Today was a great day. After the last 2 days of damage, I woke up this morning determined to really workout hard today. I knew that I needed to burn a bunch of calories in order to get myself back on track. My plan was to get to the gym and do 90 minutes of cardio. When I got the gym, I saw the girls who run. I thought for sure I would just say hi and be on my way. In the back of my mind, I remembered that I said I would run with them the next time I saw them. Unfortunately, I also blogged about running with them in a previous post and one of the girls read the post. I was totally caught and had no choice. Scared was an understatement. These are marathon runners, 1/2 ironman finishers and then there is IronJessica. I decided to go for it. After all I could always just walk if they left me.
Not only did I do it but I didn't collapse. I know they slowed it down just for me and I totally appreciated it. I was so proud of myself - we did around 4+ miles at about a 10:30 pace. This proved two things to me: 1) I am capable of running faster and longer than I usually run and 2) I have been missing out! Running with people gave me a totally different perspective on running. When I run alone, I try to take in the scenery or get into my music, but most of my time is spent wanting it to be over. Don't get me wrong - running with them was not easy (especially the ridiculous hill repeat) but I was focused on the conversation instead of the finish.
I then went in to do a 30 minute elliptical run (trying to take care of that weekend chicken:).
I think I need to get an elliptical for home since I love it so much. I think I love it because it is the closest that I come to my back in the day time at Zanzibar or the Cheetah club -dancing to house music. I know - this is sad.
Running with the girls was so much fun. I started thinking about how I could run with women in my neighborhood and with my women in my bible group - perhaps even my husband. Running with other people would help me become a better runner as well as help me make more social connections. I'm planning to go back to Jersey in a few weeks, maybe I'll ask my friends to meet me for a group run and catch up. M, L, G, B, J are you in?
What is this all about?
I started this blog to keep me accountable in my fitness and clean eating journey. My first post was in March of 2007 and I've been posting ever since. As you will see I've had many highs and lows...but this is all about the journey...not just the destination
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
Danger , Danger , Danger
Today - I missed my workout. I overslept and just could not get my butt in gear. I got dressed but procrastinated and completely missed my workout window. I told myself I would run when I got home. This NEVER happens - which is why I force myself to workout in the am. But still I told myself I'd do it today.
At work - I ate poorly - I had a sub sandwich for lunch. A SUB SANDWICH?? What am I crazy? The only reason I had this was because I attended a lunch meeting - where the host was considerate enough to provide lunch. Lunch included a variety of subs from Jersey Mikes... How can I turn down a small piece of a sub from Jersey Mikes? I started with just a small piece (half of a quarter of a sub) and then had a quarter. All told I had a 1/2 of a sub. What am I crazy? I don't eat like this. Definitely not good.
Then when I get home, my wonderful husband has a delicious meal prepared - breaded chicken, brown rice and peas. I could have had salad -- I could have just said I'll have a little bit of chicken over my salad. But noooo - I had chicken, rice and peas. What I am on crack? Also on my way out of the office - I grabbed a few chocolates from my coworker's office ( I thought I kicked this habit months ago) . I said to myself - ok that is it..back on track. After dinner - I thought about running.. but that was it. I ran in my mind , I even rode my bike in my mind.
Then before going to bed ..I weighed myself. As If I thought miraculously I wouldn't see evidence of my carelessness. I usually don't weigh myself at night as I'm always lightest first thing in the morning and heaviest at the end of the day. I must have weighed and re weighed myself 4 times. I couldn't believe the scale. I was exactly 1lb over my danger weight -- which is 3 lbs over were I have been for the last month or so. I gained 4 lbs in just a few days. I know some of this is water weight but some of it is not. I am soo bummed. If I look back over the last few days - I have not been at a deficit . In fact quite the opposite today and yesterday. And I didn't work out to offset the extra calories . Two days shouldn't do this type of damage . But perhaps the combination of the chicken, the sub, the wine and wine and wine......
Danger weight calls for drastic measures. I am sooo bummed.
At work - I ate poorly - I had a sub sandwich for lunch. A SUB SANDWICH?? What am I crazy? The only reason I had this was because I attended a lunch meeting - where the host was considerate enough to provide lunch. Lunch included a variety of subs from Jersey Mikes... How can I turn down a small piece of a sub from Jersey Mikes? I started with just a small piece (half of a quarter of a sub) and then had a quarter. All told I had a 1/2 of a sub. What am I crazy? I don't eat like this. Definitely not good.
Then when I get home, my wonderful husband has a delicious meal prepared - breaded chicken, brown rice and peas. I could have had salad -- I could have just said I'll have a little bit of chicken over my salad. But noooo - I had chicken, rice and peas. What I am on crack? Also on my way out of the office - I grabbed a few chocolates from my coworker's office ( I thought I kicked this habit months ago) . I said to myself - ok that is it..back on track. After dinner - I thought about running.. but that was it. I ran in my mind , I even rode my bike in my mind.
Then before going to bed ..I weighed myself. As If I thought miraculously I wouldn't see evidence of my carelessness. I usually don't weigh myself at night as I'm always lightest first thing in the morning and heaviest at the end of the day. I must have weighed and re weighed myself 4 times. I couldn't believe the scale. I was exactly 1lb over my danger weight -- which is 3 lbs over were I have been for the last month or so. I gained 4 lbs in just a few days. I know some of this is water weight but some of it is not. I am soo bummed. If I look back over the last few days - I have not been at a deficit . In fact quite the opposite today and yesterday. And I didn't work out to offset the extra calories . Two days shouldn't do this type of damage . But perhaps the combination of the chicken, the sub, the wine and wine and wine......
Danger weight calls for drastic measures. I am sooo bummed.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Good music and good wine...
A good part of my early relationship with my husband was spent at or around Jazz concerts. We attended Jazz festivals for vacations - visiting the Montreal Jazz Festival 5 times, Aruba, St. Lucia, Newport and Jackie Robinson Festivals. We were engaged and honeymooned at a Jazz Festival . Our grand plan was that we would continue this tradition once we had kids. Well that was the plan, the reality is that the Jazz Festivals came to a screeching halt. Although my 9 yo has been to (and performed at) more concerts than many other 9 year olds. In fact, she recently attended a Dwele concert with my husband (because our childcare fell through) and landed her little self on stage performing an impromptu solo. I'll have to send the link to the audio (as soon as I can convert it and post it). Anyway music has been our "thing" for a long long time.
Today we rekindled our old tradition by attending an outstanding jazz festival on the grounds of a winery. It was a picture perfect setting - great music, great company, great food, great weather and reliable child care. I packed a lunch basket-( that I received as a wedding present reserved for just such an occasion) full of grapes, gouda cheese and crackers. Of course on the way - we stopped for the obligatory bucket o chicken :) . So wrong on sooo many levels- I could have protested, but didn't. I digress... We had a terrific time - in fact we felt like we were on vacation.
Being on the grounds of a winery, listening to jazz on a blanket surrounded by others doing the same thing, forces you to think about ......wine. Well I haven't had wine in over 16 months. I was was convinced of the negative effects alcohol had on weight loss, metabolism and exercise. Despite this conviction - I got caught up in the moment...and it was nice, really nice. We sat on our chaise lounges, soaked up the sun and the music and enjoyed 2 bottles of delicious wine. I get drunk off of champagne so suffice it to say - I was pretty toasted.
I felt guilty - the chicken, the wine, the cheese etc. but I felt that it was totally worth it. We'll see how I feel tomorrow - I plan to get right back on track.
Today we rekindled our old tradition by attending an outstanding jazz festival on the grounds of a winery. It was a picture perfect setting - great music, great company, great food, great weather and reliable child care. I packed a lunch basket-( that I received as a wedding present reserved for just such an occasion) full of grapes, gouda cheese and crackers. Of course on the way - we stopped for the obligatory bucket o chicken :) . So wrong on sooo many levels- I could have protested, but didn't. I digress... We had a terrific time - in fact we felt like we were on vacation.
Being on the grounds of a winery, listening to jazz on a blanket surrounded by others doing the same thing, forces you to think about ......wine. Well I haven't had wine in over 16 months. I was was convinced of the negative effects alcohol had on weight loss, metabolism and exercise. Despite this conviction - I got caught up in the moment...and it was nice, really nice. We sat on our chaise lounges, soaked up the sun and the music and enjoyed 2 bottles of delicious wine. I get drunk off of champagne so suffice it to say - I was pretty toasted.
I felt guilty - the chicken, the wine, the cheese etc. but I felt that it was totally worth it. We'll see how I feel tomorrow - I plan to get right back on track.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Accidental discovery
Part of our vacation plans this summer included a bunch of weekend trips as well as just down time with the family. So I am taking August Fridays off and we are doing a bunch of things. Tomorrow we are hanging around town at the museum etc. and doing a few house projects.
Since I didn't work out this morning, I decided to do a night run + a bit of weights. All went well - I did a 20 minute run, 10 minute walk and 15 minutes running on the mini trampoline. I love running on the mini tramp because it is really low impact and really elevates my heart rate.
The biggest discovery of the day, was my walking. I discovered , quite accidentally that I am a super fast walker. I mean super fast. I can walk almost as fast as my slow run. I started running at 6.4 for a few minutes and hovered between 6.4 and 5.7 for most of the run (2 minute intervals). I then decided to walk for my cool down but hadn't gotten the treadmill down to a cool down pace. But I was walking at 5.3 mph! Having legs that are 50thousand feet hurts my jeans shopping but helps me power walk on the treadmill. I continued to walk at 5.3 for the next few minutes, I even pushed it up to 5.4. 5.5 is my long slow run pace and my run pace during triathlons is even slower. So I had a thought... If I can walk almost as fast as my slow run -- would it be better to do run, fast walk type interval? It certainly is lower stress on my knees. It does feel like cheating but walking that fast is no cake walk. My heart rate was close to 80% max but I felt good and like I could maintain it. I wonder how fast I could get?
Since I didn't work out this morning, I decided to do a night run + a bit of weights. All went well - I did a 20 minute run, 10 minute walk and 15 minutes running on the mini trampoline. I love running on the mini tramp because it is really low impact and really elevates my heart rate.
The biggest discovery of the day, was my walking. I discovered , quite accidentally that I am a super fast walker. I mean super fast. I can walk almost as fast as my slow run. I started running at 6.4 for a few minutes and hovered between 6.4 and 5.7 for most of the run (2 minute intervals). I then decided to walk for my cool down but hadn't gotten the treadmill down to a cool down pace. But I was walking at 5.3 mph! Having legs that are 50thousand feet hurts my jeans shopping but helps me power walk on the treadmill. I continued to walk at 5.3 for the next few minutes, I even pushed it up to 5.4. 5.5 is my long slow run pace and my run pace during triathlons is even slower. So I had a thought... If I can walk almost as fast as my slow run -- would it be better to do run, fast walk type interval? It certainly is lower stress on my knees. It does feel like cheating but walking that fast is no cake walk. My heart rate was close to 80% max but I felt good and like I could maintain it. I wonder how fast I could get?
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Run, Bike, Swim, Run --excuse busters
So it is common knowledge that I love Wednesdays.. Today was no exception s-another love fest. I usually have my most intense workouts on Wednesdays swim then bike then run. However today's workout was a mini reverse tri . I ran 2 miles first, then biked for an hour , then swam 16 laps. I ran at a 10.5 min mile pace and it felt good. Why can't I run at this pace during the triathlons? I would settle for 11. I don't think it is because I can't , I think I am not trying hard enough. I must put up a mental block that stops me from pushing too hard during triathlons. Perhaps I am talking myself into running slow. I have been reading this book called Magical Running . The author talks about the benefits of positive self talk when running or thinking about running. I thought is was a pile of crap until recently. I am going to try a different approach. Starting now.. "I am a fast runner ...and getting faster everyday" We'll see how it goes.
Spin class was super difficult today for 2 reasons: 1) my knees really hurt and 2) it was really tough. It was an endurance ride with no recovery. It was a progressive hill climb that forced us to get close to our max heartrate zone (redline). I really pushed it and it felt so good. I felt super strong. The teacher Jeanine- helps us build our power and build our technique. I learned how to use my glutes instead of my quads by the way I angle my feet. Jeanine says this really helps save your legs during a triathlon.
My swim was good -- but slow. I focused on technique -- pulls and speedy drills. Boy my arms ached after my pulls. But I kept at it. I'll keep doing drills and then focus on adding distance next week. I know I can make it but I want to get faster.
I felt great all day. Intense workouts always make me feel on top of the world the rest of the day. I guess it is the midmorning endorphin rush.
Excuse busters.... I used this morning:)
I'm so tired---- get out of bed working out will give you an energy surge
It's that time of the month-- get over it- working out will make the cramps/pms go away
I'm sore --- suck it up --- your muscles will feel better after you work out
I don't have time -- a 15 min workout is better than a 0 min workout
I'm sick -- stop whining - raising your body temp helps fight the germs
Spin class was super difficult today for 2 reasons: 1) my knees really hurt and 2) it was really tough. It was an endurance ride with no recovery. It was a progressive hill climb that forced us to get close to our max heartrate zone (redline). I really pushed it and it felt so good. I felt super strong. The teacher Jeanine- helps us build our power and build our technique. I learned how to use my glutes instead of my quads by the way I angle my feet. Jeanine says this really helps save your legs during a triathlon.
My swim was good -- but slow. I focused on technique -- pulls and speedy drills. Boy my arms ached after my pulls. But I kept at it. I'll keep doing drills and then focus on adding distance next week. I know I can make it but I want to get faster.
I felt great all day. Intense workouts always make me feel on top of the world the rest of the day. I guess it is the midmorning endorphin rush.
Excuse busters.... I used this morning:)
I'm so tired---- get out of bed working out will give you an energy surge
It's that time of the month-- get over it- working out will make the cramps/pms go away
I'm sore --- suck it up --- your muscles will feel better after you work out
I don't have time -- a 15 min workout is better than a 0 min workout
I'm sick -- stop whining - raising your body temp helps fight the germs
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About Me
- alondaray
- West Coast, United States
- I am a christian woman, wife, mom to 2 great kids, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, A Jack and Jill mom, sister, daughter . I am also incredibly fit but wasn't always. I am a recovering fat girl - who takes it one day at a time.
Alonda the Triathlete!
The backstory-----How did I become a triathlete...
In February 2006, I went on a ski trip with my new colleagues from work. On the way back, I sat next to a girl named Wendy - a really friendly woman who talked about her experience as a newcomer to Seattle. She told me how her main source of making friends was through her workout buddies. She also mentioned that many of her friends participate in triathlons and that (get this) I should consider doing one too. I thought she might have been delirious from all of the skiing. I assured her that I was not the one. She obviously had mistaken me for someone else. Perhap my heavy coat prevented her from seeing what was underneath (50 lbs of extra weight and lots of evidence of no exercise). She continued with this crazy talk, speaking of how fun it is and how supportive the Danskin Triathlon is. I wanted to be sure that she and I were thinking of the same thing... Triathlon (swim bike run -some huge number of miles -all on the same day right after each other). Yup this was it. I chuckled and told her to have fun.
A few weeks later at the office, she mentioned it again. Now at this time, I had been contemplating joining my company sponsored health club (PROCLUB) and in particular the weight loss program called 20/20. After all, I had really packed on the pounds. I arrived in WA 50lbs overweight and pretty unhappy with myself. I actually started to think that completing triathlon would be a good goal...impossible but a good goal. I decided to go for it. At the same time I also decided to join the weight loss program. My first meeting with my trainer ..Anthony Parker was on 3/14/06. I told him ..in all of my fatness, that I wanted to do a triathlon. He looked at me and said hmmm, ok.
I began this really intense workout and nutrition program and began building my endurance. My first meetings with Anthony consisted of walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then doing stairclimber or eliptical for 15 minutes. Followed by a bit of strength training. I did this 3x a week (between 6am and 7:30) and then worked out on my own 2 other days. I had absolutely no endurance and could not run for more than 1 minute. Over the months, my endurance grew ..slowly at first then more rapidly. I also figured that I needed to improve my swimming skills if I was going to swim for 1/2 a mile. I took a Total Immersion Class.. which teaches swimming efficiency. Let's set the record straight here... I could swim well enough to save myself if I was thrown off of a boat. I was a decent (not great) swimmer. At the start of the class, I could do 1 (that's right ONE) lap and then I started breathing heavy. At that point I new the triathlon was totally out of reach. After all 1/2 mile was equal to 20 laps. I left the 1st day of class feeling scared and dismayed that I was too aggressive. Maybe I should have set my goal for 2007.
The next week's class, I asked the teacher what I needed to do to build my endurance. He said just keep at it, it will come. You know what, it did. Each week I got better and better. 4 weeks later I was able to swim 9 laps. I then started swimming before my workouts with my trainer (a little crazy but hey). My trainer was pretty impressed. I also started biking on the weekends. In fact in May I did a 30 mile bike ride as a part of the Tour De Cure for Diabetes. I really love biking...:)
Ok so I still had not tackled the most difficult part, the running. Not only could I not run but I absolutely hated it. I started adding running to my treadmill work. Anthony suggested intervals. We started with 2min run 2 min walk . I did this for weeks extending the time and the speed. I was up to running at 5.5 and walking at 4.0. Then Anthony said ..let's see if you can run a mile. I thought he was kidding. I did not think I was ready for that. This was May 5th (a day after my birthday). Guess what I did it. And I didn't feel like I was going to die. I was on top of the world. All day I had a little extra spring in my step. I just kept replaying in my head the "goal attained" message on the treadmill. I just could not believe it.
I kept it up, continued working out 5x a week. I took another swim class "Triathlon Swim Training" to help even more. This class was filled with drills and specific swim workouts. I really saw progress. By the end of the class, I was able to swim 28 laps. Now the challenge was to swim in Open Water. That's right. The triathlon was going to be in Lake Washington.
I finally felt like I could really do it. I didn't have a specific time goal , my goal was to finish. The week before the race I was sooo nervous. I was doing mini triathlons with a few really good girls. I kept up with them during the swim but one bike ride was particularly hilly and....they left me in the dust. I felt so bad and really began to rethink whether or not I should do the race. I spoke to one of the girsl about my bike performance , and she said that my bike was holding me back. That day, I decided to retire my 35lb mountain bike for a 19 lb feather light road bike. Boy what a differnce. This was a risky thing to do so close to the race but it worked for me.
The other thing to mention is that I met up with a wonderful group of women called the Soul Sistas. They are a group of African American Women of all ages who participate in triathlons and bike races. They are so awesome.We (the soul sistas) took pictures the day before the race... I'll post when available.
So the day of the race..... Everybody in the house is excited and up. My kids and my nieces - who were visiting from NJ are all up and ready to root me on. I left early so that I could get ready.The goal was to meet me by the swim finish. This was alll pretty tricky because there were 40 waves of swimmers starting every 3 minutes. All I can say about the swim is that it felt much longer than 1/2 a mile. I kept focused and didn't get nervous. I focused on keeping my breathing relaxed. It worked ...and by the way I wasn't the last swimmer in my group YEAHHH. I don't know how it all worked out but as soon as I finished my swim, I saw them. Byron , Tyler, Paris, Ahlia and Ivy were all waiting there for me with the most beautiful handmade signs saying GO MOMMY, Go AUNTIE, I love you. It was so terrific. Once I saw them I was energized.... Now on to the bike.
The bike was the best part of the entire race. I love my bike and I love to fly down the road. The entire 14 miles of the race was closed to traffic. Our longest stretch was on the express lane of one of the largest highways. Imagine flying down a highway with nothing in your way (but other riders on your right). It was so amazing. I was going pretty fast but could have gone faster - but wanted to save my legs for the run.
Now the run... I hate running and I am really bad at it. I am slow and not terribly efficient. After biking hard for 40 minutes, your legs are really worked up. During the after bike run, your legs turn into "bricks". They are heavy and hard to move. If you push through , you can get over the feeling and get into a stride. Well I also felt pains in my knee. So instead of running the entire 3.2 miles I decided to walk run. In the end it was actually fine - but while doing it I was a little disappointed. Danskin is great because there are so many supporters on the way. Cheerleaders who are yelling "go for it" from their back porch. It was just what I needed. In fact I heard Destiny's Child Im a survivor , on my way and that was what I used in my head to keep me going.
So when I realize I am about 1/2 mile from the end, I start getting super excited and very emotional. It is all coming together now -- all the training, the visualization of actually crossing the finish line and my waiting family. I got on my cell phone to cal my husband, just to make sure he was at the finisth line. He cracked up that I called:)
When you come close to the finsih line, there are all these spectators lined up waiting for you. It is so great! I ran through a narrow entry to the wide finish line area. And there they were.. my family (My hubby, kids and neices) - with signs and smiles. When I crossed the finish line, my name was announced and the official put a medal around my neck. Well I just lost it and started crying. I could not believe that I had just completed a triathlon. I was officially a triathlete.
A few weeks later at the office, she mentioned it again. Now at this time, I had been contemplating joining my company sponsored health club (PROCLUB) and in particular the weight loss program called 20/20. After all, I had really packed on the pounds. I arrived in WA 50lbs overweight and pretty unhappy with myself. I actually started to think that completing triathlon would be a good goal...impossible but a good goal. I decided to go for it. At the same time I also decided to join the weight loss program. My first meeting with my trainer ..Anthony Parker was on 3/14/06. I told him ..in all of my fatness, that I wanted to do a triathlon. He looked at me and said hmmm, ok.
I began this really intense workout and nutrition program and began building my endurance. My first meetings with Anthony consisted of walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then doing stairclimber or eliptical for 15 minutes. Followed by a bit of strength training. I did this 3x a week (between 6am and 7:30) and then worked out on my own 2 other days. I had absolutely no endurance and could not run for more than 1 minute. Over the months, my endurance grew ..slowly at first then more rapidly. I also figured that I needed to improve my swimming skills if I was going to swim for 1/2 a mile. I took a Total Immersion Class.. which teaches swimming efficiency. Let's set the record straight here... I could swim well enough to save myself if I was thrown off of a boat. I was a decent (not great) swimmer. At the start of the class, I could do 1 (that's right ONE) lap and then I started breathing heavy. At that point I new the triathlon was totally out of reach. After all 1/2 mile was equal to 20 laps. I left the 1st day of class feeling scared and dismayed that I was too aggressive. Maybe I should have set my goal for 2007.
The next week's class, I asked the teacher what I needed to do to build my endurance. He said just keep at it, it will come. You know what, it did. Each week I got better and better. 4 weeks later I was able to swim 9 laps. I then started swimming before my workouts with my trainer (a little crazy but hey). My trainer was pretty impressed. I also started biking on the weekends. In fact in May I did a 30 mile bike ride as a part of the Tour De Cure for Diabetes. I really love biking...:)
Ok so I still had not tackled the most difficult part, the running. Not only could I not run but I absolutely hated it. I started adding running to my treadmill work. Anthony suggested intervals. We started with 2min run 2 min walk . I did this for weeks extending the time and the speed. I was up to running at 5.5 and walking at 4.0. Then Anthony said ..let's see if you can run a mile. I thought he was kidding. I did not think I was ready for that. This was May 5th (a day after my birthday). Guess what I did it. And I didn't feel like I was going to die. I was on top of the world. All day I had a little extra spring in my step. I just kept replaying in my head the "goal attained" message on the treadmill. I just could not believe it.
I kept it up, continued working out 5x a week. I took another swim class "Triathlon Swim Training" to help even more. This class was filled with drills and specific swim workouts. I really saw progress. By the end of the class, I was able to swim 28 laps. Now the challenge was to swim in Open Water. That's right. The triathlon was going to be in Lake Washington.
I finally felt like I could really do it. I didn't have a specific time goal , my goal was to finish. The week before the race I was sooo nervous. I was doing mini triathlons with a few really good girls. I kept up with them during the swim but one bike ride was particularly hilly and....they left me in the dust. I felt so bad and really began to rethink whether or not I should do the race. I spoke to one of the girsl about my bike performance , and she said that my bike was holding me back. That day, I decided to retire my 35lb mountain bike for a 19 lb feather light road bike. Boy what a differnce. This was a risky thing to do so close to the race but it worked for me.
The other thing to mention is that I met up with a wonderful group of women called the Soul Sistas. They are a group of African American Women of all ages who participate in triathlons and bike races. They are so awesome.We (the soul sistas) took pictures the day before the race... I'll post when available.
So the day of the race..... Everybody in the house is excited and up. My kids and my nieces - who were visiting from NJ are all up and ready to root me on. I left early so that I could get ready.The goal was to meet me by the swim finish. This was alll pretty tricky because there were 40 waves of swimmers starting every 3 minutes. All I can say about the swim is that it felt much longer than 1/2 a mile. I kept focused and didn't get nervous. I focused on keeping my breathing relaxed. It worked ...and by the way I wasn't the last swimmer in my group YEAHHH. I don't know how it all worked out but as soon as I finished my swim, I saw them. Byron , Tyler, Paris, Ahlia and Ivy were all waiting there for me with the most beautiful handmade signs saying GO MOMMY, Go AUNTIE, I love you. It was so terrific. Once I saw them I was energized.... Now on to the bike.
The bike was the best part of the entire race. I love my bike and I love to fly down the road. The entire 14 miles of the race was closed to traffic. Our longest stretch was on the express lane of one of the largest highways. Imagine flying down a highway with nothing in your way (but other riders on your right). It was so amazing. I was going pretty fast but could have gone faster - but wanted to save my legs for the run.
Now the run... I hate running and I am really bad at it. I am slow and not terribly efficient. After biking hard for 40 minutes, your legs are really worked up. During the after bike run, your legs turn into "bricks". They are heavy and hard to move. If you push through , you can get over the feeling and get into a stride. Well I also felt pains in my knee. So instead of running the entire 3.2 miles I decided to walk run. In the end it was actually fine - but while doing it I was a little disappointed. Danskin is great because there are so many supporters on the way. Cheerleaders who are yelling "go for it" from their back porch. It was just what I needed. In fact I heard Destiny's Child Im a survivor , on my way and that was what I used in my head to keep me going.
So when I realize I am about 1/2 mile from the end, I start getting super excited and very emotional. It is all coming together now -- all the training, the visualization of actually crossing the finish line and my waiting family. I got on my cell phone to cal my husband, just to make sure he was at the finisth line. He cracked up that I called:)
When you come close to the finsih line, there are all these spectators lined up waiting for you. It is so great! I ran through a narrow entry to the wide finish line area. And there they were.. my family (My hubby, kids and neices) - with signs and smiles. When I crossed the finish line, my name was announced and the official put a medal around my neck. Well I just lost it and started crying. I could not believe that I had just completed a triathlon. I was officially a triathlete.
