Week Twelve

Ah, vacation and recovery week combined into one. This was a great week. I spent it at my dad's house in Florida. My sister, brother, and their families were there, too. I stuck exactly to what the training calendar said, and much of it I got to do while spending quality time with my family.

I arrived on Tuesday morning before the rest of the gang. I told my dad that I was supposed to ride for 60 minutes, and it turns out that he has a membership to a gym in his development. My dad, my little brother (10) and I walked down to the gym. (They actually wanted to drive down, but I convinced them that the 1/4 mile walk would be a fine addendum to the workout.) I did a 60 minute hill workout on the bike, and my dad and even my little brother worked out on various machines. They were pretty much done after about 45 minutes, but they hung out with me and waited for me to be finished. It was nice to do my training, but to get to be with my family at the same time.

On Wednesday, the training calendar had a 2300 yard swim workout. My sister-in-law, Lisa, who is also a triathlete, and my sister Bonnie, decided to do the workout with me. It was fun teaching them the different drills. Lisa and I also swam right next to each other, which was great practice for open water swims. I even inhaled her splashes a couple of times to make it seem even more realistic. :-) We swam in my dad's 10 meter pool, so it felt like a very long workout. After a while, my brother came by and hung out in the hot tub while we continued to work out. Again, another great combination of training and being with family.

On Thursday, I was scheduled for a 45 minute run. No one wanted to go with me on this one. (Lisa actually did want to, but she has plantar fasciitis and is off of running for a little while.) Forty five minutes is not long to run, and I did it in the morning before breakfast. It surprises me that after two years of endurance events, I still make dumb mistakes like this. I went out without any fuel, and without even having had a sip of water. I just woke up, got dressed, and went out. I guess in my mind I was thinking that 45 minutes was nothing, but in reality, in the heat and humidity, it made for a very difficult run. I pushed through, telling myself that if I felt like this during the ironman, I'd still have to keep on, but it definitely wasn't fun.

Friday was another swim day. We had gone to the beach that day, and had hoped for an open water swim, but there were warnings of man-o-wars and jellies, and the tide was really rough. So, I hopped in the pool in the late evening when we got back. Others didn't want to join me; they were too tired from the beach. For some reason, the temperature of the pool had risen to over 90 degrees. Now, anyone who's been reading this journal knows that I am always cold in the water, but believe it or not, this was actually too warm for me! I decided to keep pushing, though. I wasn't going to not complete my workout. Then, my sister and her four year old son decided to come in. I was glad for the company, even if I couldn't chat with them. Then, my other two nephews hopped in the pool, and it was getting crowded, but I didn't mind weaving around little floaties and kicking 4-inch long feet because I loved just having them around.

Saturday was supposed to be a 100 minute ride, and Lisa had planned to do it with me. We went to the gym, and grabbed the two bikes next to each other. We turned the travel to animal planet, and set our bikes in motion. Lisa was a trooper. She felt pretty much done after about an hour and 20 minutes, and then headed home. No one should be on a stationary bike for more than an hour, it's just soooo boring! But, it was on the schedule, and I didn't have my bike with me, so I had no choice. Anyway, immediately after the 100 minutes of the hill program, I ran home. It was only about 1/4 mile, but I thought it was good for getting used to the transition.

Sunday was my last run day, a training I'd have to do on my own. I was supposed to go for an hour. I planned a little smarter this time. I waited for the sun to set, so that it would be cooler, and I ate and drank before hand. It was a great run. I felt good, and definitely could have gone longer.

Weekly Summary:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Spin 60 minutes
Wednesday: Swim 2300 yards
Thursday: Run 45 minutes
Friday: Swim 2150 yards
Saturday: Spin 100 minutes
Sunday: Run 60 minutes

Body Check: Same as previous week for the knee. For the back, there has been slight sciatica pain on the right hip, but I can live with it.

Total fundraising to date: $2116