Being a Busy Iron Family

The primary part of the weekend is centered around my children, and I have to be flexible.  To call an audible is to be liquid enough to understand that at any given time you have to be a chauffeur or a chaperone, especially for my 12-year-old and whatever her plans are. -- Lyor Cohen

Now that I'm up and running - no, really up and RUNNING! - things are busy again at home.  Iron Sherpa is in the taper for his first marathon (go Hubby!), the elder IronKid is about to enter multiple weeks of soccer tournaments, and the younger IronKid has had multi-sports weekends (running races and volleyball) on top of all of our other wild and crazy activities.  It feels crazy busy again - which is good, since some of the crazy is me getting to do stuff.  Plus we've had a gorgeous Indian summer the last few days and I've enjoyed it.

Someone on the FB page for IMMD 2015, when I mentioned that IronSherpa & I were both doing IMMD 2015, asked "how do you do it all with kids"...and I answered her.  IronSherpa thought I was being defensive, but I was really just trying to help.  It takes a lot of logistics.  It takes the ability to overlook the dust bunnies and the unmatched socks.  It takes the history of having your kids do chores since they were little, so this isn't an added burden (or at least they don't notice as much when you put a little more on their plates).  It takes the willingness to eat crockpot meals and casseroles (and even boxed food on occasion).  But it can be done.  To be fair, I have a flexible job, so I can work some of my long training days into the week, leaving the weekends free for IronSherpa, but it still takes some juggle, since IronKids are involved in different activities and (as Murphy's law would have it), they are inevitably scheduled for the same time on different ends of the county or state.

I think what it comes down to is the ability to be flexible if crap comes up and the ability to work with your IronSpouse (especially if he's doing it too) to share the free time and the responsibilities.  But this isn't really just about doing an IM or a marathon or any endurance activity - it's kind of about life.  How do you do it all?  You have help.  I'm not a big "it takes a village" person (but I do like the Village People).  We don't have family nearby, but we do rely on the kindness of soccer carpools, etc.  Mostly it's about making it work - the four of us.  If it's important, it can be done...even if you have to call an audible now and then.

Lessons Learned

There are no regrets in life, just lessons. -- Jennifer Aniston

I haven't had much to say recently.  I'm slowly trying to build back up to where I was before...in so many areas of my life.  I'm trying to get my fitness and strength back.  I'm trying to regain my interest and willpower to eat properly.  I'm trying to get organized and caught up on everything, especially the mountain of things I let slide while training for Louisville.  These things all take time and, to be honest, they're not that interesting to talk about.  Mostly they make me feel all introvert-y and dwell-y.  But that's OK - I'm not going to talk about them today.  I'm going to share some lessons learned during my run up to Louisville (and after); they're not all the lessons I learned, because I only remember some of them when I do them wrong again...but at least it's something.

• You can't judge a current by the practice swim.  It may be lovely and smooth as glass the day before and chop city the day of the race.  Or it can be fast as hell the day before the race and much more languid on race morning.  It doesn't matter what it is the day before, does it?
• Pizza is always a good pre-race meal.  Not only does it sit well (with me at least), but your sherpas (family) will also be pleased to eat something that is not gross.  Like protein shakes.
• If it hurts, figure out what hurts.  Is it your brain or is it your body?  Sometimes your brain lies.  If your brain is lying to you, keep going a little further.  If your body is saying it hurts, STOP and listen.  There's a reason for it.
• Don't underestimate chamois cream.  That is enough on that point.
• Liquid calories are good.  At some point, even chocolate poptarts don't taste good.  And on the same point, Hot Fudge Sundae poptarts are the bomb.
• When you aren't training for an Ironman, you should not eat like you are still training for an Ironman.  Your scale will thank you.  Hot Fudge Sundae poptarts should be reserved for Ironman training.
• Becoming one with your bike is a good thing.  Name her.  Love her.  Don't forget to wipe off all that sports drink you spilled down the front of her because then it gets like fly paper all up in there and it's nasty and your favorite Iron sherpa gets all crabby when he has to clean it.  
• If you register for a race thinking you can train in the heat, it will be an unnaturally cold summer.  If you register for a race thinking it will be cool, you will train in the cool and race day will be a heat wave.  If you register for a race thinking you know anything about what the weather will be for training season or race day, you are delusional.
• There are worse things that can happen than DNF'ing a race.  Remember that and be grateful.
• People will think you're a bad ass whether you finish an Ironman or not.  It's very strange.  Enjoy the compliments.
• However long you think you've been out there -- whether training or during the race -- you're over-estimating.  Keep swimming.  Keep biking.  Keep running.  You're doing fine.
• Hot Fudge Sundae poptarts really are better than you'd expect.  So are Nerds candy.  Advil is also good.  Licking salt out of a plastic baggy?  Surprisingly like drinking a margarita without the beverage.

That's all I got for now.  There are more where those come from.

Foodie!

There shouldn't be an announcement that divides our food between what tastes good and what is good for us.  -- Marcus Samuelsson

So, it's time to get back to life, back to reality...and that has to start with real food.

I think I gained 15 pounds training for Louisville...and I had a few to lose before then.  Hey, it was important to test out what Pop Tarts were the most conducive to my training (Hot Fudge Sundae, by the way) and I was hungry 24/7.  In fact I think I was hungry 30/7...but now I'm not training for an IM - I'm barely following a Couch-to-5K type plan of walking and running in order to build up slowly and let my foot continue to heal.  And so I need to put a little more energy into planning good, healthy eating...that tastes good.

I've been looking for some kind of plan or guideline, because I'm not terribly useful doing it myself.  I like the idea of paleo, but I find that I do need a little starch in my life.  So I stumbled upon this page yesterday:  100 Days of Real Food.  They have a 10-day challenge and then they have a 100 Days of Mini-challenges.  I think I'm going to try to do them back to back - the 10-day challenge just to get myself off to a strong start and then the 100-Days to build a lifestyle of it.  There's nothing weird about the food and it's not strict.  It's just about eating real food.  All the time.  Which is what I know I should do.

I may be a little boring over the next few weeks and months, because I'd like to share my food journey in addition to my training journey.  Sorry if that's not your speed - there'll be plenty of chit-chat about training, racing, triathlons, etc.  But I think that my eating is going to be important for my success next year...and I'm going to rock next year!

A Slow Building Process

You can't build a great building on a weak foundation.  You must have a solid foundation if you're going to have a strong superstructure.  -- Gordon B. Hinckley

It's going to be a long, slow process...but I need to remember I'm building a foundation for a superstructure.  This past week I started "running" again.  Let me call it running -- it makes me feel better.  However, lest you worry that I'm trying to injure myself again, let me explain.  "Running" equals 4 minutes walk, 1 minute run.  Rinse.  Repeat.  For 2 miles.  That's it.  30 minutes of training, with about 4 minutes total of running.  It's a start.

And believe it or not, it's actually making me happy.  Not overjoyed - it's painful that it's so slowwwwww.  Not that I'm slow (which I am - but I have been before), but that it's going to be like this for a while.  Maybe a little further this week, maybe running 2 minutes at a time the next week.  Ugh.

It's important that I build up without getting hurt, though.  Critical.  Because I want to be a superstructure for the 2015 season.  I have plans.  I have goals.  And I'm going to kick IM Maryland's butt.  With my good feet.