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July 31, 2007

Uh-Oh

I woke up this morning for my run, and I was hungry and completely unmotivated. So I ate breakfast and went to work instead, putting the run off until this evening.

There's a high of 90 degrees today. I have a very bad feeling that this is going to seriously suck, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be quite as bad as I'm fearing. Either way, I've still got to get out and do it.

Posted by Dawn at 08:08 AM | Comments (2)

July 30, 2007

Fleet Feet Women's 10K

Here's the thing about this race: I want to love it. I really, really do. The course is great, winding around a beach and park and right along the lake for a bit. The crowd support is good (and where else are you going to find a race where ALL of the spectators are guys?), the volunteers are great, and it should be an all-around good time. Heck, I've even run other races on the same course that have been delightful and wonderful experiences. For some reason, though, this Women's 10K just has it out for me.

Last year I came into it ready to kick some serious butt. I was going under an hour, no problem. I was in shape for it, I was fast enough, and I was ready to rock. Except for the part where it was 90+ degrees out at the race start, which made it a slow, hot, miserable experience. I still set a PR, but it wasn't under an hour, and I spent most of the rest of the day trying to cool down and rehydrate. Not a good time.

This year, the weather was much more cooperative. Sure, it still got a little warm once the sun came out, but the temperature maxed out at 80.... not 100. HUGE difference. Additionally, I knew I probably wasn't in the shape to PR, so I had no plans to kill myself - I was just going to go out, run nice and steady, and enjoy it. Less pressure + better weather = awesome race, right?

Almost. It was all happy and awesome right until a spot just past the 4-mile mark. We were running along the lakefront, and there was a narrow gravel path (about 2 feet wide) sandwiched in between a low concrete wall and some grass. When I got there, the gravel path was crowded so I ran on the grass next to it. Running on grass isn't exactly my idea of a good time, so when a spot cleared on the gravel path I hopped right into it. Or, I tried to hop into it. Instead, my right toe caught a piece of wood that was separating the gravel path from the grass next to it. Down I went, landing mostly on my right hand and knee right in the gravel. It felt great.

The girl just ahead of me turned around when she heard me fall and said, "Oh my God, was that my fault? I'm so sorry!" I assured her it wasn't, and tried to keep myself composed while I insisted I was OK. (I was OK - despite the fact that I'd scraped the shit out of both knees and had gravel embedded in my palm, I wasn't seriously injured, but I was still on the verge of tears because a) hello, dumbass, tripping and falling in front of an audience! and b) dude, that HURT.) She offered me her water bottle to rinse the dirt off myself, and then walked and ran with me for a little bit until she was sure I was OK. When I started running again, she asked, "Are you sure you don't want to walk?" I was. Once the initial shock wore off, it didn't even hurt anymore, and I sure as heck wasn't going to bag it for the last 2 miles of a race over a scraped knee.

I wound up finishing strong in just over 63 minutes - only 2 and a half minutes off my PR, which was much better than I expected to run... especially when you consider I lost a little bit of time with the whole "falling down go boom" thing. Someday, I'll finish a 10K in less than an hour. It just won't be this one.

I hit the medical tent at the finish and got cleaned up and bandaged, although I felt sorry for the poor guy who was trying to patch me up. Once I stopped running and sat down in the shade of the tent, I started sweating buckets. Ew. Not to mention it made the whole "get the bandages to stick to me" thing a little tricky. Luckily, I just needed something to get me home. Today? I'm fine. My knees and hand are still a little sore, and my hand looks a little rough, but I'll live.

Posted by Dawn at 12:15 PM | Comments (5)

July 27, 2007

Oy

I swam another mile tonight.

I am so. darn. tired.

Posted by Dawn at 07:51 PM | Comments (1)

July 25, 2007

Woohoo!

The outcome of the last few swim workouts I've had have been incredibly dependent on where they took place. If they were in the pool? They were awesome. I felt strong and relaxed and like I could swim forever. If they were in the lake? I felt horrible, I was winded and tired after 200 yards and I was seriously starting to wonder why I ever thought I could swim a mile in open water, because clearly it just wasn't going to happen. I was totally up a creek in regards to my race next month, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Then all that changed tonight. I got to the lake. The coach leading asked me if I was doing a mile. I said, "Sure, we'll see how I feel," and told myself I'd swim out to the buoy at the quarter-mile mark and figure it out then.

When I first hopped in the water, the first 200 yards sucked as usual. But then something different happened. I let it go. I relaxed. I found my rhythm and I just kept swimming. I hit the first buoy. I looked out to the second buoy which was a half-mile from the shore I'd started on. It was only a quarter-mile from where I was, but I could barely even see it. I looked back to shore. And without even thinking about it, I started swimming towards buoy #2, like turning back early wasn't even an option.

Eventually, I hit the second buoy. I stopped for a bit to rest and catch my breath but I didn't really need it. I headed back towards shore. And I made it. The entire mile. Twice as long as my longest open water swim before tonight. And I felt great.

It took me every bit of an hour to cover that mile, and I was the last person from our group out of the water (despite being one of the first ones in), but that didn't matter. I'd swam a mile in the lake, and not only did I live to tell the tale, but I felt pretty darn good. Like someday I might be able to string two of those miles together, even.

I know that tomorrow my arms and shoulders are going to be completely dead, if not sore, but that doesn't matter. I made it. The full mile. In the lake. I'm going to be perfectly OK for my race, because I can do this. I know that for a fact now.

Posted by Dawn at 09:29 PM

July 19, 2007

Nature's Interference

Last night I headed down to the beach for some open water swimming. Our coaches were late, so once it was 6:30 and the other girls and I had our wetsuits on we just jumped right in and got started. Not even 10 minutes later, there was a lightning strike off in the distance, a rumble of thunder, and the lifeguards closed the beach and kicked us out of the water. I had gotten in 200 yards. Maybe.

On one hand, I was bummed that my workout got cut short. On the other? The swim was not feeling all that great, so I wasn't exactly crying over the fact that I wasn't going to have to suffer through another 600 yards. I don't know what it is, but open water swimming continues to frustrate me. I get in the pool, and I feel smooth, strong, and while I'm not speedy I feel like I'm making good progress through the water. I get in the lake and it's like I forget everything I know about swimming and my legs are flailing around and I just can't get into a rhythm and how am I EVER going to swim an entire mile in 5 weeks without dying?

I'm telling myself that the swim just got off to a bad start because I wasn't warmed up yet. That, and my legs were all over the place because I'm still getting used to the extra butt-buoyancy and the wetsuit provides. And that as long as I keep swimming in the lake as much as I can for the next 5 weeks, I will be A-OK for race day. I keep telling myself that because it's the only way to avoid falling into the despair spiral that starts with, "Why did I ever think I could do this?" And as we all know, that's completely counterproductive.

So, I will swim in the lake. I will get used to the wetsuit. And I will be just fine for the swim on race day. Just. Fine.

Posted by Dawn at 09:20 AM | Comments (1)

July 18, 2007

Long Overdue Update

Man, it's been a while. However, I'm pleased to report that I'm still training for the big tri in August. I'm not doing a whole lot of running, but I've been cycling and swimming like a maniac. I had my bike fit adjusted the other week, and they made two small changes (moved the seat forward a wee bit, put the handlebars at a more downward angle) that have made a huge difference. I couldn't believe it, since the changes were so small. I'm pretty happy with it, though. Now I just have to learn to feel comfortable eating and drinking on the bike (and to keep pedaling while I do that!) and I'll be good to go.

The other exciting thing is I took the plunge and bought a wetsuit. It really does make a pretty significant difference when you swim in it, so that'll be nice. Also nice is it totally insulates you from the chill of the lake, which when you live in a place like Chicago? Is huge. I definitely need to get more open water swimming in over the next month before I feel totally comfortable in the lake, but I think I'll be OK.

Hopefully I'll be able to get back into updating this a bit more regularly - things have just been so busy lately, it's been ridiculous. The important thing is even if I'm not always blogging about it, I am getting my workouts in (even if I have to wake up at 5 a.m. to do it).

Posted by Dawn at 08:06 AM | Comments (1)