I have a really busy day today and was super anxious about it yesterday.. anxious about the business and feeling overwhelmed with work. Today I am less anxious than I was yesterday, but still oddly keyed up :-(

I usually tutor two kids (a HS freshman and a 6th grader - they're siblings) one night a week, but our schedules didn't align this week and I will miss them :-(

last week:
swim: 3x = 5700 yds
bike: 4x = 51 mi
run: 5x = 46 mi

Goals this week: at least one day off from running, bike 4x (1 long), swim 4x (one done)

OH!!! Remember awhile ago we had a thread about Jenny Lawson's "Lets Pretend This Never Happened" ? She has a new book out called "Furiously Happy." I am on the waitlist from the library and can't wait to read it. For those of you who haven't read LPTNH, it's hilarious and you should read it.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I finally went to the Dr on Friday & got some antibiotics for the sinus infection. Hoping to feel much better soon & start running again later this week.

Looking forward to Halloween this weekend - we have a pretty quiet neighbourhood, but the kids are always cute & it's a fun way to spend the evening.

Double CX weekend. Whew.
Now, it seems the 123 cat womens fields are dying off. But the 4s are thriving. First race of the series had something like 20!
This weekend there were 12-14 in the 4s. 6 women both days in the 123s.
The Saturday race ended up being VERY muddy. I never thought I was good in the mud but apparently the best of the folks on that particular day. I think my bike had an extra 5lbs of mud when I was done. Anyway, only the 2nd time in my life I ever won a cx race. First time was eons ago in the 4s.... back when it was known as "C". It was exciting because I had the worst start ever and was in 3rd or 4th at the first few turns. Then I got myself into the lead. Then 2nd passed me (a young woman doing her first 123 race), but I fought back and was able to re-take the lead and extend it.
On day 2, we had dry dirt ruts which caused a 'skipping' style of sliding/skidding rather than a 'smooth' style. The course was ran in reverse. I had the lead for a while but then lady who was 2nd on sat. took over when I skidded into some tape and stakes. Then it happened again in a different part of the course and another passed me (it was HER first 123race) and I kind of gave up. My low back was KILLING me and for a good deal of the race I was kind of crying. At almost the very end of the last lap the woman who was doing her first 123 race got caught in the tape really badly and was stopped to fix her bike. I was able to pass back and I just put everything I had into the effort to make sure she didn't catch up again.
So 1st on Sat., 2nd on Sunday.

I'm not so sure about these double race weekends. I think I might be getting TOO OLD for this. Both the women I was battling are in their early 20s and doing cx their first year.

In other news, I head to my PT eval tonight. I'm curious and interested to see what they have to say about my high hamstrings (bilateral proximal hamstring tendinosis).

Goals this week:
Keep eating healthy - don't let FOOD be your comfort for not running.
bike lots!!!!
see if I can strength train and what stuff to avoid based on what PT says
swim 1-2?
find out what my PT exercises are going to be and DO THEM

Good! First meet of the season done and 2 PBs and 3 crashes lol... I gotta learn to stay up on my feet :-)

- Skate 4x including 1st meet of the season (and no more toe-pick starts allowed in short track so that will be an interesting adjustment) - hoping to PB at least my 500m, I need 1:06 to qual for Provincial champs... DONE and I qual'd. Now K wants to qual too :-)
- Ride 2x EZ and bail on Fri's ride if nec to keep legs fresh! DONE I only rode on Thurs and was kinda glad about that...
- Run 3x EZ FAIL only ran once
- Swim 1x FAIL - was just too pooped after the all-day meet and had chores to do. :-(


Three weeks until the next meet. I still have work to do. I figured out why I fell, it's a natural reaction to someone going down in front of you - you sit back on your heels and whammo - down you go. So I have to learn to think "press forward" and be more bloodthirsty when someone falls in front of me. That will be tough. I am finding it tough in general to get right into a focused mindset, when you have like 15sec to get ready - GO - 100%. The mental aspect of racing this sport still eludes me. There's no "one lap to get in the zone" unless skating like 3000m or something.

So I will have to work on visualization I think. I'm thinking I need a bit of a start routine - kind of like how a golfer addresses the ball - something that is the mental ON switch. Any other suggestions?

This week:
- skate 5x
- run 3x
- ride 2x
- swim 1x
- drills/core 1x

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I'm less lazy! After basically not doing much except eating and drinking for September and the first half of October I'm back to building up my run mileage and swimming. My EMR course starts on Monday so not planning on re-introducing the bike until after that. Planning on joining masters cycling next year so have a week set aside in April to go hang out with them in Penticton and ride for a week so once I get back on the bike I need to make the winter training count.

I have been busy with the fire department though, doing public education in schools and getting involved in figuring out how to improve recruitment.

Last week I ran 5 times for a grand total of 15 miles and swam 4 times (Guppy week 1 + swim lesson). This week the plan is 5 runs (21 miles) and Guppy week 2.

I have been lurking during my absence: commiserations to all those with injuries/life getting in the way and a big WOOHOO to everyone out there racing, exploring and having fun.

Eeh, my knee is still stupid.

Last week's goals:
swim x 1: WIN with 4
bike x 1: win
run x 1: win with 2
walk x 4: WIN with 8 (some short around the block, 1 fairly technical hike)
foam roll/stretch x 3: win
core/strength x 3: win


Didn't run until Thursday, but only made it 20mins before the knee was really, really painful after starting out with zero pain at all. I ran again on Saturday and made it 30mins before the pain was back - didn't have a problem cycling but it was just an easy ride to the farmers' market. Took Sunday afternoon for a motorcycle ride & hike on the Bruce Trail with my husband at the Devil's Punch Bowl - knee did not like and we nearly froze riding home after dark, but the scenery was incredible and we had a great time despite the water levels being so low this year that the waterfall was completely dry.




From the top




Looking over the bowl




The giant cross at the hilltop lookout




On the trail down into the bowl




This is usually riverbed below the secondary falls




Down in the punchbowl - note the two people on the upper rim for perspective.




The City of Hamilton lights up, hugging the shore of Lake Ontario as the sun sets.


This week's goals:
Swim x 1
Run x 2
Core/strength x 2
Foam roll/stretch x 3


So the Horror Hill 6-hour is on Saturday. I'm going to show up regardless and see what I can do. Will use some kinesio tape to try to support the knee, and continue foam rolling & stretching until race day. I also use a 4" diameter tennis ball (sold as a dog toy) to really target the tight spots, which is agony but seems to help loosen things up a bit. I swear this is actually a hamstring/glute issue because I can kill the knee pain almost completely with a standing hamstring stretch, and I know I have a very sore glute that pigeon pose digs into nicely.


It will either be a very short day, or a very long one.

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ill advised racing inc.

Hope you're feeling better. What will your kids dress as? I am going to trick or treat at my advisor's house. (She said I could. Yes, I'm 28 going on 5)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Every year I get a few kids that are borderline too old to trick or treat. I give them a hard time & then give them candy (I always have lots leftover).

My son is going to be a firefighter. He kept changing his mind - I convinced him because his best friend has the same costume. They are going out together & it should be cute.

I'm sort of feeling better. More energy, but the antibiotics are making me feel awful. I've never had an issue with them before. I'm toughing it out because I don't want to go back to the doctor and it's only a few more days...

Yay for firefighter costumes. I don't do Halloween but if I did I'd totally be a minion firefighter "bee do, bee do, bee do"