Holy crap! It's been a month!!

I find it hard to believe it's been a month since I've posted.  Sigh.  Like most things, I have great intentions and then fall off the wagon once I actually start something, if I start at all.  Which brings me to training.  I think, even though I would have denied it while it was happening, I had some sort of post-race blues or training slump after my half-ironman.  Motivation has been lacking.  I've missed two races (FORGOT to pick up my race packet on Saturday for one of them), did some half-assed training for another (which I will expand upon in a minute), and generally have had noooooo problem talking myself out of getting up to train and talking myself into going back to sleep in the morning.  Put on 5-ish pounds during this time, as well.

But, I think I have turned a corner, and I will attribute it, deservedly or not, to Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live.  I have been doing it for 2 weeks and am LOVING it so far!  Vacation weight is almost all gone, and I am back at the gym.  Swam 1500m this morning, and I was able to run about 1.5 miles yesterday and walk another mile.  Got back on my bike this week, as well.  Long story short, I'm hoping I'm back.  I have an oly tri schedule for mid-September, and I'd really, really like to race it.  So, I'm training.  And eating better.

Missoula 1/2 Marathon Race Report


My plan for this race was to beat my time of 2:46 from last year, which I knew was totally do-able given I am consistently running about 1:00 faster per mile this year.  HOWEVER, approximately 2 weeks before the race, I went on a long run and after about 8 miles, I could not run another step and had to walk about a mile home.  S#it!  It was my IT band, I'm pretty sure, but on my other leg.  I went to see Dr. Wilkens to get some ART, and it helped a little, but I was terrified!  I ran a few times once we got to Missoula, but was only able to go 2-3 miles before pain began to set in.  So, I rolled, iced, ibuprofened, and stretched for 3 days, and by the day of the race, I felt ready.

Will was running the race with me, as was BS and CB, so this year's bus ride was much more entertaining.  There were superheros in underwear at the start, and a ginormous line for the bathroom.  I was smart this time and took some immodium before we left the house, which really helped my nervous stomach.  We lined up, the cannon went off, there were fireworks, and we were off!  CB, BS, and Will were off like a shot and lost me immediately.  I turned on Runtastic (not so much "tastic", as I would later come to realize), and got into a groove.  There is a slight incline initially, so I took it a little easy so as to not aggravate the IT band too early, but then I was on pace to smash last year's time.  The coolest thing about this year is that even though I had not trained quite as hard, I knew that I could make the distance because I had done it twice before.  The only thing that would get in my way was the stupid IT.  It began hurting ever so slightly at about mile 8 and I popped an ibuprofen.

Mile 10, still happyish

By mile 10, it was really letting me know it was not happy and might not cooperate with my plans.  I had been walking aid stations, but after walking around mile 11, re-initiating running was very, very painful.  I decided to run through mile 12 aid station, because I hurt so badly and was quite sure I would not be able to start running again once I stopped.  Shortly after that aid station, I just couldn't take the stabbing pain for one more second, and I decided to walk the last mile.










I was sooooooo pissed, frustrated, and disappointed.  Argh!  My time:  2:53 something, 6 minutes slower than last year, but still faster than Al Roaker ;)

Finish line, PISSED

The really bad part came later, though.  I cannot express how much pain I was in for the next week, especially when I would sit for an extended period and then stand again.  Holy moly.  So, the fact that I have taken a few weeks off might make more sense to readers.  I probably should not have kept running on it...I should have either stopped running at mile 10 or DNF'd.  But, being the stubborn-ass that I am, I didn't stop, and I am just hopeful I haven't done permanent damage.

Anyway, thanks for reading if you did.  :)

Zyrtec and running

Google this phrase, and not a lot of information pops up.  However, I tried to run after taking 1/2 tab of Zyrtec the other morning, and my legs felt like they were filled with lead, my heart rate was skyrocketing, and I was so irritable about the wind I could not run one more step!!!  Needless to say, I have burned this experience into my brain so that I never, ever again take Zyrtec when I have training to do.

On a brighter note, only one more long run (12 mi) until I can taper for Missoula (yay!).  I was supposed to do that run last weekend, but life got in the way, so I am hoping to do it Saturday AM.  We shall see!  My 10 mile run was mediocre.  I felt like I had to stop a lot toward the end, but my pace may have been too fast.  I did not wear my HRM, because I forgot to charge it :(, but I"m guessing it was up there.  I felt like it was a Zone 4 effort at times, even on little hills.  I began to fear I have not been running enough, which might be true.  Sigh.  My consistency sucks.  I wonder what other wax/waners do to run consistently....

Wounded Warrior Project

I'm thinking the Wounded Warrior Project is a nice adjunct to my previous post.

Last Week in Review

I'm not sure whether I have been hit by allergies (my hunch) or a cold, but I have felt sooooo crappy this week.  I did manage to squeeze in a few runs and a bike, though.  Ran 8 hard miles in the middle of the day yesterday like a doofus.  When will I learn?!?!?  I suppose the advantage of doing a run later in the day is that it prepares me for triathlons, where I do end up running later in the day and in the heat.

Thinking about my grandfather, "Pater", today, and the PTSD he brought home with him from WWII, which was known as "shell shock" back then.  He and the family suffered for years as a result, not terribly, but it did come out in some ugly ways, which no one talked about back then.  Since I have been a psychologist, I have seen PTSD ruin lives, break up marriages, make work impossible, etc.  Sometimes it doesn't rear its ugly head for decades, but it has the same effect when delayed as when immediate.  I am grateful for the VA psychologists who work diligently to cure this insidious disease.  Thank you to all who have served, for the families who have supported them or lost as a result.  We are forever grateful.

Pulling my head out of my butt

This week, I am starting to pull out of the post-HIM slump:
Tues:  Run 3.25 miles
Wed:  Swim 1000 meters, Bike trainer spin sprint repeats 30 min
Thurs: Run 5 miles
Fri:  Swim 1000 meters, Bike trainer hill repeats 45 min

I am relieved.  And feeling like I might actually be prepared for my first race in 3 weeks, a sprint tri.

As I was feeling relief, however, R posted this:
http://ironman.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/ironman-adds-ironman-los-cabos-to-global-series

What a fun race that would be!  Water temps at 72 degrees, air temps between 56 and 82.  And it's during our Spring Break.  So now I feel nervous again...

Margarita Moment

B, my buddy and co-star of this blog, has sworn up and down, on numerous occasions, "I will never, ever do a triathlon."  Never say never.  Over a pitcher of very taste pomegranate margaritas, Miss B and I decided to do the Mountain Man Super Sprint Triathlon together.  I signed us up that night, and it's done.  I did have to agree, however, to ride my beach cruiser and wear a tutu.  Small price to pay to spend the morning giggling with B!  She is a little irritated with me, however, and texted me the following last night:  "Going swimming a-hole and then for a run P"  Boy, I LOVE that girl!!!  :)

Watched Will K some A at the Tempe International Oly Tri on Sunday.  It would have been better without the hotel fire at 2:30 am, but whatev.  It was nice to see my honey out there working it!  And, I was inspired, as always, to kick my training into higher gear....

...so, I went running today and was sucking air at 5 mph on the treadmill :(  Finished at under 13 min/miles with some slower breaks.  Dare I say I am out of shape?!?!?!?  Shit, I just signed up for a slew of races!

Payson Sprint Tri, Here I Come!

June 9th.  Be there or be [].