Training 4/21 - 4/27...and RACE REPORT!

If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race.  Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just finish the race; it's up to you. -- Dave Scott


Sunday 4/21 - 5.21 mile run
Monday 4/22 - 30 minute swim, 40 minute cycle on Freyja
Tuesday 4/23 - 3.52 mile run
Wednesday 4/24 - 57 minute swim, 92 minute cycle (23.5 miles) on Freyja
Thursday 4/25 - REST
Friday 4/26 - REST
Saturday 4/27 - RACE!!!

Hubby and me after the race

Was the race a win?  Depends...unfortunately multi-sport often yields multi-goals...only some of which were achieved.  But I guess, since Meatloaf usually knew what he was singing about, two out of three ain't bad.  So we'll give this race a win.

Here's the low-down on the race:  total time 1:28:13
Swim (400m pool OWS) - 11:41 (disaster)
T1 - 1:52 (could be faster, but swim disaster probably affected T1 speed)
Bike (12.4 on Freyja) - 42.53 (yeah!  those soul-sucking hills pay off)
T2 - 2:00 (what the heck?  I could have ordered a pizza faster)
Run (5K) - 29:49 (yeah! back to sub-10s)

The swim:  Well...the swim was a pool-style snake swim, but we started 10 at a time every 30 seconds (instead of one at a time every 10-15 like a normal pool tri)...my group was a bunch of little old men - but don't let their cute faces fool you - they were brutal beasts!  All legs and arms and I got so disoriented and thrashed about that I could not get into a rhythm.  I had to stop a few times through the swim just to get my mind back together.  Unlike a real OWS, I couldn't hang back away from the crazy pack because another horde of humans was coming 30 seconds behind.  Yikes!  I know I can swim 400m - easy peasy chicken squeezy - I just need to be able to deal with the OWS insanity.  Definitely a poor swim.

The bike:  I wasn't sure I was going to take Freyja since I had only ridden her 2x before the race (and once on the trainer), but I figured it was a short race and the weather was good, so she came.  Oddly enough, with no hills (OK, allegedly there was a hill, but compared to the hills I ride out by our house it was a speed bump) and no wind, I don't do half bad.  I did a lot of passing on the bike, which was pretty awesome since I was feeling pretty crappy about the swim.  I didn't get my Garmin working right, so I didn't realize my speed until after the race when the results were posted -- but I am really pleased with my bike.  And not just the speed - I was able to be aero for the first 5 or so miles, the back half of the bike was too bumpy (rough road) so I didn't feel as comfortable; also, I felt good about turning, braking, etc.  Good bike.

The run:  Holey cow!  I am a happy girl.  I got off the bike, through T2, and just started running.  I knew that I was golden - you can't not finish once you hit the run.  But the run felt oddly good - shortened strides for the first mile or so, but then I hit a pace and kept it for the rest of the run.  Passed people on the run, on both laps, which was a lot of fun.  I even sprinted to the end (and felt like I was gonna hurl at the finish line - always a good sign).  Then the results came out and I was running sub-10s, hooray!  I'm finally getting back into my old running self, who I have missed dearly.  I'm not going to let her get away ever again - so I better be fast enough to catch her.  Excellent run.

So there you have it.  Call it a solid win or a win by a nose, either way, more goals achieved than failed.  On to the next race!

Ready for racing

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.  -- Henry Ford

The first race of my tri season is this coming Saturday.  It is a sprint tri, so the distances are well below my training averages -- 400m swim, 20K bike, 5K run.  The 400m is in a pool - although it will be a little like an OWS tri with buoys and no ability to touch bottom...but it's still in a pool.  I've never done this course before, so I don't know much about the bike or the run.  I'm definitely looking forward to the race!

So with the training I've been doing, I've clearly been getting ready.  But there're other things that are part of getting ready too.  Today I put a new set of Yankz in my shoes.  Basically they let you pull your shoes on without having to tie and untie them...saving me precious moments between the bike portion and the run portion of the race.  (OK - I'm not podium material, but every second counts - plus I like not having to bend over and think about tying when I'm all noodly off the bike.)

I have an old set in the shoes I wore for tris before (Nikes), but in the last couple years I've switched over to Sauconys and I also have my groovy orthotics in these shoes, so I figured I deserved new Yankz.  Yes, I could have unlaced the old set, but they were just plain white...the new pink ones I bought are so much cooler.  Right?

Other things I'll have to do to get ready is go through my packing list of what I need to bring to the race.  It's so much easier to go to a running race - you bring your shoes and your body.  Triathlons require nearly as much equipment as a newborn infant - actually, probably more, since it's all grown-up sized...tri-suit, swim cap, goggles, towels, bike, helmet, sunglasses, bike shoes, race belt, running shoes, shirt for if it's cold, shirt for afterwards, water bottles, nutrition, watch, and I've probably forgotten something.  Oh, yeah - and since I pick up my packet the night before, I need to bring all my numbers, etc.  And my RoadID because I'm nervous that way.  Phew.  OK, it seems like a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to getting ready on Friday and definitely looking forward to the race on Saturday morning!

One more race on the calendar

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.  -- Ayn Rand

It's like a really bad mix between MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"...I signed up for another race - you can't stop this because I'm all about believing in myself.  Stop, hammer time!

I signed up for an Oly distance race in early July - it should get my swim nerves all settled, since the Oly swim distance is not much shorter than the HIM swim.  Plus they're both river swims (one in the Potomac, the other in the James) and they're going to be hot, hot, hot!  (Get me some Buster Poindexter too.)

That's going to be it for races (you think?) for this year, unless I run a 5K or something in December...or find some other wild activity to get myself into.

In other news, today I'm putting Freyja on the trainer to try to get more used to the aero position and my shoulders/neck.  We're going out on the road for real on Wednesday!

Training 4/14 - 4/20...plus one failure, one success

It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.  -- Bill Gates

This week, I started working on getting the OWS monkey off my back.  On Friday, the monkey won.  In fact, the monkey kicked me to the curb, pulled out my heart, chewed it up, and spit it out.  On Saturday, I may not have won, but it was a draw at least.  But more importantly, I'm learning a little bit about what can, will, and did go wrong.  Give me a couple more chances and I will be the one prevailing over the monkey.

Friday was the first OWS practice held by Peluso Open Water.  As a member of the Richmond Tri Club, I get to attend some of the POW sessions for free - and of course, free is good.  Husband and I are trying to take advantage of as many of these free training sessions, group activities, etc. as we can - at least until it becomes clear I really need a coach.  But maybe we can avoid it.

Back to Friday - the weather was hideous.  We got to the open water site and then it started to thunder.  We waited it out for a bit and it seemed as though the storm had passed, so we all scurried into our wetsuits and got in the water to swim.  It was supposed to be a 15 minute up current and then back to the dock swim.  Well, the current was so strong that I could not keep above the dock.  No matter how hard I tried to swim, I could not make forward progress.  So the coach had to pull me into the dock.  4 minutes of hell.  Then there was more lightning, so everyone had to get out of the water.  I was done for the night, but everyone else waited for a bit.  It just kept getting worse, so we left and went to dinner.  On the way to dinner, the wind gusts were so great that branches were blowing off the trees - no wonder the current was nuts.  OWS Fail.

On Saturday, I went to an OWS clinic held by POW in a lake - no current, full of newbies, and working on skills (instead of just swimming).  That went so much better.  I was able to do most of the drills.  I lost a little bit of my fear.  I got more comfortable in my wetsuit.  I got to swim banging into people and I didn't freak out.  Of course, at the end of the clinic, when we did a race simulation, I was nearly the last person out of the water, which was a little disheartening -- but I wasn't last and I made it.  Open water start - check.  About 300-400 m swim - check.  Rounding buoys & sighting - check.  Beach exit - check!  (I do need to work on getting in and out of my wetsuit a bit more efficiently, but other than that, I think my wetsuit will be fine.)

So - Saturday made me feel so much better than Friday did.  And another thing about Friday is that even the swimmers (like real swimmers) were not making much progress.  Now - they weren't going backwards like I was, but they weren't buzzing down the river.  I need to keep in mind that was a tough swim and I should not be defeated.  Also, I learned a bit about currents (swim sideways and think twice about swimming in April storms!).  According to one of the other coaches, the currents are not likely to be so wild in September - in fact, it may even be calm.  Biggest lesson learned?  I can do this - I need to put more work in - it is hard for lots of people.


Sunday 4/14 - REST
Monday 4/15 - 86 minute cycle (22 miles), masters swim
Tuesday 4/16 - 5 mile run
Wednesday 4/17 - 2.66 mile run, masters swim
Thursday 4/18 - 45 minute cycle on Freyja
Friday 4/19 - 1.85 mile run, OWS fail (4 minutes)
Saturday 4/20 - OWS success (40 minutes over 2 hours), 105 minute cycle (24.83 miles)

Bonding with Freyja

Every new adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem. -- Eric Hoffer

Freyja got professionally fitted to me on Wednesday.  It was a 2 1/2 hour process involving measurements, test riding, tweaking, more test riding, repeat.  I am really impressed with how thorough a job they did and I wholeheartedly recommend 3Sports (especially Andrew who worked with me).

Now that she is fitted, I decided to take her on a little test ride yesterday - my plan called for a short ride anyway so it seemed like a good idea.  Starting out was a bit tricky because shifting a tri-bike is nothing like shifting a road bike.  I mean, the principle is the same, but the mechanics are different.  Plus they're located out at the end of the aerobars - very convenient when you're in aero, but if you're just trying to figure out what the heck you're doing (which was part of my goal yesterday), it's a bit tricky.  In shifting I did manage to drop my chain once, but I fixed it just fine on the roadside myself.

I just rode around my neighborhood, trying to get used to the gears and handling the bike from aero.  Once I get more used to her, it's going to be a sweet ride.  I hit some really good speeds in my flat neighborhood, even though I never went for more than a block or two without stopping and turning or whatever.  I have a feeling when we're on the open road, she should be able to give me the 1-2 mph more as promised.

One tricky thing (other than the gearing) is being in the aero position.  That is going to take some getting used to.  It's not natural - but the advice I've gotten is ride more, ride more, ride more, and ride more...and it will feel better.  Also strengthen my neck and core, not look so far forward, and ride more.  Sensing a pattern here?  I guess I will be riding more.  :)

My prayers are with Boston

Solidarity is an attitude of resistance, I suppose, or it should be. -- Christopher Hitchens

Yesterday I was watching streamcast coverage of the Boston Marathon at work.  I was supposed to be working - sure - but watching the lead runners, hearing their stories, is so inspiring.  After lunch, I left to go for a bike ride and came home just in time to get the news of the explosions.  Again, I became glued to the streamcast coverage - checking all the news outlets, reputable and not, to try to make sense of what was going on.  I still can't make sense of it.

With runners and triathletes everywhere, I am wearing a race shirt today in remembrance and solidarity of the folks in Boston.  I didn't know anyone personally there, although I have Internet connections to a few (who have thankfully checked in safe).  I'm irrationally sensitive to disasters and I have a hard time getting my head around things like this.  But one thing that helped me was this story about many special people were there at the end - runners, first responders, and everyday folks.  My prayers are with all of the runners, their families, and the city of Boston.

Training 4/7 - 4/13...and distractedness

I procrastinate so much and I get distracted by anything.  -- Zach Braff

It has been a busy couple of days - I've been at a work conference, which is very interesting and intellectually stimulating, but I've sadly found myself to be very distracted.  I am a little concerned about this, because in order to STRIVE, I will need to FOCUS.  Usually my mind only gets tired of these conferences at the end of the second day...my head is full and I'm just done.  But for some reason, I feel like I came into this conference already full and done.  I hope it isn't because of my training - because that is not going to be sustainable over the long run.  Exercise is supposed to aid my focus, not ruin it.  I'm really hoping it's something else - the changing weather, the crazy busy at work before I left, etc.  It is something I'm going to need to keep an eye on.

OK, enough psychobabble.  I started my 20-week training program for the HIM today with a 40-minute run on the hotel treadmill.  Whoo whooo!  It's exciting to finally be on the plan - I feel like I've just been treading water (ha! pun intended) until the plan started.  Now I just need to hit my workouts consistently and I will be able to succeed in September.


Sunday 4/7 - 120 minute cycle (29.45 miles)
Monday 4/8 - 2.66 mile run, masters swim
Tuesday 4/9 - 51 minute cycle (13.36 miles)
Wednesday 4/10 - 80 minute cycle (19.61), 30 minute swim
Thursday 4/11 - REST (travel day)
Friday 4/12 - 2.61 mile run (hotel)
Saturday 4/13 - 3.42 mile run (hotel)

Freyja

The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within - strength, courage, dignity. -- Ruby Dee

My new bike has a name - Freyja, the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and war (among other things).  She rules over half of Norse heaven...she gets half of those who die in battle, the rest go to Valhalla.  She also is alleged to be the most beautiful of all Norse goddesses.  And, as the quote above notes, there are all different sorts of beauty...and I want to be strong and courageous (and I guess dignified too).

It took me a while to choose this name.  But I like the name and I know the bike will like it.  I'm excited for next week when we'll get to start to know each other.

Taking a Really Big Bite

What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds. -- Wayne Dyer

So I just took a really big bite, in the sense of biting off more than you can chew.  I registered for a local century ride, Cap2Cap, in May.  (This is the decision that I've been putting off, but being frugal mostly, I needed to decide before the prince bump.)  It will be a stretch, but I know I can do it within the time constraints.  And doing it will be a huge boost for me mentally.  Besides, it's not as hilly as the rides that I've been doing from home.  Well -- correction -- it has the same total ascent as some of the rides I do from home, but stretched over 100 miles rather than 20.

This idea of pushing myself is really powerful.  It makes me look at things differently - and not just with respect to my "athletic" endeavors.  (Some day I will fancy myself an athlete.)  I have a sense that there are many things I can accomplish if I put the effort and focus into what I'm doing.  This is important because I'm not very good at focus.  (Oooh.  Something shiny!  Where was I again?)  It also seems to have helped clarify what matters.  Rearranging my schedule and my life to balance family, work, and training has forced me to make some choices recently -- and I think I'm choosing well.

So what happens if the century is not a success?  Not really my game plan.  I have a long time (plenty even at pokey speed) to complete it in with support (and worse comes to worse, without support).  If it really ends up being the wrong day for me, I can loop back and make it a 50 mile ride.  But that's not what I want to do.  It's a safety valve, not an option.

And besides, the ride will give me a quality day with Baby, who will undoubtedly start getting jealous as I'll need to be getting used to the tri bike.  (Fitting scheduled for next Wednesday!  Yeah!)

She's Here!

After a little bit of FedEx drama (OK, the drama was mine...FedEx was awesome), my bike arrived today.  Here's the box it came in, right after the FedEx guy left.  Yes - I had my camera out before he pulled out of the driveway.  I'm excited like that.

Believe it or not, I didn't immediately crack into the bike.  It's gorgeous here today and I wanted to get a ride in before the girls got home, so I went for a quick ride on Baby before I opened the box.  After I got back, I opened the box.   Hmmm.  Somewhere in here there is suppose to be a bike?

 After taking out all the brown wrapping paper, I found all of the bike pieces.  The bike pieces were covered in white foam wrapping, cardboard sheets, and other fun stuff.  It was kind of like Christmas - paper and tape were flying all over the room.  (There were no bows or ribbon, but that's OK...it was exciting!)

After I got it all unwrapped, I went to work putting it together.  Here is the unwrapped, but not-put-together-version.  (Thankfully it ships mostly put together, but still - it took me some work and multiple sizes of Allen wrenches.)

Here she is put together before I unwrapped the aerobars.

And now, the aerobars unwrapped.

 And here she is.  Isn't she pretty???  I need to schedule a fitting and get the seatpost cut down a bit, but otherwise, I think she's probably good to go.  (Well, she probably needs a little TLC - oil & lube too, but I'll get that done before I ride her.  So excited!!!

Training 3/31 - 4/6...and ready for dropback week

If there is time to reflect, slowing down is likely to be a good idea.  -- Daniel Kahneman

The way most training programs are set up is that you build for 3 weeks, then drop back for a few weeks -- lighter training volume, less intense training, sometimes both.  I've just built for the last three weeks, so this coming week is a drop back week - which is convenient, since I'm traveling the end of the week.  Short workouts are easier to squeeze in on the road.

I felt really strong this past week, particularly my running.  I'm actually starting to see glimpses of my old younger, faster self.  I'm pretty excited about this.  It almost makes up for the disappointment I have with my slow progress on the bike.

I guess part of the deal with the bike is that I'm riding some really hilly routes and for some reason, it is really flipping windy right now.  Ridiculously so.  Maybe if I was riding a more rolling route or on a calmer day?  Or a flatter course on a calm day?  That would be awesome, but what about race day?  OK, so I will know the routes for the races/rides beforehand - and none are supposed to be terribly hilly (except for the sprint tri I'm doing in July which has one idiotic stupid hill at the turnaround point - I've done that race before and am well aware of the hill).  But it could very well be crazy windy?  (Or rainy, since I bring the rain when I race!)

I realizing I just have to keep at it.  Just keep swimming.  Just keep riding.  Just keep running.  Strive.


Sunday 3/31- 5.16 mile run
Monday 4/1 - 62 minute cycle (stationary)
Tuesday 4/2 - 2.54 mile run, 33 minute swim
Wednesday 4/3 - 75 cycle (stationary), masters swim
Thursday 4/4 - REST
Friday 4/5 - 3.38 mile run, 35 minute swim
Saturday 4/6 - 4.18 mile run, 63 minute cycle

Anticipation!

You usually have to wait for that which is worth waiting for. -- Craig Bruce

According to FedEx, my bike will get here Wednesday of next week.  I'm nearly giddy with excitement - I'm thinking of cancelling my work obligations so I can be home and sign for it right away.  Gotta have your priorities in order, that's what I think.

And speaking of priorities, she's going to need a name.  I realize that Baby is not the coolest name for a bike, but now that I'm getting a really cool bike, she's going to need a better thought-out name.  I don't know if I should wait until she's here, so that I can look at her and a perfect name will just jump out at me or if I should struggle to think of a good name now so I can welcome her home appropriately.

Bet you didn't realize what silly things I could waste brain space on.

One Decision Made, One Decision to Make

A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action.  If there's no action, you haven't truly decided. -- Tony Robbins

So I made my decision on a bike.  I'm so excited!  I'm getting a Cannondale Slice Women's 3 Ultegra - it's so pretty.  I know, I know, that's not the important thing.  It's all fit, fit, fit...but it does help that it's pretty.  We ordered it via mail, so it will be a while before I get it, but I can hardly wait.  I'm giddy!

(credit - Cannondale website)

Plus it takes a load off my mind to have the decision actually made.  Doing the research, agonizing over the choice - it was a big decision.  But I feel good about the decision I made.  Now I just need to wait.

Now I have another little decision that's making me nuts.  (Have you noticed that I'm not good at decision making?)  There is a big supported ride in town that I've never been able to do because it conflicts with an annual event at my job.  But I'm planning on skipping the work event this year -- just this year -- to do the supported ride.  That's not the decision.  I was planning on the 50-miler, but hubby brought up the possibility of doing the full century.  Now, I haven't trained extensively nor specifically for the full century - but I know I can do it in the time provided (don't want to miss the beer at the finish).  I may be a bit sore for a bit afterwards, but it would be so cool to do.  It sounds like I'm rushing things - but I don't know when or if I'll ever be able to do this event again...so it's attractive to do the full to say I've done it.  I need to decide in the next week or so.  Ugh.