More than a sprint

I went farther than a typical sprint triathlon today, and I have no idea why. more on that in a bit.

Yesterday I covered the yoga before work. I had a chiropractor appt with a new doc here in Raleigh, so I worked through lunch and was planning a brick afterwards to make up for the missed lunch workout.

The new doc was awesome! Dr Mitch Carpenter is a sports specialist and an upper cervical specialist. Exactly what I was looking for. He did a thorough exam but didn't push the expensive x-rays. And since I've been under care already he didn't try to push me into a 3x a week program. So he really cares about my individual situation. The adjustment was fantastic. He fixed my whole back, really cracked my neck good, and then put me on a massage table thing for a while. I haven't felt this good in months. It was incredible. If you're in Raleigh, don't hesitate to schedule an appointment.

Once I got out of there, my friend Shawn called. He'd been listening to Jimmy Buffett and wanted to meet up for cheeseburgers and beer. So I blew off the brick to hang with my bro. It was a ton of fun. Neither one of us had ever been to Fat Daddy's, which is supposed to be a legendary burger joint here. I had a Rogue christmas ale and a big ol' burger.

That left me missing the workouts. I don't like to try and workout after beer, but beer after a workout is wonderful. I had to suck it up and not excercise.

But I made up for it today. Actually, I blew off the Tri Power workout this morning. I was just a bit tired and needed to get into the office early. But over lunch I still put a mile into that pool. My training plan this cycle has me swimming 1000 yards on monday and friday over lunch, with the long swim being wednesday - 1 mile. That's 76 laps in this 25 yd pool.

At work today I got in early. I had meetings from 8:15 am to 6 pm. straight. we broke long enough for lunch for me to swim, I ate at my desk while actually getting 15 minutes of productivity in then and 15 minutes before the meetings started. I was starving through the afternoon sessions. Take note. If you swim a mile over lunch, you will want to eat all afternoon. I did not get to eat nearly enough in the afternoon.

After work I went back to the gym to make up for yesterday's missed brick. Cruised through 10 miles on the stationary bike in 27:38, or 21.7 miles per hour. That's good speed, and a bit unexpected. Then I hopped on the treadmill for 5 miles of long intervals (speedwork just b/c the Snail has been asking for it). Typical sprint triathlon distances are 500 m swim, 10 mile bike, and 5k run. I exceeded both the swim and run distances today. And I did this in preparation for tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have yoga before work thank God. I can't wait to stretch everything out. Then since it's supposed to be 54 and sunny here, I'm planning on going mountain biking with the management group from the office over lunch. It's usually a 12 to 14 mile route. Then after work I'm doing my weekly long run of 15 miles.... on the treadmill. ugh. better carb load some tonight.

On the mill tonight the speedwork started to get to me. I was doing .8 mile fast, with .2 miles of walking in between. In the pool, I've been really working on the Total Immersion technique, which I LOVE. It is really making a big difference. But TI uses your abs and core muscles to force most of your propulsion. That's why you always see these fish like Michael Phelps with single digit body fat and ripped abs (he didn't get it from his 12,000 calorie a day diet or all the weed smoke munchies). So when I got into the later intervals, about 2 miles in my abs really started to feel it. I even started telling myself a new mantra "This is where 6 pack abs come from" and "keep doing this to get those abs ripped". So I'm focused on good form, breathing, and fat loss. I'm really going to make a difference this year.

I have a special need today too. My dear friend Catherine B is having a tough time right now. She's actually keeping her chin up pretty well. But her husband has leukemia. He beat it once, and it came back a few months ago. It's in remission now, and he's waiting on a bone marrow transplant. He's recently gone back in the hospital with some kind of infection, and today had part of his brain removed to kill the source of the infection. He's awake again and has a headache, but they have been on my mind all day. Catherine is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Even through dealing with all of this stuff with her husband she's kept a positive outlook on life. She still works full time, takes care of his 12 yr old son from his first marriage, they have a 2 yr old son together, and and and she is 8 months pregnant. I know I'm strong. I work out all the time. But her strength makes me look crippled. it is amazing. Nobody should have to be that strong just to get through life as a woman in your mid-30's. So if you say prayers at night, please ask for a blessing for Catherine.

and suddenly my abs don't seem to matter very much.

Kelley and the girls are coming to Raleigh for this weekend! I am so excited! That 4 hour drive really sucks having to make it every friday and sunday. Getting a weekend without it is incredible. it's the little things, you know? Plus I'll get more than just a night or two with my girls. I'm taking suggestions on how to get them up here full time without having to wait until the house in greenville sells. this week long separation shit is getting old for everyone. We were really hoping it wouldn't take this long for the house to sell.

Have a great weekend!