Sunday, June 17, 2007

Just Training.

So nothing exciting to report here, had a good training week - only missed my indoor bike session because I forgot to turn my alarm clock on. On Saturday I drove down the road a ways to get some hill action in, and I have to say it wasn't as challenging as I'd hope. Who in their right mind would make a comment such as this. I guess I'm truley triathlonized. Next weekend I've got another spot in mind, and no peeps at home to make me worry about time spent away doing my stuff - not that they seem to mind, its just the mental game thing my own mind plays on me.

I bought this swim workout book from TriSwimCoach.com to help bring variety and focus to my swim workouts. Its cool, except the shortest workout out of all 50 in the book is 2350. Now I know all you folks that have access to child-free gyms with varying hours for lap swimming and such are scoffing at my 2350, but with my two nights a week in a public pool that borders on gross lately... I am lucky to have 50 straight minutes to swim. Lucky if I don't have to share a lane with a aqua gossiper (heavy set women that sort of casually float up and down the lane and move their mouth more than their limbs) or George, a.k.a aquaman. So I've had to take the ole pencil and cut these workouts in halves or weighted halves in order to get from warmup to cool down in 50 or less minutes. It sucks and I hate you people that have unlimited resources in your traffic congested cities. Ahem...

Anywho... one little problem that has plagued me the last couple of swim sessions... foot cramp. Usually my foot wants to cramp upon exit of pool, or during the 15 minute, traffic free drive home. Lately it has happened mid length, and I flail around trying to get to the wall where I have to contort myself so that I can put pressure on said foot using the wall, since I'm too short to stand up on the bottom with full weight.

Jeff is currently on a campaign about my hydration or lack there of, and asks me - how much have you drank today. He attributes cramped foot to dehydration. If it happened during a run or bike session or race like it almost did at the Milkman, I'd like to attribute it to electrolyte imbalance. In the pool, I think it is just my normal weak arches. The reason he's on this campaign is that I get leg cramps at night often. Not everyday, but every once in a while. he on the other hand does not get muscle cramps except once in a blue moon. He drinks a ton of liquids, tea, sugar-free cool aide,and I have to consciously think about drinking something. I might nurse a 12 oz glass of tea or water throughout the evening, where he will consume a half gallon in the same time frame. I'm sure he has some valid points, but as I've been a salt-craving maniac since starting this triathlon stuff, I have to think that electrolytes are part of the equation too. Any thoughts?

This week I'm headed up north to Wagon Mound again. I've arranged my schedule such that I should be able to get everything in except maybe Thursday night's swim. I'm leaving Wednesday and taking the little guys with me, then leaving them with Grandma while I head home Thursday evening. Jeff had already planned to bring a load of crap to Tucumcari, then go get one of his mom's tractors and bring it down to the Tuc to unload all this stuff and other stuff he'll be bringing. So he'll be gone all weekend and bring the boys home Sunday. I'm excited for my little break from the peeps and just don't know exactly what i want to do first - okay second 'cause first I'm going to sleep in past 6:30am.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think it might be electrolytes especially since you are craving salt.

I believe you should be drinking sports drink and/or taking gels and/or blocks - all of those have sugars and salt. Maybe down a gel 15mins before your swim workout and see if those foot cramps go away. And maybe try sports drink (I do a 50/50 mix or have sports drink in my aerobottle and water in a 2nd bottle) on the bike.

Herself, the GeekGirl said...

This happens to me, too, usually when I push off the wall. I wind up heading down a lane kicking my foot or feet like crazy trying to make it quit. If/When you figure out what causes it, let me know!