Sunday, April 14, 2013

We’re a-getting’ there...

I’ve been laying off running a lot since the marathon. I was doing 'the waddle' for a few days but not really any more sore than I expected to be. From the race, I’ve developed what’s painfully & commonly known as a shin splint. This obnoxious pain doesn't respond to my stretching, rolling and icing so I’m back to PT for a different issue this time.  I'm hoping by tomorrow I should have the green light to run again thankfully… I’ve missed my therapy sessions! And no, I’m not referring to physical therapy.

In the meantime, I’ve been doing some serious work on the bike, yoga mat, and in the pool. My new bike & I are finally bonding and she has treated me so well on my 40-milers and on the steep hills like Gub and Sea Ranch (umm, how have I never been up that before?) this week. I like that I feel comfortable at a 16mph pace and LOVE seeing anything over 20! I’m still scared as all hell to go down steep hills because of my fall last summer, but I’m sure my coach will throw plenty of those in to speed up my recovery process. J And also I sold my old bike so I have no choice but to make this one my best friend.
I’ve also started not to hate swimming. I wouldn’t say I love it, but sometimes I actually don’t mind going to practice. I’m still the slowest one out there, but relatively speaking I’ve made a lot of progress. This past week I did sprint and distance time trials (my fastest evahhhh), which are intimidating but provide great information. My fastest 50m was 58 sec and my mile (1500m) was 38min. Now… remember I said I’m not fast and that the times are relative. Considering that my mile swim in the SB long course triathlon last August was almost an hour, I’m progressing fairly well.

Ahhhh yoga… it just keeps me sane mostly. I definitely find I’m able to be more stable in my balance poses and feel stronger in my arms, and learning how to let go & just breathe!! And adding this in to my routine helps my clothes fit better too. J Also I may/may not have a race coming up in a few weeks (Wildflower)… but not sure I’ll be ready in time. We’ll see if my 10ish workouts/week can get me there. Never know what could happen in a few weeks! As for now, I'll stay on my little happy cloud of progress and keep on chuggin'. (workouts, not beer. ok, beer too.)

“Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.” ~Winston Churchill