This Is Bullshit!

That is what I yelled into the wind yesterday at the end of my 8-mile run when I was literally not making any forward progress. It was awesome.

On the up side, it was at the end of my first unofficial brick workout! I mounted my stationary bike trainer and rode for just over 30 minutes. This is the first real time I had spent on the bike since my little spill, and it was reassuring to know that I had almost no chance of falling off in comfort of my basement. Having said that, I thought it was a nice opportunity to get reacquainted with my Scattante and newly acquainted with my new saddle. I have been watching Ironman reruns on Universal Sports, and I have been trying to take a look at how different people have their water bottles mounted and how they adjust their balance when drinking. This seems rudimentary, but I am a newbie by all counts on the bike, so any information is valuable information. When my 30 minutes were up, I hopped off, ran up the basement steps, changed into my running shorts and shoes, and headed out the door.

This was my first true sense of how a bike-to-run transition might feel. Even with a short ride and run, I figure the more I get used to that sensation, the better. All in all, I felt slightly awkward for the first half mile or so, but then I hit my stride, and rather enjoyed my run...until the 45-55 mph wind gusts were in my face. I am not kidding in the slightest when I say that I was, at points, making no forward progress. It was awesome, but I will just count it as resistance training. I can't really complain though, because after a period of about 10 days, the sun was actually shining. I will take what I can get on the weather front...it will be thirty degrees and raining/snowing in no time.

It's the Holiday Season

It is Thanksgiving Eve in the Senkowski household (DE chapter). The stuffing has been made. The turkey is ready to go in the oven. The potatoes are sitting water waiting to be boiled and mashed. I have gifts ready to be wrapped for some deserving families, and at some point, I will begin shopping for my own. Life is good...better than deserved by most counts, and I am beginning to get into the spirit of the season.

Today after work, I worked out while watching the Ironman World Championship from 2007 because it has been a rough week and I needed a good cry and a lot of perspective. Mission accomplished there. It also got me thinking that maybe everyone else is starting to be in the giving mood, and it would be in my best interest to let everyone know how to give to my charities! Here they are, in no particular order:

Challenged Athletes Foundation: http://www.firstgiving.com/ginasenkowski1
National MS Society, Delaware Chapter: http://www.firstgiving.com/ginasenkowski2
City of Hope:
http://www.firstgiving.com/ginasenkowski3

No donation is too small. I mean that from the bottom of my cold, black heart. I am also going to figure out how to accept cash/check donations if that is the preferred giving method, and I will pass that along as soon as possible.

From this point forward, I swear my posts will have less to do with pandering for money for three very deserving charities and more to do with the insanity of the training and any resulting injuries. No better way to work off the turkey and trimmings than swimming/biking/running until my body gets angry enough to shut down.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!