De ja vu... all over again

Each time I end a workout ride or run I think it is impossible to get any grosser.

Then I run or ride the next day... de ja vu all over again!!

This weekend I'm not sure after which training session I felt more gross, the 75 mile ride I took on Saturday or the 7 mile run/jog around Valley Forge today. Don't get me wrong, I actually embrace this sort of grossness... it's a sense of accomplishment. I pushed myself both days, especially at the end. And I felt BETTER at the end than I did in the beginning.

Even better, I'm back in the pool! Not crankin' out the yardage just yet, but I'm in the pool. There's only one other time getting in the pool felt so good. Progress is being made. I may just be able to do this after all....

 don't let the smile fool you... i was hurting at this point...

7th mile stretch

 super smoothie!

Dog days of summer

The heat and humidity are taking no prisoners already. Damn... By 8:30 this morning it was already over 80 degrees with the heat index even higher. I'm glad I got in two long rides and a few jogs in before this heat wave.

What's a trainee to do in conditions like this? Strength training!! And keep hydrated.

First up... crunches. Followed by ab twists w/ the medicine ball, more crunches and obliques. Easy enough to do at home. Unfortunately I have to rely on the gym for the rest of strength training...

I suppose the next logical thing to do would be to hop back in the pool and get my swim on. Well, I realized something this morning. I'm scared to get back in the pool. Crazy, right? I think so. I haven't been in the pool since the accident in December. At that point I was swimming 5000 yards three times a week. I don't know if it's ego getting in the way (wanting to just get in and swim like I had been) or some other fear (is my shoulder ready/strong enough? will I reinjure it?). Either way... this sucks. Can't do a triathlon without swimming.

Must get out of my head... any suggestions?

A small training vacation

Ahhh... the Outer Banks. Beautiful! Perfect for a little change of scenery in the training. Run on the beach, ride on islands.. if only I could have actually swum in the ocean instead of just play. Not that I'm complaining...
I was warned about the crazy drivers on Hatteras and Ocracoke, that perhaps it wasn't safe to ride there. Well, I just have to say, I'd much rather ride on Hatteras than in the suburbs of Philly. At least they have a shoulder. I felt much safer riding there than I do at home. Not to mention the fact that the scenery is so much better, the air nicer to breathe, and a big-ass swimming pool waiting for me at the end of the ride!

So how did I use this to my advantage? Morning jogs and walks on the beach, one 20+ mile ride to and from the famed Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, 40 mile (give or take) to and from Ocracoke (with 2 40-minute ferry rides to cut it up), walking and playing soccer on the beach with my sister, coffee overlooking the ocean every morning, and dinner doing the same every night, fresh, homemade pineapple juice (yummy), perfect weather, no massive sunburns (a first for this fair-skinned, freckled Irish girl) and a wonderful visit with my big sister, Bridget!

And now I'm back in Philly.... yesterday was a semi-grueling 40 mile ride. I can't seem to catch a wind break, ever! Even on Hatteras. It feels like that, no matter which direction I am heading, I'm catching a head-wind. WTF??? A tail-wind one of these times would be nice. Please. Is that so much to ask?! I was hurting, but I pushed through. Even with the water, gels, and gatorade. Really, what else can you do when you're doing an out-and-back?!! I was happy to see my Jeep.

Gotta get my head together... What I've been doing on every ride and every run is envisioning the finish of a race, the race. Poconos 70.3. Streets lined with cheering people, (hopefully) family waiting at the finish to catch me, the thrill of accomplishing a dream. Positive energy. Positive thoughts. To steal a line from Bree Wee (winner of yesterday's Hawaii 70.3), "I struggled yesterday so I could win today"-Devlin. I know I won't ever "win" a race by timing standards, but I think that "winning" is what we make it to be. For me, it will be getting to the start line, then through the swim, then the bike and the run, and finally, crossing, or stumbling, or crawling across the finish line. I will have won for myself.