Exercising again

I hope my schedule allows for more of this. It was so nice to get on the bike yesterday, even if it was just for a half-hour. Gotta figure out what's going on with my shifter though.

Well, that was no fun . . .

Kept an eye on the weather radar last night for the early rain to pass, then started off for what I intended to be a four-mile run. But I just couldn't seem to keep running. First walking break happened after running up the first hill, then stopped for a while under a tree while it rained for a few minutes - guess I should have checked that radar more closely. Thereafter, it seems like I was able to run about a half mile at a time before needing to walk for a bit, for the remainder of what ended up being a 4.5 mile outing. As I was preparing to shower, I noticed I hadn't taken my meds yesterday morning, including my bp pill. I wonder if that might have affected my performance?

But the real fun started after I was in bed (ostensibly) for the night. In my dream, my wife's brother-in-law and I were on our way to Johnny Carson's house for a film screening. On the way, he observed that his wife tended to under dress for such occasions. We got there and he went in, but I hung out in the driveway for a minute. The band arrived and started to make their way in around me, as I apologized for not being able to get out of their way more effectively because of the cramp in my foot. My wife and sister-in-law soon arrived, having driven separately from us, and I hugged them both and observed to my SIL in particular that she looked very nice, contrary to her husband's concerns. They started to make their way in, but I wanted to wait until my cramp subsided. My wife's BIL came back out with a bottle of water. There was an African American woman going in, carrying a water bottle, so I took the bottle from my wife's BIL and drank about half of it while she looked on, after which she got on my case for taking her water. It seems that her empty water bottle was for some other purpose (in my dream she told me what it was, and it made sense, but I don't remember now). I apologized and explained my urgent need for hydration, and offered to go get her a new bottle of water. About this time, that foot cramp finally woke me up.

It was the first of about four wake-ups during the night from cramps. I'm not so sure about this triathlon, but I really want to do this, once.

I guess I've started

2 mile run Thursday. 1000 yard swim on Saturday. 15 mile ride today. It seems that I have begun my triathlon training.

It also seems that my heart is working awfully hard for the slower results I'm seeing.

Last pool swim of the season

It was a nice swim! And it looks like I'm going to get some help training for my first triathlon in July. Fortunately it also looks like I'm not boxed out of it by the other plans we've made for the month.

Glad my friend (now in Germany) got me fixed up with this organization.

Nice weekend . . .

. . . mostly helping a friend via cooking, but also had a good swim workout and had some nice grandchildren time.

Post-swim nutrition

I've always observed that I "eat like a horse" after a swim. But this morning, as I was munching on some granola for my post-second-breakfast snack (maybe I eat like a hobbit?), I thought: "Ah: oats! I really am eating like a horse!"

I'll skip the hay, though.

In the swim, in a panic

I was getting ready to kiss my wife this morning and leave for my swim when I suddenly realized that it was already time for me to be there.

We have two swim times each month: later in the month we swim at 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday, but our earlier in the month weekday swim is 6:10 a.m. I was thinking that I was leaving myself plenty of time, but it suddenly dawned on me that I'd (m)ucked up the time in my head. So I grabbed the kitchen trash and took it out - since the outdoor trash can had already been full when I set it out the night before, because the garbage service switched up the schedule and arrived before I left for work last week, which was when I used to take it to the curb - running to the street and then to the car to drive to the pool. It was a frantic drive, with frequent shouts of "Go! Go!" to the car in front of me as they laconically pulled through a changing light on the wet morning roads. I explained to the guy at the desk that I was with the group that was already in the pool. Fortunately I was already wearing my new suit under my clothes, so I was able to minimize my changing time. I ended up cheating myself out of 200 yards, which I probably couldn't have done anyway since I forgot last night until bedtime that I was swimming this morning, so didn't pre-hydrate; therefore my feet were cramping within the first 200 yards of the swim. Oh, and I didn't take a water bottle with me, either, at least in part because of my frustrated panic as I was leaving the house. And jeez, I hate being late.

On the other hand, I swam fairly well, though only for 700 yards (after adding four lengths at the end) instead of the 900 that the other swimmers got in. On the other hand, my fitness tracker missed at least one length, because it showed me at 575 yards after I'd completed an even number of 25 yard lengths.

Need to commit . . .

. . . to regular early morning workouts, or my mornings are going to get away from me, and not in good ways.

The problem is, there isn't anyone in my life to commit these with, right now, besides myself, except for that monthly early morning swim - the other monthly swim session is on Saturday evening.

My problem with too-frequent workouts

I ran 3.58 miles last night, in the dark. Then I swam 800 yards today with Team RWB. I was hoping to get a half-mile in, but knew that goal was in jeopardy when my feet started cramping within the first 50 yards, despite my efforts to stay well hydrated today. I'm pretty sure it was because of having run last night.

I was able to nurse myself through the entire workout that our "not-trainer" left for us, but definitely was not doing all the kicking I normally would have, and on some laps had to switch strokes in order to finish them at all. During the last lap the cramping was so bad I couldn't fathom doing the extra four lengths it would take to reach my goal. Still, I'm pleased for working out in the pool, and look forward to my next chance to dive back in.

Early morning swim

I have been wanting to get back into the pool, and Team RWB has given me a chance to do that at least once per month, and maybe twice. Maybe I'll finally get that first triathlon in next year.

Geez, I'm going to be hungry today, though. I can tell already.

Futility

No, really, I was intentionally not watching stuff you hate on TV last night. I even watched a show you watch, in a useless attempt for us to spend an hour in the same room. And really, I do mind eating dinner by myself every weeknight, and not having any time together.

Do you want to spend the rest of our lives together or not?

This morning I find myself invoking St. Paul's instructions to give thanks to God in all circumstances. It has removed my thoughts from the darker path down which they tend to wander when your choices isolate me and circumstances keep me from my exercise routine. I'm glad for the chance to lead praise and worship at first Friday Mass tonight, especially seeing as you've unilaterally decided to have dinner out again tonight. At least your unilateral decision to invite our "adopted" daughter over for dinner tomorrow includes me.

Today's pageview zip code

Miamisburg, 45342: where I got to set a PR this summer, and be with a friend when she won her age/category group! :D

Cramping my style, aspirations

If I'm to have any hope of either riding a century again or (less likely) running a half-marathon, I'm going to have to get this cramping under control somehow. My doctor tells me to "Drink. Drink. Drink," and I thought I was doing fairly well with that yesterday, although not great. But after a little over two miles last night, I was awake four times during the night with cramping in my feet.

It's going to be tough stay alert and productive today . . .