The good, the bad and the ugly

While there are good moments in life, there are also the bad and the ugly ones that keep on raising up to the surface like stubborn zits. How's that for a visual. Ugh, I hate zits. Not even sure Windex could cure those. But, fact is, days have been tough around here. Work induced stress has been hitting new highs and the only escape have been my workouts. I really feel blessed to have started working with a local coach, a wonderful human being who I can look in the eye and know that he understands. He created for me a new program, and while challenging, it pushes my body and mind to places where I need to get in order to feel good about myself, to know that I CAN. I also get to see my coach twice a week, and that is very rewarding, there is something about him that makes me calm and focused.

So, going forward, I will be swimming a bit more, riding a bit harder, running a little longer to a total of 12h of training a week. This week for example, I have already been in the pool twice and did a group spin with the tri club, followed by 20 minutes of Cross Fit that left me on my knees, literally. I also did a hill repeats workout and a tempo run. The weekend will have one more swim session, as well as a 2h aerobic ride and a 20km run.

But back to the Cross Fit session. What on earth are those and since when they've become so popular? On tired legs, it was pretty brutal. Here's what we did:

3 rounds of 1 min per station, max reps, 20 sec in between stations.

• Medicine ball squat to press (launching ball against the wall)
• Dumbbell squat overhead swing
• Dumbbell plank row (tricky to balance on the dumbbells) - did those on my knees
• Skipping rope
• Burpees

Followed by stretches, thankyouverymuch! Last but not least, I had to haul my bike and very heavy trainer across the parking lot in 3 inches of slush. Even with the curveball thrown by the weather, I'm glad that I made it out to attend this class. Hamstrings and glutes are a bit sore, but it's the good kind of pain. Today is rest day and it's so very WELCOME!

Now for the ugly, yesterday's swim session turned into a total meltdown. I started crying halfway through the main set after swallowing water with each breath and soon I felt my goggles filling up with tears. Drowning inside and out. I could not shake the feelings of frustration and disappointment felt in the office, even if midday I'd managed to escape for an hour and do 9km of tempo run on the treadmill. It was just too much to bear, the emotional toll finally hit me like a ton of bricks. Today my son is sick with the flu and while I am a bit scared that I won't be spared, I don't despair. That's some fine poetry right there, folks. 

In better news, it looks like the weight loss is going well, I have 2.5 more pounds to lose to meet the DietBet goal, and 2.5 weeks to go. This is going to happen, with 12h of training and no indulging, I'm pretty confident that I'll get my money back and some more.

In the end, there are some strong forces that keep on trying to put me down, but so far so good, with help from coach, my kids and my husband, I've managed to get back up. Don't ever neglect your support system, it's a life saver in more ways than you know.