two weeks til race #2!!

I'm on the downhill until the next race. According to advice I got from a very seasoned triathlete, this is what I should be doing:

No weight lifting for the last 10 days before a race (the muscle doesn't grow fast enough, I think)
The week before the race, taper time spent, but don't reduce speed

The 10-day mark is Wednesday.

This is the thing, though, and I didn't mention this to him: I don't lift weights explicitly to help me race. And I don't spend a lot of time running or swimming.

So this is what I'm thinking.

Today I'm going to do some more interval work on the treadmill and then see if I can swim. My shoulder is still a little sore, which by this point is just plain pissing me off. I have an appointment with the physical therapist tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm training — my last session with my trainer before he moves across the country. *sniff*

Tuesday I'll spin.

Wednesdays from now through April are built-in rest days. I have a meeting after school and rehearsal early in the evening. I barely have time to eat dinner. I thought about getting up early on Wednesdays and going for a swim before work, and then I decided that rest days are good and mine will just always be on Wednesday.

Thursday I might spin again.

Friday, treadmill and light lifting.

If my shoulder feels better, there will be some swimming in there.

Saturday, a cardio mix, I think, including some stairs and rowing. I'd like to get up super-early and go to the gym, just to sort of let my body know what it's in for. The race starts at 6:30. My wave won't be first, but I'll need to be there and have my transition area set up by 6, I'm sure, which is earlier than I wake up for work. Ugh.

We'll see how it goes... Despite losing my trainer and this shoulder setback, I'm excited about this race!!

week of 9-6

Another didn't-go-as-planned week, but it's OK.

Monday I lifted but didn't train for a long set of reasons that I needn't type out.

Tuesday spin.

Wednesday, my husband had surgery, so it was a hospital day.

Thursday was also a no-exercise day.

Friday: interval training on the treadmill.

Saturday I had a great session lifting :)

Yesterday I tried swimming, but my shoulder is still tweaky. If my race was today, I would be able to swim it (I think), but my shoulder wouldn't be so excited about it and would not be happy tomorrow. But it's usable. So I did just 600 m, 50m freestyle and 150 with the kick board three times. It was OK.

Today I'm planning to bang out some nifty 50s.

Tomorrow I'm planning to call the physical therapist who I went to in the spring and see if he can't work some wonders on my shoulder.

Plan for the week? Currently up in the air. But I'm very tired and pretty cranky, so it's not a great day to plan the week's activities. I'm sure something will get done...

Race is three weeks from yesterday!

Well, things here got a little crazy in the last week or so, but I'm swimming, biking, running, lifting ... excited! nervous!

Two days left. Not doing a lot of exercising in those two days. I might get in one more swim. I'd like to get in one more run.

B. recommended lots of foam rolling, so as soon as I get off the computer, that's what I'm going to do. (It's nice to have a foam roll at home!)

I have an appointment with the PT on Friday morning for a "tune up." :)

And Saturday, I race! WOW!!!

Not sure there will be much in the next two days, but I surely will report back on Saturday!

PT!

I can't believe I haven't posted about my physical therapy!

It's great!

The appointment last Thursday was just a consultation. But then on Monday morning, I had a real let's-do-something appointment. It was amazing! He massaged-ish the muscle and muscles around it, while stretching and moving my leg around. I say "-ish" just because it used a lot of pressure and was somewhere near my threshhold of pain. After 15 or so minutes, he asked me to stand up and stretch, and voila! I could put my palms on the floor with no pain! Crazy! (It was good for the rest of the day, though there were some other areas that were a little sore, and since then it's been mostly good.)

I had another appointment this morning, which was quite similar to the first.

There is a "run the course" tomorrow for the triathlon. The PT said I could run a mile, but that was all. So the plan is to walk most of the course and run the rest. Regardless, I'm excited to get out there and run some! It's been a long time!

feeling better-ish

I took off Monday and yesterday. My upper body is feeling great and is ready to jump back in the game. My hamstring is still a little sore. If it would just stay like that (as opposed to getting worse), I could easily work through it. But that's not how it works.

I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with a PT to have it checked out. Hopefully, the visit will yield good results and not just "well, this is what's wrong, come back next week and we'll get started." He's sports-minded, though (his card has "ironman performance care" on it), and is aware I'm training for a May 9 triathlon and haven't run or biked in 2 months. I have hope.

Today I am planning to hit the pool. I got a new bathing suit in the mail on Monday (I hate mail ordering clothes, but I couldn't find this particular one in any local stores) that is much better-suited to swimming laps. I'm looking forward to trying it out!

Also today I can go and pick up my bike. I am going to ask them to fit me for a helmet while I'm there. I tried a bunch on the other night when I was shopping, but they were all too big ... even the youth ages 11-14.

That's where I'm at. Here's to hope!