Sunday, June 5, 2011
After yesterday's workout, I'm sore beyond belief. But that's okay. It's all part of training.

We play another softball game today. I'm in the outfield, so I do a lot more running than normal. Plus I actually got on base, so there was running involved there too. We still lost, but it's the best workout I've gotten during softball.

It's another long run day! My boyfriend and I run for 45 minutes. It definitely feels tough, especially after yesterday. I run at a really slow pace. Jim is walking beside me, as always, which makes me feel even slower because he's not even working up a sweat. But I make it and take the rest of the day easy.

Monday, June 6, 2011
Today is supposed to be out rest day, but I know I won't be able to workout Friday and likely Saturday, so I push on today.

Jim and I go to Green Lakes today to run and swim. I figure I should be swimming in open water, even though Green Lakes isn't that open, as much as possible. We run first because we arrive around 10:30 a.m., forgetting that the beach doesn't open until 11 a.m.. We run 20 minutes, which gets us the majority of the way around the big lake. I feel great! I can definitely tell I've improved because the first time I ran around the lake, it took me around 35 minutes; I had to walk half of it; and I was totally dying by the end. Today, 20 minutes feels easy. We walk the rest of the way around the lake and back to the car for ten minutes.

I put on my swim gear, including a long sleeve swim top and tri-shorts. The water is painfully cold. At first it feels colder than Oneida Shores on Saturday, but I know it can't be that cold because my muscles don't seize up. But I do have to wade around for a while to get used to the water. I do a bunch of our swim drills, followed by 14 "laps" in the lanes dividing swimming from beach-goers. Each length of the sectioned off area is about 40 to 44 yards, which is nearly two lengths of a traditional 25-yard swimming pool. I definitely feel like I could do more, but I'm cold and bored!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011
I was planning on biking today, but my tires had other plans. I got a flat tire somehow. Actually, it was the tube that was flat. I don't know how to change it, so I have to wait until 10 a.m. when the bike store opens. They're quite helpful and nice, but once it is all said and done, it costs me $20! Well, next time, I will know how to do it myself.

I really wanted to ride today because tomorrow is supposed to be really hot. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

By the time I finish with the bike shop, I don't have time to ride the full hour and fifteen minutes because I have to go into work early. I just ride for a half an hour to get some time on the bike.

I also do a quick 15 minute run and 5 minute walk.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011
It's 80 degrees at 9 in the morning! It is so hot and humid out. But I push on to my bike ride. I head out at the same time as a group leaving from nearby. I try to join them, but they are too fast for me. I quickly fall behind. That's fine with me.

I'm working on cadence today. Since I don't have a bike computer and won't be able to afford one this year, I downloaded a metronome app for my phone. I set it to 90 beats per second and head off. I realize I've been totally off when it comes to rhythm. With the cadence meter, I change gears all the time when I didn't even think I needed to before. It is really hard to stay on beat, which has always been a challenge for me. I can barely clap to the beat when I'm listening to my favorite song. If you don't believe me, you can just ask my mom about how I came in last for ice dancing when I was younger because I couldn't skate to the music. But basically, I stink at staying at the right rpms!

It is so hot and humid, the ride is excruciating. I use my entire camel back water bladder in about 40 minutes! That's a lot of water. I bike for about an hour and twenty minutes. It is so hard, but I make it.

When I get back home, I try to do my run right away because I know the longer I wait, the hotter it will get and the less I will want to do it. The run is totally pathetic. I try to do my usual route. I can barely make it half way. I have to walk for about half of my "run," and I only make it 12 minutes. I feel absolutely defeated and pathetic. I can't even make it 15 minutes.

Thursday, June 9, 2011
Back at my running group today, and oh, is it painful. It was supposed to be cooler today, but at 9:45 a.m., it's already 80 to 85 degrees. We do a 10-15 minute warmup. After, we do one tempo run for 15 minutes. It is so hot and humid and painful that I have to walk a portion of it. I down my entire water bottle in less than half the time it takes for our tempo run. We do a ten minute cool down, and half of it is a slow walk. It is so hot that I just have absolutely no energy left. But at least I know tomorrow is a rest day.