Inspiration…..where do you find it?

I have been looking for inspiration for IMC and the training required.  Last time i trained for IMC inspiration came to me easily, I wanted it so badly that I obsessed about the event; I didn’t even have to think about why.  This time around I am not sure what is inspiring me for IMC 2012.  I do know that I like training, I like being more fit, I like the people I train with but what I don’t know is what my inspiration is.  Why do I really want to do this again?

I have been extremely tired and the suspect of this extreme fatigue is an allergy to eggs.   Since I discovered this allergy I went back to my mostly vegan diet.  I am hoping that once I get more energy I will find that inspiration again.  Until then I will not ask the question of where I find my inspiration, I will just train and take it one step at a time. 

Oh my, obstacles!

 

IMC, it is coming up FAST, only 69 days until I am at the start of the swim. My training is happening, not as well as I would like but as is typical I have had some challenges thrown my way. My plantar fasciitis is still bothering me, I am currently taking a 2 week break from running to see if that will help it calm down. Since I have not been able to train the run I will be training to walk run the marathon portion of the event and I am good with that, I just want to finish the event with a smile.

I have had another challenge too, I was feeling unusually tired so I went to my ND and had her check my blood work to make sure that I was not low on iron etc. All of my nutrition stuff came back really good; I just need to increase my vitamin D. The biggest surprise is that I have a high Eosomophils level which typically indicates that you have an allergy of some sort. We did a scratch test to see if I was allergic to something in the environment. I had no reactions to the test other than the one that checks to see if you were off all medications as prescribed before the test. I had 2 options to find out if the allergy was food related, a blood allergy test that is a large out of pocket expense or a food elimination diet. I opted for the blood test because a food elimination diet takes way too long to figure out what may be causing the allergic reaction. I should get the results this week, i hope. I am really get bored with feeling exhausted all the time.

I love training for these things, you learn to listen to your body and overcome obstacles. Last Ironman I had a stress fracture, bruised talus bone and reduced sensation from my knee down on my right leg. I made it to the start line and I finished with a HUGE smile. I will make to the start line and finish with a big smile again. I just need to keep my head down and train, even when my body is not cooperating with me.

Mom (Barbara Clark), Frank Clark, Molly (she passed away a few months ago) and Layla.

Sonja and Maddie at the end of our trail run.

Me and Maddie at the end of a trail run.

104 days of training left.....and other random thoughts.

The best part of training for this Ironman is that Craig can join me on my training rides.  In 2010 Craig had surgery that did not allow him to ride his bike for a least 6 months so we did not get to ride together at all, it was a really hard time in our lives.  What a treat to have him give me biking tips and be with me as i train.

The past few weeks have not been without some sort of challenge.  Oliver, our standard poodle, was really sick and we didn't know what was wrong with him or if he would survive etc.  He was bitten by a tick and was really sick from the tick bite.  the emergency room vet did not think that it was very likely but the test results came back positive.  there are ticks in western WA, so be aware that if you pet gets sick make sure that your vet tests for a tick bite.  it was really  hard on me to think that we could lose our sweet boy Oliver.

This weekend is Chelancamp and we are scheduled to ride McNeil canyon on Friday afternoon. I rode up McNeil in July of 2010.  My wonderful niece Hilary was my support as i rode 8 miles to the top.  I did not think that i would make it to the top and i think Hilary wondered if i would make it all the way up too.  I physically was capable, the challenge was the head.  i made it too the top and i plan on making it to the top this Friday, i just have to get my head prepared for the hot afternoon ride. 

Photo i found online of McNeil canyon.

Tomorrow morning i get to swim in Green Lake, it will be my second open water swim of the year :-). 

It will be interesting to see if i am able to shave off some time on my swim on IMC race day.  i was pretty pleased with my swim time at IMC in 2010.  it certainly would be fun to get out of the water sooner.  I will find out in about 104 days, God willing :-).

Today is mother's day, I have the best daughter in the world, Sonja and she wrote a note on FB that was so wonderful.....

"Thank you Mom Sjohn Jepsen for being the best mom ever. You believed in me before I had a chance to doubt, you modeled strength and compassion for others, you have been my inspiration, advisor and friend. I will always love you and always be grateful. I truly appreciate you."  

power of my thoughts...life and training

Last week I wrote all about pushing through.  Well, this week I wasn’t able to push through, I allowed by thoughts to get in my way and stop me from training on some days and give up on myself when I did train.  

On Thursday we did a field test to get our heart rate data.  We had a 1.5 mile warm to lower Woodlawn Park and then we ran a 1 mile loop with climbs and down hills as fast as we could go.  The first loop was hard, my lungs were burning and my legs were heavy by the time I got to the finish.  As I was taking my 5 minute rest I was thinking about my discomfort, burning lungs, heavy legs and sore throat caused by gasping for air.  During the rest I said aloud that I can’t do another loop.  I was doomed to fail on the second loop (dope slap) I verbally announced to myself that I couldn’t do another loop at the same pace.  I took off for my second lap.  The downhill was good but once I came to the dog park and saw the hill I slowed down and told myself that I can’t do this and then I had another conversation that I could gain control if I changed my thoughts.  I didn’t listen to the later voice.  I walked part of the climb and even some of the flats.   I finished but not at the same pace as the first lap and I know I gave up on myself.

On Saturday we ran from Newport Beach to Sky Country at Cougar Mountain.  I was scheduled to run 8 miles, up hill.  Of course I had my training buddy with me, Maddie dog.  I was tired for this run and let my head convince me that walking a little was okay.  I came up with a simple solution to my desire to walk that required no thinking for me; put Maddie on her leash attached to my waist and let her pull me.  Maddie can run a lot longer and faster than me.  During my run I had a lot of time to think; I realized that I need to get my thoughts about my training in check, if I allow myself to be defeated during training I am doomed to fail on my races, any race, not just Ironman Canada. 

Maddie after a hard weekend of running

Today come of the CL gang rode at Seattle Multi-sport center on compu-trainers.  We had all our stats on a BIG screen so we could see all of our data while we rode watts, speed, etc. and we watched Breaking Away as we pedaled along the Ironman Lake Placid course.   I was tired when I started this ride but I stayed focused most of the time and hit my goal, to keep my average watts above 100 for 2 hours.  I hit my goal and I did not give up, I pushed and didn’t even think about my pain etc.  I thought about finishing strong.  I was able to push myself when my body might have wanted to take it easy. 

This week was a lesson in the power of my thoughts.   The power of my thoughts not only impede on training but on life too.

139 days....pushing through

This week was about pushing through discomfort while working out. We started up with our Tuesday night core class and for some reason all the squats to warm up and then all the squats and crab walks with bands really got to my legs. I was sore! 

I pushed through my track workout at a slightly slower pace on Thursday because i was still sore from the tuesday night workout.  I think  I could have gone the faster pacer if I would have eaten a snack before the track workout. I powered through and kept my focus, it was a mental workout for me.

Friday morning I swam 3000 yards with coach at la fitness. I made myself eat breakfast at 5:30 AM so would have energy for my swim. I felt a little slower, most likely because I did a hard track workout less than 12 hours before my swim workout. Once again I focused and pushed through the workout.  I really like swimming :-).

Saturday morning was beautiful! What a great morning to run through really hilly Laurelhurst with tired, sore legs. I was happy to be able to enjoy the run and push through thanks to my running buddy maddie.

Later in the day we went to the UW to see the cherry blossoms with some friends who are new to the Seattle area. What a glorious day to show someone the beautiful views on the UW campus. It has been a really long time since I was on campus; I was really pleased that I was able to remember how to get around. There were so many people at the quad looking at the cheery blossoms. Saturday was a very long and fun day.....I was asleep by 9 or so until our neighbor decided that his band should play at 11:30 PM.

Sunday, Easter morning, we went on bike ride. Once again we had beautiful weather. We did 2 loops of Mercer Island; we went one direction the first loop and then went the other direction on the second loop.

i will be covering a tattoo that i am not fond of with this little bird.



Mollie, my mom's little dog

Another week of training completed and new lessons learned. I have the ability to focus and push through and I am enjoying the process.

146 days and counting

146 days of training remaining and this past week i did very little training.  i never understand exactly why i blow off my training sometimes, i don't typically feel better if i skip a workout.  the only pattern i noticed this past week was that i did not have the best diet and i was REALLY hungry when i got home.  when i am really hungry it is hard for me to get motivated to work out. 

this coming week my goal is to complete my workouts and eat well, no crappy, bad for me food, especially in the afternoon.

This week was fun, we had a house guest for a couple of nights, miss georgia.  one of the biggest differences between a lab and poodles is the way they eat.  we have to beg our dogs to eat and i had to force georgia to slow down.....man, i don't think she even chews her food.

My mom had to put her little rescue dog molly down this week.  molly was a mix of some sort and she weighed nearly 5 pounds.  molly was a sweet little dog who really helped my mom recover from her invasive back surgery.  molly spent her last few days at the prestigious the barkley pet hotel and hospital. molly was a rescue from a wealthy family who rescues small and large animals, all vet bills for molly were covered by the foundation.  she was a funny little girl and she is missed by my mom. 

Training, it is still happening :-)

It has been a really long time since i have updated this darn thing.  Training is still happening and injuries are as well.....

to pool at 11AM on  feb 3rd

I went to cali in feb to celebrate my mom's 79th brithday and while i was there i swam with mimi in the evening under to stars and again the following day, i love swimming in an outdoor pool in california.  the community pool in thousand oaks is fantastic and only $2!

80 degree pool in the evening

I was lucky to get to tag along with mimi and her friends for an intro to paddling an outrigger.....what a blast and an amazing work out.  you use your entire body to paddle, legs and back.  our boat had 3 ironman finishers and we got a little competitive :-).  i called craig after my morning of paddling on the ocean (first weekend of feb with a tank top on)....why did we move back to seattle?  it was a fantastic saturday morning. 

later in the day mom and i went to the knit shop, her favorite place to hang out and mine too when i visit her.  hanging out at eva's needle work reminds me of the sitcom cheers....everyone knows your name.  instead of refreshing beverages you get to look at pretty yarn and chat with a wide variety of people.

Mom at Eva's needle work

For mom's birthday i made dinner and we had my brother and his wonderful girlfriend over.  i enjoyed mom's birthday and i hope she did too. 

my last day in cali i did a 6 mile trail run with mimi in the morning at about 6:30am.  it was a beautiful sunny morning, we saw a coyote near the park bathrooms. coyotes are such an intersting animal, i love their ears. later in the morning i had the privilege of attending my mom's aa meeting where i and other family and friends stood up with to give her, her 25th year cake.  it is amazing that she has been sober for 25 years.  how lucky i am that she made the hard decision years ago to be sober. 
i love my mother very much and i hope to have many more trips to cali to celebrate her birthday(s). 

I have been plagued with an irritating case of plantar fasciitis, it is so irritating to not be able to run without my foot hurting the following day.  i am currently undergoing pt and i have cut back on my running.  if i was not training for ironman canada i most likely would not be doing pt or even cutting back on my running as much as i have.  it is better to be conservative now rather than be derailed later in my training season.  prior to the injury i was scheduled to run only 3 days per week and so far i have only taken a week off of running.  i am confident i will be able to work through this little injury.   

Maddie, running training buddy

i am really enjoying my training.  prior to my plantar fasciitis i was running pretty fast and maddie was always happy to run with me, soon i will be able to take maddie on a saturday with me.  i always enjoy swimming and i can't wait until it is warm enough for open water swims. 

last weekend craig forced me to ride my bike outside.....i was really nervous to get out on the real roads, all my bike training has been on my computrainer in my basement where it is warm and dry.  i was cranky in the morning before we got out the door, actually, i was cranky until we were a good 20 minutes into our ride.  I enjoyed the bike ride outside and i am so grateful that craig put up with my crankiness and forced me out the door.   the bike rack is now on my car.



Layla.....cali lab