Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)

I have been (notably?) absent from my blog, and it's been a love/hate sort of thing.  There's so much I've needed/wanted to say, and it's been so hard to find/make the time to say it. But I also genuinely enjoy writing.

A few notable items from the last few months . . .

• Still haven't lost the 15 lbs.  I lost about 6 or 7 of it, though.
• Finally made it under an hour for the 10k
• Olympic-Distance PR came very unexpectedly in July.
• I became the Social Coordinator for the Seminole County Triathletes
• Fall is going to be packed with travel!!! Augusta 70.3 to watch the race, two weddings, the Griswold Family Thanksgiving in NC....and let's not forget a lil' ol' thing called The Chicago Motherf'in Marathon!!!!

On that note, I survived my first long training run of the season - 18 miles in 12 hours.  My long runs are split between two days to allow the fatigue of the mileage without the risk of injury. I love training this way.  And from the results and plan so far, I think this is the first year I have a reasonable chance to go sub-5.  That's so slow for so many, but for me 4:50-anything is the Holy Grail of finish times.  I'll finally be two hours faster than when I started.

Anyway. One of the reasons I began blogging was that whole idea that you get to know yourself better and learn more about your inner workings when you journal.  Sure, blogging took a big chunk of my time.  Sure, some of the people I met were out of their goddamn minds (no apologies).  But mostly, I learned a lot about myself and made friends.

I have been spending some of that time lately doing goal setting and reflection, and that has actually helped me personally more than blogging at this time of my life.  It doesn't allow me to express my love of writing, but where writing sometimes makes me focus or dwell on things too much, goal setting and reflection has let me see what practical knowledge or action items I need to improve on all kinds of things.

Like negative self-talk.  I've mentioned many times that I'm both budget restricted and heavier compared to my fellow athletes.  Being part of the tri club has been amazing for meeting like minded people with whom to work out, but it's also a visual reminder that lots of others have the bodies and bank accounts I don't.  It's also a reminder that my chronic disease will always keep me from pushing as hard as I can.  I've gotten off the bike during power meter sessions and burst into tears when no one was looking because I couldn't do what I knew I was capable of. 

Goal setting and reflection have helped me a lot with my negative self-talk about being inadequate.  Although I do think it's something I'll struggle with for life, I've made a lot of progress. We all have our shit.

Just like battling our inner demons, training is a hugely personal thing.  There are lots of different options and coaches with different philosophies and you have to find the ones that work best for you.   I love my Doctor Jack Daniels running plans.  I loooove that I never run 20 miles in one whack while marathon training. I still cover 20+ miles, just in two days instead of one. My VDot and my stress level about making my workouts have improved. 

The other thing that impacts my stress level? Social events.  I love social events.  What I don't love is how violently ill I get when I stay up past 9.  Even 10 is too late for me sometimes.  I only sleep 3-5 hours a night as it is, so the later I hit the hay, the less and less hours I log. So when someone invites me somewhere that threatens my ability to sleep, I panic.  I never quite know how I'm going to feel some days, so why tempt fate? But then my FOMO kicks in and it's a one way trip to the Land of Cognitive Dissonance.

I often think, "gosh, this blog is kind of like The Chronicles of a Chronically Ill Athlete." But that would be giving the diseases too much power. And while I can't Be my diseases and become all about them, I also can't bring my memory or ability to sleep back, or make my body any more cooperative with my Delusions of Amazing Athleticism.

I wish I could help others understand the quandry of chronic illness. It makes you feel isolated and inadequate all on its own. It can be very stressful not quite knowing what the fuck your body will throw your way some days. You start getting excluded from Things because you say No too much.  People think you're just lazy or that you're forgetting things because you're a bad friend. Worse, they think you're crazy or a bad person.

I have learned something pretty huge this year.  I thought I'd 

learned this already, but apparently I needed a reminder: on most of the worst days, I have a bare minimum I know I can accomplish.  That's usually workout and work (on work days), or a workout and laundry followed by naps (on off days.)  If I can do nothing else, I do at least these things. It keeps me from feeling like nothing got done, and the workout almost always makes me feel better.  

Although some days my issues are my biggest limiter, they're also sometimes my biggest motivator.

So that's pretty much it. That's where I've been for the last few months.

Also, blowing away my fundraising commitment for AKBTC!

Oh, and just enjoying life.  Check out some of the latest events.  It's like my Instagram feed just barfed all over you!

Suck it Up Buttercup!  SCT at this HOT 10k

...and PR's. (After All, There's Still a Triathlete Stuck In Here)

It's no secret that I've had some new physical challenges recently. I haven't felt great and I've put on a few pounds.  Work's been stressful, although in a good way, and I've been working overtime every week for....well....a while.

But there's still a triathlete stuck in here somewhere. And, despite the lack of SBR-ness in my last update, I'm over here trainin' like a mofo*.
*If a mofo had a hard time getting out of bed most days


I finally (FINALLY) learned that the best way to deal with all of the challenges - new and old - was to simplify.  I keep working on my finances, getting rest when I need it and just making peace with my body's need for time off.  I do maybe 2-3 races when the money and my body allow.  I work on ways to keep myself involved and active and build back up to my usual level of activity.  I've identified my loves and goals and I removed just about any barrier to them. I found new routes for commuting, cheap gyms near the office, inexpensive coached cycling classes.  Finding new ways to make the finances and long commute work just added to my creativity.  As it turns out, the cycling classes even afforded me the luxury me to train using a power meter for the first time in my life - something previously regarded as an unnecessary expense.

Now I am starting to come into a recovery period in many ways. I'm focused on doing as much as I can and being realistic about what I can't. I still have no grand ideas about Ironman, but I consistently swim, bike and run every week, and I'm back up to Olympic volume. I LOVE strength training and have started working that back in. I've raised my watts (have no clue what they used to be, but I'm slower now, so I assume they were higher.)  I'm much more accepting of my limitations, but oddly enough, that encourages me to challenge them more.  

I mean, "challenging limits" has become my MO, but you have to be realistic. I love the idea that anyone can do anything if they just try, but you have to work with what you've got.  The more I know what boundaries are and aren't possible for me to exceed, the more I can focus on reaching for the possible but difficult.  Like (in the near future) qualifying for Nationals a third time and actually having the cash to go. Or (in the far future) qualifying for Boston some day. (Notice how I am not trying to become world champion of anything, or complete 27 Ironman races in the next year?)

Running was always the simplest sport to me, so even when I felt the worst, I ran a little.  That's helped me move my run from my 2nd weakness to my 2nd strength.  In fact, with the speed I've lost on the bike, running may BE my strength right now.   In January, I had a PR at the 5k distance - not a humongous time difference, but a milestone nonetheless: I finally ran a timed 5k in the high 8s.  I've done this before at a sprint tri, but never a standalone 5k.  I even saw a period of time during that race where my pace hit high 6s.  Then, this month, I had a huge PR at the 10k distance. The last time I did a 10k was years ago, so it's not a fair comparison, but I went from around 1:10 or 1:12 down to 59:24.  This was my first-ever sub-one-hour 10k.

Swimming is another story - that will always be my weakness - but I've also made some improvements there. Even with sporadic swim practice, I managed to knock my fast 100's down into the 1:45 range.  My overall pace over the past 7-8 years has fallen from close to 3 minutes per 100 average to 1:55-2:05 averages. I used to think a 2:30 100 was fast and now I'm shooting for a 1:30.  

So, with all of this calm consistency going on, I haven't had much time to write, but I have had time to sign up for my first Olympic tri in years.  My last one of those took 3:14, so maybe I can do one in just under 3 this time.  I decided I wanted to try to qualify for nationals again since I managed to nail down some consistency, some good training groups and some local resources like inexpensive coached cycling classes, affordable gym fees, and multiple pool options. I'm also in the lottery for the Chicago Marathon (this will be number eight - can you believe it?!)

Goals

I'm still struggling to lose the weight I gained, but I'm down around five pounds or so. The endocrinologist turned my medication up a bit when it had previously been turned down, and that always makes a difference. I've been making an effort to track my food and cut some calories here and there. I'm working on some career development items as well.

And, I'm working on something else very special for Chicago - Marathon #8, or, as I am calling it, "The Ocho."

Stay tuned.