Seattle Mom Blogs

Despite having some sort of bug for the past few days that has given me a nightly fever and upset stomach AND despite lying awake from 2:30 to 4:00 am this morning with a racing mind that wouldn’t let me sleep, I was up with husband at 5 am and out the door at 5:45 to take part in the Kirkland Triathlon.

It was a whopping 54 degrees as we waited for the start and was actually a relief to step into the water as the 63 degree water was WARMER than standing on shore.  This triathlon started with a 1/2 mile swim, about twice as long as the last (and only) triathlon I did.  So I swam swam swam and was only bothered by 2 facts: 1) I can’t swim a straight line to save my life; and 2) the sun finally came out and was at such an angle that I looked right into the sun every time I took a breath.

Then came the bike leg.  Oy.  “Hilly” does not even begin to adequately describe this course.  I was huffing and puffing for most of it.  It didn’t help that I had my bike adjusted 2 weeks ago (and then had NOT ridden it since then) and when I started up the FIRST (OF MANY) hills, my bike seat started to twist and then DROPPED all the way down.  Yep- I was riding with my knees in my armpits.  Sigh.  At one point, at some steep hill, people were dropping off their bikes to walk and I was struggling, some guy along the side of the road started yelling at me that I had another wheel and to switch gears.  I was trying so hard to switch gears and was at a loss until he yelled at me HOW to change to the other wheel.  Yes, I was that brain dead from lack of oxygen at that point.

Then came the run.  After that horrendous bike leg, I had no feeling (0ther than pain, obviously) below my hips.  I started off (uphill, BTW) with my soon to be patented triathlon run shuffle and it took at least 2 miles for any blood or oxygen to reach my legs.  During the last mile, I saw one of husband’s co-workers who gave me a cheer and that helped.  Then out of nowhere comes husband sprinting like no one else and gives me a hug as he runs by.  That gave me the oomph to reach the top of the last hill and head down to the finish line.

And my second triathlon was completed.  16th out of 74th in my age division.  I’ll take it.

In July and August, I started taking some steps to get to a new, healthier me.  In all aspects of my life.  But…

I may have taken it too far one day when I signed up for a fitness evaluation at the gym.  For 5 years I have avoided the initial free consultation with a trainer.   I decided to avoid it no more.  Back at the beginning of August, I agreed to a fitness evaluation and set a time and date with a trainer.  At that time, the 2nd week of September was weeks! away!  And then suddenly it was today.

Despite my anxiety freak-out this morning over voluntarily being weighed, measured and evaluated by a stranger, it went fine.  The trainer was nice and, even though she is young, she seemed knowledgeable enough.  I liked that she focused on my goals, and really incorporated them into our discussion and her initial set of exercises.  I’ve decided to have her put together a good cardio/weight program that I can do by myself at the gym on the days I can’t make it to circuit training or am not training for the marathon/triathlon.  And then I think I’ll check in with her once a month for accountability.

This is unbelievable progress for me.  Do I dare say that I may be seeing some signed of some “personal growth” going on?

From Elliot Bay Bookstore:

RACHEL BROWNELL
Saturday, September 12 at 2 p.m.

Rachel Brownell, the mother of twins and a newborn, and suffering from postpartum depression, was using alcohol to cope and maintain a sense of herself as “more than mommy.” Gradually, she faced the truth about her alcoholism and found the help she needed to get sober. Her book, Mommy Doesn’t Drink Here Anymore: Getting Through the First Year of Sobriety (Conari Press), is part-memoir, and part-self-help book, providing hope, help, and support for a less visible part of the recovery community. “Brownell doesn’t pull any punches about the ugly side of her addiction, and her first year of sobriety is fraught with times where she felt lost, as if she were hanging on only by her fingernails, and overwhelmed by life without alcohol o help buffer it … There is no glowing happy ending, just the reality that life must be faced one day at a time.” – Library Journal.

Come see a local author and blogger! Hope to see you at Elliot Books Saturday.

At the end of July, I was tempted to sign up for a sprint triathlon. With some urging from my husband who has been doing triathlons for a couple of years, I took the plunge and signed up for one. In August. Nothing like jumping right in and going for it, right? I got my hands on a carbon bike, thanks to my parents, and picked Jenny’s brain for any tips and advice I could get. She was not only full of great advice and encouragement, she also loaned me her tri-suit.

At first, the idea of standing around, not to mention cycling and running in what is essentially a spandex romper was a No. Go. for me. But then I decided I could always throw a t-shirt and running shorts over it after the swim and that worked for me.

So, my idea of training for the triathlon, on days off from training for the upcoming marathon, was to go once to the pool and swim a 1/2 mile, do one 1/2 mile open swim race and do one 20 mile bike ride (on a new bike, remember) followed by a 3 mile run. Actually, it was far less of a 3 mile run and more like a slow and painful 2 mile shuffle followed by a 1 mile slow jog as the blood slowly made its way back into my quads.

Triathlon day arrived bright and early (we left the house at 5:45 am) and… rainy. Yes, after about 3 solid months of sunshine in the Seattle area, it rained and rained only during the hours leading up and during the triathlon. At first I was worried but then I figured I would be wet anyway as the first event is the swim. So- let’s cut to chase. I swam, transitioned, rode, transitioned and then ran. It. Was. So. Much. Fun. And I actually had a decent time and place, especially for my first triathlon.

And then I came home and immediately signed up for another triathlon in 2 weeks; this one with a swim that is twice as long and with a hilly bike course. Yep, I’m hooked. Of course, I haven’t swam or ridden my bike since the race last weekend.

BUT, I have been running. Because not only am I doing this 2nd triathlon, I am also running the Portland Marathon again in 4 weeks. I’ve already done most of the training this summer and am now looking at one more 20 mile run next weekend and then the taper up to the race. I do have to say, although I’m loving all of the different workouts my muscles are getting between circuit training several times a week, short speed runs 4-5 times a week, swimming and biking and one LONG ASS run on the weekends, I am getting tired.

My schedule for the next 4 weekends looks like this: 15 mile run today (check!), bike and swim training tomorrow, bike 20 miles + immediately run 3 miles (this is called a “brick”, did you know that? I didn’t until just recently. And it HURTS.) on Monday. Then a 20 mile run next weekend plus a swim if I can fit it in. The following weekend is the triathlon AND a 9 mile run, both on Sunday. Yes, I too think that is stupid but such is the way my schedule pans out. Then a 6 mile run the following weekend which is the last “long” (not really long at that point) run before the marathon the following weekend. Plus circuit training and treadmill runs during the week and hopefully some early morning time in the pool to get ready for the longer swim race.

And then some rest. I think. Of course, I also just signed up for the Winter Pineapple Classic as part of a work team. And, even more exciting? This amazing relay race. I’m in the process of putting together a team to run the 187 miles Ragnar Relay and Jenny, my running partner L and my husband are all on board. It’s 10 months away and I’m already so excited.

Of course, the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon (I ran this race this year) is one month before and we are trying to fit a family trip to London and Paris in between the Rock N Roll Marathon and the Ragnar Relay. Which reminds me, work really does get in the way of actually living life. Which kind of sucks.