Monday, July 21, 2008

Tri Training: One Week Left

The sprint triathlon I've been training for is next Sunday, July 27.

The past seven weeks have really been great with the training. I joined a team that's been really supportive. The workouts have been structured, so I know exactly what to do on each day.

I think the best thing is that I've been able to seriously exercise at least an hour nearly every day. The first week was more about "getting comfortable swimming laps in the pool" and things like that.

Yesterday, I biked more than twelve miles on the hilly, hot course for the tri itself. On Friday, I half-jogged, half-walked a 5K, which is about 3 miles and the length of the run/walk portion for next week's race.

These workouts are really a far cry from what I used to do for fun.  

But even when they are tough, I keep thinking "I will feel great afterwards, and will probably be able to fit into clothes I haven't worn in a while." And I've been able to see my endurance improve. I can now swim and bike farther without huffing and puffing. And I can now jog without pain and can maintain it for a bit of time before I have to walk. Running before starting this training was just out of my realm before.

All this keeps me going.

Diabetes-wise, I haven't had any bad lows during the workouts, and if anything tend to underbolus. I started yesterday's bike ride around 250, took 1.5 units, and ended up at a nice 120. I usually take 50 percent of my normal amount of insulin before a hard workout, which I try to do after eating breakfast (usually oatmeal, fruit, and some almonds). 

My weight had actually gone up at the beginning of the training, in part because I was overtreating reactions in the middle of the night (old habits die hard) and because I am sure I was building muscle, which weighs more than fat. Yesterday, after the bike workout, I was down a few pounds. I don't know if this is because I needed to drink more water to replace what I sweated out, or if I'm really down a few pounds.

I will say that I wore a dress (and bra) the other night for my high school reunion that I hadn't fit into since before I got pregnant. 

So that was awesome.

2 comments:

Scott K. Johnson said...

Awesome! Way to go! I can't wait to read about your race day!

Anne Findlay said...

Congrat's on coming so far! That's terrific. I think you will have a great race next weekend.

Regarding weight loss during a ride; for a 1-2 ride it is pretty much impossible to lose a few pounds of fat, so what you are measuring is water loss. (That is, if you are comparing your weight before and after a ride.) This indicates that you may need to drink more during your ride, preferably including some sports drink. You may find that you feel a lot better, too, if you are not becoming overly dehydrated. Like balancing BG's, you don't want to overdo it, either, becoming overhydrated.