Tuesday, May 26
New Favorite Website
I found this website through a link on the Wow! Boot Camp page. For the past week, I been looking at it every day! Here's the gadget that's most useful:
Wednesday, May 20
Group Rides!
I love riding my bike! It's official. I'm so glad that I have it and I am just loving every minute of riding. I love it even when I'm struggling to climb a hill from the easiest gear and still huffing and puffing going 5 mph! I have a lot of ways I can improve to say the least. Out of the 3 events I'm training for, biking is definitely my favorite. I also went swimming today just for about 20 minutes (before the swimming lessons started). And I really enjoyed the swim too! I'm enjoying it more and more each time I do it.
But last night I went on my second group bike ride and it was so fun! As much as I love biking, it's even more fun with a group. I can't really put my finger on why, but maybe it's because I really do enjoy doing anything with other people. Maybe I should run with other people more often. The problem with that is finding someone willing to go as slow as I go to my training right! I used to run with my roommate Rachel and then she went and got married. I would jog, then walk and while I was walking she would pretty much run circles around me! Or she would do sprints up ahead of me and sprint back and then jog with me a little. It was fun!
So if anyone else wants to jog or swim or bike with me, let me know!
But last night I went on my second group bike ride and it was so fun! As much as I love biking, it's even more fun with a group. I can't really put my finger on why, but maybe it's because I really do enjoy doing anything with other people. Maybe I should run with other people more often. The problem with that is finding someone willing to go as slow as I go to my training right! I used to run with my roommate Rachel and then she went and got married. I would jog, then walk and while I was walking she would pretty much run circles around me! Or she would do sprints up ahead of me and sprint back and then jog with me a little. It was fun!
So if anyone else wants to jog or swim or bike with me, let me know!
Tuesday, May 19
Aches and Pains
I've been really trying to improve my running before this triathlon in less than 3 weeks! So I've been running for longer than I planned to originally according to my training schedule. I didn't think much about it because I felt good as a whole after each run. That was until my heels started to hurt. At first I thought maybe I had just worn out my shoes and needed to get a new pair or some extra cushion in them. I thought maybe I had bruised my heels or something from pounding on the pavement, so I took 2 days off from running thinking that would be enough time to give my heels a rest. 
Then, while I was in Marietta,I went to Big Peach Running Co. and got a new pair of Adidas Supernova shoes. I was really impressed with the added spring in the forefoot of these shoes and the amount of cushion in the heel. They also provide a lot of support through the middle of the foot and I like my shoes nice and snug. I was so excited about them.
When I got back to Athens, I went for my first run in my new shoes on Saturday, even though my heels were still a little sore.
It had been raining most of the day and the sky was still cloudy so I decided to just jog in the neighbor back and forth on the main street so that if it started to pour I would be close to home. After about a mile and a half, I started getting the aching pain running all the way from my knees to my big toes, traveling down the inside of the front of my legs. This was happening on both legs. I kind of freaked out because I have never felt pain in this area before. So I walked home and I wondered if this pain was because of my new shoes? I started to worry and wonder if I could return them to the store after I had already run a little bit in them.
I looked up some stuff on the internet and decided that this pain must be due to shin splints. I was pretty bummed about that. So I iced my legs and then took a hot bath with mineral salts that are supposed to relax your muscles and I went to bed.
On Sunday morning, I woke and got out of bed only to find that my feet hurt so bad I could hardly go down the stairs! It was my heels again but this time, the pain was in the whole back of my foot and my calves were super tight and sore. I laid on the couch researching this pain on the internet, finally deciding that it could either be bruised heels or plantar fasciitis. Either way, I need to stay off my feet and let it heel so I don't do any damage to my legs and feet. So I was double bummed about this!
I also remembered that I had my mom's Homedics massage chair in the closet, so I brought that out to see if I could massage my calves with it. I laid the back part of it on the couch and just put my leg on top of it and it worked pretty well! It definitely loosed up my calves some and made me more relaxed all together.
I did go swimming on Sunday and did some strength training, trying not to put any pressure on my feet. After my workout, I bought some athletic tape at the store and tried to tape up my feet by myself to help them get better.
On Monday, nothing was hurting anymore but I'm was still a little cautious about running. I went for a bike ride and spent a lot of time stretching and massaging my calves and didn't feel any pain in my feet or my shins. But I skipped on the running for the day.
Today, I'm planning to go walking with my roommate. She's going at 6:30am before work. But seeing as how I'm still awake at 5:15am and I haven't slept a wink, I'm not sure if I'll make it. I'm going to go swim again tomorrow and try some new drills to help me be a better swimmer. Then Wednesday I'll try to jog again. I think I was just trying to do too much too fast. Just another reminder that I'm not as young and resilient as I used to be.
And let me just say that who ever thought I, of all people, would be seriously bummed out that I have to take a few days off from running? I can only explain it by the fact that exercising and training is one of the only things that makes me feel human and normal right now. I think training for this triathlon may just be the very thing that is keeping me sane. It's amazing what a difference it makes in my mood and outlook on life when I have exercised on a given day.I thank God for the ability, time and resources to be able to move my body and exercise all of me, including my mind.
Then, while I was in Marietta,I went to Big Peach Running Co. and got a new pair of Adidas Supernova shoes. I was really impressed with the added spring in the forefoot of these shoes and the amount of cushion in the heel. They also provide a lot of support through the middle of the foot and I like my shoes nice and snug. I was so excited about them.
When I got back to Athens, I went for my first run in my new shoes on Saturday, even though my heels were still a little sore.
It had been raining most of the day and the sky was still cloudy so I decided to just jog in the neighbor back and forth on the main street so that if it started to pour I would be close to home. After about a mile and a half, I started getting the aching pain running all the way from my knees to my big toes, traveling down the inside of the front of my legs. This was happening on both legs. I kind of freaked out because I have never felt pain in this area before. So I walked home and I wondered if this pain was because of my new shoes? I started to worry and wonder if I could return them to the store after I had already run a little bit in them.I looked up some stuff on the internet and decided that this pain must be due to shin splints. I was pretty bummed about that. So I iced my legs and then took a hot bath with mineral salts that are supposed to relax your muscles and I went to bed.
On Sunday morning, I woke and got out of bed only to find that my feet hurt so bad I could hardly go down the stairs! It was my heels again but this time, the pain was in the whole back of my foot and my calves were super tight and sore. I laid on the couch researching this pain on the internet, finally deciding that it could either be bruised heels or plantar fasciitis. Either way, I need to stay off my feet and let it heel so I don't do any damage to my legs and feet. So I was double bummed about this!
I also remembered that I had my mom's Homedics massage chair in the closet, so I brought that out to see if I could massage my calves with it. I laid the back part of it on the couch and just put my leg on top of it and it worked pretty well! It definitely loosed up my calves some and made me more relaxed all together. I did go swimming on Sunday and did some strength training, trying not to put any pressure on my feet. After my workout, I bought some athletic tape at the store and tried to tape up my feet by myself to help them get better.
On Monday, nothing was hurting anymore but I'm was still a little cautious about running. I went for a bike ride and spent a lot of time stretching and massaging my calves and didn't feel any pain in my feet or my shins. But I skipped on the running for the day.
Today, I'm planning to go walking with my roommate. She's going at 6:30am before work. But seeing as how I'm still awake at 5:15am and I haven't slept a wink, I'm not sure if I'll make it. I'm going to go swim again tomorrow and try some new drills to help me be a better swimmer. Then Wednesday I'll try to jog again. I think I was just trying to do too much too fast. Just another reminder that I'm not as young and resilient as I used to be.
And let me just say that who ever thought I, of all people, would be seriously bummed out that I have to take a few days off from running? I can only explain it by the fact that exercising and training is one of the only things that makes me feel human and normal right now. I think training for this triathlon may just be the very thing that is keeping me sane. It's amazing what a difference it makes in my mood and outlook on life when I have exercised on a given day.I thank God for the ability, time and resources to be able to move my body and exercise all of me, including my mind.
Monday, May 11
Training friends
Since I've started training for this triathlon, I've met a few other people who are doing the same one. Jennifer, who is in my small group from church, is also doing the same event on the same day. We have very different schedules and so far have not been able to train together. But last week when I went to the YMCA to swim some laps, I met a few other people. I had to wait a few minutes for a lane to open up and while I was waiting, I noticed a group of 3 women that looked like that were training for something together. I recognized one of them, sort of...it's hard to tell if you recognize people when they are wearing swim caps. Once I got into the lap next to them I asked them if they were training for an event. They told me they are doing the same triathlon I am! On top of that, one of the women is the very same one who purchased the same bike that I did from the Georgia Cycle Sport. I rode her bike to try it out and see if it fit me well. The reason I recognized one of them is from Boot Camp. They are all Wow Boot Campers so we have a lot of things in common. I'm so glad that I ran into them. I got the e-mail address of one of them so that we can coordinate training and especially to go on bike rides together because there is safety in numbers!
Sunday, May 3
Clipless Pedals
Well, I got the bike and I'm really excited about it. I went on my first group ride right after I got the bike with the Nitty Gritty Bike Band. It was a "beginner's" easy ride on the east side of Athens. I think I was the only true beginner there.
And I also went ahead and got clipless pedals and cleated shoes while my bike was being fitted for me. This type of pedal is supposed to be safer and more efficient in biking, but they can be a little tricky at first, especially when stopping.
I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the shoes have cleats on the bottom that snap into the pedals securely so that you can use your foot to pedal on the upstroke and not just the down stroke. The catch is that you are really attached to the bike. Whereever you're foot goes, the bike goes too and vice versa. This a great fact for efficient pedaling, but not so great if at any time you forget that your feet are attached to the bike!
The trick to stopping is the "clip out" of the pedal while you are coasting to a stop by turning your ankle out to pop the cleat out of the pedal. So the first time I am on the bike with these clipless pedals I did exactly that. I thought very hard about making sure I clipped out and put my unclipped shoe on the pavement shifting my weight to that leg. All went well until I moved my other foot (still clipped in) forgetting that it was still attached to the bike. I tried to put the clipped in foot on the ground and instead I started to fall bring the bike down on top of me. I skinned my knee on the pavement and felt like I was in 3rd grade again, falling on the blacktop in P.E.
The good news is that it didn't hurt and I just have a few scrapes on my knee and a bruise on the other side of my knee from the bike tube falling on me. And a bruise on my butt from hitting the pavement. I've fallen twice since then, both of the other times were also when I was stopping. I still need to figure out how to stop properly when I'm still on a incline and no option to coast.
I'm having fun riding my bike and I'm really proud of myself for facing my fears and getting out there to challenge myself -- even though I might fall. Sometimes it's almost like I'm reliving moments from my childhood but this time I'm being a grown up about it. At 28 years old, I refuse to be afraid of getting a scraped up knee or getting water in my noses while I'm swimming. Neither of those things are going to kill me and they are not even very painful, just a little uncomfortable. I don't know why I've been such a baby my whole life about things that are challenging to me. I'm finally getting the chance to have fun with biking and swimming and not worry about how bad I am at it.
I'll write more if anything eventful happens this week. I have 5 more weeks until the Triathlon event. And I have lots of training to do before then!!
And I also went ahead and got clipless pedals and cleated shoes while my bike was being fitted for me. This type of pedal is supposed to be safer and more efficient in biking, but they can be a little tricky at first, especially when stopping.
I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the shoes have cleats on the bottom that snap into the pedals securely so that you can use your foot to pedal on the upstroke and not just the down stroke. The catch is that you are really attached to the bike. Whereever you're foot goes, the bike goes too and vice versa. This a great fact for efficient pedaling, but not so great if at any time you forget that your feet are attached to the bike!The trick to stopping is the "clip out" of the pedal while you are coasting to a stop by turning your ankle out to pop the cleat out of the pedal. So the first time I am on the bike with these clipless pedals I did exactly that. I thought very hard about making sure I clipped out and put my unclipped shoe on the pavement shifting my weight to that leg. All went well until I moved my other foot (still clipped in) forgetting that it was still attached to the bike. I tried to put the clipped in foot on the ground and instead I started to fall bring the bike down on top of me. I skinned my knee on the pavement and felt like I was in 3rd grade again, falling on the blacktop in P.E.
The good news is that it didn't hurt and I just have a few scrapes on my knee and a bruise on the other side of my knee from the bike tube falling on me. And a bruise on my butt from hitting the pavement. I've fallen twice since then, both of the other times were also when I was stopping. I still need to figure out how to stop properly when I'm still on a incline and no option to coast.
I'm having fun riding my bike and I'm really proud of myself for facing my fears and getting out there to challenge myself -- even though I might fall. Sometimes it's almost like I'm reliving moments from my childhood but this time I'm being a grown up about it. At 28 years old, I refuse to be afraid of getting a scraped up knee or getting water in my noses while I'm swimming. Neither of those things are going to kill me and they are not even very painful, just a little uncomfortable. I don't know why I've been such a baby my whole life about things that are challenging to me. I'm finally getting the chance to have fun with biking and swimming and not worry about how bad I am at it.
I'll write more if anything eventful happens this week. I have 5 more weeks until the Triathlon event. And I have lots of training to do before then!!
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