It's a Good Pain, Right?

Wow--at least I know that I still have plenty of muscles in this body. How do I know this? Because they're currently hollering at me this morning for working them so hard yesterday on the Wilke Hill and Core Class! My glutes specifically have lots to say to me thanks to the hill repeats. That's o.k. because it takes the attention off my lower back which has been causing me the most frustration lately. Just when you think you've surpassed the "initial pain" part of this training process, it's good to know that you can be humbled right back to reality. I actually noticed it in the middle of the night when I went to turn over in my sleep. The soreness in my glutes actually woke me up as I switched from my side to my stomach. Ugghhh...I felt like an 80 year old as I groaned to switch positions. I think even my cat was like, "What the hell is your problem, Mom?" At least I hope it was my cat and not a complete strange voice.

My original goal for today was to get up early and swim for 45 minutes and then run for 4 miles at lunch. I said "original" goal because I decided to sleep a bit longer instead. I still woke up on my own at 6:15am with plenty of time to go work out, but I really wanted to ease into the morning today...Coffee, water, cereal, a little Matt and Katie, update blog. It was a chilly morning and the thought of hopping into the 68 degree water of Barton Springs pool did not appeal to me. There's plenty of time for the workout today. In fact, Plan B is to do my short run at lunch and follow that with the swim at the YMCA immediatelt afterward. Plan C--Run at lunch and swim after work. Regardless, it will get done. Right now, I wish I had a hot tub to soak a bit before work. Oh well, my coffee and a warm shower will have to do for now.

PLAN B IN FULL EFFECT
I hate working out in the middle of the day...ugh..I hate the process of having to shower all over again. blah...I can make a million excuses for not interrupting my workday. BOY, DO I STAND CORRECTED FOR TODAY! I left the office around 1:00pm with the goal of running a slow 4-5 miles, followed by a swim at the YMCA. I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but it's a pretty glorious day in Austin, Texas with sunshine and mid 70s temps. How could I possibly complain that #1) I don't want to be outside #2) I have a job that's flexible enough to allow me to workout when I want to! I started my run with the intention of running about a 9:30 pace. It's a recovery run from yesterday. I was only supposed to run about 4 miles, but I decided to extend it by a mile thanks to Mr. Matthew McConaughey. What?? Well, it's a long story, but let's just say that there have been some midday Matthew sightings on the trail this week and I was hoping that lady luck would smile on me today. The South By SouthWest Film and Music Festival is taking place in Austin this week so there are plenty of celebs in and around the downtown area. Yesterday, a friend of mine saw him running near the Congress Bridge, so what's a sweaty girl to do? Instead of stopping at the 1st Street Bridge, I extended my run to the Congress Bridge. Alas, there was no Matthew to behold, but with a gorgeous day like today, I didn't mind. In fact, it was one of the best and most enjoyable runs I've had in a long time. Although, it was difficult keeping my pace at a 9:30. I had a couple of sub 9:00s in there, but I felt very comfy the entire time (with the exception of my lower back). It was so cool to see who is actually out on the trail in the middle of the day during Spring Break week. I'm used to running before the sun comes up that I forget that this treasure is utilized by others during the day as well. Young kids on bikes, Moms with strollers, business folks also on their lunch breaks, tourists with cameras taking photos of our skyline and the Stevie Ray Vaughn Statue. I even ran a short while with a butterfly. It kept up with the pace for a while and I had to chuckle. Lots of people run with their dogs, but not many people get to run with a butterfly. I'm lucky...

I finished up at the YMCA where I had parked, grabbed my clothes and bathing suit and begrudgingly went indoors. I really wanted to call back into work and say, "Can I work outside today?" However, I had a swim on the calendar and I'm trying to teach myself to "train as if it's NOT a choice." (taken from a fellow blogger). I'm one of the many people that dreads my swim until I get in the water. Once I get going, I love it! I had a 1400 meter workout planned today that consisted mostly of drill repeats...Zippers, Catch-Up (TPR), 6-3-6 Kicks, 10-10 Kicks, fist swimming. For the most part, the workout felt good. I definitely had some awkward laps, but I'm still just trying to gain some strength, consistency and stability with my form. I know my underwater catch is getting better, but I'm still not getting a lot of distance on the pull and roll portion of the stroke. practice, practice, practice...I plan to rejoin T3 in a week or so because I know they'll help me. I also plan on a long open water swim on Friday morning with the wetsuit. All the drills in the world never prepare me for the open water treachery of race morning. However, I just want to feel strong in the water and not expend too much energy too soon.

Nutrition:
6:45 am Kashi Go LEAN Crunch with mixed berries and vanilla yogurt, coffee, bottle of water
11:00am cup of dry Kashi (I love this stuff), a bottle of water and 1 EAS Body for Life drink (100 calories)
3:30pm Post-Workout lunch of garden salad, 1/2 turkey sandwich with slice of veggie cheese and a Veggie Soup with Ramen Noodles from "Fantastic Foods" (soup had 200 calories), 2 bottles of water and a diet coke.
7:00pm Zax for Dinner...Virgin Mango Daquiri, 1 roll before dinner, Salmon Caesar Salad with parmesan. I ordered a 2nd Virgin Daquiri because I'm crazy like that, but only took a few sips. I really didn't need the 2nd glass of sugar.