Wow, a slow start

So,
I decided to register for Orlando 70.3 and Boise 70.3 this year. I dont know what it's like to not have an Ironman on the schedule as I've done at least 2 per year since 2004. Regardless, I feel my age now at 43. Nagging calf injury has prevented a proper run build as I have only run on 5 occasions in the past month. Went out for 9 easy on Sunday and it blew up again at mile 6, and thus walked in the last 3 miles.

I gave it some rest yesterday and stayed off the bike Sunday after the run. Still tight and in some spasm but I am hopeful to run short tomorrow, wed.

The swimming has gone slow with a left Deltoid strain which has bothered me since January. I am able to swim though, so happy about that, but it takes 15 min in the hot tub before and after each swim, massage, and electo-stim which I've been doing at home in the evenings.

The cylcing has gone, uhhh, average to say the least. The calf prevents giant gear work but I have been doing some climbs in my 54/23 and I have been relatively happy with my flat terrain time trialing of recent. Going into Tour of California last week, I was able to post up 208 miles in 5 days of rides, so not too bad. This is mostly because of the lack of running, so I've been incorporating a couple of extra short rides.

The weight is slowly coming off, considering I'm not really running. I weighed in at 178 lbs in January and down to 167 as of Monday this week. So, about 10 more pounds to go. I suspect I will see a change in speed on the bike as I maintain power with less weight here over the next 10 weeks. Losing weight is never easy, but it's part of the toughness that goes into this sport. Here's an example of yesterday for instance, which is a typical weekday.

Breakfast: 1 small cup yogurt, coffee
Mid morning: 1 apple
Lunch: 1 6oz bowl of chicken/rice soup, 2 small containers skim milk
Mid afternoon: Cliff Protein bar
Swim 3000
Dinner: 6oz steak, brussel sprouts, potatoes, 1 beer.
Bedtime: 4 hershey's kisses and a beer.

Today:
Breakfast: 4 eggwhites, med. coffee
Mid morning: Nothing
Lunch: Bowl soup, 1 apple, skim milk
Afternoon: cliff protein bar
Dinner: Plan is chicken breast, vegi, rice
Bedtime snack, I dont know, something small.

Yeah, I go out to breakfast, to dinner, and eat enough when having fun

So, someone asked me the other day, "dont you get hungry?" I replied "of course", I am hungry nearly all the time. So, I thought, you know...who sais we have to feel entirely full and satisfied all the time. I dont know, maybe that's a systemic problem in this country. People feel they have to feel "satisfied" all the time. This is the credit generation, soon to be moving to the cash generation, so I suppose we deserve what we get. Driving around last Christmas in Ohio, seeing run down nearly slum condition housing, with 50" flat screen televisions throughout their windows...no not once, but several houses and I made comments on this as we were driving. This is just sad. People just dont want to work for anything worthwhile anymore, entitlement and this feeling that we deserve things...what ever happened to lay-away. We want everything now....I dont get it. This generation is in for a rude awakening when the 4 trillion in total spending over the past year and over next year comes back to haunt us. Trust me, there is no bail out by the wealthy and if you think so, you need a bit of self-education. Even with the proposed 8% tax increase and elimination of the home interest deduction, which is virtually the only deduction on those incomes over 200k, we will generate a whopping 90 billion...and thats a generous estimate. So we bring the troops home...another 100 billion per year...are we getting close to the 4 Trillion spending yet? Yes it's sad...and its from the top down. We as a society count on debt, we live for debt and sustaining our perceived standard of living, of which most of us havent worked for. That's ok, we are Americans..we are entitled.

Dont get me wrong, I personally dont know anyone like this. We are triathletes...we are ironman athletes. We dont expect anyone to pick us up and carry us when things get difficult. That's the nature of the athlete. Unfortunately, we make up less than 1% of the poplulation. I am all in when it comes to helping others out, especially in a crisis. But helping someone up if they stumble is far different than carrying them.

Ok, I was getting onto a rant, sorry. The point is, yes, I feel hungry alot. I am not starving, or I'd eat. I just have a low grade hunger that seems to be there most of the day until dinner. That's ok. You get used to it. You get accustomed to the feeling that you arent completely fulfilled, and dont need to be. Its about some self-sacrifice, for the greater goal.

So, my 3k swim yesterday was simple
30 X 100 on 20 seconds rest. This is painful. Once you get to 20, at my maximum mental fatigue and desire to quit and just warm down a 1000...5 more, that's enough, I'll cool down and pull 500. No, instead I decided to drop the rest to 10 seconds, keeping the pace the same for the final 5. You have got to find ways to increase your tolerance to fatigue. I dont mean go out and overtrain, but approaching the limit mentally in a workout, ensuing fatigue in an insidious method, ever so slowly approaching that limit.
What's harder, 6 X 500, 30 X 100 or 60 X 50. They are all the same arent they? Well, I've done them all on numerous occasions and the 60 X 50 is the most difficult. Its all in the mind. Acceptance that what seems overwhelming by numbers is not only possible, but probable. On race day, conditions, or health of the athlete may make the goal seem only conceivable, when in fact, it may be probable.