Adjusted Reality

I’m finding that this is a really inconvenient time to be really firm with myself. And I haven’t been.

So, this race will be… fun.

Last time we spoke, I had an opportunity to travel for work. That fell through (for all the right reasons), and I was a touch sad about missing the opportunity but then there was a HUGE sigh of relief because it was totally at the worst time for my personal life. I thought SURELY that would mean I’d have plenty of time to knock out all these things on my “sessions I must do before the race”. Then, I don’t even know what happened, but I’m looking at an almost-empty training calendar for the week.

Ok, fine, I do know what happened –

1. I was prioritizing work and being social vs sticking to a training schedule. We are finally back in the office and that means some game sessions and happy hours have taken the place of working out.
2. My cranky heel is back in effect and I’m trying to make sure I get to the start line healthy. I ran 7 miles last week just fine, but then walking to the movies in my other Hokas DESTROYED it. Go figure. So, besides a very short run and walk one day, I’ve been staying off of it.
3. I made the perfect the enemy of the good. I had an outdoor TT bike ride on the list, and sadly, my TT bike has been in the car waiting to do that for a week and a half because of wind, rain, and mostly lack of motivation. That also means it’s not on the trainer so I’m not riding at all.

We plan tomorrow to do a mock tri, and it should hit most of the “must do” sessions.

• 1500m wetsuit swim
• 1 hour TT bike (outside)
• 2-3 mile run

I would like to throw down one more session in the pool next week, an outdoor bike ride at lunch/after work, a short run or two to keep the legs loose (or not, if I have heel issues then we just rest and let the training ride) and stretching/recovery every day.

The race weather is looking excellent right now, so even if I’m a little untrained, I’m excited to go play triathlon with a catered buffet on a really nice day. I’m definitely a different human than I was the last time I raced the X-50 as in I’m not looking to squeeze every ounce of performance out of myself and hit specific pace/time goals but that doesn’t mean I can’t go enjoy my day like a normal, slightly less type-A person! I can smell the flowers without being a champion flower sniffer.

I’m actually really excited once this is over to start figuring out how to incorporate general fitness as part of my life. That is step one to getting back towards being more like that person in 2014, but we’ll get to that after the race.

Other things and stuff

Maybe it’s kind of a dumb thing to be very excited about a video game, but also maybe it’s okay when you put 1200+ hours into it over the last few years. So, anyway, after almost 3 years and 7 seasons of KIBBL (Blood Bowl) league, I finally made it into the finals! I was so excite!

…I got utterly diced (aka, my luck ran out early and often) and lost, but hey, we #2!!!!I suppose in the past I may have had deep thoughts about this (about how this team helped me to learn how to play more aggressively but in a smart and controlled way and how that really applies to life right now) but I’m in a phase where I DO more than THINK right now, so… onto the next!

One of the nicest things about this game is that I played in my office at work, and Joel and friends held a watch party in our lounge. Potentially unpopular opinion here, but I’ve been back in the office part time the last few weeks and it’s been heckin’ great and restored a bit of my sanity I’ve been lacking for the last two years.

I have been able to cobble together a little more work/life balance (not enough to get back to training, obvs, but baby steps) now that I have a place to go that is work and home is not always work. The commute (15 mins) gives me the ability to wind up/wind down my day and transition from work to not work by the end instead of going to the couch and just continuing to work/think about work since I’m a Pavlovian dog that needs a cue, apparently. Having my own quiet box instead of sharing space with someone who is on calls all day while I’m also on calls all day means I can work without headphones 8-10h/day. I realize this is the opposite for some people, and I GET YOU. Wearing clothes that are not pajamas and doing my hair not in a knot on top of my head (100% not worth it to sit in said headphones all day) feels… nice.

It’s been amazing to see coworkers and have some in person/hybrid meetings (much to my marketing team who’s mostly working in the office!) even though it’s a little awkward, both remembering how to people again and also making the technical setup work. It’s been awesome to have lunch in the breakroom and chat with whoever’s around. Bloodbowl watch parties will definitely be a thing. Happy hours spin up occasionally after work around 4-5pm, which lead to Super Smash Bros tournaments in the game room. Work D&D games are happening on the regular. It is so damn nice to people again.

I’m happy to have the flexibility to work from home whenever (I did twice this week) but the last 2 years made me realize that a fully remote job is so very much not for me and I’m very happy to be hybrid.

*Pops up* Y hallo thar!

In my last post about the wheels falling off the bus, I may have changed the tires, but now the alternator died or something something car parts something something. I shall part with automotive analogies here and now, thankfully, but the truth is that I don’t know what my trendweight is right now, no idea how many calories I’ve shoved in my piehole this week and thank the dear and fluffy lord that I was diligent about building fitness earlier in the year because training has been intermittent at best.

Light was at the end of the tunnel with a few important additions to the team coming into place over March. Then, I had a key employee leave – they were offered a great opportunity and I wish them nothing but the best – but that meant a 2-week crash course on their very important, very essential job, which I have primarily taken over and added to the collection of everything else on my plate. However, it was also an opportunity *I* couldn’t pass up. I’ve always wanted to learn how this particular thing works more intimately. Just like I’m sure someone would do to my day-to-day (why the hell are you in all these meetings again woman?) if they came in with fresh eyes, I’ve automated and optimized a ton of it and now that the basics are handled in an hour or two that I can do distracted whilst in those meetings, I’m working on trying some different things after doing a bunch of research.

The end of March was bananapants with all this and bringing on those new people and all the other chaos going on of in my part of making a game studio do all the things. We also have a press opportunity that came around at the last minute, and it’s a TON of work but I also couldn’t pass it up. So, with allll these other things, I’m going out of town, right before the race.

I don’t normally talk about work too much here, but all this has made for 60+ hour weeks and lots of my brain share going there even when not “working” and has definitely impacted my time (sometimes) and motivation (more often) to train and do the things that make #projectraceweight happen.

Other excuses life happenings right now – our office is opening up tomorrow and I’ve been at it occasionally getting myself set up. It happens to be across the street from our old office. This means every time we’ve been there, we’ve had “nostalgia lunches” at our favorite spots and went out to dinner once with new and old coworkers. I don’t think I’m putting on weight, but I also don’t think I’m losing it.

So, what’s this done to my training schedule? *snicker* What training schedule?

I have been able to do 1-2 weekday sessions of no great import or length and kept one weekend long session which has mostly consisted of biking. Three weeks ’til the race and it’s time for me to commit to a few things to try to make up for a bit of lost time.

Swim – I had a LOVELY 1600m swim in the outdoor pool at lifetime yesterday. I think some of the lack of motivation was while the pool next to us is very CLOSE, it’s also kind of a dungeon and the pool is… adequate at best. My swim this race won’t break any records, but even with the handful of times in the pool (seven over the last few months), this mile felt happy and comfortable. However, I need to schedule in these key sessions:

• One more 1600m swim. Hopefully again in the lovely outdoor pool!
• One swim at the quarry (twice around) with my wetsuit to make sure the sausage casing still fits
• One swim once we get to the race venue in that lake (with the wetsuit)

I’d love to make it to the pool more than this, but this is bare minimum.

Bike – I’m pretty solid here. I’ve ridden ~40 miles multiple times, most of them at more effort than it will take me on race day (either on the trainer or on my road bike). I took the tri bike out yesterday to the Veloway and while I only made it 21 miles before heading home, it was for dumb reasons (wind advisory with 32+ MPH gusts making it impossible to stay in aero for more than 60 seconds, warm gatorade in my bottles + warm day = overheating, etc), but I felt just fine on my tri bike, not like last season. Thank you, stronger core and lack of back effery. Here’s some bike key sessions:

• One more TT bike ride (~1 hour). Shoal creek, after work one day.
• 1-2 lunch/after work bike rides outside. We are NOT heat acclimated right now and this is the perfect way to help it along.

Run – Here’s my Achillies heel (actually calf, but w/e). A month ago, I ran 6 miles off the bike, and was encouraged. “Only 3 more miles to build, I got this”. Then, the next week, I ran 3… and at 2.5 miles, after a lovely run where I also felt great, my calf cramped/tightened, and I had to walk it out for a bit before I was able to finish it up. I figured it needed some rest, I gave it a week, and was set to go out for a run off a 1 hour bike the week after, where it did the same thing almost immediately. I got 1.5 miles that day when I had planned 7-9. I went aggressively at fixing the problem, stretching, rolling, icing, and massaging… for all of two days and then I got busy. So, here’s where I need the most work, but not in the “I need to go out and run 9 miles” way. I just need to get to the start line uninjured.

• Daily: roll, boots, ice, stretch and self-massage the calf. Pick 2-3, on weekend days or days I have time do all of them.
• Tomorrow I will go run 1 mile. If that goes well, I’ll run a little longer the next day, and so on and so forth more days than not per week. If I can’t do long runs I’ll at least build a little volume sanely.
• I have this last pair of Hoka Clifton 1s I’ve been saving for the right race season (e.g. one where I can run faster than 11:30 min/mile). They can get a few miles on them right now if it helps me get through this race.
• Some lunch/after work walks for heat acclimation are needed
• Just in case this is dehydration-based vs muscle based – I need to step up my electrolyte intake. I’m going to make it a point to have one nuun/gatorade zero per day, at least, and probably send myself to bed with one so I drink it over the night/when I wake up before running.
• If’n all goes well, I’d love to get at least another 10k run under my belt next Saturday. If it doesn’t, I will just continue with the above with the goal to get to the start line uninjured if a bit untrained.

So, what does this look like in a potential schedule?

April 11-18

• Monday (WFO) – 1 mile run AM, swim on the way home from work, calf recovery PM
• Tuesday (WFO) – 1+ mile run AM, lunch or after work walk, calf recovery PM
• Wednesday (WFH?) – 1+ mile run AM, after work 1h Shoal Creek TT bike, calf recovery PM
• Thursday (WFO?) – calf recovery
• Friday (WFH) – 1+ mile run AM, calf recovery PM
• Saturday – 1500m wetsuit swim, longer run (TBD)
• Sunday – off

April 19-24

• Monday (WFO) – 1 mile run AM, swim on the way home from work, calf recovery PM
• Tuesday (WFH) – lunch or after work outdoor ride, calf recovery PM
• Wednesday – calf recovery
• Thursday (T) – 1+ mile run, walk, calf recovery
• Friday (T) – 1+ mile run, walk, calf recovery
• Saturday (T) – 1+ mile run, walk, calf recovery
• Sunday – calf recovery

April 25-Race

• Monday (WFH) – after work walk, calf recovery PM
• Tuesday (WFH?) – lunch or after work outdoor ride, calf recovery PM
• Wednesday (WFO) – calf recovery
• Thursday (WFH?) – 1+ mile run, walk, calf recovery PM
• Friday (T) – 1+ mile shakeout run, calf recovery
• Saturday – wetsuit swim, calf recovery
• Sunday – RACE!

It looks like not enough and a lot at the same time. Failing to plan is planning to fail, and also failing to SCHEDULE is scheduling to fail for me, so on the calendar it goes lickety split.

There is literally no other space in my life to worry about anything else, so we’ll revisit things like work/life balance goals and strength training and #projectraceweight and such after this race. As much as 2022 looked to be on the same trajectory as 2018, it’s not right now. Hopefully it can be, but just a few months delayed.