Building A Better Body

After the fifty miler attempt and numerous injuries over the past year, it was obvious to me that something needed to change. I knew I wasn't doing the best job developing my muscles and keeping my legs balanced to support all of the miles I was putting in. It was just a matter of time before my body said enough already. I haven't put my dream of crossing a fifty miler finish line out of my mind; it's merely been postponed for a little while until I can get everything back on track.

Yesterday marked the fourth of six intro workouts at Anchor Crossfit. We learned a ton of kettle bell moves and some shoulder press moves. When my alarm went off at 5:40am, I had a hard time convincing myself to hurry up and put on my workout clothes and head to the gym. I'm constantly sore somewhere on my body and knowing I'm about to head to another workout leaves my enthusiasm lacking that early in the morning.

As with running, it's best to convince yourself to head out anyway. And as usually with running, I haven't regretted it. I'm still at the very beginning of knowing everyone who attends Anchor, but the familiar faces I see every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning help put me in a good mood. I feel like this is the start of a very great thing. On Friday, I will complete the last intro class and then I will be able to sign up as a real member. I never thought I would get into the crossfit community because I was intimidated and because financially it just seemed unwise. To put the membership fees into perspective I think of it like this: I'm changing my body for the stronger, getting pretty close to individual attention ensuring I do the workouts safely and properly, I gain encouragement from the members and coaches, and I actually enjoy the sweat sessions and seeing myself change for the better. That's priceless.

Mentally, I welcome the break and new challenge that comes from doing the exercises at crossfit and the different disciplines I am trying to develop for triathlon training. As I was saying in my last post, I was looking into getting a road bike to work on my cycling skills for a future triathlon. Well, on Saturday, R and I went back to REI where they fitted me for a bike and I got to test out the Novara Carema Pro outside the store and on a trail by the water. It was so much fun! I loved the bike and we brought it home with a new helmet, dual sided clip less pedals so I can ride without clipping in for now and build up to getting the shoes that clip, and of course, a pair of padded cycling shorts! BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER! 

So yesterday I decided to take it out for a spin. For an hour. Of pure bliss. The best kind of exercise is the type that leaves you wanting to continue even when it's time quit. I need to figure out the gears and shifting...that's for sure...but I'm hoping once I join the Rocky Mountain Tri Club I will have a ton of people to show me the ropes. My hamstrings are still a little sore, and now my arms and shoulders are also sore...so I haven't been to the pool to practice my freestyle since Thursday. Maybe tomorrow...today I will probably head out on the bike again for just a little bit, then making some whole grain homemade pizza for dinner! Eventually I'm going to have to get over it and dedicate some serious time to figuring out this swimming thing. Otherwise, how do I expect to do a half ironman?!

Alright, off to ride!