ahhhh...laziness...

I've spent the afternoon on the couch, napping, reading, and watching the original Superman. This was after running 9.5 miles this morning and cleaning the house and running errands, of course. :-) It feels quite luxurious to have nowhere to go and have nothing to do except close the blinds against the dreary skies and hunker down in my most favorite place.

Yesterday was quite a different story. We hit a record high of 84 degrees and had plentiful sunshine. I had to search for my sunscreen before my 70-mile bike ride, seeing as I hadn't used it since September. What a glorious day! It didn't even matter that the winds blew something fierce. The sun was out, I was out with two awesome friends, Jacquline and Cindy, and I was feeling stellar.

I needed a week like this one. Several things happened to help me get back to feeling like my old self. I began the week melting down in my coach's office. Sorry, the meltdown itself isn't the "old self" part, but rather the putting-me-back-together. My coach has done two Ironmans so I put my training life wholly in her hands. Never once did she say or even intimate "well, maybe this just isn't for you." Rather, she repeated over and over until I started to believe it that I will be ready and I will finish this thing. After talking me off the ledge, she promptly set about planning my April to give my knee the space to heal, but otherwise as if my goal is undeterred. If not for her guidance, I would be lost.

I received more perspective and encouragement in the form of several voicemails from my friend Heather who completed Coeur d'Alene two years ago. Her messages, like those from my coach, were nothing but positive and supportive and empathetic and heartfelt and confidence-boosting. Heather has been there, knows what it takes, has experienced the lows I've struggled through lately. In the spirit of Superman, she swooped in to tell me what I wasn't able to tell myself.

Another crucial event this week was my second muscle activation session with BJ. I've been diligent about completing my exercises twice a day and have noticed results. I was curious as to what he would notice. The original strength tests he repeated all showed that my quads, hams, and calves are much stronger due to the specific exercises he prescribed. The new tests showed that although I have strong abs and chest, my inner thighs, shoulders, and upper back need help. And you can probably guess what that means: more exercises. Five new ones to add to my routine. I'll gladly take them. BJ also was very positive about the progress toward my goal. I'll see him again in two weeks.

Finally, three of my workouts this week have helped shift things for me. On Tuesday, I did a 30-min bike followed immediately by a 6-mile run. I came home beaming--I've not felt that good in a while. Saturday was my long bike ride and my knee held up like a rock star through all 70 miles. Not once did it even whisper at me. And today was my long run. Ditto.

I'm to the point now where details make a huge difference. New running shoes. Lowering my bike seat a millimeter. Eating a few more calories on the run. Getting an extra 30 min of sleep. Having just one glass of wine. And so on.

Here are this week's totals (swim is a bit less than it should be due to the pool being closed for a week):

Total time = 11:00
Total mileage = 97.60
Swim = 1:40, 2.50
Bike = 5:15, 77.00
Run = 2:55, 18.10
Other = 1:10

I'll end on a high note. I'm noticing a mindshift, too, with regard to my usual nuisances. Last year, you'd be hard-pressed to get me on my bike or out for a run with the forecast calling for 25-mph winds or rain changing to snow. And yet two things are different this year: If I'm to meet my goal, I don't have much of a choice than to suck it up and face the weather demons. More importantly, however, I now know that such obstacles will only make me stronger. What if June 26 sees vicious headwinds? What if it rains all day? What if the water is really cold? It's not like I'm not going to get up and face whatever race day brings. Strange...these once-unfriendly conditions are now my friends. They're exactly the things that toughen me up for what will be a beast of an event even in good weather.