Training and Inspiration

I've had a great training week so far and have amped up my dedication to the workouts. First, I started a triathlon training group on Sunday. It is through Experience Triathlon, which is the organization running the Batavia Triathlon on June 9.

I was super nervous about joining a training group. I don't have a great history with "official" training groups and I was sort of dreading meeting new people (probably very fit people) and feeling like the slowest one in the room...again. It ended up being great. Everyone was "normal" and the coaches couldn't be more nurturing or nicer. I was so relieved. Each training session we will do two events...this first training session we did spinning and then swimming. Swimming is my hardest event so I am so glad to get some official training on it. I road nine miles Sunday morning then did the spinning...needless to say, I was a little sore Sunday night.

The old me on the old bike. 

I am also training on a new (old) bike. My friend Sue gifted me one of her racing bikes and it is awesome. I have been using a hybrid bike that is great, but not great for Triathlon. It is a little heavy and the wheels are wide. This new bike is a racing bike (which I've never ridden before) and I can't believe how much easier it is to ride and hit the hills. I seriously think I am going to take a ton of time off my bike ride this year. It's kind of exciting because I normally am just worried about finishing a race but I really think I can improve my times this year because of this enhanced training. This isn't a novel idea, but I've never even considered getting a coach until I read "Triathlon for the Every Woman" by Meredith Atwood (Swim Bike Mom). It's the best decision I've made with regards to training.

New training bible! Check out her blog too if you haven't yet: www.swimbikemom.com 

I also purchased a Garmin training watch/heart rate monitor/GPS system. The thing is seriously pimp and so accurate and easy. I am so excited about using it for my training. And it stores all of your data so for Logging Nerds like me, it is awesome to have all of the data at your fingertips.

Obsessed with my new toy!

On Monday night, we did the Run for Boston which raised funds for The One Fund Boston. It was an incredible night with people all over running to raise money for Boston. I ran with a couple of my running buddies and actually improved my time a little bit and felt great doing it. It feels so good to be back in the fitness world and the running community. I didn't realize how much I missed it and how much it was depressing me to be out of it until I made it back.

With some of my running buddies! We have a joke about "posing" for every photo. It was a beautiful night!

Photo Courtesy of Geneva Running Outfitters. http://www.genevarunningoutfitters.com/
 All of the incredible Runners for Boston in front of the windmill in my town. Isn't it beautiful? 

I swam yesterday using some of the training techniques I learned at my training group and honestly, I am just feeling great! Hopeful. Happy. Motivated. Now, I just need to get some of this poundage off. Still working on it. I am teaching 16-4th graders how to decorate cupcakes today...makes eating healthy hard but my goal is to NOT eat a cupcake today. Stupid cupcakes.

These t-shirts were donated so that all of the proceeds went to The One Fund Boston.  Donate here: https://secure.onefundboston.org/page/-/donate2.html

Selfish and Selfless Acts

It's been a week since the bombings in Boston and so many people have written so many beautiful things about the people there, the city itself and horrific tragedy that it was. I've thought so much about it this week and about selfish acts. Yes, the bombers were selfish, but I don't really want to talk about them. They've been covered enough. I want to talk about the other selfish people...the runners. We're selfish people. We spend a lot of time away from loved ones to train for races. We spend a lot of money on clothes, gadgets and race entries. We wake up the people we share a bed with, sloppily pulling on running clothes at 5:30 a.m. We talk incessantly about pace times, chafing and shoe fittings. We put running above a lot of things. The selfishness of running is a positive kind of selfish...it's motivating, it's healthy, and it's fun (most of the time) but it's selfish nonetheless.

The people who support us, deal with all of our stinking, sweaty clothes, smile and nod when we excitedly talk about negative splits and most importantly stand at the finish line and cheer louder than anyone else when we plod into the finish are the selfless ones. They are supportive, happy and encouraging. They stand and wait, and wait, and wait for that 30 seconds of yelling and sign waving for that last beautiful moment at the finish line. They wipe our tears when our runs suck, rub our calves when they're sore and get us water, ice and Aleve when we can't get off the couch after a long run. I can't imagine how the runners at the Boston Marathon feel about the supporters who died last Monday. Especially the dad who lost his little guy who just wanted to cheer for his Superman of a dad doing a race I could only dream about doing. I just can't imagine.

My biggest supporter and the love of my life. 

I have been back to running for a month now and each day I improve, and each day I am more and more grateful for every step, for all of my supporters, especially my husband, and for the work it takes to get back into fighting shape. Yes, that moment of selfishness on our part to achieve a goal is worth all of the pain and I know that for the supporters that moment of selflessness to see the person you love accomplish something they've been working toward is worth all of the bullshit they have to put up with. I know that because I've been on both sides. But how can those who lost loved ones or had loved ones hurt in that bombing think it was worth it?

If you want to donate to The One Fund Boston, please go to: https://onefundboston.org/

I know running will always been worth it for me. It's all I dreamed about when I was immobile with my broken ankle. I never thought I would appreciate running as much as I do now since my accident. I hope, someday, that those affected by the bombings will come to appreciate it again, too. I am running in a memorial run tonight with the running community where I live and those Boston Marathon runners and supporters will be in my heart.

Don't Call It a Comeback...

I ran in my first 5K Race today since I broke my ankle in October. It was so cold, windy and hilly but I did it! I was slower than I used to be, chubbier than I used to be (well not chubbier than two years ago, but chubbier nonetheless) but I did it. And I got by with a little help from my friends.

Fun with friends. It was SO cold and windy!

I have a great group of running friends who live in tri-cities area where I live and a lot of them ran the same race today. Some are super fast and some are more my speed. When I started back to running about three weeks ago, I could only go for about 10-15 minutes on the treadmill and then I'd have to walk. Not just because of my ankle but because I had gotten sorely out of shape during my recovery. My eating muscles and elbow muscles (from wine drinking) were in perfect shape, but my ass, not so much. Or my thighs, or my...well...you get it.

This race today was to benefit the Elburn, IL Public Library and along the whole course were quotes from Fairy Tales. This was the first sign I saw and I thought, how poignant that is is my first race back after a broken ankle!

I finally worked up the courage to run outside and I called some of my local running friends to join me. It was a disaster. They took off and I was wheezing down the path doing my walk/run/walk/run bit just trying to make it a couple of miles. They weren't being mean or insensitive, I told them to go at the own pace and we'd meet up somewhere, etc. But watching their brightly colored jackets way, way off in the distance really got in my head. I couldn't even keep up with them when I was in great shape, but for some reason, this just really stung. One of my friends from this group, Sue, is a slower runner and promised to run with me again the next day. Just me and her so I could get my head back in the game. So I met her early the next day and we did 3.25 miles at a really nice, slow pace that suited me just fine. We talked about diet and exercise, the mind-f*ck that running can be and I finally felt like I could get back in shape. It was feeling pretty devastatingly hopeless before that. After our run, Sue sent me this email:

The story of that 5K is here. I had completely forgotten about it until Sue reminded me. It was also the beginning of my weight loss journey on Fat Chef on Food Network. I felt so good after remembering how far I've come, how big this broken ankle setback was and the fact that I am actually running so much sooner than I ever thought. So good that Sue talked me into signing up for this 5K today. And I did it. Slowly, but faster than I have run in a long time and dammit, I'm proud. I ran with Sue and her friend Susan for a while but then went ahead on my own. Susan has a bad knee and Sue had just done a muddy 10K the day before and was feeling it. She also didn't want to leave her friend, which is awesome. So I just went. I finished only a minute or so before them and I was debating the whole time whether I should go back and finish with them. Sue has been there for me through a lot of fitness craziness and I wanted to cross that finish line with her. At the same time, I felt like I needed to finish this alone so that I knew I could actually do it.

My buddy Sue. I would not have done this race today if not for her. It's hard not to believe in yourself when you have such a great support system who believes in you.  I can't tell you what this lady means to me. 

I had some great encouragement along the way with two of my other running friends, Pat and Carolyn, and then a whole cheering section of a big group of runner-friends from my area. All in all, it was great and I finished in under 42 minutes. It's a start. It's hard to see photos of myself 20 pounds heavier than I used to be at my fittest, but I'm working on it. Just like I'm working on running. Slowly, but surely.

The Long Limp Home...

Wow. Where do I begin? Last time I blogged, I looked like this:

And was recovering from this:

The story is here.

Now, 5 months since my accident and surgery, I am finally finding my way home. Home to exercise and fitness. Home to a healthy life. Who knew that I would be HOME on the running path. Who knew I would be HOME getting my ass kicked in bootcamp at the gym. But I'm home and it's been a long, painful road to get here. But all roads lead home, don't they? Actually, I think the saying is all roads lead to Rome, but in my case, they've lead home. Even with the detours like a broken and busted up ankle, being depressed from not being able to walk for 2 months, or run for 5 months or not being able to fit into anything but yoga pants.

Well, I'm back. It took me a really long time to get here, but I am back running, swimming, biking. I. AM. BACK.

It hurts a little, but I am doing it. Very, very slowly, but running, swimming and biking nonetheless. I'm about 20 pounds heavier than when I was at my lowest weight, but I am slowly taking it off. Just like I am slowly getting back to fitness.

I have been struggling so much with food, emotions, stress...I started to revert to old habits. The difference between now and when I would gain weight before is that I am stopping it early and will never get back here:

I am not here right now (20 pounds ago):

More like here (20 pounds heavier)

But I'm with Andy Cohen so that makes it all a little better!

So, I have been depressed, and being depressed makes it hard to be healthy. I woke up last Sunday feeling bluer than blue and heavier than I've been in a while and woke up to this on my last blog:

This comment from Psyche Steph completely snapped me back into reality. I signed up for the Batavia Triathlon and rejoined the pool. I am back running and am hopeful... not to go back to where I was before, but to become an even better, stronger, faster.

Next it recommitting to a healthy diet. I have been doing great this week. This sign in my kitchen helps:

Whatever works, right?

So, thanks for sticking by me. Thanks for believing in me. Thanks for going on this journey with me. I'm baaaaaaack! xo