…ick, ick, ick.
Have been fighting a cold now since about Wednesday – H brought it home (bad husband!) and it finally ‘caught hold’ this weekend. On my last post, I mentioned that I was supposed to do a Bike/Run and then realized I had misgauged my time – which meant I took Thursday off unexpectedly. Since Friday was a Swim/Run and I am doing OK with the Swim, I decided instead to do Thursday’s workout on Friday (Biking about an hour on the stationary trainer, then Running 40 minutes). Biking just kicks my butt. I swear. I was grunting and groaning and cussing until that just took too much energy (especially on the “one legged pedaling” drills) – so I gave up. (smile) I finished on the trainer, then as I was completely drenched in sweat but was supposed to go straight from Bike to Run, I zipped myself into a waterproof jacket, slapped on a baseball cap, and Just Did It.
Saturday was supposed to be a 35 mile ride, but it was howling with rain, so I instead opted for the posted hour-long trainer ride. (Folks that did the Team Trainer rides went for 2 hours – I can’t IMAGINE!) It was actually kinda fun because my bike/trainer is set up in our garage which is H’s workshop. He’s working on the new doors down there, so it was companionable – me grunting and groaning, him measuring and using big power tools. (smile) The huge suction vac means that there aren’t that many particles in the air, so it was just sort of like biking through a forest with the smell of the wood. And the sound of the big machines deadened the sound of my cussing and grunting and groaning so it was all good.
Sunday we had a group Swim Workout where we were being videotaped. I felt yucky as soon as I got up, but really did not want to miss the taping. I was chilled though it wasn’t cold inside the house, which I knew just couldn’t be good. I downed some Robitussin in the vague hope that it would quiet the dry hacking cough I had developed and ate a bowl of oatmeal and off I went.
It was starting to sprinkle with rain as we headed from the parking lot to the pool at IVC/College of Marin to change and then “jump on it.” Whoooo-HOOOOO the water was cold! One of the guys (It was Jim or Rocky) and I were the first to just jump into the water (why wait) and both of us came up snorting and spitting and cursing. It took a while for the rest of the team to get in after our reactions! Ooops!
I made it about 1/2 way through the workout and my energy (or the Robitussin) wore down. It actually had been pretty fun – I was with Iron Mel and 2 others in a lane, and we practiced swimming in ‘crowded conditions” (e.g., 4 swimming down the lane at once), swim ‘drafting,’ and the like. When we started just doing drills and my adrenaline from those exercises wore down, I realized I was NOT doing good.
They were able to take me right then to do the taping. Here’s the video, “see it and weep” (laugh). OK I’m not really weeping but a little frustrated to see it. I am opening my left hand a LOT, I can see it under the water – I am also rolling to breathe too much on the right, and my hips aren’t rolling nearly at all. I need to see if I can get a “BB Belt” like D used with us in Petaluma. I looked them up online – and they’re like $400! Holy cats!
After the taping, I got out, got dressed, got home, got showered, got dressed, and got off to the theatre. The play was “Aurelia’s Oratorio” and was only 70 minutes with no intermission. I was so grateful because I did not have cough drops with me and the coughs got the best of me. Luckily there were a number of “loud parts” where I could have a coughing fit and try to “get it over” before it went silent again. I’m sure the folks next to me were not amused.
Today is a day off, and I slept until TWO O’CLOCK after getting up to get H out the door. Holy cats. I hope I can beat this thing. It’s a nagging cold/cough and just not pleasant. Some time today I gave to bundle up and go out and get some food into the house – and get some of the cough syrup that Coach Helen suggested!
P.S.: Had some fun on Facebook noting that if you click on the video link of my swim (as linked above), the ‘suggested link’ that comes up next is called “Titanic.” One of my teammates, Rocky, said that the suggested videos that come up with his are Sikh prayers – which perhaps he should learn for the swim! That cracked me up.