In the drink...

Let the offseason begin!

Oh, what's that?

There isn't an "offseason"?

Oh, okay!

Yeah, yeah, yeah... it's break time.  No races planned till 2012 means some decreased volume on the training front.  And it really couldn't come at a better time.  My right foot is still killing me, 4 days post race.  Probably not a good thing... Getting a running evaluation done this winter is a definite priority!!! I need shoes that fit me, instead of my foot trying to conform to my shoes.

So, you may be wondering what my offseason is going to look like.  Hmm, well I really don't know yet.  My goal (and the fun part) is going to be doing what I feel like doing.  I'm still probably going to spend a good amount of time on the trainer, on the treadmill, and in the pool (cold here in Kansas).  But that's a given.  I definitely will be spending some time planning out 2012.  But the biggest change in training will be the strength training!  I'm going to make it a priority to lift at least twice a week, something that I haven't done since December 2010.

I do have some good news!  Today was my first day back in the pool in over 3 months.  The last time I swam was at the Shawnee Mission Triathlon back in July.  Although somewhat unannounced, I have been dealing with some intense eye issues.  Back in June, I had a corneal tear that became infected.  Once that healed, I then started developing ulcers on the same eye. I was then told I needed surgery, and have a chronic eye condition.  My eye Doc said it would be best to hold off on swimming because of the increased risk of more infections with (basically) open wounds on my eye.  So after 3 months, my eye is healing up and finally good enough to swim!

I did my strength training before the swim today, so my arms were a bit tired, but i felt pretty good overall!  I did mostly drills, and kept the distance at an easy 1000 yards, baby steps...  Easing back into it...  And for some reason my hips weren't sinking as much as usual!  My feet were right at the surface!

Apparently, the 3 months of non-swimming activity took it's toll on my goggles. As I reached in my bag to put them on, I realized they had turned a funky soft yellow color.

That's so not Raven...

It reminds me of tupperware if you microwave spaghetti in it, and has a funky stain on it... Weird example...

Hoping for a new pair at Christmas! (hint hint)

Still waiting on race photos, and working on my Suspension Trainer Post!!!

A change is coming...

My schedule these days is pretty awesome (ahh the life of a college student...).  A little more background on me,  I am finishing up my master's degree at KU in Occupational Therapy, while simultaneously getting started on my PhD.  Currently, I am taking 2 classes, both online and they aren't exactly the most time intensive.  This frees up quite a bit of daytime to train. My training plan has me doing 2-a-day workouts 4 days a week, with the other 3 days being 2 longer rides and a long run.  I try to stagger the 2-a-days bit with at least an hour of rest between, or just finish the 2nd one after work.  I work part time at a hospital, go to work at 1 and get off at 6, so that's not too bad.  Unfortunately, I work almost every weekend, which makes the long runs and rides a little tougher, but all-in-all, it gets done.

On Wednesday, June 1, this will ALL be changing.  I will be starting my last and final clinical rotation at an outpatient clinic, and I will be there for 3 months. So, Monday through Friday, 8:00a to 5:00p, I will be a little pre-occupied with patients.  (Side note: I really think some college/medical/business professional came up with the "wonderful" idea of clinicals, fieldworks, and internships based solely on turning a profit.  I joke about saying how I will be "volunteering" for the next 3 months full time, but honestly I am actually paying a significant amount to work somewhere for free.  Now, I know I am getting quality, real-life clinical experience, but it's still a little frustrating....).  Also adding to the scheduling changes is the fact that I will be commuting 40 minutes each way to the site. And I will still be working every weekend....

Okay, now I know pretty much everybody else has a fairly similar work schedule and still manages to fit in multisport training, but I am really starting to freak out about it.  Mainly because I don't do 5:00am wake ups.  At all. Seriously, the last 5:00a alarm went off the morning of the Heritage Park race, and I slept through it.  Twice.  My body just won't let me!  Somehow I woke up at 5:35a, and hauled ass out the door to make it there still pretty early.

I fully expect to be getting some "welcome to the real world" responses to this, and please, don't hold back. I don't have kids, there really isn't any excuse for me complaining, but I am just one for consistency in my schedule.

However, I do see some benefits for getting up early and knocking out some workouts.  Other than sleep, what else do I have to do?  Naaaaada.  Nothing.  Lately, I have been noticing the late afternoon/early evening training sessions I have always seem to have more conflicts come up, like eating dinner at the future in-laws, going out to eat with friends, OMG Papa Murphys just sent me a text with a pizza deal!!! (yes, all of the conflicts involve food).  Training in the mornings would limit the missed workouts in the afternoons, and also free up a little more time when I get off my clinical.  It would take a little more planning on my part, especially the night before. I read about all these different athletes with families and jobs, waking up at 4:00am to get a 40 mile ride in or a 12 mile run, and I kinda feel like I'm not as focused or motivated as they are.  This may be an important step for me.  And I think I'm ready to tri (lame, I know....). 

One thing that will need to change is my breakfast.  Everyday, I wake up AT LEAST an hour before I need to leave and make a legit breakfast.  It normally consists of 3 eggs (1 whole, 2 whites), maybe some bacon (center cut, no biggie), some type of carb (Oatmeal, tortilla, or english muffin), a lil bit of salsa, some OJ and coffee.  As I devour this, I watch Sportscenter and watch to see if the Royals made the highlights (yeah that was sarcasm....).

Typical breakfast, sans carbs

So, if I were to go run intervals or hill repeats after eating this, I can't image I will be getting any type of nutritional benefit from it, and due to retroperistalsis, it's going right back out my mouth. So, once again, I will need a change.  Maybe work on something portable, so I can eat in the car and save some time.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and training is going well!