Olympic Countdown

Well, it's been a little unorthodox but my Olympic triathlon training is wrapping up and it's almost taper time. 

A month ago I was doing the run/walk thing. In fact, on June 1st, I walked four minutes and ran six. Three times. And it was really hard. 

By mid-June I was running 25 minutes straight. My foot was holding up but my running fitness was pretty pathetic and my speed was down. 

Two weekends ago I did the Welland triathlon and survived a 7.5k run/walk. Technically I was only running 5k at that time. 

It's been almost two weeks since that race. I resumed my running rehab after a few days of rest and built from 5k to 6k to 7k and then 8k. 

I ran 8k on Tuesday and again on Thursday morning this week. Both times I ran the entire distance without stopping or walking. Both times took about 51 minutes. Not speedy by any means but I'm able to run for almost an hour straight which is much more than I was able to do on June 1st. 

I will not have run 10k before the race even though I need to run 10k on race day. I also did not do any hill training even though the running route on race day is apparently hilly. At least according to the girl in the locker room who told me horror stories about the hills. 

I also will not have cycled 40k before the race even though I need to cycle 40k on race day. In fact, 35k is the farthest I've gone in probably a year. I do ride a lot of hills though so I guess I'm ready for those. 

I have, thankfully, swum 1.5k many many times. In fact, I swim at least 3k every time I hop in the pool so that distance is not a problem. Tonight, as a last hurrah before I taper, I'm doing my first Activ Series open water race. I'm competing in the 1.9k swim. And unlike running and cycling where I focus on pacing myself to survive to the end, I want to race. Swimming in the only sport that I feel I can push myself hard. To pass people. To sprint to the finish. To do more than just pace myself to the finish. 

After tonight's race, I have a few shorter runs, a bike ride and a few easier swims next week. Technically, I've peaked in my training and should be ready to go. Realistically, I got about as close as I could safely get to the distances without re-injuring myself. I played it smart and I'm as ready as I had hoped I'd be. 

Here's hoping it's enough to get me to the finish line, upright and in one piece. 

Stroke Development

I'm a one-stroke kinda swimmer.

I taught myself the freestyle two years ago when I wanted to swim. It took me weeks and weeks to coordinate breathing on my left side. And even longer to remember to kick.

I have never learned how to do the breast stroke, back stroke or, heaven forbid, the butterfly.

I'm not opposed to them. I just don't know how to do them. The odd time I have tried any of them it hasn't gone well and I quickly switch back to what I know.

Apparently our Masters swim class is going to focus on stroke development for the rest of the summer.

Breast stroke

Back stroke

Butterfly

The athlete in me is excited to try something new.

The awkward, uncoordinated, trip over my own feet part of me is nauseated at the thought of looking ridiculous.

Doug just grins and says it's going to be an interesting summer.

Apparently 3 Equals 4 When it's Hard on the Way Out

Monday was a holiday here in Canada and we celebrated by sleeping in a wee bit and then heading down for an open water swim in the Welland canal. A bunch of swimmers were meeting up and we decided to join them.

Doug was doing some open-water swimming practice to get used to his brand new wetsuit.

I was doing whatever Christine told me to do which, as it turned out, was a lot of swimming.

The Welland canal has a dedicated swimming lane which is great because it protects us from all the rowers, kayakers, canoe-ers and other boating folk that also enjoy this multi-purpose waterway.

We stood on the dock to discuss the plans - me in my bathing suit with two gels tucked in and my pump clipped to the front and pretty much everyone else in their wetsuits. Christine wanted to swim a strong 3k and wanted me to go with her. A few other ladies wanted to swim 2.2k and others wanted 1k.

Christine and I headed off. The first 500m went really well and I felt strong. We reached the first bridge which is at 500m, in no time. We stopped for a second, made sure we were both ok, and then carried on. We swam for what felt like the same amount of time again and then stopped and looked back.

The bridge was looming behind us instead of being 500m behind us like we expected it to be. Apparently the waves and current picked up and we were now fighting the elements.

Not exactly something you train for in the pool...unless dragging buckets counts.

We slogged our way to the 1500m mark and, by the time we reached it, I was pretty spent. I was looking forward to being pushed all the way back home.

We turned around and swam at a steady pace all the way home. I tried to sprint the last few hundred meters but found I could only sustain the pace I was doing. I was still strong but there was only one speed left.

By the time we reached the dock, everyone but Doug and Janice had left. They were both changed and dry, looking no worse for wear after their swims.

"Well, we swam 3k" Christine announced "but it's really more like four because of how hard it was on the way out".

Another reason I like swimming. With running, it's 3k no matter how hard or easy it is. With swimming, apparently you get to increase your distance by your effort.

Does that mean that the 1.5k back was only 1.0k because we weren't fighting the current?

Oh, and that was my first every long distance swim AFTER eating breakfast and bolusing for it. Normally I swim first and then worry about food and insulin.

My pre-breakfast BG was 5.6. I turned down my basal to 60% for a hour and a half before the swim. I took 3.0 units instead of 3.75 units for my breakfast shake. I did not have a gel during the hour and fifteen minutes of swimming.

My post-swim BG was 5.6.

Omigod I love my pump.

Tri Training

As planned, last Saturday was a bit of a tri-training day. The streets were soaked from Friday's rain but luckily Saturday's showers held off until we got our workout done, a bit of gardening in and fit in a post-lunch trip to the driving range.

I woke up, sans alarm clock, at 6:30am. I immediately switched my basal rate to 60% figuring we'd be out the door before 8am but wanting to give myself at least a bit of a buffer.

My BG was 8.0 when I checked in the kitchen. I had a banana and took a 0.70 unit bolus instead of the 3.0 units I would have had if I were not about to exercise. We laid out our shoes and running hats by the door and hopped on our bikes. Doug took the lead and I rode on his back wheel, or at least as close to his back wheel as I could without drowning from all the road spray he was kicking up.

We rode at a fairly good clip (25-28km/hour) for 46 minutes. My legs were feeling good and tired by the end which was perfect since that was the whole point of this exercise but also kinda scary because I knew I had to run 40 minutes as soon as we got home.

I pushed away the memory of the challenging tri run of the weekend before and reminded myself that the weather was nice and cool and I was one week further in my rehab training.

We got home, hopped off our bikes, changed into running shoes, pulled on our hats and were ready to run. I checked my BG again. It was 8.0. It hadn't moved an inch during the bike ride. I quickly weighted the pros and cons of having a gel and decided to risk a low instead of having a high. I hate running high.

Of course I kept the gel, and a few extra carbs, in my pocket just in case.

We headed out and, as promised, Doug ran a few steps behind and let me set my pace.

Problem is that I have a really hard time setting a pace after riding. The first kilometre was done in 5:44 which is way faster than the 6:15ish pace that I was running before my injury and the 6:25ish pace I've been running lately.

I tried to slow down without slowing down too much. I was panting and felt a headache brewing - probably from lack of oxygen. Slow down, slow down, slow down.

The second kilometre was done in 5:59. Still crazy. Still panting. Beginning to wonder if I could do the whole 40 minutes or whether I should cut it down to 30.

The third felt harder, as it should after the pace I had been running and it was done in 6:03.

Halfway through the fourth, we turned around. My plan was to run 40 minutes and I was sticking to it. Our pace slowed a bit with the stop and turn move and the fourth kilometre was 6:19. That should have been a relief since that's more of my typical pace but I saw the 'high' number and got a second wind...and felt my stubborn side kick in.

Now that we were on the way home, I decided to stop trying to slow down and, instead, try to maintain the faster pace I had set. There was only one way to find out and it's not like I had to worry about tiring Doug out.

Kilometres 5 and 6 were 6:06 and 6:05 respectively.

A 6.38 kilometers, my watch read 40 minutes. I was supposed to stop running and walk the last few hundred metres home. That was the original plan anyway.

Instead I decided to see what 7k would look like at the pace I had been running.

The last kilometre took 5:59 and the total for the run was 42:14.

Last week's 7.5k run took 55 minutes which means that 7k probably took about 51 minutes.

I ran 7k in 42 minutes on Saturday. After I cycled hard for 46 minutes.

My BG at the end? Have running that crazy pace and worrying through most of it about having a low?

6.7

That, my friends, is pretty much a perfect workout.

And I feel much much better about the Olympic tri that is now less than two weeks away.

June Goal Update

Twenty thirteen is half finished already. People keep warning me that time will fly by when I get old.

I must be getting old because my goodness it's flying by.

It's time to report on my goal progress for 2013. Just a reminder that things have changed a bit since January. I've crossed one goal off my list because I accomplished it (run the Tel Aviv half). I removed a goal from my list (stay injury free) because I broke my foot (oops!). And I added a few extra goals because I took up golf. 

The updated list is as follows:

- complete three triathlons, including an Olympic distance
- pay down debt
- log 1000k of running this year
- complete two events in the Activ Swim Series this summer
- play 10 round of golf
- play the baby steps golf course until I can do it in 50 rather than 61.

June Report; 

Complete three triathlons, including an Olympic distance

I completed the Welland sprint triathlon in June. I'm booked for the Gravenhurst Olympic triathlon in July and I have two more looming on the horizon if all goes well. So I may meet and even exceed that goal by the end of the summer. 

Pay down debt

I was planning to report that I had made a bit more headway in the right direction and managed to pay down another $500 in June. But then I found out that I was deemed eligible for the Disability Tax Credit and I received my tax credit for 2011 and 2010. So, um, I didn't pay down my debt by $500. I paid it down by $3800. Woohoo! 

Log 1000k of running this year. 

I was on track for this goal in the first three months of the year. Then I broke my foot and didn't run a step in April. I started running again in May but we're talking minutes, not hours. I ran the entire month of June and built up my running by a few minutes each day. By the end of the month I managed to log exactly 60k of running which I'm pretty proud of. That brings my year to date to 336k. It's a far cry from 1000k but there are still six months left and I plan on running more every week so I might get close. 

Swim two events in the Activ Swim Series

The Activ Swim Series is new this year. There are six events and they all take place in the Welland Canal. Each event consists of a 1.9k swim and a 3.8k swim. I'm all set to swim my first open water 1.9k swim on July 5th. The second will either be July 16th or August 9th. Either way, I'm all set to go. 

Play ten rounds of golf

Well, I've played two so far. They were both fun but I'll be hard-pressed to squeeze 8 more games into the summer. We'll see how close I get. 

Play the baby steps golf course until I can get a 50 rather than a 61.

The baby steps golf course, as I call it, is a 9-hole par 3 course that I've played twice. The first time I played I counted every stroke and ended up playing a 61. Then Doug informed me that I should stop playing a hole if I takes me more than twice par to play it (6 strokes). So the second time I got a score of  54 but only because I stopped counting at 6 strokes. Six strokes times nine holes equals fifty-four. So my goal is still to score a 50. Ideally, it would be nice to actually earn the fifty rather than simply score it. Baby steps. 

Well, that's where things stand halfway through the year. 

Looks pretty good to me. 

Forty-Five Plus Forty-Five Equals Two Out Of Three

I ran 35 minutes on Tuesday. 

I ran 40 minutes on Thursday. 

My foot is feeling great and my running energy is slowly coming back. 

Saturday we have a triathlon training plan. 

See, here's the thing. I am building my running fitness which is great, and important, but there is no way I'm going to be running 2+ hours in two weeks.

Which is fine because I don't need to. I'm not running a half-marathon after all. 

But I do need to be able to sustain a pretty high level of activity for 2+ hours in just over two weeks. 

So we have a plan for Saturday. 

We're going to head out for a brisk 45-minutes bike ride. It will start and end in our driveway. 

When we're done, we will hop off our bikes, pull on our running shoes, check my sugar, and head out for a 45-minute run. 

An hour and a half of sustained activity, a brick training workout and some much needed confidence building all in one.

Followed by a chocolate milk, stretching session on the deck and a tasty lunch I'm sure. 

And perhaps an afternoon nap...

The Cost of Living

My quarterly cheque arrived on Monday for insulin pump supplies. Happily, the infusion sets that Animas gave me to try lasted just long enough for me to wait for the cheque before placing my first big order. The charge goes on my credit card and, thanks to my quarterly cheque, immediately goes off my credit card. Which is exactly the way I like it.

I studied the Animas order form. I needed three things: 

1. a battery cover (I'm supposed to change it every three months since I swim so much. My plan is to order one every time I order supplies which should work out to every three months). 

2. cartridges (those little plastic vial thingies that hold the insulin)

3. infusion sets (the tubing and the part that gets inserted into me so that the insulin can enter my body. I didn't word that very well but you know what I mean right?)

On my new pump I'm changing my infusion set every 4 to 5 days. A box of 10 infusion sets costs $195.00. 

If I change every 5 days,one box will last 50 days and two boxes will last 100 days or just over three months (when I get my next cheque). 

If I change every 4 days, one box will last 40 days and two boxes will last 80 days. Not three months. 

Two boxes of cartridges, two boxes of infusion sets and one battery cover = $540.92

Two boxes of cartridges, three boxes of infusion sets and one battery cover = $735.92

My quarterly cheque is $600.00

So I decided to order two boxes and see how far I can stretch them. If I run out, I'll place my next order early. If not, then perfect. And heck, the thought of running out early is enough to make me second guess a chocolate bar or extra helping of pasta which probably doesn't hurt either.  

So in two minutes I just spent $540.92 for three months of pump supplies. And that doesn't even include insulin or test strips. 

Or the calcium I take now. Nor the vitamin D I take with it. Or the cholesterol meds I'm on. 

Diabetes is a lot of things. 

Some good, some bad. 

Always expensive.

(psst! Jeff. Hey, Scott! - I decided to order the infusion sets with the harpoon launcher. You've convinced me to give them another go.)