A Good Change of Plans

I'm guessing that many of you in the triathlon world tend to be what's known as a "type A" personality. I definitely am. When I make a plan to do something, very little can keep me from doing it. (Most of the time, anyway. That did change a lot when my kids were little!)

I woke up during the night to thunder and heavy rain. So I'm thinking, maybe I won't have to worry about riding today or not. Maybe it will be pouring rain in the morning, and the decision will be out of my hands. I'll go run on the treadmill, do some strength training, swim a little, and that will be that. I figured I'd ride long tomorrow (Wednesday) instead.

Yea, right. I woke up and the weather was OK. Looked a little cloudy, but I knew I could ride if I really wanted/had to. But, I decided I would LISTEN TO MY BODY! So, I compromised. I ran outside--a little longer than I was supposed to--I got a little lost on the trail because I ran it backwards for the first time. There aren't many people out on a weekday at 8 a.m. to follow. It was muggy, buggy, overcast, I was bitten by flies--all in all A GREAT RUN!

(Side note--I was gabbing with a guy in the water waiting for our wave to start before my last half iron race. He had a couple cool IM logo tatoos. I told him I was thinking about getting one if I make it through Louisville. I said people would probably think someone as old as me with a tatoo was crazy. He laughed and said, "You do triathlons and you're training for an Ironman. They already KNOW you're crazy!")

Inspite of the great run, I was still feeling guilty about missing that two hour bike ride. "Karen, you've got to get over it" I kept telling myself. So instead of dwelling on the guilt of the missed ride, I started thinking about stuff I could share on my blog.

The comments have been great and really encouraging. It's really exciting hearing from others about their experiences. Keep the comments coming!

I really felt good when I finished running. Had a great strength/stretch/core session. And a really nice, easy 1500m swim in the outdoor pool. While I still feel a little tired, I'm not all achy and stiff, etc., etc.

Tomorrow I plan to ride for about 3.5 hours. This will help make up for the ride I missed today. (See, I still can't let that go.) Since I'm racing on Sunday, I won't get the long 4 hour ride in. I have a very good bike base, so I'm not really worried about missing a ride or two. Besides, I keep hearing/reading that it's always better to go into a race a little undertrained rather than overtrained. I believe that is true!

Hope everyone had a good day of training. Keep reading--I'm going to add a couple more things in the next couple of days. Kind of a "Life of Trihardchik" for anyone who wants to know how I got to this point in my life.

(Side note two: When I was waiting in line for a porta potty at the 4th of July ride, a woman looked at me and smiled. She said "Don't you work out at Lifetime in Romeoville?" I said, "Yea, I do." (She looked a little familiar). "You're that lady that's always singing and dancing when you're running and working out. I love to watch your enthusiasm." I told her that I'm sure many people, like my kids, think I'm nuts. But almost everywhere I go I meet someone I know. I guess I'm just that kind of person. So, if you ever see me at the store, working out, or at a race, please feel free to say hi!)

Until next time--God bless.