Getting Back in the Saddle

I am in Kansas for work so the title of this entry has double meaning, kinda. I saw many a cowboy/girl type when I went to try some Kansas BBQ this evening. It's been almost a month since the DC Tri and life has been crazy since then (understatement) which means I've been struggling to get back into any sort of solid training routine. I took about a week off from training the week after the tri with only a few very short and light work outs and am itching to get back into a real training schedule, but life just hasn't entirely allowed it. My husband always says that we just have to do the best that we can and that's enough; I try to take that to heart, but sometimes I just can't. I strive for perfection in every aspect of my life and I want to get it all in, dang it! I'm working on going with the flow more, but it's a struggle on some days. :)

My problem tends to be that I spiral. When I'm working out, I eat healthy, sleep well, am less anxious/more clear headed, happier, etc. When I'm not getting solid work outs in I'm cranky, don't eat as well (crankiness level goes up as a result), don't sleep as well... you catch my drift. No real point there because life still happens and I'm going to miss work outs, but I suppose I need to find a better way to deal with missing work outs.

That being said I'm doing pretty well here in Kansas. Work has sent me to Fort Leavenworth for the week and thankfully I have access to pretty decent gyms and a pool. No road bikes which means I spent a solid 1.5 hours on a stationary bike the other evening. Ouch/incredibly boredom. Tomorrow I need to get my long run in (which will be the longest run of my life!) and I clearly must do such a run outdoors to avoid excruciating boredom, but the problem is I never know how safe some of these places I travel to are. Where I'm staying seems pretty tame, but I still get worried. I'm probably a little paranoid, but eh, girl running alone super early in the morning? Probably at least somewhat warranted. Speaking of my long run, I better get to bed, but life should be settling down here a bit so hopefully I can get back to regular posts. Still need to get my DC Tri race report up too!

PS - Purpose of the entry title was that I'm trying to get back into the training saddle. :)

Deliciously Productive Saturday Morning

Can't go wrong when the morning starts with egg sandwiches, right? That's how we started off a nice Saturday morning. Finally a day when we're not rushing off to somewhere as soon as we're out of bed. My husband whipped up our yummy sandwiches (his on a bagel thin, mine on a whole wheat english muffin complete with cheese and turkey) and some french press coffee. MmmmHmmm. (We don't usually use our fresh press, but someone, aka me, might have cracked our coffee pot a couple of weeks ago. I ordered a new one, but then typed in the wrong address so long story short, our replacement carafe wasn't shipped until yesterday.)

Then I decided I was in the mood to bake. We hadn't had any muffins around the house for awhile so I whipped these bad boys up:

They were quite delicious if I do say so myself. They're whole wheat apple muffins and the recipe can be found here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/whole-wheat-apple-muffins/. 


Then it was time to get on the bikes. We got in about an hour and 45 minutes in out of the W&OD Trail. First ride in awhile that I felt good and back on track. I was able to get in a nice rhythm and keep my heart rate low and cadence relatively high. Not to mention that the weather is gorgeous! That being said, what am I still doing inside? Time to spend some time by the pool!