evening sessions due to the other jobs. What’s left is 4 or 5 days out of the week to cram 7 days worth of intense 2 a day training into. I guess this crazy single Triathlete girl will have to get a little creative if she wants to get it all done, and still make it to the start line of my Half IM in August. (AFTER surviving RAGBRAI, which requires a completely different kind of training…did someone say jello shots?...and XTERRA!...yeah, my ass needs to be in peak physical shape if I’m going to survive this summer in one piece, and frankly I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m looking forward to the challenge of accomplishing it all.)
Yesterday was my first experiment in creative scheduling, and seemed to work pretty well (ate lunch at the desk so that I could jet out of work a few minutes early to hit the treadmill for a quick 3-5 miles before picking the kiddo up from school and heading over to the Vardo group ride)…it actually worked pretty darn perfect, until I arrived at the gym (on my favorite treadmill none the less!...all signs point to a great workout ahead, yippee!) to find my iPod DEAD!!!! Beyond dead! I had nothing!! Not a single little power bar to get me started. UGH! How the hell was I supposed to run on the treadmill now! No entertainment!…no music to push me through the pain and induce puke producing sprints during the chorus of my favorite songs (GASP!). And with that, my workout was pretty much over. I had just been given a golden excuse…a reason to jump back off the treadmill, and go treat myself to some Starbucks before the group ride. (Mmmm, Starbucks!!!...have I mentioned that I love me some Starbucks!!!...and it’s the winter in Iowa so it’s sorta cold here and not much beats a Grande Decaf Skinny Mocha with whip on a cold winter day.)
Argument #1 with myself goes something like this, “tempting…very very tempting…I’ll just come back tomorrow…only I have to work tomorrow…ok, I’ll come back on Friday…only I have plans on Friday…Saturday it is…ooo, Saturday is supposed to be my long run and I can’t very well go long if I haven’t even gone short for the past couple weeks…grrr.”
Simultaneously, argument #2 begins (much more loudly) and goes something like this, “hey jackass, there are no iPods allowed at Pigman, and that’s for 13.1 miles…suck it up cupcake!...and for god’s sake during marathon training you pulled 15 miles on the treadmill…phucking sissy, you can handle it for 3…at an 8 minute pace that’s less than 25 minutes…in the time you wasted having this argument with yourself you could be almost done…now shut up and start running”. (Some days I am amazed at my own wisdom. :))
You can guess which argument won I bet. Yeah, it was at that exact moment that I flipped my Triathlete in training switch and decided that it was time to get my ass back in gear, officially! With my attitude readjusted and my training focus in place I went on to follow up the run with a grueling hour on the bike trainer with my fellow Vardo’s. So much fun!!!! (The fact that I can hardly walk today makes it that much more fun in my eyes…yes, we are very sick people who do this for fun. LOL)
I fell in love all over again with Triathlon yesterday and what it forces me to do and in the process I got my mojo back. Triathlon, you complete me!
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