Acclimation or Acceptance?

Summer has continued to be humid and gross.  But it is also flying by - I am in denial that we are this deep in July.  I also recently started working 100% home, which is great for triathlons because you can work around your training instead of training around your work schedule.  Not that I am doing much  training...but I like the potential.

At first, finding discipline was difficult because theoretically, I COULD RUN ALL DAY.  The weather has at least helped solve that problem since working involves air conditioning.  Also, I discovered I work better in a cubical-like environment: a small space with few distractions.  I created this space using the bathroom vanity.  It actually works great - I purchased some Crayola mirror-markers to transform the mirror into a white board.

The only downside is I am working next to a toilet.  Although, I do always appreciate any opportunity for increased efficiency.

When not at my vanity workstation, the kids and I are often at McDonalds.  I have always been a fan of their little ice cream cones.  I do miss the day that they were only .50 cents and you had the option of chocolate or swirl.  I used to always order swirl.

But I will settle for vanilla.  The kids settle for vanilla, too.  And if you think that its weird I choose to work in the bathroom, you will find it really weird that my kids eat their ice cream cones with a spoon!

After they finish their ice cream, they get lost in the tunnels that smell like pee.  Sometimes they disappear in them for a good 30-minutes.  

Sometimes they sit up there and just stare at me.   Sometimes they plaster their face to the plastic windows.  Sometimes they even lick the windows.  This boggles my mind.  They refuse to lick an ice cream cone but cannot resist licking a booger-crusted, snot-coated, pee-infused piece of stinky plastic?

Anyway, the good news is that my back is recovering.  It only hurts when I back bend.  And, my running is recovering as well - my legs are finding their spring and I am finding myself enjoying it again.  I am not sure if I am acclimating to the humidity or simply accepting the fact that the weather sucks.  Part of pain is perception so while I cannot control the weather, I can change the way I allow it to control me.  I think this is why running massively appeals to type A personalities - physical ailments aside, you always have an element of control.  Although you cannot always change your running conditions, you can change the way you deal with them.  It only sucks if you tell yourself it sucks.

Feeling a Bit Burnt Out

I don't know if its the summer heat, or just lack of giving myself a substantial break, but I am feeling rather burnt out.   Nik, maybe that is I did not update for a full week - my facebook feed is full of people who are always training for a half Ironman, if not a full Ironman, so it seems a bit wussy to be burnt out from doing 5Ks and sprint triathlons.

My body is not encouraging me either because I pinched a nerve in my lower back.  It either happened from not properly getting out of full-camel position, or during my nightly attempts at chin stands.  I was feeling pretty awesome about being able to do a chin stand, but just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.  At least without learning the proper form first.

My yoga teacher used the term "over-compressed" so my chiropractor has since "decompressed" me twice.  But, my low back still feels weird.  However, when I was image Googling chin stands to find a picture, I found a bunch of other poses I want to try so clearly I have not learned my lesson.

So, the solution to feeling burnt out seems rather simple - I should just take a break, right?  But my life is so compartmentalized:  my family time - my work time - and my hobby time (with also is my alone time and my social time).  If I don't have my hobby, I have a void.

But it's not so much that I don't WANT to run, it's that I don't want to HAVE to run.

Recently, my son has been obsessed with my Garmin.  Every day, for a few weeks, he has asked for a "running watch that he can put on his bike."  I finally found a stop watch that could fit his little wrist.  It's not a Garmin, but it has stop and start buttons...the only two features he cares about.

It's not unusual for me to feel this way during this summer.  And although it has been awhile, it is not unusual for me to give my Garmin a break and run just to run.   I am considering temporarily trading watches my son.  My only hesitation is can I trust him to not put my Garmin in the toilet?

The irony in all this is I just agreed to get coached.  This was my first week and I blew off 75% of the workouts.  Even though my mind wants to be motivated, I just cannot fake it.  Or force it.

So, despite the fact I do not want to write this, I declare July a recovery month.  In August, I am doing Hood2Coast and I will end the season with one last triathlon in September.

Even though the heat has made me officially surrender, my kids are handling it better than they were a few weeks ago.  We have been having fun at the pool.

And the movies.

And Hayden discovered that if he wears his hat and his sunglasses, the sun will stay out of his eyes!

Beat the Heat Report

This was an inaugural race, held on a historically hot weekend, at the hottest time of the day (2:42pm). The hottest temperature recorded on this day was 112, so to be cute, the race distance was 11.2K.  (Although it was really over 7 miles...I guess it's like the 28 mile bike ride in my last Olympic triathlon).

It was pretty hot - around 105 at the start and 108 at the finish.  However, had they waited one more weekend we all would have been in for a real challenge - the forecast for this upcoming weekend is 117 degrees! It's not so much the temperature that I struggle with though, but rather the position of the sun.  At 3pm, the sun directly pounds your skin and there is no escape.  Brenna always demands that I park in the shade when we are looking for a spot in a parking lot...those shrubs do not produce much shade.

Arizona is a dry heat though.  When the air is dry, your sweat cools down your skin, as designed.  My plan for this race was to stop at every single water station to 1) drink water, and 2) pour water on my head to stay wet.  There were 12 water stations, so nearly one every half-mile.

Before the race, we were all squished into a horse stadium.  This stadium was air conditioned but squeezing 1,000 people into such a small place negated any cooling effects.  There was a pre-race yoga class though...it was not very popular but I jumped right in.

The race started inside the stadium and we quickly ran into the bright sunlight.  It felt like a normal race and I constantly caught myself cautiously reigning in the pace.  At 3pm, I always have my kids, so I was not able to train to run this race fast - it was more like an experiment.  How much would it suck?

It didn't suck at all for Miles 1- 3.  In fact, I felt great.
There was a girl in front of me that I desperately wanted to pass, but I played the patient card and stayed at a comfortable pace.  Right after Mile 3, I passed the girl.   Mile 4 was in a headwind, and on a golf course filled with small but steep ups and downs.  This is when I started getting tired.

Mile 5 is when I started getting hot.  I had to adjust my water-station pattern from:

stop - pour water on my head - walk to next cup - drink water - run (5 seconds)

to:

stop - pour water on my head - walk to next cup - drink water - walk to next cup - pour water on my head - walk to next cup - drink water - run (10-15 seconds).

I still think that adding 10-15 seconds at the water stations was a lesser evil than not properly hydrating and slowing my pace by perhaps minutes per mile.

I never found any additional girls to pass and zoned out for a few miles.  I arrived back in reality at the last water station and realized that I was  very hot and thirsty.  But I could see the finish -- I just had to slosh through a sprinkler-soaked grass field first.  I tried to gracefully leap over puddles but as always, I landed right in the middle of each one.

At the finish, reporters asked me questions about the race.  No one offered me water.
I staggered around for awhile, looking for water or, even better, watermelon.  I did find snow cones, which would be AWESOME if you had $2.

Post-race refreshments were replaced with a water slide.

The top 10 finishers won prize money.  This attracted a large professional field.  Unfortunately, the four professional women could not contend with the men.  Oddly, there were no overall women's awards so they were lumped into the age-groupers.  And, us age-groupers did not win money - we won Arabian Horse Show tickets!  Which, I think is pretty cool because my kids will like it.  I was 5th female.

At the finish, a reporter asked me if I would do this race again.
I told them, "Maybe."

Maybe if they provide watermelon.

It's Summer Time, Part 3

Same post, different year.

In 2011, I made this post in May.
In 2012, I made this post March.

At least this year I held out until June.  Either we have had a gentle transition, I am miraculously tougher, or I was just being wussy in previous years.  Today the temperature has already hit 110 degrees.

But. the heat has yet to have a huge impact on my performance.  In fact, yesterday I went on a 10am bike ride for 1 hour and covered 21.1 miles -- perhaps my fastest ride to-date that did not happen during a race.  And then I ran and felt just fine.

It's the after-effect that has hit me the most.....that moment when you stop moving and your body starts gushing sweat.  Serious sweat.  And it does not cease until you gulp three cups of electrolyte induced ice water, stretch, eat cottage cheese, stretch again and take a bath.  And yes,  that is my post-workout routine. Only then I can finally take my shower.

I may be here patting myself on the back for being such a trouper this time around, but I can't say the adjustment has been as effortless for my kids.  For the past month, any mention of "park" or "outside" has had an adverse reaction (screaming, crying, frantically looking for a place to hide).  I've tried to help them out with hats (but they will not wear them) and sunglasses (but they will not wear them).

I've introduced the Slip-and-Slide but Hayden was not a fan.  Don't ask me how this is possible.

And so....we've returned to the gym daycare.  They seem to like it just as much/little as previously.  And just like before, I treat them to lunch afterwards.  They always tell me they are "very very hungry."  

I ask them what they want.
Hayden always says he wants eggs.
Brenna always says she does not want eggs and throws a tantrum.
Then I order them the same stuff I did years ago:  An egg burrito.

Then Brenna eats all of the eggs that she so loudly originally insisted she did not want.  

At least it's predictable and I am able to pull out a treat out of my purse and make a silent deal with Hayden by kicking his foot and looking into his eyes with slightly raised brows.  He allows me to slip the treat next to his plate, give Brenna his remaining eggs and shoves the treat into his mouth when she is not looking.

We're definitely figuring things out.  I am sure we will figure out how to handle the summer heat, too.

Today is the Last Day.

Thanks to a brief storm last night, it was yet another very humid morning.  It didn't start off that bad, but by the end of the run my feet were sloshing in my shoes as if I ran through a large puddle.

But I didn't.  My socks were just drenched in sweat.

As if bathing in your own sweat is not gross enough, the wet air brings out all these little bugs that attach to you like flies to honey.

I know it's ugly picture.  But I always said this blog would include the good, the bad and the ugly.  Despite my disdain for even the daintiest bugs, at least I know it is coming.  Even when the rest of my world is rapidly changing, running has remained a calming constant in my life.

One big change is about to occur tomorrow:  the kids are going to turn three.

Considering my babies were the first babies that I ever held, it is probably not a surprise that my experience with small children is very limited, if even existent.  I have no idea what to expect.

It is rather intense to think about quickly they have transformed from babies to kids.

Today I have to grunt when I pick up Hayden's 40-pound body, but it was not that long ago that he lived in a carrier on my back so I could have Brenna in my arms.

Sometimes Hayden wants to go into that carrier but he now exceeds the weight limit so I cannot wear him.  So now, he has become this:

Today is the last day of our toddler years.

He did it again!

It's been an entire year since this celebration, but last night we got to celebrate again!  CFA test results were posted a few days ago and David was one of the 42% of test takers to pass.  I knew he was going to pass so finding out officially was just a technicality.  

To celebrate, we went out for sushi!  We went to a small, dark, very crowded and loud restaurant and feasted on sushi rolls.  The kids and David had noodle dishes and I had a massive plate of sashimi.

We tried to get a family photo.

Getting a good photo of both kids is always a challenge, but I don't think the dark lighting did us any justice either.

The sushi was a great idea - 

until this morning.  It was 91 degrees at 5am and very humid.

Here is the thing about sweating:

Your body always wants to have equal amounts of salt and water.  If want to be able to run in the summer and not die of thirst, they key is to have a low-salt diet.  Less salt in your diet means you will need less water.

Unfortunately, sushi dripping in soy sauce, is quite salty.

And during my run, I was quite thirsty.

This may have been the most difficult run of the summer.  I managed 11.5 miles @ 7:47 so it wasn't horrible, it was just horribly uncomfortable.  When I got home, I had to hang my clothing up to dry - I probably could have squeezed enough water from them to fill the tub enough for a salt bath.  And mind you, I run in very little clothing. 

But this is just the beginning - August is when the true sweat-fest begins.

Yes, We Still Do That, Part 2

We may not be as fast, but we are still out on the road for our third summer.

7:00am:
The kids wake up.
I change their diapers and ask, Do you want to go running?


7:01am:
They quickly let me know that they do want to go running.

7:10am:
They wait because I was not ready yet.

7:15am:

Breakfast is served - it's time to hit the road!

7:25am:

Brenna peaks back to say hello.

7:30am:

Water break number 1.

7:45am:
Water break number 2.

8:00am:
We cool-down and stretch.

And then we realize there are ants and rush inside.  

But still, it's a rather perfect morning with perfect running partners.

Base Building - Training Your Weaknesses

I got a friendly text a few weeks ago from a former professional triathlete.  She was just not a pro, she was a great pro.  She traveled around the world and competed in the world championships multiple times.  She said she thought I had potential and offered to help me, free of charge.

I have always been tentative about coaching (remember this?) but I can get aboard anything if its free.

Like those stale, week-old cookies they give away at the grocery store before throwing them away?  I love those.  

In college, they were what sustained my once beloved cookie jar.
I do miss that cookie jar.

Anyway, the problem with coaching is that sometimes you are told things that you do not want to hear.  For example, that you have to train your weaknesses.

This is right on par with base-building and a terrific summer time activity.
The problem is that our weaknesses tend to be the stuff we enjoy the least.  For me, this is swimming.  I don't have an issue necessarily with swimming more, but with the sacrifices that are attached (specifically a reduction in my running).

This begs the question, How badly do I want it?
And, Is it even possible?  Can I be a good swimmer?

Like I tell the kids:  You never know unless you try.
So, I am going to give it a try.  Or at least try to try.

Last week I thought I suffered from heat exhaustion but it turned out that I had a mild bug (which I kindly passed along to David and my mother).  This week, I felt much better, even with the high temperatures.
I still did quite a bit of running, but not as many miles as usual.

Monday:  1 hour aerobic run.


Tuesday:  Flew to Lake Havasu for some open-water swimming.
I am not a huge fan of small planes because they give me motion-sickness and I am scared of crashing.......... but no one wanted to drive.                          
                                                                                 




I am also not a fan of Lake Havasu.  It was pretty much Yuma with the London Bridge.  (Yuma is known as the "armpit" of Arizona).

Wednesday:  1 hour run (tempo intervals) - I just can't quit it!  But, I also swam for 30-minutes non-stop and did flip-turns the entire time.  Flip turns are another weakness.

Thursday:  24-mile bike ride where I was told my gear was too high and my cadence was too low.  And, another swim!!  Again, with flip turns.

Friday: 1-hour on the indoor bike, low gear/high cadence, using my new cadence monitor.

Saturday:  90-minute progression run (12 miles).

Sunday:  35-mile group ride with lots of hills, focusing on my cadence and not my speed.  What I naturally do is go up one gear too big, which slows my cadence to 86.  When I am in slightly smaller gear, my cadence is 91.  I caught myself going into the bigger gear about a dozen times.

So that is pretty much what I was doing all week.
My kids were busy this week too - mostly just playing.

A few nights ago, David and I were sitting on the couch talking.  I looked at the clock and it was almost 8pm.  "Holy crap!" I said.  "We need to start bedtime routine!"
In the absence of my kids, I almost forgot them.
And, perhaps this their intention.  They are quite skilled when it comes to delaying bedtime.

I got up and found them in Brenna's room....each dragging their respective blankets, while doing something with a flash light and an over-sized stuffed mermaid:

Although they fight quite a bit (I had to get up four times while writing this post because Brenna kept stealing Hayden's blanket), it must be pretty cool to have a permanent playing partner.  

Every few weeks David suggests that we move them back in the same room.  Sure, this is nice in theory - but in reality, they wouldn't sleep.  They would play.  

And fight.

Because as cute as these moments are, it's only a matter of time until one of them decides to poke the other in the ear.

Okay, Now it's Really Summer Time

I knew I spoke too soon, but clearly it was much too soon.
Now, I see that weather was just a preparation for the real deal.  With the high-temperatures past 110, I am now brutally reminded of what a real Arizona summer feels like.
I feel perpetually thirsty and the profusion of sweat leaves my muscles achy, my eyes stingy and my body tired.  I really don't remember being this miserable!

I'm usually not one to complain about the heat because dealing with the natural elements is just part of the sport that I so deeply love - but excuse me, because I feel like complaining.  Perhaps this is just an adjustment period that is quickly forgotten, or perhaps in my ripe old age of 30, my ability to deal with the physical effects of such discomfort is dwindling.  You know, in the same likeness that I can no longer tolerate a hangover.

Saturday morning I met my running group at 5am.  It was already hot.  I didn't feel like running, which is an extremely rare situation.   But of course after slathering yourself in sun screen and tying your running shoes, you do not go back to bed.
I managed 11 miles.  There was  day that 11 miles would have never qualified as a long run.  But these days, I struggle to make it past that.
I guess I ask myself:  Why? I am not training for anything.  Why risk the chance of injury?
But I also ask myself:  Am I making a reasonable decision or a justification?

After my miserable 11 miles, I went home and collapsed on the couch.
I would have stayed there but we had a birthday party to attend.
An outside birthday party.

Although it was hot, the kids really enjoyed themselves.  Most of the attendees were adorable little boys so I taught Brenna how to flirt using the aloof Hair Flip Method.

And Hayden liked the food.  He always likes the food.

But afterwards, everyone was exhausted.  We did an early nap-time but even three hours later, no one felt refreshed.  (I probably would have felt better but I used the time to catch up on Next Food Network Star).

Even a simple errand, like escorting David to Home Depot, was too exerting.  No one felt like walking. 

Clearly we have some work to do if we want to survive the summer.

It's only June. 

This is only the beginning.

It's Summer Time, Part 2

Perhaps this post is slightly premature since I didn't start talking about the heat last year until May.

And since earlier this week, we played outside and there was a distinct chill in the air:


But it's a moot point because the inevitable is approaching. It's getting hot.

I don't mind the heat but the beautiful weather during the winter does spoil me. Lots of things change during the summer...I will say goodbye to sleeping in past 5am, afternoon trail runs at South Mountain and lunch time frolics with the jogging stroller.

A few weeks ago during our Costco outing, we were cruising at a 7:30 pace with ease.

Last week when it was warmer, we slowed down a 7:45 pace.


Yesterday, it was even even warmer and we were slowed to a 7:58 pace.


That was my first time in months seeing my pace so close to the 8 minute range. It was windy and a recovery run...yada yada yada... but nonetheless it is time to mentally prepare for the dreaded "summer pace."

I confess, every week I do speed intervals to make sure that I didn't wake up and lose my relatively new sub-6 minute mile pace. But I think it's only a matter of time until it takes a hiatus.

There are good things about summer though that we can focus on instead, like swimming outside.

Also, when Brenna doesn't want to get dressed, I won't have to worry about her getting cold. This week, she refused to get dressed for our weekly playdate. I took her in her diaper as she pouted:


(but she still couldn't resist taking a break from misery to smile for the camera)


In my defense, I did bring her clothing - modesty always kicks in once we leave the house.

Is it summer or is it me?

I guess I am lucky that I am asking myself this for the first time at the end of July. Although Arizona is known for having a dry heat, in the months of July-Sept, we have this lovely thing called the monsoon.

Well, it's "lovely" if you are not a runner.

90-degree weather at 5am on it's own is not miserable, but throw in some humidity and it's painfully wet. Like dripping in sweat uncontrollably wet. Like this:


When I come inside from after a run, I leave a trail of dripping sweat from the front door to the shower, where I undress.

My runs this week were hard, and the speed that I was craving just wasnt there. Now, it would be so easy to blame this on the weather! I mean, all that sweat...it must be why it's hard, right?

But I also just kinda feel tired.
My muscles feel tight.
My legs feel heavy.

So, it does beg the question if it's the weather, or if it's me.

It might just be time for *a little less* running and *a little more swimming*. Something that I have to do anyway since my next triathlon is quickly approaching.

And just like the heat has made running more challenging, it has made parenting more challenging as well. The afternoons are the most difficult, it is so hot that we dont even want to leave the house.

Needless to say, everyone is happy when David arrives home at 530. They are so sick of me by then and jump into his arms:


I love my family.

Full Blown Summer Time

I always know that summer is in full effect when:

1) I spend more money on electrolytes than a coffee addict at Starbucks
and
2) My internal alarm clock goes off at 4am every morning (in Arizona, we dont train less during the summer - we just train earlier).

The kids have adjusted to the summer painlessly. We slather on sunscreen with their morning diaper change. Then I say, Breakfast in the jogging stroller! and the kids run to the stroller and climb in. I am grateful that the BOB has a lot of storage options, because we bring a lot of food:




Although the heat has yet to have a negative effect on my training, it has had an effect on our day-to-day activities. The kids do get bored being inside and sometimes it's challenging to find activities.

A few things that we do -

we grocery shop:


we watch Track and Field on TV:


and we go to Costco for free samples:


I wish my kids liked water so we could go to the splash park! Hopefully in another month, they love water (as of now, its still a work in process).

The next race is Monday!

It's summer time

Yesterday I ran in the hottest temperature so far this year:


I did 8 miles at South Mountain and only needed to stop at the water fountain once (nor was I thirsty at the end) so it didn't feel very hot at all...but 98 degrees is just the start of what is about to come - soon it will be over 100.

So what does that mean for me?

In terms of training, it means less running. I refuse to use a treadmill so all my running will have to be done at the crack of dawn. I will still run with the babies, assuming they wake up early enough. Lately they have been sleeping in.

I will also cycle outdoors less, however I dont mind cycling inside on my trainer. In fact, I like it - there is no wind!!

I will also find my way back into the air conditioned weight room, and spend a little more time in the pool.

In terms of the twins, it means less time outside. We have been spoiled with beautiful temperatures since November...we have spent so much time visiting parks, taking walks, and playing in the backyard.

I have already scoped out potential indoor places to replace the parks. Over the weekend, we conquered the mall which has a big play-area. The play area is hectic; kids run around rampant. Brenna really enjoyed it, especially this little slide:


Hayden liked it, but not as much. He was more interested in the coin-operated rides. The same rides that used to cost a quarter now cost a dollar...unfortunately, this price increase does not mean the rides are longer. They still only last a few minutes and this upset Hayden. There were a few tantrums at the end of each ride.

There is also a train that goes around the mall...at first, Hayden was scared...

But he was loving it by the end.

And he threw a tantrum.