Bummer

I've put off writing anything in here because I hate writing bad news. I seem to have acquired my first real injury. Real because its keeping me from running and I don't like that.

Its the same pain I had before the Ironman in my left hip. Its where one of the muscles inserts into the hip bone. It doesn't hurt when I run but it hurts like hell afterward. I can hardly walk.

Its weird though, because I first noticed the pain before the Ironman, yet it didn't bother in the Ironman...in fact, it had subsided the week before and several weeks after.

But its back and its back with a vengeance. I was in so much pain on Friday that I could hardly walk. I took Celebrex on Thurs and Fri and iced it on Friday. By Saturday, it was a bit better and although I missed my group run, I decided to give it a try and I jogged slowly for 30 mins, only to be in pain again.

Today was a bit better but I can feel it when I walk. I iced it for a solid hour and that helped a lot. Kurt says I should not run for a week or so and that is NOT what I wanted to hear!

And to top if off, I'm having a total lack of motivation to ride my trainer or even swim. Its weird, I usually crave doing one of the three but right now I have no desire to do any of it. I guess its not that unusual, given the time of year, the fact that I just did an Ironman, and that I've had some heavy family stuff going on lately. To be quite honest, I've been fighting the blues for a few weeks now.

So, I will finish up teaching/finals/grading and do what I can in terms of exercise but I'm not going to push myself. I wouldn't worry about it at all but I really want to train with my friend, Dan, who's planning to do his first marathon next spring; but if  I take off too much time, I'll get behind and won't be able to run with him (or Brenda).  I've been missing running with them and I don't want to be left behind.  Waaa!!!

Brrrr!!!

If there's one thing I'm good at, it's running in the cold. And today was no exception. After dropping the kids off at school, I donned hat, gloves, fleece-lined tights, 3 base layers under a vest and jacket, and headed out into the frigid air. How frigid was it?  Around 8 degrees, I think.

For some odd reason, I like running in the cold. Granted, I prefer it to be warmer than it was today (mid-30's is my favorite running temperature), but there's something about braving the elements that gets me going. And I've always been that way.

I have one vivid memory of playing outside in December as a child. It was dusk and very cold outside (those Kansas winters were brutal!). I was by myself, as usual, and the darker and colder it got, the more I liked it. I could see the kitchen lights on in my house and my mom fixing dinner. I wanted to stay outside as long as I could until she called me in. I dared myself to "brave" the cold until she hollered at me to "get inside now before you catch a cold!"

I remember many winter afternoons and evenings playing outside by myself. One time I ventured down the hill to our pond and sliding out into the middle of the rock-solid ice. My dad was on his way home from work and caught a glimpse of me "skating" alone.  That was the end of that - next thing I knew I was in my room with a sore fanny!

So, I digress. I only had time for 4 miles today but it was better than nothing. I was plenty warm and couldn't care less about the strange looks I got from people driving by. Just me, my Ipod, and the cold...what better way to start the day!

Catching up

Hit the pool twice this week - Monday and today, but sure can tell I'm not in training mode!  Both times it felt good to be in the pool but I didn't have much "umph" so I just swam slowly (and it felt so good).

Master's swim is Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:15 AM. I get up at 5:15, drink a cup of coffee in the dark (meditation time), and leave for the pool around 6:00'ish. Its dark then and I'm usually the only one on the road. I always feel like a black cat slinking through the darkness...

The plan for now is to do about half of the swim workout and focus on technique, not speed. I'll do that until the first of the year when I'll start cranking up the pace. For now, it feels really good to just take it easy!

I ran yesterday afternoon with Daisy. I never run in the afternoon but I had a bad morning yesterday - long story - and didn't get out when i wanted to get out. So, finally made it out there at 4:00 in the afternoon. It wasn't bad - I kinda liked running at that time - but it's harder because I usually have the kids home and I don't like leaving them for too long.

Today I rode my new bike on the trainer for 30 mins. It sure took awhile to get comfortable. When I finally did, it was great. Still taking some time to get used to such an aerodynamic position!

Tomorrow, I hope to run 5 - 6 miles. Its supposed to be bitter cold but as long as the wind isn't blowing, I should be ok.

Not-so-long run

Today I had wanted to get a long run in but wasn't sure I'd be able to go since my hamstring was sore yesterday (from sprinting like a fool at the Turkey Trot!). It felt pretty good so I decided to give it a try. Took it slow and easy and it felt pretty good.

But I took Daisy with me and for some reason, she didn't have it today. She stopped several times to sprawl out on the patches of snow. I feel too guilty yanking her up so I just let her lay there. But today I had to get back to get UNC work done so I didn't let her lay there long.

Finally, after the 3rd or 4th stop, I decided to take her back and continue on by myself. I did that, but I never get as good of a run that way. I felt good but I don't get the usual zen from two short loops from my house that I get from one long one. The things we do for our dogs!

Weather-wise, it was PERFECT!  I love sunny, cool weather and that's what it was today. When I brought Daisy back, I ditched the tights and long sleeve shirts and put on shorts and short-sleeved shirt (with long bra underneath) and liner gloves. The cool air felt really good (our thermometer said it was in the upper 30's when i left but I know it was in the 40's).

Either way, it wasn't a bad run, just not a long one like I had planned. No biggee - I'm still in the de-training phase!

First ride on my new bike!

Rode my new baby Felt B16 for the first time yesterday!  I was a bit nervous since I had paid a chunk of change for this bike but had never ridden it!  I had only ridden it on the fit stand in the shop, where I got fitted (Adrenaline Sports in Niwot, CO - great store - would highly recommend it).

The positioning on this bike is so different from my other bike!  I am much more "cramped up" and not as spread out as I was on my roadie. But I am in a very aero-dynamic position which should give me a lot more power.

I met Sarah, Kevin, Brenda, Todd, and Marshall at WOW on Friday and we headed west from there. Sarah had just gotten her bike on the same day I got mine so she was in that same situation. Kevin also got a new bike a few months ago but he has ridden his bike a few times already.

It took me at least 10 miles to get comfortable on this bike. It felt so strange!  I felt like I was going to slide over the top of the handlbars. However, I could instantly tell how much faster this bike was than my roadie. It's like going from a VW bug to a BMW or Mercedes. Still, it will take some time to get used to riding it long distances.

After I got used to the fit, I settled in and focused on riding. The weather was perfect - almost 60 degrees - and it was great riding with my new Ironman buddies. What a great way to spend Black Friday!

Turkey Trot

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we started it like we have done for almost 12 yrs: we ran the Turkey Trot. This year Evan ran it by himself (well, ran/walked) and Katerina did the 2k.

I ran the 5k and was very curious to see how I would do. I hadn't run a 5k in a long time and having just done the Ironman, I wasn't expecting a fast race time.

But the gun went off and I felt great. I started slow going up the hill but was just feeling so gosh-darn happy, that I pushed the pace. I started with Sarah, who I think was planning to run it slow and easy, but I kept pushing harder. Our first mile was 7:47 - way too fast for me!

But I didn't care. I felt good and kept going. I pushed harder and harder, to the point of feeling like I was sprinting. She was able to go up the hills faster than me and before long, she was long gone. But I still didn't care, I felt great at the pace i was going.

Onto Reservoir Road and I was running faster than I've run in a long time. I stretched out and lengthened my stride (a mistake I soon found out) and just kept going.

Around the corner and down 14th Avenue - yippee - I'm running fast!  As I turned the last corner toward the finish line, I started to sprint and then OUCH!  Someone stabbed me in the right hamstring - yousa! 

I shortened my stride and slowed down. Came across the finish line with a smile on my face and a knot in my stomach, worried that I just might have pulled a muscle.

Today, my hamstring is sore, even to touch. Not sure I should run for awhile but I really want to. Will see how I feel tomorrow. I did get a good bike ride in today (more on that later - it was awesome!) and I did have fun running that race. It kinda lit a fire in me to start doing some speedwork!

All in all, a really nice Thanksgiving, even with a sore muscle.

Gobbler Relays

My arms are a bit sore this AM. Why? Because of the Gobbler Relays we did in Master's swim yesterday!

What are the Gobbler Relays?  Its what happens when your swim coach decides he wants to do something for "fun" for the Thanksgiving holiday.

For someone like me, a swimmer-wannabe, who has finally mastered the freestyle (or who gets by in a triathlon with a stroke that mimmics the freestyle), who has no clue how to do the breast-stroke and butterfly and who thinks that IM stands for Ironman, the Gobbler Relays are NOT fun.

We started with a 20 min warm-up that included the usual - free, kick, pull 200 - 400 yards (I never know because I can't see the board so I just pretend that I know and no one knows the difference).

Then the relays. We are divided into teams and luckily - or perhaps not-so-luckily - I am put with Todd, Amy, and Tom, three of the fastest swimmers in our swim group.

We have to do all 4 strokes twice in the relay: free, breast, butterfly, and back. As I said, I ONLY know how to do the freestyle and possibly the backstroke but I always end up running into the lane dividers and turning over to see where in the heck I am when I do the backstroke.

So my team wisely puts me at the end of the relay and I hear them screaming madly for me as I try to do the breast and then the butterfly but since I always get those two mixed up, they were screaming things like "no, Cindy, the BREAST STROKE, not the BUTTERFLY!!!" and "JUST DO THE FREESTYLE!" and "what the heck is she doing???" and even "where is she going?".

Then, the worst one was the Tandem relay. I don't think Todd will ever speak to me again. We had to hold onto the ankles of another person on our team while they did the freestyle and the person holding on kicked. Sounded easy at first but as I quickly sank to the bottom of the pool while I held onto Todd's legs that were moving way too much, I had to let go so I could get a breath (oxygen comes in handy), causing him to lose balance and momentum...it was a fiasco!  We had to keep trying several times all the way across the pool with me trying to hold onto his ankles, kick, and get some air at the same time. ARRRGGGHHH!

So, we switched it around on the way back - he held onto MY ankles and I used my arms to swim. It actually worked ok that way. Whew - I saved face but just a little!

Then we did the snake relay, which was easy because it was all freestyle - yay.

I am truly humbled to swim with such a talented group of people. But I think next year, I might just sleep in the day before Thanksgiving...