A Good Ass Kicking!

Well I'm back at it. I met Dave at the gym for one of my favorite workouts. If I ever have a choice between workouts it will always be the gym...I LOVE IT. Or maybe I love all the mirrors...hummmm Anyway, I was changing shoes before I left and my arms and legs were shaking!

Dave has increased the amount of weight that I lift, which is always okay with me. (I hate it when he hands me anything below 15lbs....hate it!) Rick commented on my arms today... apparently seeing my biceps muscle without flexing is sexy ;) Every muscle from the waist up is sore right now. I think sore muscles release some chemical in my brain that says "give me more!" because I'd do it all again tomorrow if I could. Maybe I should trade in Ironman for a body building contest!!!

So this was a pretty bad week but as always Dave is supportive and positive about where I'm at in my training. Ironman is pretty far away so really I just need to maintain my position until after the New Year. Then it's full on and eeks...I'm scared. He's going to give me a workout schedule that I'll post for you to see. That should keep me on track!

I'm back

Yep..that's right baby! I'm done with this funk and I'm ready to put my heart back into this. I woke up early and knew that before anything I had to get outside for a run. First things first..I jogged around the block with my dogs for a warm up.

Here we go! I didn't really have a route plan but rather a just get your ass outside plan. I started on 36th and Cactus and ended up on Tatum before I started to feel my calf cinch up on me. This was the slowest jog ever but I started to walk so that my injury did not get worse and maybe work the cramp out some. From Tatum back home I did a walk/jog with the intent of keeping my leg warmed up but not too stressed out. My last mistake was pushing through the pain and now a week later I'm still paying for it.... It so happens that my next event is the Chang's 1/2 marathon and I have no intentions of walking it! It was so slow this morning I'm embarrassed to even call it a jog....but...what am I gonna do....

Good luck to everyone doing the 24hr bike race this weekend. I wish I could do it with you!

To better days

So I'm starting to feel better. Thanks for your emails and messages...and thanks to Christine for the nice bike ride yesterday.

It's been a pretty tough week for me with Rick gone...some post race depression and the lack of desire for anything other then candy bars and TV. I can't remember the last time I exercised so little. Maybe I did a total of 25 bike miles and one gym workout. I'm starting to feel better though. I woke up with a smile and plans for the day so that's a start. Rick will be home in three days so I still have a chance to enjoy this time to myself without indulging in chocolate the entire time.

I'm going for a nice easy jog tomorrow along the canal just to see how my calf feels and to detox some of the crap I've put down my pie-hole (mouth) this week. I'm looking forward to getting outside.....I've been hiding in this house since Monday and it's time to shower, brush my teeth and put my game face back on!

HERE I COME!

Pain...and Recovery

Last Saturday I ran just a little over 9 miles and it was great. I'm a little competitive when I know I can beat somebody and so my usual mind games had me picking people off one by one in order to win a race I concocted until it happened....my calf cramped up on me again. This pain is not like your typical muscle cramp. This pain is a deep, really sharp pain that takes several days and sometimes weeks for me to recover from. There I was, upset that my race was disrupted. The pain of walking was worse as my leg would stiffen up so I grit my teeth and shuffled...for about 4 miles. Pretty pissed at this point because I felt super and wanted to challenge my speed.

Yesterday I tried to run again and no...it's not ready yet. It was back to limping as soon as I stopped at just less then a 1/4 mile. I'm pretty frustrated at this point. The older I get the longer it takes to recover.

Rick and I went mountain bike riding and that doesn't really bother my calf much. As long as I stay on pretty flat trails I can manage just fine. By the way - I LOVE my new mountain bike!

Here is a call out to YOU...my readers. I'm having some motivation challenges. Please, send me your messages of encouragement - they are needed. What challenges have you overcome? I need to hear from you now more then ever since I only see my trainer twice a week. That's 5 days of exercise on my own and it's hard folks...really hard. Here is my hand...reaching out to yours...please help me up.

Obama/Biden

Find out where you go to vote here - My Voting Place -

Stolen Quote

After I posted this morning I found this great quote on the Irongeezelle website.

"It’s not that I had the courage to finish, but that I had the courage to start"

That pretty much says it all for me. I've gotten to the point where I don't understand when somebody doesn't want to push beyond what they know they can do. I don't understand the lack of excitement over some of these races that are real ass-kickers. I no longer understand how fear can dictate a persons life. Why wouldn't you want to see what you're made of? It's not a physical challenge for me but rather a mental one. The challenge will never start if we just continue to do things that we know we can do. How boring is that! Personally I prefer to walk towards my own fears and as long as I continue to do that, I'm a winner!

I'm in a funk

Do you ever feel that way? Like you're stuck in a funk? That's were I'm at now. No less motivated to exercise but bored and not sure what's next for me now that Soma is over. There are some open water swims around Ironman that Cliff told me about...I should probably do those and one is actually the 2.4 miles! Geez...I should try it and see how long it takes me?

Now that it's Nov I'm only seeing Dave twice a week until the end of Jan. Trying to save some $$ since Ironman costs $525 and Christmas is around the corner. It's REALLY stressing me out!! He's like a drug and I need my fix man! Give me my fix!!!

I think I've got some personal issues happening too. I'm turning 40 very soon and as it approaches I find myself looking back on my life and having more regrets then I'd like. Things are shifting and it can be scary.

I'm finally finished with Rick's website so give a look see.... www.SierraAdventureSports.com