swim bike run: an update

So, some of you may (or may not) be wondering how my training is going for this triathlon I'm going to attempt. Getting into a routine has been a challenge for me because I love my zumba and didn't want to give it up, and I love what Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred was doing for me, so I didn't want to stop that either. Problem was I was already doing those 3 days a week each (combined with walking on my Jillian days). So - I had to cut out a day of each to make room for swimming, biking, and running. Yeah. haha. The Jillian workout has 3 levels so I had been doing each level once a week, but now I rotate through each level but only getting 2 a week. And then, figuring out how to space things out so I'm not completing killing myself was a little tricky, but this is the plan I came up with:

Mon - Run (30-45 min - I don't run the whole time though. It's about half run/walk right now)

Tues - Swim (20-35 min - plus 15-30 min each way travel time to pool, grrr) and Jillian (30 min strength, cardio and abs)

Wed - Zumba (1 hr)

Thurs - Swim (30-35 min) Bike (45 min) Run (30-40 min) Since school has started, I've been swimming in the morning and then doing my bike and run in the evening (since half-day kindergarten doesn't give me enough time to get it all done at once).

Fri - Zumba (1 hr, plus abs)

Sat - Bike (12 miles - which takes me a little over 1 hr) and Jillian (30 min strength, cardio and abs)

Sun - DAY OFF!! Phew!;)

Combining Jillian with my longer bike ride on Sat has been hard so I've missed a couple, but still trying.

What surprises me is how hard the bike riding is for me. That continues to be the hardest part for me and I don't really know why. People talk like riding 12 miles should be a cakewalk - but, man. Of all 3, that is the only one where I feel my muscles just burning and I get waves of nausea and chills at times. Only time ever in my life, actually, that I've ever felt that way working out. I don't like it. I can feel swimming getting easier for me and I love it. I swam on a community rec swim team until I was about 14 and so I'm pretty confident in my technique, at least. I'm just going to do breaststroke in the race since that's the easiest for me, but I've been incorporating more and more freestyle into my laps and it feels good. Really good. Running - well, I've been icing my shins each time and it's never really much fun for me (and sometimes downright painful), but alternating running and walking, I know I can get through a 5K (sort of).

But biking. Ugh. That's the most discouraging part. About halfway through, everytime, I get an onslaught of mental monsters wanting to convince me there is no way I can swim, then do this, and then run. This is also about the point where I'm struggling and fighting up a neverending hill and I feel like I'm going to die. Plus sometimes it aggravates my sciatic nerve which really makes me unhappy. So. Yuck.

Well anyway, yesterday during my bike ride I experienced some exciting firsts. First off, I almost got hit by a car for the first time ever. This guy apparently just decided that the 4-way stop really didn't apply to him. He wasn't even at the stop sign yet when I came through the intersection and he still had to slam on his brakes. Really?!? You weren't already SLOWING down and looking for traffic when approaching a busy 4 way stop and bike trail?!? Idiots have a way of ruining my day sometimes. I yelled at him as I passed and since they had their windows down, I think they probably heard me. Seriously. Ugh. I have a little bit of paranoia about crashing on my bike anyway. Ever since I crashed in 7th grade and shattered my elbow (ask me to show it to you sometime - it's still nastily deformed) - it's one of my greatest fears. And that doesn't even cover the possibility of colliding with a car.

And the other first was getting a flat tire. Luckily I was about 100 ft from my house at the end of my bike ride, but they say it's a good idea to know how to fix these things in case they should happen to you during the race. And now I've got my chance to learn! yay. ha.

Quite the eventful evening ride.

And then during the run, I decided I would share with you a favorite running song from my current running playlist:

Run Baby Run by The Primitives. ;) It seems appropriate. (And the beat is just right for my pace.)
Blogger isn't letting me embed it right now, though, so a link will have to do. Enjoy.

http://youtu.be/G4OjEr8rUxs

Run, Baby, Run. And bike. And swim. ;)