Thursday, March 20, 2008

What's going on here?

I climbed Alto again Tuesday after running 6 miles that morning. I got back in the pool Wednesday and did 2000 yards, being very careful that I did not over do it and hurt my shoulder again. I did all my strength work Wednesday morning, too. I have an easy spin this evening on the trainer, and tomorrow morning I'm going for a long run. The plan says 2 hours, but I'm going for at least 15 miles. Then a swim. Saturday I have a big ride planned - 70 miles - followed by a 15 minute run-off. And I rest on Easter.

I feel good. My legs are sore from climbing the mountain Tuesday and then Wednesday's weights, but I don't care. It's a good sore. They don't feel as tired as they do strong. My swim is still struggling, but my shoulder didn't hurt as bad the last time in the pool. It's getting better, and it's been a wake up call that I HAVE to fix my stroke OR ELSE. When I keep my stroke wide and long, the shoulder doesn't hurt. When I go back to crossing in front, it screams at me. It might be just what I need. I'm not scared of any mountains around here any more. And my run is faster than ever.

I'm not really sure what to think about all of it, to be honest. Is this what Ironman training does for you? I thought I would get slower...and I might yet...but right now I feel stronger than ever. It's weird...but things have just been clicking. I feel focused and calm. My kids are doing the Country Music Kids Marathon, and their miles are ticking off nicely. They are also doing a youth duathlon in two weeks. Getting in these workouts that I thought was going to be impossible has just become second nature. And they are fun. They have purpose. I have a goal. And I'm moving towards it.

My hands were steady..
My eyes were clear and bright;
My walk had purpose...
My steps were quick and light,
And I held firmly
To what I felt was right...
Like a rock

-Bob Seger
Train hard and rest easy!!!

15 comments:

Christine said...

ahh! what a cute pic! you are doing amazing...and just remember these times when the harder times come. Remember how good it feels to just be kicking butt and feeling strong. Keep up all the great work!

Lauren Starks said...

You're doing so great! You're totally going to kick some ironass.

LeahC said...

first of all...love the hat, I do believe it's a Cubbie hat.

I also think you're amazing, getting all of your workouts in and having the full time responsibility of parenting. I can barely get my stuff in and the only thing that is dependent on me is my cat :-) keep up the great work lady.

Ellie Hamilton said...

Like a rock.... sounds like you!! You sound strong and you're going to have a great training season. It's too long since I've stopped in to see you.

Bob Seger, yeah.... I'm older now but I'm still runnin' against the wind...

TJ said...

Sounds like you are right on track.
Enjoy the 70-miler Saturday.

Bigun said...

I sure hope your bike is strapped in back there...you know the #1 cause of bike fatalities is careless transportation by thier owners in the back seat of automobiles. Just some FYI.

Steve Stenzel said...

It took me a while to get slower. I got stronger and stronger, and then started slowing after really ramping up the bike miles. If you DON'T slow down, you'll ROCK IT!! (and when I started slowing down, I didn't feel any worse - I still felt strong)

triguyjt said...

isn't it awesome how strong you feel???
you earned all that..

cute pic...whats the ballcap about? cap looks cool

Marathoner in Training said...

Glad to see that you are doing great, you are definately going to be ready for IM.

Wes said...

Who are you woman? I came by here looking for the Lana the Marathoner ;-) I empathize with the soreness, and I can't wait for my recovery week next week so I can rest up and feel all of these muscles I'm building recover a bit.

Sorry to hear about your shoulder! You have a great ride tomorrow! I'll be doing about half of that, but double the run off. One more step on the path to Iron :-)

Di said...

great job and what a great post!

TriBoomer a.k.a. Brian said...

Good job on progressing in your training. I know exactly how you feel about getting stronger if not faster. When I was peaking for Ironman Wisconsin I felt the most fit in my life. I could not longer run a sub-6 minute mile but I could run for 3 hours without a break. Keep it up!

Stay tuned...

Tri-Dummy said...

You look great in the photo! Who could tell you are training your butt off???!!!!

Fix your eyes on the goal...

SingletrackJenny (formerly known as IronJenny) said...

My friend, that is what a "full bucket" feels like! Congrats! Not just keep it topped off, and it's smooth sailing.
Hugs, and Happy Easter!

jahowie said...

Nice pic of you!! Great job on the workouts. Take care of that shoulder.