I took yesterday off (Sunday) which was good since I felt a cold creeping on. Felt achey and tired all day.
Today, Kurt offered to get the kids to school so that I could go swim. Normally, I would run on a Monday morning, after getting them to school. I look forward to my Monday runs so giving that up to go swimming was not at all appealing. But I am determined to do these triathlons so I literally forced myself out the door and into the car.
The hardest part about swimming in the winter time, esp with it being so darn cold in Colorado, is getting in the car and driving to the pool. I freeze sitting in the car and by the time I get to the pool, the heat is just starting to work and I have to get back out into the cold. How ironic coming from someone who LOVES winter running! I never get cold when i run in the winter time; in fact, I often get hot. So I just scratch my head when I hear myself saying "it's too cold!!!"
Plus, I can't seem to get warm in the water. I have to get in quick and get going. I cannot bob around, chatting to other swimmers. One time I tried taking a women's swim class and the coach had us get in and wait for him before starting class. The women would just tread water and chat. I was so cold I started shivering! That was the last time I ever took a swim class.
So today I put my suit on and at least a hundred layers on top, then pulled a fleece hat down over my ears. The people at the Rec Center probably thought I was going to rob them when I came in. Or, they probably thought I was a homeless person because none of my clothes matched and my hat was an old floppy one. What a riot.
The good news is taht I was able to swim 10 laps pretty easily - woo hoo! That's a lot for me. I don't know how to do flip-turns so i do stop at each end of the pool but this time I kept going. I then rested after 10 laps and tried another 5 or 6 laps, so that should be about 750 - 800 yards. Not bad for me!
The funny thing with swimming vs running or cycling is that I can always eek out a few more miles if I get tired while running or cycling but not swimming. If I'm tired, I'm done. There's no eeking out of anything. I just get out of the pool and go home.
But guess what I did this morning? I left my brand new Timex triathlon sport watch at the pool! I didn't realize it until later that day. Kurt got me that watch for Christmas and it cost about 50 bucks. I didn't want to lose it and was really bummed. I called the Rec Center but no, no one had turned in a watch. So I asked to speak with the life guards but no, they hadn't seen it either. So I printed up a flyer that basically begged the person who found it to turn it in ("do the right thing" I wrote in big bolded letters) and took it down there. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me hang it up so I just left it with a lifeguard and moped around the pool looking for my watch. I finally went home feeling really bummed. A few hrs later, they called and wa-la, someone had found it! I really think it was one of the life guards and their concscience got to them!
Instead of driving down to get the watch, I decided to run down there. It was 5:00 and the sun was setting. Kurt said he'd pick up the kids (which is rare occurrence) so that I could run. It was about 20 degrees but again, the cold never bothers me when I run. The bigger barrier was the traffic between my house and the Rec Center and the fac that it's in a not-so-great part of town. I thought, oh well, i'll just give it a shot. I ran through side streets and just stayed alert to my surroundings and it wasn't so bad. I think it was about 5 miles roundtrip (maybe 6) so I got a decent run in.
That's it for today!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
OK, today I ran for an hour with my friend Lynne. I usually do a long run on Saturday mornings of 8 - 10 miles. Today we probably only ran about 7 because the roads are fairly icy and traction wasn't good. But I love winter running and have run all winter long for about 20 yrs now so I'm pretty used to these kinds of conditions.
And the inevitable finally happened: I fell on the ice. Darn it, I broke my record of never (and I mean never) falling while running in ice and snow. I'm very good at judging where the ice is and running across it in such a way that I won't fall. But I was yaking away and wham! Down i went. My friend, Lynne, fell too but not as hard as I did. Nothing was hurt except me ego. Darn it too, there were 3 cars that drove by and saw the whole thing. I'm sure they're saying something like "those stupid women out running on the ice...."
But the joke's on them as I got in 7 good miles today!
As I mentioned in the first entry, part of the reason for doing this blog is to help other women learn how to fit exercise/training into a busy schedule, esp women with small children. So, for that reason, I'll mention how I found the time to get an hour run in.
It was kind of easy today because my kids are signed up for ski lessons on Saturdays. Some friends of ours who have 5 yr olds got together with us and we set up a schedule where we all take turns taking the kids up to Eldora. Today is my day "off", whereas last Saturday it was my turn to take them up. In that situation, I planned my long run for Sunday AM.
My husband and I tag-team our exercise. That's a key factor in being able to train while raising small children. It really helps to have a supportive spouse! In our situation, my husband will watch the kids on Sat AM so that I can run and then I'll do the same for him when I get back from the run. If he's working that day (and he works a lot of Saturdays), I may ask one of my friends to watch my kids or just get a babysitter. But I love LSD on Saturday mornings (Long Slow Runs). It's relaxing and thereaputic. I look forward to it during the week because I either get to get caught up with my friends or if I run alone, I get to zone out for an hour or so. Plus, I always feel so good after a long run; it's a total high for me. Sounds crazy to non-runners, I'm sure! I just wish I could get that kind of zen from swimming....
Cindy
And the inevitable finally happened: I fell on the ice. Darn it, I broke my record of never (and I mean never) falling while running in ice and snow. I'm very good at judging where the ice is and running across it in such a way that I won't fall. But I was yaking away and wham! Down i went. My friend, Lynne, fell too but not as hard as I did. Nothing was hurt except me ego. Darn it too, there were 3 cars that drove by and saw the whole thing. I'm sure they're saying something like "those stupid women out running on the ice...."
But the joke's on them as I got in 7 good miles today!
As I mentioned in the first entry, part of the reason for doing this blog is to help other women learn how to fit exercise/training into a busy schedule, esp women with small children. So, for that reason, I'll mention how I found the time to get an hour run in.
It was kind of easy today because my kids are signed up for ski lessons on Saturdays. Some friends of ours who have 5 yr olds got together with us and we set up a schedule where we all take turns taking the kids up to Eldora. Today is my day "off", whereas last Saturday it was my turn to take them up. In that situation, I planned my long run for Sunday AM.
My husband and I tag-team our exercise. That's a key factor in being able to train while raising small children. It really helps to have a supportive spouse! In our situation, my husband will watch the kids on Sat AM so that I can run and then I'll do the same for him when I get back from the run. If he's working that day (and he works a lot of Saturdays), I may ask one of my friends to watch my kids or just get a babysitter. But I love LSD on Saturday mornings (Long Slow Runs). It's relaxing and thereaputic. I look forward to it during the week because I either get to get caught up with my friends or if I run alone, I get to zone out for an hour or so. Plus, I always feel so good after a long run; it's a total high for me. Sounds crazy to non-runners, I'm sure! I just wish I could get that kind of zen from swimming....
Cindy
Friday, January 26, 2007
Why I started this blog
Greetings! My name is Cindy and I am about to embark on a two-year journey and you're invited to come along. Where are we going? The final stop will be a finish line in the dark somewhere, a few yrs down the road but for this year, I'm focusing on St. Louis, where I hope to do an Olympic-distance triathlon. This is a big goal for me as I am just now learning to swim, at the ripe old age of 45.
First, a little history...
I've been wanting to do tri's for a long time and I've actually done two already, but they were short triathlons (not Olympic distance) with a pool swim. REAL triathlons, so I'm told, have lake swims. This means swimming out into a lake or ocean (with 5 million other swimmers) and then swimming back.....which means there is no edge to hold onto....and there might be snakes (or sharks)....or I might get giardia from the dirty water....or I might get trampled on by the other swimmers....my list of excuses goes on and on and on...so I've never done a lake swim.
The other problem is that I don't really know how to swim. Oh, I can swim from one edge of a 25-yard pool to the other but to keep going for an hour or so is like telling Donald Trump to hold Rosie O'Donnell's hand: it aint gonna happen. At least not right now.
But I am married to a triathlete and I have a strong running background (12 marathons) so the running part is fairly easy for me. Actually, the biking part is fairly easy too; it's just that darn swimming part that keeps me on the sidelines and I don't like being there! I'm a tried and true endurance junkie with an itch to try something new.
For awhile, I told myself that I didn't want to do triathlons, that running was just fine, I didn't need to complicate my life with THREE sports to perfect. After all, I have two small children, a part-time private practice, and a to-do list that was longer than a 25 yard pool. But I found myself continually lulled into the triathlon world....reading my husband's Triathlon magazines when he wasn't looking and envying his "brick" workouts. And because my knees are starting to talk to me, I've decided that a little cross training is not such a bad idea.
The other reason for this blog is to hopefully help other women who are wanting to try a triathlon, esp women with children at home. I've been running for years and have had many women ask me "how do you find the time?". I've even started a book for women who want to run their first marathon (more on that later). Training for anything is hard to do when you have children and since I've had so many women ask about it, I decided that if I kept a blog, then I can refer them to it and/or gain insight from them as well.
But the MAIN reason I decided to start this blog is accountability. If I put this out there, then I can't back out....I have to follow through. The pressure's on and I need the pressure or I'll never cross that finish line. You might think that someone who has been running for years would be able to cross over to triathlons easily but it's harder than you think. Especially when you absolutely HATE swimming. So, if I know people are reading this (and who knows if anyone will), it will keep me accountable to those readers and I just might finish my goal.
So, I'm going to keep my training log and journal on this blog with the primary goal of finishing an Olympic distance triathlon and then, next year, hopefully, finishing an Ironman triathlon (did I really write that???). Feel free to comment and give me advice any time you want. I can use all the help I can get!
Cindy D
First, a little history...
I've been wanting to do tri's for a long time and I've actually done two already, but they were short triathlons (not Olympic distance) with a pool swim. REAL triathlons, so I'm told, have lake swims. This means swimming out into a lake or ocean (with 5 million other swimmers) and then swimming back.....which means there is no edge to hold onto....and there might be snakes (or sharks)....or I might get giardia from the dirty water....or I might get trampled on by the other swimmers....my list of excuses goes on and on and on...so I've never done a lake swim.
The other problem is that I don't really know how to swim. Oh, I can swim from one edge of a 25-yard pool to the other but to keep going for an hour or so is like telling Donald Trump to hold Rosie O'Donnell's hand: it aint gonna happen. At least not right now.
But I am married to a triathlete and I have a strong running background (12 marathons) so the running part is fairly easy for me. Actually, the biking part is fairly easy too; it's just that darn swimming part that keeps me on the sidelines and I don't like being there! I'm a tried and true endurance junkie with an itch to try something new.
For awhile, I told myself that I didn't want to do triathlons, that running was just fine, I didn't need to complicate my life with THREE sports to perfect. After all, I have two small children, a part-time private practice, and a to-do list that was longer than a 25 yard pool. But I found myself continually lulled into the triathlon world....reading my husband's Triathlon magazines when he wasn't looking and envying his "brick" workouts. And because my knees are starting to talk to me, I've decided that a little cross training is not such a bad idea.
The other reason for this blog is to hopefully help other women who are wanting to try a triathlon, esp women with children at home. I've been running for years and have had many women ask me "how do you find the time?". I've even started a book for women who want to run their first marathon (more on that later). Training for anything is hard to do when you have children and since I've had so many women ask about it, I decided that if I kept a blog, then I can refer them to it and/or gain insight from them as well.
But the MAIN reason I decided to start this blog is accountability. If I put this out there, then I can't back out....I have to follow through. The pressure's on and I need the pressure or I'll never cross that finish line. You might think that someone who has been running for years would be able to cross over to triathlons easily but it's harder than you think. Especially when you absolutely HATE swimming. So, if I know people are reading this (and who knows if anyone will), it will keep me accountable to those readers and I just might finish my goal.
So, I'm going to keep my training log and journal on this blog with the primary goal of finishing an Olympic distance triathlon and then, next year, hopefully, finishing an Ironman triathlon (did I really write that???). Feel free to comment and give me advice any time you want. I can use all the help I can get!
Cindy D
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