Happy Slug

I might be a slug right now, but I'm a happy slug! You know why? Because I'm actually physically able to move again! I went to my first T3 workout last night and got the blood and sweat flowing again.

My spin performance was a little pathetic, but I held on for the entire 1.25 hours. I started with a VERY SLOW 15 minute jog. Wow...What a difference a week makes in your energy level. It was like learning to run again for the first time. Once I returned to the Training Center, I jumped in on the 30 minute core workout held before spin class. Finally, I hopped on the bike for our workout. I had to kick it down a notch because my legs were a little "dead." I guess 6 days of dehydration and no "real" solid food will do that to you. In any case, it felt wonderful to be back among my tri-peeps. It was even more wonderful when Coach Chrissie had the Arizona and Galveston Tri people doing shorter sets than others because of our taper :-)

This morning, I went to Barton Springs and had a very solid swim! I'm consistenly in the 2:05-2:08 range, which is a far cry from where I was a year ago...or even 6 months ago. In fact, once I return and recover from IM, I can't wait to focus a little more on swimming because I continue to grow more and more comfortable in the water.

This weekend, Team T3 is doing the 65 mile Rosedale Ride on Saturday and my plan for Sunday is another Barton Springs swim followed by a 13 mile run.

Special shouts out to those doing the Galveston Tri this weekend. Kick some butt!!! I also want to acknowledge another T3 Teammate, Karen "Underdog" Underwood, who found out yesterday that she can't do IMAZ. In a freakish moment, she literally threw her back out because of a coughing fit. She can barely walk at the moment and the doctor "pulled the plug" on her race. What's most devastating to me about this is that Karen has THE BEST attitude of anyone I know with regard to the training. From the beginning, her calm and relaxed demeanor was a welcome relief to all of the usual compulsive, type-A behavior. Her goal wasn't to "race" IM. It was to enjoy the experience. She wasn't out to set any records or pass people. She was out to have fun. She and I were swim lane mates for most of the season and I was and am drawn to her positive attitude. She will be sorely missed on the course, but she's still making the trip to cheer us on! (in true Karen style)

The moral of the story is: DO NOT COUGH FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS!