A Day in the Life

"I woke up, fell out 'o bed, dragged a come across my head...."

I love the Beatles :)  I used to have a crush on Paul.

I thought it would be fun to share my day with you as I train for IM Galveston 70.3 and begin my 2015 triathlon season, so here goes!

“The more prepared you are, the less pressure you feel.”

― Orrin Woodward
I have no idea who Orrin Woodward is but the man speaks truth.

I'm going to start with how I plan my week and then do a fun pic tour of my day.  I luuuved taking pics for this post :)

Sundays I usually have a lighter workout load so I use my time organizing for the week to come.
I go to  Workout Log and look at my training plan.  I see which days I need to get up at 4:30 or 5am so I can arrange driving the kids to school.  My husband travels during the week so I've recruited two of my adult children to get the kids to and from school in exchange for something I knew they couldn't resist-- Momma D's home cookin'!  They were quite happy to oblige :)  I used to struggle with getting up early but once I enlisted my kid's help and took the time to prepare ahead, getting out of bed at 4am was a breeze.  I know the kids are taken care of and enjoying some quality time with their older brother and sister and I am free to get my workout done.

My sweet Amanda.

My son Bryce and his BFF

I've always had to write things down to remember what I"m supposed to do despite having a zillion apps and iCal, etc. so I use My Daily Planner to print out a customized time schedule to keep me on track.  The act of writing things down is HUGE for me.  Here's a day in January when things were a little less hectic....

I also pre-cook meals on Sundays so I have something healthy to eat when I come home from training or work because I'm usually so hungry I want to eat my arm off.  

Pioneer Woman's Veggi Chili

Then I print out my workouts for the week.  

On Sunday night, I pack my bag with towels, swim suit, Vega bars, gels, head phones, a plastic bag for wet clothes, etc. and lay out my first set of clothing for my morning workout.

I make the kid's lunches and pop them in the fridge.  

Then I read to my nine year old and enjoy my time with him because I know it won't be long before he's too big for story time....

 

Then I head to bed.  I will spare you a picture of me with my leopard print eye mask on and my purple ear plugs stuffed in my ears but suffice it to say I take a good night's sleep verrrry seriously :)

Lights out and off to dream land......ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.......

And then my alarm goes off while it's still dark outside.....

This isn't my alarm note but I may adopt it :)

I stumble out of bed and trip around in the dark, looking for a light switch so I can put my contacts in and brush my teeth.  I go into my closet and see that last night my "past" self was looking out for my "future" self and (bless her heart!) took the time to lay out all my gear for the day.  This simple act of setting out my clothes has eliminated most of the  resistance I used to feel at 4am wake up calls.  I've always struggled with getting up super early so I created a solution.  I realized if I set everything in motion the night before, it creates the expectation to follow through.  It's just what we ADD, procrastinating, self-saboteurs gotta do.   

4:30am.  It was hard to smile :)

I get dressed like a robot.  I don't think-- I just DO.  

I grab a Vega bar, banana, my nutrition for the workout then get in my car and drive.  This particular day was TRX day followed by a bike ride so I drove to the gym.  I workout at Valeo PT where I did my knee rehab after surgery in October.  Awesome facility with a great staff.  Sure glad I found them. 

Tony is my TRX trainer.  He's also quite fond of kettle bells.  

This is Paul.  He's the amazing PT that got me through my knee rehab after surgery.  This is one forward-thinking guy.

I am still not really awake when I begin my TRX warm-up.  I think my eyes were actually closing.  It was one of those days.

And then the fun begins.....

One of the therapies I use to manage inflammation and enhance recovery is a Cryo Sauna.  You step into a chamber cooled by liquid nitrogen down to -115 degrees for 2.5 minutes.  It stimulates all sorts of endorphins and dramatically reduces inflammation throughout the body.  It also boosts mood, increases sleep quality and burns 500 calories per session.  Since I've been doing cryo my joint pain has disappeared.  I'm definitely a fan.  

Freezing after a long run.  

Then I move on to my second workout which is a 90 minute bike with some intervals.  

Ready to Roll

On other days my workouts might be a run followed by a swim.  I run on an Alter-G treadmill a couple of times a week.  It's a special treadmill that supports a certain percentage of your body weight to reduce the impact on your joints.

11 mile run day.....UGH!

Swimming has become my favorite sport in triathlon.  I think if I hadn't become a gymnast as a kid, I would've been a swimmer.  I love it.  

Sometimes the kiddos come with me while I swim :)

As I mentioned earlier, after training I am ready to eat my arm off so I go home and eat food instead because I need my arm :) !! Triathlon makes me a Very Hungry Girl.

quick snacks 

After I eat lunch,  I cook the aforementioned meal for the older kids then check emails and pack my bag for work.  I am an ISR certified self-rescue swim instructor and my swim season coincides with triathlon season.  My first year of doing long distance triathlon training in addition to working and managing the kids was hard.  There was a big learning curve when I moved from sprint distance triathlons to half ironman. It took me a good, solid year to learn how to manage my time.  I failed a lot.  I missed workouts.  I felt guilty training because I worried my kids and husband felt neglected--and sometimes they were.  I didn't plan things out very well at first.  But once I figured out how to make it all work, I got into a groove and things started falling into place.  I've learned to set boundaries and think ahead so I don't stress myself out too much.

More "bag packing".....wetsuit, 3 towels, water shoes, swim suit, snacks, drink and off I go....

I keep a "station" in my laundry room so I can pack quickly

And the trunk of my car looks like this....

I go to the pool to teach little babies how to self-rescue swim for a couple of hours.  It's a super fun part of my day.  They aren't always as enthusiastic about their training as I am but I know they are learning a very valuable skill.  

This little guy is nine months old.  I've trained his two older siblings.  He's a cutie pie!

  

After I finish up at the pool, I go home, fix snacks, we do homework and then load up in the car for  soccer, swim, scouts, tutoring or whatever activity is on the schedule for each child.

We finally roll into the driveway around 9pm.  I feed the kids dinner,and send their stinky bodies off to the shower.  We read, say our good-nights, give kisses and I go downstairs to start packing for the next day.

WHEW! 

And that's my day! Hope you enjoyed it!

Next post.....Kemah sprint triathlon race report :)