Snoozin’ Through Boot Camp

Well, as I’m treating this as the History of Transformation from Couch Potato to Iron Woman, I guess it’s time to talk about the “bad” as well as the “good.”

Since coming back from Sedona, I’ve had a serious case of malaise. I’ve swum a couple of times, H and I did a 36 mile bike ride (me on Angelina – yay!), and I did the Lactate Threshold test, but I’ve let myself fall away from training. It’s time to get “recommitted” to it.

I think that part of this has to do with doing the 70.3 (1/2 Iron). That was far and away the longest and hardest athletic endeavor that I have ever done. I think that doing that . . . and the trouble I had at the end . . . has weakened my “resolve.” I have also been having a lot of trouble caused by the uterine tumor. STOP READING IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH SKIP ON TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH…I am having severe bleeding and have for 2 weeks. The doctor said that this is just going to happen, until the tumor is addressed, which I have said I don’t want to do until after the Ironman. I am taking an iron supplement at her direction (Floradix Floravital), but I’ve got to believe that some of this malaise has got to do with the exhaustion of that situation, too.

I wound up coming away from the bike ride with H on Angelina with a GOOD shin splint – by 2 days after (Monday) I was limping badly and wound up going to the doctor ultimately because of it. She said that it was likely from kicking out of the clipless pedals…! She said that I really should stay off it until the inflammation had gone down, and especially that I should watch biking/running this weekend if I did indeed go to Boot Camp. Her feeling (likely true!) was that I would get “competitive” and go faster than I normally would if alone. As such, she said she’d “rather I not” bike/run until Monday (alone!)

So from the start today, I knew I would only be doing the Open Water Swim, and then I was going to (wo)man the Run water stop for the rest of the Team.

I have been sleeping TERRIBLY since H left for Austria. We are SO seldom apart, and generally if we are apart it is because I am on business travel, not that I am home and he is away. For whatever reason, I have no trouble sleeping in a hotel room – but when at home alone, I juuuuust baaaaarely sleep, with any twitch or sound waking me up. I feel as if I am in a state of “hypervigilance.” This morning, I had slept about 2-3 hours, as has happened for the past week since he left.

Herbert’s mother died unexpectedly when we were in Sedona. Oh – sure – she was “old” (93), but she wasn’t sick…it obviously was “bound to happen some time” (we all gotta go!) but it was a shock. I just adored her and she adored me. In fact, though H had been married (and engaged) a few times before, I was the first one she gave him the family heirloom engagement ring for…he said she told him “If you don’t ask her to marry you, I will.” Not quite sure what will happen with H’s dad (who is 97), especially as H is an only child…

This morning when I got up and turned on my phone, I had a text from not only Iron Melissa, but also from Patricia – both of whom I was bringing to Boot Camp. Melissa was having G.I. distress, and Patricia had a blinding migraine – so neither of them was going to go. I thought a bit…had some oatmeal, and realized that what I REALLY should do was go back to sleep. (It had been 2 days since I could even get my contacts in, my eyes were so tired – I was contemplating that when the texts came in.) Then I got a text from Melissa that said “I’m in Kaiser ER.”

Well, that did it – first I texted back to let me know if she needed anything, but that didn’t make me feel like a good friend. So I texted back I was going to go there – and I got dressed and got in the car. No Boot Camp.

I actually missed Melissa at the ER – just as I was walking in the door, I got a text from her that she was back home. (Ah, timing…) She said she was OK, didn’t need me to get her any groceries, etc. – and so I headed back home. I was already dressed and figured I could just head out to Boot Camp and S.A.G. – but my subconscious kept saying “GO TO SLEEP.”

I was back in bed by like 7:00 a.m. … “You Know You’re Iron When” you’re getting back in bed…after eating, contemplating, Facebook’ing, heading out to the hospital and back…before most folks are even up the FIRST time!

I didn’t get up until 1:30 p.m.! I was seriously dead to the world. By the time I got up, it was drizzling. I have been trying to convince myself to get to the pool, or get on the bike for a quick ride, or something. I just “don’t wanna.” That’s so wrong.

Patricia and I (if she is over the migraine) plan to get together tomorrow, though it’s supposed to be Noah’s Ark-style raining. I proposed that we go to the JCC and “do” what the team did today – seriatim minitriathlons (1,000 yard swim, 9 mile bike, 3 mile run over 5 hours) – inside. I hope I have the resolve to do this anyway, even if Patricia still isn’t feeling up to it.