Late Night Thoughts

One of the hardest things about not quite being in racing shape is not knowing where to begin. For instance, I have ran a few times here and there just to see if I still have no knee pain. That's great and all but what about after the basics? I don't exactly know swim drills off the top of my head and can't tell if my swim form is messed up from my shoulder injury. I have been contemplating loading a training plan from Training Peaks for 70.3 Lubbock. But then after some thought and doing some research I have decided to find a coach. Who in particular? I am not quite sure just yet but hopefully someone in the OKC-DFW area where I can go on the weekend if need be. Some also help with bike fits and some do swim, bike, or run analysis. I am hoping to find someone that is good with beginners and injuries--that way I can stay injury free for as long as possible. Most triathletes hardly see their coach unless they are really lucky and live in the same area. Unfortunately for me, there is pretty much nothing around here. We have one indoor pool but it is only open M, W, F, from 0600-0730, while that is something it's not a lot of time if I need to do long swims. It's also $40 a month because I would have to join Master's Swimming. Part of the fee pays for the lifeguards, facility fees, and insurance if we get hurt. That plus a coach is going to add up pretty fast but I'll give it a shot and see. My first swim for pretty much the new year is 30 Dec. Hopefully my goggles that I ordered that did me wonders when I was deployed last year come in before then and I'll be good to go. I usually swim in my sports bra and running shorts and I hope that nobody cares because I definitely cannot fit into my UTSA try-suit at the moment.

That reminds me, I am going to have to buy a new tri kit and a wetsuit. The wetsuits that I like are from BlueSeventy but they are not cheap and it's because they are durable and comfortable as hell. I figured if need be, I can work with my current bike set up (after I get it tuned and cleaned up) until maybe next season. The water for Lubbock and for training is going to be too cold without a wetsuit and I can't race without a kit. I have some time to get those though and in the meantime can see what else I can do for training purposes without one. The bike stuff is just to make things more aero and a little bit easier for me to find things. The bike accessories are always the most expensive while the swim and run are easy. Running only really requires shoes and maybe a hat or sunglasses, which can easily be found at Walmart.

Anyway, this is just a bunch of my thoughts that are all over the place at almost midnight on Christmas Day. LOL! Tomorrow I gotta get up and run and keep hoping it's a nice and sunny day so I don't freeze my booty off.

Starting From the Bottom...Again!

I know it has been years since I last made a post on here...and about 5 years since my last triathlon. I would usually say that I feel terrible for not keeping up with racing but I did. In fact the last 5 years I have put in more mileage due to all the 5k, 10k and half-marathons I have ran since 2016. My last race was actually September 15, 2018 while I was deployed last year. It was a terrible race for me and it was right after a 3rd degree ankle sprain. I got lost for about 1.5 miles too but I pushed through and finished with my absolute worst time ever; 5 hrs and some change. Not to mention the temperature when I finished was like 130 degrees outside...but who cares? I finished and that was the last one because of my injuries to my ankle, shoulder, and knee.

It has been over a year since I have thrown a softball, ran in any type of race, swam, etc. But I was in physical therapy for over a year...A YEAR! Thank goodness I had an awesome PT who understood what was important to me--being mobile and still able to do triathlons and softball. I say that because I know I have to start from the bottom as this racing season approaches. Oh, did I say that out loud? Yeah, I am racing this season. In fact I plan on doing the 70.3 Lubbock in June, so I better get my ass in gear. Luckily there is a lap pool in my town, plenty of roads to run on and ride (though I gotta be very careful about cars). My problem is going to be trying to run/ride with the weight that I have gained as I am well over 20lbs heavier than I was a year ago. It might not sound like much but it puts a lot more pressure and stress on my joints and I need to get used to it. The cold weather in Oklahoma makes me not want to get out of bed--let alone get into a pool--but I know I gotta make it happen.

It will be interesting to see how all of this comes to fruition over the next several months. I have a pretty interesting schedule and I know for a fact I can't swim when I go to Cali for drill weekend. I can go for runs and bike inside at the gym but that's pretty dull. When I trained for a 70.3 before I woke up at 3:30am-4am each day and didn't go to bed til 9-10pm. It was a rough life for those few months but I made it work. This time is a little different though because I do not have help with my dog or doing anything at home. The military in me reminds me that I can adapt and overcome but I don't want to cause my poor dog any more stress than he already has. I digress....the whole point of this post is to say...

I AM BACK IN TRIATHLON TRAINING MODE EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 31ST, 2019!!!!