Double day
Man, this morning I woke up in a cloud. I was so tired. I’m still surprised I even got out of bed at all. I think it’s partly that I don’t want to get off my schedule, partly that I don’t want to be skipping workouts just because I’m a little tired or lazy, party that I don’t want John to think I’m getting lazy and partly because I’m still absolutely terrified of the Ironman (even though my rational side asks what difference missing a half hour on the trainer seven months in advance of the race will make… but then again, what if it does make the difference!). So, I did drag my butt out of bed, set up the trainer, turned on SportsCenter and got going. Then, thankfully I remembered that I hadn’t finished watching the Kona coverage. When I’d stopped last time, Normann Stadler and Michellie Jones had each won, but NBC hadn’t finished the human interest coverage. So, today, I rode through 25 minutes of the stories that I really hate to love. I know that some people complain about sappiness of the coverage, but I love it and haven’t stopped thinking about the stories all day. I’m such a sucker for it – whether it’s movies or real-life stories like this. It just puts everything in perspective for me: watching the 76 year old nun finish her 20-something’th Ironman with less than a minute to spare before the cut-off, watching Blazeman watch Brian Breen roll across the finish, David Rozelle finishing on his prosthetic leg. Amazing stories, watching what they can do after the challenges they face, I have no excuse not to get out of bed for a quick ride on my trainer! It’s also driven me to start thinking again about what I’m going to do with my training and my race. Over the holidays I’m going to select a charity and start thinking about how I can raise the most money possible for this effort. I’ll set a goal and see how quickly I (with the support of everyone I know) can surpass it!
As today wore on, little by little I woke up. I never felt fully alive, and when I got home after work and started thinking about going for a run, I considered just sitting down on the couch and calling it a night. Luckily, I had made plans to run with Elizabeth. She got home a little after I did and was motivated to get out and run. It was a beautiful night – cool and clear, with very little wind. So we went. I only had a half hour scheduled, while she and Emily were doing a longer run. Once we got to the West Side Highway, we split up and I did my short run (with some Strides) and came home long before them. As always, I’m very glad I went, and I feel better now (at 9:15PM) then I did all day. Not that I couldn’t have guessed that would happen. In the three or so months that I’ve been training with John, I don’t think I’ve skipped or even skimped on a run session. That’s a pretty good streak not worth breaking because I was a little tired!
Bike – December 21
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: ?? (problems with HR monitor)
Run – December 21
Time: 32 minutes
Distance: 4.25
Average heart rate: 136
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Great night, cool, crisp, clear