Does physical therapy count as training?

Fractured fifth metatarsal. 8 weeks in a boot if I am lucky and it heals right. I can swim. I can do arms and abs. I hate crutches.

I get to point my toes and pick marbles up with my toes and put them in a cup. Not my normal fitness routine. Below is a picture of my foot getting zapped with electro stimulation and wrapped in ice. Fun.

Another Big Bump in the Road

Okay so it has been awhile. The summer was really busy full of things that did not include training or exercise. I developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot and did not run much. My treadmill is also down for the count as I try to get the belt to stay put and to stop slipping.

Last week I was fitted at Fleet Feet in Blue Ash with a nice new pair of running shoes. Many hours of stretching and rolling my foot on a tennis ball had improved my arch. I went out running on three occasions to much success! I was ready to sign up for a 5k! Too good to be true? Yes!

Saturday night I was chasing after my daughter in my Adidas sandals and my foot turned sideways as I stepped down. I heard a loud pop and I couldn't stand up. A day later it was super swollen. Unable to bear weight in it I am now limping about in an air cast. I am going to find an orthopedist this week to go see. I have no idea when I will be able to run or bike. On the bright side I am sure I can still swim.

It hurts so good!

I got back to business this week! Monday through Thursday I went in for 4 good workouts. I am so out of shape already. It makes me sad how many weeks it takes to build endurance and yet how quickly it leaves me. I need to find a race to run in the hopes of pushing up my mileage. My reward for running so much this week has been a plantar fasciitis flare up. I bought new inserts, a new wrap and a night time splint. It's getting better but is definitely limiting my fashion choices this week. No heels!

A shiny medal!

Look what came in the mail today! This is a sign that I need to get back to my training. Luckily Liam's swim team season is almost finished so I can get back to spin class! I also need to adjust the tension on my treadmill. I have used it so much that the belt has started slipping!

Run!

Any time I have had to work out lately had been directed to running. It's the weakest link in my race and I know it should be the easiest to improve. Summer has been tricky. I am helping with Liam's swim team and its during my favorite spin class time. So many days the only possible workout time has occurred during Charlotte's nap on the treadmill at home. I need to find a way to reposition it so I am not staring at a wall for an hour. Thank goodness for my shuffle. Working out I'm the afternoon during nap time means I am behind on laundry and the house is a mess. It's impossible to do everything perfect all the time and sometimes I just have to do the best I can with the time I have.

Back To The Daily Grind!

My first triathlon was such an amazing experience and the feeling of accomplishment carried through the entire holiday weekend, and all of the Memorial Day weekend picnics.  After a weekend of barbecues and desserts I was feeling a little full and it was time to get back to the gym Tuesday morning.  I woke up really early before the kids were awake and before the babysitting room at the gym opens.  I spent this time cleaning up the dishes from the party the night before and getting some much needed laundry done.  The job of a mom-triathlete is never finished!

While I worked around the quiet house I thought about what laid ahead of me.  I had accomplished the goal that I had worked towards all winter.  Now what?  Was I finished with triathlon?  Could I find the motivation to do another one?

When the kids woke up I got them dressed and fed and headed to the gym.  I decided that doing was better than thinking.  I checked them in to the babysitting room and headed to the treadmill.  It decided to run one mile intervals with three minute walks in between.  I used this a lot as a way to run my miles faster.  It is a mental game with me.  Running at a 6.0 mph pace seems hard on the treadmill if I think I am going to run four miles, but not so bad if I am only running one.

After my third mile Erin came out of class with a few other runners that joined me on the treadmill.  The conversation urged me to go another two and all of the talk was about our race this past weekend.  Erin wants to do another one soon and so do I.  It sounds to me like I need to find another race to sign up for soon!

Tri for Joe Race Report

I woke up with a start and checked my watch. It read 3:22 am. Back to sleep until the alarm went off at 5. Popped up out of bed and put in my contacts. Then squished into my trisuit and sports bra. Not a pretty sight to wake up to! I put on my flip flops and pulled on my long sleeve performance top. It was so reminiscent of all those early morning swim meets as a kid.

Luckily I had set the coffee maker the night before and it was ready for me when I came down the stairs. I had the usual breakfast of Balance Bar and coffee and finished with some more water. Bill was ready to go so we put my gear in the car and set off.

Soon the phone rang. First it was my friend Kristin checking in. Next it was Erin who was just ahead of me on the highway. She gave me some last minute pointers and I felt my stress level go from mild to super high.

Erin and I waiting to check in.

As we pulled in to Coney I suddenly felt panicked. Unloading my bike I felt like I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going. Luckily Erin was parked nearby and she directed me to check-in.
 I checked in and they gave me a bracelet marked 104 for me and one for the bike. I was also given a cap with 104 on it.

My souvenir cap with my bib number.

Next I stood in another line to get my "chip" that was a strap that velcroed around my ankle. Then I left Bill and walked my bike into transition. I set up my gear like I had practiced and then grabbed my gear for the swim.

On the way to the pool my stomach felt sick. I hopped into the pool to warm up and quickly my nerves settled as I swam. It's like all of a sudden I remembered that it was swimming and that I love swimming!

I got out and found Erin and Kristin. They were so nervous about the swim and I tried to make them laugh. We merged into the crowd lining up for the swim. They called the top 50 swimmers and the rest of us held back.

I though they would call the rest in waves but they didn't. It soon became long line that seemed to take forever. Instead of climbing to the front I stuck with Erin and we started together. I quickly lost track of her and focused on my breathing and finding my way around the buoys.

I became quickly frustrated by the slow swimmers in front of me and the traffic in the turns but just worked hard to get through it. When I made the turn for the second lap I couldn't believe how fast time was ticking by.

In a blink I was running out of the pool back to the transition area. Running on the pool deck went against all of my lifeguard instincts :-)

In transition I felt slow. I had trouble getting my socks and shoes on and eventually started off clicking on the pavement in my cycling cleats. When I left transition I mounted my bike and luckily clicked in on my first try. As I started riding I realized my bike wasn't quite in gear and I had to pedal and shift to get it there. Whoops! Definitely something to add to my pre-race checklist. Then I realized I hadn't reset my bike computer and was having trouble doing it while riding. Another thing to do next time.

Here I am in the transition
area with my bike after the
finish.  I look like a hot mess!

The bike was fun and I worked to stay focused and tried to keep my speed consistent. I passed a lot of people and was only passed by a few. There were a lot of super expensive bikes, but I felt like I held my own with a 40 minute time at an average 18.5 mph.

Another slow transition getting my running shoes on with nothing to hold on to. I decided to try the GU packet I had so I ripped it open and squished it into my mouth as I ran out of transition. I immediately regretted this as I had no water and it tasted like warm strawberry banana toothpaste. This was so gross until I reached the first water station.

I would be lying if I said I felt fast on the run. My legs felt like goo and it took forever to get to the second mile mark. It was getting hot and the sun was brutal. Soon I saw Erin coming back past the turn. She was less than a mile ahead of me after passing me on the bike early on. She said I was doing great. Soon my breathing was going better and I started to feel my strength. In the second mile I made myself think about how much better this was than taking my kids to Target earlier in the week!

In the last mile I just kept pushing and was getting so excited to finish. I kept checking my watch and knew I was close to my goal time. As I approached the finish it felt awesome and a wave of relief rushed over me. I found Bill and he gave me a hug. I was so happy that tears welled up on my eyes.

Happy to be finished - pictured
here with my friend Kristin.

I quickly wiped them away and recovered my breathing. I headed to transition to pack up and find Erin.  She was showing off her first place medal for her age group!  She is so fast!  There were lots of hugs and photos. I couldn't believe it was over!  We found Kristin and took more pictures.  I tried to wait for the results but they were having a hard time getting them all loaded.  We decided to leave and check my times later.  When results were posted a day later I was shocked to find that I had placed second in the Athena and Kristin placed third in her age group.  We get medals!  My time was a 1:30.15.  The results are posted here http://www.hfpracing.com/images/stories/12_results/T4J/sprinttriagegroup.htm

It was really one of the best experiences of my life and I think that I am now officially hooked.  Looking at my times I know that I have a lot of improvement to do in making my transitions faster.  I know I can also improve a lot on the run.  Now I just need to find my next race to register for!