Is It Really That Easy for Some People?

Living in the 'burbs, I often shop at our local warehouse superstore.

When I'm deep into the value-size aisles of juice boxes and paper towels, I don't really check out other shoppers. I'm usually trying to dissuade Baby L from throwing items out of the cart.

Which is why I was surprised to hear someone call my name as I maneuvered my way to the giant stack of baby wipes last Friday afternoon.

"Hi! How are you?"

It was a woman I trained with last summer for the two triathlons. Both she and I openly admitted we didn't know if we'd be training with the team this summer, because we wanted to get pregnant.

Or as I put it, "I hope to either be pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or recovering from being pregnant" in the summer of '09.

But this woman, true to her word, was *actually* pregnant. She's due in May.

"That didn't take long," I goggled while eyeing her basketball belly.

"I was two weeks pregnant at the last tri we did," back in September.

It took one attempt..

She actually said she will skip the event we did in July last year, but will try to train for the September event after this kid is born in May.

And she already has a two-year-old.

I couldn't believe it.

I only just got the go-ahead to start trying last month. Four months after finishing that last race. And with my track record, it's gonna be a long road ahead.

And here she is already halfway through.

My mind just boggles over this.

Tri: I Did It Again

I completed my second sprint triathlon today.

It was tough: a hillier bike and run course, choppier water, a later heat to start. I was one of the last to finish and still don't know my official time, so I don't know just how close to the last finisher I actually was.

I'm exhausted, despite training pretty well over the past six weeks.

Blood sugars were in the 200s throughout the race, which means I will simply take my usual amount of insulin the next time I do this and not expect any extra exercise to keep me low (which is what you'd think would happen when you swim a quarter mile, bike nearly 12, and run/walk more than three). But that was not the case today.

To be honest, I've worked out consistently for the past 14 weeks, doing harder core things than I've typically done before. But I'm a bit tired and burned out on early morning workouts and two hour bike rides. I'm going to measure myself tomorrow (something my tri coach had us do at the beginning of the last six weeks) to see if my body changed a lot. 

I certainly got more tan than I've typically been, despite wearing high SPF sunscreen all summer.

Although I'm considering doing another 5K run/walk next week, I'm done with my hardcore tri training for the season. I have other projects I'd like to focus on. Stay tuned.

What Comes Next?

My tri high has calmed down a bit. 

So what did I do? I just signed up to do another sprint triathlon in early September. The coach who trained the team I joined for the first tri is doing another six week training session. 

After that, though, I think I may have to call it a season, even though there are events that last into the fall.

Why?

It's probably time to think about trying for kid number two.

I adore Baby L. He's chill, happy most of the time, healthy, and a total delight. 

I fear jinxing things by trying to have a second child. 

When I was single, and then when I was in the height of infertility treatment, I wondered if going through life child-free would be all that bad. I enjoyed my life the way it was. But I also knew I'd always wanted to try to have my own kid. 

And with Baby L, I'm so thankful and blessed that my own kid became a reality.

Growing up as one of two kids, I always figured I'd have two of my own. The Mister is also one of two. Two kids would be great, we think.

Given the mix of my current age, that age plus nine or so months, the fact that we stored frozen embryos nearly two years ago, and were lucky enough to get pregnant on the first IVF try using one transferred embryo only, makes me think that it doesn't make sense to hold off on the babytrying for that much longer.

I'd emailed my Kind Endo about something this week and she told me if we want to start the whole trying process (in more ways than one) again in the fall, it makes sense to do a preconception visit in August. 

Like, whoa, this month.

Getting pregnant was a fuckload of work for me. Being pregnant was the same. Focusing on exercising and heart rates and scheduling child care so I can go run, bike or swim has been a lot more enjoyable. 

But if there's a chance that I can have another fabulous kid, one that is as good natured and smiley and healthy as my boy Baby L, I'm getting close to the point where I need to get back on the bandwagon again. To go through what I need to go through to get what I (and Mr. L.) desire.

Just after I train for and complete my next sprint triathlon in September.

I Am A Triathlete

Despite waking up at 4am to the sounds of thunder and lightning, having my bike number fly off my bike on the highway while traveling to the race, and getting to the site late and panicking when I couldn't locate my bike after an absurdly long line for the bathroom, today turned out to be awesome.

I finished the Danskin Triathlon in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 36 seconds. And it didn't rain once during the race.

I swam in coldish water and felt OK, doing a combination of breaststroke and crawl. I biked up some tough hills and coasted down the other side. About 400 people passed me on my bike, while I passed perhaps four people. I walked for much of the walk/run part, but was able to jog at the end where my family was watching and taking photos and I sprinted to the finish line. 

My sugars were pretty crazy throughout, which hasn't been typical during my eight weeks of training. I started out this morning around 168, bolused for an oatmeal, berry and almond breakfast, then bounced around into the 200s before the race. In between the swim and bike, I was over 300, and I bolused and checked again after the bike. Still high. I bolused again and was 105 after the race. Adrenalin and stress--what can I tell you? Just correct and move on. 

I'm now considering doing another sprint tri in September. And this is from someone whose natural inclination has been to lie in bed, read, eat, and drink diet Coke. But training for this race and finishing was just fantastic. I highly recommend it!

The Triathlon is Tomorrow....

...and I am nervous.

I've trained. I'm more of an athlete than I was eight weeks ago. I can jog for a short while without gasping. I can swim longer distances than before. I know how to shift gears on a bike to really climb up a hill.

I know how to transition from a swim leg to a bike ride. From a bike to a run. What to wear. How to wear it. What to eat. How to bolus. When to test. 

So I'm ready.

But I'm still nervous.

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.

The Practice Tri

I completed a very short triathlon in my town a week ago as part of some July 4th festivities.

I figured it would be a way to see what it would be like to do a triathlon before the official one I'm doing in July.

This shorter one was a 1/4 mile swim, a 2 mile bike ride, and a mile run. I competed with many kids who did the same lengths, but did half the swim that I did.

I came in dead last at 56:48.

My husband wondered where I was after he saw yet another five year old cross the finish line.

So why was I so slow?

1. I started out swimming with the group of adults in my category, and tried to do the freestyle (crawl) as I'd been training to do. Weirdly, I ended up gasping for breath and had to switch to the breast stroke so I could get adequate air intake.

2. The breaststroke is a VERY. SLOW. STROKE.

3. I've since talked to a few coaches on the tri team I'm training with and they tell me that it's really common for stress to kick in as you jump into the water, even if you think you're ready and well trained.

4. In the transition from the swim to the bike, I learned a few time-saving tricks: wear unpadded bike shorts in the water. Put a low (not a high) ponytail in your hair to get the bike helmet on easier. I also tested my blood at this time and was 222. I probably should have bolused a unit here, but I didn't.

5. Know the race course. Although it was short, I biked for a minute or so down the wrong road before being told I should have taken a turn. Don't rely solely on people organizing the race to point you in the right direction (particularly when you are last and there's no other athletes around you).

6. Have the best bike you can afford. I am training and plan to use a mountain bike that's about 20 years old and frankly, pretty heavy. It's fine, but it's not the greatest bike out there for going fast. Shifting gears is always a trial and error process. Once this season is over, I am likely going to get a new bike if I decide to continue biking regularly. But knowing when to shift gears so that you're using the bike most efficiently is key.

7. The run itself is my weakest sport, since up until recently, I was running on the balls of my feet. This made for a really uncomfortable experience. Who knew I ran wrong? I was evaluated by a physical therapist who videotaped me and I could see that I was doing things all wrong. This would lead me to develop pain in my calves, my shins, one hip, the other knee, and to top it all off, I wasn't even fast.

8. Due to the extra stress, I have tended to walk more than run because it's easier. This, however, also slows things down.

9. When I finally crossed the finish line, my husband, the event director and the woman timing me all cheered. This was great to hear, as the rest of the spectators and athletes were already gone from the area.

10. My blood at the end was still in the low 200s. I felt fine during and after the race, but I wonder if I compete better when my sugars aren't so high.

11. In the week since, I've noticed that I am running better and therefore, can run a bit longer than before and with less pain. My swim workouts also seem to be showing a bit of endurance improvement, meaning, I huff and puff a little less than before.

12. The truth is, I think I am enjoying the workouts and the bragging rights of saying "I'm training for a triathlon" more than the actual competing. I am working out more consistently than I have in a long time, my arms are getting firmer, and while I am really not losing weight, I am looking a bit better in my clothes this summer. My sugars are pretty good, the 200s notwithstanding, but I don't think the training is making my averages any different (my A1cs are respectable as they are).