The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. -- Robert Frost
Today was a big training day for me - and fairly successful at that. I started my day (way too early) with a solid OWS effort, followed by a nice long brick -- 2 hours on the bike, followed by a 20 minute run.
The river level has gone down quite a bit since my last OWS fail (and probably even since this past weekend's race) but it's still a river and still has a current. Wednesday OWS practices are buoy practices - the coach sets buoys out in a triangle in the river and we do swim sets around the buoys. Today we swam diagonally up-river to buoy #1, straight down-river to buoy #2, and back diagonally up-river to buoy #3 and the shore. I was able to do multiple loops of this triangle without getting too nervous on the up-river segments...well, at least after the first loop when I realized that, yes - I could actually do this. I wasn't even always the slowest swimmer, which was a bonus.
After cleaning off and dropping the girls at camp, I went for a long brick workout (bike/run) as per my training plan. My body is still pretty tired after Sunday's race, and it felt awful for the first hour of the bike just because I was tired. The second hour of the bike was not enjoyable either as I really needed to "take a comfort break" as a previous boss called it...or just call it like it is - I needed to pee. I am not ready to join the "yellow socks" club - maybe in a race (although probably not), but certainly not in training. The problem is, I was riding loops through an office park. No bathrooms, no public buildings, no traffic, nice shade - I'm sure that's why people like riding there, and I enjoyed riding there too...but sometimes nature calls. Despite this, I didn't want to interrupt my two-hour bike, so I just kept riding. Thankfully I had parked my car near a patch of trees...there was no way I was going to get the run portion in without a little pit stop. After that, smooth sailing. :)
So, I kept my promises, I went my miles, and I even visited the lovely and dark woods...and I can answer the subject line question in the affirmative.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Race Report! (and Training 7/21 - 7/27)
I listened, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill, the music in my heart I bore, long after it was heard no more. -- William Wordsworth
Yesterday I did the I Love the Tavern Triathlon. It's a sprint distance triathlon with funky distances. The swim was 650 meters, open water and down stream. The bike is somewhere in the neighborhood of 18.8 miles. The run is supposed to be a 5K, but it is partially on trails and a little bit long. The best part of the race, however, is the bike. It is an out and back...culminating with a crazy hill right before the turn-around. It is like a 3% grade or something and it is HARD. People walk up the hill because their bikes are moving so slow they fall over. Seriously - my tri group has pictures from yesterday's race showing all the folks walking up...and I can personally attest to people falling over. I almost got taken out by a woman who fell off her bike due to lack of speed on the hill. Here's the elevation profile for the bike: It doesn't look like much, but believe me, it's a crazy hill.
Bike - 18.85 miles, see elevation profile above
My goal for the bike was to not walk up the hill - and I met that goal. I was huffing and puffing something fierce (and cursing the lack of a granny gear on Freyja) but I dug in and grinded up the hill and am really really proud of myself. It sucked, but it made me feel invincible. Then, of course, after you turn around, you sail right back down that hill - which is also pretty amazing. My Garmin said I hit 38 mph - which was a lot of fun - and I stayed in aero. In fact, I rode most of the race in aero after the first few miles (and up the big hill). Freyja did well for me.
Run - 3.15 miles of mostly trail, a little bit of neighborhood
After coming in on the bike, I felt great. My goal was to run the whole 5K without walking - a rather meager goal, but after the race two weeks ago, I figured that would be a pretty solid effort. That goal I accomplished, and I'm OK with my time - I have done a faster 5K recently, but it wasn't on the trails, etc.
Bottom Line - this race was a win for me. The bike ride and especially the hill were big confidence boosters. The swim was better, although I still have a ways to go. And the run is just a reminder that I am getting better, slowly, and I need to be patient.
And now, for housekeeping matters, last week's training:
Sunday 7/21 - 75 minute swim (Masters)
Monday 7/22 - 65 minute swim (Masters); 25 minutes cycle on trainer (Freyja)
Tuesday 7/23 - 1.33 mile run (acclimating due to altitude, plus long travel day)
Wednesday 7/24 - 5.79 mile run (down the mountain & back up); 25 minute swim (hotel pool)
Thursday 7/25 - 40 minute cycle (spin bike @ hotel)
Friday 7/26 - 25 minute swim (hotel pool); 2 hour hike (up and down the mountain)
Saturday 7/27 - REST day before race (plus post-red eye flight)
Yesterday I did the I Love the Tavern Triathlon. It's a sprint distance triathlon with funky distances. The swim was 650 meters, open water and down stream. The bike is somewhere in the neighborhood of 18.8 miles. The run is supposed to be a 5K, but it is partially on trails and a little bit long. The best part of the race, however, is the bike. It is an out and back...culminating with a crazy hill right before the turn-around. It is like a 3% grade or something and it is HARD. People walk up the hill because their bikes are moving so slow they fall over. Seriously - my tri group has pictures from yesterday's race showing all the folks walking up...and I can personally attest to people falling over. I almost got taken out by a woman who fell off her bike due to lack of speed on the hill. Here's the elevation profile for the bike: It doesn't look like much, but believe me, it's a crazy hill.
Swim - 650 meters, open water start, downstream
Here I am finishing up my swim. I look like an elf, according to my daughters. Something about swim caps and pointy ears. Anyway, I wished I would have swum faster, but I didn't have a panic attack, I didn't roll over on my back, and I didn't grab a kayak. I had one problem when some chic swam over me...and I almost swam into a tree branch (deterred by a paddle boarder, thankfully). All in all, I will chalk the swim up as a success.
The big bummer about being in the last swim wave and being slow in the water is that transition is nearly empty when you get there. :( On the other hand, I didn't need to worry about people getting in my way. And then off to the bike.
Bike - 18.85 miles, see elevation profile above
Heading out on the bike
Heading in on the bike
My goal for the bike was to not walk up the hill - and I met that goal. I was huffing and puffing something fierce (and cursing the lack of a granny gear on Freyja) but I dug in and grinded up the hill and am really really proud of myself. It sucked, but it made me feel invincible. Then, of course, after you turn around, you sail right back down that hill - which is also pretty amazing. My Garmin said I hit 38 mph - which was a lot of fun - and I stayed in aero. In fact, I rode most of the race in aero after the first few miles (and up the big hill). Freyja did well for me.
Run - 3.15 miles of mostly trail, a little bit of neighborhood
After coming in on the bike, I felt great. My goal was to run the whole 5K without walking - a rather meager goal, but after the race two weeks ago, I figured that would be a pretty solid effort. That goal I accomplished, and I'm OK with my time - I have done a faster 5K recently, but it wasn't on the trails, etc.
Bottom Line - this race was a win for me. The bike ride and especially the hill were big confidence boosters. The swim was better, although I still have a ways to go. And the run is just a reminder that I am getting better, slowly, and I need to be patient.
And now, for housekeeping matters, last week's training:
Sunday 7/21 - 75 minute swim (Masters)
Monday 7/22 - 65 minute swim (Masters); 25 minutes cycle on trainer (Freyja)
Tuesday 7/23 - 1.33 mile run (acclimating due to altitude, plus long travel day)
Wednesday 7/24 - 5.79 mile run (down the mountain & back up); 25 minute swim (hotel pool)
Thursday 7/25 - 40 minute cycle (spin bike @ hotel)
Friday 7/26 - 25 minute swim (hotel pool); 2 hour hike (up and down the mountain)
Saturday 7/27 - REST day before race (plus post-red eye flight)
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Mile High Running High
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. -- Zig Ziglar
This week I'm in Colorado. I'm going to have to amend the above quote - my altitude has definitely affected my attitude (and aptitude...at least on the way down). Yesterday I had a great run, despite the fact that I am not really acclimated to the altitude at all. I ran nearly 3 miles down the mountain from my hotel to the town below, and then ran/walked/hiked back up to the hotel. The way down was a blast! I was super fast! Zoom! But the way up was great too. Yeah, it took me a lot longer to go up than to go down, but I was pretty proud of myself. Complete and total running high all of yesterday. Unfortunately, today my quads are telling me that wasn't as fun as it seemed at the time, but still. Having a great run when I'm travelling is the best part.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Training 7/14-7/21...and Tired
I wasn't losing my focus but I was getting tired of focusing. What I was focusing on was becoming too routine, too ritual, not something that was interesting, new and exciting -- Picabo Street
This week I am tired. Just plain old tired. I don't know if it's because I'm sick or in the doldrums or what, but I've had a tough time waking up this week - problematic when it's a hundred degrees out and you want to get your workouts in early. I don't think it's an overtraining issue, but I guess it could be a focus issue.
That being said, I have a trip coming up that should be refreshing...even though it's a cross-country trip and will require a little effort to get my workouts in while I'm gone. I'm going to Colorado for a few days and staying at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek - schwanky, no? It's for work - don't think I'm so fancy. The good news is they have a decent sized pool that opens early, so I should be able to get swim and run workouts in, and probably even bike workouts if I use their cardio equipment. Plus training in new environs may be a bit interesting, new, and exciting - just enough to break me out of my tiredness rut.
Oh, and on the plus side - I did a practice swim for my sprint tri next weekend and the OWS went well. No panic attacks in the open water. To be fair, it was all downstream, but it still was swimming in open water with no personal paddle-boarder to rely on.
So, training for last week was pretty solid, even if I was sick and tired:
Sunday 7/14 - RACE (see report here)
Monday 7/15 - 75 minute swim (Masters)
Tuesday 7/16 - REST
Wednesday 7/17 - 38 minute swim (Masters - left early due to coughing)
Thursday 7/18 - 7.76 mile run
Friday 7/19 - 18 minute OWS (success - at least on the downstream); 45 minute cycle (indoors)
Saturday 7/20 - 2:07 cycle (32.32 miles) - hilly & in the heat of the day for acclimation
This week I am tired. Just plain old tired. I don't know if it's because I'm sick or in the doldrums or what, but I've had a tough time waking up this week - problematic when it's a hundred degrees out and you want to get your workouts in early. I don't think it's an overtraining issue, but I guess it could be a focus issue.
That being said, I have a trip coming up that should be refreshing...even though it's a cross-country trip and will require a little effort to get my workouts in while I'm gone. I'm going to Colorado for a few days and staying at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek - schwanky, no? It's for work - don't think I'm so fancy. The good news is they have a decent sized pool that opens early, so I should be able to get swim and run workouts in, and probably even bike workouts if I use their cardio equipment. Plus training in new environs may be a bit interesting, new, and exciting - just enough to break me out of my tiredness rut.
Oh, and on the plus side - I did a practice swim for my sprint tri next weekend and the OWS went well. No panic attacks in the open water. To be fair, it was all downstream, but it still was swimming in open water with no personal paddle-boarder to rely on.
So, training for last week was pretty solid, even if I was sick and tired:
Sunday 7/14 - RACE (see report here)
Monday 7/15 - 75 minute swim (Masters)
Tuesday 7/16 - REST
Wednesday 7/17 - 38 minute swim (Masters - left early due to coughing)
Thursday 7/18 - 7.76 mile run
Friday 7/19 - 18 minute OWS (success - at least on the downstream); 45 minute cycle (indoors)
Saturday 7/20 - 2:07 cycle (32.32 miles) - hilly & in the heat of the day for acclimation
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Achoo
Pressure and stress is the common cold of the psyche. -- Andrew Denton
Before the race this past weekend, I had a sore throat. Hubby was convinced it was stress, between the race and a work deadline I had on Friday. And then the race was stressful, as you well know. Not surprisingly, my cold didn't get any better. I didn't feel horrible on Monday, but Tuesday was icky and Wednesday morning I had to quit Masters early because I was hacking up phlegm balls. Gross - I know.
After getting a good night's sleep last night, I'm feeling much better (albeit tired - but that could be because I got up early to run this morning before the heat). Anyway, I need to figure out how to not get sick because it's a real drag on my training. Sleep, less stress - yeah - I'd love to...I'm gearing up for the last 50 days before the race - I need to be strong and get the most out of these workouts. I can't be sick - whether it is my psyche or my lungs.
In less whiny news, a husband who went to watch his wife do a HIM recently wrote a really funny article about how he spent his time - read it HERE. I can only imagine how much it will suck if my family gets to come see my HIM in September, although hopefully they will take lessons from this guy.
Before the race this past weekend, I had a sore throat. Hubby was convinced it was stress, between the race and a work deadline I had on Friday. And then the race was stressful, as you well know. Not surprisingly, my cold didn't get any better. I didn't feel horrible on Monday, but Tuesday was icky and Wednesday morning I had to quit Masters early because I was hacking up phlegm balls. Gross - I know.
After getting a good night's sleep last night, I'm feeling much better (albeit tired - but that could be because I got up early to run this morning before the heat). Anyway, I need to figure out how to not get sick because it's a real drag on my training. Sleep, less stress - yeah - I'd love to...I'm gearing up for the last 50 days before the race - I need to be strong and get the most out of these workouts. I can't be sick - whether it is my psyche or my lungs.
In less whiny news, a husband who went to watch his wife do a HIM recently wrote a really funny article about how he spent his time - read it HERE. I can only imagine how much it will suck if my family gets to come see my HIM in September, although hopefully they will take lessons from this guy.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
A New Point of View
I'm hard on myself, so I'm working on shifting perspective toward self-acceptance, with all my flaws and weaknesses. -- Gwyneth Paltrow
In general, I think Gwyneth Paltrow is a complete lunatic, but with respect to the quote above, I think she's probably spot-on.
Yesterday's pity party showed a complete lack of perspective on my part. Even though my husband had been trying to cheer me up since the race ended, it took confirmation from my swim coach last night to drive it into my thick skull.
You know what, I had a really hard race and I FINISHED it. Isn't that the perspective I should have? Accept what I did well and avoid focusing on the weakness and flaws from the race, as big as they may feel. Here's the picture that I should keep in my mind, not the evil little blow-up man. It's the finish line. That I crossed. No matter how long it took me. I should be proud of that. And I am.
And I am ready to keep training hard and kick butt next time. Watch out, evil little blow-up man!
In general, I think Gwyneth Paltrow is a complete lunatic, but with respect to the quote above, I think she's probably spot-on.
Yesterday's pity party showed a complete lack of perspective on my part. Even though my husband had been trying to cheer me up since the race ended, it took confirmation from my swim coach last night to drive it into my thick skull.
You know what, I had a really hard race and I FINISHED it. Isn't that the perspective I should have? Accept what I did well and avoid focusing on the weakness and flaws from the race, as big as they may feel. Here's the picture that I should keep in my mind, not the evil little blow-up man. It's the finish line. That I crossed. No matter how long it took me. I should be proud of that. And I am.
And I am ready to keep training hard and kick butt next time. Watch out, evil little blow-up man!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Post-Race Rundown (or Meltdown?)
Finishing races is important but racing is more important. -- Dale Earnhardt
So my stated goal for Sunday's race was to finish. I'd never actually finished an Olympic distance triathlon before -- one was turned into a duathlon due to scary water conditions and the other I DNF'd. Well, on that measure, I met my goal. I finished Sunday's Oly race - I have now officially completed that distance. I guess I should be happy, but instead I'm feeling kind of low about the whole situation, mostly because in my head, I was secretly hoping I would do better. Y'know how you have public goals and secret goals? Well, I totally blew my secret goal and my public goal was a pretty low threshold, so it's hard to be happy right now.
What happened? This:
This stupid blow-up man is my nemesis. My enemy. There are not enough words in the thesaurus to name him because it took me 77 minutes to get to him. Yes, my friends, it took me 77 minutes on the 1500m swim portion of Sunday's tri - longer than it took me to run 6.2 miles. Nearly as long as it took me to bike 24.8 miles. And the swim portion is supposed to be the short leg. I hate that blowup man.
The water was rough, the tide was high, the current was strong, and I had a panic attack. I got way off course before the first buoy (swimming diagonal across the tide) and just had a major freak out. Thankfully a great paddle boarder, named Hannah, came and let me rest for a bit and talked me off the shelf. Then, since all the other waves had gone through behind me, she stayed with me for the rest of the race. I'm pretty sure she was the main reason I didn't quit. I took a few more breaks as I got panicked. I was able to swim the whole thing - with the rest breaks - but it was hard. Really hard. The long stretch of the swim was against the current and I felt like I wasn't making any progress. The buoys weren't getting closer and the waves were making me sea sick. I tried to flip over and back stroke a few times, but I ended up going so far off course that we decided that wasn't a good option. I just needed to suck it up and keep swimming. The problem was, after all that time, I was not in good shape to finish the rest of the race -- mentally or otherwise. In fact, I was so convinced that I had missed the swim cut-off that I was completely shocked when hubby yelled out 77 minutes and the race director urged me to "pick up some time on the bike." I wanted to finish the race, so I kept going, but my mind was not in a good place.
Positive notes about the swim: I can stay in the water 77 minutes without turning into a raisin or freaking out because I can't touch the bottom. I'm not really afraid anymore when fish or other slimy things brush against me.
Negative notes about the swim: Currents are still hard for me. And I still need to get my mind right about swimming.
When I finally got on the bike, I was a mess. It took me a good 5 miles to get back into the race, but after that, I think my bike ride went very well - averaged 16.66 mph over a hilly course and was able to do well shifting Freyja, although I spent less time in aero than I would have liked. Between the hills, my shoulders being sore, and my mind being a mess, I was upright too much. I think that with a better swim, I could have easily gone over 17, maybe even closer to 18. That's a highlight in an otherwise crappy race.
And then the run. I knew setting out on the run that 1) it was hotter than hell and 2) I was cutting the time limits close. Unfortunately, the first item took hold of my mind rather than the second, although noone wants to end up in the med tent, so probably of the two, I picked the right one. After I got about a mile into the run, I was seeing all sorts of people -- very fit, and clearly fast, people -- walking the death march back into the finish line (it was an out-and-back). I figured if they were hurting from the heat I was probably going to be in bad shape with it. And so I set my watch to 2:1 (run 2, walk 1) and did the rest of the run that way. Was it fast? Not a chance. Did it keep me moving? You betcha. Did it keep me out of the med tent? Probably - and to be honest, I was so mentally down by that time, it may have actually helped me to finish, knowing that the watch would just keep telling me when to go and when to stop. If I had to figure it out myself, I may have just stopped. Period.
So what needs to happen next? I need to keep training. It was important for me to do this race and to learn from it -- probably even more important than it was for me to finish it. I have just under 2 months until the HIM and I will succeed.
So my stated goal for Sunday's race was to finish. I'd never actually finished an Olympic distance triathlon before -- one was turned into a duathlon due to scary water conditions and the other I DNF'd. Well, on that measure, I met my goal. I finished Sunday's Oly race - I have now officially completed that distance. I guess I should be happy, but instead I'm feeling kind of low about the whole situation, mostly because in my head, I was secretly hoping I would do better. Y'know how you have public goals and secret goals? Well, I totally blew my secret goal and my public goal was a pretty low threshold, so it's hard to be happy right now.
What happened? This:
This stupid blow-up man is my nemesis. My enemy. There are not enough words in the thesaurus to name him because it took me 77 minutes to get to him. Yes, my friends, it took me 77 minutes on the 1500m swim portion of Sunday's tri - longer than it took me to run 6.2 miles. Nearly as long as it took me to bike 24.8 miles. And the swim portion is supposed to be the short leg. I hate that blowup man.
The water was rough, the tide was high, the current was strong, and I had a panic attack. I got way off course before the first buoy (swimming diagonal across the tide) and just had a major freak out. Thankfully a great paddle boarder, named Hannah, came and let me rest for a bit and talked me off the shelf. Then, since all the other waves had gone through behind me, she stayed with me for the rest of the race. I'm pretty sure she was the main reason I didn't quit. I took a few more breaks as I got panicked. I was able to swim the whole thing - with the rest breaks - but it was hard. Really hard. The long stretch of the swim was against the current and I felt like I wasn't making any progress. The buoys weren't getting closer and the waves were making me sea sick. I tried to flip over and back stroke a few times, but I ended up going so far off course that we decided that wasn't a good option. I just needed to suck it up and keep swimming. The problem was, after all that time, I was not in good shape to finish the rest of the race -- mentally or otherwise. In fact, I was so convinced that I had missed the swim cut-off that I was completely shocked when hubby yelled out 77 minutes and the race director urged me to "pick up some time on the bike." I wanted to finish the race, so I kept going, but my mind was not in a good place.
Positive notes about the swim: I can stay in the water 77 minutes without turning into a raisin or freaking out because I can't touch the bottom. I'm not really afraid anymore when fish or other slimy things brush against me.
Negative notes about the swim: Currents are still hard for me. And I still need to get my mind right about swimming.
When I finally got on the bike, I was a mess. It took me a good 5 miles to get back into the race, but after that, I think my bike ride went very well - averaged 16.66 mph over a hilly course and was able to do well shifting Freyja, although I spent less time in aero than I would have liked. Between the hills, my shoulders being sore, and my mind being a mess, I was upright too much. I think that with a better swim, I could have easily gone over 17, maybe even closer to 18. That's a highlight in an otherwise crappy race.
And then the run. I knew setting out on the run that 1) it was hotter than hell and 2) I was cutting the time limits close. Unfortunately, the first item took hold of my mind rather than the second, although noone wants to end up in the med tent, so probably of the two, I picked the right one. After I got about a mile into the run, I was seeing all sorts of people -- very fit, and clearly fast, people -- walking the death march back into the finish line (it was an out-and-back). I figured if they were hurting from the heat I was probably going to be in bad shape with it. And so I set my watch to 2:1 (run 2, walk 1) and did the rest of the run that way. Was it fast? Not a chance. Did it keep me moving? You betcha. Did it keep me out of the med tent? Probably - and to be honest, I was so mentally down by that time, it may have actually helped me to finish, knowing that the watch would just keep telling me when to go and when to stop. If I had to figure it out myself, I may have just stopped. Period.
So what needs to happen next? I need to keep training. It was important for me to do this race and to learn from it -- probably even more important than it was for me to finish it. I have just under 2 months until the HIM and I will succeed.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Training 7/7 - 7/13 . . . and Making Peace with the Water
In struggling against anguish one never produces serenity; the struggle against anguish only produces new forms of anguish. -- Simone Weil
The river has been rising again - the rain this summer has been out of hand. I had solid swims at Masters on Monday and Wednesday, but I was dreading Friday's OWS. If I had a bad swim in the current, I would probably be too mental for this weekend's race. I kept hoping and praying they would cancel the swim due to high river levels. I worked myself into a tizzy about it nearly...helped along by a work deadline that also got me all stressed out. I knew another OWS experience would be good, but I also knew that a failure -- y'know, when I fly backwards down the river in the current? -- would be the worst possible thing before Sunday. Major mental struggles and nothing had even happened yet.
And then the best thing ever occurred - the OWS got moved to a lake. No current. I got myself in the right frame of mind, and last night I had the best OWS swim I've ever had. It is a great way to into this weekend.
One of the things I finally was able to experience was the peace of actually swimming versus struggling. Going with the flow makes swimming so much better. Serenity, not struggling, is what I need for tomorrow's race.
Speaking of going into tomorrow's race, this week was a recovery week on my HIM plan, so it kind of worked out like a mini-taper. Sweet! Here are the numbers:
Sunday 7/7 - BRICK (2:23 bike (outside on Baby, 36 miles) followed by 2.63 mile run)
Monday 7/8 - 65 minute swim (Masters)
Tuesday 7/9 - 2.64 mile run, 45 minute bike (outside on Freyja)
Wednesday 7/10 - 60 minute swim (Masters)
Thursday 7/11 - 3.02 mile run
Friday 7/12 - 45 minute OWS (success! serenity!)
Saturday 7/13 - REST for race...maybe a few miles on the bike just to stretch out later
The river has been rising again - the rain this summer has been out of hand. I had solid swims at Masters on Monday and Wednesday, but I was dreading Friday's OWS. If I had a bad swim in the current, I would probably be too mental for this weekend's race. I kept hoping and praying they would cancel the swim due to high river levels. I worked myself into a tizzy about it nearly...helped along by a work deadline that also got me all stressed out. I knew another OWS experience would be good, but I also knew that a failure -- y'know, when I fly backwards down the river in the current? -- would be the worst possible thing before Sunday. Major mental struggles and nothing had even happened yet.
And then the best thing ever occurred - the OWS got moved to a lake. No current. I got myself in the right frame of mind, and last night I had the best OWS swim I've ever had. It is a great way to into this weekend.
One of the things I finally was able to experience was the peace of actually swimming versus struggling. Going with the flow makes swimming so much better. Serenity, not struggling, is what I need for tomorrow's race.
Speaking of going into tomorrow's race, this week was a recovery week on my HIM plan, so it kind of worked out like a mini-taper. Sweet! Here are the numbers:
Sunday 7/7 - BRICK (2:23 bike (outside on Baby, 36 miles) followed by 2.63 mile run)
Monday 7/8 - 65 minute swim (Masters)
Tuesday 7/9 - 2.64 mile run, 45 minute bike (outside on Freyja)
Wednesday 7/10 - 60 minute swim (Masters)
Thursday 7/11 - 3.02 mile run
Friday 7/12 - 45 minute OWS (success! serenity!)
Saturday 7/13 - REST for race...maybe a few miles on the bike just to stretch out later
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
A Funny Source of Inspiration
Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. -- Brad Henry
Yesterday my daughter did her first bike race. She's 8, riding her sister's mountain bike, and has been part of Endorphin Fitness, a youth tri-training group, for about four weeks. It was a stretch, but we figured it would be worth a shot...why not? Sounded like fun.
We showed up, got her signed in...strange, in bike races you wear your numbers sideways on your flank. I think I like tri-numbering better. Just write it on me so I don't have to worry about it, until the run at least.
It was a two-lap course, about 0.8 miles per lap. There were only 3 girls in her age division (7-10), but a fair number of boys. Here's a picture from the starting line.
Poor thing - the start line was the last time she was ever that close to the leaders...or even most of the riders. In fact, she came in last. Dead last. Of all the kids in her group, even the younger ones. By a not-insignificant margin. Bless her little heart.
But that's not the real point of this story. The point is how inspired I feel by her. She gutted it out. She knew how far behind she was and she kept at it. The sag riders worked with her to help her figure out better ways to gear the rolling course - she learned something from them and she learned something from herself. She can do this. And I learned something - if she can gut it out, SO CAN I. I can't be discouraged or feel sorry for myself if I fall to the back of the pack. It will happen. But I just need to keep moving and finish. I can feel a little crappy for myself after the race -- she did. But then she said, "that was fun. Next time I'm going to try to beat someone." She didn't let it ruin her evening. In fact, by the end of the night, she was trying to figure out when she'd be old enough to get a kid's pass to train at the YMCA in the off-season.
I love this kid. She is part of my family that I draw great inspiration from. And with that, I shall not falter. (But even if I do, they'll be there to give me a hug.)
Yesterday my daughter did her first bike race. She's 8, riding her sister's mountain bike, and has been part of Endorphin Fitness, a youth tri-training group, for about four weeks. It was a stretch, but we figured it would be worth a shot...why not? Sounded like fun.
We showed up, got her signed in...strange, in bike races you wear your numbers sideways on your flank. I think I like tri-numbering better. Just write it on me so I don't have to worry about it, until the run at least.
It was a two-lap course, about 0.8 miles per lap. There were only 3 girls in her age division (7-10), but a fair number of boys. Here's a picture from the starting line.
Poor thing - the start line was the last time she was ever that close to the leaders...or even most of the riders. In fact, she came in last. Dead last. Of all the kids in her group, even the younger ones. By a not-insignificant margin. Bless her little heart.
But that's not the real point of this story. The point is how inspired I feel by her. She gutted it out. She knew how far behind she was and she kept at it. The sag riders worked with her to help her figure out better ways to gear the rolling course - she learned something from them and she learned something from herself. She can do this. And I learned something - if she can gut it out, SO CAN I. I can't be discouraged or feel sorry for myself if I fall to the back of the pack. It will happen. But I just need to keep moving and finish. I can feel a little crappy for myself after the race -- she did. But then she said, "that was fun. Next time I'm going to try to beat someone." She didn't let it ruin her evening. In fact, by the end of the night, she was trying to figure out when she'd be old enough to get a kid's pass to train at the YMCA in the off-season.
I love this kid. She is part of my family that I draw great inspiration from. And with that, I shall not falter. (But even if I do, they'll be there to give me a hug.)
Monday, July 8, 2013
Training 6/30 - 7/6 . . . and I'm Getting Too Old for This
I feel sorry for the '90s, because it was never able to be anything much more than the hangover to the party that was the '80s. -- Simon LeBon
I've been working from home a lot these past two weeks as the kids have been home from camps - thank goodness camps start again this week, I might get something done! Anyway, working at home means I get to listen to the music channels through cable, especially alternative music from the 80s and early 90s. OK, so I listen to Pandora or Spotify at work, but the music channels at home crack me up - they have all the little info bits about the music, kind of like VH1's Pop-Up Videos...which they have apparently revived. In fact, my daughter is reading me tidbits about Pet Shop Boys right now - like I didn't know all this stuff already. The unfortunate thing is that the channel I like is "Classic Alternative." Classic - like "classic rock" - like you're getting old.
And this week, I realized that yes - I am getting too old. Not too old for triathlons, but to act like a college kid and still train for triathlons. On the Fourth, we went to the baseball game & fireworks...and had beer, brats, and chili cheese fries and more beer -- although the chili cheese fries did not become an option until I had already had too much beer to make intelligent food choices. You can imagine how much I felt like training on July 5. In fact, I kind of felt like dying a little bit. Hangovers and training do NOT mix. Masters swimming on Friday at 6 am? Yeah, pfft. I did manage to pull it together to do a little OWS practice with the fam and another triathlon friend at the beach later in the morning. But the 6 am thing? Did. Not. Happen.
Then my Dad came into town for the weekend and Saturday my daughter did a kids' aquathlon, or swim-run race, called Splash & Dash. So between that little beer stupidity and a busy Saturday, my training wasn't stellar this week, although I had a kick-butt brick (bike, followed immediately by a run) yesterday - but that's next week's training story.
Sunday 6/30 - 75 minute swim (Masters)
Monday 7/1 - 75 minute swim (Masters), 60 minute bike (trainer ride on Freyja)
Tuesday 7/2 - 4.28 mile run, 38 minute bike (outside on Freyja, practicing hills & corners)
Wednesday 7/3 - OWS fail (more on this later)
Thursday 7/4 - 115 minute bike on Baby (30.18 miles)
Friday 7/5 - UGH...plus a 20 minute OWS at Lake Anna State Park - it went OK, kind of, a little
Saturday 7/6 - REST (daughter's aquathlon plus visit with my Dad)
I've been working from home a lot these past two weeks as the kids have been home from camps - thank goodness camps start again this week, I might get something done! Anyway, working at home means I get to listen to the music channels through cable, especially alternative music from the 80s and early 90s. OK, so I listen to Pandora or Spotify at work, but the music channels at home crack me up - they have all the little info bits about the music, kind of like VH1's Pop-Up Videos...which they have apparently revived. In fact, my daughter is reading me tidbits about Pet Shop Boys right now - like I didn't know all this stuff already. The unfortunate thing is that the channel I like is "Classic Alternative." Classic - like "classic rock" - like you're getting old.
And this week, I realized that yes - I am getting too old. Not too old for triathlons, but to act like a college kid and still train for triathlons. On the Fourth, we went to the baseball game & fireworks...and had beer, brats, and chili cheese fries and more beer -- although the chili cheese fries did not become an option until I had already had too much beer to make intelligent food choices. You can imagine how much I felt like training on July 5. In fact, I kind of felt like dying a little bit. Hangovers and training do NOT mix. Masters swimming on Friday at 6 am? Yeah, pfft. I did manage to pull it together to do a little OWS practice with the fam and another triathlon friend at the beach later in the morning. But the 6 am thing? Did. Not. Happen.
Then my Dad came into town for the weekend and Saturday my daughter did a kids' aquathlon, or swim-run race, called Splash & Dash. So between that little beer stupidity and a busy Saturday, my training wasn't stellar this week, although I had a kick-butt brick (bike, followed immediately by a run) yesterday - but that's next week's training story.
Sunday 6/30 - 75 minute swim (Masters)
Monday 7/1 - 75 minute swim (Masters), 60 minute bike (trainer ride on Freyja)
Tuesday 7/2 - 4.28 mile run, 38 minute bike (outside on Freyja, practicing hills & corners)
Wednesday 7/3 - OWS fail (more on this later)
Thursday 7/4 - 115 minute bike on Baby (30.18 miles)
Friday 7/5 - UGH...plus a 20 minute OWS at Lake Anna State Park - it went OK, kind of, a little
Saturday 7/6 - REST (daughter's aquathlon plus visit with my Dad)
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Dress for Success
I try to give the appearance that I have it all together and that I know what I'm talking about, but at the end of the day, I think I might be full of crap. -- Laura Benanti
My other purchase for this week was a set of fins and a pull buoy. I guess I might start looking like a swimmer at some point. Yikes. Who ever would have thought that could happen? I still need a set of hand paddles, but the store was out of my size. I've also been to Masters religiously since I started going last Monday. I'm slow, but my stamina is getting better and I'm less uncomfortable about swimming with other "swimmers." You know - people who look like swimmers...those other people at Masters.
Even though I have the gear to look like a serious triathlete/swimmer, I still harbor a little thought that mostly I don't know crap. But at least I look cool while I'm doing it.
You know how they always say "dress for success" or "dress for the position you want, not the position you have" -- even if you don't know, just humor me. Well this week I started to look like a serious triathlete. (Which is slightly easier than me looking like Shakira...) I now have an aero-drink system for my bike. It sits between the aero bars so I can remain hunched over and still hydrate while I'm riding. Also, the straw in my face is supposed to remind me that I need to keep drinking. I took it out on the road today and it wasn't too bad. I need to get used to it, but I did find that I drank regularly and I could stay in position.
Even though I have the gear to look like a serious triathlete/swimmer, I still harbor a little thought that mostly I don't know crap. But at least I look cool while I'm doing it.
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