Oxygen Please!!

I wonder why the altitude thing “creeps” up upon you?? When I travelled to Austin, within 0.01 seconds of reaching the TX border I could take a deep “breath” of oxygen. It was the best feeling ever; my biggest complaint during the ½ marathon race is that it didn’t “hurt enough”..in other words, my legs were not prepared to move as fast as I wanted because I had never trained them that way, but I had trained my lungs/tolerance to hurt a whole hell of a lot more than I did during the race. It was the battle of endurance vs. speed at sea level…

So now I am back at altitude; I must admit, it is not as bad as I expected, but it creeps up on you. Wednesday I felt on top of the world, Thursday was a little tough, Friday I wheezed during swim practice, and today…well, I almost passed out while “spinning” as a warmup for some “interval” work on the bike. Thank goodness for the ladies I have a wonderful opportunity to train with that pull me through days like today!

When I got back to Boulder, the first thing on the agenda was to meet with Wolfgang to figure out the “next steps” leading up to Oceanside. Sooooo, one of the first things out of his mouth was “What happened?” regarding my race…..I gave him the briefing and we agreed that I was way below my capable performance, but then focused on the “next steps” One thing I love about Wolfgang is there is no dwelling, just steps in the forward direction; and that is exactly what we did.

To put it mildly, I am in store for a whole hell of a lot of hurt for the next 3 weeks; it will include a lot of intervals and intensity. Honestly, I am the biggest slacker when it comes to “intense workouts.” Maybe it is because I used to run track and I do not want to revisit that sort of “pain” again, but it is necessary. So, I am recruiting my “speedy” friends and hoping they will help me to “toughen up” and pull me through this hard but necessary 3 week training block.

Wolfgang knew that I was getting a little burnt out, but gave me the “candy” to keep me going….a 2 week taper for Oceanside!! I only have to tough it out 3 more weeks, before I get a “break.” It is sad that I feel like I need a break when it seems like it is only the beginning of the season, but there has been a lot of up and downs in my program. I started my 2009 training season in December 2008 with goals of using Oceanside as a test race for Ironman Nice, France. Then I had Visa Issues, so now Oceanside has become an “A” race to help me qualify for Kona or Lake Placid…so, there is a lot at stake, some training changes and a lot of early season physical demands. That being said, I have balance, I have work, a husband, family, friends….and I keep everything in perspective:)

This afternoon, after my workout…after my husband did a crapload of work and worked out!! We had a 2 hour nap!! Yes, I am spoiled…who gets to enjoy a day like I do?? I work a lot, enjoy my work, have flexibility with my work which allows me to train, relax, enjoy a coffee shop etc… I really do live a great life! I also have a husband who supports me 150%!! In whatever I do. He also will not let me settle for less than what I am worth/can do…this can be a bitch sometimes, but makes me a better person. I have changed careers, made huge improvements in my physical/triathlon capability, and become a stronger person because Gregory won’t let me settle for anything less.

Gregory is the one who plants 2 feet into my back in the morning to push me out of bed to go to swim practice. Gregory is the one who sends me encouraging emails, “to do” lists, contact information, meeting information etc… Gregory cooks me fantastic meals when I am content to settle with sliced meat and cheese for dinner. Gregory makes me a better person!! I am sooo thankful!!