I just have one question. One teensy, weensy question.
Why can people twice my size run twice the distance I can, twice as frequently, and NEVER GET HURT??? Are they superhuman? Can their muscles and joints, which are identical in structure and function to mine, sustain superhuman forces moreso than mine? How is this fair??
I swear, I am just floored that I am the only one on my team experiencing all sorts of injuries. It started with IT Band Syndrome. Then -- shocker --- runner's knee. A million dollars in physical therapy later, the hip flexor pain appeared. Yes, you can run through all of them, but the pain and potential for crippling aren't worth it. So you spend more money in physical therapy. Make sure the shoes are proper fit. Rotate the schedule to make sure you aren't stressing your body out too much.
And then.....the flippin' Achilles starts in. Seriously, I'm RUNNING OUT OF BODY PARTS HERE!!! I started feeling a little "pull" in the Achilles while climbing up those wrotten hills in the Las Vegas race. It was part of the reason I ended up walking the hill. You see, my Dad ruptured his Achilles fifteen years ago, and he's not been the same since. It was almost debilitating, so any tweak in that region freaks me out. Anyway, I had a fabulous bike ride last Monday, where I sustained the big ring for over an hour on some gnarly hills. I attacked those mofos! But then I felt tight in the Achilles again, which turned to soreness, and I stupidly ran on it Wednesday night and then on Sunday morning. Brilliant me. So I sit here now, happily in high heels (only pulls when it's flat), and waiting for my PT session on Thursday where we will yet again focus on a new body part. This time around, I am prepared to drop money on a bike fitting AND orthotics. Anything that'll help the cause.
I have to say, all these pings and pangs really get me down. So many people can follow the plans without any injuries at all. So why me?? I'm not overexerting. I'm not underexerting. I'm not exceeding distances. The plan is far from challenging at this point. Why why why why why why why????
Just to spite my Achilles, I intend to race on it next Saturday. I am signing up for the Sprint, which I will race by myself with the hopes of just adding a race under my belt. (And reintroducing some speed) I am not afraid about the race, but somehow I am freaking out about this Wikipedia article I just read about the dam and Lake we are swimming in. Apparently it is structurally unsound for a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, and the lake is 1.5 miles from the San Jacinto fault, which is more than capable of predicting one. In light of all the small earthquakes popping up in the US these past few weeks, I can't help but freak out a little about it. I mean, I guess if it's your time, it's your time, but I'll be damned if it happens to me in a free sprint triathlon I'm doing by myself.
I suppose I'm done bitching now. Hopefully the coffee machine salesman has vacated the kitchen so I can get my 2nd cup of heaven in peace.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Freebie
Oh, I'm around. I do check in. I'm just so boring that I don't feel like writing all that often!
I've been somewhat lazy since my race two weeks ago. I suppose traveling for a week will do that, but we are in a quiet build week, so I haven't worked particularly hard. Rode some hills on my bike on Monday (I hate them so much now that I attack with all my power--- it's funny how getting your rear kicked in a race by a hill fuels your anger), and yesterday I ran 6.5 miles around a challenging, hilly course. Aside from the fabulous hip flexor pain I've grown accustomed to, it was easy. Can you believe that? I have a 6-mile running base. And miles 4-6 are the happy ones. Who would've imagined?
So this weekend is all about the hard swim, the long bike, and another strong run. I'm looking forward to it, but I hope my legs recover enough. Am considering getting a bike fitting with a FIST certified fitter....I did a pretty good fitting when I first got my bike, but I am having some very specific pings and pangs as a result of cycling and I can't help but think it may be time to make the investment.
It's odd that I haven't enveloped myself in training this week. Work is uncertain, and hubby's work is pretty horrible, too. Too bad we now work for the same company! We are having some communication issues at the moment......he doesn't think I know what it's like to hate your job, but he is woefully mistaken. And he doesn't think talking about it will help because there's nothing I can do. At least he's right about that one. I can't do anything. Yes, I helped to get him this job, but it's not MY fault he had to take it. Oh, it's all so frustrating. I know it'll all work out for the best in the end and that it's not the end of the world, but right now I just want to disappear.
To top it all off, the love of my life, my kitty, has had some bad allergies that resulted in some scratches around his eye. Tonight, the scabs got itchy and he went after his eye again. He's walking around looking all beat up, like Rocky. Pink, puffy eyelids.....weeping.....itchy itchy. I've drugged him with children's Benadryl, but he is such a beafy boy that the cat dosage didn't even touch him. I was hoping that even if it didn't help the irritation, it'd put him to sleep... No can do.
Yes, it is a sad day when I am more upset about the puffy-eyed cat than I am about my depressed and non-communicative husband.
And to top it all off, after looking at my race photos and seeing how my lovely fat POOCH hangs down when I'm in aero on my bike, I am determined to lose this extra weight. But I weigh 3 lbs over my WW goal weight, so I am too embarassed to go back because that's 4 lbs heavier than I was the last time I went a few months ago. Can you believe the insanity of this? I've lost 1/2 inch in my hips, thighs, boobs, and waist, but I've gained 4 lbs in the same 3-month time frame. Life is cruel. And those race pictures just go to show that maybe, just maybe, I could have made it up those hills during the race if I wasn't carrying 10 lbs of fat in my baby-virgin belly. (ie. I have no excuse-- it shouldn't be there!)
Oh, the title of my post. My LBS is giving away a free entry into a triathlon the 2nd week in May. Somewhere in the desert, where I vowed I'd never race again. It's not USAT certified, but it's got both Oly and Sprint distances, and it'd be free. Can I turn that down? I'm seriously tempted to sign up, but only if I can convince more people to come with me. SIXTWOTHREE??? May 10th............
So yeah, that's my update. Lazy, sore workouts. Work sucks. Husband sucks. Kitty's eye sucks. My stomach sucks. And I'm contemplating yet another race. Dude, I need some chocolate. What a week.
I've been somewhat lazy since my race two weeks ago. I suppose traveling for a week will do that, but we are in a quiet build week, so I haven't worked particularly hard. Rode some hills on my bike on Monday (I hate them so much now that I attack with all my power--- it's funny how getting your rear kicked in a race by a hill fuels your anger), and yesterday I ran 6.5 miles around a challenging, hilly course. Aside from the fabulous hip flexor pain I've grown accustomed to, it was easy. Can you believe that? I have a 6-mile running base. And miles 4-6 are the happy ones. Who would've imagined?
So this weekend is all about the hard swim, the long bike, and another strong run. I'm looking forward to it, but I hope my legs recover enough. Am considering getting a bike fitting with a FIST certified fitter....I did a pretty good fitting when I first got my bike, but I am having some very specific pings and pangs as a result of cycling and I can't help but think it may be time to make the investment.
It's odd that I haven't enveloped myself in training this week. Work is uncertain, and hubby's work is pretty horrible, too. Too bad we now work for the same company! We are having some communication issues at the moment......he doesn't think I know what it's like to hate your job, but he is woefully mistaken. And he doesn't think talking about it will help because there's nothing I can do. At least he's right about that one. I can't do anything. Yes, I helped to get him this job, but it's not MY fault he had to take it. Oh, it's all so frustrating. I know it'll all work out for the best in the end and that it's not the end of the world, but right now I just want to disappear.
To top it all off, the love of my life, my kitty, has had some bad allergies that resulted in some scratches around his eye. Tonight, the scabs got itchy and he went after his eye again. He's walking around looking all beat up, like Rocky. Pink, puffy eyelids.....weeping.....itchy itchy. I've drugged him with children's Benadryl, but he is such a beafy boy that the cat dosage didn't even touch him. I was hoping that even if it didn't help the irritation, it'd put him to sleep... No can do.
Yes, it is a sad day when I am more upset about the puffy-eyed cat than I am about my depressed and non-communicative husband.
And to top it all off, after looking at my race photos and seeing how my lovely fat POOCH hangs down when I'm in aero on my bike, I am determined to lose this extra weight. But I weigh 3 lbs over my WW goal weight, so I am too embarassed to go back because that's 4 lbs heavier than I was the last time I went a few months ago. Can you believe the insanity of this? I've lost 1/2 inch in my hips, thighs, boobs, and waist, but I've gained 4 lbs in the same 3-month time frame. Life is cruel. And those race pictures just go to show that maybe, just maybe, I could have made it up those hills during the race if I wasn't carrying 10 lbs of fat in my baby-virgin belly. (ie. I have no excuse-- it shouldn't be there!)
Oh, the title of my post. My LBS is giving away a free entry into a triathlon the 2nd week in May. Somewhere in the desert, where I vowed I'd never race again. It's not USAT certified, but it's got both Oly and Sprint distances, and it'd be free. Can I turn that down? I'm seriously tempted to sign up, but only if I can convince more people to come with me. SIXTWOTHREE??? May 10th............
So yeah, that's my update. Lazy, sore workouts. Work sucks. Husband sucks. Kitty's eye sucks. My stomach sucks. And I'm contemplating yet another race. Dude, I need some chocolate. What a week.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Race Report
I did it.
That's all I wanted to be able to say after this race. I know I have this crazy, speed-seeking reputation and all, but honestly, I do triathlon because it pushes me to do things I don't think I can do. The Olympic distance, until Saturday at 12:00pm (approximately!), was something I wasn't entirely sure I could do. A year ago, if you mentioned the distance, I would have said I'd have to be smoking crack to do it. Well, here I am, crack free and I've done it.
It wasn't pretty, though.
So, to the race.
I strolled into transition at 5:30am and couldn't help but notice that nearly every other Diva was already in transition and done with their setup. Seriously, I thought I was early!! I looked like the kid who came to class late. Anyway, I had no trouble getting in, dropped my gear, got marked, and then chatted a bit. I was more concerned with where I was going to use the bathroom than what was happening in transition. To help alleviate all other stress, my Garmin mysteriously turned itself on sometime in the night and had run its battery dead….so I had no way of knowing my speed, distance, or time on the bike or run. Oops. This race was going to be done on perceived exertion…..how can I go all out when I don't know how fast I'm going?
We had a ½ mile walk to the swim start, where I put my wetsuit on at the car and then joined the other Olympians down by the water. The Sprinters were already in their chutes, and the crazy, FAA-rule-breaking NBC helicopter was continuously buzzing by. We took a few photos, chatted, and waited. And waited. And waited. When the Sprinters went off, we started getting nervous again…but then nothing happened and we had to wait some more. So there was time for some "acclimation" in the water and a fabulous photo op with Elvis. I was a wreck until our Elvis photo. How bizarre that this triathlete with a shaved chest dressed up like Elvis actually calmed me down more than my husband or fellow Divas!!
That's all I wanted to be able to say after this race. I know I have this crazy, speed-seeking reputation and all, but honestly, I do triathlon because it pushes me to do things I don't think I can do. The Olympic distance, until Saturday at 12:00pm (approximately!), was something I wasn't entirely sure I could do. A year ago, if you mentioned the distance, I would have said I'd have to be smoking crack to do it. Well, here I am, crack free and I've done it.
It wasn't pretty, though.
So, to the race.
I strolled into transition at 5:30am and couldn't help but notice that nearly every other Diva was already in transition and done with their setup. Seriously, I thought I was early!! I looked like the kid who came to class late. Anyway, I had no trouble getting in, dropped my gear, got marked, and then chatted a bit. I was more concerned with where I was going to use the bathroom than what was happening in transition. To help alleviate all other stress, my Garmin mysteriously turned itself on sometime in the night and had run its battery dead….so I had no way of knowing my speed, distance, or time on the bike or run. Oops. This race was going to be done on perceived exertion…..how can I go all out when I don't know how fast I'm going?
We had a ½ mile walk to the swim start, where I put my wetsuit on at the car and then joined the other Olympians down by the water. The Sprinters were already in their chutes, and the crazy, FAA-rule-breaking NBC helicopter was continuously buzzing by. We took a few photos, chatted, and waited. And waited. And waited. When the Sprinters went off, we started getting nervous again…but then nothing happened and we had to wait some more. So there was time for some "acclimation" in the water and a fabulous photo op with Elvis. I was a wreck until our Elvis photo. How bizarre that this triathlete with a shaved chest dressed up like Elvis actually calmed me down more than my husband or fellow Divas!!
Then it was time.
I wasn't panicky this time around. The thought of doing Pacific Coast had me whimpering at the swim start, but this race I was determined to just get it over with. So I lined up to the far outside in the very front, and then I made them swim over me when the gun went off. It seemed to be pretty smooth compared to the kicking and throttling we witnessed in the Sprint starts. I got out pretty cleanly and managed to stay somewhat close to the front. I never really sighted the big orange buoy too much…..every time I looked up I was headed for it, so that was a plus. About halfway through the swim, we started getting some waves. When we turned towards shore, they started hitting us from the right and I swear, they were almost like rollers out in the Pacific Ocean. They really hit the snot out of us! It was fun, though, and soon enough we were under the bridge and it was time to focus on the bike.
I wasn't panicky this time around. The thought of doing Pacific Coast had me whimpering at the swim start, but this race I was determined to just get it over with. So I lined up to the far outside in the very front, and then I made them swim over me when the gun went off. It seemed to be pretty smooth compared to the kicking and throttling we witnessed in the Sprint starts. I got out pretty cleanly and managed to stay somewhat close to the front. I never really sighted the big orange buoy too much…..every time I looked up I was headed for it, so that was a plus. About halfway through the swim, we started getting some waves. When we turned towards shore, they started hitting us from the right and I swear, they were almost like rollers out in the Pacific Ocean. They really hit the snot out of us! It was fun, though, and soon enough we were under the bridge and it was time to focus on the bike.
(that's me on the far left!)I crawled out of the water and when I got to the pavement, whipped that wetsuit right off. I then proceeded to run. Well, not before I looked at my watch. 26 minutes. Holy cow. Either that was not 1500 meters, or I just swam the fastest I ever have. Anyway, this is important, because I then ran my little tush off to get to the mat as fast as I could. Coach said it was ¼ mile according to her Garmin. My transition time was 28 and change, so this means I clocked an 8-minute mile pace up that miserable hill, barefoot, into transition. FYI – I don't run 8-minute miles. I am slow, and 8-minutes is what I muster in an all-out timed mile. And then I vomit immediately afterwards.
So I think this is the first thing that went wrong for me. In my vain quest for a good swim split, I sprinted to transition and blew out my legs. In T1, I quickly got my gear on and sucked down a gel while pushing my bike over the mat.
Hopping onto the bike, my legs were shaking and my heart rate was refusing to come down. I was whooped by the time we got out of the Lake Las Vegas vicinity and onto the multi-use trail. I just have to note here that I carefully studied the elevations on this bike course, and while I'm not so good at measuring how comparable one course is to the other, I was certain Santiago Canyon could kick this course in the rear. But I was WRONG. The 3 sisters (er, Bitches as I am told they are really referred to by Nevada locals) are evil cows. That's what they call the three hills that we hit in the first few miles of our time on the trail. They are fairly short as far as hills are concerned, but the grades were ridiculously high and not something I'd ever encountered before on a road bike. I heard someone say 17% at one point? At any rate, my inner quads were shaking 1/2way up the first and I saw several girls walking towards the top.
I had initially sworn I would never walk these hills, but I started to do some math. These hills finish by mile 9, and then that's it for the hills. So I have 12-15 + miles of downhill and level riding ahead of me, which I knew I could hammer out on "fresh" legs. Why blow out my legs on these ridiculous hills and sacrifice the majority of my bike leg? So what did I do? I clipped out as I neared the top of #1 and walked my sorry butt a few feet up the remaining part of that miserable, god-forsaken hill. I made it up #2 with no problems, but again with #3, I dismounted and started to hike.
And then I got caught in the act. There went Shannon, FLYING up the hill right past me on her little blue bike. Talk about deflating. My fellow Diva saw me walking up the hill on my strongest sport. Oops! But I was supposed to ride my own race and not get injured, so I let it go.
The rest of the bike was easy, minus the insane crosswinds that rocked my bike out on the trail, the headwinds that fought us back up to Lake Las Vegas, and the car that pulled out in front of me in the street right in front of the cops. I almost threw a bottle at him, but decided that I couldn't afford the abandonment penalty. After Hill #3, I was never passed again and was able to pass a few people in my age group, finishing the bike fairly strong. I was insatiably thirsty despite drinking all the liquids on my bike, but I did come into transition at 1:25 feeling pretty good.
I'm not sure how I managed to spend three whole minutes in T2. I did take time to apply sunscreen, but I didn't even rub it in! Oh well. Room for improvement next time.
I was on pace for a 3-hour finish. Or so I thought……….
One of the pros in the race was overheard proclaiming that the run course for this race was VERY HARD and that she felt like she was running on the moon. Honey, we weren't running on the moon. It was more akin to Dante's 1st circle of hell, filled with the virtuous pagans and unbaptized children (you know, that's us—Olympic virgins and those that just don't know any better--- and yes, it's sad that this race actually invoked a Paradise Lost reference from me). Not only was there not enough water out there, but the damn course kept going up and up and out. Denise was right—you would look out and see little ants in the distance. Girls who were faster than you. On the course you had to run…..in the land that looked like the place in all those horror movies where college coeds' cars break down and then some crazy cowboy in a blue pickup stalks them and chops them up? Yeah. That was like the run.
The run chewed me up and spit me out. Between the horrible stomach ache I had, the racing heart rate that refused to settle, and this overwhelming voice in my head saying "just stop trying so hard—this is torture—just walk," I was in pretty bad shape for the first few miles. I had seen Shannon out of transition, but lost sight of her after she ran up the first hill and I ended up walking. I was pretty much alone for quite some time and just had no concept of how far I'd gone or how I'd be able to salvage the run. (Darn the Garmin for dying on me!) I walked up the hills, ran the downhills and the flats, and spent as much time as I could downing water at the aid stations and dousing myself. Robin told me to keep drinking to make my stomach feel better, and she was right. After I got out of that horrid wasteland of a course out in back of the resort, I was back in the groove. Run a mile, walk a minute. I stopped getting passed. I kept moving forward. And I kept thinking to myself, "there is no way anybody could possibly convince me to run longer in a triathlon."
I'd just like to state that all the people at the transition area saying that the finish line was only a mile away….only six minutes away….almost there --- they were wrotten and cruel liars. That was the longest mile of my life, then! It was such a tease to run through the excitement of transition only to have more race left to run. And then snaking through the village and finishing UP another freaking hill? Insanity, I tell you. But I kept running for the sake of the camera crew and because my fellow Divas had stuck around to cheer us on through the finish chute. And then it was over, and instead of crying like I thought I would, I had no emotion at all. The run had sucked my poor brain dry. I was proud that I had finished, but a little disappointed in my run and in the end, was a bit upset to see that I wasn't as high up on the results list as I'd like to have been. I know, I'm so shallow. It just means I'll have to train harder and focus on my newfound weaknesses so that I can hammer out Danskin and redeem myself at Pendleton!
I was on pace for a 3-hour finish. Or so I thought……….
One of the pros in the race was overheard proclaiming that the run course for this race was VERY HARD and that she felt like she was running on the moon. Honey, we weren't running on the moon. It was more akin to Dante's 1st circle of hell, filled with the virtuous pagans and unbaptized children (you know, that's us—Olympic virgins and those that just don't know any better--- and yes, it's sad that this race actually invoked a Paradise Lost reference from me). Not only was there not enough water out there, but the damn course kept going up and up and out. Denise was right—you would look out and see little ants in the distance. Girls who were faster than you. On the course you had to run…..in the land that looked like the place in all those horror movies where college coeds' cars break down and then some crazy cowboy in a blue pickup stalks them and chops them up? Yeah. That was like the run.
The run chewed me up and spit me out. Between the horrible stomach ache I had, the racing heart rate that refused to settle, and this overwhelming voice in my head saying "just stop trying so hard—this is torture—just walk," I was in pretty bad shape for the first few miles. I had seen Shannon out of transition, but lost sight of her after she ran up the first hill and I ended up walking. I was pretty much alone for quite some time and just had no concept of how far I'd gone or how I'd be able to salvage the run. (Darn the Garmin for dying on me!) I walked up the hills, ran the downhills and the flats, and spent as much time as I could downing water at the aid stations and dousing myself. Robin told me to keep drinking to make my stomach feel better, and she was right. After I got out of that horrid wasteland of a course out in back of the resort, I was back in the groove. Run a mile, walk a minute. I stopped getting passed. I kept moving forward. And I kept thinking to myself, "there is no way anybody could possibly convince me to run longer in a triathlon."
I'd just like to state that all the people at the transition area saying that the finish line was only a mile away….only six minutes away….almost there --- they were wrotten and cruel liars. That was the longest mile of my life, then! It was such a tease to run through the excitement of transition only to have more race left to run. And then snaking through the village and finishing UP another freaking hill? Insanity, I tell you. But I kept running for the sake of the camera crew and because my fellow Divas had stuck around to cheer us on through the finish chute. And then it was over, and instead of crying like I thought I would, I had no emotion at all. The run had sucked my poor brain dry. I was proud that I had finished, but a little disappointed in my run and in the end, was a bit upset to see that I wasn't as high up on the results list as I'd like to have been. I know, I'm so shallow. It just means I'll have to train harder and focus on my newfound weaknesses so that I can hammer out Danskin and redeem myself at Pendleton!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Olympian
Me! That's me!
I did it. It wasn't pretty, but I finished the race. I'm actually at a class in Phoenix right now and can't post photos, but will post those and a race report when I have a chance. Finished in 3:09, but not so sure of the official distances. My swim time seemed too fast for 1500 meters, the bike seemed shorter than what they said it was going to be, and the run seemed longer. So who knows what this means in the real world. I was a middle-of-the-packer yesterday, but I was just happy I conquered that monster. My run gave me quite a bit of trouble, but that wasn't surprising considering all the time I lost on training due to my injuries.
So, thought I'd report back, even though SixTwoThree already knows. I'm happy to be a finisher, but now I feel a need to redeem myself. Pendleton, perhaps?
I did it. It wasn't pretty, but I finished the race. I'm actually at a class in Phoenix right now and can't post photos, but will post those and a race report when I have a chance. Finished in 3:09, but not so sure of the official distances. My swim time seemed too fast for 1500 meters, the bike seemed shorter than what they said it was going to be, and the run seemed longer. So who knows what this means in the real world. I was a middle-of-the-packer yesterday, but I was just happy I conquered that monster. My run gave me quite a bit of trouble, but that wasn't surprising considering all the time I lost on training due to my injuries.
So, thought I'd report back, even though SixTwoThree already knows. I'm happy to be a finisher, but now I feel a need to redeem myself. Pendleton, perhaps?
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Hard to Taper when you have a TAPEWORM
Holy cow, I will hit this race 5 lbs heavier, I swear. Uncontrollable hunger......OUCH!
I can't even do my taper week exercises because my knees and IT band are still so sore from my first 7-mile run on Sunday. Yeah, smoothness. To top that all off, I am starting to feel sick. Like, bowling ball in the head and drippy nastiness kind of sick.
If I end up at this race SICK and LAME on Saturday, I am going to cry. I am going to cry and scream and maybe even eat a donut.
Insanity.
As you can tell, I'm heading to sleep now and praying that my Zicam, excellent rest schedule, and pure luck get me through the next few days.
Why did I pick this sport?!!!
I can't even do my taper week exercises because my knees and IT band are still so sore from my first 7-mile run on Sunday. Yeah, smoothness. To top that all off, I am starting to feel sick. Like, bowling ball in the head and drippy nastiness kind of sick.
If I end up at this race SICK and LAME on Saturday, I am going to cry. I am going to cry and scream and maybe even eat a donut.
Insanity.
As you can tell, I'm heading to sleep now and praying that my Zicam, excellent rest schedule, and pure luck get me through the next few days.
Why did I pick this sport?!!!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Progress....it's a good thing
I'm happy to report that DH is now gainfully employed and his first day on the job is Monday. This is momentous, as it's his first non-aviation job since college, and he actually has to wear a suit and tie to work. YES!!! This is fabulous for me, because now he looks hot ALL of the time. The downside, of course, is that I have to purchase this wardrobe with my lovely bankroll. I would much rather take $1000 and buy new trishorts, a new helmet, enter a few races, take a vacation......but I suppose this is a small price to pay for a new career and a chance at creating a "fall back." He'll probably still go into the whole pilot thing, but his new job (with MY company!) should fund his flying habit a bit better than unemployment. So I am pleased to report this progress in his life.
My work life? Eh, not so fabulous. Hard to do huge mixed use real estate projects when the funding is so limited out there. So I am working with the apartment side, but not managing anything of my own and feeling like I'm not exactly mission critical. I LOVE being mission critical, so this is stressing me out beyond words. Can't say there's been progress in this area of my life.
Peak week has revealed personal bests with every workout. Wednesday evening, it was 20 sets of 100's in the pool, on the 2:00, alternating between all out effort and race pace. Up until the very end, I was seeing 1:45 and was SO happy to see that it was sustainable. I may not be the best swimmer in the world, but I am seeing a wee bit o' progress in the pool.
Thursday saw a brick workout-- 1/2 hour of race pace bike followed by 1/2 hour of race pace running. I did a set of hill repeats for the bike, beating my personal best time up that hill on BOTH repeats. Then I knocked out my fastest 5K time ever and felt like I had plenty more to give. Yes, was sore and beat and had to take Friday off, but it was exciting to see the progress.
And this morning.....I did the same Canyon bike loop that I've been doing for a month, followed by a quick 10 minute run. I beat my best loop time by 8 minutes, even with 30 billion Team In Training people clogging the bike lane. (Love them, just not this morning-- I felt like I was in a race, but there were horrible cars everywhere!) I'm psyched.....progress, progress, progress. I may actually finish this race in a somewhat decent time. (Publicly aiming for 3:20...if I take longer than that, I will shoot myself)
So that is my update. I'm not exactly going for volume in peak week.....just hard effort and personal bests. Tomorrow is my 7-mile run, and then I am on taper until Saturday, when I join the ranks of 1000 other women and hit the Lake Las Vegas race course. I get to share the race course with the likes of Sam McGlone and Mirinda Carfrae -- -2 pros who will surely give us some serious speed envy --- I'm psyched!
So overall, I guess you could say I am making progress in life. It's painfully slow, but I'm getting there.....
My work life? Eh, not so fabulous. Hard to do huge mixed use real estate projects when the funding is so limited out there. So I am working with the apartment side, but not managing anything of my own and feeling like I'm not exactly mission critical. I LOVE being mission critical, so this is stressing me out beyond words. Can't say there's been progress in this area of my life.
Peak week has revealed personal bests with every workout. Wednesday evening, it was 20 sets of 100's in the pool, on the 2:00, alternating between all out effort and race pace. Up until the very end, I was seeing 1:45 and was SO happy to see that it was sustainable. I may not be the best swimmer in the world, but I am seeing a wee bit o' progress in the pool.
Thursday saw a brick workout-- 1/2 hour of race pace bike followed by 1/2 hour of race pace running. I did a set of hill repeats for the bike, beating my personal best time up that hill on BOTH repeats. Then I knocked out my fastest 5K time ever and felt like I had plenty more to give. Yes, was sore and beat and had to take Friday off, but it was exciting to see the progress.
And this morning.....I did the same Canyon bike loop that I've been doing for a month, followed by a quick 10 minute run. I beat my best loop time by 8 minutes, even with 30 billion Team In Training people clogging the bike lane. (Love them, just not this morning-- I felt like I was in a race, but there were horrible cars everywhere!) I'm psyched.....progress, progress, progress. I may actually finish this race in a somewhat decent time. (Publicly aiming for 3:20...if I take longer than that, I will shoot myself)
So that is my update. I'm not exactly going for volume in peak week.....just hard effort and personal bests. Tomorrow is my 7-mile run, and then I am on taper until Saturday, when I join the ranks of 1000 other women and hit the Lake Las Vegas race course. I get to share the race course with the likes of Sam McGlone and Mirinda Carfrae -- -2 pros who will surely give us some serious speed envy --- I'm psyched!
So overall, I guess you could say I am making progress in life. It's painfully slow, but I'm getting there.....
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Can we just get this over with?
I vote that we skip peak week and go right to the race. My tummy is more nervous than you can possibly imagine and I just want to get it over with!
In true freakshow fashion, I've checked out all of the girls in my age group on Athlinks. I know that there are a handful that will surely kick my rear so bad I will question why I have chosen the sport. There are a few who can give me a run for my money in the sprint department (same races, close results). There are some freakishly fast marathon and half marathon runners who I hope will sink in the Lake, but I am sure they will join the ranks of those who will slaughter me. There are even a few slowpokes who are PAINFULLY slow according to their race results....consistently, painfully slow.....and I know that I won't be last. (important) And then there are TONS and TONS of women who have no race history at all. No 5K. No 10K. No bike race. No tri. Nada. So who knows what their stories are?!
Did researching all these women make me feel better about the race?
Absolutely not. Because this race, unlike my sprints, isn't really about them. It's about me. This is my journey. This is me proving something to myself. Maybe next year I'll worry about beating them.
Things are coming into place, though. Hip flexors are great-- my McTherapist came through and worked magic on them. I did a 2000 meter swim tonight that was alternating 100's between race pace and all out effort, on the 2:00....and I could have made them on the 1:50. Yes, I was PSYCHED. 12 weeks ago, I couldn't make it to 1000 meters on the 2:00. So this is a big deal to me. I ran 6.25 miles on Sunday, proving to myself I could definitely make the distance. And my bike is coming along. We did a brick after a really tough 1:44 ride, and I was able to comfortably run 3 miles without any pain.
I'm ready!! April 12th, hurry up..........I'd like to be able to incorporate acidic foods back into my diet again without them burning a hole in my tummy.
:)
In true freakshow fashion, I've checked out all of the girls in my age group on Athlinks. I know that there are a handful that will surely kick my rear so bad I will question why I have chosen the sport. There are a few who can give me a run for my money in the sprint department (same races, close results). There are some freakishly fast marathon and half marathon runners who I hope will sink in the Lake, but I am sure they will join the ranks of those who will slaughter me. There are even a few slowpokes who are PAINFULLY slow according to their race results....consistently, painfully slow.....and I know that I won't be last. (important) And then there are TONS and TONS of women who have no race history at all. No 5K. No 10K. No bike race. No tri. Nada. So who knows what their stories are?!
Did researching all these women make me feel better about the race?
Absolutely not. Because this race, unlike my sprints, isn't really about them. It's about me. This is my journey. This is me proving something to myself. Maybe next year I'll worry about beating them.
Things are coming into place, though. Hip flexors are great-- my McTherapist came through and worked magic on them. I did a 2000 meter swim tonight that was alternating 100's between race pace and all out effort, on the 2:00....and I could have made them on the 1:50. Yes, I was PSYCHED. 12 weeks ago, I couldn't make it to 1000 meters on the 2:00. So this is a big deal to me. I ran 6.25 miles on Sunday, proving to myself I could definitely make the distance. And my bike is coming along. We did a brick after a really tough 1:44 ride, and I was able to comfortably run 3 miles without any pain.
I'm ready!! April 12th, hurry up..........I'd like to be able to incorporate acidic foods back into my diet again without them burning a hole in my tummy.
:)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
T Minus 16 Days
Yes, just 16 more days until I start to address other topics in life other than my injuries and trepidation regarding the Iron Girl race. Until then, you'd best be believing I'm going to milk this for all it's worth.
So, my lovely, miserable, tight, heinous hip flexors are proving to be quite an issue these days. I gave them 8 whole days off from running and kicking (but not cycling-- can't stop that), so last night I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to partake in my team's track workout. OK, let me stop here. No, I am not so stupid that I did the workout with them. I just casually ran around the dirt track, walking around the ends for an entire hour with my very good friend and mentor, who happens to be on taper for CA 70.3 on Saturday. At any rate, I had a lovely time minus the slight pulls from the hip flexors. Managed to add 4.37 miles of volume into these legs last night, which I think is infinitely better than zero. And am I worse for wear? Well, maybe a little tighter than normal, but I brought my ice pack to work so I am working diligently on minimizing any damage. On Sunday, I'm going to attempt to walk-run the full 6 miles after my swim set. I need to get over this mental barrier, even if there's walking involved.
In the interim, I'm booking physical therapy AND ART massage to help counter the pain. I've heard of miracles from these people, so I am putting them to the test!
On Saturday, my dear blogger friend SixTwoThreeTries, my coach, my BT mentor and mentor groupee, and my good friend Denise and her hubby are doing CA 70.3. A HALF IRONMAN. Yes, I bow down to you. All of you. And I intend to show up around the bike-run transition time (sorry, must do a long bike before I go down to Oceanside) with POSTERS. So if you can think of anything fun or motivational that will help you get across the finish line, let me know and I'm happy to do some arts and crafts for you. I was thinking I'd ask my coach how her butt was feeling after 58 miles, but I may try to keep it PG.
So that's how I'm putting IronGirl into perspective. It's nothing compared to the Half Ironman, so I shouldn't worry too much. And coach says that even if I walk the run, I'll still finish before most of the girls on my team. (She's just trying to make me feel good about myself because she knows I am beat down) So there. Am calming myself down RIGHT NOW!
So, good luck to all my pals on Saturday. I shall be with you in spirit at the swim start, but certainly by the time you get to that run, I'll be out there cheering for you! Stay warm. :)
So, my lovely, miserable, tight, heinous hip flexors are proving to be quite an issue these days. I gave them 8 whole days off from running and kicking (but not cycling-- can't stop that), so last night I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to partake in my team's track workout. OK, let me stop here. No, I am not so stupid that I did the workout with them. I just casually ran around the dirt track, walking around the ends for an entire hour with my very good friend and mentor, who happens to be on taper for CA 70.3 on Saturday. At any rate, I had a lovely time minus the slight pulls from the hip flexors. Managed to add 4.37 miles of volume into these legs last night, which I think is infinitely better than zero. And am I worse for wear? Well, maybe a little tighter than normal, but I brought my ice pack to work so I am working diligently on minimizing any damage. On Sunday, I'm going to attempt to walk-run the full 6 miles after my swim set. I need to get over this mental barrier, even if there's walking involved.
In the interim, I'm booking physical therapy AND ART massage to help counter the pain. I've heard of miracles from these people, so I am putting them to the test!
On Saturday, my dear blogger friend SixTwoThreeTries, my coach, my BT mentor and mentor groupee, and my good friend Denise and her hubby are doing CA 70.3. A HALF IRONMAN. Yes, I bow down to you. All of you. And I intend to show up around the bike-run transition time (sorry, must do a long bike before I go down to Oceanside) with POSTERS. So if you can think of anything fun or motivational that will help you get across the finish line, let me know and I'm happy to do some arts and crafts for you. I was thinking I'd ask my coach how her butt was feeling after 58 miles, but I may try to keep it PG.
So that's how I'm putting IronGirl into perspective. It's nothing compared to the Half Ironman, so I shouldn't worry too much. And coach says that even if I walk the run, I'll still finish before most of the girls on my team. (She's just trying to make me feel good about myself because she knows I am beat down) So there. Am calming myself down RIGHT NOW!
So, good luck to all my pals on Saturday. I shall be with you in spirit at the swim start, but certainly by the time you get to that run, I'll be out there cheering for you! Stay warm. :)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Closing in
I suppose I should be happy that my race is just around the corner, but I can't help this gripping fear that is coming over me. A lot of girls on my team who did their first Olympic distance race last September are already freaking out about their preparedness for this race....and I must say, it does not instill the least bit of confidence!
My swim is there. It's fine. You could send me out there to do the Ironman swim right now and I think I'd do just fine. Not blazing fast. Not super slow. Just fine.
The bike is iffy. I'm strong, but I don't know how strong I can be because we've never trained at the exact race distance. In fact, we've been going over the race distance by at least an hour of riding time for the past few weeks, so I haven't a clue what level of exertion I want to reach before my run.
And the run. My hip flexor is injured, and quite frankly, I cannot run for more than a mile without it tightening up on me and then starting to cause pain. I'm seeing my physical therapist for it, (for free-- he's amazing--- didn't have a referral but he fit me in and fixed me up just because --- it blows me away) but I really wonder if the time off from running will hurt me in th end. I'm not breaking any speed records in my 10K, but still....I'd like to consistently be able to make the distance, you know? I don't want the next time I run 6 miles to be on race day. It may very well be....
So, as you can tell, I am preoccupied, as I sit here with ice on my hip flexor and recover from my Easter morning swim. I know this is supposed to be fun, but this is more than just fun for me. This is proving to myself that I can do things I never thought possible. I HAVE to get to race day. Not to be competitive, but to prove to myself that I can conquer this.
My swim is there. It's fine. You could send me out there to do the Ironman swim right now and I think I'd do just fine. Not blazing fast. Not super slow. Just fine.
The bike is iffy. I'm strong, but I don't know how strong I can be because we've never trained at the exact race distance. In fact, we've been going over the race distance by at least an hour of riding time for the past few weeks, so I haven't a clue what level of exertion I want to reach before my run.
And the run. My hip flexor is injured, and quite frankly, I cannot run for more than a mile without it tightening up on me and then starting to cause pain. I'm seeing my physical therapist for it, (for free-- he's amazing--- didn't have a referral but he fit me in and fixed me up just because --- it blows me away) but I really wonder if the time off from running will hurt me in th end. I'm not breaking any speed records in my 10K, but still....I'd like to consistently be able to make the distance, you know? I don't want the next time I run 6 miles to be on race day. It may very well be....
So, as you can tell, I am preoccupied, as I sit here with ice on my hip flexor and recover from my Easter morning swim. I know this is supposed to be fun, but this is more than just fun for me. This is proving to myself that I can do things I never thought possible. I HAVE to get to race day. Not to be competitive, but to prove to myself that I can conquer this.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Still here
Just too tired to write.
I'm coming off a "taper" week, and I'm still exhausted. What's up with that?
Not much new, except my race is now less than a month away and I am freaking out! Training is really getting intense, and while my swim and bike are at the distance, my run has only been there once. I'm struggling with sore and slightly tweaked muscles, so it'll be a freaking miracle if I make it to race day in one piece.
One may also find it entertaining that I am no longer "Sprinter." Slow as shit should sum it up a little bit better now. I've trained my dear muscles to conserve, and consequently, my speedometer readings have plummeted. My poor ego is really taking quite a bruising, and it's no consequence that I still find myself near the front of the pack. I bet that on race day, I'll be sucking wind at the back. Ugh.
Anyway, there's my update. Most now go take my ice pack and nuke it so I can heat my hip flexor up a little. I swear, it takes me longer to recover from a workout than it does to actually do one. :)
I'm coming off a "taper" week, and I'm still exhausted. What's up with that?
Not much new, except my race is now less than a month away and I am freaking out! Training is really getting intense, and while my swim and bike are at the distance, my run has only been there once. I'm struggling with sore and slightly tweaked muscles, so it'll be a freaking miracle if I make it to race day in one piece.
One may also find it entertaining that I am no longer "Sprinter." Slow as shit should sum it up a little bit better now. I've trained my dear muscles to conserve, and consequently, my speedometer readings have plummeted. My poor ego is really taking quite a bruising, and it's no consequence that I still find myself near the front of the pack. I bet that on race day, I'll be sucking wind at the back. Ugh.
Anyway, there's my update. Most now go take my ice pack and nuke it so I can heat my hip flexor up a little. I swear, it takes me longer to recover from a workout than it does to actually do one. :)
Friday, March 7, 2008
Incoming!
It's that time of year again. Time to feel self conscious about what I eat. How I look. How I've decorated. How DH and I interact. Where we go. What we do.
Yes, the in-laws are incoming.
I have a 2.5 hour ride tomorrow morning, then I must RUSH home, shower, change, get beautiful, and then go pick them up at the airport and proceed to entertain them. Sunday morning, I leave them again for my long run....and Monday morning, I have a 6am flight to San Fran, for a day trip. I tell you what--- exhaustion does not even begin to describe my state, just thinking about the horror that is waiting for me in the days to come.
My sleepy state has crept into my work life, where today I had to feign a Dr. appointment so I could get in an early run.....except, I was so exhausted I couldn't get out of bed and ended up using the excuse for an extra half hour of sleep. I was then told by my boss that i looked exhausted. I said, "I am. I'm pushing my body to do things it never thought it could possibly do." To which he responded, "Really?! That's so exciting! I had no idea!" (Yes, perplexing....until you think that I am a married woman of child-bearing age, and pregnancy is a CURSE that apparently everyone suspects you of once you hit that target demographic) I flipped out, of course. "Hell no I'm not pregnant. I'm exhausted! I've done more running, biking, and swimming in the past 2 weeks than I've ever done in my life. And then I have to deal with all this crap on top of it. You bet I'm tired. Pregnancy is probably a walk in the park compared to this, but dude....give me a break..... Do I look fat?!"
Yeah, flipped out. Totally, completely flipped out. I'm not "THERE" yet in my maturity. And I cannot possibly do that to my body right now. I can't handle the stretch marks. The saggy boobs. The 'roids. Yeah, I can do without that. Don't accuse me of it prematurely.
Anyway, I digress.
The in-laws. If I make it through this weekend alive, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.
Let us all take this time to pray............. Have a good one!
Yes, the in-laws are incoming.
I have a 2.5 hour ride tomorrow morning, then I must RUSH home, shower, change, get beautiful, and then go pick them up at the airport and proceed to entertain them. Sunday morning, I leave them again for my long run....and Monday morning, I have a 6am flight to San Fran, for a day trip. I tell you what--- exhaustion does not even begin to describe my state, just thinking about the horror that is waiting for me in the days to come.
My sleepy state has crept into my work life, where today I had to feign a Dr. appointment so I could get in an early run.....except, I was so exhausted I couldn't get out of bed and ended up using the excuse for an extra half hour of sleep. I was then told by my boss that i looked exhausted. I said, "I am. I'm pushing my body to do things it never thought it could possibly do." To which he responded, "Really?! That's so exciting! I had no idea!" (Yes, perplexing....until you think that I am a married woman of child-bearing age, and pregnancy is a CURSE that apparently everyone suspects you of once you hit that target demographic) I flipped out, of course. "Hell no I'm not pregnant. I'm exhausted! I've done more running, biking, and swimming in the past 2 weeks than I've ever done in my life. And then I have to deal with all this crap on top of it. You bet I'm tired. Pregnancy is probably a walk in the park compared to this, but dude....give me a break..... Do I look fat?!"
Yeah, flipped out. Totally, completely flipped out. I'm not "THERE" yet in my maturity. And I cannot possibly do that to my body right now. I can't handle the stretch marks. The saggy boobs. The 'roids. Yeah, I can do without that. Don't accuse me of it prematurely.
Anyway, I digress.
The in-laws. If I make it through this weekend alive, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.
Let us all take this time to pray............. Have a good one!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I Keep on Falling.....
Off my freakin' bike! Swear to God, I have spent more time in the past week ON the ground on the bike than I have vertical. And no, I'm not one of those clip newbies who didn't practice adequately on the trainer. My Look pedals have got me spanked. It takes an act of God to clip me out of these puppies, and even if I do, sometimes I slip when I put my foot down and DOWN I go again. You'd think I was on ice or something.
So I sit here today aching, in pain, because I smashed my right knee up last night during a brick. Was at a four-way stop, stopped, got my left foot down, and then it was as though I'd slipped on a banana peel. The entire bike and my body crashed down to the right, in the middle of the intersection. Aside from the many expletives and sheer pain spewing from my body, I was pissed. I love my bike. Absolutely adore the thing. And nothing pisses me off more than falling over and hurting my bike. Is this me? Is it the pedals? What can I possibly do? I am staring down another 2.5 hour ride this weekend, and quite frankly, I am petrified at the thought of falling over again.
I've never had a problem riding solo, so I'm thinking that perhaps group rides get me all flustered and I get distracted from the matter at hand. (clipping out) I highly doubt I'll one day have some sort of epiphany, either. Woe is me. Woe is me!
On the plus side, we found some gnarly hills last night and I ate them for dinner. We followed up our hour ride (which didn't cover much distance, but did go quite vertical!! so proud) with an easy 1/2 hour run.....much easier than I was hoping, but my training partner for the day is a run-walker who has panic attacks when she misses her interval. So I decided that after butchering my knee, it wouldn't kill me to pull 11-minute miles. Coach will be pleased, actually. She loves it when I am forced to go slower than usual. I don't understand that, but whatever! I finished up our 3 miles feeling like I could have gone forever and ever...a very cool feeling. It's not often I'm left wanting more out on a run, and here I was last night, full of energy and loving being out there. What is up with that?
My new purchases are in transit to my house as we speak. Rather than buy the Garmin cadence sensor for my bike, I got the Cateye Astrale 8 off eBay. The internet chatter seems good, so sign me up! Rear cadence sensor, and apparently the Garmin shouldn't interfere with it too much. So we shall see.... I think I'm going too slow these days because rather than seeing MPH on my Garmin, I see how many minutes it takes to do a mile.....and honestly, I can't do math on the fly like that. So fingers crossed the now-discontinued Astrale 8 is a superstar for me.
I also got a sweet deal on a sexy black cycling jersey from Skirtsports. I still can't get up the guts to buy a cycling skirt (I'm afraid of being laughed at), but I was in desperate need of a jersey that didn't look like crap and cost a ton of money. Now I just need the arm warmers and I'm all set!
So that's my news. Peak week, baby! Lots of pain and suffering. New toys. And huge, dark circles under my eyes. Why do I do this again??
So I sit here today aching, in pain, because I smashed my right knee up last night during a brick. Was at a four-way stop, stopped, got my left foot down, and then it was as though I'd slipped on a banana peel. The entire bike and my body crashed down to the right, in the middle of the intersection. Aside from the many expletives and sheer pain spewing from my body, I was pissed. I love my bike. Absolutely adore the thing. And nothing pisses me off more than falling over and hurting my bike. Is this me? Is it the pedals? What can I possibly do? I am staring down another 2.5 hour ride this weekend, and quite frankly, I am petrified at the thought of falling over again.
I've never had a problem riding solo, so I'm thinking that perhaps group rides get me all flustered and I get distracted from the matter at hand. (clipping out) I highly doubt I'll one day have some sort of epiphany, either. Woe is me. Woe is me!
On the plus side, we found some gnarly hills last night and I ate them for dinner. We followed up our hour ride (which didn't cover much distance, but did go quite vertical!! so proud) with an easy 1/2 hour run.....much easier than I was hoping, but my training partner for the day is a run-walker who has panic attacks when she misses her interval. So I decided that after butchering my knee, it wouldn't kill me to pull 11-minute miles. Coach will be pleased, actually. She loves it when I am forced to go slower than usual. I don't understand that, but whatever! I finished up our 3 miles feeling like I could have gone forever and ever...a very cool feeling. It's not often I'm left wanting more out on a run, and here I was last night, full of energy and loving being out there. What is up with that?
My new purchases are in transit to my house as we speak. Rather than buy the Garmin cadence sensor for my bike, I got the Cateye Astrale 8 off eBay. The internet chatter seems good, so sign me up! Rear cadence sensor, and apparently the Garmin shouldn't interfere with it too much. So we shall see.... I think I'm going too slow these days because rather than seeing MPH on my Garmin, I see how many minutes it takes to do a mile.....and honestly, I can't do math on the fly like that. So fingers crossed the now-discontinued Astrale 8 is a superstar for me.
I also got a sweet deal on a sexy black cycling jersey from Skirtsports. I still can't get up the guts to buy a cycling skirt (I'm afraid of being laughed at), but I was in desperate need of a jersey that didn't look like crap and cost a ton of money. Now I just need the arm warmers and I'm all set!
So that's my news. Peak week, baby! Lots of pain and suffering. New toys. And huge, dark circles under my eyes. Why do I do this again??
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Breaking through
This post is all about me, because, frankly, I'm pretty frickin' proud of myself this weekend.
Not only did I do my longest bike ride ever (almost 40 miles), but I followed it with my FIRST EVER 6 mile run. I'm still bouncing off the walls thinking about it. I never, ever thought it would be something I could do, but I did it. As my Diva mentor said, I popped that cherry today. (She was kind enough to stick with me so she could partake in this momentous occasion)
I may actually finish that race, after all!
Anyway, just had to share. I think my favorite part was that after the bike, I ate a HUGE lunch and there was no guilt at all. NONE! I can get used to this. Want a burrito? Bike like hell for hours and hours on end. Yes!
OK, time to shower. :)
Not only did I do my longest bike ride ever (almost 40 miles), but I followed it with my FIRST EVER 6 mile run. I'm still bouncing off the walls thinking about it. I never, ever thought it would be something I could do, but I did it. As my Diva mentor said, I popped that cherry today. (She was kind enough to stick with me so she could partake in this momentous occasion)
I may actually finish that race, after all!
Anyway, just had to share. I think my favorite part was that after the bike, I ate a HUGE lunch and there was no guilt at all. NONE! I can get used to this. Want a burrito? Bike like hell for hours and hours on end. Yes!
OK, time to shower. :)
Friday, February 29, 2008
Liar!
She lied.
When asked if there was to be sprinting that night, she said, "triathletes only sprint at the finish line. We do not have to sprint every time we go to the track."
Like hell we don't! I sit here, crippled. Crippled as in, delayed onset muscle soreness has seized every spare centimeter of muscle mass in my legs, and lifting my legs to get into cars and to put them into bed is quite possibly one of the most painful experiences imagineable. Does one get crippled by slowly running around the fun fun track?
No. No, there was no slow. There was aerobic. Then there was "tempo." And then LT. Lactic Threshold. Hold in the puke 'cause it's comin' and it doesn't taste too good.
OMG, I did the most painful and excruciating 4 miles of my life on Wednesday night. It's 2 full days later and I am still bitching about it. Can you believe it? At one point, it hurt so bad that I was almost in tears. Seriously, if 4 miles can do this to me, what makes me think I can make the Olympic distance of 6??? How is this ever going to work out well for me? I still don't know the answer to that, but I'm kind of repressing it at this point.
To accomodate my dear hubby's desire to go out tonight, I went ahead and did my long swim last night. In retrospect this may have been smart--- the pain lulled my legs into submission and I was happy to let them float behind me like a rudder. I didn't even push off the wall hard. Just gentle and slow. I did my longest swim ever --- 1 hour --- and covered only 2650 meters. But like I said, I was slow, and this was a new milestone for me, so it was okay. Someone even asked me if I was a competitive swimmer!! I was flattered, of course, but there was nothing competitive about me in that pool last night. It was just me and the clock, and a rousing rendition of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. (I'm trying a new way of counting laps)
I'm still madly in love with Fiona. I may need to buy 5 versions of her so I don't have to keep doing laundry. I'm seriously that addicted.
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a few girls and we are doing our 2 1/2 hour long bike ride. This is the longest I've ever been on a bike before, and seeing how my 2 hour trainer ride last week resulted in me being in tears for over an hour, I don't know how this is going to go. It's an aerobic ride, so we're just going to enjoy the trail and take our time. Next week is our first peak week, so this week I just want to survive.
It's funny reading everyones' blogs lately. It seems that we are all on different schedules, but the sentiments are the same. Overwhelmed by the need for an improved time management skill. Stressed about increasing intensities and distances. Grumpy. Cranky. Bitchy. Starving. But we are pushing through, and we will get through these spots. I imagine they might even get worse before they get better. But I know I just need to put the doubt behind me and keep conquering the plan, day by day, taking advantage of any extra time I can get.
So with that, I'm leaving work early and heading out to dinner with the hubby so I can be in bed early to prep for my long ride.
When asked if there was to be sprinting that night, she said, "triathletes only sprint at the finish line. We do not have to sprint every time we go to the track."
Like hell we don't! I sit here, crippled. Crippled as in, delayed onset muscle soreness has seized every spare centimeter of muscle mass in my legs, and lifting my legs to get into cars and to put them into bed is quite possibly one of the most painful experiences imagineable. Does one get crippled by slowly running around the fun fun track?
No. No, there was no slow. There was aerobic. Then there was "tempo." And then LT. Lactic Threshold. Hold in the puke 'cause it's comin' and it doesn't taste too good.
OMG, I did the most painful and excruciating 4 miles of my life on Wednesday night. It's 2 full days later and I am still bitching about it. Can you believe it? At one point, it hurt so bad that I was almost in tears. Seriously, if 4 miles can do this to me, what makes me think I can make the Olympic distance of 6??? How is this ever going to work out well for me? I still don't know the answer to that, but I'm kind of repressing it at this point.
To accomodate my dear hubby's desire to go out tonight, I went ahead and did my long swim last night. In retrospect this may have been smart--- the pain lulled my legs into submission and I was happy to let them float behind me like a rudder. I didn't even push off the wall hard. Just gentle and slow. I did my longest swim ever --- 1 hour --- and covered only 2650 meters. But like I said, I was slow, and this was a new milestone for me, so it was okay. Someone even asked me if I was a competitive swimmer!! I was flattered, of course, but there was nothing competitive about me in that pool last night. It was just me and the clock, and a rousing rendition of 99 bottles of beer on the wall. (I'm trying a new way of counting laps)
I'm still madly in love with Fiona. I may need to buy 5 versions of her so I don't have to keep doing laundry. I'm seriously that addicted.
Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a few girls and we are doing our 2 1/2 hour long bike ride. This is the longest I've ever been on a bike before, and seeing how my 2 hour trainer ride last week resulted in me being in tears for over an hour, I don't know how this is going to go. It's an aerobic ride, so we're just going to enjoy the trail and take our time. Next week is our first peak week, so this week I just want to survive.
It's funny reading everyones' blogs lately. It seems that we are all on different schedules, but the sentiments are the same. Overwhelmed by the need for an improved time management skill. Stressed about increasing intensities and distances. Grumpy. Cranky. Bitchy. Starving. But we are pushing through, and we will get through these spots. I imagine they might even get worse before they get better. But I know I just need to put the doubt behind me and keep conquering the plan, day by day, taking advantage of any extra time I can get.
So with that, I'm leaving work early and heading out to dinner with the hubby so I can be in bed early to prep for my long ride.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Triathlon and Significant Others
I am back from my trip.....and I certainly was active whilst away. Not active in the sense that I actually completed all of my necessary training for the week. But I did visit every museum I neglected to see when I actually lived in DC. I sacrificed hours of training time so that I could spend time with my DH and see the sites and enjoy what little time I had outside of work with him.
I'm starting to notice that the downside of my "new" hobby is that it really does consume my life. It's what I talk about when people ask me what I'm up to, it's what I'm thinking about when I'm all zoned out and my hubby asks what's bugging me, and it's what I want to be doing when I'm sitting at my desk at work waiting to leave. I'd even tell my cat about it if I knew he would understand. Yet the funniest thing is happening.....nobody seems to care anymore! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say my husband is pretty damn over the entire triathlon thing. I was fortunate last season, as he was gone in training for most of it and he never had to sit around in an empty house while I was away every evening and weekend. But now he is here. He is bored, And there's this.....tension.....involving my triathlon. He rolls his eyes at the mention of Half Ironman, which he thinks is excessive. He tells me not to hurt myself when I mention a long run. He really wants to be supportive, but I can't help but wonder if he's not a tad bit resentful of how much time this takes away from our time together?
I guess I see it this way. In order to be a perfect couple, there has to be a balance. Each one of us has to be personally fulfilled so that we can be a better partner for the other. I need a release so that I don't come home from a rough day at work and rip his balls off. So that I don't grab a carton of Ginger cats from Trader Joes and eat it in one sitting. (Yes, I have tried) Triathlon has been just the cure for these evils, and although it does consume my time, at least it makes me more tolerable to be around when I actually AM around. And it's not like I am training for IM right now or even have an interest in it. I have a very demanding full time job and a demanding husband.....IM would ruin both of those, I suspect.
Just had to vent. We're ramping up even more in our training, with the long bike rides creeping into the 3-hour range, and the long runs approaching 1.5 hours. These both have to happen on the weekends....OUR time....and I'm hoping that we can find a way to make it all work out.
If only I could get him to take swim lessons.....then he'd join me, I suspect. He's obsessed with mountain biking now and is on a couch-to-5K plan to get him up to a 5K run. Sounds like an Xterra athlete in the making, right? Gotta teach him to swim first and then I'm in the clear!!!
I'm starting to notice that the downside of my "new" hobby is that it really does consume my life. It's what I talk about when people ask me what I'm up to, it's what I'm thinking about when I'm all zoned out and my hubby asks what's bugging me, and it's what I want to be doing when I'm sitting at my desk at work waiting to leave. I'd even tell my cat about it if I knew he would understand. Yet the funniest thing is happening.....nobody seems to care anymore! In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say my husband is pretty damn over the entire triathlon thing. I was fortunate last season, as he was gone in training for most of it and he never had to sit around in an empty house while I was away every evening and weekend. But now he is here. He is bored, And there's this.....tension.....involving my triathlon. He rolls his eyes at the mention of Half Ironman, which he thinks is excessive. He tells me not to hurt myself when I mention a long run. He really wants to be supportive, but I can't help but wonder if he's not a tad bit resentful of how much time this takes away from our time together?
I guess I see it this way. In order to be a perfect couple, there has to be a balance. Each one of us has to be personally fulfilled so that we can be a better partner for the other. I need a release so that I don't come home from a rough day at work and rip his balls off. So that I don't grab a carton of Ginger cats from Trader Joes and eat it in one sitting. (Yes, I have tried) Triathlon has been just the cure for these evils, and although it does consume my time, at least it makes me more tolerable to be around when I actually AM around. And it's not like I am training for IM right now or even have an interest in it. I have a very demanding full time job and a demanding husband.....IM would ruin both of those, I suspect.
Just had to vent. We're ramping up even more in our training, with the long bike rides creeping into the 3-hour range, and the long runs approaching 1.5 hours. These both have to happen on the weekends....OUR time....and I'm hoping that we can find a way to make it all work out.
If only I could get him to take swim lessons.....then he'd join me, I suspect. He's obsessed with mountain biking now and is on a couch-to-5K plan to get him up to a 5K run. Sounds like an Xterra athlete in the making, right? Gotta teach him to swim first and then I'm in the clear!!!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Happy President's Day
I would just like to take this time to thank the past Presidents for their service to our country, and for giving me this wonderful, sacred, well-earned, BEAUTIFUL day off from work.
I not only got to sleep in this morning, but I made myself TWO (count 'em!) pots of coffee this morning, which I leisurely sipped while catching up on my "internets" stuff. Yep, it's a good thing.
I'm sore this morning, but I suppose that means I've been working hard. I earned my respite. DH wanted to head down to some museum in San Diego today, but I put my foot down. I'm tired! I need some quiet time.
Yesterday was another lovely team practice. I took the Buff out with several of the Olympic-distance girls from last season (the ones I looked up to and chased all of last fall when I thought I was the shiz....boy, was I in for a rude awakening!), and we rode 3 loops of this neighborhood trail that required just a wee bit of maneuvering around toddler-powered Hot Wheels. We took turns leading the pack, and this was a total blast. I almost wished we could have gone longer-- it was that much fun to turn and burn with the group. I'm a bit disappointed in my speed (I'm no longer pulling 18mph minimum, according to my Garmin), but this is a neighborhood trail and we were stopping every 3 miles to regroup and turn around....and there was plenty of braking to deal with roadblocks. But still, excuses. I need to get faster. We did 19 miles yesterday, then went off and did a 30 minute run....except I opted to just do a quick 1-mile off the bike and call it a day because of those tender knees. They feel fantastic after I get off the bike, but then I get home and they start yelling at me. They are tricky like that--- never giving me any indication of when I am hurting them. It's like a game, I suppose.
Anyway, what a fun workout. I was invigorated for most of the day, and proceeded to gorge myself on food as well. This is definitely something I am noticing that's becoming a BAD trend. Workouts lasting longer than 45 minutes to an hour result in me wanting to eat myself into oblivion. I even went into Trader Joe's and bought a tub of Cat Cookie ginger snaps. What is up with that? Must get this under control or else I'll need a girdle. Rock hard legs, but a barrel of FAT around my vital organs. Ugh.
Today, I am on a quest for a new sports bra. It's a sensitive topic in the girl world, but chafing is a bitch. I never had this problem before, as I'd never run more than a 1/2 hour at the time, but the girls are starting to hate me. My husband finds this entertaining. Yesterday, at Road Runner, he thought it would be funny to throw "Nip Guards" into conversation at every chance he could find. He was slapped silly yesterday.....why would I ever publicly buy something like that? It's worse than tampons or yeast infection medication!!! (He's bought both, but he refuses to buy the Nip Guards---seriously, who calls their product something so embarassing?!) My Under Armour selection did not fit (they must figure that Large women have "A" boobs or no back muscles-- they are sadly mistaken), so now I am back to square 1. I hear Lycra is evil. My Body Glide isn't doing the trick. I am desperate. Wish me luck!
I not only got to sleep in this morning, but I made myself TWO (count 'em!) pots of coffee this morning, which I leisurely sipped while catching up on my "internets" stuff. Yep, it's a good thing.
I'm sore this morning, but I suppose that means I've been working hard. I earned my respite. DH wanted to head down to some museum in San Diego today, but I put my foot down. I'm tired! I need some quiet time.
Yesterday was another lovely team practice. I took the Buff out with several of the Olympic-distance girls from last season (the ones I looked up to and chased all of last fall when I thought I was the shiz....boy, was I in for a rude awakening!), and we rode 3 loops of this neighborhood trail that required just a wee bit of maneuvering around toddler-powered Hot Wheels. We took turns leading the pack, and this was a total blast. I almost wished we could have gone longer-- it was that much fun to turn and burn with the group. I'm a bit disappointed in my speed (I'm no longer pulling 18mph minimum, according to my Garmin), but this is a neighborhood trail and we were stopping every 3 miles to regroup and turn around....and there was plenty of braking to deal with roadblocks. But still, excuses. I need to get faster. We did 19 miles yesterday, then went off and did a 30 minute run....except I opted to just do a quick 1-mile off the bike and call it a day because of those tender knees. They feel fantastic after I get off the bike, but then I get home and they start yelling at me. They are tricky like that--- never giving me any indication of when I am hurting them. It's like a game, I suppose.
Anyway, what a fun workout. I was invigorated for most of the day, and proceeded to gorge myself on food as well. This is definitely something I am noticing that's becoming a BAD trend. Workouts lasting longer than 45 minutes to an hour result in me wanting to eat myself into oblivion. I even went into Trader Joe's and bought a tub of Cat Cookie ginger snaps. What is up with that? Must get this under control or else I'll need a girdle. Rock hard legs, but a barrel of FAT around my vital organs. Ugh.
Today, I am on a quest for a new sports bra. It's a sensitive topic in the girl world, but chafing is a bitch. I never had this problem before, as I'd never run more than a 1/2 hour at the time, but the girls are starting to hate me. My husband finds this entertaining. Yesterday, at Road Runner, he thought it would be funny to throw "Nip Guards" into conversation at every chance he could find. He was slapped silly yesterday.....why would I ever publicly buy something like that? It's worse than tampons or yeast infection medication!!! (He's bought both, but he refuses to buy the Nip Guards---seriously, who calls their product something so embarassing?!) My Under Armour selection did not fit (they must figure that Large women have "A" boobs or no back muscles-- they are sadly mistaken), so now I am back to square 1. I hear Lycra is evil. My Body Glide isn't doing the trick. I am desperate. Wish me luck!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Ouch!
I've been a delinquent blogger, I know.
To be honest, I don't have much exciting going on right now. Work is same old, same old, except I got to go to a conference up in LA on Thursday and Friday, so that was a bit of an interruption. And next week, I'm headed back to DC for 5 days. I love the travel, but I will miss my cat, and of course, I'll be missing LOTS of practice.
Now, this may not be an entirely bad thing, since I apparently have screwed my knees up again, but I missed one of the 7 workouts we had for the week. My 90-minute bike fell by the wayside because I just ran out of time and body strength. I was going to do it on the trainer after my 4-mile run yesterday, but the knees were sore and I just wasn't feeling good....I questioned whether any good at all could come from that session. In hindsight, that probably was smart, because this morning I crammed in a tough 1-hour spin class followed by a 2500 meter swim set. My knees are a wreck, and I was spent. I'm still spent. Ugh....why do I do this to myself?
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm still struggling with my time management and my weak body. I'm eating like a pig, and I can't seem to find enough time to fit everything in that has to be done. My dry cleaning bag now contains the majority of my wardrobe, but I can't seem to find the time to take it all in. I'm trying to fit hubby time in whenever I can, but even he seems to feel neglected. Why isn't this easier?
So that is all. Just wanted to get a quick update in before I fall off the face of the planet. Race is 7 weeks away and I'm scared to death I've done some damage this time around. I guess I get like this every time I have a pain, but I'm going to just bike tomorrow (no run) and ice the crap out of it.
Happy Day!
At least I saw the Space Shuttle and Space Station tonight. Gotta love my dorky husband. :)
To be honest, I don't have much exciting going on right now. Work is same old, same old, except I got to go to a conference up in LA on Thursday and Friday, so that was a bit of an interruption. And next week, I'm headed back to DC for 5 days. I love the travel, but I will miss my cat, and of course, I'll be missing LOTS of practice.
Now, this may not be an entirely bad thing, since I apparently have screwed my knees up again, but I missed one of the 7 workouts we had for the week. My 90-minute bike fell by the wayside because I just ran out of time and body strength. I was going to do it on the trainer after my 4-mile run yesterday, but the knees were sore and I just wasn't feeling good....I questioned whether any good at all could come from that session. In hindsight, that probably was smart, because this morning I crammed in a tough 1-hour spin class followed by a 2500 meter swim set. My knees are a wreck, and I was spent. I'm still spent. Ugh....why do I do this to myself?
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm still struggling with my time management and my weak body. I'm eating like a pig, and I can't seem to find enough time to fit everything in that has to be done. My dry cleaning bag now contains the majority of my wardrobe, but I can't seem to find the time to take it all in. I'm trying to fit hubby time in whenever I can, but even he seems to feel neglected. Why isn't this easier?
So that is all. Just wanted to get a quick update in before I fall off the face of the planet. Race is 7 weeks away and I'm scared to death I've done some damage this time around. I guess I get like this every time I have a pain, but I'm going to just bike tomorrow (no run) and ice the crap out of it.
Happy Day!
At least I saw the Space Shuttle and Space Station tonight. Gotta love my dorky husband. :)
Monday, February 11, 2008
I Heart my Bike
Yesterday ROCKED. I have to admit it. I'm still overjoyed and the thrill of my ride is still making me burst with pride. With love. I am in LOVE with my new bike. Not only is "The Buff" one sexy machine, but it's fast, too! Woohoo!!! We did 1/2 hour ride on the Santa Ana Trail yesterday, coupled with a 1/2 hour run, and the bike felt fantastic. We tried to focus on a very high cadence, but I was able to push hard without feeling the burn. It was comfortable, I figured out how to steer with my aerobars, and it just covered the ground 3000% better than my old Trek. I'm so psyched about this bike, let me tell you.
What I'm not so excited about is the fact that the race is less than 8 weeks away and there is some doubt in peoples' minds whether I can make the distance. Coach says I'm a very strong cyclist, but in the same paragraph, she also mentions that I can walk the run if I have to.
Ummm.....is this doubt? Does she think I'm that bad of a runner that I can't make the 6 miles? Granted, I'm only up to 4 in practice, but did I not do the 30-minute brick with the fastest runners in the program? Did I not keep up?! What's up with this?
I know Coach well, so it's quite possible she's pissing me off on purpose in order to motivate me to put in the time. She knows that time is my greatest constraint right now.....I guess this could be her way of passively kicking me in the arse?
Well, it worked. I'm a little cranky now. I somehow feel like she has identified running as my uber weakness, so now I need to train the weakness without injuring myself. (7 miles this weekend did nothing to help my knees, I'll admit) And I am SO SORE today. Ouch! Anyway, not sure how to fix the running aside from making the time during the week to get it in. I suppose I could try to run over a lunch hour, and bring lots of scented baby wipes to mask my heinous odors after the run??? Or maybe I could get up at the crack of dawn and run with the mountain lions? Or in the dark??? Drag hubby along? Ugh, I don't know what I'll do. Such a royal pain. But now I'm determined to improve myself in the next two months.
I hope I still heart my bike at the end of all this.
What I'm not so excited about is the fact that the race is less than 8 weeks away and there is some doubt in peoples' minds whether I can make the distance. Coach says I'm a very strong cyclist, but in the same paragraph, she also mentions that I can walk the run if I have to.
Ummm.....is this doubt? Does she think I'm that bad of a runner that I can't make the 6 miles? Granted, I'm only up to 4 in practice, but did I not do the 30-minute brick with the fastest runners in the program? Did I not keep up?! What's up with this?
I know Coach well, so it's quite possible she's pissing me off on purpose in order to motivate me to put in the time. She knows that time is my greatest constraint right now.....I guess this could be her way of passively kicking me in the arse?
Well, it worked. I'm a little cranky now. I somehow feel like she has identified running as my uber weakness, so now I need to train the weakness without injuring myself. (7 miles this weekend did nothing to help my knees, I'll admit) And I am SO SORE today. Ouch! Anyway, not sure how to fix the running aside from making the time during the week to get it in. I suppose I could try to run over a lunch hour, and bring lots of scented baby wipes to mask my heinous odors after the run??? Or maybe I could get up at the crack of dawn and run with the mountain lions? Or in the dark??? Drag hubby along? Ugh, I don't know what I'll do. Such a royal pain. But now I'm determined to improve myself in the next two months.
I hope I still heart my bike at the end of all this.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Going Long
So, the girl who used to die on a mile run considers anything above and beyond a 3-mile run to be "long." She thinks that any time she subjects her tushy to more than an hour of bike riding, she is going "long." That anything over 2000 meters in the pool is "long." Well, you get the point. Long is relative.
As the weeks progress and we slowly push the envelope into "long" workouts in preparation for Iron Girl, I am learning quite a lot about myself! I used to think that going balls-to-the-wall, all-out, all the time, was the way the world ought to be. I love creaming people. Seriously, last season, I enjoyed picking off my training mates one by one and using every ounce of energy I had. I even got this nifty nickname, "Sprinter." A reputation for being "fast." (Again, this is all relative....my fast is a horrid slow day for some of you average triathletes out there, but I'm comparing myself to slow beginners here) So you can imagine my disdain when the weekly workout lists arrived and the words "slow" and "aerobic" popped up. When a target heart zone is mentioned.....and it was significantly lower than what I'm used to seeing on my lovely monitor. It was shock and horror! Slow is simply not a word that is intentional in my vocabulary.
But I've been listening. I've been.....slowing down....and letting my body get used to the increased distances. And you know what? Sure, people may be able to keep up with me at the start now, but I'm much faster than them at the finish! Ah, the joys of patience. It's pretty flippin' cool if you ask me. We finish a 1400 meter swim set and I'm ready and rarin' to go for more. Coach DOWNGRADED me to the slow lane on Wednesday night, and I'll have you know that during our 10 x 50 marker set, I lapped my lanemate 2 or 3 times and finished a good 3 minutes ahead of her! Yeah, go ahead and brand me as slow. But I have endurance.
Hell yeah!
So that is what I've been up to lately. Going slow (relatively speaking,) and long (relatively speaking), and secretly trying to convince myself I'm still as fast as I used to be.
As the weeks progress and we slowly push the envelope into "long" workouts in preparation for Iron Girl, I am learning quite a lot about myself! I used to think that going balls-to-the-wall, all-out, all the time, was the way the world ought to be. I love creaming people. Seriously, last season, I enjoyed picking off my training mates one by one and using every ounce of energy I had. I even got this nifty nickname, "Sprinter." A reputation for being "fast." (Again, this is all relative....my fast is a horrid slow day for some of you average triathletes out there, but I'm comparing myself to slow beginners here) So you can imagine my disdain when the weekly workout lists arrived and the words "slow" and "aerobic" popped up. When a target heart zone is mentioned.....and it was significantly lower than what I'm used to seeing on my lovely monitor. It was shock and horror! Slow is simply not a word that is intentional in my vocabulary.
But I've been listening. I've been.....slowing down....and letting my body get used to the increased distances. And you know what? Sure, people may be able to keep up with me at the start now, but I'm much faster than them at the finish! Ah, the joys of patience. It's pretty flippin' cool if you ask me. We finish a 1400 meter swim set and I'm ready and rarin' to go for more. Coach DOWNGRADED me to the slow lane on Wednesday night, and I'll have you know that during our 10 x 50 marker set, I lapped my lanemate 2 or 3 times and finished a good 3 minutes ahead of her! Yeah, go ahead and brand me as slow. But I have endurance.
Hell yeah!
So that is what I've been up to lately. Going slow (relatively speaking,) and long (relatively speaking), and secretly trying to convince myself I'm still as fast as I used to be.
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