Despite the nasty spill I took last week, I've been able to get all my workouts in this week with some tweaks. Monday swim was cut short b/c I really couldn't kick or push off the way. I used the pull buoy a lot and just focused on form and my breathing. I lasted a little over 30min and was pleased that I worked out a day after trying to fly.
Tuesday run left a little to be desired but at least I got out there. By Wednesday, my swim was showing great improvement and even though I thought I was done 20min into the workout, I stuck it out and made it the full hour! By Saturday, I was pushing off the walls again and logged my second 2000yd+ swim of the week. YAY!!!!!
My long run Saturday was a short run at 50min. I started out hobbling a
bit and realized I was getting a lot of pain in the right knee (which to the best of my knowledge, I didn't injure). After I settled down a bit, I realized the
pain was kicking in b/c I was compensating for a hurt left leg. Once I focused on form, I was doing just fine. Knowing I would have a long ride Sunday, I knew I had to get my bike out on the road. I had ridden the bike on my trainer earlier
in the week but knew there would be no substitute for the road. I knew I needed to get the bike on the road post fall and pre long Sunday ride. I had sweaty palms before I even got the bike outside and was worried that if I didn't stop & breathe deeply, I was going to make myself fall from the nerves alone!!! Luckily, I had a VERY uneventful 25min ride and made it home without falling. You would think that would have been enough to settle my nerves but not quite.
I woke up at 6am fully expecting to feel rested and ready for my ride. Much to my disappointment, I found I was still nervous! I knew I would be on the bike for 35miles and really wanted to have a good breakfast. The smell of food was way too much for me so I settled on a PowerBar. Yeah, that wasn't happening either. Screw it. Time to head to the park to meet my team. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't in the best of moods. My nerves had clearly gotten the best of me and I wasn't 100%. I got on the bike anyway and tried my best to keep up with the group. After about 25 or 30min on the bike, the main group was pulling away and I was giving it my all but just couldn't keep up. I was annoyed too b/c when I would look at my Garmin, I was doing 16.5 - 17mph and felt like I SHOULD have been keeping up. Oh well, keep riding I thought. At this point I was 40min into my ride and decided it was time to head back. I wasn't at my planned turn around point but I didn't feel comfortable being out there alone. There were a couple folks I had passed about 15 min back and I knew they were riding a shorter distance and had already turned around. If I were to have another fall, I was going to be on my own and just didn't like the thought of that so I turned around too. I figured I could just add mileage on when I got back to The Woodlands. On my way back, I was greeted w/ a light rain. Panic sort of set in as I'm not comfortable riding in the rain at all. I talked out loud to myself and kept going. I was coming up on an intersection that I have never crossed alone and was actually terrified of. Thankfully, I had no issues there and the rain had stopped. Whew!
Not long after going through the intersection, it started to rain again and this time WAY harder than before. Argh! Why can't sunglasses come equipped with wipers?? At this point, I was close to The Woodlands....like spitting distance close but the rain was just getting harder & harder. I noticed an abandoned gas station that would offer cover and decided it was time to pull in. I really debated what to do next. Tough it out and ride the rest of the way in or call Keith to come get me and take me to my truck? I have no problem getting wet but did have a problem with the thought of another wipeout. I already had an injured leg and another fall on it probably wouldn't tickle. After a bit of deliberation, I called Keith & he agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry and he came to pick me up. I felt MUCH better after that.
I was glad to get back on the bike today but was a little disappointed in how it went. I really wanted to ride with the team as long as possible but felt pretty much abandoned! I know, stupid to say but today was the day I really needed some encouragement b/c I was really, REALLY nervous. At the end of the day, I know I did the very best I could. I did come away feeling pretty down and have been reminding myself constantly that physically, I'm not 100% and the important thing is I had a mental win!
I'm on vacation next week and am looking forward to some quality workouts. I'm still sporting a nasty bruise and some swelling on my left thigh but it is improving. Slowly but surely. Now, let's go listen to Chumbawumba. What happened to them anyway?
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