Super Hard Spin Class

I went to a spin class last night with my friend Heather, who I suspect is one of only a handful of people who read this blog! I was pretty excited about it because I had heard that Tania who teaches the class is really good. So good, in fact, that someone once told me to be sure to get there early to get a bike because the class is always full. Some of the other spin classes I've been to frankly left me a little bored and I didn't workout that hard really. So trying Tania's class made me a little nervous and excited at the same time.

And I loved the class! It was probably the hardest workout I've done since my first day of Wow Boot Camp last summer. The thing is....I never push myself that hard when I'm just working out on my own. During this whole triathlon training period I have been very cautious about not OVER-training. I didn't want to push too hard and then have to take a few days off to recover (instead of maybe just one day). But now that I'm training for the next one, I'm focusing on getting stronger and faster. That translates into more interval training and sprints! And we did a lot of those on the spin bike last night. My heart rate was pretty consistently between 80-85% of my maximum for the hour, with the exception of a few recovery periods that were part of the workout. So overall, it was a great workout that pushed me much more than I would have pushed myself. Hopefully doing an occasional spin class like this instead of just training on the road bike will actually make me stronger and faster. I can tell you that almost every muscle in my body is at least a little sore this morning.

Round 2

I'm committed. I registered for my second triathlon today and I can't back out! It will be on July 26, so just less than 5 weeks to get faster and stronger. This one is a little different than the last one. The swim is 600m instead of 400m, the bike portion is 11.8 miles instead of the 12 miles (not much different) but I think it is more hilly than the last course. And the run is 3.1 miles, a full 5K where the last one was 3 miles. That's also a subtle difference. I've been resting my legs ever since Zumba last Monday to try to heal whatever is going on with my feet. I think it is plantar fasciitis but I'm no doctor. I want to be able to train well instead of just keep re-injuring myself so I'm going to take it slow back into the running. It's so frustrating though because I really want to be able to run faster and need some time to work on that. I may not be a faster runner in the next 30 days but eventually I will right?

Another way I'm trying to get faster is by losing some weight. When I started training for the first triathlon, I thought that the increased activity would just naturally make me lose weight. Well, that didn't happen and I think it's because I eat a lot more than I realize. I found this great website called Spark People that helps you track calories in as well as calories out and the nutrients you are getting from your food. It reminds me of the Weight Watchers online tools but better because I can track to make sure I'm getting the vitamins and minerals I need and a good balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Just the past couple of weeks, I have been recording what I eat most days and it has really opened my eyes to my snacking habits. Hopefully, writing all this stuff down will help me actually drop some pounds and automatically make me faster! Just losing 5-10 lbs. seems to make a significant different in my pace. Just imagine running with a weighted vest on or something. Even with 10 lbs. added it makes running so much harder! This may be part of the problem with my feet too. I suspect that I would be so prone to this injury of putting strain on a tendon in my foot if I were putting less weight on that foot.

I posted my training schedule to the left if anyone is curious what I'm doing to get in shape and train for these triathlons. This schedule is from the book Triathlon Training in 4 hours a Week by Eric Harr. It has been a great book to get me started and it has training plans for 4 different levels depending on your prior exercise experience and each plan is for 6 or 8 weeks leading up to the event. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in doing their first triathlon. Let me know if you want to do the one July 26 (even though it's only 5 weeks away, it's not too late!)

Zumba!

Due to my recurring foot pain from what I'm pretty sure is plantar fascitis, I did not go for a run today. Saturdays run was terrible! And I was hurting all day from it. So I decided that I better take some time to let this thing heal completely and then ease back into the running. I was originally planning to swim this morning but I got to spend time with some wonderful friends that I haven't seen in a year instead. A great trade-off, right? Then I got a text message from another friend asking if I was going to Zumba at the YMCA. I thought this would be a good workout alternative to running or swimming and I have been dying to try it because I've heard that it's so fun! I have also heard that Tania who teaches the class is a really awesome instructor and I haven't been to any of her classes yet.

So I showed up for Zumba not knowing quite what to expect. I will say that it was so much fun! It reminded me of my Jazzercise days but I think I had more fun with it than Jazzercise and I definitely worked harder, but maybe that's just me. However, there were so many people at this class due to it's popularity that we were packed into the small aerobics room. We were all sweating so much that the mirrors fogged up and the floor was getting a little slippery from all the condensation from our sweat! I was pretty disgusting! Despite the incredible body heat and humidity of the classroom I had a great time dancing for a workout.

I don't know that Zumba was the best choice of a workout for me this week when I'm trying to stay off of my feet. I guess I was thinking that since it involves steps from various Latin dances that it would be low impact and not put stress on my feet and calves. I was very wrong about that. The salsa steps and others are often taken on the balls of your feet instead of using the whole foot. But just staying on the balls of my feet I was using my calf muscles quite a bit and putting stress on my plantar fascia! I don't know that any of this is technique correct since I am not a doctor or physical therapist or anything, but I'm just telling you what it felt like to me.

I'm glad I did Zumba because it was super fun and now I know what everyone is raving about. But I also realize that staying off your feet actually does mean "staying OFF the feet." I know I can definitely do some swimming and probably use the rowing machine in the YMCA cardio room to get my heart rate up this week. I'm not sure about biking, I don't know if that will prevent my foot from healing completely. Any thoughts about this anyone? I may try a nice easy ride on Wednesday to just see how it goes. But now I know that Zumba and anything that is actually on my feet is out of the question at least for the next week or so. :( I never thought I would be upset about not being able to run! Usually I'm looking for excuses not to run!

Finished!!!!

I can't believe I did it! I finished my first triathlon! It felt incredible to cross that finish line and I had so many mixed emotions but most of all relief. The look on my face I think says it all (I guess if you know me.)