Swim, Strength, Run

11 Aug

Swim: 2000 yd
Strength: biceps, lats, tricep, shoulder, chest, pull-ups, core
Run: 3.9 mi
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Race--Pictures from the Sprint Tri last weekend (yes, they wrote the wrong # on my leg!)

Swim--I was pretty doggone tired from yesterday's killer set, so I could only muster 2000 yd. When I swim by myself I usually confine myself to freestyle technique and longer distances/intervals. Sometime I will compile a list of all the freestyle drills I know (maybe 10 or so) and drills for the other strokes as well. I managed to swim 1000 yd straight with a buoy and paddles. Those things work wonders for one's form.

Strength--The weight room was calling my name, so I decided to finish off the week with a killer arm set: lots of shoulders, negatives on the pull-up bar, and lats. I finally increased the weight this week. It would be nice if dumbells were made in increments of 2.5 lb instead of 5, but I guess it only makes a person stronger! 15 lb to 20 lb for arm curls was a huge increase for me. Just takes practice though. This exercise ball is my best friend!

Run--This was another test run. I didn't keep track of pace or anything. I just wanted to run my "Huntington Loop." It was GORGEOUS outside!!! I took it extremely easy, and I stretched well before and afterward. I LOVE RUNNING!

Injury--I think the knee is ok. I think the culprit is my right calf. I think my hamstring is ok too. It's the very top of my calf that caused everything else to go wiggity-whack. Massage seems to work well in addition to some crazy stretching. I must have been overcompensating somewhere else which caused my knee to rebel. But now that I know what it is, it'll be easier to keep everything in check.

Mental--I read a bazillion tri and running blogs, I admit it. People come from all sorts of backgrounds, and people's goals are as varied as can be. I am just as motivated by a totally newbie triathlete who tri's to lose 100lbs as I am of the triathlete who is trying to qualify for Kona for the 5th time. Of course, I was thinking where I fit in that spectrum. I'm not a great runner, but I'm not a very slow runner either. I'm not a professional triathlete, but I have ended up in the top 10% of women finishers in every race I've done so far. I couldn't decide if I wanted to "step it up a notch" in a big way or not. I felt like I would have to sacrifice so much if I decided to take running and triathlon to a new level. But on my run today I realized that it's not this switch that I just have to turn on. It's those little decisions I make in my daily life, it's slowly increasing the mileage and the speed, it's everyday taking that one step further, faster that will allow me to reach that level. I love running!

PS--I am $84 away from reaching twice my goal for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team and Training Marine Corps Marathon fundraising!