Purpose in Every Piece

I didn't mean to take a "blogging hiatus," but it just worked out that way. It's funny that journaling has become such a part of my life that I don't feel complete when I haven't written anything for the day. When I was writing and performing more stand-up comedy, all of the pros told me to write at least 15 minutes a day. It didn't matter what. Just write. You never know what would pop out of your mind. For whatever reason, I never wanted to take that time to do something I couldn't immediately benefit from. Now, I love taking the few minutes everyday to sit down in reflection and just write. Now I see that everything I do, no matter how big or small, has a purpose. This blog has certainly kept me honest with myself and I've come to know some wonderful people and learn new lessons along the way. I read posts everyday that I wish I had written. It's a community of "I know exactly what you're going through right now. You mean I'm not the only one?" I look forward to reading about "my friends'" days and experiences. Little at a time, it all has a purpose.

That's how I've been feeling about my training lately. It all seems to be coming together piece by piece. I'm noticing subtle differences every day. Lately, I've been focusing on my weaker sports of cycling and swimming. I've cut down my running miles to continue my recovery and to ramp up swimming and biking. The T3 Swimming Class continues to kick my butt, but I love showing up and having a workout planned. I love being pushed to levels I've never thought possible. I love working with the pace clock. It's so much more invigorating than just swimming 20 laps with no real purpose. Piece by piece, we break it down. Coach's Maurice and Chrissy can look at me from up above the water and know that my wrist is too bent or my elbow is too low. It might seem insignificant, but every little bit helps. I hit Swim Class last Monday, Wednesday and today. In each workout, we swim a total of 2500-2800 meters. Some days are definitely better than others, but I'm feeling a difference overall. I'm not sure how it will translate into race day with a wetsuit and 200 other people kicking my face, but it has instilled more confidence than I would ever imagine.

I also had a great cycling week (for me). I went to spin class on Tuesday morning and rode on Thursday and also this morning after swim class. On Thursday, I went to the Veloway/South Mopac Loop and was destined to beat my 8 mile time trial time from before. My previous best was 25:31 (19.0mph). Well, after an 11 mile warm-up, I rode the 8 mile time trial in 24:31 (19.7 mph)!! I was so happy to see a 1 minute drop from the week before. Perhaps the wind was more in my favor or perhaps the longer warm-up helped. Who knows? All I know is that piece by piece, my training, patience and bike skills are improving...at least for this week.

I ran 12 miles yesterday morning with Amy, Ann and Mike (my running hubby). It was great to put some mileage on my feet, but not feel too much pressure to push it. For me, running right now is all about being consistent and comfortable. No PRs to reach, no times to beat. Just small pieces to keep in place.

Shawn and I had a hard 45 mile ride today after Swimming. The humidity made it horrible and neither of us had prepared enough hydration. 10 miles into the ride, sweat was pouring off my face and I'm not a heavy sweater as a rule. With about 6-7 miles ago, we actually stopped at a Starbucks so that we could buy more waters and a soda for a boost. Our legs felt ok, but we both had some slight dehydration to overcome. As it turns out, it was actually one of my better rides from a speed and time standpoint. We had plenty of hills to climb (our route with 360 S-SW Parkway-Rte 71--Bee Caves--South on 360 to Walsh Tarleton and then N360 back to Spicewood Springs), but we averageed 15.7 mph for the 44 mile ride. It took about 2:45.

In order to not be overwhelmed by the big picture, I try to break every day down in little chunks of manageable tasks. There's a certain sense of accomplishment the more you can check off your "to do" list. Some things may seem insignificant, but every thing I do is with a sense of purpose...especially the nap I'm about to take!

Happy Mother's Day Mom and Kay. I enjoyed talking and visiting with you both!

Workouts:

Thursday 5/11 20 mile bike ride
Friday 5/12 core and arms
Saturday 5/13 Run 12 miles (8:45 pace)
Sunday 5/14 Swim 2500 m and Bike 44 miles