Let me preface this by saying that I don't know how any single momma with a job can train for an Ironman. I am sure that someone has. Hats off to that person. I couldn't do it.
So here's a rundown of training for the past week:
Saturday- Dropped Jamie off at the airport around 1pm, then headed to the gym and "biked." Spinning just isn't the same as cycling, but it's hard to get any of that in when there is no one to watch the kiddos. Thank goodness for gym childcare. I really hate indoor cycling and found it hard to get my heartrate in the zone it was supposed to be so I finally gave up on the "steady state" ride in the training plan and put on a Spinervals video I had loaded on my phone. At least that was somewhat interesting and gave me some motivation to pick up the pace.
Sunday- Ran close to 8 miles with the double jogger. We started at Whole Foods where my daughter threw a tantrum because I made her put on a sweater (it was 50 degrees!) Then I wouldn't buy her a Clif Bar because she wouldn't stop screaming. The entire first three miles she screamed "TURN AROUND! I WANT A CLIF BAR." It was sprinkling and she kept ripping off the rain cover and throwing her blanket on the trail. Then she finally fell asleep. I do not know why they call them the terrible twos because the terrible-ness for us all started about three weeks before she turned 3. Her little brother slept the entire ride.
Monday- No masters swimming while Jamie is gone since there is no one to watch the kids at 5 a.m. Our fitness center has a pool but the one at the location by us stinks. Big time. It's only 20 yards and there are never any lanes available - they only have two and they are really just wide enough for one swimmer. So rather than going to Fairfax (2 miles away) we treked out to Centreville (11 miles away.) Their 25 meter pool rocks. I like the childcare there better anyhow since they have a basketball court and outdoor play area so Susie really gets her exercise. I swam 2500 meters in about an hour. I am so slow at swimming, especially without the other masters swimmers to motivate me with peer pressure!
Tuesday- Up at 5 a.m. so I could get the workout over and done with and spend the evening with my kids. That meant using the bike trainer in the basement. Seriously boring. Worse than the treadmill. I need to get a rear wheel cycle computer so I have some clue how far I'm going or how fast I'm pedaling because right now there is no motivation. Heart rate monitor never went above 112 and hovered around 102 most of the time. I hate indoor cycling! At least I have Netflix. I watched No Strings Attached, which by the way is not a very good movie.
Wednesday- REST DAY! Had a lovely time at the playground with my kids.
Thursday- I had an appointment at the gym in Centreville but at noon I got a phonecall that Jack had a fever. I picked him up and couldn't figure out what the deal was -- aside from the 101 temperature, he was in good spirits and seemed fine. I ran some errands and he still was in a good mood, so after I picked up Susie from daycare I stuck the kids in the jogger and went out for an hour. My training plan is based on heart rate and time so I didn't pay attention to pace. I was pleasantly surprised at the 30 minute turnaround when I realized I had gone 3.5 miles. That's close to an 8:30 mile WITH two kids in a jogger. About ten minutes before we finished up I ran right past my boss. (Who runs. A lot. He is my ultrarunning hero. And probably gets why I was running with a sick kid in a stroller.) 7 miles flat in 60 minutes. Not bad at all.
Friday - Jack woke up as usual at 5 a.m. and felt very hot to the touch. I took his temperature and it was 103.5. Great. I had a performance with my school choir in the morning, and needed to be there regardless, even if Jack was next to me in the stroller. I put in for a sub, fed him, put him back in his crib and slept until 7 when I get both kids up. Now Jack's temperature was 104.5, and though he was acting fussy he had no other symptoms. How old is he, ten months? AH! ROSEOLA! The wonderful illness where they can have a temp of up to 105 for 2 or 3 days, but aren't contagious, and just when you are about to call 911 because they fever has been sky high for eternity, they break out into a rash. Susie had it at exactly the same age. No one had picked up my sub job, so I gave Jack some ibuprofen and drove to the babysitter's. She was wonderful and said she'd take him for the morning, and call me if I needed to pick him up. The morning performance went well, and I taught 2 classes before getting a call that his temp was up to 105 and I should probably take him home. He was pretty fussy, so at 3 I decided to see if a ride in the stroller would calm him down. SUCCESS! He chilled out the entire hour. I kept my heart rate in the "recovery zone" and covered 5.8 miles in the hour. However my ankle started to hurt around the peroneal tendon towards the end of the run -- I decided to scrap the long run scheduled for Saturday and turn it into a swim instead. No need to bring on a case of tendonitis - if my body needs a rest I will listen.
Saturday- Jack still had a high fever. At 5 a.m. he woke up for his morning feed, nursed for 20 minutes, and promptly pojectile vomited it right back up. Then he started screaming his head off. His temp was still at 105 and I began to worry that it was not roseola after all. Susie never threw up when she had it. I called our doctor who was not concerend in the least bit and said to call back if the screaming went on for over 90 mimnutes or if the temp went above 105. The morning was pretty miserable, though he did stop screaming. And then at noon, lo and behold -- he broke out into spots and his fever disappeared. ROSEOLA! I was right. I called the doctor who was not at all surprised. Then, since he wasn't contagious, I kept my 3 p.m. appointment at the gym. He was very glad to play with all the fun toys they have there, Susie was thrilled (she loves it there), and I swam 2500 meters.
Sunday- I had another 3 p.m. appointment at the gym, so I decided to try to spin for 20 minutes, run for 30 if my ankle didn't start killing me again, and do a strength circuit. I hate the treadmill but with Jamie out of town it is the only way to get the brick workouts in. Got it all done in 90 minutes and even was able to get dressed before taking the kids to the cafe for dinner! And the ankle seems to be cured.
So... training went okay this week but I didn't get in a long ride or long run. Spring break is next week so it will have to happen then.
As for the rest of my life.... I managed to cook dinner most nights, the house isn't in total disarray (the kid's rooms are actually picked up!), and I even did three loads of laundry AND folded them. They were sorted into the "Jack", "Susie", and "Mommy" baskets. When I went downstairs to get them, the baskets were empty. And all the clothes were in the dryer. I was wondering if I was going mad, but then Susanna informed me that she was "helping me" by "drying the clothes." Fantastic!
On another note, the dogs have been completely neglected all week and are going mad. There is no way for me to run them... I don't think I can handle the jogging stroller and the mutts. Penny has let me know she's peeved by a) Breaking out of the back yard. Twice. b) Jumping on the dinner table I had not cleared off while I was putting the baby to bed and knocking the dishes onto the floor (luckily they were the $10/ set variety from IKEA) and c) Peeing all over my bed. BEAGLE FOR SALE!!!
Wow that was some week! You are like superwoman!
ReplyDelete