swimming monday

Today was my longest swim so far and my first foray back into something other than freestyle. Robin posted a "swim meet workout" and I thought it sounded fun. I had to give up after about 2400 yd as the fly was destroying my bad shoulder but the workout sure made the time FLY! I had to rely on Pike to remember how many laps (9) as they were flying by for me. Water should have been calm with the lack of wind but it was medium choppy and a challenge for backstroke. Still an good workout followed by a 20 min run. This was much better than yesterday's run - it always takes me around 1-2 miles to warm up and my legs were just feeling good when I had to stop. To be honest though, my legs are so out of shape that I was READY to stop (after only 20 min. sob!) Picture is of my swim partner, my 14yo. He has a really nice stroke - we just need to work on his breathing. Feels like the last norte is on its way out - warmer today and it was warm enough to run sleeveless and swim sans t-shirt. Hoping we'll get a few more days before the next norte. Actually ran the AC today.

old skool or senile?

After my last post I decided to suck it up and schedule out my runs. I have had 2 years of injury with running - tearing my calf muscle every 3 months like clockwork - and finally decided to do BarryP's 1:2:3 program to try and avoid that. However, I managed to tear one last time, then we had an international trip, then we all got sick (due to airplane air, I'm guessing) and then I ended up in the hospital. So while I ran a week in January, that was my first consistent week since November. And honestly, I'm scared to get excited again just to get injured again. HOWEVER, I do have a plan and I have a trigger point roller (much easier to use than the fire extinguisher I was using before our stock-up trip to the US) so it is time to suck it up and deal.

So I planned running out to May. And I'm excited again. So excited that I'm going to run today BEFORE cycling if I can time it right between work and Jamie waking and temperatures. He hates riding in the heat and it looks like today the last norte (#24?) is leaving us (and we'll finally be able to thaw out a bit). I also scoured the web for local events and FOUND some. This is pretty rare as for running events, we generally get the convocatorias about a week before the event. So that was pretty exciting. I added them to my sidebar so they wouldn't be lost and now I have RACES!

So then I figured I'd look at IM plans. I mean all the cool kids do them and there seem to be a LOT of them out there. But honestly, they are doing Nothing for me. I looked at a few and they are Very Specific (and maybe this will come back to haunt me) but I ride hard when I want to ride hard, I swim hard when I want to and well, running, I'm just trying to stay uninjured. I can't imagine doing the intervals and times and sets and blah. I enjoy riding, I enjoy kicking Jamie's ass (VERY INFREQUENTLY) and I enjoy looking at the fishies and hoping the Big Giant Fish Who Will Not Be Named leaves me alone when I swim. I enjoy increasing the effort and increasing the distance but I'll be damned if I start doing cadence this and one-legged spinning that. Yuck. I'd rather not even train if that is the training. I might really regret this come November, but I've found some earlier races (and even an HIM in June over in Veracruz) so I can see how things stack up. My first (and only) triatlon was an HIM and I did not train more than 1 sport a day and refused to train running. Yeah, WHAT WAS I THINKING? But it was okay (okay, the run SUCKED ASS) but I did it. And I wasn't dead last. I'm only doing Cozumel for myself and I really have no desire for X time or placing - it is the most local race around here and very easy for me to get to. Plus I'm looking forward to challenging myself.

I got out on the run today and 10 minutes about killed me. Jamie and I WORKED the last 2 days on the bike and I'm totally feeling it now. Tomorrow to swim and 20 min run.

This week by numbers:
(did nothing Sun or Mon)
Swim: 5440yd (around 2 hr)
Bike: 160km (5:20 hr)
Run: 10 min.

Looking forward to next week.

too skeered to run

My first love, rediscovered, because I started swimming at 11 (in my mother's swimsuit) on the Auburn Tigers' swim team and kept at it until my early 20s and discovered cycling in my mid 20s and triathlon was a natural extension of that (but I hated to run) so I never ran until my first triathlon (Santa Barbara in the mid 80s) and hated the run (half marathon) so much I stopped running until I hit middle age. Gawds. I guess I'm middle aged. So a couple years ago I decided I finally wanted to lose all that baby weight. I was around 90kg and I eventually lost 15 of those (but those days in the hospital on 'roids have added 3 kg I'm trying hard to lose, and honestly I could stand to lose another 5kg on top of that) by walking and then running. I LOVED running. Until I started cycling again. And now that I've added more laps to my swims (I do 8 laps now - just under 3000 yd per Google Earth) I'm starting to enjoy swimming. And poor running, which was my absolute new found joy is now the black sheep of the family as it causes me one injury after another. I think I'm skeered to run. Right now I'm using the excuse that I am now just a week out of the hospital and one sport a day is enough. That and all that extra jiggly weight and I don't want to scare my neighbors or the palaperos or workers here with my jello flesh all to obvious in shorts.

I had a great ride today - totally worked the outbound (with tailwind) and hit 32:30 at the turnaround which Jamie thinks might be close to a best time. Expected the return to be a huge fail as we're all still sick, I have that lovely hospital excuse (riding that train all the way) and the headwind should have been brutal. Except it wasn't. So either the tailwind we had going out died as we turned around or it wasn't the tailwind I thought it was. Came back just under 19mph average for the 40km.

Tomorrow is the Copa Gobernador but I'm not sure we'll head over. I thought we might ride the course in our new jersey (well *I* would) especially since work is so slow and we still might. I found a nonprofessional cycling event over in Merida I've talked Jamie into doing (didn't take much) and although it has already started (it is a 5-stage event complete with stage, point and overall jerseys) but they'll let us in. Sweet.

Tomorrow I run. Only 10 minutes,but I've officially run out of excuses. Hard to believe I was doing 10 mile runs last fall.

Pictures from the end of yesterday's swim and today's bike. I had a weird swim - really rough at the start but by my last lap it had totally calmed down. Swam late - I hate swimming in late afternoon/feeding time. Last couple laps had me looking over my shoulder to the deep blue and hoping for no company.

Grey and cloudy sea swim

I didn't want to go out today. It was cold and grey. I did it anyway. Another 2740 in the bank (8 laps to the reef and back). I had a lot of trouble coughing and tight chest but an hour or so after exercise was fine. Ended the swim with 3 x 170. Funny set. Got my HR up though. How about my "poor man's" wetsuit top? Cold days I wear a tshirt over my grannysuit. Nice for insulation.

Languishing in indecision

So yesterday was a GOOD day. I was up all day, took at walk with Jamie and the dog on Janten and had no lung issues. Up at 6am today and still waiting for the work to come in, and am waffling about exercise. Docs said to wait a week - it has been 4. I have the desire to head out now but (excuses) flat tire on bike and scared to run or swim. It is definitely the temperature for both - (our thermometer walked off a week or so ago so I have to go with Accuweather which says 23C but I'm sure it is warmer than that) but I don't want to land back with issues again. So I'm waffling. DOG doesn't even want to go for a walk. Sheesh. Aren't dogs supposed to LIVE for walks? He wants to sleep and maybe, when I'm mired in work and homeschooling, later on today will be DYING for one. Um, who's the alpha here?

Too many choices perhaps.

If I ride Jamie will totally freaque out so no riding. I should get out there and swim then. I was bursting at the seams to exercise while hospitalized, so why the indecision now?

Oh, and yes, the dog chases coconuts. He wouldn't know what to do with a ball if it came covered in peanut butter and flew in front of his nose. Born in Belize and reared on the Caribbean, he's a coco dog.

Update - I did it! I got super freaked when my hr rose and it took about 45 minutes before I felt comfortable with the (normally) elevated hr and I had to keep taking experimentation deep breaths to make sure I wasn't going to have a recurrence. I guess I was more freaked out than I thought. By the end of the ride, however, (40km) I was VERY comfortable riding and are our jerseys gorgeous or what? Not sure if I'm going to run or not, but tomorrow is definitely on for a swim. I am pretty sure I'm back and glad of it.

Progress?

So I was upright all day today! Woohoo! (snark) I gobsmacks me that I have gone from 2 sports a day to considering the day a success because I wasn't horizontal all day. I had hopes for a walk today but I wasn't up for it. I had very few episodes of coughing today and did some light cleaning so I'm hoping for a walk tomorrow. No meds today - I think getting a good night of sleep has restored more health than any meds could. Lung function seems to be almost completely back. Still a bit lightheaded but that's to be expected after 4 days horizontal. I have to wonder if I would have been hospitalized in the US and if the docs here are just more conservative with treatment.

tired lungs and hospital stay

So Tuesday Jamie and out headed out for our 40km normal bike and about 23 minutes in I had to stop and eventually ended up in the ER and then admitted for 3 days. It wasn't until today, when I could take a full deep breath without coughing that I realized it hadn't been all in my head (psychosomatic). I'm still not sure what happened but the docs called it bronchospasms secondary to hyperinflation. I was unable to get more than 1 word out at a time before dissolving into coughs and was only able to take half breaths. After a full day with Dr. Google, I'm thinking it was exercise induced bronchospasm due secondary to a respiratory viral illness and I'm really hoping it just goes away. I've been home for a full day now and I'm totally wiped. For some reason I had it in my head that once I was released from the hospital I'd be jumping right back into my training program but right now I'm just working on being upright without lapsing into fast breathing and coughing.

And our glorious Mexico jerseys got here (actually on the 18th but they couldn't figure out where we live so Jamie picked them up at the office yesterday). Jamie headed out for a ride this morning and I was jealous beyond belief. Hoping for walking tomorrow. Well, hoping for upright and walking maybe. This is insane.

rough seas, long swim

(pic is from the "military point" on janten - point in the picture is end of Janten and beginning of Paamul bay - almost home)

I have been feeling the need to increase my swim workouts. I usually aim for 6 laps (1920 yd) but was thinking on the run today that I really need to aim for 10 laps (3400 yd). So as I was doing my longest run this year (30 min!) I figured I'd go for 10. The water looked a little choppy at JanTen but I wasn't sure if it would hold for PaaMul bay also.

As I started my run I was wondering if I should do 10 (since I didn't run yesterday) or 20 (planned) or 30. My reasoning for 30 was that I was going to do it some time this week and I was already a bit nauseous so in the event I got too sick to run I'd at least have gotten in my "long" run. I found it incredibly ironic during the run that last year I was running 10 miles and now my hard, long run was 30 min. It was nice and warm today - low 30's I'd say and the sweat was ROLLING off me after that 30 min run just like in the summertime. Looks like this past norte is HISTORY.

I was hoping my stomach would cooperate for the swim and as I headed out to the beach I realized the water was much rougher than I expected. I then scaled back my expectations and figured I'd figure it out after a couple laps. It was actually easier swimming directly into the waves than coming back with them - there were times it felt like my feet were going to summersault me over as the wave would pick them up and my arms tried to keep going forward. Good times. Pike was too sick to come out with me and it gave me a chance to really work the swim. I ended up doing 8 laps but I was D.O.N.E. after the 8th one. I'm hoping that with calmer water I will be able to handle more because if 8 laps are my limit I'm in SERIOUS trouble. So, this next week will be 8 laps each swim (or 10 if it isn't rough). My bad shoulder was starting to twinge so 8 was a good time to stop. Oh, and a couple swims ago I found my seabed landmarks again so I don't zigzag across the bay. Oh x2 the tourist boat is back. Kinda slows down the swim as I wait for it to come across the reef and then again to drop anchor but nice to see the guys again.

It's those changes in latitude

I don't know how people from northern latitudes do it and I'm growing a batch of kids who think the same. We've had 2-3 days of grey and rainyish weather and after about 4 hours of grey the entire household (palapahold? we don't really live in a house) fell into a funk that was not removed until the sun peeked out. I've been on a swim strike since early December (when the thermometer fell to the teens (Celsius) but finally sucked it up (literally, I'm carrying about 5kg of holiday "cheer") and the 14yo and I headed out. THREE TIMES this past week. I had to wear a shirt one day (poor man's wetsuit) but it was definitely tolerable after the first 1/2 lap.

After the swimming success I headed out for a ride yesterday in a drizzle! Normally we just don't ride here when it rains - there is only 1 road to ride on (the carretera) and it gets slick with rain (concrete) AND when it rains here it is a tropical rain normally - a HUGE DUMP of water in a short period of time. It is very common for cars to simply pull over until the deluge is over and wait it out (rarely more than a few minutes). But this looked like it would be a short drizzle and by the time I got to Pto Adventuras (4 km south) it was dry. I've seen rains where one side of the carretera was dry and the other side had rain. It is amazing rain here. I was feeling really good on my ride but ever since this norte came to town the winds have been back to tailwind out and headwind home and it seemed like I was flying at around 30kph average on the outbound (and 35:30 to turnaround) but I only averaged 25kph for the ride, so the headwind coming home must have been worse than I thought.

My long (20 min) run this week gave me the feeling that I'm finally getting my run mojo back - I wanted to keep going and went long on the outbound forgetting I had to turn around at 10 min. I really hope this program helps me to stay healthy. I also picked up a trigger point roller in the Huenited States and Really need to get using that RIGHT NOW. I still haven't done a long (30) min run yet as due to sickness, injury and travel (the trifecta?) this is the first week I've put in a regular routine. But if nothing else over the last year I sure hope I've learned not to push the miles, instead I need to back off more. It is killing me to see the tiny amount I'm running but if I'm going to get over this chronic injury and run a marathon in Cozumel (YIKES!) I really need to get this under control. So 10-20-30 it is.

This week by the numbers:
Swim 3840 yd
Bike 63.44 m
Run 1 hour
Probably well under 10 hours. I'm guessing around 6.5 hours (2 hours swim, 3.5 bike, 1 hr run)
next week planning:
Swim 1920 x 3
Bike 160 km
run 1:30ish
so, 2.25 + 5.5 + 1.5 = 9.25

And since the GD raccoons woke me at 3something am getting into my neighbor's garbage (right next to my head) and I finally gave up at 4:45 and got up, it is time for another pot of cawfee before heading out on today's 40km bike and 10 min run.

Holy frack I broke my clit!

Well, it sure FEELS broken. I had Jamie (well enough to ride today! YAY!) raise my seat a smidge as when I was riding my Medici in CA it felt higher than this bike and felt better. It took less than an hour to find it was Too High and I was in serious pain. Peeing and showering are now torture sessions. I found some bag balm he'd snagged from somewhere and that is helping but Oh My Gods and Goddesses HOW DID I blister THAT? He thinks maybe the nose is too high. YA THINK?

We had a short ride today because it was FREEZING (as evidenced by the picture - see Jamie (furnace) and see me (knickers and 2 top layers)) and this norte has screwed with my wind pattern. I've been getting headwind going out and tailwind coming home (opposite of all of fall and winter last year) and I much prefer that to the summer and spring winds (from the north). Plus we're deep into a norte and FREEZING.

There is a bike race (60km) over on Cozumel at the end of the month. I might actually consider it. Still thinking. Course, I'm about 5 kg over my preholiday weight and I'm not feeling like exposing all that flubber on la isla. But it should be pretty.

Oh, and remember those beautiful jerseys I planned to surprise Jamie with at Christmas? Well, I FINALLY got around to paying (go to the bank and deposit in their account) and turns out Multipak doesn't deliver to Quintana Roo (which I'm suspicious of as I've seen their trucks around) and they want $90 (MN) more to get it down here. What to do...

getting my swim mojo back

I'm starting to think December was an anomaly. We've had regular winter weather in January (low 30s C midday) so you can exercise at midday without killing yourself (unlike summer). Right now it is 27C with humidity in the mid to low 70s and I've got sweatpants on - very nice weather. Had a good swim today - I was jonsing to ride but I've been out of the water way to long and I really needed to get some km under my legs also so swim and run it was. My 14yo was not at all animated to go out in the water but once he was out there he LOVED it. A little rough out there but the biggest thing was the freezing cold currents about 1/2 way to the reef. Put in 6 laps (6x340) and by the 5th lap I'd finally found my stroke again. Not a bad afternoon. Looking like a system coming in now and that explains my wicked pressure headache on Sunday.












run to that point is 1.5 miles from our palapa (house like thing).

31 celcius

It was a little too rough to swim today,













so I rode instead.



















Triciclo. Handy for hauling around the Mrs and a few kiddos along with shopping goods. Very common sight. This guy was unloading a truck.














I was pretty roached after recovering from sickness still so I only rode. No swim. No run. Maybe tomorrow.

solo cyclist

I don't think we've been back to the Bay Area in December since 2004 or 2005 and I honestly did not realize how cold it got. A week home and Jamie and I are still gobsmacked at how cold it was. We absolutely ALWAYS get sick going to "el otro lado" and this time was no exception. Due to unseasonable cold (14C one day) here, we started out sick, picked up something on the plane going out and now seems we picked up something coming home also. So going on a month straight of sickness.

I kept meaning to try bike shorts while we were in the US but I never made time to do it, so again, I'm trying to find something long distance. I like wide waistbands (like the De Soto Carrera) and hate silicone leg grips. I bought a pair of KB shorts off Ebay to try and now I really hate them. I'm looking at Louis Garneau, Sugoi, Pearl Izumi and maybe Orca. Sigh. I hate shopping for shorts to minimize sausage legs without being able to try them on. I've heard there is a bike shop in Cancun and maybe we'll have to head up there so I can try shorts on. Course, that would involve taking a day off work.

Jamie has been too sick to ride so I've ridden the past 2 rides SOLO! I really didn't think that possible even though I trained for centuries solo for many years before kids and rode into my 5th month on the road (and then on rollers) with my 1st pregnancy. It has been a LOT of years since I have been on a bike and having Jamie there just made it easier and I really didn't think I'd push myself or enjoy myself without him there. But I did and I did, though I definitely REALLY enjoy it more with him.

Got back in the water for the first time since November! Saw the cudda and Pike saw a ray but the seafloor has changed so much I was totally lost 1/2 way to the reef. There is also a new bouy at the reef to replace the one a hurricane (that didn't even hit us) took away this year. I've decided I'm only going to swim 3 days a week though and hopefully not burn out. I also started running again and really need to do the trigger point stuff so I don't tear again. I had planned to ride and run today but my head hurts so much (sinus headache) that I'm just trying to keep it from exploding, though I kept watching the clock all day trying to figure out WHEN I could get a ride and run in but never got well enough to do so.

Next week ride T,Th,S,S; run M,T,W,Th,F,S and swim M,W,F. I'm sticking to 1:2:30 for running, M 20min, T 10min, W 20min, Th 10min, F 30min, S or S 10min. Good to be back in the warmth.

26 Celcius baaabaaaay

Oh man, back from the land of death. I've got to stop visiting the US in winter. I think we all died a little in California - it was absolutely FRIGID but since they're on Farenheit I have no idea what the temps were - 50's. Pilot announced it was 14C yesterday when we left DFW for CUN but upon landing it must have been low 20s. Just lovely!

Woke to 26C this am and I'm actually thinking I could swim. Just have to convince the 14yo of that. Back from a run now - I've already altered the schedule and will do 10-20-30 (or more accurately 10-20-10-20-10-30-10) instead of straight 10s. Course trying to decide during such a short run made it a 14:30 run. Go figure. :)

Now that my brain is unfreezing I'm feeling optimistic again. Tomorrow to cycle and run and I still have half a day of work to do.

Nothing says winter like listening to the cackles of drunk Canadians.