August by the Numbers

I like to perform a tally each month to keep me honest. I have my 2nd ever Oly coming up in a month. I thought it would be fitting to compare my August stats with those from April since both are the month prior to an Oly. Here's how it stacks up.

Swim: August -5400M, April -10,800

No surprise. I have new logistical issues keeping me from getting to the pool as often as I had in the past. However, one thing in my favor is a few open water swims in August vs. none in April.

Bike: August - 254 miles, April - 121 miles

Historically, this has been my weakest link, and I've made an effort to spend more time in the saddle and work on my base. I hope it pays off at Elephant Man. If nothing else, I'm starting to enjoy cycling. :)

Run: August- 43 miles, April - 42.5

Basically a wash. With the half-mary coming next weekend, I wish this month's mileage had been higher. But it is what it is.

Races: August - nada, April - nada

I feel good, and I'm ready for whatever September might have in store. Bring it on!!

workout schedule

It's getting close to the end of the month where I tally some stats to keep me honest. I know in advance that my cycling will be the highest ever. Swimming and running...not so much. But this is okay, I've shifted focus to work on my weak area and I've learned that cycling is actually a lot of fun, not necessarily something to dread. Now that the kids are back in school, I can't manage very many two-a-days, so that is also affecting running. In the summer, I could squeeze in some 2-4 mile runs in the afternoon a few days a week. Now those are gone...

Here's what my workout schedule currently looks like (going back to last Friday). After this I have one week 'til the half mary and a few after that 'til Elephant Man.

Fri : 1 mile open water swim
Sat: 30-35 mile bike
Sun: 9-11 mile run & watch IMLOU
Mon: 13 mile bike (to work&back)
Tue: OFF
Wed: 13 mile bike (to work&back)
Thu: strength/core
Fri: 2000M swim & 4-6 mi run
Sat: 35-40 mile bike
Sun: 7-9 mile run

Perspective

I have my first ever half-marathon in less than two weeks and I don't feel prepared. I think there's a good chance that I'll be one of the last runners out there (again). Disappointing reality rears its ugly head again.

Normally, this wouldn't bother me too much, but with the Ironman hootinanny this weekend, and the Ironman festivities the day that I am scheduled to run said half-marathon, I am left feeling pretty lame about my abilities (or lack-thereof).

Ironically, a friend happened to send me an article by John Bingham where he writes about choosing to view running, any form of running, as a gift. Somehow I had momentarily forgotten that point, but it is so true.

That article was just what I needed today. I'll close with a few of his words.

"So if you see me smiling while I'm running, don't be surprised. What I know for sure is that I am the best runner I know how to be and the best runner that I'm willing to be. That might not be much, baby, but it's all I've got." - John Bingham

Finally - Bike photos

First, My Giant is being re-purposed as my work-horse commuter. I need a few more things for this transformation to be completed; specifically, a good headlight/taillight set. It won't be long and my morning commutes will be starting before the sun comes up.

Second, My new LeMond Versailles carbon fibre bike is being customized to my liking. I know the blue sidewall tires don't match very well, but that is the color that Performance stocks in my preferred tire (Vrendstein Fortezza TriComp). They also come in a black or grey which would look nicer, but I can't find those locally. Don't be surprised if/when I find them, I switch them out in vain if the blue hasn't faded enough by then. And if anyone is looking to send me an early Christmas present, well, hint hint hint. LOL.

I found that buying a bike is a very personal thing. I did try a lot of bikes over the course of a month including tribikes and kept coming back to this one because it is simply a joy to ride. And ride it, I have. :)

Ten Things I've Learned since Husband Started Cycling

1) Every bike rider needs to take along his/her own pump, tire levers, spare tubes.

2) Thinking the other person has it covered is not a good strategy.

3) Knowing how to do a few basic bicycle maintenance tasks is powerful.

4) Passing this knowledge on to a man...priceless.

5) Bike trainers can be a good investment.

6) The Tour de Cubs is ongoing even as I type (Husband on trainer watching Cubs on TV).

7) I missed out on a lot when I was riding by myself. Okay, I actually learned this before he started cycling, but I'm reminded everytime I ride with him now vs. riding alone.

8) "Let's go at a speed that can be maintained for hours" means something totally different to him than it does to me. "Let's go at a speed that *I* can maintain for hours" is much more clear.

9) "Why are you having trouble keeping up?" isn't meant to be derogatory and is no cause for an argument. He is just seeking to understand.

10) Why I bought my pretty new LeMond carbon fiber road bike still escapes him, but he knows riding it makes me smile because he was right there with me when I was smiling. :)

Yes, I know I owe photos and info on said new bike...patience, my friends.

This-n-That

On Naming the Blog:
Appreciate all the feedback on renaming my blog. I don't want to steal someone else's blog name, so I think Chasing Rabbits is out, but I'm leaning toward something similar, Chasin' Bunnies. There is a secondary meaning with that phrase...

The Cyst Situation:
Had a pelvic ultrasound on Friday to take a look at the cyst. The right ovary shows just a tiny little bubble on it at this point. The technician thinks that the painful cyst ruptured and this is all that is remaining. Sounds reasonable to me, as I went from excutiating pain to basically no pain practically overnight. The bad news is that the ultrasound showed a cyst on the left side as well.

Sittin' in the Saddle:
I have done a lot of bike riding this weekend; probably ~80miles total, possibly more. That is a lot for me. It included about 15miles testing my new bike before I bought it and another 35miles after I brought it home. New bike deserves a post of its own, so stay tuned for more detail sometime this week when I have more energy to post about it.

Legs Veto Long Run:
For my long run this morning, I took Bandit with me to chase bunnies up a hill and back for a total of 2 miles. I returned him to home, picked up my hydration belt, and ran up the hill again and back...2 more miles. Then I decided to run to a point that is 3 miles from home...that takes me to 7 miles. I figured, just another half mile out before turning around and I'd get in a good 11 miles today.

However, on the return trip, my legs demanded that we stop at mile 8. Done. Finshed. Kaput. Husband bailed me out by car so I didn't have to be late for church.

Too Much of a Good Thing?
So, what went wrong? I don't think it was a nutrition issue. I really didn't bonk, my legs just hurt too much to keep going. I'm thinking that I basically over did it this weekend on the bike. At my current fitness level, it was not a good idea to bike so much two days in a row (Fri and Sat) and then try to follow it up with a long run Sunday morning. Live and learn. I shall rest tomorrow.

Re-naming this blog

Lisa TRI-ing to be Fit just doesn't capture my attitude about fitness anymore so I want to rename this blog. I'm not creating a new one, just changing the title. It might mess up bloglines.

Here's were my head's at. My whole attitude about this is that crossing the finish line pretty much rocks no matter how long it takes. Things that used to seem impossible, suddenly seem possible. Every day that I can do this I am blessed. I truly relate to the Tortoise - hence the Slow&Steady moniker attached to my signature (which I intend to keep).

Names I've thought about:

• Keep Moving Forward or Still Moving Forward- the mantra Bubba shared with me that kept me going during Buffman Squeaky this year. It is also what went through my head on my 10mile run on Sunday
• Finish Smiling or Always Finish Smiling - one of my over-riding goals in every race (as in "have fun and...")
• Chasing Rabbits - relates to being a Tortoise at the back-of-the-pack
• Because I Can - the reason why I do this!!
• Slow&Steady - to match the moniker and better tie in the whole tortoise and the hare thing.

What do you think and/or do you have any good ideas? At some point I may put this up for a vote. In any event, I'll warn you in advance. :)

Ten happy things

I am feeling a LOT better today. And things are just good. Here's a quick list of ten happy things.

1) I have a new IPOD shuffle. I kept wanting one but wouldn't buy it. I wanted to win one somehow. Well, we finally got one as a gift for opening a new account, which we wanted to do anyway. Booyah!
2) Son loaded up my shuffle with a selection of music to help with half-marathon training. Tested it out this morning on my 10 mile run. The shuffle ROCKS.

3) Yes, boys and girls, you read that right. I completed a 10 mile run this morning. This is awesome on many fronts. First, I am feeling a lot better with regard to that whole cyst thing. Second, today was my longest run ever and I really didn't expect to be able to go that far given my physical condition earlier this week. Third, I'm feeling more confident about my ability to actually complete the half-marathon after the run today.

4) The Park Party was a lot of fun. Son & I won the three-legged race. All we won was bragging rights, so I'm using them now. LOL

5) I have a comfy new seat and pedals on their way thanks to a decent sale at Performance.com. I'm going to be ready when I get around to buying my new bike. I'm leaning toward a full carbon road bike. Maybe I'll make a final decision next weekend.

6) I also bought Husband a pair of bike shorts, which I think he will appreciate. I hope that will make it easier to talk him into going on longer rides with me. His only complaint from Saturday was a sore rear.

7) I'm really liking Accelerade. Primarily, I notice improvement in recovery since I've started using it.

8) Husband made tiramusu from scratch last night. Yummmmmm. It doesn't quite match the theme of the other items on my list, but life isn't just about training!!

9) My new fuel belt is working okay. It has four 6oz (I think a little more fits in there) bottles on it to spread the weight around. It's comfortable and I think this will be okay for half marathon training and the half marathon itself. I'll still need to stop at aid stations for some extra hydration. Today I made a quick stop home after mile 8, ditched the belt, and picked up my dog for two more miles. When I go further, I'll do roughly the same thing, picking the belt back up after dropping off the dog.

10) I need to clean and lube my chain. The fact that I know how to do this makes me happy. I also like it when it's all clean and pretty. So I'm looking forward to it.

There ya' have it. After a cruddy week and some disappointment, I've perked back up and am all smiley and happy again.

On the mend

I started feeling like I was coming back to life on Friday and decided to go for a run. I took Bandit out with me for 2 miles, brought him back, and did one more mile on my own. It was difficult, uncomfortable, and slow. I guess I wasn't feeling quite as much better than I thought, but at least I got out of the house and moved my body.

I also took my son to the HS for registration, which is something I always dread. It seems so disorganized and takes forever. When we were leaving, my son said something like: "Mom, I feel bad for the people who have to be there all day working at each of the stations. People get cranky about the lines and take it out on the people who are working, but it isn't their fault." Yep, he's quite the observant and considerate young man. Makes a Mamma' proud :)

This morning, Husband & I went on a 30-35mile bike ride. Cycling seems to be much easier on my body than running. I let him lead for most of it. At one point he was maintaining a 17-18MPH pace, too fast for me! I caught up and kindly asked him to please slow down. Afterall, I need him to stay close and protect me from the creepy people that we occasionally come across. Somewhere in the middle of the ride, I accidently reset my bike computer, so the exact stats from the ride are lost.

This afternoon, the kids & I took the cats to a shot clinic. Our female is pretty good, she got a little freaked out by some barking dogs, but otherwise did great. Our male was terrible. I am sure that he called the vet all kinds of bad names in cat language. He was HISSED! They basically had to put him in a little kitty straight jacket to complete the exam and give him his shots. He's not aggressive at home, but he really doesn't like going to the vet.

Tomorrow, if I'm up for it, I'm going to attempt a long run in the morning. In the afternoon, our church is sponsoring a Park Party community. Son is working food, and Daughter is doing face painting.

Enjoy the weekend!!

Like a revolving door

I'm OUT - no Socorro Triathlon for me this weekend. The CT scan stuff (drinking the contrast material and being injected with iodine) made me sick and dehydrated. Plus I still have the pain. I contacted the race director and my entry has been forwarded to next year's race. Yes, I'm disappointed, and in fact, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Time to move on and look forward.

I'm IN - just signed up for Elephant Man, the oly at the end of September.

Tagged!

Tagged by both Molly and GeekGirl!

Jobs I've Held:
fast food preparer at Burger King
child care provider at a church
jewelry seller from a cart at Portside by the Maumee River in Toledo
BASIC instructor for kids at a Computer Camp
Co-op engineer (worked in QA, diffusion, & product engineering)
Engineer and/or Engineering Group Leader (worked in Yield Analysis, Product Engineering, Quality & Reliability Engineering, Defect Reduction)
Program Manager (supporting software engineering quality systems using CMMI as the framework)

Places I've lived:
Toledo, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Findlay, Ohio
Albuquerque, NM
Corrales, NM

Movies I can Watch Over & Over:
Shrek
Mary Poppins
Napolian Dynamite

My guilty pleasures:
ice cream
red wine
dark chocolate
ebay

Shows I enjoy:
Survivor
American Idol
Scrubs
The office
Monk

Places I've been on vacation:
Maui
California
Colorado
Florida
Kentucky
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
Illinois
Paris
Stockholm
Vermont
Michigan
Wisconsin
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Texas
Indiana
Maine
Massechusetts
Niagra Falls
Copenhagen
Cancun
Arizona
Toronto
Sydney
Melbourne
Canberra
Hamilton Island (great barrier reef)
Auckland

also been to Dublin, Shanghai, & Bangalore for work and got to go sightseeing :)

Favorite Foods
Butter Chicken (an Indian dish)
Pizza with pepporoni & mushrooms
Sea Bass
Lobster
Potatoes
Ice Cream (does that count as food??)

Websites I visit Daily:
your blogs!!

Body Parts I have injured:
pinky finger, left hand (broken 3 times)
ring finger, right hand (broken once)
left forearm (burned)
head (concussion)
chin (split open)
left wrist (split open)
right knee (split open)
right adductor or abductor, I forget which
lower back (torn muscle)

Awards I've won
(may fill this in later, or not)

Nicknames I've been called:
Lee
Lee Lee
Brainy
Pokie
Mommy :)

Tag others:
Vickie, ShyTriGirl, Marcy, Javamom, Brendaj

(hopefully i'll update with links later, otherwise, sorry 'bout that)

Update

Thank you all for your thoughts, comments, well wishes, prayers, etc.

After a few hours being home yesterday, I decided 'better safe than sorry' and took myself to ER. I spent about 8 hours at the hospital having various unpleasantries done to me including an abdominal CT scan to get a good look at my internal organs and pinpoint the cause of my pain. For those of you who don't know, a CT scan of this sort includes drinking a ridiculous amount of a foul tasting "contrast material" and being injected with iodine. Not fun.

Anyway, the results showed that I am NOT suffering from appendicitis. Instead, the pain is coming from an ovarian cyst. This is actually a much better scenario. I was dismissed with after-care instructions including a follow-up visit next week. I am very happy to know that this will NOT require a CT scan, but simply an utrasound. What happens next is still up in the air, but there is a much better chance of having this work itself out than if it had been my appendix. So YAY!

I came home with a prescription for percocet which did a lovely job of taking the pain away, but had the unfortunate side effect of making me feel like I was 'flying' all night. Apparently, flying takes a lot out of a person because this morning I feel like I was in a boxing match with a kangaroo and lost.

I'm staying home today and hope to be back at work tomorrow.

I need to decide what to do about the race this weekend. I can tell you one thing, when I was waiting for the test results and thinking over the scenario of needing surgery and what recovery would mean, I realized (once again) how blessed we are every day that we are actually ABLE to get up in the morning and run, bike, and/or swim. It's so easy to take that for granted.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your week.

Bummer...

Woke up this morning with a sharp knife-like pain in my lower right abdomen. Went into work, but the pain was bothering me quite a bit and my co-workers talked me into heading off to urgent care.

I'm back home at the moment on a clear fluids diet with instructions for what sypmtoms indicate a trip to ER would be prudent. It seems I may have appendicitis. I am not happy about this at all.

I've done a little research online since coming home. While it is entirely possible for this to work itself out without surgery, it doesn't look very probable. I wonder if I just ought to head over to ER there right now and get it over with rather than try this clear liquids thing. While I definately don't want to spend the day at the hospital or have surgery if I don't need to, I also don't want to waste time hoping this will get better on its own and end up in a really bad situation.

Anyway, if I go MIA for a few days, you'll know what happened. :(

I might not be fast, but...

Somewhere in the past few days I came across a saying that seems more and more fitting as time goes on. I would like to credit the source, but I can't for the life of me remember where I saw/heard that. However, it's stuck in my head and I kinda' like it.

I skipped a swim workout one morning because my toe nail polish was chipping. I repainted them and went the next morning and thought "I may not be fast, but at least I look good"

I was all giddy when my second pair of running shoes this time turned out to have some pink detail and thought to myself, "I may not be fast, but at least I'll look good"

I was disappointed when the GoGirl! shirt didn't fit, because I may not be fast, but I wanted to look good.

I still love the blue tape in my handlebars because I may not be fast, but at least it looks good.

I was actually really happy with my finish pics after Buffman Squeaky even though I finished 4th from last because in my mind, I may not be fast, but at least I looked good.

I have a sprint triathlon next weekend. Now, what should I wear? Afterall, I know I'm not fast...

Short version of my training since having checked into the blog earlier this week: I swam, I biked, and I biked some more.

I got up this morning to go run, but here I sit on my rear end instead. It's pretty much a given that I'll regret this later today when I end up running in 90deg heat.

In other news, my list of reasons why bicycles are better than cars just keeps growing.

On Thursday I had decided to go offsite to have lunch with Husband. I should have been on my bike that day, but was exhausted from the ride the day before, so I drove in. As much of a pain in the neck fixing a flat on a bike is....multiply that times a hundred when you have a flat on a vehicle...in a crowded parking lot....at 12:30 in the afternoon....dressed for work...

Oh, it gets better. Friday, we were all ready to take the tire up to a local shop to see if it can be repaired...and the car won't start. Good golly, what next? We finally got the car going and the tire taking in...and there's damage to the sidewall and it can't be repaired, it needs to be replaced. Of course.

Lucky for me, once we got home, I only needed to walk my bike about 100yards before I could hop on and ride off into the sunset and leave my car worries behind. And that's pretty much what I did...

Accelerade, Cycling, and more

The good people of Accelerade found me via my blog and asked me to try out their product and blog about my experiences (as well as post on their website). I agreed.

Thirty 20-oz bottles of Accelerade arrived at my doorstep, and I've used it on two bike rides so far.

The first time, I tried the flavor that is colored blue. I didn't think it had much taste at all, which was a good thing. The second time, I tried the flavor that is colored orange. It had a more noticble taste, but wasn't overbearing. I really don't like sweet stuff. I've never been a soda drinker and didn't put sugar in my coffee when I was a coffee drinker. Most sports drinks are too sickly sweet for me. I have two more flavors to try, but so far, Accelerade is right on the money with regard to taste.

I have felt better during and after the rides with Accelerade than I have in the past. Is it the sports drink or just my own experience? Not sure yet, but I'm looking forward to using this product some more.

Shout out to SW TriGal and GeekGirl
who worked around my schedule and let me come on a 45mile ride today ( I took vacation, but still had an important phone conference to join mid-day). It was an *awesome morning* for a bike ride because we got what the rare cloudy sky!! However, it still totally wore me out. I'm in awe of you folks that put in huge mileage week after week after week.

I've been sitting on my rear this evening and honestly don't want to get up. Bring me my pillow, I think I'll just sleep right here. Thx.