Don't think about it, just do it!

Another week has come and gone. Where does the time go and what have I done productively with that time? These questions sort of scare me because that means I've been on auto-pilot this week. The fact that I have to look at my calender brings about awareness that I definitely need more sleep!
Monday was actually a pretty significant day and is most likely the culprit for walking around in a haze. Jo had sent me a text that she was probably going to sign up for Ironman KY that day. I told her that was pretty exciting and didn't give it another thought. Now if you follow Chris' (Luvbug) blog you already know this story, but this is my perspective of the whole roller coaster evening (roller coaster for me). So I go on about my day and when Chris gets home and before we go get something to eat I tell him, "Jo is going to sign up to the IMKY.". He responds with, "Really? Well I think I need another year of 1/2 Ironmen to feel like I'm ready.". Uh-oh! He threw the word "think" in there. I know what this means...he's thinking of doing it. That's what it means! All I could think about is why the hell did I open my big mouth? We had a plan. That plan was originally to wait until we are 40 which somehow got changed to 39. I was comfortable with this plan and nobody - I mean NOBODY - was going to change up this plan. DAMMIT! Do you all hear me?! I am NOT veering from my course of action! So the fact that I knew he was thinking about signing up made me dig my heels in and I was prepared to hold my line. He starts talking about it more and more and by the time we get to the restaurant (5 minutes from our house and 15 minutes from when I mentioned Jo's decision) he was 50/50. I knew that he had already made his mind up he wanted to do this. He had asked me several times if I really didn't mind if he did it. I had mentioned it earlier that I wasn't ready and he was asking me every 5 minutes if I was still okay with him doing this without me. Each time he asked me my resolve was weakening. He was so excited and I didn't want to throw a bucket of ice water on it. So I just kept saying, "Yes, I'm fine.". But I wasn't fine. We were suppose to do this together and I felt like I was being left behind. I wanted to cry so I just kept looking away. I knew he was onto me when he said I seemed pre-occupied at the grocery store. I was trying to be excited for him, but I was never a good liar. So we get home and I go to the bathroom and proceed to bawl my eyes out. I didn't want to hold him back and I didn't feel like I was ready to do an Ironman. I felt pressured and that made me angry. I was pretty much running the gammut of emotions right there in the bathroom. I finally gathered myself and splashed some cold water on my face. He was going upstairs and change clothes and told me he was going to sign up after that. I just told him, "Well, you may as well sign me up too, then." . There was complete silence (you know like in the song the 'Gambler' by Kenny Rogers? "You could've heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door"). I can't really remember what was said immediately after that except for the, "Did I just say that out loud?" in my head. I sure did and it was like the vice was removed from my heart. I could breathe and relief washed over me. Maybe I really am ready and I just needed that nudge that he has become so great at giving me. At any rate, we are officially signed up and it took until Thursday of last week for my brain to "thaw".

Time to get a serious, well organized training plan together. All kinds of thoughts started running through my brain like a herd of elephants. Like the fact that my nutrition sucks and I've pretty much reached a plateau in my knowledge of training. Time to bring in some professional help!

I've started following a blog of a pro-triathlete named Elizabeth Waterstraat that Chris told me about. It's freakin' hilarious! I had noticed that she is a USAT coach and didn't really think too much about it...until we signed up for the IMKY. I contacted her last week and started "talking" via email about retaining her services starting in January. She agreed to take me on (Yesssss!) and sent some forms to fill out. I had mentioned that I was having a hip issue so she started asking me a series of questions to see if she could help. She deducted, through my responses, it may just be bone related and not muscular. She suggested that I find a good Sports doc and I may need an MRI. YIKES! I was afraid she was going to come back with that. I sent an email to Mira to see what her opinion was and she suggested a bone scan. Hmmmmm....I guess there was just no way around this and I couldn't ignore it anymore. I have a client who's husband is an Orthopedic Surgeon so I asked if there was anyway I could talk to him. She called him right there on the spot (it was 6 a.m.). He agreed to see me last Friday at 3 p.m. What a guy! I said to him, "You must hate this. It's like you're at a party and there's a guys that says 'Hey, you're a doctor right? Well, I got this pain right here...'.". I guess it sort of helped that I used to work for his brother at a coffeehouse so I've know him for 14 or 15 years and he's just an all around great guy.

Chris and I went to a swim clinic about stroke efficiency on Thursday night and I talked to Gary, another USAT coach and the head of our multisport group at CARVE, and asked what he thought. He said that typically stress fractures are in the pelvic/groin area. Mine is actually where the IT Band attaches to the iliac crest (the arch at the top of the hip). So I started to feel better about this not being a stress fracture.

I went to my appointment and got there about 2:50. They took a couple of x-rays. It was about 4:15 when Gordon entered the treatment room. We looked at the x-rays and he said I was very structurally sound. We came to the conclusion that it was the IT Band fired up. I can put my fingers right on the pain. So ice, stretching and 2 weeks off (per Elizabeth's instructions) running and cycling. I'm already starting to feel like a caged animal......GGGGGRRRRRRRR. Oh well, maybe my swim stroke will improve!

I spent Saturday until 2 p.m. in my PJ's and got some holiday baking done this past weekend. We even went to see a movie and try a new restaurant. I don't know, maybe this won't be so bad ;-). I still have swimming and strength training. At least it happened now and not halfway through training for the Iroman. I'll come back stronger and more ready to kick my own ass with training than ever! I guess if you can't find a way around it, you must go through it.....