It's been ridiculously hot around here. Well, not ridiculous...just typical summer temps...but unbearable for bike riding (I'm not that hardcore yet). I haven't gotten out to ride since the first week of July, but this weekend the temps are dipping down to the high 80's, so I have hope to get a good ride in.
I haven't been slacking on the other disciplines though. Actually, I'm starting to feel like the training is taking over parts of my life. Almost every morning is devoted to gym time lately - it's a mixed blessing. I am enjoying it, but there are times that it makes for a hectic day.
You never know what will happen when you change up your routine. I had been swimming on Thursday mornings, but two weeks ago I needed to move the swim to Wednesday to accommodate a prior obligation. I ran into a parent from my daughter's preschool class in the parking lot of the Y, and she mentioned that she was doing an endurance swimming class that morning. I decided to jump in and try the class, and it has been a great experience. The class is taught by my neighbor - who happens to be a triathlon coach and is training for the Ironman right now. Most of the people in the class are tri newbies (or those with some tri experience, but not much). In the last two weeks I've learned that the way that I was swimming freestyle was about 15 years out of date - the stroke mechanics had changed significantly. It's been hard to re-train my stroke, but I'm really enjoying the class - a good mix of drills and sprints, along with tips for open water and pool swims.
I've also spent quite a bit of time focusing on the run, and I have to confess - I've finally broken through that wall. I can now run for 20+ minutes without being tired, out of breath, frustrated and hating every minute of it. I've shaved 4 minutes off my time, and I've even been able to increase my pace (on the treadmill) a little bit. I can't say that I love running. I still get bored by it - thank goodness for TV's to distract me from the monotony of the run. But it's not as horrible as it was even a month ago. I've set myself a goal of running 3 different 5K races this fall - which shouldn't be too hard to do.
Finally, I have to give a shout out to my husband. He's entertained the idea of participating in a tri with me, but he was not a swimmer. He had never learned how to swim, and barely tolerated putting his head in the water. Well, that's all changed. He's been taking swimming lessons this summer, and is making tremendous progress. The kids have been taking lessons this summer as well, so we've all practically lived in the pool the past month. I'm so proud of him for finally taking the plunge and learning how to swim. He's no Michael Phelps yet, but he's also not laying at the bottom of the pool.
