This past weekend, it felt like Real Life was winning. I was on my own with the children the whole weekend, as my husband was working. My daughter's soccer team played in another city, the two eldest kids had piano recitals, my poetry book club met on Saturday night, and my mother-in-law was visiting. Phew. Realizing that my only chance to get out biking would be very early on Saturday morning, I decided to go for it. My friend N came too, and found us a 25km route. It needed to be a quick one. The early morning was absolutely beautiful. I saw a white-tailed deer leaping across a field. There's little traffic at that hour, which I prefer, too.
I did not run after the bike ride, nor after the swim the previous morning (I swam longer instead, and counted my laps: 2500m in just under 1 hour; I did 1500m in 33 minutes, then really slowed down, out of necessity as much as anything--I felt tired). I didn't run because my left leg was bothering me too much and after Wednesday's run, I'd decided to rest it for a few days.
I missed it, though. Running is such an easy way to exercise (not to mention that it just makes me happy). Throw on shoes, run out door. Even half an hour, at a quick clip, can make for a good work-out. I love cycling too -- way more than I ever expected to -- but it's never short, and I prefer to go at a time of day when there are fewer cars on the road. And I enjoy swimming, but there's the problem of the water. Can't swim without water. We're lucky to have the rec centre so close, but, again, it's preferable to swim early, when the lanes are quiet. I guess people join swimming clubs or training clubs if they want to train hard and go fast on a regular basis (and not get up at 5am). I am not a leisure swimmer at all anymore. I swim end to end, turning and continuing, and only stopping to check the time.
This morning, I was pleased to swim 1500m in 32 minutes. A bit faster than last week. I swam another 500m, then called it good enough, and headed for the track. I ran 5km in 23 minutes -- not bad, but I keep wanting to get faster and faster, and that's what I did last week, too. But the good news was that my leg felt better. And that as soon as my feet hit the track, I broke into this huge spontaneous grin. Honestly, I'm just so happy to be running.
Four days without running and I missed it!
There was a trainer and a couple of young guys sprinting at the track this morning. That added an element of interest to the loops. Plus it looked really fun. I struggled to keep pace, but managed it throughout the entire 5km. I know it's only a fraction of how hard I'll be struggling to keep pace during the race. At this point in my training, I've come to recognize that physical fitness is only one aspect of the full picture when it comes to race day. How fast I go on that final run is going to come down to mental grit and determination. I still can't believe how fast I ran that 10km race. I'm not sure how I did it, honestly. I think I need my friend Tricia running behind me and pushing me on (or ahead of me, pulling me on). I hope that on my own, I'll push just as hard. Maybe I'll imagine her there at my shoulder.
Training isn't the same as race day, of course, but I do find myself wanting to push hard every time I'm out. It feels like practice for more extreme circumstances.
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In other news, I walked into the running store with the wetsuit on Thursday evening, and said, um, I've got a kind of weird request: can I put this on and you can tell me if it fits? The girl was lovely and helpful and I didn't feel like an idiot after all. She said the suit is a good fit, and a good make (and she knew the woman I'd borrowed it from--in fact, they are training partners!). I said, do I really have to wear a wetsuit in the race? And she explained the advantages. She said it will offer buoyancy and keep me warm, two factors that will spare my energy and make me more efficient in the water. Okay, I'm sold.
My husband happens not to have his regular soccer game tonight, and suggested we try taking the kids to the lake for a picnic, and to try out the wetsuit. Not sure how far I'll swim with no one there to lifeguard and husband distracted by children, but I hope to give it a try anyway, just to get a feel for it. And on Wednesday, it sounds like my friend Nath can come along to the lake and lifeguard for me, so I can try swimming the full race distance, appoximately, in the suit. (What would I do without Nath? I think she might just have to do a triathlon next summer ... she's training almost as much as I am!).
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Last week: three runs (16kms total = super-short!); three swims; two bike rides; one yoga class.
This week's plan: five runs; three swims (one in the lake, I hope!); two bike rides; two yoga classes.
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