With the marathon behind me, all I could think about was avoiding the natural depression of not being about to run for five full days. Running on day one and two post-marathon isn’t even appealing, but when I awakened Wednesday morning (day three post-marathon) I really felt good. I wanted to run, but knew that my knees and feet needed the time to recover. Thursday morning I awakened at 4:15am naturally (which I know is somewhat unnatural, I get that), and headed to the gym – I would swim.
I hadn’t been in the pool in about 9 months, so needless to say, I had some anxiety about my ability to even tread water for 15 minutes, let alone swim laps. When I arrived at the gym at 5am, the parking lot was relatively full. This was discouraging, since I really loathe a crowded gym. When I got to the pool all five lanes were occupied (some with multiple people in the lane) and an eager beaver waiting his turn when one freed up. SERIOUSLY?! I hate the gym in January – why do people suddenly think 2012 will be different than 2011 – spending every day at the gym for month is not going to fix what you destroyed over the course of the last few years. AND, we ALL know you won’t continue past March 1st – so do us all a favor, come in on your lunch break, not at 5am. Sad Face.
There is another pool in the gym, complete with slides and whatnot. There is a spot where there are lanes about 2/3’s the distance as the 25 meter pool that is occupied. Not wanting to be a baby (although, inside I was ALL-CHILD), I just got into the other pool – knowing I would have NO idea what my distance was at the end. TORTURE! I committed to ten minutes of straight laps – EASY, so I committed to another ten minutes. I still felt good; so another ten and I could call it a day. After 35 minutes in the pool, regardless of the distance – I felt genuinely accomplished. It also completely turned around my sadness for not running. Day One of Triathlon training on the books!
Friday had finally arrived and I allowed myself a five mile run at a tempo pace. It didn’t feel horrible, but it wasn’t the best run. I could feel some tightness in my left calf and my right hip – but it worked itself out by mid-run. I knew there would be a couple of aches – and I still managed a 9:49 pace.
This morning, I got out of bed after very little sleep – thanks in part to an evening of phenomenal Scotch and a 3 hour game of Mexican Train with three of my best friends. I had also convinced myself that the patio door was unlocked and that if I did not get up (at 5am) bad things would happen. It wasn’t unlocked.
I headed out for my favorite 7.5 mile run through Ahwatukee – hard hills and beautifully expensive homes. But the run wasn’t even the exciting part of the morning. About 45 minutes after I completed my run, my friends Jim and Judy came by on their bikes to take me out for a “technical” ride on my new bike. I purchased this new bike the week after Christmas, but had yet to get on it. I admit, I was a little too nervous about falling on it or not understanding the gears, but mostly I didn’t want to stress any new muscles two weeks prior to the marathon. This morning, the excuses not to ride are gone – not to mention, Jim had texted me the evening prior and I was obligated to making it happen.What a complete high! We started going around my street several times just to get my legs ready and to help me understand why I would shift one way or another. After a few minutes of that, Jim led and Judy followed – and we continued another 8+ miles through the hills of Ahwatukee. It was exactly the confidence booster I needed.
So, week one of Triathlon training is a success – swim, run, bike! I know its out of order… but that will come with time, I am sure! I can do this – I am convinced!
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