Week 44 (+ a day) - Triathlon = DONE!

The Numbers (as of 10/5):

		Pushups	Crunches	Kata	Sparring	Journey (Swim)	Journey (Bike)	Journey (Run)	Kindness	Journal	Video
Annual Totals:		42,570	42,595	258	590	6	1,250	1,018	864	43	6
						2,274
Annual Targets:		50000	50000	1000	1000	2400			1000	52	12
Percent of Annual Targets Complete		85.14%	85.19%	25.80%	59.00%	94.76%			86.40%	82.69%	50.00%

It's probably not hard to tell why the mileage number is my very favorite and the kata number is my nemesis. The triathlon was yesterday so I eased off on the workouts from Wednesday. That means must of my numbers are low this week, but it was the right thing to do. Now I have to get aggressive with that kata number and keep driving the sparring count up as well. That'll be a major focus from now on. 


The Triathlon:

I'm not entirely sure what to say about it. I'm REALLY glad it's over. Feels great to have accomplished that goal. Not just for testing but because I've been wanting to do a 1/2 iron for years. It could not have gone better...

The Swim - Started at 7:10 in 68° water. The wetsuit my friend loaned me made a HUGE difference (thanks TIffany). The buoyancy and the warmth were very helpful. The swim is the part I was dreading most. I didn't train properly and it's already my weakest link. But I was comfortable the whole time. Mind was clear and calm, body was was relaxed, no leaking in my goggles, no water in my ears, only got smacked a few times. I actually had a moment where I thought, "this is really nice." DID NOT expect to think a thought like that on the swim of all things. Haha. 

The Bike - The first 25 miles or so were challenging with about 3100 feet of climbing (I think). It might not have felt so hard if there were porto-potties on the route. There were exactly none. But you gotta do what you gotta do. So... I did. And as the course started to roll downward and began to flatten out, everything felt good, I felt stronger than I'd expected to. The scenery was nice, too. I was eating something every 30 minutes, sometimes more and drank lots of water. My knees started to hurt at around mile 45 but it really wasn't so bad because I knew I was almost there. And when I got off the bike at T2 they instantly felt better. 


The Run - I couldn't believe how okay I was feeling. I mean, I wasn't running at this point, just sort of... moving in a forward direction. But my body felt okay and cardio wise I felt great. For now... The run was a two-loop course. I did the first loop at about a 10 minute mile pace. Then... I wilted :) I didn't pay enough attention to nutrition on the run. By mile 8 my knees were hurting bad. At one point I stretched the hem of m shorts down as low as I could and packed ice in around my knee and lower quad. There was a lot of walking on that second run loop. But it gave me the umph to finish strong. 

And I finished. 70.3 miles in 6:55:53. And I'm good with that. Check it off the list!


The Challenges:

Not growing out of my love for kata. And... for the next couple days or so... walking normally.


The Levels:

Motivation: I just feel content right now. Content.
Next Event: November 16th - Big Sur 1/2 Marathon; December 7th - CIM Relay;
January 9th - Black Belt Test


Motivation: