Go Away, "Groggy!"

Pretty much everyone is tired in the morning. I'm no exception. I'm one of those people who likes being up in the morning, but I don't like getting up in the morning. I sleep with the alarm not set more than set.

So, because I'd been so tired lately, I decided to just sleep in until my body woke me up. It woke me up at 9:00 a.m. After a few minutes, and especially after a few, comforting sips of coffee, I'm typically awake. This morning, and all throughout my day, I just could not shake the grogginess. I'm also recovering from some earache and sore jaw combo (I don't know how triathlon training could've caused that one!) and my stomache's been a little irritable lately.

I even tried to take a nap but Slumber was not putting out its welcome mat. I made plans to go for a slow, short walk with my friend, Becky, but after dinner, I started feeling crappy again so I didn't go. I've also had watery eyes and a runny nose all day. Gary thinks it's allergies. He's probably right so I'll be grabbing the Veramyst before I go to bed.

I soooo wanted to at least get in a swim today, but my body was begging me for a break - so I obliged. No training for me at all yet this week. My mind is in the pool and on the pavement, but my body's on the couch watching nothing on TV.

A Training Mistake

I knew before I started I shouldn't. It was Sunday evening, about 8:00 p.m. Gary and I had just gotten back from Frisch's where I had a chicken alfredo dish. I hadn't trained since Friday because of a stiff neck and I was itching to do something. It would be dark soon, so that meant I had to go as soon as we got home from the restaurant.

I decided to go for a 2 mile run. About a quarter mile into it, I started feeling bloated, but I pressed on. I made it through the run OK, but because my stomach was tight, this messed with my form as I couldn't keep the ChiRunning posture. I ended up walking the last couple minutes of my run. Obviously, I did more than a 10-minute mile.

I woke up in the middle of the night sick. I'm better now as I write this, but I should have listened to my body instead of forcing it.

Well, it was a lesson learned and today is a new day.

A Surprisingly Good Swim

I went swimming yesterday in Ann's pool. Taking a few-day break from swimming really gave me a great opportunity to get a fresh look at my form.

Today, I decided to just take my time and swim 750 yards, the distance of the race I want to do on 9/16. When I got to 400 yards, I looked at my time and it was about 20 minutes. During my tri on 6/28, I finished 400 yards in 27 minutes so this was good. It took me 34 minutes to complete my 750 yard goal.

I've learned many things about what I'm doing wrong with my form, and I won't bore you with the details, but this was the most interesting thing to date: I was winded during this swim, but it was a consistent windedness. Like, when I would stop to turn around I was fairly breathless, but I decided to push on. Pushing on in my fairly breathless state - if I kept the same pace - did not increase my breathlessness!

I'd been afraid that if I did this I would become so out of breath that I'd have to stop. This is really super cool and majorly encouraging!

A TRUE Open Water Swim

Gary went to the lake with me yesterday. We went to a different beach where the water's deeper. This is helpful because that's how it will be on race day and if there's one thing I've learned about triathlons it's "train like you'll be racing."

I would never go to the lake to swim alone, even with other people there, but more than just a swim-buddy, it was great having Gary there. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy, and I can kind of get stuck in taking baby steps when my steps could really be much bigger.

He's like, "Just swim. Stop thinking about swimming and just swim from here to this buoy to start."

Once I got relaxed, I was able to do it. I think I swam freestyle more today in training today than I did on race day. Training in Ann's pool the last couple weeks really helped me take it to the lake. I'm definitely seeing improvement already, but I have a long way to go.

I'm going to call the Park Office tomorrow to see if anyone knows how far apart the buoys are placed. That will undoubtedly be the weirdest question they'll have received, but I'm an expert at asking weird questions and if I get my answer, who cares?

The Smells That Linger

One of the great things about riding a bike along the highway is that when you pass by honeysuckle, the wonderful fragrance lasts longer than if you'd just ridden by in a car.

By the same token, the pungent smell of roadkill does the same.

What a Way to be Humbled

I had actually seen this video on the Ironman's website a few months ago. It was a little different and actually had interviews with the father and son. It was moving then.

A couple days ago, this came to me in a forward. Read the story and then click on the link to watch the video. As someone who wants to do an Ironman someday (2010?) and who has just gotten into the sport, it makes my accomplishments pale in comparison.

Here's the text of the e-mail:
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The son asked his father, "Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?"

The father who, despite having a heart condition, said, "Yes." They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to do other marathons, the father always saying "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, "Dad, let's do the Ironman together."

To which, his father said, "Yes."

For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and ends with a 26.2 mile marathon.

Father and son went on to complete the race together. View this race at:
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

Another Video

(Adjust your volume before hitting Play)

I am an active member of http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/. This is where I get 95% of my information and where I log and track my training and races. If you're interested in triathlons, you must go there.

Well, they are having a raffle to win a new bike, this new bike: https://www.valdoracycles.com/valdora_ac-tri_triathlon_bike_105.asp

To be eligible for the raffle, you have to make a video about yourself and post it in your profile. So, that's what I did.

With all that work going into it, I decided to post it here, too. It's really, really cheesy and these are the only pictures I've got of myself on my computer, but I hope you enjoy. Be sure to scroll down to 6/28/08 to watch the video about my first triathlon if you haven't already.

Thanks for stopping by.

My Trophy

So, Gary leaves to go to the post office a couple days ago, but he takes longer than usual. I don't think anything of it. He then goes out later to get some Pepsi.

As he walks from the garage through the kitchen, I see him carrying a trophy. At first I thought he was bringing in one of his from the barn from high school. But something else he has in his hand clues me in otherwise. He is carrying a card.

I said, "What did you do?" but I already knew the answer. I didn't place in my triathlon, so I didn't get any awards. He went out and got me a trophy that reads: "Lora Abernathy, 2008 Triathlete." How sweet is that?

The card congratulated me for defying the odds. How sweet is that?

One Week After

About this time, one week ago, Gary and I were just about to walk into the house after driving back from my tri. I can't believe it's been a week. It feels like yesterday.

I'm still deciding on which tri to do in September. This one http://hfpracing.com/eventinfo.php?eventid=44 is in Akron, 3 hours away. Since my friend Becky is out with injuries this season (boo), she probably won't be able to go with me and that means I'd go by myself. I'd just make it into a nice little "me" trip which could be fun.

The pros are that it's a shorter swim (250 yards) than the one I just did (440 yards), the bike is shorter (7 miles) than the one I just did (12 miles) and the run is the same. Plus, it's a women's only which helps take down the intimidation level.

The cons are that it's 3 hours away, the bike is shorter (7 miles seems too easy now that I've been training for 12) and the run is the same. Plus, Gary won't be able to come.

The other one is about 45 minutes away. http://www.hfpracing.com/eventinfo.php?eventid=48
The pros are that the bike will be 12 miles and the run is one mile longer (3 miles) than the one I just did (2 miles). It's close to home, Gary said he might even come (even though I told him he never has to go to another one) and they even have race packet pick-up the day before so I wouldn't have to get up so early the day of. Oh, and I could go up one day beforehand and ride the course to be familiar with it already.

The cons are the swim is a half-mile, and I just barely made it through a quarter mile, and it's co-ed.

Well, having listed that all out, it sounds like I just need to swim, swim, swim, swim, swim 'cause the last one definitely has the most pros. I'll keep you posted.