Ah yes, a local evening race that serves pizza & ice cream at the finish line. What's not to love about that?!?!
Husband & I both ran the 10K and it was a first for both of us. I had planned a 10K in January, but it was cut short due to over a foot of snow.
I wasn't sure what I could pull off today, and was hoping to come in under my 10K time from the Oly back in May. Sure, that was at the end of a triathlon, but it was also at a much lower altitude and I felt strong on the run. I figured it was a reasonable trade-off and made for a good goal. My time there was about 01:08:00.
How did it play out tonight? I started off strong, but somewhere right after mile 2, I started struggling. Can't pinpoint what went wrong, but I faded fast and didn't feel strong at all.
I don't have precise splits, but it broke down to something like this: 9:30, 10:00, 11:00, 11:00, 11:30, 11:00, 2:00 adding up to about 01:06:00.
Despite feeling pretty cruddy after mile 2, I did come in under my time goal. And since it was my first 10K, I'm counting it as a PR. WooooHooooo. And of course, there was that ice cream and pizza at the finish line. All in all, a nice evening.
P.S. Thx for comments on my last post about wheelsets. I have so much to think about...
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Wheelsets
For some reason, I have it in my head that I need new wheels. Something other than the Alexrim DA22 that came stock on my bike.
I really don't know much about wheels or what all is involved in replacing them or how long they should last or anything. Yet, I think I need new ones. Mostly I'm guessing the stock wheels that came on a bike that cost me $650 probably aren't doing anything to help my speed. I admit, I am a little confused by all the bicycle technical mumbo jumbo and am over my head on this one.
But that didn't stop me from doing some research. And the Spinergy XAerolite caught my eye.
So...
Would you consider this a reasonable upgrade/investment from what I have?
Can I move my cogset from my old wheels over or do I need to replace that also?
What should I know or think about that I don't know or haven't thought about before I even consider this?
Thanks in advance and have a fun weekend!!
I really don't know much about wheels or what all is involved in replacing them or how long they should last or anything. Yet, I think I need new ones. Mostly I'm guessing the stock wheels that came on a bike that cost me $650 probably aren't doing anything to help my speed. I admit, I am a little confused by all the bicycle technical mumbo jumbo and am over my head on this one.
But that didn't stop me from doing some research. And the Spinergy XAerolite caught my eye.
So...
Would you consider this a reasonable upgrade/investment from what I have?
Can I move my cogset from my old wheels over or do I need to replace that also?
What should I know or think about that I don't know or haven't thought about before I even consider this?
Thanks in advance and have a fun weekend!!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Mid-week Misc.
Is it just me or is it TOO HOT?!?! It was still 91deg at 9pm when I picked Son up from HS Band practice. That is crazy. I don't even wanna know what temp it was when I was riding home from work today. Luckily our cooler is working and since most of our house has adobe exterior walls, it's well insulated. And that certainly gives me incentive to stay INDOORS. Blowing off planned running left and right, though...
What ever happened to the ice cream man? I want one of those orange push pops right about now. Doesn't that sound good? Mmmmmmm. When I was a kid, I could count on the ice cream man coming by on a hot afternoon, but now the ice cream man never comes by my house. :(
Made a deal with Daughter. She'll continue to give me pedicures if I pay her for it. It's a win-win. She'll accept $3 for a half hour of work, does a nice job, and I don't have to drive anywhere or pay too much. She had been doing it for free before, but I guess it's only fair to pay for it. It's not like I can (in good faith) assign that to her as a chore. LOL.
Operation Aquarium is still going okay. All the fish are still alive. Water parameters look okay. Family interest and participation is still moderate. Moods are generally positive.
Sleep/mood journal is proving to be interesting.
Husband IM'd me telling me he's on his way to the airport to come home.
Life is good. :)
What ever happened to the ice cream man? I want one of those orange push pops right about now. Doesn't that sound good? Mmmmmmm. When I was a kid, I could count on the ice cream man coming by on a hot afternoon, but now the ice cream man never comes by my house. :(
Made a deal with Daughter. She'll continue to give me pedicures if I pay her for it. It's a win-win. She'll accept $3 for a half hour of work, does a nice job, and I don't have to drive anywhere or pay too much. She had been doing it for free before, but I guess it's only fair to pay for it. It's not like I can (in good faith) assign that to her as a chore. LOL.
Operation Aquarium is still going okay. All the fish are still alive. Water parameters look okay. Family interest and participation is still moderate. Moods are generally positive.
Sleep/mood journal is proving to be interesting.
Husband IM'd me telling me he's on his way to the airport to come home.
Life is good. :)
Monday, June 18, 2007
Let's pretend...
Let's pretend that after a race, you decide to take the little pump off your bike and put it into the race bag for safe keeping.
And this is also where your bigger frame pump was during the trip to the race (the one you normally carry in your backpack when commuting.
And just for fun, pretend that you decide to commute by bike to work on Monday, without remembering to put either pump back to its rightful location.
In your pretend world, let this be the first day commuting that a flat is encountered.
And by the kindness of a colleague you are able to get a ride home. Only to try to fix the flat while wearing white pants for some reason.
Let's pretend this happens on the same day you get a call from the Doctor telling you that your bloodwork is great and nothing obvious is wrong.
And the doctor suggests that maybe you aren't sleeping as well as you think you are, or maybe you are depressed.
And suggests that you start keeping a journal for the next week, keeping track at various points of the day how you are feeling. What is your mood, energy level, etc.
What might your first entry be? Just pretending of course...
And this is also where your bigger frame pump was during the trip to the race (the one you normally carry in your backpack when commuting.
And just for fun, pretend that you decide to commute by bike to work on Monday, without remembering to put either pump back to its rightful location.
In your pretend world, let this be the first day commuting that a flat is encountered.
And by the kindness of a colleague you are able to get a ride home. Only to try to fix the flat while wearing white pants for some reason.
Let's pretend this happens on the same day you get a call from the Doctor telling you that your bloodwork is great and nothing obvious is wrong.
And the doctor suggests that maybe you aren't sleeping as well as you think you are, or maybe you are depressed.
And suggests that you start keeping a journal for the next week, keeping track at various points of the day how you are feeling. What is your mood, energy level, etc.
What might your first entry be? Just pretending of course...
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Long Version
This morning I was fortunate enough to have been able to race in the Adventure Gallup Triathlon. If you've followed along, I signed up for the race only 4 days in advance and almost didn't make it due to some personal logistical issues.
It's only a sprint, but the race venue is at 6600 ft above sea level. That's high altitude even to us folks who already live a mile above sea level. Also, there are hills-a-plenty on the bike and the-hill-that-would-not-end on the run.
Yikes!! What had I gotten myself into?!?!
My friend (same one that went to Lubbock with me) and I arrived in Gallup at 6:45pm or so on Friday night. My daughter came along. We checked into the hotel, picked up race packets, drove the bike and run course, had a bite to eat, then back to the hotel for sleep.
First impressions as we drived the course: Um....that bike course is really hilly. And there is road construction debris everywhere. Where are we supposed to ride?!?! And what is up with the hill on the run?
Morning came quickly and we were off. Daughter thought about coming along to cheer us on and take photos, but when we were ready to leave at 5:30am, she opted for more sleep. Can't say that I blame her.
Racked my bike, and was greeted by Misty; I had racked right next to her. It was nice to see a familiar face. :)
Checked out the pool. It was to be a 375 pool swim. Up and back in each lane, then over serpentine style, working our way to the exit. They seeded us by estimated swim time. I had submitted 8:40 as my conservative estimate. After the past few swims, conservative seemed the way to go.
I was really nervous and the event was postponed 30mins or so as they waited for EMS to arrive. Finally the first swimmers were off. WoooooHooooo.
We were instructed to pass at the wall due to the way we had to navigate the pool. By the middle of the second lane, I was right on the heels of the woman in front of me and had to slow down rather than pass. I passed her at the wall and then just swam my own pace the rest of the way. My swim split including getting out and over the mat was just over 8mins. Yesssssss!!! I think I could even have come in under 8 if I could have passed earlier. But, coming in way under my estimate was enough for me to count it as redeeming myself in the water. Goal 1 accomplished!
T1 was rather uneventful. I think I cleared it in 01:02 or something like that.
Then to the bike. Right off the bat the road was bumpy and uphill and I hadn't gone a half mile before the little yellow poofy think in my aerobottle bounced out. Crud! Stoppped and laid down my bike, ran back to get it, then back off I went. And the bike just got worse after that. Up and up and up and bumpy and rough road and road construction debris and nowhere really to ride comfortably. In my mind, some parts were just plain scary. It was an out and back and at least back was better than out. Finally that was done. Bike split too disgusting to post. But I did manage to stay upright the whole time. We'll count that as a check mark in the Dont Get Hurt category. Another positive...never used my aero bars, but loved the aero bottle (other than the yellow poofy thing bouncing out).
Into T2. Racked bike, took off helmet and sunglasses. Took off bike shoes. Took off right sock. Crud! What am I doing? Put right sock back on. Put on running shoes. Watched rack fall down when someone else came in to rack bike. Grabbed my race belt and hat and took off. T2 time was something like 58 seconds.
First mile was okay, but I think it was slightly downhill. Then we came upon the-hill-that-would-not-end. Second mile, not so good. Got a really nice view for a bit as we started a slight downhill, then across the park, over the river, through the woods to grandmothers house we go...oops, i mean onto the track...and we're done. Run split...33-something. Ouch. My slowest in well over a year. Good think i didn't have a run goal this weekend. :)
This was the first year for this particular event and the race directors did a nice job. I'm really glad it worked out so that I could go. I feel so alive and refreshed when I do these things. There's so more to it than how long it takes to get to the finish line. This is a race I would do again.
It's only a sprint, but the race venue is at 6600 ft above sea level. That's high altitude even to us folks who already live a mile above sea level. Also, there are hills-a-plenty on the bike and the-hill-that-would-not-end on the run.
Yikes!! What had I gotten myself into?!?!
My friend (same one that went to Lubbock with me) and I arrived in Gallup at 6:45pm or so on Friday night. My daughter came along. We checked into the hotel, picked up race packets, drove the bike and run course, had a bite to eat, then back to the hotel for sleep.
First impressions as we drived the course: Um....that bike course is really hilly. And there is road construction debris everywhere. Where are we supposed to ride?!?! And what is up with the hill on the run?
Morning came quickly and we were off. Daughter thought about coming along to cheer us on and take photos, but when we were ready to leave at 5:30am, she opted for more sleep. Can't say that I blame her.
Racked my bike, and was greeted by Misty; I had racked right next to her. It was nice to see a familiar face. :)
Checked out the pool. It was to be a 375 pool swim. Up and back in each lane, then over serpentine style, working our way to the exit. They seeded us by estimated swim time. I had submitted 8:40 as my conservative estimate. After the past few swims, conservative seemed the way to go.
I was really nervous and the event was postponed 30mins or so as they waited for EMS to arrive. Finally the first swimmers were off. WoooooHooooo.
We were instructed to pass at the wall due to the way we had to navigate the pool. By the middle of the second lane, I was right on the heels of the woman in front of me and had to slow down rather than pass. I passed her at the wall and then just swam my own pace the rest of the way. My swim split including getting out and over the mat was just over 8mins. Yesssssss!!! I think I could even have come in under 8 if I could have passed earlier. But, coming in way under my estimate was enough for me to count it as redeeming myself in the water. Goal 1 accomplished!
T1 was rather uneventful. I think I cleared it in 01:02 or something like that.
Then to the bike. Right off the bat the road was bumpy and uphill and I hadn't gone a half mile before the little yellow poofy think in my aerobottle bounced out. Crud! Stoppped and laid down my bike, ran back to get it, then back off I went. And the bike just got worse after that. Up and up and up and bumpy and rough road and road construction debris and nowhere really to ride comfortably. In my mind, some parts were just plain scary. It was an out and back and at least back was better than out. Finally that was done. Bike split too disgusting to post. But I did manage to stay upright the whole time. We'll count that as a check mark in the Dont Get Hurt category. Another positive...never used my aero bars, but loved the aero bottle (other than the yellow poofy thing bouncing out).
Into T2. Racked bike, took off helmet and sunglasses. Took off bike shoes. Took off right sock. Crud! What am I doing? Put right sock back on. Put on running shoes. Watched rack fall down when someone else came in to rack bike. Grabbed my race belt and hat and took off. T2 time was something like 58 seconds.
First mile was okay, but I think it was slightly downhill. Then we came upon the-hill-that-would-not-end. Second mile, not so good. Got a really nice view for a bit as we started a slight downhill, then across the park, over the river, through the woods to grandmothers house we go...oops, i mean onto the track...and we're done. Run split...33-something. Ouch. My slowest in well over a year. Good think i didn't have a run goal this weekend. :)
This was the first year for this particular event and the race directors did a nice job. I'm really glad it worked out so that I could go. I feel so alive and refreshed when I do these things. There's so more to it than how long it takes to get to the finish line. This is a race I would do again.
Short Version
Mission accomplished!
Swam well, had fun, & didn't get hurt.
Long version coming later...
Friday, June 15, 2007
A collection of un-related thoughts
My daughter and I decided to clean up our fish tank and get some new inhabitants for it. I had been thinking of tearing it down and was waiting for the last few fish to die. We ended up going with serpae tetras and put 5 in. If they do well, we'll ad 3 or 4 more so they have a nice schoal to be comfortable in. Now we're researching suitable tank mates for the future. The hidden gem in this story is that we have been getting along GREAT while having the aquarium project to work on together. It's 180deg from last week.
Had my Dr appt yesterday. She listened to my symptons, ordered some blood work, and now I'm waiting for results. I'm not waiting very patiently. I keep hoping the phone will ring, but realistically, it probably won't be until Monday.
I should have added a third goal for my race tomorrow - Don't get hurt. For that matter, I should have made that a goal for today at home. I managed to do a number on my toe trying to move a chair while barefoot and proceeding to drop it on my unprotected foot.
Timed a moderate 400 in the pool this morning, or as it turns out a 450. Looking at my splits, it is apparent that I hit the lap button at 100, 100, 150, & 100. Was happy with my time when I figured out what I had done. I hope to be able to pull off a similar performance tomorrow.
Leaving in about two hours, so I guess I better pack so I'm ready to go when my friend stops by to pick me up.
Have a good weekend everyone!!!
Had my Dr appt yesterday. She listened to my symptons, ordered some blood work, and now I'm waiting for results. I'm not waiting very patiently. I keep hoping the phone will ring, but realistically, it probably won't be until Monday.
I should have added a third goal for my race tomorrow - Don't get hurt. For that matter, I should have made that a goal for today at home. I managed to do a number on my toe trying to move a chair while barefoot and proceeding to drop it on my unprotected foot.
Timed a moderate 400 in the pool this morning, or as it turns out a 450. Looking at my splits, it is apparent that I hit the lap button at 100, 100, 150, & 100. Was happy with my time when I figured out what I had done. I hope to be able to pull off a similar performance tomorrow.
Leaving in about two hours, so I guess I better pack so I'm ready to go when my friend stops by to pick me up.
Have a good weekend everyone!!!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Roller Coaster Ride
Life's just been twisting and turning and sometimes I don't know which way is up.But...I now signed up for the Gallup Sprint Triathlon afterall. YAY!! Looks like a challenging little course at an altitude of 6500 ft above sea level and with some hills on both the bike and run. It's a pool swim, though.
I have only two goals for the race:
1 - Redeem myself in the water - mostly to gain confidence moving foward. I had a terrible time trying to get by all the bodies in the water at Jay Benson. That was immediately followed by freaking out in the lake at Buffman Squeaky, spending more time flailing than swimming. I want *this* swim to be something I'm happy with.
2 - Have fun. I don't want to get all caught up by how much I suck on the bike or how much hills or high altitude suck. It took a lot of planning and negotiating to get me there. I just want to enjoy the experience.
In other news...
I have a Dr appt because I haven't been feeling well lately and I'm convinced something is wrong (thyroid or something like that). More later when I have more info and feel like sharing.
My husband is in China on business. I'm effectively a single parent for the next week. Yikes!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
or not...
Just when I was getting excited, ran into some logistical problems that make going on Saturday just waaaaaaaay to much of a hassle. DRAT!!
Unless something changes in the next 24hrs, I guess that isn't going to happen after all. :(
Unless something changes in the next 24hrs, I guess that isn't going to happen after all. :(
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Plan B?
Not long ago I mentioned that I had nothing on the race calendar this month. Shortly afterward, Husband & I signed up for Cherry Garcia 10K which is now in two weeks. And with a strange turn of events, I find myself able to sign up for the Gallup Sprint Triatlon which is next Saturday. In many ways, it is a stretch for me to sign up for a race with such short notice, but I know my training will get me to the finish line. I have a few logistical details to work out, but I think I'm going for it; I'll know for sure by Monday.
With that in mind, Friday I went for a relatively short pool swim, only 1000M. Today I did a short bike/run brick (8mi/2mi). Tomorrow I'm scheduled for a long run and Husband wants to join me; that should be enjoyable.
With that in mind, Friday I went for a relatively short pool swim, only 1000M. Today I did a short bike/run brick (8mi/2mi). Tomorrow I'm scheduled for a long run and Husband wants to join me; that should be enjoyable.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Parenting as an Endurance Sport
ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH . I am the parent to two teenagers and I swear they are trying to kill me.
Oh no, they aren't so obvious as to do it by coming after me with a knife, gun, or other weapon. They are doing it slowly and painfully; through their actions.
Yeah, sure, they are great kids and I love them dearly. But they are teens. And being teens seems to equate to emotional responses and bad decisions. They do things and make decisions that no rational being can explain...
I'd swear at times that they are actively plotting against us, but that would imply that they had enough energy and gumption to actually make something happen. I haven't observed that to be true. Teens are inherently lazy.
So, PLEASE, if you are a parent that survived the teen years, clue me in. Give me the secret password. Give me hope. Tell me what I need to know to make it through these times. I know you must have felt this way too. Help a sister out!! I'm really having a bad day!!!!
Anyone else, your comments are appreciated, but be forewarned - those little darlings may turn to monsters one day and you'll be looking for the same advice. So come back and check the comments from those who have gone before us. Trust me on this.
Oh no, they aren't so obvious as to do it by coming after me with a knife, gun, or other weapon. They are doing it slowly and painfully; through their actions.
Yeah, sure, they are great kids and I love them dearly. But they are teens. And being teens seems to equate to emotional responses and bad decisions. They do things and make decisions that no rational being can explain...
I'd swear at times that they are actively plotting against us, but that would imply that they had enough energy and gumption to actually make something happen. I haven't observed that to be true. Teens are inherently lazy.
So, PLEASE, if you are a parent that survived the teen years, clue me in. Give me the secret password. Give me hope. Tell me what I need to know to make it through these times. I know you must have felt this way too. Help a sister out!! I'm really having a bad day!!!!
Anyone else, your comments are appreciated, but be forewarned - those little darlings may turn to monsters one day and you'll be looking for the same advice. So come back and check the comments from those who have gone before us. Trust me on this.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
More Misc.
I've had big time motivation issues for the past few weeks. I hope tomorrow I wake up feeling like going to swim as per my training plan. I haven't been to the pool in ages. That lake swim panic issue really turned me off to swimming. I keep thinking, what's the point?!?!? Another mental hurdle to overcome.
Husband agreed to run the Cherry Garcia 10K with me in a few weeks. He hasn't been training for a 10K and may end up walking quite a bit, but I'm glad that he's willing to join me on that one. It's a Sunday evening race with pizza and ice cream afterwards. We have a lot of 'real life stuff' going on that I haven't blogged about, so I hope this turns out to be a fun distraction for both of us.
One more pic of the same corner of Son's room now that it is mostly back together. I think it turned out nice and seems appropriate for a young man. :)
Husband agreed to run the Cherry Garcia 10K with me in a few weeks. He hasn't been training for a 10K and may end up walking quite a bit, but I'm glad that he's willing to join me on that one. It's a Sunday evening race with pizza and ice cream afterwards. We have a lot of 'real life stuff' going on that I haven't blogged about, so I hope this turns out to be a fun distraction for both of us.
One more pic of the same corner of Son's room now that it is mostly back together. I think it turned out nice and seems appropriate for a young man. :)
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Random Weekend Thoughts
"Aerobars suck, or maybe they don't, jury's still out"
Yesterday I took my bike out for a 25mile spin. The goal was to figure out how to ride in aero position. After 20mins, I hated my aerobars and wanted to take them off my bike. I could get one arm in, but was afraid to take the other arm off the safe position on the handle (by the brakes and shifters) and get it onto the aerobar. After 40mins, I had managed a few times to get both arms in for maybe 2 minutes. Then I'd get scared and go back to a safe position. After about 1.5 hrs, I was finally comfortable riding in that position for maybe 10mins at a time. Okay, so I guess I don't totally hate them, but it is definately going to take some practice.
"I'd just go farther"
After getting sunburned on my face because I was out longer than expected on my bike on Saturday, I grumbled something about "if only I could ride faster, then I wouldn't have been out so long, and I wouldn't have needed more sunscreen, and wouldn't have gotten sunburned." But my husband retorted "it woudn't make any difference, you'd just go farther, I know you". I think he's right...
"Walking doesn't have to equal stopping"
Until today, I have always run the whole way of whatever distance I set out to do. In the case that something caused me to stop running, I pretty much quit right then and walked the rest of the way, I just could not get running again. Having signed up for a half-mary, I figured it was time to learn how to get past this. So today, I set out with a goal of completing 8.5 miles with intentional stop/starts built in to teach myself how to get going again. The basic goal was run to a mile, walk one minute, then run to the next mile, run one minute, etc. And guess what? It basically worked. That was a good lesson. Sometimes the mental aspect of the sport is the toughest, glad to put that mental hang up to rest!
"Hey people, slow down and smell the roses"
As I was doing my run/walk think this morning, I smiled and said "Good Morning" to everyone that I passed or passed by me. I noticed something. Cyclists wizzing by and runners flying by, were generally not smiling nor did they return the greeting. In contrast, joggers, dog walkers, picture takers, etc. generally returned the smile and a greeting. I likened it to the difference between grouchy motorists on the freeway vs. drivers taking the scenic byway. I may be slower than molasses, but it was an absolutely beautiful morning, I have the good health to be out there, and I couldn't think of any reason not to smile and soak it all in.
Yesterday I took my bike out for a 25mile spin. The goal was to figure out how to ride in aero position. After 20mins, I hated my aerobars and wanted to take them off my bike. I could get one arm in, but was afraid to take the other arm off the safe position on the handle (by the brakes and shifters) and get it onto the aerobar. After 40mins, I had managed a few times to get both arms in for maybe 2 minutes. Then I'd get scared and go back to a safe position. After about 1.5 hrs, I was finally comfortable riding in that position for maybe 10mins at a time. Okay, so I guess I don't totally hate them, but it is definately going to take some practice.
"I'd just go farther"
After getting sunburned on my face because I was out longer than expected on my bike on Saturday, I grumbled something about "if only I could ride faster, then I wouldn't have been out so long, and I wouldn't have needed more sunscreen, and wouldn't have gotten sunburned." But my husband retorted "it woudn't make any difference, you'd just go farther, I know you". I think he's right...
"Walking doesn't have to equal stopping"
Until today, I have always run the whole way of whatever distance I set out to do. In the case that something caused me to stop running, I pretty much quit right then and walked the rest of the way, I just could not get running again. Having signed up for a half-mary, I figured it was time to learn how to get past this. So today, I set out with a goal of completing 8.5 miles with intentional stop/starts built in to teach myself how to get going again. The basic goal was run to a mile, walk one minute, then run to the next mile, run one minute, etc. And guess what? It basically worked. That was a good lesson. Sometimes the mental aspect of the sport is the toughest, glad to put that mental hang up to rest!
"Hey people, slow down and smell the roses"
As I was doing my run/walk think this morning, I smiled and said "Good Morning" to everyone that I passed or passed by me. I noticed something. Cyclists wizzing by and runners flying by, were generally not smiling nor did they return the greeting. In contrast, joggers, dog walkers, picture takers, etc. generally returned the smile and a greeting. I likened it to the difference between grouchy motorists on the freeway vs. drivers taking the scenic byway. I may be slower than molasses, but it was an absolutely beautiful morning, I have the good health to be out there, and I couldn't think of any reason not to smile and soak it all in.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Another month in the books
May Totals:
indoor cycling - 0
outdoor cycling - 174 mi
swimming - 10,200 M
indoor running - 0 mi
outdoor running - 35 mi
core/strength - 3000 reps
races - 3 (5K, sprint, & oly)
fun meter - pegged
Not bad, especially since I've done practically nothing for the past week while we've been busy working on the house.
June Forecast:
I currently have no races on my calendar for the month. I'd like to squeeze in another sprint, but that probably won't happen. It's more likely that I'll find a convenient 5K or 10K. I'll try to talk my husband and/or son into joining me.
Today is my swim day and I totally overslept!! Gah!! I'll run at lunch time instead so I don't start off the month with a big ol' goose egg in my log book.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Blue-ti-ful
Changes:- replaced adjustable stem with fixed stem
- removed goofy top-bar brakes
- re-routed brake cables
- replaced old computer with new one (with cadence)
- added airstryke aerobars
- added profile aerobottle
- re-wrapped with blue tape
- added blue water bottle cage (for fun)
- new pump mounted to bottle cage
The view from my seat sure looks different! Aerobars will take some practice, but after that windy weekend in Lubbock without them, I'm convinced this was a wise investment.
Son's room during demolition last weekend.
...and Son's room today with walls gone blue and tile installed. It's obviously not quite done, but we're getting closer. By end of day tomorrow, the baseboards should be back up and we'll be ready to start moving things back in. I am *so* ready for this to be over.
I didn't take photos of daughter's room, but she's got tile too and we picked up a blue area rug and funky blue storage shelves.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Friday morning, I took my bike in for some work. I'll post more about that when I get it back. I really hope I end up happy with what I'm having done... That was the beginning of my weekend of changes.
Then I picked up Son's friend and they helped me get stuff out of son's room and closets and start tearing up carpetting. Having two teenagers on deck sure makes furniture moving a much more manageable task. When they were done helping me, they went to friend's house to help shovel gravel and build a tortoise pen. Teenage boys can really come in handy. :)
Once empty, his room began morphing from a boring off white color to "Herringbone," a muted blue/green that seems quite fitting. I found an area rug at Target online that I want to get for him...it will be perfect. I need to check a few local Targets to see if they have it in stock so that I don't have to pay shipping.
Then Daughter helped haul all her stuff out of her room and we got the carpetting out of there as well. At this point, their stuff is all over the house whereever they could find room to put it. The garage has the tile and mortar and grout plus the old carpet and pads. I'm not a neat freak, but this is pushing even *my* limits.
We ordered her a new computer desk that should arrive by week's end, just in time to put the room back together. We started painting her room a few months ago and I have some touch up that I want to do, but no more energy today. It will just have to wait until Friday.
Husband (aka "Bloody Knuckles") says we're paying someone to remove the carpet, tackboard, and screws when we do the last two rooms in the house later this summer. Wanna' guess why??
Tomorrow at 7am, the tiling begins. Hopefully it will be done by end of day Thursday. Coincidentally, the same day my bike is due to be ready to come home. Friday I'll finish touch up painting in Daughter's room and we begin putting things back together.
Will post pics later.
Oh, and I managed to sneak in a 7mile run this morning. I *REALLY* needed it.
Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Can't wait to go to work tomorrow, I need a rest....LOL
Then I picked up Son's friend and they helped me get stuff out of son's room and closets and start tearing up carpetting. Having two teenagers on deck sure makes furniture moving a much more manageable task. When they were done helping me, they went to friend's house to help shovel gravel and build a tortoise pen. Teenage boys can really come in handy. :)
Once empty, his room began morphing from a boring off white color to "Herringbone," a muted blue/green that seems quite fitting. I found an area rug at Target online that I want to get for him...it will be perfect. I need to check a few local Targets to see if they have it in stock so that I don't have to pay shipping.
Then Daughter helped haul all her stuff out of her room and we got the carpetting out of there as well. At this point, their stuff is all over the house whereever they could find room to put it. The garage has the tile and mortar and grout plus the old carpet and pads. I'm not a neat freak, but this is pushing even *my* limits.
We ordered her a new computer desk that should arrive by week's end, just in time to put the room back together. We started painting her room a few months ago and I have some touch up that I want to do, but no more energy today. It will just have to wait until Friday.
Husband (aka "Bloody Knuckles") says we're paying someone to remove the carpet, tackboard, and screws when we do the last two rooms in the house later this summer. Wanna' guess why??
Tomorrow at 7am, the tiling begins. Hopefully it will be done by end of day Thursday. Coincidentally, the same day my bike is due to be ready to come home. Friday I'll finish touch up painting in Daughter's room and we begin putting things back together.
Will post pics later.
Oh, and I managed to sneak in a 7mile run this morning. I *REALLY* needed it.
Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Can't wait to go to work tomorrow, I need a rest....LOL
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Do home improvement projects count as cross training?
Today I am particularly fatigued. I'm blaming it on two days in a row of biking to work. I think need to space by bike to work days farther apart. That hill on the way in is killer. Plus I may not have taken enough rest after my crazy adventures in Lubbock last weekend. I guess I should listen to my body more closely.
Even if I don't get a lot of training done this weekend, I will be doing some physical labor. We need to get everything out of both kids rooms and get the carpet pulled up by end of day Monday. Tile arrives Saturday. It would be ideal if painting is well underway before tiling begins. Son's room needs painting to begin. Daughter's room just needs touch-up detail to be completed. I'll be keeping busy.
I'm thinking tomorrow morning might be the perfect day to take my bike in for some work I want done on it. If they need to keep it for several days, now is a better time than most. Yeah, that is what I think I will do.
Even if I don't get a lot of training done this weekend, I will be doing some physical labor. We need to get everything out of both kids rooms and get the carpet pulled up by end of day Monday. Tile arrives Saturday. It would be ideal if painting is well underway before tiling begins. Son's room needs painting to begin. Daughter's room just needs touch-up detail to be completed. I'll be keeping busy.
I'm thinking tomorrow morning might be the perfect day to take my bike in for some work I want done on it. If they need to keep it for several days, now is a better time than most. Yeah, that is what I think I will do.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Chips-n-Salsa anyone?
I didn't think I would ever look at my splits, but after a few sleeps it no longer seemed like such a bad idea. I did indeed have a cruddy "swim" and an even cruddier bike leg, but my run ROCKED - 68:50 from whenever they started the run clock.
I was feeling really good on the run and believe that I could have kept on going. So as of a few moments ago, I'm fixin' to test that theory at the Chips-n-Salsa half-marathon in early September.
I was feeling really good on the run and believe that I could have kept on going. So as of a few moments ago, I'm fixin' to test that theory at the Chips-n-Salsa half-marathon in early September.
Ladies and Gentlemen, after 20months of putting on my running shoes and heading out the door, I think I have finally become a runner. Now to work on becoming a cyclist and open-water swimmer...
Monday, May 21, 2007
Buffman Squeaky Race Report
It wouldn't be a complete story if I didn't include what I did the two days prior to my first ever international distance triathlon. The course consists of a 1500M open water swim, 40K bike with freaking steep hills, finishing with a 10K run along the lake.
Updated with photos and links
FRIDAY
My friend & I at some point in the past few months apparently lost our minds momentarily and decided to meet up with some athletes who were training for a 70.3 at this same venue later next month. So, we found ourselves in Lubbock waking up before the sun came up to 51 degrees and rain, went over to the lake, and proceeded out on what was my longest and most miserable bike experience ever. First off, we had not packed for 51deg and rain. When we left town the day before, the forcast said 68deg, partly cloudy, chance of afternoon thundershowers. Secondly, Our intention had been to ride a good bit of the course, but turn around early (it was a triple out and back) and cut it short by a good 20 miles...we didn't know the course well enough and ended up completing all but 10 miles of it. Let's just say I was shivering cold and a weeeee bit cranky when we got back to the car after 46miles in the cold rain.
After the ride, we went back to the hotel, took a warm shower, ate some lunch, and climbed into bed for a nap that was WAY too short.
Back to the lake in the afternoon to talk about transition, put on the wet suits, and splash around in the water for a half hour. For the three of us ladies in the photo, this was to be our first time in the open water wearing wetsuits. Don't let the forced smiles fool you, we were FREEZING. The goal was to get used to being in the water with the wetsuits. It was really cold and we didn't stay in too long or really do much swimming.
Afterwards, back to the hotel, another hot shower, dinner, and an early lights out.
SATURDAY
Another early wake up call. Back to the lake to run the course. Everyone else ran the full half marathon course, I cut it short at 7 miles. It was a balmy 55deg, no rain, and actually nice for running. When I got back from the run, I went back out with my camera and took a few photos around the lake.
By now, the race directors and volunteers were beginning to set up the course for the race the next day. I remember thinking, "Oh yeah, I have a race tomorrow."
We spent a good half hour practicing transitions. Then it was time for open water swim practice.
Wetsuits back on. Off we went with the goal of swimming across the lake and back two times.
Then it happened. My first open water anxiety attack. I can't rationally explain what happened, but I can tell you that it resulted in flailing, splashing, coughing, flipping over to my back, counting to ten, flipping back over, flailing again, splashing, flipping over...and this went on and on and on. I eventually made it across and back...once...then declared myself done.
While the others were gliding effortlessly across the water, I made a teary phone call to Husband telling him that I was in the wrong sport. I wasn't sure I would make the swim the next day and even if I did it was going to be a long morning and I was looking at a 4 hr projected finish at this point. He told me not to worry. He didn't care how long it took me to finish or if I finished at all. He just wanted me home in one piece. I walked over to the water, forced a smile, and cheered on the others as they finished their second loop.
Then we left for a late lunch, a pep talk, packet pick-up, and called it an early night.
SUNDAY MORNING
It was maybe 57 deg and hazy when we took off to the lake for the third day in a row. Found a spot to rack the bike, got set up, body marking, etc. Spent a little time chatting with Misty. Got the wetsuits on and walked over to the water. Decided to get in and 'swim' a little and discovered that I could kind of swim with my head above the water which was a good learning. Walked to the beach and waited for the horn.
Counted to five after the horn went off and then started in. In less than 30seconds, I was back to the flailing, coughing, freaking out, flipping over, I can't do this, what I am here for, splashing nonsense that had plagued me the day before. This went on for a good 800M. A guy on a boat stayed near me and asked if I was okay. "I'm fine, just let me swim," I snapped back. I'm sure he was thinking...okay lady, then DO IT! I thought about swimming to boat, jumping in, and calling it a day right then and there. But I remembered what Bubba told me - just keep moving forward - and I realized that I WAS moving forward albeit not very gracefully or quickly. And then I guess I finally decided to swim. It was so much easier and faster than the flailing, splashing, coughing nonsense and I started passing the others at the back of the swim pack. From that point on, I was determined to be a finisher. I was amazed at how quickly I found myself at the shore once I started swimming.
With that pathetic performance behind me, it was time for my 'weak link' - the bike. I was glad that I had ridden 46 miles in the cold rain a few days earlier, because 25miles didn't seem so bad even having to face 5 hills in a noticeable amount of wind while being exhausted after wasting so much energy in the lake.
Some of the athletes from the day before screamed "WooHoo!! You made it out of the water! You can do it!" as they saw me going out while they were coming in. Triathletes rock.
I'm pretty sure that everyone who was behind me on the swim eventually passed me on the bike, but I didn't care. I was determined to be a finisher and I just kept moving forward. It's kind of nice being dead last on the bike. Nobody else passes you, and you get your own chase crew. :)
Coming in, one of the volunteers said, it you still want to run, head out toward the porta potties and around. Are you kidding?!?! Heck yeah, I wanna' run!!
The run was amazing. Within a quarter mile, I passed someone. Most of the runners were finishing were shouting encouragement. By the turn point, there were now three people behind me. Volunteers were commenting that I looked good and was smiling. I kept moving forward.
I love this picture that my friend shot just before I turned into the finish chute. I have been working on my running form and it seems to be paying off.
I was really happy when I made it across the line.
It's kind of a blur after that. People were talking to me, but I had a hard time processing it. I kept forgetting what I was about to do next. I had to lean on someone to put track pants on over my shorts. I couldn't bend down to pick up and pack up my wetsuit. Somehow we managed to pack up, shower, and head home.
Updated with photos and links
FRIDAY
My friend & I at some point in the past few months apparently lost our minds momentarily and decided to meet up with some athletes who were training for a 70.3 at this same venue later next month. So, we found ourselves in Lubbock waking up before the sun came up to 51 degrees and rain, went over to the lake, and proceeded out on what was my longest and most miserable bike experience ever. First off, we had not packed for 51deg and rain. When we left town the day before, the forcast said 68deg, partly cloudy, chance of afternoon thundershowers. Secondly, Our intention had been to ride a good bit of the course, but turn around early (it was a triple out and back) and cut it short by a good 20 miles...we didn't know the course well enough and ended up completing all but 10 miles of it. Let's just say I was shivering cold and a weeeee bit cranky when we got back to the car after 46miles in the cold rain.
After the ride, we went back to the hotel, took a warm shower, ate some lunch, and climbed into bed for a nap that was WAY too short.
Back to the lake in the afternoon to talk about transition, put on the wet suits, and splash around in the water for a half hour. For the three of us ladies in the photo, this was to be our first time in the open water wearing wetsuits. Don't let the forced smiles fool you, we were FREEZING. The goal was to get used to being in the water with the wetsuits. It was really cold and we didn't stay in too long or really do much swimming.
Afterwards, back to the hotel, another hot shower, dinner, and an early lights out.
SATURDAY
Another early wake up call. Back to the lake to run the course. Everyone else ran the full half marathon course, I cut it short at 7 miles. It was a balmy 55deg, no rain, and actually nice for running. When I got back from the run, I went back out with my camera and took a few photos around the lake.
By now, the race directors and volunteers were beginning to set up the course for the race the next day. I remember thinking, "Oh yeah, I have a race tomorrow."
We spent a good half hour practicing transitions. Then it was time for open water swim practice.
Wetsuits back on. Off we went with the goal of swimming across the lake and back two times.
Then it happened. My first open water anxiety attack. I can't rationally explain what happened, but I can tell you that it resulted in flailing, splashing, coughing, flipping over to my back, counting to ten, flipping back over, flailing again, splashing, flipping over...and this went on and on and on. I eventually made it across and back...once...then declared myself done.
While the others were gliding effortlessly across the water, I made a teary phone call to Husband telling him that I was in the wrong sport. I wasn't sure I would make the swim the next day and even if I did it was going to be a long morning and I was looking at a 4 hr projected finish at this point. He told me not to worry. He didn't care how long it took me to finish or if I finished at all. He just wanted me home in one piece. I walked over to the water, forced a smile, and cheered on the others as they finished their second loop.
Then we left for a late lunch, a pep talk, packet pick-up, and called it an early night.
SUNDAY MORNING
It was maybe 57 deg and hazy when we took off to the lake for the third day in a row. Found a spot to rack the bike, got set up, body marking, etc. Spent a little time chatting with Misty. Got the wetsuits on and walked over to the water. Decided to get in and 'swim' a little and discovered that I could kind of swim with my head above the water which was a good learning. Walked to the beach and waited for the horn.
Counted to five after the horn went off and then started in. In less than 30seconds, I was back to the flailing, coughing, freaking out, flipping over, I can't do this, what I am here for, splashing nonsense that had plagued me the day before. This went on for a good 800M. A guy on a boat stayed near me and asked if I was okay. "I'm fine, just let me swim," I snapped back. I'm sure he was thinking...okay lady, then DO IT! I thought about swimming to boat, jumping in, and calling it a day right then and there. But I remembered what Bubba told me - just keep moving forward - and I realized that I WAS moving forward albeit not very gracefully or quickly. And then I guess I finally decided to swim. It was so much easier and faster than the flailing, splashing, coughing nonsense and I started passing the others at the back of the swim pack. From that point on, I was determined to be a finisher. I was amazed at how quickly I found myself at the shore once I started swimming.
With that pathetic performance behind me, it was time for my 'weak link' - the bike. I was glad that I had ridden 46 miles in the cold rain a few days earlier, because 25miles didn't seem so bad even having to face 5 hills in a noticeable amount of wind while being exhausted after wasting so much energy in the lake.
Some of the athletes from the day before screamed "WooHoo!! You made it out of the water! You can do it!" as they saw me going out while they were coming in. Triathletes rock.
I'm pretty sure that everyone who was behind me on the swim eventually passed me on the bike, but I didn't care. I was determined to be a finisher and I just kept moving forward. It's kind of nice being dead last on the bike. Nobody else passes you, and you get your own chase crew. :)
Coming in, one of the volunteers said, it you still want to run, head out toward the porta potties and around. Are you kidding?!?! Heck yeah, I wanna' run!!
The run was amazing. Within a quarter mile, I passed someone. Most of the runners were finishing were shouting encouragement. By the turn point, there were now three people behind me. Volunteers were commenting that I looked good and was smiling. I kept moving forward.
I love this picture that my friend shot just before I turned into the finish chute. I have been working on my running form and it seems to be paying off.
I was really happy when I made it across the line.
It's kind of a blur after that. People were talking to me, but I had a hard time processing it. I kept forgetting what I was about to do next. I had to lean on someone to put track pants on over my shorts. I couldn't bend down to pick up and pack up my wetsuit. Somehow we managed to pack up, shower, and head home.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Focus
I am well aware that I need to focus on cycling improvement and should probably be wearing a CAUTION sign on my back. With that in mind...
Monday I biked to work on a different route than I normally take. That turned out to be scary. Won't go that way again. Plus I couldn't quite make it all the way up the hill. Bummer.
Tuesday was a horrible day. I didn't end up back home until 10:30pm. No riding to work, no swimming, no running. Plus I ended up really tired this morning and slept in when I should have gone to the pool. Oh well.
However, this morning I tried yet another route to work. This one increased my commute by almost 2 miles, but the ride was smooth and mostly traffic free. I felt a lot safer. I've decided that this is the route I'm taking from now on. Plus I made it up the hill - I almost didn't, but dug deep and kept going when I wanted to give up.
Last Saturday when we were at Performance, I picked up a quick release rack for my bike. I haven't had time to fiddle with it, hopefully can get this set up next week. The plan is to attach my backpack to the rack with bungee cords for now. Maybe I'll find a more elegant solution down the road, but that should help a ton, in the short term. I need to get my backpack with the laptop off my back to improve my balance.
I'll be offline after tomorrow morning until next week. Next post should be reflections after my attempt at an Olympic Distance triathlon. Not sure how this adventure will play out. I expect it to be ugly, but I'm giving it a shot and intend to have fun in the process.
Catch you on the flip side!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Jay Benson Race Report
Saturday afternoon, I picked up ShyTriGirl at her folks' house and we headed out for packet pickup. Afterwards, we stopped at the new Performance Bike shop in town. Then we were off for some 'carbo loading.' I really enjoyed spending time talking with her. When I got back home, I got my things organized for the morning and called it an early evening.
I did not sleep well. I think I woke up 4 times during the night needing to use the bathroom - nervous stomache. I had been very calm up until that point. Oddly, I was mostly fretting about next weekend rather than this race. I'm goofy that way.
Sunday morning came, and ShyTriGirl picked me up, we loaded the bikes on the back of her vehicle, and we were off. When we arrived at the base, there was a long, slow line of cars trying to get past security. As it turns out, the race ended up being delayed a half hour or so because of the difficulty getting folks in.
Found a spot in the transition area that was fairly close to the bike in/out. Got it set up. Practiced sighting my transition area coming from both directions. Eventually, I was satisfied that I would be able to find it. Also checked out the pool entrance/exit to be sure I understood how that would work out. Found my friend who is going to the training camp and oly tri with me next weekend. She showed me how to better attach my number to my bike.
Then it was mostly waiting. It was getting warm and I ended up taking off the long sleeve shirt that I had intended to wear. Found some nice people to lend us some sun screen. Note to self - put sunscreen in the transition bag next time!
We watched the men take off as well as the leaders coming in from the run. Our wave (women and relay teams) were slated to start 30min after the men. Eventually it was time for us to get start.
And off we went...
I was hoping to use my other friend as my 'pace man' and try to keep up with her as far as I could. However, after about four footsteps, I realized that wasn't going to happen and I was going to have to pace myself.
Throughout the on the run, all I could think about was how hot it was. I didn't have my Garmin and they didn't have mile markers, so I had no idea what pace I was doing, but I was getting tired. I was happy when the transition area was in sight.
Took off my race belt and hat while running through transition, set it down, put on my helmet, switched shoes, drank some water, ate a few bloks, and headed out.
The course started off flat. At that point, I felt like I was doing okay, not great, but okay. Then somewhere out of nowhere, there were hills. Crud! Now I was doing not so okay, but I thought "Just keep pedalling, just keep pedalling" and so I did.
ShyTriGirl came whirring past me, said something encouraging, and left me in the dust. I wanted to say something nice back, but all I could manage was a grunt.
Eventually the bike leg was over. Racked the bike, took off my helmet, shoes, socks, and grabbed my swim cap and goggles. Then ran through transition and around and finally arrived at the pool.
The swim was a miserable experience. It was really crowded in there, there were people doing breaststroke, I was getting kicked and hit, plus I was winded. At one point, I got flustered and rolled over to my back to catch my breath and regain my composure. After that, I did better and just thought "swim, Lisa, you know how to do this!"
Finish time according to my watch was 01:32:04. I had expected to finish somewhere between 01:30:00 and 01:35:00, so no complaining from me.
And then it was over. Bikes back on the car and heading home...
Without digging too deeply into my splits, it is clear to me that I either have to get better on the bike or learn to accept it for what it is. I would like to post a bike split someday that doesn't make me feel cruddy.
But overall, I can truly say that I had fun. Plus I don't feel nearly as beat as I did after my first triathlon, so I'm encouraged that my fitness level is improving. And no injury this time. WoooHoo!!
I did not sleep well. I think I woke up 4 times during the night needing to use the bathroom - nervous stomache. I had been very calm up until that point. Oddly, I was mostly fretting about next weekend rather than this race. I'm goofy that way.
Sunday morning came, and ShyTriGirl picked me up, we loaded the bikes on the back of her vehicle, and we were off. When we arrived at the base, there was a long, slow line of cars trying to get past security. As it turns out, the race ended up being delayed a half hour or so because of the difficulty getting folks in.
Found a spot in the transition area that was fairly close to the bike in/out. Got it set up. Practiced sighting my transition area coming from both directions. Eventually, I was satisfied that I would be able to find it. Also checked out the pool entrance/exit to be sure I understood how that would work out. Found my friend who is going to the training camp and oly tri with me next weekend. She showed me how to better attach my number to my bike.
Then it was mostly waiting. It was getting warm and I ended up taking off the long sleeve shirt that I had intended to wear. Found some nice people to lend us some sun screen. Note to self - put sunscreen in the transition bag next time!
We watched the men take off as well as the leaders coming in from the run. Our wave (women and relay teams) were slated to start 30min after the men. Eventually it was time for us to get start.
And off we went...
I was hoping to use my other friend as my 'pace man' and try to keep up with her as far as I could. However, after about four footsteps, I realized that wasn't going to happen and I was going to have to pace myself.
Throughout the on the run, all I could think about was how hot it was. I didn't have my Garmin and they didn't have mile markers, so I had no idea what pace I was doing, but I was getting tired. I was happy when the transition area was in sight.
Took off my race belt and hat while running through transition, set it down, put on my helmet, switched shoes, drank some water, ate a few bloks, and headed out.
The course started off flat. At that point, I felt like I was doing okay, not great, but okay. Then somewhere out of nowhere, there were hills. Crud! Now I was doing not so okay, but I thought "Just keep pedalling, just keep pedalling" and so I did.
ShyTriGirl came whirring past me, said something encouraging, and left me in the dust. I wanted to say something nice back, but all I could manage was a grunt.
Eventually the bike leg was over. Racked the bike, took off my helmet, shoes, socks, and grabbed my swim cap and goggles. Then ran through transition and around and finally arrived at the pool.
The swim was a miserable experience. It was really crowded in there, there were people doing breaststroke, I was getting kicked and hit, plus I was winded. At one point, I got flustered and rolled over to my back to catch my breath and regain my composure. After that, I did better and just thought "swim, Lisa, you know how to do this!"
Finish time according to my watch was 01:32:04. I had expected to finish somewhere between 01:30:00 and 01:35:00, so no complaining from me.
And then it was over. Bikes back on the car and heading home...
Without digging too deeply into my splits, it is clear to me that I either have to get better on the bike or learn to accept it for what it is. I would like to post a bike split someday that doesn't make me feel cruddy.
But overall, I can truly say that I had fun. Plus I don't feel nearly as beat as I did after my first triathlon, so I'm encouraged that my fitness level is improving. And no injury this time. WoooHoo!!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Reverse Sprint a-comin'
I keep writing posts, then deleting them, then writing new ones, deleting, etc. So I'll keep it short.
My first triathlon of the season, which is also my 2nd triathlon ever, is on Sunday. It is a reverse sprint. I'm freakishly calm about it. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
Catch you on the flip side!!
My first triathlon of the season, which is also my 2nd triathlon ever, is on Sunday. It is a reverse sprint. I'm freakishly calm about it. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
Catch you on the flip side!!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Speedwork - Bandit style
His tail wags when I pick up the leash.He sits patiently for me to put it on.
He grabs the lead with his teeth and pulls toward the door.
He's off like a bullet. I do my best to keep up.
Beats the heck outta' track work. :)
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Run for the Zoo
This morning Husband, Son, & I participated in the Run for the Zoo 5K. Daughter stayed home, sleeping in, so there was noone to take photos.
This event is always packed, with thousands of participants showing up for one of four races: timed 10K, timed 5K, 5K fun run/walk, 1mile fun run/walk.
Because of the crowd, I didn't have any performance goals, just wanted to have fun.
I brought my Garmin and decided to hit start when I made my way to the start line, rather than when the gun went off.
At mile 1, Garmin told me that I had hit an 8:45min/mi pace. Holy Smokes!!The guy at the mile marker called out something like 9:12. The 25-30second difference made sense given how long it took me to cross the start line.
At mile 2, I heard the guy call out something like 18:35, my garmin says 18:10. That's a 9:24 pace for me on mile 2. Yesssssssss.
I got a chuckle out of some of the signs that volunteers were holding up. "Almost there!" Yeah, right, there is a still a mile to go!! "Exercise is fun!" Easy for you to say, you're just standing there holding a sign!! LOL.
I couldn't see the clock at the finish line, but my Garmin says that I finished in 28:34, which would be a personal best by about 14 seconds. However, I'm guessing the official time will probably be right around 29:00 +/- a few seconds and won't end up being a PR after all. That is still a very good 5K time for me. It is better than I expected to do this morning, and I'm happy!
I asked Husband what his time was. He doesn't know. He couldn't see the clock when he finished and wasn't wearing a watch; will find out what his time was when results are posted.
Son knocked a good two minutes off his last 5K time, and finished right around 31:40. He was running with me up to the half-way point when he told me he had a cramp and stopped to walk for a bit.
After the race, we had popsicles, bagels, gatoraide, water, and energy bars. Yummy stuff. All in all, it was a fun morning.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Sabrina
Sabrina is the name of the color that has been chosen for our bedroom walls. Sabrina has been pushed aside for months, waiting for her turn in the spotlight.When I woke up yesterday, I felt like this weekend needed to be different. I went for a swim in the morning and decided to forgo a long run in the afternoon so that I would have time to get Sabrina out of the garage and into the bedroom where she belonged.
The conversation I had with Husband when he got home sounded like this:
"Don't go in the bedroom until I get back home, the walls need to dry."
"What do you mean, need to dry?"
"I started painting and the walls by the door are still wet. I need to go out to get a few things. Wait until I get back home before you go in there."
"You started painting?!?! I thought you were going for a run."
"Yeah, well I figured if I got started today, we could probably get it finished this weekend. And that would be one thing off our list before the tiling project"
"Wow. Thanks."
You know what? I think I made the right decision. I'm happy Sabrina finally made her debut.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Are we there yet?
It's May. Time for the rubber to meet the road.Here's what the month looks like for me:
- This weekend - Run for the Zoo 5K - Running with husband and son. Daughter has declared "running isn't fun!!" and is staying home. There are a lot of folks running this event and it takes a half mile or more to get into a decent pace. No performance goals. GOALS: Have fun; cheer wildly for son; enjoy husband cheering wildly for me!!
- Next weekend - Jay Benson Sprint Tri (a reverse tri) - First time for me to do a reverse tri. Have plans to meet up with ShyTriGirl which is actually the highlight of the weekend for me!! Goals: Have fun; meet up with ShyTriGirl; figure out how reverse tri's work; finish; don't get hurt!!
- Following Thursday - Arrive in Lubbock for two-day half-iron distance Tri camp (Oh.My.Gosh.What.Have.I.Gotten.Myself.Into) immediately followed by my first ever Oly Tri on Sunday. Goals: Have fun, finish, don't get hurt, and try not to be dead last.
- I'm really hoping to be in for a FUN ride over the next few weeks because...
- Upon return home - Kiss family. Promise to take a break, and spend more time with them. Work like mad to remove furniture from kids rooms, rip out carpet in anticipation of tiling project that got delayed because of my extra-curricular activities, and resume previously interuppted daily life including half finished room painting endeavors and disregarded yard and garden work. I owe them BIG TIME for letting me indulge myself recently.
I don't know how any working full-time mothers with busy kids and other family obligations and home improvement projects can keep up the training and racing demands of anything more than what I've tried to do. I realize that I simply can't sustain it, and really need to devote more time to my family this summer.
Monday, April 30, 2007
End of Month Totals
APRIL Totals:indoor cycling - 0.5 hrs
outdoor cycling - 121.0 mi
swimming - 10,800 M
indoor running - 0.0 mi
outdoor running - 42.5 mi
core/strength - 500 reps
Thoughts:
Running and swimming volume similar to March, but I really took cycling up a notch. My outdoor cycling is almost double the volume from last month and a sizable amount happened in the last week when I discovered how to make it FUN. WoooHooo!!
I'm still way under what I want to be for core/strength work. I don't forsee much improvement there unless I get a breakthrough on how to make THAT fun too.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Commute to work - Week 1 Reflections
I did ride my bike to work on both Wed and Thu.
Earlier this week, I wrote: "My plan is to leave 45mins before I need to be there, take 20-25mins (hopefully) to arrive, leaving 20-25 to park bike, change, etc. I think that is sufficient time with some slack since this is a new thing for me. I'm carrying laptop, cord, change of clothes, shoes, etc in a back pack."
The 20-25min estimate to arrive was perfect. I ended up wearing capri length pants and only needed to change to a fresh shirt and shoes, so it took more like 10-15min to park bike, change, etc. Next week, I'll have farther to ride, walk, etc, and another 10 min will probably be appropriate. Overall, the estimate was good.
Backpack management is an issue worthy of more consideration. I need to figure out how to minimize what I carry because the extra weight caused my balance to be off. This week I needed to carry a power cord, normally, I don't need to do that because I have one at my desk, but I wasn't at my desk this week. I also think it would help to keep a few extra shirts and a pair of shoes in the office so I don't have to carry shoes with me. The shirt isn't too heavy, but no reason not to stock up on clean shirts at the office when I drive and take home dirties at that time as well. I'm also considering a bike trunk or pannier bag to get the weight off my back with the hopes that my balance would be better. Anyone who has experiences with this, I'll all ears...
The ride to work starts off mostly flat, but the last 1.5 miles is uphill all the way. It's a nice workout, and since it is cool in the morning, it is tolerable.
I got a tip from a fellow commuter on how to avoid a particularly nasty (traffic wise) road and take a safer alternative. This results in a section where I have to get off and walk my bike across a dirt path and through an opening in a fence. It wouldn't be a lot of fun if it were raining and I had to walk in the mud...
The downhill on the ride home includes some very BuMpY sections of road so that proved to be 'interesting'. I am also questioning if my brakes are sufficient. I think I may take the bike to the LBS and see what they think might be good to do about that...
The scariest part is an intersection at the top of the hill. It is difficult to see cars coming from one direction until they are pretty close to the intersection. I was fortunate to have a colleague ride part of the way home with me this week (two heads are better than one for determining 'is it safe yet?'). It will be a bit unnerving when I have to navigate that by myself in the afternoon.
All in all, it was a good experience and a successful venture. I learned a few things about what to do differently, and I plan to ride at least twice next week as well.
Earlier this week, I wrote: "My plan is to leave 45mins before I need to be there, take 20-25mins (hopefully) to arrive, leaving 20-25 to park bike, change, etc. I think that is sufficient time with some slack since this is a new thing for me. I'm carrying laptop, cord, change of clothes, shoes, etc in a back pack."
The 20-25min estimate to arrive was perfect. I ended up wearing capri length pants and only needed to change to a fresh shirt and shoes, so it took more like 10-15min to park bike, change, etc. Next week, I'll have farther to ride, walk, etc, and another 10 min will probably be appropriate. Overall, the estimate was good.
Backpack management is an issue worthy of more consideration. I need to figure out how to minimize what I carry because the extra weight caused my balance to be off. This week I needed to carry a power cord, normally, I don't need to do that because I have one at my desk, but I wasn't at my desk this week. I also think it would help to keep a few extra shirts and a pair of shoes in the office so I don't have to carry shoes with me. The shirt isn't too heavy, but no reason not to stock up on clean shirts at the office when I drive and take home dirties at that time as well. I'm also considering a bike trunk or pannier bag to get the weight off my back with the hopes that my balance would be better. Anyone who has experiences with this, I'll all ears...
The ride to work starts off mostly flat, but the last 1.5 miles is uphill all the way. It's a nice workout, and since it is cool in the morning, it is tolerable.
I got a tip from a fellow commuter on how to avoid a particularly nasty (traffic wise) road and take a safer alternative. This results in a section where I have to get off and walk my bike across a dirt path and through an opening in a fence. It wouldn't be a lot of fun if it were raining and I had to walk in the mud...
The downhill on the ride home includes some very BuMpY sections of road so that proved to be 'interesting'. I am also questioning if my brakes are sufficient. I think I may take the bike to the LBS and see what they think might be good to do about that...
The scariest part is an intersection at the top of the hill. It is difficult to see cars coming from one direction until they are pretty close to the intersection. I was fortunate to have a colleague ride part of the way home with me this week (two heads are better than one for determining 'is it safe yet?'). It will be a bit unnerving when I have to navigate that by myself in the afternoon.
All in all, it was a good experience and a successful venture. I learned a few things about what to do differently, and I plan to ride at least twice next week as well.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Commute to work - Planning
Check this out - perfect conditions for testing out the commute by bike to work option
For the next two days:
I have meetings that are on the closest side of our work campus to my house (plus!) that start 30mins later than most of my work meetings (plus!) with a bike rack right next to the door (plus!) .
Normally:
I have an extra mile to travel, a longer walk from bike racks, and an earlier start time.
Also the weather forecast for tomorrow says high of 7odeg, and I expect it to be about 48 when I head out to the office.
My plan is to leave 45mins before I need to be there, take 20-25mins (hopefully) to arrive, leaving 20-25 to park bike, change, etc. I think that is sufficient time with some slack since this is a new thing for me. I'm carrying laptop, cord, change of clothes, shoes, etc in a back pack.
I'll let you know how it goes. I'm excited!!
Oh, also, Son arrive safely yesterday afteroon (YAY!!) and had a good time on his trip. I'm so glad to have him back home. :)
For the next two days:
I have meetings that are on the closest side of our work campus to my house (plus!) that start 30mins later than most of my work meetings (plus!) with a bike rack right next to the door (plus!) .
Normally:
I have an extra mile to travel, a longer walk from bike racks, and an earlier start time.
Also the weather forecast for tomorrow says high of 7odeg, and I expect it to be about 48 when I head out to the office.
My plan is to leave 45mins before I need to be there, take 20-25mins (hopefully) to arrive, leaving 20-25 to park bike, change, etc. I think that is sufficient time with some slack since this is a new thing for me. I'm carrying laptop, cord, change of clothes, shoes, etc in a back pack.
I'll let you know how it goes. I'm excited!!
Oh, also, Son arrive safely yesterday afteroon (YAY!!) and had a good time on his trip. I'm so glad to have him back home. :)
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Commuting by bike - Is it for me?!?
My 25-35mile training ride isn't happening today. Short story - other commitments, bad weather, blah, blah, blah. Basically life got in the way of my training plans.I didn't want the day to be a total waste, so I decided to commute by bike to and from a 2 hr meeting that I needed to attend at church this morning.
Thoughts and observations from my first commuting attempt
- First and foremost, I had a BLAST riding this morning for some reason. Maybe because I left the Garmin at home and had no training expectations from the ride.
- I had planned my route so as to avoid too much traffic. I only had one traffic light to contend with, and cut through several parking lots to get off the road where it made sense. That was a success.
- It only took me about 5-7 minutes longer to ride there, than to drive (speed limit is 25-30mph most of the way there).
- Bike spedometer says it was 10.25 miles round trip, 15.6 MPH avg speed. Is it possible that focussing on fun (rather than speed and distance) is a critical piece that I've been missing?
- The sling backpack we got from a baseball game a few weeks ago was perfect for carrying my books, paper, pens, etc. Would be good for going to pick up a few light groceries too.
- Good thing it's a 'come as you are' church...I showed up in tights and had forgotten a change of clothes. OOPS!!
- I did remember a head band to try to disguise helmet hair as an intentional hair style.
- I brought a lock, but ended up parking the bike inside the building.
- I enjoyed riding to/from my meeting soooo much that all I could think of when I got home was riding my bike to/from work one day this week to see how that goes.
- I better not forget a change of clothes though!!
- Also, it will be a little trickier because I'll have to bring my laptop which is heavier/bulkier than what I was carrying today.
- And there will be no parking the bike inside the building, it will have to be parked and locked on a rack outside.
- What if... I like it and decide I want to ride to work more often? My current bike was really intended to be a commuter bike, not a race bike. Maybe after my races in May I can set it up better for commuting if I get serious about using it that way.
- And maybe, just maybe... I might be able to justify getting a better bike for racing for next season...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Bright spot
Tuesday morning I headed out for a quick 2.5 miles run with Bandit. I was pleasantly surprised with the results after uploading it to SportsTracks and creating this graph.Why? Well, lately it seems that I have lost the ability to run under a 10min mile, but looking at this graph in half mile increments, I think maybe all is not lost. The second half mile was up a hill. The last .15 mile was slowing to cool down because I had passed the targetted 2.5 mile mark. The rest of the time, I hit <=10min miles....maybe about 9:4o average. Yeah, it isn't FAST and it was a short run, but it was speedier than my normal slow-n-steady 11+min mile pace on mostly flat terrain and I feel like celebrating. Yahooooo. :)
Oh, and for the record, why is it that the half mile down the hill is only slightly faster than my other times but the half mile UP the hill is soooo slow.???? I'm convinced that hills are pure evil.
This morning was swimming. It went okay. 2000M covered overall.
Oh yeah, and I reached a milestone today on the personal front. I watched my 15yr old son get on a charter bus and head off for a 5 day trip to California. He comes home Monday evening. It was one of those monumental "Mom moments", kind of like the first time he hopped on a bus and headed off to Kindergarten for a half day...only this one stings of the reality that he's really growing up too fast. I miss him already.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Living up to the moniker
First off, thank you all very much for comments to my last post. I really appreciate each and every one of you for taking time to give me the encouragement that I was needing!!
I've internalized everything and decided that I'd rather be last than not finish at all. I'd even rather start and have to give up than give up without trying. So my races are on in May, including the Oly that I am feeling particularly ill-prepared for.
Friday's goal: Rest. I've been having some pain in my left hamstring, and I wanted to rest and let it heal.
Saturday's goal: Bike 25miles, average speed 15+mph. I made the distance, but not so good with the speed, a disappointing 14.3mph. I attempted three hills which basically kicked my rear; you can figure out where they were by looking at the splits graph. So what am I planning to do about it?!? Go back next weekend and try again!! Those hills haven't seen the last of me yet!!
Today's goal: Run 8 miles, 11min/mi. Once again, I made the distance, not so good with the pace. Average ended up being 11:49min/mi. My average was at my goal pace at the turn point at mile 4, but was getting slower and slower each mile, so the overall average ended up being 11:49min/mi. It's okay, I knew it was a stretch to hit 11min/mi for a full 8 miles, but I wanted to give it a shot.
I may continue to live up to my Slow and Steady moniker, but it really isn't all bad. Remember:
"Slow and Steady went on and on and never ever quit until getting to the finish line. All the animals who were watching cheered loudly for Tortoise."
I've internalized everything and decided that I'd rather be last than not finish at all. I'd even rather start and have to give up than give up without trying. So my races are on in May, including the Oly that I am feeling particularly ill-prepared for.
Friday's goal: Rest. I've been having some pain in my left hamstring, and I wanted to rest and let it heal.
Saturday's goal: Bike 25miles, average speed 15+mph. I made the distance, but not so good with the speed, a disappointing 14.3mph. I attempted three hills which basically kicked my rear; you can figure out where they were by looking at the splits graph. So what am I planning to do about it?!? Go back next weekend and try again!! Those hills haven't seen the last of me yet!!
Today's goal: Run 8 miles, 11min/mi. Once again, I made the distance, not so good with the pace. Average ended up being 11:49min/mi. My average was at my goal pace at the turn point at mile 4, but was getting slower and slower each mile, so the overall average ended up being 11:49min/mi. It's okay, I knew it was a stretch to hit 11min/mi for a full 8 miles, but I wanted to give it a shot.I may continue to live up to my Slow and Steady moniker, but it really isn't all bad. Remember:
"Slow and Steady went on and on and never ever quit until getting to the finish line. All the animals who were watching cheered loudly for Tortoise."
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Mind Games
I composed the following 2007 Fitness Goals on 18Dec2006. I really needed to revisit them today. I've been second guessing my preparedness for upcoming races in May and was considering cancelling because my performance isn't going to be 'up to par'. Looking at my goals, the races in May are NOT part of my 'go faster' goal. If I complete them, I make strides toward my goals; if I cancel because of my lack of speed, I don't. Seems simple, so why is it messing with my mind?!?!
I know most of you are competitive, but if you have any favorite quotes or words of encouragement to help me recapture the 'finish and have fun' spirit that I had when I wrote these down, please share!
Go Farther!
1. complete 10K race
2. complete Olympic triathlon
3. complete half marathon
Go Faster!
1. under 27:35 min stand-alone 5K – just under 9min mi/hr
2. under 01:30:00 at Socorro Chile Harvest Tri
Have fun!
1. Do 3 races of any sort just for kicks - not as stepping stones to farther or faster
2. No races because I feel “I have to” – only because “I want to”
3. Rockin’ race photos :)
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Happy Easter
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.
If you follow my blog, you know that I gave up coffee for Lent. As of today, I can drink coffee again and be right with God. But I chose not to this morning. Yet another thing to be thankful for; I am no longer a slave to caffeine. We'll see how long this lasts...
We had nice weather today after yesterday's snow/sleet fiasco. I once again attempted my "1:25 or 7miles whichever comes first" out-and-back run. This time I had success.
These are my splits in half mile increments. You see a marked slow down at mile 4.
I really dropped the pace at the turn point from slow to slower. The whole thing was slow-n-steady, but I kicked it up a notch at the end to finish strong. It felt good and was a confidence booster. I intend to try this again next weekend and will push harder for a better result.
To shamelessly steal something I read from RunBubbaRun and then put in a whole other context - You finish, you win - and I won today (By the way, please drop by and leave Dennis some comment love - he's doing a 50miler next weekend!! WootWoot!!).
I can't end my Easter post without giving a shout-out to Jesus. I run not because of what I can do for myself, but what He has done for me.
If you follow my blog, you know that I gave up coffee for Lent. As of today, I can drink coffee again and be right with God. But I chose not to this morning. Yet another thing to be thankful for; I am no longer a slave to caffeine. We'll see how long this lasts...
We had nice weather today after yesterday's snow/sleet fiasco. I once again attempted my "1:25 or 7miles whichever comes first" out-and-back run. This time I had success.
These are my splits in half mile increments. You see a marked slow down at mile 4.
I really dropped the pace at the turn point from slow to slower. The whole thing was slow-n-steady, but I kicked it up a notch at the end to finish strong. It felt good and was a confidence booster. I intend to try this again next weekend and will push harder for a better result.To shamelessly steal something I read from RunBubbaRun and then put in a whole other context - You finish, you win - and I won today (By the way, please drop by and leave Dennis some comment love - he's doing a 50miler next weekend!! WootWoot!!).
I can't end my Easter post without giving a shout-out to Jesus. I run not because of what I can do for myself, but what He has done for me.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
One of those days
Ever have one of those days when things just don't go according to plan??? Well today was one for me.
My plan was a 2-2.5mile bike ride while Husband and Daughter were reffing back-to-back soccer games. Afternoon was dedicated to more painting of Daughter's room. Cycling is my weak link, so it was important to me to make this long ride happen. And, yesterday the high was something like 76deg. I was expecting nice weather for a ride.
When I left the house, however, it was 38deg and cloudy skies. No problem, I just dressed warmer. I was hoping to get in 35miles today and I was planning out how to do it. I filled up my new camelback and added some air to my tires and was on my way.
About 3 miles out, it started to snow. Yes, you read that right, SNOW.
At first it wasn't snowing too hard, so I figured I'd keep going, but I changed my planned route to be three loops of 12miles each, staying close to home just in case...
It started snowing harder. I realized there were no other cyclists out on the road. I really didn't want to turn and go back in yet, but I started second guessing my sanity out there.
Then the snow turned to sleet. Ouch! Sleet actually hurts when it hits your face. After a few ice cubes in the eye balls, I decided enough was enough and headed home.
After reading a few blogs and checking email and generally sulking and feeling sorry for myself, I decided to get up off my rear and put the bike on the trainer. That lasted about 20min until I was just too bored with it. After being on the road, I just couldn't get exited about a ride on the trainer.
More blog reading, more email, more feeling sorry for myself. Bandit was bugging me because he wanted to play, so I changed to running clothes, got the hands-free leash and took him out on a short 2mile run 'up the hill' and back.
On my way back, I saw Husband and Daughter returning from soccer, so I headed home for good. I knew she was looking forward to working on painting her room.
So we've painted, I need to head out to the store, and it's dinner time already. Sigh.
By the numbers:
Planned: 2.0-2.5 mile bike ride hoping for 35miles
Actual: 40min bike ride (9.5miles), 20mins indoor cycling, 2mile jog with dog, + 'bonus' 1.5 hrs painting walls
Friday, April 6, 2007
Estimating - The Swim
Don't know where the time has gone, but I have two events coming up next month, a sprint and an oly. YIKES!! I'm getting really nervous about the oly; I'm still not sure I'm going to be ready for that. For some reason, trying to break it down and start estimating times seems like it will calm me down. My goal is to finish with a smile, and preferably before all the volunteers go home. I expect to be pretty slow, but the longer I'm out there, the more likely I'll be grimacing at the end rather than smiling...
This week, I worked on estimating the swim. Being the slow-n-steady water turtle that I am, I expect the swim to be the best leg of the three for me.
The sprint has a 400M swim, and for that distance, I will swim 'hard'. On Thursday, I included 2x200 'hard' and my times were 4:10 & 3:51. I think 00:08:20 +/- 30 seconds for a 400M swim is a reasonable estimate for the sprint.
I believe the oly swim is 1500M, and for that distance, I will swim 'easy'. This morning, I included 1x1000 'easy' and my time was 24minutes and I felt like I could have kept on going at the same speed no problem, so 36min +/- 3min seems like a reasonable estimate for the oly.
This week, I worked on estimating the swim. Being the slow-n-steady water turtle that I am, I expect the swim to be the best leg of the three for me.
The sprint has a 400M swim, and for that distance, I will swim 'hard'. On Thursday, I included 2x200 'hard' and my times were 4:10 & 3:51. I think 00:08:20 +/- 30 seconds for a 400M swim is a reasonable estimate for the sprint.
I believe the oly swim is 1500M, and for that distance, I will swim 'easy'. This morning, I included 1x1000 'easy' and my time was 24minutes and I felt like I could have kept on going at the same speed no problem, so 36min +/- 3min seems like a reasonable estimate for the oly.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Accountability time...
MARCH Totals
indoor cycling - 1.8 hrs
outdoor cycling - 62.4 mi
swimming - 10,150 M
indoor running - 5.6 mi
outdoor running - 37.6 mi
core/strength - 500 reps
other - 4 mi hiking
Thoughts
What went well: swimming, outdoor cycling
What could have gone better: outdoor running, core/strength
indoor cycling - 1.8 hrs
outdoor cycling - 62.4 mi
swimming - 10,150 M
indoor running - 5.6 mi
outdoor running - 37.6 mi
core/strength - 500 reps
other - 4 mi hiking
Thoughts
What went well: swimming, outdoor cycling
What could have gone better: outdoor running, core/strength
Photo Collage
Home now. Long travel last night. Tired.
We had fun.
A picture is worth a thousand words? Then I'll let the photos speak 6000 words worth for me...
Saturday, March 31, 2007
¿"Training"? - No comprende
¡Buenos dias! Hola amigos y amigas. Just a short post to let you know that I'm still alive and well.
I had a great training plan outlined for this week which included swiming in the ocean (red flags are up, so that isn't happening), running around the resort grounds (it's too hot and humid), possibly running on the treadmill at the fitness center (just plain too lazy to do that), and swimming in the pool (BINGO!! - one outta four ain't bad!).
Kids have discovered Montezuma's revenge first hand after consuming some suspect strawberries. ¡Aye Chihuahua!
Other than that, life is good.
Pics and more will be forthcoming in the next few days. For now, I have a lounge chair under a palm tree with my name on it...
¡Hasta la vista!
I had a great training plan outlined for this week which included swiming in the ocean (red flags are up, so that isn't happening), running around the resort grounds (it's too hot and humid), possibly running on the treadmill at the fitness center (just plain too lazy to do that), and swimming in the pool (BINGO!! - one outta four ain't bad!).
Kids have discovered Montezuma's revenge first hand after consuming some suspect strawberries. ¡Aye Chihuahua!
Other than that, life is good.
Pics and more will be forthcoming in the next few days. For now, I have a lounge chair under a palm tree with my name on it...
¡Hasta la vista!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Stupid Human Tricks & Swimsuit Shopping
PART 1 - STUPID HUMAN TRICKS
Saturday morning weather didn’t cooperate for my planned 2-2.5 hr bike ride. Plan B – running in pursuit of 7miles or 85minutes whichever comes first
Mile 2, first look at my Garmin. Pace is good. I rock!! Maybe I'll even get in eight today.
Mile 3, I begin to feel... nauseous. I hope the feeling passes quickly. Hmmm...I didn’t drink as much water in the morning as I usually do. I also haven’t brought any with me. I reach into my pocket and grab a gel.
Mile 5, I thirsty and a little dizzy; this cannot be good. I remind myself that it me against the course. I win as long as I get from the starting point to the ending point on my own no matter how long it takes.
Mile 6, I reach in my pocket again, this time grabbing my cell phone. I contemplate calling husband to come retrieve me. I don’t want the course to beat me, but I also don’t want to end up in a really bad situation. I'm feeling lousy, but I'm still moving. I decide to take it one step at a time...
Mile 6.88(?), Home at last. Straight to kitchen, guzzle down 2 huge glasses of ice water.
Husband - “You were out for a long time; I was getting worried about you”
Me - “Yeah, me too…”
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PART 2 - SWIMSUIT SHOPPING WITH TEENAGER
When my daughter got home from school on Friday, we headed out for some swimsuit shopping. She needs a new one for our trip to Cancuun because she has outgrown her old ones. I need something appropriate for a resort (sport top and DeSoto shorts that I wear to the gym won't cut it).
Like most women, I have body image issues. Choosing a swimsuit is a horrid experience; wearing one in public is worse. My 13 yr old daughter, on the other hand, has a cute figure and thinks this is great fun.
First mission, swimsuit for me. We settle on an appropriate tankini for a forty-something mom - modest, yet contemporary. Daughter gives it two thumbs up. Whew. I'm done.
Her turn. She models about ten suits in all. Some I veto because they are WAYYY too skimpy. My favorite is grey with pink and white polka dots and agree to buy that one. She likes a multi-colored stripe one too. I agree that she can have that one also if she will pay for it. Mission accomplished.
We're heading to the cashier when a smokin' hot red and black print bikini on the sale rack catches my eye. I decide to try it on thinking maybe it can replace the bikini I wear in our hot tub (in the privacy of our own backyard at night when nobody can see me). I cautiously step out of the dressing room and show my daughter.
"Oh, Mom, that looks nice! Get it!"
So there you have it, one of the intangible benefits of triathlon training. Smokin' hot bikini doesn't look half bad. Who knew?!?!
Saturday morning weather didn’t cooperate for my planned 2-2.5 hr bike ride. Plan B – running in pursuit of 7miles or 85minutes whichever comes first
Mile 2, first look at my Garmin. Pace is good. I rock!! Maybe I'll even get in eight today.
Mile 3, I begin to feel... nauseous. I hope the feeling passes quickly. Hmmm...I didn’t drink as much water in the morning as I usually do. I also haven’t brought any with me. I reach into my pocket and grab a gel.
Mile 5, I thirsty and a little dizzy; this cannot be good. I remind myself that it me against the course. I win as long as I get from the starting point to the ending point on my own no matter how long it takes.
Mile 6, I reach in my pocket again, this time grabbing my cell phone. I contemplate calling husband to come retrieve me. I don’t want the course to beat me, but I also don’t want to end up in a really bad situation. I'm feeling lousy, but I'm still moving. I decide to take it one step at a time...
Mile 6.88(?), Home at last. Straight to kitchen, guzzle down 2 huge glasses of ice water.
Husband - “You were out for a long time; I was getting worried about you”
Me - “Yeah, me too…”
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PART 2 - SWIMSUIT SHOPPING WITH TEENAGER
When my daughter got home from school on Friday, we headed out for some swimsuit shopping. She needs a new one for our trip to Cancuun because she has outgrown her old ones. I need something appropriate for a resort (sport top and DeSoto shorts that I wear to the gym won't cut it).
Like most women, I have body image issues. Choosing a swimsuit is a horrid experience; wearing one in public is worse. My 13 yr old daughter, on the other hand, has a cute figure and thinks this is great fun.
First mission, swimsuit for me. We settle on an appropriate tankini for a forty-something mom - modest, yet contemporary. Daughter gives it two thumbs up. Whew. I'm done.
Her turn. She models about ten suits in all. Some I veto because they are WAYYY too skimpy. My favorite is grey with pink and white polka dots and agree to buy that one. She likes a multi-colored stripe one too. I agree that she can have that one also if she will pay for it. Mission accomplished.
We're heading to the cashier when a smokin' hot red and black print bikini on the sale rack catches my eye. I decide to try it on thinking maybe it can replace the bikini I wear in our hot tub (in the privacy of our own backyard at night when nobody can see me). I cautiously step out of the dressing room and show my daughter.
"Oh, Mom, that looks nice! Get it!"
So there you have it, one of the intangible benefits of triathlon training. Smokin' hot bikini doesn't look half bad. Who knew?!?!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Week in Review
Workouts Mon-Fri:
- Mon - 12 mi bike
- Tuesday - 16x200 run intervals. These are my results (time per 200):
00:59, 00:54, 00:54, 01:00,
00:55, 01:00, 00:56, 01:01,
00:58, 01:00, 01:05, 01:01,
01:04, 00:56, 01:01, 01:00, - Wednesday - 45 mins Indoor cycling, short 500M swim
- Thursday - 40min run, 30 min bike
- Friday - 2400M swim
Other:
- This week I discovered Teeccino (caffeine free herbal 'coffee') while browsing the tea aisle at a local natural food store. Brewed it in my 2cup plunger pot (makes one mug) and so far, I think it's pretty good. I really like how I am feeling since giving up coffee for lent, and am not sure I want to go back to my coffee addiction/habit come Easter.
- Been busy closing loose ends at work, shopping, and doing errands because we're getting ready for spring break vacation!! WoooHooo!! Leaving on Monday...can't wait.
- Despite my slow Sunday run, I'm pretty happy with how my training is going. This time last year I could not swim 2400, spent less time on the bike, and never would have made it through 16x200M run intervals or lasted on a run over 60min. Sometimes it is good to reflect back at where we've been to appreciate where we are. :)
Have a good weekend everyone. Hopefully I will have one more post before vacation.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Monday Miscellany
I was was all set Sunday morning to head out and run 7 miles or 85 minutes whichever came first. I figured even if I ran a 12min mile, that was plenty of time to get in seven.
Unfortunately, my legs were still screaming at me for what I put them through on Saturday. Apparently they were not as elated as I about the bike ride and were in no mood to be running. The run started off slow and got slower by the mile. When my time was up, I had only managed a disappointing 6.5 miles. Blah! However, If my legs think one slow Sunday morning is enough to make me throw in the towel, they've got another thing coming. I'll give it another go this upcoming weekend.
Husband & I also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary yesterday. So what did I do? I went out and bought him two new pairs of running shoes, of course! At first, that may seem like a weird anniversary gift, but as I explained to him - my hope is that running keeps him healthy so that we'll have many more years together. :)
Today was a planned 12 mile bike ride which went well by my standards, and I even managed to enjoy it. Maybe there's hope for me yet...
Have a good week, all!!
Unfortunately, my legs were still screaming at me for what I put them through on Saturday. Apparently they were not as elated as I about the bike ride and were in no mood to be running. The run started off slow and got slower by the mile. When my time was up, I had only managed a disappointing 6.5 miles. Blah! However, If my legs think one slow Sunday morning is enough to make me throw in the towel, they've got another thing coming. I'll give it another go this upcoming weekend.
Husband & I also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary yesterday. So what did I do? I went out and bought him two new pairs of running shoes, of course! At first, that may seem like a weird anniversary gift, but as I explained to him - my hope is that running keeps him healthy so that we'll have many more years together. :)
Today was a planned 12 mile bike ride which went well by my standards, and I even managed to enjoy it. Maybe there's hope for me yet...
Have a good week, all!!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Make it happen (part 2)
Exhibit A
The bike is my weak link, and it has been frustrating me for some time. It's embarrassing, but I have a hard time keeping my speed over 14.5mph. I took off today ready to prove something to myself and shake that monkey off my back. I had 20miles scheduled (mostly flat, slight rolling hills) and was ready to make them count!
Did I succeed in my quest? I think so, and I'll tell you why.
So there you have it. I've set another goal. Now to make it happen!
The bike is my weak link, and it has been frustrating me for some time. It's embarrassing, but I have a hard time keeping my speed over 14.5mph. I took off today ready to prove something to myself and shake that monkey off my back. I had 20miles scheduled (mostly flat, slight rolling hills) and was ready to make them count!
Did I succeed in my quest? I think so, and I'll tell you why.
- Never before has 25% of my ride averaged over 16mph
- Never before have I had a mile near 17mph !!
- First time I've not recorded at least one mile below 12mph on a 20mile ride.
So there you have it. I've set another goal. Now to make it happen!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Making it happen
Training continues to go mostly according to plan. Slept in Wed morning, but got my swim in during the afternoon during what was scheduled to be a core/strength workout. Indoor cycling this morning, ran this evening. Tomorrow is swim (maybe add back the missed core/strength as well). Sat bike. Sun run. I think I can get it all in.
Bigger news for me is that I've started laying down some $$ for a upcoming events. As I sign up, I will add them to the sidebar.
I have a huge week planned in May. The Jay Benson Sprint Tri is on one weekend, followed by a half-oly training camp Thu-Sat, followed by my first Oly tri that Sunday. Which, by the way, will also be my first open water swim except for practice the day before at the training camp. May not sound like much to many of you, but it will be quite a challenge for me to maintain that kind of volume and intensity over just a week's time plus learn to swim in open water and immediately turn around and race in it.
I was debating not signing up for all this madness. I am fairly certain that I will be last or darn near last at that Oly especially immediately after a training camp that will likely kick my novice butt. Howver, I was given the following words of wisdom by trusted friend:
Q: What do you call the last person to cross the finish line at a triathlon?
A: A Triathlete
A Triathlete, indeed. BRING IT ON!!!
Bigger news for me is that I've started laying down some $$ for a upcoming events. As I sign up, I will add them to the sidebar.
I have a huge week planned in May. The Jay Benson Sprint Tri is on one weekend, followed by a half-oly training camp Thu-Sat, followed by my first Oly tri that Sunday. Which, by the way, will also be my first open water swim except for practice the day before at the training camp. May not sound like much to many of you, but it will be quite a challenge for me to maintain that kind of volume and intensity over just a week's time plus learn to swim in open water and immediately turn around and race in it.
I was debating not signing up for all this madness. I am fairly certain that I will be last or darn near last at that Oly especially immediately after a training camp that will likely kick my novice butt. Howver, I was given the following words of wisdom by trusted friend:
Q: What do you call the last person to cross the finish line at a triathlon?
A: A Triathlete
A Triathlete, indeed. BRING IT ON!!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Too fast for my own shoes!
Today I intended to warm up, do 8x400 intervals at an 8:30min/mi pace, cool down, stretch.
Let's discuss the intervals. Normally, I do these on the dreadmill so that I can set and maintain the pace. Today I decided to estimate 400m with .25miles per my Garmin and do these in the great outdoors. As it turns out, I overshot my pace repeatedly. The results (in min/mi)
Let's discuss the intervals. Normally, I do these on the dreadmill so that I can set and maintain the pace. Today I decided to estimate 400m with .25miles per my Garmin and do these in the great outdoors. As it turns out, I overshot my pace repeatedly. The results (in min/mi)
- 7.04 Holy Smokes! Did I do that?!?!
- 7:40
- 7:41
- 10:42 Trail turned to sand. Yuck!
- 7:57
- 8:06
- 7:52
- missing - miscounted and only did seven!
Before anyone dares suggest that I'm a speed demon, let me tell you that I was totally ready to stop when my .25miles were up each time. The pace that I can maintain over distance is WAY slower. But that is why they call this speed work, right?
And yesterday, 55min outside on the bike, 12.5miles. Not bad for a Monday after work with other commitments.
Tomorrow, planned swim unless the sleep demons get to me...Sunday, March 11, 2007
Coffee Beans
Mmmmmm...I can almost smell it.
Okay, so there there is a man somewhere in this picture. Can you find him?
Supposedly...
- If you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people.
- If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of your brain is developed normally.
- If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein.
- If you still can't find him, keep looking; the man is really there! Once you find him, it will seem obvious.
Now for keeping me honest.
- Yesterday I ran 6.3 miles. That's pretty good for me. I've decided that I'm going to start increasing my 'long runs'. I'll target 7 miles next weekend, then 8 the week after. We'll see how that goes and adjust from there.
- Today I only managed to get in an 8.5 mile bike ride, though, and that is not so good. I was a little messed up this morning by daylight savings time. I also opted to do some over-due yard clean-up work this afternoon rather than go out again to reclaim the missed morning miles. Next weekend, I'll once again target a 20-30mile ride.
Friday, March 9, 2007
According to my notebook...
I keep pretty simple training records. Nothing more sophisticated than a few notes in a notebook. But it works for me, and it's telling me that March is off to a good start.My daily training volume hasn't been as high as I woud like, but I haven't logged any missed days. That's huge. By this time last month I was already beginning to log the first of what turned into a long stream of zeros with the note "Sick." I've learned that (for me) doing something is always better than doing nothing, if for no other reason than to maintain a positive attitude.
Great suggestions about doing functional at the hotel. That was my plan B on Wednesday. Plan A was to get down to the gym at 5:50am and hope to be the first to show up for the treadmill. Plan A actually worked!
Got back home late Wed evening, so I didn't get up early yesterday to go for my scheduled swim, so I swapped it with a bike ride after work (which was on the schedule for today). So today I will swim... [update : and swim I did! My swim workout totalled 2650. Now my shoulder is a bit sore]
Weekend has longer running and biking sessions planned, and it looks like the weatherman is no longer holding a grudge against me. Highs around 70 are forcasted both days. Yesssssss!
March is off to a good start, indeed.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Travel Exercise Woes
Travelling really hurts when trying to establish a routine. I have something to log to my training records, but it has been far from stellar, but at least SOMETHING to keep momentum going this month. I can't wait to be home.
Preface - Reading this, you may wonder why the exercise room is such a constraint on this trip: Husband was concerned about me running outside in an unknown area (safety, getting lost, etc) so I promised him I would stay inside.
Monday, I didn't have to show up at the office until 9am, so I went to the exercise room at 7am and found it empty. There are two treadmills (one functional and one not), an elliptical trainer, and some kind of cycling motion machine. There is also a weight machine crammed in the corner. The temp in this little room has been set at 72 deg and there is no fan. I hopped on the treadmill and lasted about 35mins until I felt like I was overheating. The hotel has a little pool, so I jumped in to cool down. I made it a point to stop by the front desk to ask them why there is no fan in there and could they please turn down the temp. They scrambled around like maybe they were going to do something, but I don't think they made any changes.
Okay, so the little exercise room officially opens at 6am. This morning, I had to be in the office at 8am, so I showed up to the exercise room at about 5:55am. All the machines were already occupied. D'oh! Apparently early bird gets the worm and the official start time isn't enforced. Plan B. I happened to have goggles in my suitcase, so I decided to try to do something in the little pool. That turned out to be nothing more than frustrating. I tried swimming diagonally in the pool to make it worth my effort, but it mostly felt like a waste of time. 30mins later, I gave up and went back to my room. Sigh.
I have one more morning here. At this point, I'm thinking that I'll just do some core work in my hotel room and bypass any expectations of using the exercise room.
And if anyone has tips/pointers about what works for them when they travel, I'd be happy to hear about it. As you can tell, the situation on this particular trip just hasn't worked for me...
Preface - Reading this, you may wonder why the exercise room is such a constraint on this trip: Husband was concerned about me running outside in an unknown area (safety, getting lost, etc) so I promised him I would stay inside.
Monday, I didn't have to show up at the office until 9am, so I went to the exercise room at 7am and found it empty. There are two treadmills (one functional and one not), an elliptical trainer, and some kind of cycling motion machine. There is also a weight machine crammed in the corner. The temp in this little room has been set at 72 deg and there is no fan. I hopped on the treadmill and lasted about 35mins until I felt like I was overheating. The hotel has a little pool, so I jumped in to cool down. I made it a point to stop by the front desk to ask them why there is no fan in there and could they please turn down the temp. They scrambled around like maybe they were going to do something, but I don't think they made any changes.
Okay, so the little exercise room officially opens at 6am. This morning, I had to be in the office at 8am, so I showed up to the exercise room at about 5:55am. All the machines were already occupied. D'oh! Apparently early bird gets the worm and the official start time isn't enforced. Plan B. I happened to have goggles in my suitcase, so I decided to try to do something in the little pool. That turned out to be nothing more than frustrating. I tried swimming diagonally in the pool to make it worth my effort, but it mostly felt like a waste of time. 30mins later, I gave up and went back to my room. Sigh.
I have one more morning here. At this point, I'm thinking that I'll just do some core work in my hotel room and bypass any expectations of using the exercise room.
And if anyone has tips/pointers about what works for them when they travel, I'd be happy to hear about it. As you can tell, the situation on this particular trip just hasn't worked for me...
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Have I angered the weather man?!?!?
The weather man is being so cruel to me!!
I'm leaving on a business trip tomorrow returning late Wed. Please note the difference between the current weather and the forcasted weather while I'm gone.
Not fair, is it?!?!?
Despite a cold windy start, the first two days of the Month have been okay from a training perspective. I ran 3.5miles on the 1st and then swam yesterday for the first time in weeks. Had been thinking about getting out on my bike today. However, looking at the weather it seems like that would be sooo much more enjoyable tomorrow. But, of course, I can't do it tomorrow because I'm heading to the airport right after church.
So...I'll wait a little longer until it warms up some and then make the decision to either get out on my bike, or head out for 5-6 mile run. If I make nice with the weather man, maybe he'll give me some ejoyable cycling conditions when I get back.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!!
I'm leaving on a business trip tomorrow returning late Wed. Please note the difference between the current weather and the forcasted weather while I'm gone.
Not fair, is it?!?!?
Despite a cold windy start, the first two days of the Month have been okay from a training perspective. I ran 3.5miles on the 1st and then swam yesterday for the first time in weeks. Had been thinking about getting out on my bike today. However, looking at the weather it seems like that would be sooo much more enjoyable tomorrow. But, of course, I can't do it tomorrow because I'm heading to the airport right after church.
So...I'll wait a little longer until it warms up some and then make the decision to either get out on my bike, or head out for 5-6 mile run. If I make nice with the weather man, maybe he'll give me some ejoyable cycling conditions when I get back.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!!
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