Sugar fast

Tuesday: Walk 2 miles, weights, swim 1,000 yards

Wednesday: Bike 34 miles (14 mph)

The kids went back to school today, and I decided that this was the moment to start my sugar fast. I usually swear off sugar between Halloween and New Year's, in order to avoid making candy and cookies a daily part of my diet, but it's obviously not good for me at any time, so I've instituted a special Ironman-edition sugar fast, from now until the race. I'm allowed my usual exceptions (holidays and birthdays), plus I'm going to let myself have the occasional dark chocolate square (which all the women's magazines assure me is healthy, healthy, healthy), and obviously whatever sugar I need to get through long workouts.

I felt like kind of a hypocrite today, though, because I packed jelly beans for my long bike ride. Literally two hours into the sugar fast, and I'm already rooting around in the kids' candy drawer? Uh-huh.

So today I set out to finish the ride I couldn't do Sunday. What a great route. The climbing is hard — but gets easier every time — and the reward is 24 miles of awesome scenery and gradually-rolling-downhill terrain. I was feeling great afterward. I got home, showered, started to get dressed, and then felt this, um, twanging sensation across my lower back. (Backs are really cruel that way. They get you when you least expect it.) I had to lie on the floor for about 10 minutes, but then got up and took some Advil, and I think I'm actually not too bad off. It did derail my plans to try the 5:15 a.m. yoga class tomorrow, but I think I'll be OK in a few days.

I wasted literally the rest of the day on a stupid contest, trying to find an error in a book that was just published, in order to have the author declare me "the world's greatest copy editor," among other prizes. I believe I've found the error, and now I'm just anxiously waiting for email confirmation that I'm the world's greatest copy editor. The competitor in me could not resist that challenge, phrased in that way. Sure hope I was the first one to email the guy.

In which I struggle to stay upright

Sunday: Bike 23 miles

Monday: Rest

When I set off on my ride today, it was easily the windiest weather I've ever (voluntarily) ridden in. But you know, when I signed up for a June Ironman, I think I forfeited the right to be choosy about the weather for my workouts. Anything short of snow on the roads is biking weather!

I did get a little concerned about the sky as I set off, though, because it looked like I was going to be riding right into an oncoming storm. But I was thinking rain or maybe hail. What I got was wind, and lots of it.

The ride I was planning is about 10 miles of climbing, some of it pretty difficult, and then about 25 miles of rolling hills and descents on a long loop back home. The climbs are bad enough in calm weather, but I found it incredibly tough with a giant headwind gusting toward me at about a 45 degree angle. The shoulder becomes a cliff in places, and I was very concerned about getting blown off the road. Luckily there's not a lot of traffic, and I rode toward the center so I wouldn't end up in the ditch, or worse.

I finally made it to the top, where the landscape opens up — and the wind basically doubled. So even though it was flat or downhill, I was struggling to get my speed into double digits. I suddenly realized that at that rate I was going to be out there four more hours, OR possibly have to call my husband for a rescue, possibly in the middle of nowhere, possibly someplace out of cell range. But I really hated to go back down the steep hills with that cross wind. So I stopped for a moment to think and decided that the lesser of the two evils was to go back.

Sheer terror! By the time I got down, my legs were shaking and my hands hurt from gripping the brakes, but at least I stayed on the road.

Early to rise?

Saturday: Yoga, swim 1,500 yards

Yoga today was great: It was a hard class, but I kept up, and I can feel my muscles remembering what it is they're supposed be doing. I wish I hadn't taken that month off before my race, but now that I am again one with the universe, I think I'm going to stick with it.

In fact, I'm seriously considering starting to go to the 5:15 (yes, that's a.m.) class taught by my favorite instructor on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I could do weights or a quick run afterward and still get home in time to see the kids off to school and start my workday. And there are Spin classes taught at that hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so I could make it a regular thing if I wanted through the winter.

Of course the problem with that plan is that I'd have to go to bed at 9 or 10 every night, possibly even before the kids!

It's supposed to be hard

Friday: Yoga, bike 19 miles (16 mph)

So I'm already back to feeling exhausted and unmotivated, but I guess I've been working out for two-plus hours nearly every day, so it's not all that shocking. Going to press on, though. Getting tough as iron is supposed to be hard work. Plus I've been counting calories, and it's great to see myfitnesspal.com say, "You've earned 1159 extra calories from exercise today."

Oh, is that all? I don't think I could eat that many extra calories if I tried. (Not going to try, either.)

By the way, I decided I'm going to count calories every day until I've lost 5 pounds. After that I'm not sure what I'll do. Probably a little happy dance — and then count calories every day until I lose 5 more.

Feeling better

Thursday: Bike 22 miles (15.9 mph), walk 5 miles

I think taking yesterday off was the best thing I could have done. Not only did I wake up feeling peppy again, but I have a little more clarity about my training. Specifically: All I need to worry about right now is losing some weight and biking, biking, biking. It's too soon to worry about a formal training schedule, and it's way too soon to freak out. (Or maybe way too late, but there's no getting out of this now.)

I did have an insight on the treadmill that might be helpful: I walk way too slowly. And since undoubtedly the Ironman is going to involve a good amount of walking, it would be really good to get comfortable walking faster. So today I pushed my pace a little bit, and next week I'll push it a little more. It wasn't my-mom-walking-through-the-mall fast, but it's something.

A small sampling of what's going on in my head

Monday: Yoga, bike 17 miles

Tuesday: Swim 1,500 yards

Wednesday: Walk 2 miles

I'm getting overwhelmed thinking about all the things I need to do to get ready for the Ironman. I thought I had my priorities in order (bike, bike, bike, swim, and yoga) but not running has me feeling fat and panicky. Isn't that the best way to lose some weight (and isn't that the real priority)? Shouldn't I be trying out my hip and making the call whether I need physical therapy while there's still time? And when I swim, I wonder if I should be working solely on endurance (10 months early) or try to work on speed (for the leg of the race where I will least need it). Should I do freestyle only, or should I keep my other strokes practiced up so they'll be available to me if I need them? Maybe I really shouldn't worry about swimming at all just yet? And even yoga has me worried. There's no doubt in my mind it's beneficial, but is it beneficial enough? Would my time be better spent on weights? If I do weights afterward, will I get less benefit because I'm already fatigued? Or will I just burn out from too much time in the gym? On top of all this, my motivation is waning (again, 10 months early). The more I think about everything I need to do and how I can possibly schedule it, the less I want to leave this chair.

So my plan for today is to make a plan. Just a short one, like from now until school starts. And I'm also going to do some more research on what an Ironman training plan should be so I can form some of the broad outlines of the rest of my year is going to look like.

Better offers

Friday: Yoga, weights

Saturday: Yoga

Sunday: Rest

I keep meaning to go biking, but I keep getting better offers. Today, my parents called and wanted to know if the kids and I wanted to float down the river on rubber rafts and go rock hounding on the islands. Well, of course! It was an all-day event, but it ended with ice cream, and I found 44 agates, so a day well spent.