Breakthrough

Spin class tonight was AWESOME!

Why is that a breakthrough you may ask? Well....I have a confession to make, but listen carefully because I am going to whisper...

"I don't like spin classes".....whew, glad I got that off my chest.

I've been doing 1-2 spin classes a week for the past month or so and while I appreciated that the classes are an important part of my training, I didn't particularly like them. I can't really explain why except for maybe the fact that I lived out in the country as a child and I spent a lot of that time on a bike riding on hilly, country roads. For me, spin class is to biking as a tootsie roll is to chocolate....a poor substitute....you're not getting one past me little spin bike.

Prior to tonight spin class was a good workout, my legs burned and I felt little glimpses of adrenaline during certain parts of class, but nothing compared to a kickboxing class or a great run.

That all changed tonight. Everything fell right into place tonight. I felt strong and fast thru the whole class....it was AMAZING!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the next class will be just as great. But for now, I will just relax and bask in the glory of a great workout!

Motivation

This morning I had to get up at 3:30 am....put my swimsuit on, followed by 2 pairs of pants, two shirts, gloves, hat, ect....to shovel my driveway BEFORE heading to the gym for my 5 am swim workout.

Why didn't I just stay in bed? I got out of bed because Nick Lacina can't right now. Nick is our Honored Teammate for Team In Training. Nick is an 18 year old freshman at Iowa State. He has pretty much been in the hospital since Christmas, fighting pneumonia. This has been a pretty fierce battle because Nick has Leukemia. I have been following his fight on his CarePage.

Every time training gets hard, I imagine Nick and his mom, in a hospital room....WAITING....waiting for fevers to go down....waiting for counts to go up...waiting for cultures....waiting for clear xrays....waiting for a good night's sleep....waiting for the strength to get out of bed....waiting for a cure....

I imagine Nick is doing enough waiting for all of the members of Team In Training. For Nick and countless others that are WAITING, I am going to keep DOING......

It's Complicated

I have come to the realization that I have a love/hate relationship with swimming. It is really hard! I watch the experienced swimmers go lap after lap with ease and seriously wonder if that will ever be me. I am not so sure! Today was a tough day for me in the pool. I swam on my own yesterday and was really encouraged. I felt like I was finally getting a handle on my breathing and getting into a comfortable groove. Yesterday was one step forward. Today, two steps back. Breathing was difficult. We were working on our stroke and I think it was an overload for my brain!

On the bright side, I am learning more with every swim. Just need to get it all together!

Christmas Morning all over again....

The ground is still blanketed with snow, but we decided to venture out for our first outside run in probably over a month. Did I mention that I am also training for the Oklahoma City 1/2 marathon in April....well, today the training officially began with a 4 mile run. I've been running 3-5 miles several days a week, but running on a treadmill is nothing compared to running outside. I new it would be tough, but I was excited to get out there and do it.

The trail we ran (Nicole and Caleb were with me too) wasn't totally cleared of snow and ice, so it was pretty slow going. The first 5 minutes were the worst for me....I was cold and my face hurt and I was afraid I was going to fall. But after that it was great! Challenging, as I knew it would be, but still great! I really LOVE running in the cold, after that initial chill wears off!

Can't wait to get out there and do it again!

A reminder for my future self:

It's supposed to be hard.
If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it.
The hard... is what makes it GREAT.

Swimming~Take 2

Second swim workout this morning. Very encouraging. I ate a banana before and had some chocolate milk after....made a HUGE difference. I was able to complete a 30 minute strength/cardio class after swimming.

I also got a "real" suit yesterday, one that actually fits....my old one was probably about 2 sizes too big.

That said, it was still pretty tough. One mile is 35 laps in the pool (down and back the length of the pool is ONE lap), I can get about 3/4 of a lap completed before the exhaustion sets in....so, I still have a long way to go. Looking forward to the day I can successfully complete an ENTIRE lap (baby steps, remember....)!

Baby Steps

Okay....well, the good news is that the first swim workout is over with. 45 minutes of purposeful swimming is TOUGH!! We basically just worked on kicking and then we did some stroke work. My biggest challenge is definitely going to be getting the breathing down, there is so much to remember at once. The worst was when my breathing got off and I'd get a mouthful of water instead of air, it was almost enough to send me into a panic attack!!

I was planning on going to Farrell's after the swim to help the 6 am class thru their first lower body bands class of the new session, but I was WIPED out! I will have to plan on a post-workout snack for next time for sure!

Although it was difficult, I did feel I made progress by the end of the workout and I am looking forward to the challenge. Unfortunately I can't wear my bodybugg for swimming, so I can't get a handle on how many calories I burned, that is going to be a tough adjustment for me. I've gotten so used to using the bodybugg to rate my effort in a workout. I guess I'll have to find another method.

My training partners all did great too! I can't wait to see us all progress in the coming months. It is great to be going thru this journey with other people, I know I wouldn't be able to do it by myself!!

I probably won't run tonight, but tomorrow will find me on the treadmill at 5am before going to FXB and then doing a 50 minute spin class tomorrow night.

Diving In!

Oh boy....tomorrow is my first official training "swim". Not gonna lie, I am nervous. Other than basic swim lessons in elementary school, I've never had to swim with a purpose. I am completely clueless and very anxious to see how it goes. After tomorrow morning I will have a better idea of what lies ahead for the next 6 months! If you're up at 5am tomorrow morning, I'd appreciate any encouraging thoughts!!

Breaking all the rules.....

How many of us are defined by our limitations? The answer can be found in those rare moments when we are brutally honest with ourselves. Low self-esteem and self-confidence is a destructive emotion that can be paralyzing if given control in our lives.

Having experienced this many times throughout my life I have made a commitment to leave a different legacy for my children. The next 6 months will be physically and mentally demanding, but I know I can do it. I have the strength within me to push thru; to keep going no matter what. I know that each struggle will make the victory that much sweeter. Thru this and every other challenge I face in my life I am hoping to show Kaity and Ben (and anyone else that may not believe it) that they can truly do anything they set their mind too.