Training with Triathletes..

April 15th - I went swimming again holding my head up high although my shoulders were killing me. I warmed up with 4 x 25's, ouch! Swimming is tough! I don't know how those triathletes do it; swimming lap after lap with 15 second rest in between. Maybe, one day I too will have super lungs.

April 17th - Today was the ladies anniversary ride - 45 miles around S. Mtn. We were also going to take pictures today at 6am. Wow, what an early start. I arrived around 0540. I was soo sleepy. The day started off  with beautiful pictures and great conversation with women who are quickly becoming my best friends and training buddies. I was concerned as I had not been on my bike for two and a half weeks. However, the wind blowing in my hair and the familiar sun kissing my rosy cheeks was unforgettable. I had missed it so much more than I had anticipated. The first 24 miles I was surprised as I was keeping a 18-20 mph pace, which is unheard of for me. Especially with my asthma - I was in heaven. Until I heard this unfamilliar crash and very familiar voice scream. My whole body froze for a minute. Then, I went into auto pilot. The next thing I knew I was dialing 911, expressing my concern for a dear friends well being. Explaining that she may have a dislocated shoulder. We were in an ambulance and off to the hospital. She currently has a broken collar bone, but is on the mend. My heart aches for her as this was an accident caused by yet another driver which ran another cyclist off the road due to not being able to share the road. :(  Needless to say, no further training on Saturday or Sunday.

April 19th - I think I was still exhausted and missed swimming. However, I did make it to pilates which kicked my butt. Wow, do I need to work on my core. It has gotten pretty soft over the last few months.

April 20th - I did swim this morning and was frustrated. I was working on slow exhales and quick inhales. Easy for the coach to instruct as he is not the one in the water! We worked on me getting my hip out of the way when my arms come down to complete my stroke. I just figured I had big hips. When I worked on this drill it messed my whole swim technique. I need to really work on this drill!! I also ran 3.5 miles in the evening. It was a very slow 3.5 miles, but I did it and I was pretty proud of myself! I think I may actually be a tri girl someday. I am also making some lifelong friends in the process!  My life is changing everyday...

Training Update

The week after my MS 150 I was like a newborn. All I did was eat & sleep. I could not catch up on my sleep and I was constantly tired; this went on for about a week and a half. I think I might have done a few yoga/pilates classes. But, I couldn't muster up the energy to go to swim classes. I am finally getting back into the swing of things. April 5th I was to lazy to get up to swim, so I have felt horrible and went to pilates. Wow, I was sore for days. April 6th - I actually got my lazy butt out of bed, late of course but made it to swim lessons, yippee! The evening of April 6th,  I decided that I needed to give running a whirl. If I going to be a tri girl, better learn to run. The next day I thought my shins were going to fall off! I developed the worst shin splints ever! The second day was worse. I was walking around work like a bad John Wayne extra. This is when I knew I needed to visit a real running store and purchase my very first and I am sure expensive "running shoes". Since I couldn't move very fast I decided to rest on April 7th. April 8th, I swam for a little bit on my own to practice my breathing technique. April 9th - I was late to swim lessons again, but I crawled out of bed! April 10th I was tired again, so I rested after working a 12 hours shift. April 11th- I ran with my new saucony's in the canal (on dirt) and was able to walk/jog 2 miles. What a difference; my shoes were so springy. Kind of like tigger, so worth the money. My feet were a little sore the next day, but no shin splints! Wahoo!

Something Amazing happened on April 14th. ----- I woke up and went to swim lessons and I began actually using my arms like pole vaults to propel me thru the water. I actually started what my coach called a 3-1 sequence. I actually was able to swim laps for the 1st time today. I could not believe it - I was like a kid in Disneyland. I didn't ever think I would be able to swim a whole lap. Now, I am swimming multiple laps. Of course I had to stop after every one because I was out of breath, but what an amazing feeling!
It is official -I am no longer afraid of the water.

Pics from my MS 150 -

                                        This picture is the 1st day with LaVerne leading the girls

Me & Laura Lee  - 1st day

Lunch time fun & yoga stretching. I think I am trying to give my chips away. lol

Waving at the camera! :)

Eww.. we have how many more miles to go? after lunch!

Day 2 - the girls that pulled me. Julie, Stef, Sarah, & me.

Our 2010 MS Ladies Team

Day -2 MS 150

At the end of our 100 mile day. I had a massage, lots to eat and figured it would be best to hold off on the celebratory beer. I figured I would be drunk with 1 beer and may not ride on day 2. I went to bed  around 10:30 with several layers of clothing as I knew how cold it was going to be. I did sleep better, but felt the 100 miles from the day before. The second  day was a lot windier, but we geared up and headed out. The moment I sat on my bike I knew I would only be doing the minimum amount of miles today which I think was 35. However, the girls convinced me again that I could do all 60 miles today. I really struggled today. There were moments when I wanted to cry and moments where I really thought my lungs were going to give up on me. The girls tucked me in a little pocket & protected me from the wind and pulled me for miles. Julie, Sarah, and Stefanie - You never once thought about leaving me. I would not have completed my goal if it wasn't for the three of you. You ladies never cease to amaze me!  Thank you!  2 days - 162 miles- 6 months ago if someone would have told me I would go from riding 15 miles to 160, I would have told them they had lost their marbles.

Well, here is to losing marbles; because not only is it possible, I did it!

Update

I have fallen off the wagon a bit when it comes to updating you about my progess, I apologize. Let's start off with the weekend of March 27 & 28th - the weekend of my MS 150. The long awaited event - Boy, was I nervous, anxious and quite frankly just ready to get the darn thing over and done with! I made some last minute trips to Wal-Mart & Landis Cyclery and headed out to the town of Florence, AZ if you can call it a town, it is very small! For those of you that know me, I pack way to much - well, why should this be any different, right? My car looked like I was moving with luey (my bike) I arrived without getting lost which is an accomplishment in itself for me. :) The girls were just about to have dinner, so I joined them and had a wonderful time. Then, the fun really began once I took everything out of my car and arrived in this circus type tent with sleeping bags all over while ladies kept arriving, wow! By the end of the night, I believe there were around 20 something women in our tent and 1 or 2 men.. lol. One of the ladies father had flown in for the event and someone's husband had also joined in the fun! I didn't get much sleep the first night as it was freezing that night!! We woke up and everything seem like a frozen blur until I arrived at the end of the day to take a shower in something called shower trucks- what.  Ok, let's see if I can give you details from the blur. I remember lining up on the start line trying to get my heart monitor up- It had slipped onto my waist! Of course momma bear was right next to me making sure I was ok & helping me with the darn heart monitor. I felt discombobulated somehow. Trying to make sure I had everything I needed and somehow just felt weighed down! We began the ride with frozen toes and smiled as if it was the best thing we had ever done! :) The day was cold & a bit windy. We all started off together and then separated into groups - some ladies did 75 miles and some were trying to achieve 100 miles. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but my goal was to do 100. We stopped at many of the rest stops and I found myself eating shoveling bananas & protein bars in my face as quick as possible. The ride to the lunch stop was probably the most difficult for me as this was super windy. We had a paceline going and picked up many riders from multiple teams: fedex, discount tire, the yellow jerseys, and some that i don't remember. The wind was giving my asthma a run for its money!! We arrived at lunch and had a turkey sandwich, and chips.  We kept on moving slow & steady... working towards our goal. The next reality hit when we decided to do 100 miles. The last 25-30 miles I was sure that my feet were either on fire or going to just fall off.  The girls kept cheering me on saying that we were almost there; slowing the pace and making sure I was well fed, watered, and had some gels or other energy slimy sugary substance to keep me going. If needed we would stop, refuel, put our feet down and keep going. We finally arrived at the finish line - I cannot describe the sense of accomplishment I felt knowing I had just ridden 100 miles!! Thank you, LaVerne. I would not have been able to do it without you!!