One Of Those Weeks

I know I've been sort of MIA for the past few days... it's just been one of those weeks. Of course, it's possible that just about every week when you're training for an Ironman and you have a baby is one of those weeks.

It started with my Monday morning swim. Let's be clear that last week was an easy recovery week. This week is not. Which is fine- I like big hard weeks- but I also can get kind of, um, anal about getting in every workout exactly as prescribed. During these hard weeks, I want to be as tired as I'm supposed to be. I want my body to FEEL the training stress, so that next time I rest, it'll adapt appropriately. To that end, I'm dead set on getting in every workout.

So when the lifeguard doesn't show up on Monday morning and I can't swim, I get a little frustrated. Not the best way to start the week. BUT, I am resilient, and I have an awesome neighbor, so I arranged for her to come over and watch Moana at lunch so I could go get that swim in.

Dana came over at 12:15 and I headed back over to the pool. I don't normally have the opportunity to swim at lunch so this was going to be a real treat! Except that the new pool schedule has the pool closed at 12:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays. So no noon swim for me today. Strike two.

GRRRRRRR.

My last chance to swim would be at 8:00PM. Seriously? Was I really going to go swim from 8-9PM? That would put me finishing my last set when it was already past my bedtime. But of course I would go.

The third time was indeed the charm and surprisingly, I had a decent swim. Phew.

But swimming that close to bedtime is always a challenge because bringing yourself back down to a calm sleeping state isn't easy after such an effort in the water.

ANYWAY, my key runs are typically on Tuesday mornings. But this Tuesday, Scott had to go to work early, and Moana's sleep schedule has been screwed up for the last couple of days... long story short, I ended up having to do my trainer workout first while Moana was napping and then try to get my key run done on the treadmill at the gym while M was in the Kid's Club.

The Kid's Club there at the gym is cool. I think Moana likes it. I think the social time with other kids is good for her, and I think that having experiences away from me during the day are good for her as well. She isn't having any attachment issues with me which is awesome, and I'd like to keep it that way by giving her opportunities to watch me leave and then return later... So I dropped her off and headed for the treadmill.

Let it be known that I hate treadmill running and that I do it *very* rarely. In fact, I can't remember the last time I ran on a treadmill? I think maybe once earlier this year I did... BUT, I am going to get all these workouts in, so I did what I had to do.

I actually wasn't having a terrible run. I was sweating like crazy though- my sweat was flying all over the place and I felt bad for the people on the mills next to me... but then about 3/4 of the way through I heard the gal come over the loudspeaker, "Will Michelle Simmons please come to the Kid's Club? Mahalo."

Good thing I wasn't wearing my iPod. I didn't wear it for this specific reason. (Although I'm surprised that I was able to hear over the sound of my own breathing.) I immediately pushed STOP on the 'mill and I will admit that there was a little teeny tiny part of me that was relieved to be done with that workout- it was killing me. But at the same time, it wasn't fun to leave the gym feeling defeated. I know the run is my weakness and these Tuesday runs are key to turning that around, so finishing a Tuesday run and not being able to say NAILED IT isn't such a good feeling. BUT, it is what it is and I know that I am a mom first so clearly Moana's needs are the priority. Turns out, she was just hungry. She went on this weird eating strike for about 24 hours where she just had no interest in food- not her bottle or solid food (I know, I can't even imagine not being hungry!!). Niiice that her appetite returned in the middle of that threshold run though. But what are you gonna do?? I took her home and fed her and once again she was her happy little self.

I got a great swim in this morning and now Jenny is swimming. Her daughter is napping upstairs (in fact, both of our daughters are napping upstairs- lovely!!) I'll head out for my ride after she returns, and then she'll go for hers after I return. Nice set-up we've got! Although it looks like it's going to rain today, so in all probability I'm going to get wet on this ride. But hey, it's just one of those weeks.