It (*sniffle*) Was A (*sniffle, snort*) Good Day

I'm a bit unwell. My nose started running around 5 pm tonight and hasn't stopped since. I think all I'm doing is reasonable but I also feel like my head is so inflated it lifted me off to la-la land. So I apologize in advance if anything sounds a bit kooky.

I realized I haven't updated you lovely folk on my health-pursuing a.k.a. triathlon training progress. So here's a quickie:

What I Did:

(Tuesday a.m.) 9.3 mi. bike ride. / ~ 34 minutes
(Wednesday) rest
(Thursday a.m.) 30 min. / 2 + ? mi. run (indoor track, ran 17 laps...I'm too out of it to calculate right now. I did run/jog for 10 minute blocks of time!!)
(Thursday a.m.) ~15 min. in pool working strictly on breathing

What I Learned:

*I LOVE bike riding. I did discover how fatigued I could get particularly when the wind is strong. Suddenly aerodynamics really did matter! Still, I loved the ride and am already anxious to get back out. I rode on the trail again so my confidence in being able to handle the bike around people (and eventually cars & the like) is growing.

*I'm discovering why most people I know who are runners like running outdoors so much more. I always thought there was nothing wrong with running indoors (it is warmer!). Today it was 50 degrees during the time for my run and I was chilly...but I actually regret not taking the outdoor trail. I got bored & found myself needing to rely on my music more than I usually do to keep me pumped. (Not good as in the triathlon I won't have music!) Running outdoors, whether on flat ground or not, is at least change of scenery & beautiful mother nature giving you the thumbs up.

*I have to start WAY slower on the swimming component than I thought - but if I do, I'll be OK. I just allowed myself confidence-building time today. The YMCA pool is usually so busy that every lane has to be shared. I felt odd asking to share someone's lane but just admit I wasn't going anywhere...just working on breathing. I stayed in the shallow end with my face in the water and....breathed. (I like to at least feel professional when I'm dorked-out in my googles & swim cap. The whole "I-can't-really-swim-I'm-just-here-to-put-my-face-in-the-water" thing kinda gives it away & makes me feel doubly dorky.)

(The following lesson is way more detailed - I include this for anyone who may be where I am on the path as either a "heads up!" or an "I'm right there with ya!")

*I had a beautiful "ah-hah!" today with the breathing / swimming. It isn't necessarily the "blow-through-the-nose-into-the-water, turn-head, inhale-through-mouth, face-back-in-water, repeat" scenario that gets me. As I started playing with cycling my feet while breathing and holding onto the wall & kicking while breathing, I realized my body /head drops further into the water when I'm not standing. (Yep. Mrs. Obvious here.) That combined with the extra fatigue from exhertion is where the problem starts. I can't turn my head as far when it s down further in the water...but I also need to turn it more often as my breathing rate increases. The exhalations cause bigger bubbles when I'm breathing harder, causing the water to be choppier when I turn my head, causing....the dreaded water up the nose!!! AUUUGGHHH! I choked a couple of times.

Let me tell ya. That is SEXY coughing up water with goggles & the swim cap while standing in the shallow end of the pool. Oh yeah. Dream about it later.

But....I DID IT. I ran, I got in the pool, I did it.

(I love how yoga is applicable in every situation ... I was able to work on focusing & calming myself down at least a bit to slow my breathing. I KNOW this will be vital on race days, particularly in open water, when my anxiety is soaring.)

There is motivation galore floating around this house: Chris just got home after a full day of work (7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).....and went for a run. (I'm SO proud of him!)

I wish I had more to share but my balloon head just popped & I think I bruised my bum when I fell back to my chair. I'm (*sniffle*) going to (*snort*) go rest. (*ka-CHOO*)

p.s. I'm going to try and add a cute story before I jump off of the computer to the Day Of Awesomeness Blog. I hope it comes out coherent.