The finish line!

After a painful 3-hour drive through a bad rainstorm, we made it to our hotel in Jamestown and settled in for the night. In less than 12 hours we'd be completing our first Olympic distance triathlon! Pablo was of course a lot less nervous than I was. I wasn't just going to complete a new distance, I was also going to swim in a river! In case I haven't mentioned it yet, I have...or had...a massive fear of dark water. Growing up in the Caribbean I am used to swimming in clear blue, always see your toes water and while I've gotten into darker water, I've always stayed very close to the shore and before White Lake in April (which was a clear lake), I had never actually swam in a lake. Jamestown was going to be an achievement both physically and mentally.

To calm my nerves I focused on double-checking my gear bag: goggles, bike shoes, helmet, running shoes, gels...I went down the list and after checking it twice got ready for bed. I got a few good hours of sleep and before I knew it, the alarm was going off and it was time to go. We drove to the race, picked up our packets, set-up the bikes and headed to the swim start. THE SWIM START. The James River is already murky on good days, so imagine the brown water that awaited us after a day of storms. I let the fear take over for a brief minute and then I decided it was the perfect day to get over my fears.

Pablo went off on his warm-up swim and I did a pretend warm-up near the shore. I wasn't quite ready to overcome my fear. Then it was go time. Pablo's wave went first and I watched them as they aimed for the first buoy. I chatted with some of my fellow females and finally decided it was time to get a few minutes of swimming. Then it was our turn.

1500 meters, here we go. Yikes, I'm swimming in a dark river...no, no, you don't have time for that, focus! Swim, swim, breathe, swim, swim, breathe, sight, ok there's the bouy, keep swimming. I fell into a rhythm and before I knew it 35 minutes had passed and I was coming out of the water.

I DID IT! That's really all I could think of in T1. That and don't forget to put on your helmet.

The bike went pretty flawless. I was staying above 16mph, which was my goal and I enjoyed the perfect weather and beautiful scenery. There were a few riders with flats along the way and I did a little prayer to the triathlon gods to spare me, because I don't know how to change a flat. Before I knew it I had finished the bike in 1:29:05 (under 1:30, score!)

T2 was quick, because all I had to do was re-rack my bike, take off my helmet and switch my shoes.
The first finishers were coming in and I wondered where Pablo was on the run. The run was partly on trails and partly on a running path. I ran strong and got an extra boost when I saw Pablo as he was on the last mile or so of his run.

I was definitely getting tired during the last 2 miles and my mind starting messing with me, but the accomplishment of swimming in dark water and my self-motivating mantra gave me the boost I needed to finish strong. You got this, I kept telling myself. When I saw the finish line I picked up the pace and sprinted across - 3:13:44. Take that 3:15 goal!

Just last week I had had a disastrous training ride/run and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish at Jamestown and here I was finishing faster than I thought I could. 

The lesson I learned?

Whether it's an Olympic Distance Triathlon, overcoming a fear or simply starting a new journey. Our mind will quickly send us into doubt. I don't blame it. It's not easy and your brain knows it will be hard. It knows it will take strength, perseverance and willpower. Sitting on the couch, making excuses, saying tomorrow, those options are much much easier....but they are not as satisfying as the success you feel when you cross that finish line!

Today I conquered both my mental fear of dark water and the physical feat of an Olympic distance triathlon. Let me tell you, I have never felt so proud, accomplished or happy in my life. I have also never felt so strong both physically and mentally. I didn't come in first, I didn't break any records and I still have a long way to go, but today I accomplished a milestone and I am exhausted and elated!

From chore to habit

Let's admit it, at one point in your life (maybe right now) working out felt like a chore. I know it did for me. I'd drag myself to my workouts, making all kinds of excuses for why it was okay not to go.

Now I crave the workouts. I anxiously await my workday to end so I can jump in the pool, hop on my bike or put on my running shoes. I no longer make excuses not to workout, it's a habit. It's a need, it's part of my every day routine and a day without some activity feels strange.

How did I get here? As a behavior analyst I definitely looked at the patterns that helped me, and can help you, make working out a habit instead of a chore.

Here's some of the things that helped me:
1. If you don't love it now, you have to build up your love for it. In behavioral terms you have to condition or pair it. That said, pick activities you like, do it with people you like and find little ways to reward yourself.

2. It takes time. Don't expect to hate it today and love it tomorrow. Slowly build up how much time you spend working out and always celebrate small successes.

3. Challenge yourself. Let's admit it, humans are competitive. It's good to have a workout routine, but make sure you're constantly challenging yourself so it doesn't get boring.

4. Take advantage of technology! You could say that I'm an fitness app addict.
My favorites are: MyFitnessPal (food & exercise log), Jawbone Up (wristband and app that tracks steps and sleep), Strava (for cycling), Nike+ (for running), EveryMove (rewards you for working out), PearSports (requires you to purchase their heart rate monitor but it's awesome and ill write a review soon), BodyShot (tracks your weight loss progress) and TrainingPeaks (athlete's version of FitnessPal).

(If you know cool apps I haven't mentioned here, please message me! I'd love to try them!)

5. Do it for yourself. You might need some external motivation like a margarita, cupcake, Facebook likes, new outfit or half marathon medal, but your internal motivation is crucial to make your workouts part of your daily routine. Find your personal reasons for doing it and make it your mantra.

Overcoming Disappointment

Today I'm down to 156.8lbs. You'd think my 3+lb weightloss this week would excite me, and it is exciting, but it's also going a bit too fast and I worry some of it might have been muscle loss. There's really no way to know other than sticking to my workout plan and making sure I fuel my body enough...especially given the upcoming Olympic distance triathlon next Saturday!

1500 meter (0.9 mile) swim, 24 mile bike and 10K (6.2mile) run. I thought I was ready for it, but my training today has left me disappointed...

We did a 1hr25min bike followed by a 45min run and I burned out in the first 30 min of the ride and never recovered, running my slowest pace in over 3 months.

Was it the 3 hills we climbed right at the start of the bike? Was it the 90 degree weather? Was it the alcohol I had last night? Was it improper fueling? Or is it my fast weight(/muscle) loss?

I won't ever know the answer and most likely it was a combination of those things. What I do know is that the mental game I played with myself today was exhausting. I reached that burn out point and started the epic battle of "I got this" and "no, you don't."

Overcoming your own demons is the hardest battle in endurance athletics...and in weight loss. This stuff is HARD and when things get hard your brain is good at making excuses. When faced with disappointed your brain is good at telling you, "see, I told you you couldn't do it."

So today's lesson is one of overcoming disappointed. Convincing yourself that one bad day doesn't have to mean you failed. That one bad day doesn't warrant quitting. It should actually inspire you to push harder and keep going.

Today I am stronger than I was yesterday.
Tomorrow I WILL be stronger than I am today.

Listen to your body, but don't use excuses

In the commotion of these past few days, I forgot to mention that I fell off my bike on Monday. I was looking back so I could merge with traffic, while my husband, who was ahead of me slowed down, and before I knew it we were having a Tour de France collision moment (did anyone see those on TV last night?) Luckily we were going very slow and only I fell off the bike. Even luckier was that the EMS truck was across the street from us when it happened and responded in less than 5 seconds. What are the chances?

I'm happy to report that the injuries were nothing major. Just some scrapes, a few bruises and 2 nasty cuts caused by my peddles. I hate those stupid pedals! I'm always hurting myself on them and am definitely getting new pedals and one of those helmet rearview mirrors. Safety first!

The one downer is the the bruise on my right thigh and the one on my left knee have limited my ability to run.

I tried it briefly on Tuesday and again on Wednesday and the pounding of my feet on the pavement sent shooting pains towards the various injuries. I'm bummed, but I know better than to ignore my body. I'm all for pushing through muscle soreness, but real injuries need time to heal. It is after all about being healthy!

I am however also aware of how easy it is to use excuses and find reasons to not work out. Despite riding my bike a few times, the scale has not been my friend this week and I have been tempted to slouch on the couch with a box of cookies. Ugh, stupid mind, stay focused! I keep telling myself muscle weighs more than fat and it's going to take time before I see real results. I just have to keep pushing!

Today, I'm going to try a 20 min run. The injuries are healing nicely and it should be doable. If I do feel pain (my left knee hurts when I stand for too long), I won't run, but I'm also not going to skip a day. That would be too tempting! I'll just do something else, like a bike ride. Yesterday was a rest day, today I need cardio, no excuses!