Adjusted Reality

“Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.” – Mark Twain

May Recap, June Goals

This month was a challenge – the fit hit the shan at work multiple times, and recovery was really draining.  However, I was able to tackle some of these… read on…

1. Keep this weight loss thing going on.  Seems to be holding steady at 3-4 lbs per month.  If I keep that trend going, I’ll be at last years race weight by the end of this month.  Come on 175!

176.0 is the best I had – which is fine – the absolute LOW last month was 178.4 (once), and 179s were rare.  I’m regularly now 176-178, and hit 180 twice.  So, the trend is DOWN, about 3 lbs.  This is good.

2.  I’ll accomplish this by continuing to eat about 1500 (while injured and pretty lightly active) to 1700 (once things pick up) on weekdays, and a little more on weekends when activity dictates as such (activity estimate minus 1000 = minimum).  I don’t want to shock my system, but transition back to the bulk of my food being whole grains, veggies, beans, fruit, greek yogurt, fish, and smaller doses of nuts, meat, other dairy, and such.  Being able to lose on vacation while I was not eating this way really strikes home that portions are king, but damned if I don’t feel much better eating better food.

Working on it.  I’m not sure why it takes like a MONTH or more to really get back on the train but I definitely am not eating as clean as I was before vacation.  I would say I’m about 75% there, with the 25% being more sweets than I’d like, and some meals with refined grains/fried food.  I mean, not everyday certainly, but more than I should.

3. Do not follow any sort of training program until May 13.  Each day I will wake up, assess my knee, and decide what I have in me for the day.  If the prognosis is rest, I’ll do it without guilt or worry.  If I feel good, I’ll swim, do upper body weights, or if I have full range of motion back, I’ll hop on the trainer with very little resistance or go on a short run, stopping if I feel even a twinge of pain or anything off.

I did well at this even though it was frustrating.  The knee dictated my plans until I was released from restricting.

4. Take stock that weekend (May 11-12), figure out how I feel, and what I can do to best ready me for June 30 (IM 70.3 BSLT) and write out a plan of how to get there.  Still, at any point, if anything gets creaky, back off.

It’s been a month of balancing what I need to get ready for my races, and not stressing the knee out too much.  I cut a run short because I felt a twinge even though I wanted to check the box saying it was done.  I held back in my race because of it.  I have a plan, and as long as my body holds up, I think I’ll survive BSLT and maybe even make it before the cutoff. 😛

5. No racing this month.  No hopping into a supported ride.  No “I missed Rookie so I’m going to sign up for…”.  No trying to keep up with anyone this month.  Your pace is your pace.

I almost considered doing a short supported ride but didn’t.  I survived without a race this month, and it didn’t kill me.

6. No tears about missing Rookie.  You’re only missing one race.  It could be way worse.  Enjoy the day cheering for everyone and being paparazzi/sherpa/athletic supporter.

No tears at all.  It was a miserable day and I was happy not to have to endure the cold/wind and was fun being paparazzi

7. Volunteer (if they let me at Rookie) and the next weekend at 5k9.  Good volunteer karma = race PRs, I’m convinced.

Rookie was full up, but we volunteered at the 5k9 and had a wonderful day.  We also volunteered at the Cap Tex Tri and while there were awesome parts, especially being able to cheer on and point Hunter Kemper, as well as a crew of badass elite paratriathletes to the run course, it was a long, tiring, and frustrating day.  And hey – I got a huge PR at Playtri so I’m a believer! (It does take a lot out of you to volunteer, so we probably will not volunteer for a while, but I’m all about hitting some more races in the offseason.

8. Since you have some free time – how about some sewing progress?  Let’s rip that bandaid off – find the “make a boy shirt a girl shirt” pattern, grab a boy shirt you don’t give a flying fuck about, and try it out.

Nope.  Didn’t touch the machine.  However, the MIL will be here first week of July and we have plans to do a sewing project (aka, her teach me, I try not to swear at it because you don’t swear at mother in laws).

9.  Try to minimize spending.  Thank the dear fluffy lord I don’t need a 300$ MRI or a 2k$ surgery, but we are still kinda broke.  I don’t need clothes, we don’t really need to go out, we don’t need to shop, we don’t need diving stuff, we don’t need toys, I just want to relax at home with the stuff I already have and eat good, homecooked food and my own booze.

We did pretty well.  Zliten only bought a few toys, and they were all replacements for things that broke that he sorta wantneeded (his swimp3 player died, so it was either listen to him bitch about not swimming more than 2 minutes all month or order a new one so we did, etc).

10.  Getting back on the organizational train.  Pick a room and do it.  Something that we don’t anticipate having to buy a lot of shit to accomplish.  Kitchen, breakfast nook, common areas, and garage stick out as pure “get the crap out and go through it and organize” areas.

Nope, nope, nope.  I will be redeeming myself this month though.

11.  Read a book.  Probably the one I started right as vacation ended.

I read it, but didn’t finish it.  Sounds like a June goal!

12. If you’re too creaky to run, get out and walk.  Go swim outdoors if that’s possible.  Do upper body weights in the yard.  Make sure to get your normal dose of vitamin D even while injured so you don’t get depressed.

I didn’t do this, and I indeed got depressed and whiny at some points. Past self can tell slightly-less-past self I told you so here.

13. Unless it’s training related, only one sugar-y treat per week, MAX.  Having desert every day on vacation was great and all, but not reasonable for real life.

Errr, I don’t think I did that well at this.  There were days where I just wanted a sweet because I was hungry for real food, depressed, stressed, etc.  It happened a few times more than I’d like.  Nothing in huge quanitites, but if I’m indulging, it should be something I really want, and something I intend, not grabbing stupid crap I don’t really want out of a candy dish.

Aight, onto June.  Gonna be a hell of a month – some work deadlines mid-month, BSLT in less than a month!!! and two out of town race trips.

1. Make it through this month with my sanity intact.  Just sayin’.  Gonna be one of those months

2.  If 176.0 is May’s low – and I continue to eat and train the same way, survey says I should hit about 172-173.

3.  Calories, 1600-ish 5/7 days,  2000-ish 2/7 days, average about 1700-1800.  This seems to be about my comfort weight loss zone for the training load I’m doing right now, and totally fine as long as I  am eating good quality food.  To that end, keep average diet quality score above 20 each week.  To all these ends, continue tracking calories and DQ score, allowing for more calories/less quality the day before and of each race (refined carbs = good then).

4. PR Pfluger Sprint.  At the very least, PR the swim, bike, and transitions if my knee is a limiter on the run still.

5. BSLT 70.3 – finish before the cutoff.  I’m sure I’ll have more goals as I get through training this month but right now, it’s all about survival.

6. Clean out stuff and get rid of it with a yard sale.  Donate the rest to charity.  Take earnings from garage sale and use it to buy a cabinet to stash stuff in the workout room (thus addressing one room this month).

7. Again, minimize spending.  Try to consider whether you ACTUALLY need the thing you’re buying or whether it just sounds fun.

8. Finish the book you’re reading.  Start the next one.

9. Balance training enough with not training too much.  Stay present and check in with the knee often.  Stiff for a day or two isn’t an emergency.  Lingering pain that doesn’t go away with a stretch and walk is bad and needs a step back.

10. Shift the schedule to the morning.  Wakeups this month and beyond need to start happening by sunrise many mornings to get training in – that means getting into bed just as it gets dark.  Embrace it.

11. Do some social stuff.  Don’t go into a 70.3 hole.

12.  Actually go get the massages the chiropractor prescribed me – one this week and one the week after Pflugerville.  No excuses when the place right next to her office does 1 hr for 30$…

13.   Remember to keep track of my calories.  Pre track if at all possible, but certainly keep on top of the totals before going too crazy at the end of the day.

And that’s all she wrote for June.  What’s your June goal?

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1 Comment

  1. Woohoo, you did great for a recovery month there. I know injury can bring you down. But hey I did what I could to keep your spirits up. Remember I can be happy for the both of us!

    Ok so that might not be the best example.

    Love love and you rocked playtri!

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