Almost time to go back to real life.

I'm still in Pittsburgh. Today is my off day and it has been nice to have a break. The one bad thing is that my lower back/right hip has been hurting. I think it might be because of my really cute new shoes, which makes me sad. I really like those shoes! I have really had a nice time in Pittsburgh, but not really because I like Pittsburgh. It has been wonderful to not have to worry about making dinner or breakfast or lunch. Its been a nice break from the office and I have had a loved just chilling at night. I've been fed by 6pm every night and then can go back to the hotel, workout and go to sleep. I really had no idea this would be such a break. I had no idea I really needed one but I guess I did. Most trips are just giant PITAs but this has been a pleasant surprise. I don't like the city much though, its a little scary and I'm sure lots of people will take offense to me saying that. I do really miss the swimming and I'll have to play catch up next week. I am due for a down week next week, but I'm going to put it off for a week. The week after next I am going to be in Edmonton for an AAPT meeting and that would be the perfect week to go easy. On top of that I have the New Jersey Tri the weekend after the meeting so it will be a nice taper. AAPT should be a bunch of fun. I've lost a little weight so I went to the mall today and got some new fun going out clothes. I actually had fun shopping and I have a great new skirt. If only the cute shoes didn't hurt my back....

Proper Doctor vs. Other Doctor

Ok, I am blogging while watching the last Doctor Who. The Doctor and Rose finally met up and.... they hugged! WTF after 2 years of sexual repression on both of their parts I was hoping for an all out snog-fest not a damn hug! RTD I am not a fan..... ok, back to it.

Done. WTF!!!!!!!!! Well, Rose is with a doctor, but not the real Doctor, the proper Doctor. So I am conflicted. Rose has what she wants and will spend her life with a doctor. It was pretty bloody obvious as soon as the other "doctor" was created, but Proper Doctor will still roam the universe as a lonely little boy. How can he keep making himself so sad? How can Rose spend her life with Other Doctor when he isn't traveling which is like his whole existence? Its all so wrong and right at the same time. Oh, and River Song is Other Doctor and Rose's baby. Just a thought. Why do I only like romance with aliens? Oh yeah and there were some Daleks or something and some stuff blew up and the earth was saved.

I did a treadmill workout tonight. Traveling really sucks when it comes to working out. I did a speed workout but it is so hard to do that on a treadmill because you can't change speed quickly. I want to do things outside! At least I am lucky enough to have access to a treadmill and weight machines while I am here.

Oh that Doctor Who just has me so bummed!!!!! And it won't be on again until 2010. I am in such a bad mood! And Captain Jack was in it and there was still almost no snogging!!!!! And Other Doctor and Rose's one snog wasn't even that good!!!! I've seen her in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, I know she can do better than that!

Alohomora

I'm in Pittsburgh for work and because I drove up I was lucky enough to be able to bring the Firebolt and my trainer. I love it when I am able to watch a Harry Potter movie while on the trainer because there is something so cool about getting to be on the Firebolt while watching Harry on his. Why do they even bother to lock doors at Hogwarts? It seems they taught everyone the spell to unlock a door in their first year so why go through the trouble of the lock? Yes I know that there are charms and such that can prevent the use of the standard unlocking spell, but really, how on earth is there a market for the good old fashion dead bolt in the wizarding world? Yet every door is fully equipped with the useless piece of hardware. So silly!

In other news I did NOT watch the season finale of Doctor Who so I could work out. I could have watched it while on my trainer but that is like doing two things at once and I want to be able to fully pay attention to Doctor Who. I actually chose working out over the Doctor, now that's commitment!

Harbo and Samuelsen

In trying to post more, I am going to post today too! I didn't actually do my trainer workout last night because I got to screwing around on the internet and time flew by and then it was just too late. It will all get done though. After my mental freak out yesterday I had two people say things to me that made me feel better. First, Ned said that when he can't concentrate on his dissertation, which is due in a few weeks, he thinks of how hard I worked on mine and the will it took to get it done ( I didn't sleep for 40 hours at one point). Seeing how hard I can push myself helps him push himself. Then my friend Rob said that thinking about how hard I train made him run an extra mile on his daily run. These both made me happy because it means I am helping other people work towards their goals and push themselves harder. I like that. Everyone is so much stronger than they think they just need to find that little voice that says "hell no you are not giving up now! run up that damn hill!" When I'm feeling like I want to give up I start singing the Ballad of Harbo and Samuelsen. They rowed across the Atlantic ocean in 55 days and 13 hours. A record that still stands. How can I give up after a 90 min. run when they rowed 21 hours a day for 55 days after being capsized and half starved to death? Oh and then on the way back, the boat they were on, powered by steam, ran out of fuel and rather than have their precious boat, the Fox, burned they got off the steamer, back in the Fox and rowed home! What on earth do I have to complain about compare to that!

So far I've done a 3,000 yard swim today. It felt ok, but I get pushed so much harder with the DCTri club swims that I feel like such a slacker without them. Tonight I will actually do a workout on the trainer. Oh I remember the days when a three mile run was a workout. Now it seems to be a warm up.

The Chinese Food Incident

Again, I'm going to start blogging more. Since moving to DC without Ned, I feel like I've had a lot to say and no one to say it to. Training for Ironman Arizona is in full swing. I'm in week six and I'm holding up about like I thought I would. I'm at a mental low right now. I hurt a lot and I am tired a lot, but I keep getting better and my body isn't breaking down so I consider that a success. It was hard to start again because I keep remembering what I used to be able to do and it is hard to have to start behind that. But every week I get stronger. I went for a run today and did pretty well for me. It hurt at the end but I kept thinking that everyone hurts at points like that and that it is the ones that keep going through the hurt that are called ironmen. What I didn't realize was how little I had eaten today. I kept getting cramps and at the very end I had to stop for a second and I almost passed out. I manged to finish the run with a "run" up the big hill at the end.

As soon as I got home I ate, but I just haven't been able to eat recently. Nothing looks tasty and I see everything as "unhealthy." I have to get over that if I want to finish this thing. When I get cravings for food I have to let myself give in because I'm just excited I want to eat. Last night I wanted Chinese food like nothing else. I ordered on line and finally after an hour of not getting my food I called and they said they never got my order. Now not only was I really really hungry, I wasn't going to get my food. Well, low blood sugar makes me do stupid stuff and I kicked the refridgerator really hard. My foot is ok but I must be getting really strong because there is now a dent in the fridge. A lot of the reason I don't want to eat is because I have been losing so much weight and I love it. Something switches in my head and I don't want to put anything "unhealthy" in my body and then everything becomes "unhealthy" and there is nothing I will let myself eat. That's why the Chinese food incident made me so upset, I had finally found something I wanted to eat and I had decided to give in. Tonight I finally got Chinese food but my blood sugar is so low I feel rather nauseated and can't seem to choke it down.
I have also been having some mental doubts. I never feel that anything I do is good enough. I try to pick the hardest things I can think of and then I realize that it is actually nothing special. Then I think of what would be special and it is always one step further. Like now I think that only Hawaii counts and that Arizona is not a "real" ironman. I just wish I could be "done" and "good enough" but I guess I will never get there.....

Well, back to trying to eat what I wanted to eat yesterday and can't seem to eat today. Oh, that and the bike trainer, I have one more workout today!

I haven't posted in a while, which is normal I guess. I am now in DC in a new job and trying to figure out workouts. I took so much time off to write my dissertation that I don't even know how to do it anymore. I feel bad and I haven't been able to find that place in me that pushes through that point and keeps going. I've only been running twice in the past three weeks. Running is my biggest weakness and I just can't seem to get out the door. I did manage an hour on the trainer last night and I think I at least started to feel mentally strong again. Though it is hard when you are not moving anywhere..... I know I am still in off-season phase and I don't want to get burned out and my body just needs to get used to working out again. It is harder than I thought when your whole support system and all your training partners are 1,800 miles away. As is always the case, I had no idea how much support I had until I moved away from it. Maybe writing this all down will get me out the door. I need to post pictures... everyone likes pictures!

Half Iron Race Report

So I haven't posted in a while, but I thought I should at least post my Longhorn Half Iron race report, mostly so I would have it to look back on some day. I'm just going to post what I sent to my BMC e-mail list serv:

Time: 6:44:17 (yes, that six HOURS!)
Calories Burned: ~5,000
Toe nails remaining: 4
Fire ant bites: 3
Current ability to walk: minimal
Lessons learned:
-Drink lots more water on the bike
-Eat more gel on the bike
-Slow the f*ck down on the bike you still have a run you moron!
-Cut your toenails
-If you are going to attempt to do a 13.1 mile run after a bike and swim,
train the running!


Thanks for all the good weather thoughts, it helped. It wasn't that hot
until the run. The bike was beautiful.

So the long and short of it is that all the whining I seemed to be doing
about the weather making the events too easy, well this was not too easy. The swim felt good and I love long swims because people start out
sprinting and get way ahead and I just stay steady and I pass some of them
around the 800m mark as they have burned all their energy. I finished
strong and beat a girl who had been on my tail. that always make me happy.
I got on the "firebolt" and started the ride part. Really uneventful
except for the fact I notice that I was going pretty fast and if I could
keep it up, I would have a fantastic time. So I kept it up and pushed
really hard. The last 6 miles were brutal and the last hill "big bastard"
was bad, but I finished! My friends were cheering part way through the
bike course and that gave me a lot of confidence. One of my friends had
done a half iron last year and I was gunning to beat his time. He was
great to hear him tell me to keep going and beat him good :) At the end
of the bike, I put on my running shorts and started the run.
As soon as I started I thought I was going to die. Like pass out
and get carried off in a stretcher. After the 1st mile I really really
really thought about giving up. There is nothing like feeling like you
are going to pass out 1 mile into a 13 mile run. I just could think
about how far I still had to go. I thought I would just get to the first
water station, have some water and Gatorade and see how I felt in a bit. Needless to say there was very little actual running going on and I would
hesitate to even call it walking.... I passed my friends again and they
lied through their teeth and told me I looked great. It helped. I was
originally going to run 3 miles and run 1. That was quickly changed to
walk up hill, walk the aid stations, and if you feel up to it, run the
rest. I stuck with it for 3 miles, drinking two glasses of water each
station and running with ice nestled snugly in my sports bra. I cooled
down a bit, got my legs working, and started the running again. I can't
even tell you how close I was to giving up in those first 3 miles. I
walked every uphill and a bit at every aid station. I saw my friends and
Ned 4 times though out the course. The second time I saw them I could
tell they were relieved that I was looking better. I survived the run, and
it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Each step was hard.
When I hit mile 12 I told myself I was going to run all the way to the
end. I made it as far as the next aid station, and walked to the point
where I came out of the woods and people could see me again. I did run
the finish, but damn, that was not easy. That run was just about the
worst thing ever. All of my whining that previous events didn't count,
and that I wasn't placing as high as I wanted, all of that was taken away
by that run. It made up for everything. I can truly say that event took
everything I had. Literally. That was so f&cking hard.
It is done now, I didn't get last, I beat my friend's time (he is ok
with this level of competitiveness, he tries to bring it out in me), and I
am, for the first time in 7 events this summer, just feeling like I
accomplished something amazing. Whatever I felt like I needed to prove
this summer, I just proved it. I could have gotten dead last in this
event I would would be strutting around today like I owned the world. Out
of a field of ~900 30 people didn't finish, but I wasn't one of them!!!
I went to lunch/dinner with my friends and Ned afterward and managed to
sit up long enough to realize that I didn't want to eat anything. My
blood sugar was so low that I was so nauseated I couldn't eat. I forced
myself to eat a bit and felt better. By the time I got home I really
couldn't move anymore. I took a shower that involved a lot of sitting on
the edge of the tub. I was so sick to my stomach and tired and sore. I
knew I had to keep eating or it would just get worse. Ned says one of the
funnies things he's seen is me trying to force feed myself ho-hos.
Normally I need no coercion..... I woke up at about midnight and felt a
lot better. I slept until 9am this morning and I feel close to normal,
but really really sore.

damn that was hard. I'll forget by next week and sign up for something
else stupid I'm sure.

If you want to see pictures, here's the link:

Pictures

Click on "Longhorn Half Iron" and search for 749, or Thompson-Flagg


I did sign up for something else stupid, Arizona 2008, Nov. 23rd. Yep, I'm going to try it.... I'm going to try to post about training here, but we'll see what happens. :)