When last we spoke I was in Vegas, basking in the glow of being engaged, taking a little time off my structured workout plan, and thinking about returning home and focusing on my training. I’ve also been thinking about this blog.

As much as I’ve struggled with my IM journey (and that’s a LOT!) I’ve struggled with blogging about it. My other blog is about intersectional fat activism which I find easy to write about. This blog about my training I find much more difficult, I think chiefly because I’m not sure how to blog in a way that isn’t boring as crap. I’ve tried a number of different strategies but none of them have really worked. So I think I’m going to write it without a real strategy this year – just a diary for me and anyone who is interested to follow along with my training (that may or may not be boring AF.)

So now that I’m back from vacation and getting into the swing of things, let me catch you up:

Swim:

Before I left for Vegas I had a swim lesson during which it was pointed out to me that my kick technique had somehow morphed from graceful and helpful, to graceless and utterly counter-productive. Oops. I’ve been working on it and I’m feeling more like the correct kick is getting (re-) imprinted, and consequently feeling less like I used to be a mermaid and it’s my first day swimming with legs. Yay.

Bike:

I was so excited to get out there and start biking, and then the whole world was on fire and it was raining ash, so the two bike rides I had scheduled for last week ended up being trainer rides. I hate trainer rides with the fiery passion of a thousand suns – they are super uncomfortable, and hella boring (nothing like working your ass off and not going anywhere.) I have another bike ride scheduled for Wednesday of this week and I’ll actually get to take Phyxius outside and go somewhere which I’m pretty jazzed about.

Run: (rotflmao because otherwise I’ll just cry)

While my achilles heel heals I am strictly doing slow treadmill walking and aqua jog so there’s no running happening. In fun news Julianne joined my gym so now she often comes and does her workout in the pool while I’m aquajogging – Before I was often in the pool by myself so it’s nice to have someone who can hear me sing “I’m Bored” to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “I’m Bad”

Attitude:

Delightfully sarcastic as always! Seriously, I’d been feeling pretty beat down by these years of total unsuccess at completing an IRONMAN, so I was having a hard time this year psyching myself back up. I spent some time watching the recap videos from the various IM races this year and I’m feeling the excitement and desire again. It is even more difficult than I imagined (and I imagined it was pretty damn difficult) but I can do this – I have an IRONMAN in me and this is going to be my year!