For whatever reason, I still do NOT want to believe that I am gluten intolerant...LOL! I KNOW i am....but for whatever reason, I like to blame my headaches on "other" things....being tired, that time of the month, stress....well, last night...(and I'm hoping for the last time) I finally realized that I AM GLUTEN INTOLERANT and it CAUSES MIGRAINES...(among other GI issues)!....
yesterday was an hellish day at work...I started running and never stopped all day...so I didn't get breakfast or lunch....instead...I chose to eat what was available to me...1/2 a bagel and a package of crackers....THAT was probably bad enough...but then my friends talked me into going out after work. Anyone who knows me even a little, knows that I usually research the place and KNOW what I can eat before I get there....I THOUGHT we were going to Chevy's...not my favorite place, but one I know I can get things without wheat....but we went to this place called Chasin Tails...a New Orleans style restaurant....I tried to get chicken without breading, salad and fries...but SOMETHING had gluten in it...the salad dressing? whatever was on the "non fried" chicken...the sweet potato fries....ugh....Even before I got home I had a headache..and it continued...and continued....until my alarm went off at 6am and I had the worst migraine that I have had in a long time......
I don't know why I can't remember this BEFORE i choose poorly........
and I missed my personal training session b/c I couldn't see to drive OR lean over.....(good news is...he's fitting me in tomorrow!).....
My headache and GI stuff is mostly gone right now...almost noon and I can't bring myself to put my contacts in or get off the couch.....
UGH..the next 4 months are gonna be hard enough without sabotaging my own success with things I KNOW don't work for me....
So...here it is...NO MORE GLUTEN of ANY KIND...even if it means I can't eat for the day at work....I will carry gluten free bars with me to work...and have protein shakes there too!!! I will begin to journal everything I eat again!!! (Funny, Rebecca M just emailed me last night and asked if I was every gonna journal my food again...haha..I'm tired of doing it...but it does keep me accountable and I guess I just HAVE To do it to keep me honest!)...
So, today is it....I start again today.....
IMFL..you ARE MINE..and you will BE mine without headaches or GI issues...but its up to NO ONE but me to get me there headache free (I'm still depending on my friends and family to get my there!!!)...but only I can do it gluten free..
Thanks for listening...
ME
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Rev 3 Williamsburg - many lessons learned
It took me a few days to process my "freak out" from the swim...to see this race for what it was..and to wrap my head around my expectations and what really happened.
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend...Eric and Lisa and Leanne were the best traveling partners around! Laid back, easy going and EARLY for everything so I wouldn't stress...
We got there early on Friday, checked in to our motel and headed to lunch!! Then to packet pickup (easy peasy) and then back to the hotel/motel......We had a great dinner out at a Tavern complete with music and candle light ambiance!
Lets just skip to the race....
After the practice swim on Saturday I decided to NOT wear my wet suit. The current was in our favor, the water temp was perfect and I could have stayed in the water all day. The real swim was another matter....the water temp was still perfect and I should have picked up on the fact that the Pro's were swimming way to the left because of the current, but it didn't click. We had to run a bit because of the shallow water and I tried this new skipping thing I saw one woman pro do...kind of fun, actually. Started my swim, put my head down and swam to the first buoy. All is good, swam to the second buoy, still good....but when I got to the second buoy and looked for the third red buoy it was WAY WAY to my left...oh brother...put my head down, swim...swim, swim....seems like I was swimming forever and did not give in to the temptation to look at my watch, made it to the buoy and found myself in a whirlpool of swimmers gong NOWHERE!!!....decided to just go to the right of the buoy instead of around...good move...as others got stuck there....began swimming again...but because of the chop and the bidirectional current, it was hard to time my sighting with the swells...making sighting really hard...soon i found myself in the complete middle of the swim...olympic swimmers swimming over me....saw the red buoy and swam, swam, swam...going almost no where...decided to make the executive decision to swim for the second olympic buoy instead...only to find out later that the red buoy had drifted....finally turned the corner and said..swim till you can stand..and then give yourself permission to walk...but when I could finally stand, it was more fun to dolphin in..so I did...and it worked faster and I learned a new skill...I did swim 1.2 miles...but admittedly not around all legal buoys...ah well...almost 57 minutes later and i was spent!
I was so darn happy to be out of the swim!
The bike was great....I was able to maintain over 16mph for the whole thing..I was aiming for 17 and I will blame "data error" on my not being able to maintain (I hit the stupid lap key at mile 45 and lost all speed/mileage data) my 17 mph..I was just over 17.3 mph for the first half..and then came the two hills and then..the computer...and then...I need to learn to not be so dependent on the computer!!! ah well, I felt great on the bike, my new bike fit was PERFECT! I had ZERO pain in my left arm, my neck or my back (until the next day, but then what does it matter???).....
Off the bike, onto the run/walk...well, walk....I felt like I was having an asthma attack in the beginning. I'm not really sure what happened...i wasn't wheezing, just felt like I could not get all my air in or out...Nothing a little inhaler action couldn't cure, but I panicked thinking that I had forgotten the inhaler and I couldn't remember where I had put it in order to be able to tell anyone where to get it! THEN, i remember that I had actually hooked it to my hydration belt! Alleluia...managed to get two puffs before dropping it right in traffic....Don't you worry, I just stopped traffic and ran out to get it..haha.. I was NOT going to let that thing get away from me.
I had some quad cramping off the bike...usual for me. I was VERY guarded as I had been having severe calf cramping and injury that had prevented me from running more than 4 miles in a row since April....I took in some magnesium, salt and Sport legs and the quad cramping went away. NO CALF pain at all, but I was not feeling right. I was extremely tired...and hot..and even though there was water, ice, sponges and cokes at EVERY water stop, I just didn't have ANY energy.....come to find out after the race when I was cleaning out my speed fill, that I had only taken in 1/3 of the total nutrition that I was supposed to take in on the bike. DOH! no wonder I had NO energy. Good news is, the apple sauce PowerBar Fruit packs work like a charm...no GI, but also not enough calories...Lessoned learned...I will need to set my watch on the bike to remind myself to drink!
Back to the run...for what its worth, I'm not really sure what I was expecting...having not run more than 4 in a few months...so I'm not all that disappointed in my performance given all the circumstances...Actually, i'm rather happy that I finished in MUCH better physical shape than 2 years ago at Musselman....
Everyone was passing me on the run...but it didn't matter...I asked a cop if I could cry and he said "NO."..so being the law abiding citizen that I am, I did not cry...I just kept going....then that crazy thing where you have to go PAST the finish line, down a hill and back UP the hill to the finish....Thanks to Kat I was able to run it..even though by then I DID have calf and hamstring cramping...Thanks to Team Z, Lisa, Eric, Keri, Sally, Judy, Jean, Jodi etc, etc, etc (i'm forgetting LOTS of people)....the finish is always strong b/c..well...you just HAVE to run by the team tent!!! Thanks to REV 3 for putting on a stellar performance and for being there for all of us at the end..with cold water and towels...and AWESOME Medals......
Lessons learned and things that went right!
1. I can still swim despite the freaking out.....I will just practice at the beach this summer
2. I need to take in ALL my nutrition on the bike (I actually took in water, but not enough calories or carbs)
3. NO GI distress...well a little on the run, but was able to work it through.
4. NO CALF cramping until the very end and that was just because...well, it was the end.
5. I can bike! and my FIT was fantastic...well, worth the money
6. Certainly NOT 6th, but I have the GREATEST friends EVER!
7. I have the GREATEST family EVER! and they finally figured out how to track me online...we'll have to have IM tracking lessons during IMLP this July...
8. Applesauce/Fruit packs work great - only remember to open them before starting the ride (which I did and that worked well)
9. LEANNE LAYNE is a super roommate...sleeps through anything and doesn't snore!! PLUS she finished her half and now has a 70.3 sticker to prove it!
10. Dude this is my 4th half ironman...WHAT?????
11. Team Z rocks!
12. Rev 3 rocks!
13. Brady makes me want a puppy!
Thanks Kat and Fredrik and Paul for pacing me at the end and getting me up that final hill!
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend...Eric and Lisa and Leanne were the best traveling partners around! Laid back, easy going and EARLY for everything so I wouldn't stress...
We got there early on Friday, checked in to our motel and headed to lunch!! Then to packet pickup (easy peasy) and then back to the hotel/motel......We had a great dinner out at a Tavern complete with music and candle light ambiance!
Lets just skip to the race....
After the practice swim on Saturday I decided to NOT wear my wet suit. The current was in our favor, the water temp was perfect and I could have stayed in the water all day. The real swim was another matter....the water temp was still perfect and I should have picked up on the fact that the Pro's were swimming way to the left because of the current, but it didn't click. We had to run a bit because of the shallow water and I tried this new skipping thing I saw one woman pro do...kind of fun, actually. Started my swim, put my head down and swam to the first buoy. All is good, swam to the second buoy, still good....but when I got to the second buoy and looked for the third red buoy it was WAY WAY to my left...oh brother...put my head down, swim...swim, swim....seems like I was swimming forever and did not give in to the temptation to look at my watch, made it to the buoy and found myself in a whirlpool of swimmers gong NOWHERE!!!....decided to just go to the right of the buoy instead of around...good move...as others got stuck there....began swimming again...but because of the chop and the bidirectional current, it was hard to time my sighting with the swells...making sighting really hard...soon i found myself in the complete middle of the swim...olympic swimmers swimming over me....saw the red buoy and swam, swam, swam...going almost no where...decided to make the executive decision to swim for the second olympic buoy instead...only to find out later that the red buoy had drifted....finally turned the corner and said..swim till you can stand..and then give yourself permission to walk...but when I could finally stand, it was more fun to dolphin in..so I did...and it worked faster and I learned a new skill...I did swim 1.2 miles...but admittedly not around all legal buoys...ah well...almost 57 minutes later and i was spent!
The bike was great....I was able to maintain over 16mph for the whole thing..I was aiming for 17 and I will blame "data error" on my not being able to maintain (I hit the stupid lap key at mile 45 and lost all speed/mileage data) my 17 mph..I was just over 17.3 mph for the first half..and then came the two hills and then..the computer...and then...I need to learn to not be so dependent on the computer!!! ah well, I felt great on the bike, my new bike fit was PERFECT! I had ZERO pain in my left arm, my neck or my back (until the next day, but then what does it matter???).....
Off the bike, onto the run/walk...well, walk....I felt like I was having an asthma attack in the beginning. I'm not really sure what happened...i wasn't wheezing, just felt like I could not get all my air in or out...Nothing a little inhaler action couldn't cure, but I panicked thinking that I had forgotten the inhaler and I couldn't remember where I had put it in order to be able to tell anyone where to get it! THEN, i remember that I had actually hooked it to my hydration belt! Alleluia...managed to get two puffs before dropping it right in traffic....Don't you worry, I just stopped traffic and ran out to get it..haha.. I was NOT going to let that thing get away from me.
I had some quad cramping off the bike...usual for me. I was VERY guarded as I had been having severe calf cramping and injury that had prevented me from running more than 4 miles in a row since April....I took in some magnesium, salt and Sport legs and the quad cramping went away. NO CALF pain at all, but I was not feeling right. I was extremely tired...and hot..and even though there was water, ice, sponges and cokes at EVERY water stop, I just didn't have ANY energy.....come to find out after the race when I was cleaning out my speed fill, that I had only taken in 1/3 of the total nutrition that I was supposed to take in on the bike. DOH! no wonder I had NO energy. Good news is, the apple sauce PowerBar Fruit packs work like a charm...no GI, but also not enough calories...Lessoned learned...I will need to set my watch on the bike to remind myself to drink!
Back to the run...for what its worth, I'm not really sure what I was expecting...having not run more than 4 in a few months...so I'm not all that disappointed in my performance given all the circumstances...Actually, i'm rather happy that I finished in MUCH better physical shape than 2 years ago at Musselman....
Everyone was passing me on the run...but it didn't matter...I asked a cop if I could cry and he said "NO."..so being the law abiding citizen that I am, I did not cry...I just kept going....then that crazy thing where you have to go PAST the finish line, down a hill and back UP the hill to the finish....Thanks to Kat I was able to run it..even though by then I DID have calf and hamstring cramping...Thanks to Team Z, Lisa, Eric, Keri, Sally, Judy, Jean, Jodi etc, etc, etc (i'm forgetting LOTS of people)....the finish is always strong b/c..well...you just HAVE to run by the team tent!!! Thanks to REV 3 for putting on a stellar performance and for being there for all of us at the end..with cold water and towels...and AWESOME Medals......
Lessons learned and things that went right!
1. I can still swim despite the freaking out.....I will just practice at the beach this summer
2. I need to take in ALL my nutrition on the bike (I actually took in water, but not enough calories or carbs)
3. NO GI distress...well a little on the run, but was able to work it through.
4. NO CALF cramping until the very end and that was just because...well, it was the end.
5. I can bike! and my FIT was fantastic...well, worth the money
6. Certainly NOT 6th, but I have the GREATEST friends EVER!
7. I have the GREATEST family EVER! and they finally figured out how to track me online...we'll have to have IM tracking lessons during IMLP this July...
8. Applesauce/Fruit packs work great - only remember to open them before starting the ride (which I did and that worked well)
9. LEANNE LAYNE is a super roommate...sleeps through anything and doesn't snore!! PLUS she finished her half and now has a 70.3 sticker to prove it!
10. Dude this is my 4th half ironman...WHAT?????
11. Team Z rocks!
12. Rev 3 rocks!
13. Brady makes me want a puppy!
Monday, June 17, 2013
Nerves
Why is it that when the Athlete's Guide or Ed's emails come out prior to race day, my heart rate immediately hits zone3 and I actually have tears? Its not like I haven' trained...its not like I'm stressing about winning...I think it is fear...but also excitement....
I've been looking forward to this race..working on my bike...working on my run that was curtailed by the calf injury...but lately, so far, so good....
I'm not sure if its because I'm depending on this to calm me for Florida...haha..better not make THAT the goal...
All I know is that I'm going to a great race with a great team and the best teammates around! Sometimes I don't know if I'm looking as forward to the race as much as I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and a little "away" time from work....
I'm sort of glad that I don't have people around me that are my speed...- you people are speedy- because I don't have that added pressure (self imposed) of trying to beat anyone but myself...
I'm praying for a good race, but will be ok with whatever the experience holds for me....I hope..=)
Ok REV 3 Williamsburg...ready or not, here I come!
I've been looking forward to this race..working on my bike...working on my run that was curtailed by the calf injury...but lately, so far, so good....
I'm not sure if its because I'm depending on this to calm me for Florida...haha..better not make THAT the goal...
All I know is that I'm going to a great race with a great team and the best teammates around! Sometimes I don't know if I'm looking as forward to the race as much as I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and a little "away" time from work....
I'm sort of glad that I don't have people around me that are my speed...- you people are speedy- because I don't have that added pressure (self imposed) of trying to beat anyone but myself...
I'm praying for a good race, but will be ok with whatever the experience holds for me....I hope..=)
Ok REV 3 Williamsburg...ready or not, here I come!
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