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.

absolute insanity

I don't know how you people north of the border do it. I haven't been able to even think of a run or ride in this weather. All I can do is huddle in my folks' RV, park myself under a heater and wait for the day we go home. The sky is grey, there is no blue, there is no joy, it is depressing as hell and I think I'm slowly going insane and I've only been 'in country' 2 days. I don't even want to THINK about exercise and going outside in that frigid weather - how do you people stand this? I'm frozen at 20C - I'm not sure how the temps compare because the US is not metric but the rental car shows mid 50s - OMG I just want to huddle in warmth and count the days until we go home. Luckily I'm working so I can excuse my lack of exercise with work but hell, at home, I was counting the hours until I got my first bike ride or run in and midday meant swim (with my 14yo) and hope no rays or cuddas but now my clock is all messed up (we went from Central to Pacific) and I'm depressed as hell. And it rains All The Fucking Time.

Geez, you people are gods to exercise in this weather. I need to find some motivation and figure something out as my ass is just spreading wider and my belly is growing to meet my "desk." One of my daughters said something cute the other day - our first day? - as she filled the bath (which she hasn't had in over a year) she remarked that "Aunty Chris must be really rich to use drinking water for a bath!"

el otro lado

Gawds I'm scared to death. It has been FREEZING here (15C one morning) and I wore a down jacket all day today (I don't think it got over 25C and I even wore a turtleneck and knickers on the bike - if I'd had tights I would have had those on too. I FINALLY saw the dead coral snake today on the road. We have a LOT of road kill - snakes, raccoons, dogs, bats, birds - but the coral snake was an enigma to me. I kept missing it over and over. Today I decided if I had to go back to see it, I'd turn the damn bike around and do just that. Thankfully I didn't need to turn the bike around as the wind was WICKED today. It was so hard - we had wind both ways - and demoralizing. But since I'm injured (I tore my calf muscle REALLY WELL last week) I don't worry about anything but getting my butt in the saddle. Today I took it super easy and really did not push much at all.

But yeah, I'm scared. We're headed to el otro lado tomrrow and while it won't be snow we visit it may as well be. Most Mexicans go to the beach over vacaciones. We are instead headed for frozen California. I am scared to death I won't leave my sister's guesthouse the entire time we're gone, too afraid of the frigid, frozen freezingness of coldness.

Pic is from my last run - the one where I tore my calf muscle. Yet afreakingain.

Oh, and if you see a family without shoes (who needs shoes where we live - SERIOUSLY WE DON'T HAVE SHOES) but chanklas and a dog and shivering, huddled under a heater at either DFW or SFO, throw us a blankie, K? And I may as well apologise for our return - this is our stock up trip so we're heading out with empty suitcases and will bring them back full (although the last 2 years here have brought so many changes you can get so many more "things" than ever before, but you can't beat thriftstores for clothing 4 kids). Now I guess I'll see how all of you guys deal with training in the winter (ooh, I'm so SKEERED!)

la virgincita otra vez

So, for some reason I figured everyone would know exactly what I'm talking about but I guess I've been out of the US culture too long. :)

Here are photos from 2007 (I think) You will note that the weather was much more normal. We might have just hosted a conference on global climate change and everyone complains about the heat storms but we have had very mild summers and wicked cold winters for the past 2 years. It is disconcerting at the least.

My friend Joanna just posted on celebrations in Merida for la virgincita and here is my post from a few years ago with even more virgin links.

This year I got very few pictures but I attached one here - the camera sucks so you can barely see the group huddled at the side of the road. Our last ride we saw a giant group with ropes and they were walking but by the time we'd gotten to our retorno and headed back they were long gone. I suspect they were headed for Pto Adventuras and not PdC.

It is FREEZING here. More freezing than freezing on el otro lado as we don't have any source of heat other than the sun or the car heater. So we are freezing. Frozen. Icicles. People in the jungle die from the cold, so it really is serious and we're lucky to have 4 walls we can huddle in. That reminds me to check and make sure Don Beto has blankets.

la virgincita

Every time we get out on the carretera (pic is Jamie headed out ahead of me to the carretera) I'm reminded how lucky we are to ride here. Even though the roads are FLAT and we're only able to ride the carretera (only paved road for hundreds of kilometers) the drivers we share the road with are amazingly polite. The doble semi-remolques (I'm not sure what they are in the US - 2 18-wheeler like trailers pulled by one semi) will always pull into the next lane to pass us and oncoming traffic will wait for us to pass at retornos before making their retorno (so as to not interrupt and make us stop). We're always given wide berth by all cars and it is hard to imagine the rage that cyclists in the US get.

We're deep in the season of pilgrims for La Virgin and they're all over the carretera going both north and south, running and cycling. I hope to get some pictures tomorrow assuming my leg will hold up to a cycle since I tore it pretty badly last run. It was acting up and I decided to stretch it, but a stretch was the WORST decision I could have made. I then walked around on it all day today at the COP 16 climate change exhibition and that was another bad idea. Since Jamie absolutely trashed himself today trying to attain a 22mph average I'm hoping he'll be tired enough tomorrow for an easy day on the bike. I'm not sure what this calf has in it for cycling when I'm hobbling on foot.

lessons in either futility or patience

Wholee fuck but I was pissed during the ride today.

Running wasn't bad. (pic is from my only run route)

How is it possible that I was regularly hitting under 1:18 for the ride, getting faster and faster each ride the first two weeks and plateauing a bit the 3rd week, but this week has been just AWFUL. I had a 1:30 ride and yesterday just squeaked under 1:19 and today was 1:21. I'm getting slower and slower and I Do Not Like it Sam I am.

I've decided to run out towards Janten again even if I can't run my usual mileage (I stuck to 10 min runs this week), even though I have to pass the palaperos each time (and I'm sure they're wondering WTF this gringa is doing running out and then (seemingly) turning around immediately and going back. Is she too much of a pussy for a REAL run? Gawds. They probably don't even notice me.

So Jamie says from now on, no timers allowed on the bike. I tried today to make it Not About The Time and really succeeded until I got near cenote row and realized just how slow my time was going to be and lost it. I had planned to enjoy the ride, look down the dirt paths (off the carretera), wave to the taxistas, wave to the vigilencia at the compounds (they must be at compounds, I mean really, what ELSE are they there for?), find the coral snake (road kill) Jamie saw last time and ignore the clock. I think I would have been a LOT more successful had I not STARTED the damn clock to begin with. And I did pretty well for the first hour. I waved to the taxistas, waved to the vigilencia, missed the fucking snake (but saw all the dead raccoons) and then got pissed.

I can't figure out why I'm going backwards but Jamie says I'm not. He also says the wind patterns have changed and we're getting a constant headwind all the way back and the week I was doing 1:13 and 1:14 was an anomaly. I'm not sure I believe him. Oh, and my legs are ALWAYS sore. Ugh.

I guess I could concentrate on taking pictures and ignore the fucking clock. I hate being so slow. Hmph.

I got my ass back! (in more ways than one)

I didn't have to ice my ass after today's ride!!! However, I've been eating us out of house and home and my ass is bigger than ever (as evidenced by the 2 kg gain this past month).

I honestly thought I had something wrong with that sit bone but either it is converting to standing desk (last week only) or just time in the saddle - either way I'm no longer in pain. Such sweet relief. Unfortunately I had a horiffic ride on Thursday (just slow and no reason for it) and tried to redeem myself today but could only squeak out 1:18:50. Sigh. at least it was 10 min faster than Thursday's epic but nowhere near my fastest at 1:13ish.

Jamie says I've only been on the bike almost a month and not to worry about it and that I should be getting a new feel for the bike and not even thinking about time. So that's what I'm going to start doing - not even starting the timer and just go with heart rate. We'll see how that goes.

I got 3 runs in this week (10 min each) but slacked seriously on Wed and Fri - I did NOTHING (but stuff my face) both days. I just had no desire to swim, yoga or run. I need a serious kick in the ass. The weather has been so cold lately that I just loathe to get out in the water and since I'm only running 10 min it just doesn't seem worth it to even go, but I know that will get me nowhere. So sigh double.

Both boys are sick with the death cough, fever, aches and yuckiness and I am hoping the girls and I can avoid it. Course, we'll probably come down with it right in time to travel (going back to the US for Xmas). Pounding the vitamin C and getting lots of sleep and hoping for the best.

Se me lo perdio el animo.

Seriously I have NO IDEA what was wrong today. My affect was depressed the whole ride and my legs were sore but not the deadest they've been - I just had no animo, no heart, no ganas. So have a new personal worst. It didn't help that the wind was BLASTING at us coming home (but that is par for the course) but I rarely went over 30kph going out. It was an awful ride and I would have turned around 100 times if Jamie had not been with me. I have no idea what to blame this awful performance on. Well, other than myself. Ugh.

Oh, I almost forgot - it was FREEZING the whole way - 22 or 23C and I just wanted to curl up and die.

BUT, the new Pto Adventuras Chedraui looks OPEN! I've never seen such construction here in Mexico. They worked Saturday afternoon, Sunday AND MOndays! We're looking forward to checking it out and only going 6km (one way) instead of 15 for market.

The weather has turned - it was lovely for the IM at Cozumel but now it is dreadful and 23C. UGH. I fear a repeat of last year's winter and am depressed just at the thought.

Now that I've sat a bit and thought, I think I'll do my run later this afternoon. It is only 10 minutes so I hate even getting dressed (which is why it is perfect after a bike ride) but now that I've gathered strength there really is no need to lop it off the schedule entirely. Just need to get the 14yo going on his algebra first. :)

My legs are ALWAYS sore. I wonder what to do. I started taking magnesium about a week ago but that's really not doing anything.

things that make you go hmmm...

I'm starting to wonder if this sit bone pain is not muscle related or something. I have converted my desk to a standing desk (I work at a computer all day so I've changed from sitting at my desk to standing) and while sitting tonight the side of my thigh got numb. If cycling is giving me injuries I might need to go bionic. I started cycling to give my chronically injured calf muscle a rest (a year of tearing the calf muscle every 3 months) but the sit bone pain seems to be radiating outwards but I can't reproduce it on palpation so that says likely not muscle. Sigh. Tomorrow is another ride day so we'll see how it goes. It is always worse when I ride two days in a row and this starts my 4th week of cycling (since 1994 or so) and I'm hoping it gets less painful sooner rather than later.

I futzed around enough today that it was just about feeding time by the time Pike and I headed out for a swim. I was shocked to see that the tourist boat (we usually see at midday) was still there when we got to the beach. The tourists were still in the restaurant eating so either they were running as late as we were or they run twice a day. The water was SUPER rough - in the trough of the wave you could see neither the waves crashing on the reef nor the shore and murky. I really hate murky water. I had thought of doing 6 laps but I really hate being out there at feeding time also so we did 4 (probably took as long as 6 as the water was So Rough) and called it a day.

I then celebrated with a 10 min run. I'm back on the wagon trying to run again and had planned on a week of 10 min runs but wouldn't you know it, half way through I was already planning on skipping this week and just going straight to 10/20/10/20/10/0/30. I wonder WHY I keep getting injured? Geez! So slapped myself around a bit and will hold firm to 10/10/10/10/10/10/10. But after 3 weeks of cycling and 2-3 weeks of NO running, the legs felt Very Very Weird on the run - stiff and not really working well. It took almost the entire 10 minutes to feel "right". I'm hopeful that this plan will keep me injury free but I REALLY have to rein myself in and stop pushing and learn to hold back. You'd think by my age I'd have learned and if not you'd think I'd want to avoid injury but there is no logic when I have a number (goal) in my head.

I've been buying jerseys and shorts (well just one pair) on Ebay for a couple weeks and can't wait to get to the US to get them. Right now Jamie holds all my stuff as I have no pockets and usually just wear a t-shirt or running top. Luckily I was able to get some De Soto Tri shorts to him just before he came back from WI so I do have those and I'm sloshing around an old pair of his shoes (after he got sick of me wearing my running shoes on the bike). I also have my eye on a pretty local jersey. When we get back from our US trip I should be styling on that bike, assuming my sit bone finally adjusts.

Sunday was Cozumel. I really wanted to go over and had planned to volunteer but I just couldn't. Jesse was sick with a ton of homework and taking the whole famdamily over there would have run upwards of $720 MN.

It seems like all the cool tri kids sum up their week in numbers, so as I'm always one to join the latest fads (my family members, if they even know of this blog are vomiting now) here is the last week in numbers:

Swim 5440 yd (only 2 workouts, I was just Not Into Swimming last week) prolly 1.5 hours.
Bike 112.91 m (4 bikes) and 6 hours 4 min.
Run: Injured.

This week I have 4 swims planned, 4 bikes and 6 runs.

the difference between 25 and 50

Back in my 20s and early 30s I wouldn't think twice about a 40 mile bike ride or any athletic event whether I was training or not. I could abuse my body and not worry. I did a half Ironman and I'm not sure I even trained for the run. I remember biking (mainly because I liked to bike) but I never had a plan and I'm not sure I spent much time even thinking about the run.

I did 40 miles yesterday with Jamie after 2 weeks of cycling which had followed some 15+ years of sedentary lifestyle. Today shows me that I'm 50. My quads are STIFF. My ass HURTS. I'm not able to just throw down mileage like those young pups. But I can still kick my 14yo's ass swimming. Well, for now anyway.

My first *long* ride

When I realized that today would fall perfectly in the *training* schedule (MWF are swim and TThSS are ride and SMTWThS are run) AND the US had a holiday on Thursday I figured we could make a long ride and I thought I might add in a swim afterwards. Jamie took Jesse to school (and then to their overnight field trip, camping at X'calcel) and I worked, getting in half a day by the time he got back. I also managed to wake up at 3:30 am thinking it was 5:00 as the full moon bouncing off the jungle made the sky look lighter than it really was. Yawn.

So we headed off and I held the pace back for the first 8 miles or so but then the cross and headwinds started so it wasn't all that hard to hold back at all. Our pace was miserable for the first half. We knew that it was 12 miles to our normal turnaround so I checked the highway markings and counted down 13 more km and we made today's turnaround there - a little over 20 miles. I was feeling pretty good. We made it to the retorno just after Hidden Worlds and I think it was around 1:11.

Coming back towards Akumal we got our promised tailwind (sometimes we can get headwind both ways) and the road was much flatter between Akumal and Xeh-Ha. I got to look forward to our little rises to get out of the seat but after Akumal (about 12 miles from home) I was looking for any excuse to get out of the saddle! I wasn't dead when I got home but I was sure glad to stop. This is my 3rd week of riding and I just don't think my ass is ready yet. But a good ride all in all. We're thinking it was around 41 miles and maybe an 18+mph average. My one index finger is still numb and Jamie says they make gel gloves now so I'm DEFINTELY going to look for those. I'll also get some cycling shoes and clip in pedals (or whatever).

Cozumel is on this weekend and I'm hoping to get over there but ferry tickets will be $120 each (about $10USD each) so that would be an outlay just to watch. We'll have to see how the workload is also.

After I came home, scarfed down pasta and meatballs I had a nice nap. (after a bit of work). Jamie is in town now with Pike at the orthodontist and promised to bring tamales from our favorite vendedora.

It's coming along

I had a great ride today. I just started my 3rd week of riding and my ass (really, just under my sit bones) seems to be getting worse instead of better. As a matter of fact, when i sit anywhere it feels like a bump there. I'm thinking something like bursitis. I'm hoping another week or two will calm it down.

It was finally warm - 28C to start and it was LOVELY to be warm once again. We've had such an unnecessarily EARLY winter that it was lovely to feel warm air and hot sun again. Jamie hated it of course but he's almost always hot. I pushed the out and was disappointed to be at 32:30 at the turnaround (as I think my record is 31:30) but very pleased to find I had not, in fact, been riding in a tailwind but a crosswind and hammered home. I'm only tracking time so when we were approaching Pto Adventuras at 1:03 I knew I was going to hammer the PR. I took another 4:20 off my previous week's PR and we averaged 19.4 mph (I think) and I'm pretty happy with that. My legs felt much better today also - last week they were shaking.

I'm trying to get Jamie to go for a longer ride on Thursday as work for me will probably be light due to the US holiday and I can most likely afford the time.

Denial

I think I might be training for Ironman Cozumel. I know I can do the swim and the bike, but I'm not sure, with my constant calf injuries, if I can do the marathon. But hey, I really like the Iron La'ak uniformes so maybe that is reason enough?

I've checked out the Mexican circuito nacional and it looks like we've got a few in the southern part of the country - Veracruz and Mazatlan and there is a HIM in Guate (Guatemala) I might consider also.

I'm in my 2nd week of Do Not Run after trying a 10-min and 20-min run last week. I knew about 10 minutes into the 20-min run it wasn't going to end prettily but could I just STOP and avoid injury? I think we all know I'm too hardheaded for that. So another week off the leg. Next week I'll only do 10 min runs. I PROMISE. And I'll stop if it gets wonky. No, BEFORE I injure it again. Sheesh.

I have having a great time on the bike though and have PR'd pretty regularly. Even today's ride (I have not been updating DM lately) even though we were going slow PR'd all of last week's rides. So there's that.

and I'm very seriously thinking of doing Cozumel next year. I did an HIM way back in the VERY early 80s (like 81 or 82?) when I was in my early 20s and remember hating the run and really walking most of it and I think it was a 7:30 time or so. I'm thinking that even if I walk the entire marathon (and I've run up to 10 miles when not injured) I could still finish. And hell, it is right across the channel. It couldn't be any closer unless I lived on the island. Ten miles by sea. If I register by the end of the year it will be cheaper than registering next year. I think I'm already decided,I just like living in denial. :)

So this week was 8K of swimming and 160K of riding. Pretty happy as I'm not really training for anything right now. I missed all the runs I wanted to to this year (the marathon or 1/2 in DF for the Bicentennial was tops on my list) due to injury so I'm just exercising to keep the muscles alive right now.

Oh, and did I mention my training (bike) partner and coach? None other than the esteemed Jamie (DH). Sweet.

Oh and lastly, I'm planning on dragging the boys over to the island next Sunday to work the Ironman. Looking forward to that!

ahm tah-ared

Oh my aching knees. I had great hopes of gradually increasing each week, from 20mpw to 22 mpw to 23 to 25 to 27.5 and then then to plateau at 30 for a while. It seems my knees might have a different thought on that plan. The KoolAid plan says to pretty much listen to your body and advance as it allows. Dayum, that making sense business again. I really hate that. This week was great for swimming - Pike swam with me 3 days (counting today, hopefully) and I did 1800, 1500, 1800 and have 2100 planned for today. Nothing compared to my old swimming days but I never had to deal with currents in pools either (at least that's MY excuse).

So this week was 2.5, 4.5, 2.5, 4.5, 2.5 and 6.5 (tomorrow will be the 6.5) but since I have been running since Sunday, but not counting that day in my total (I know, it is insane) that's another 6 days in a row for me. Since I used to have trouble with my knees after 2 days in a row but after implementing Chondroitin and glucosamine at first 1200mg/day and then at 1800mg/day to banish the painful knees, I wonder if I just need to up the ante again. I like the logic of the Koolaid program - lower daily mileage to allow bones and ligaments to adjust but frequency to get just as high mileage as 4d/week program but I wonder if my knees are cut out for it. One big hmmmm.

We've got Hurricane Ricardo gunning for the southern area of the state (and Belize) and yesterday the water already showed the effects of this much larger than Paula cane. Still no worries, the tortugas have us covered.

I'm still up in the air on the Xeh-Ha triathlon but definitely will do an HIM (70.3) next year. Just not sure if it will be Cancun, Mazatlan or Veracruz.

Drinking the Kool Aide

So I've been bouncing along on my own program (4 miles every other day for a week after the medicinal runs, bump up to 5 miles and then jump into a marathon training program - Hal's, natch, Novice 2) and getting my ego stroked with multiple longer (to me) runs (8, 8, 9, 9) and dropping my average pace (9:40mm last 5K - still can't commit to metric 100%) but starting to get niggings of patellofemoral syndrome and plantar fasciitis. Hmmm... As if the calf wasn't enough. So I stopped going around barefoot (for PT) and iced the heels after each run and the PF pretty much went away until my last 9 mile run. Hmmmm... The PFS seems to ebb and flow so I just kind of kept it in the back of my head and started looking around the web.

and I found the Kool Aid.

So last week I jumped into the first week (supposed to be 2-4-2-4-2-0-6 and instead went 0-3-3-3-4-0- and today should be 6. AND I'm dropping my speed. I was holding 10:00 mm pretty easily for 4-5 mile runs but according to the Kool Aid and McMillan, my recovery (MWF) runs should be crushingly slow at 12:18-12:48 (have not yet been able to run that slow), long runs 11:18 to 12:18 (I am pretty sure I can do that) and easy runs (TTh) 11:18 to 11:48 (again, might be able to bring the pace under 11:18 but it is not easy to run that slow). My ego has taken a HUGE hit from running 10:00 to trying for 11:00. But I'm looking long term now and if I manage to get to the end of the year without injury I'll be a total convert. And it does make sense - I've been pushing my ligaments prolly before they were ready (post injury) and I'm hoping this might do the trick.