Slowly rising from the funk and skipping the cookie

First, the good--I think my training so far is going really well.  This is week 8 (wow, eight!!) of 30, so only 23 weeks to go!  I have yet to really miss a workout.  I had to cut one short because of a flat tire, and I've missed a swim (and will again this week), but since I've added a swim to the training plan in these first 10 weeks, it doesn't "count" as missing it, right?  Staying in zone 1 and 2 for heart rate training is tough, because it sometimes feels too easy, but as I've said before, I am trusting "the plan."

My first triathlon of the season is this Sunday, an Olympic Distance race in Clermont.  That's a 1.5K swim (.94 miles), 40K bike (24.85 miles) and a 10K run (6.2 miles).  I did this race in 2011, but it was held in June on a very hot day.  I remember suffering on the run, and thinking it was SO long and hilly, even though the hills are not that bad, just a few moderate inclines just after the turnaround.  I did really well on the bike, with a 21.1 mph average.  I don't think I can match that this time, since I haven't been doing much speed work on the bike, but we'll see.  My swim was over 32 minutes last time, and I am really hoping to go under 30 minutes this time with the work I've been doing in the pool.  If I wear a wetsuit I think sub-30 is definitely doable.  My run last time was an 8:30 pace, and though it will be warm by the time I run on Sunday, it won't be hot like it was in 2011, so I should be able to drop that pace a bit.  Clearly I am a bit of a numbers junkie (and slightly competitive).

This race is supposed to be "practice," but of course I still want to do the best I can.  Last time I placed second in my age group, but I see that last year the race was much more competitive, so I'm not banking on placing this time.  I just want to improve where I can.  And have fun!  It may seem like I'm taking all the fun out of it by focusing on the numbers, but I'm really not.  I love triathlons!  They provide that little bit of an extra difficulty factor that a running race does not--you have to prepare, prepare, prepare--not just the training, but making sure you have everything laid out as needed for each leg of the event.  And I love planning, especially when proper planning leads to successful execution!  Still doesn't sound fun?  It is, really!  And this distance is great, because it's challenging, yet not completely exhausting.

So that was the good.  Now for the bad.  I am still struggling with getting back on track with my eating.  I've gained back 2 pounds, which in the grand scheme of things is not a disaster, but is tough given that I'm struggling with the last 5-10 pound weight loss challenge.  The thing I cannot get out of my head is that stupid feeling of "well, I ate something bad, this day is trashed, why not keep eating bad?"  It is a terrible outlook and I KNOW it when I'm doing it, but I do it anyway.  I read an article not too long ago (and I apologize but  I am notoriously bad at remembering who wrote it, where I read it, etc.), that cited a study that rang true with me.  It was about making food choices based upon past experiences--more specifically, if in the recent past you made a choice to skip the cookie, then when presented with the option again to take the cookie or skip it, you're more likely to realize that you don't need the cookie and you skip it.  However, if instead you recall the time that you gave in and took the cookie (and the immediate gratification rather than the longer term dissatisfaction), you're more likely to take the cookie again.  This is how I have been successful in going sugar-free in the past.  I remembered "skipping the cookie" and that I survived.  That's right...the world did not end, I was not miserable and left to feel vacant and unfulfilled just because I didn't have the cookie.  So these are now my areas of focus: don't let the indulgence continue for days (one meal at Outback doesn't mean I need to keep stuffing myself to discomfort); and focus on the times I have said no to the temptation, survived, and felt better for it.

The ugly?  Unfortunately, that has to do with laziness.  I have fallen into a lazy funk, where I get my training in, I take care of the basics (laundry, feeding the dogs, feeding myself, work), but that's about it.  There are dog-hair tumbleweeds rolling through my living room, the bathroom floor needs to be scraped and prepped for painting, the flower beds are full of weeds...you know the to-do list.  I was doing so well at the beginning of training! But as I feared, I have let a bit of fatigue creep into my life as the excuse for pushing off my to-do list.  This is not acceptable!  There is no reason, particularly as I have no children, that I can't get things done on the weekends.  On my group run last Saturday morning, I listened as a few of my running-mates (women with children) discussed how even though they take time for themselves to run, and each has a spouse at home, when they get home it's full-on Mommy Mode.  Even through (their own) sickness, jobs, children's sports/volunteer/school activities, they just do it.  They get it done.  So they have inspired me to try harder, because comparatively, I have it easy!

Though I am still working on the goals I set for myself last week, I will add a couple to them:
5.  (Relates to #1 of last week) Remember the healthy eating habits when faced with a poor-choice eating habit.  Choose wisely.
6.  Get to that to-do list!  No excuses.

May you see the moon in a bright blue morning sky.  Train on!