Head Games

I really wish the Ironman was next weekend. Not that I'm completely ready for it but because, well, I'm tired of training.

I'm tired of the weekend grind...long run on Saturday (although for me, the runs haven't been that long) and very long ride on Sunday.

Now that I think about it, it's actually the long ride that I'm tired of. As much as I love cycling and I'm doing fairly well on that aspect of the training, I'm tired of being gone every Sunday morning. I want my weekends back.

Now, lest you think that I'm being selfish, keep in mind that I've been doing long bike rides every single weekend since May.  I'm just looking forward to getting back to the old days, of doing a long run on Saturday and enjoying Sun morning with my kids.

That's a huge factor for me - missing my kids on Sunday mornings. Pre-Ironman, I would lounge in my jammies with coffee and the paper until it was time to get ready for church. I would usually play some kind of silly game with them and we always seemed ot have a good time. We'd go to church 2-3 times/ month and I would come home refreshed and ready to start the week. Now, I'm so tired on Sunday nights, I can hardly walk and Mondays are spent in a sleepy, tired fog.

I think I'm just a bit down today. My training partners are in Denver tonight to run the Denver half-marathon tomorrow and I guess I'm a little jealous. But it didn't work out and the fact that I couldn't run a decent half right now doesn't help matters either.

But I am excited about feeling in better shape this year than last year. I keep reminding myself of that. With the exception of running, I really feel better now than I did this time last year.

Yesterday we all met out at the "new lake" (see photo) and swam for a little over an hour. It was cold at first but I warmed up quickly, partly because of the neoprene cap that Kevin lent me. I really hope the water in Tempe isn't any colder than that.

I swam fairly well and felt that I could've easily swam longer, so that's good.

Today, my goal was to run 2 hrs. I was a little nervous as I hadn't run that long in quite awhile. I started very slow and well, stayed very slow the entire time. It bummed me out a little to be running so slow (and it didn't help to hear my husband say "gee, I think I can run this pace in my 70's" - GRRRR!) but I told myself to keep going. Kurt dropped off at mile 3 and I went on to Jo Jo, back to Monfort, and then home.

I was probably doing an 11 or 12 min pace at the end. My legs were hurting so bad I almost cried. I felt like I used to feel at the end of an 18 mile run. My quads ached and my feet hurt (ironically, my heel didn't hurt at all). Great. I'm doing an effin' Ironman in a little more than a month and I can barely run 2 hrs.

I hobbled up the driveway and into the house. Showered, ate, iced my hip, and got my kids to their soccer games. It will be fine, I told myself over and over again. Just think how far you've come...blah, blah, blah.

Ah well....tomorrow is another day...