1. I'm bored at work. And very good at procrastinating.
2. I'm a sarcastic, smart-ass, who tends to always look for the worst case scenario.
3. I've been to the emergency room twice, and the therapist once.
4. I had an eating disorder and beat it (see therapist)
5. I used to think that triathlon was cheaper than therapy. Not so much anymore. However, I do believe it has been instrumental in helping me recover.
6. I. Love. Cookies. and Cake.
7. I'm one of the most high-strung people I know. I can't sit still and have a hard time relaxing.
8. I have 1 younger (not smaller) brother. 1 is enough.
9. He lives in Spokane.
10. I miss him lots.
11. I have the coolest in-laws in the world.
12. I love wine tasting trips with my husband.
13. My black lab is my baby. My 70-lb, drooling, farting baby.
14. I bought my dream car when I was 24. I love it.
15. It's a Mustang and her name is Penny.
16. My road bike cost as much as the down payment on my car.
17. Her name is Honey Ryder.
18. I love James Bond movies. Except for the ones with Timothy Dalton, and that one random guy.
19. I took piano lessons for 12 years.
20. I want kids. Just not now. Or next year. Or even the year after that.
21. I coach freshman basketball at the local high school.
22. I get in trouble alot for mouthing off to parents and bus drivers. Apparently, my mouth has no filter.
23. My sister-in-law is the only one in the family who gets my 'Friends' references.
24. I love Starbucks.
25. But my favorite coffee is Jamaican Blue Mountain.
26. I do not understand the fascination with Twilight.
27. I have the most understanding husband in the world.
28. In addition to coaching, I am also a coaches wife.
29. I like farmer's markets in the summer, football on a chilly night in the fall, and the smell of a basketball court on a saturday morning.
30. I would like to redo my first two years of college - they were rough.
31. Most people gain the "Freshman 15" - I lost 20. (not good when you're 5'10" and weigh 120)
32. That wasn't my eating disorder though.
33. I work for my Dad.
34. I can sing along to just about every Beach Boys song, but can't remember to put the new tabs on my car.
35. I like to cook.
36. I collect cookbooks and recipes. I say "collect" because I have them, but rarely use them.
37. I find the news to be depressing and rarely watch it.
38. I voted for our current president.
39. Stupid people irritate me.
40. I'm impatient.
41. I H.A.T.E. Wal-mart, but can't seem to live without it.
42. I like calendars and lists. My house is full of lists. Lists of lists.
43. I like to garden, but have a hard time keeping up with it.
44. I'm not a very good housekeeper.
45. I make killer homemade brownies. Hubby likes the ones out of the box.
46. That's probably been the biggest argument of our 4 year marriage.
47. We've been together for 9 years.
48. I quilt occasionally.
49. I recently discovered that there are alot of really cool, strong women in my family. I aspire to be one of them.
50. I'm scared of spiders. And thunderstorms. And occaisionally my own shadow.
51. When my brother and I were little, Dad used to hide in the bedroom doorways at the end of the dark hallway and jump out and scare us. I now have to turn on lights whenever I go down a hallway.
52. I have always gotten along better with guys than girls. From grade school all the way through college, and even now.
53. I would rather watch the NCAA finals and drink beer with the guys than be in the kitchen with the wives and children discussing labor.
54. When put in that situation, all I am able to think about is how my dog behaves better than some peoples children. And he does cool tricks too.
55. I'm slightly addicted to facebook and blogs.
56. My last "real" job sucked. Which is why I now work for my Dad.
57. Retail therapy helps everytihng. Any woman who tells you different is lying.
58. I like fast cars and motorcycles. I have one. I have been informed that I will never have the other.
59. Eventhough I might look confident on the outside, I'm usually freaking out on the inside.
60. I kick-A at Guitar Hero.
61. My TV is usually on Food Network or ESPN. Or VERSUS for Tri's and Cycling.
62. I watched this year's Tour de France from start to finish - and found it fascinating.
63. I have enough underwear to go 3 weeks without doing laundry.
64. I would rather be sitting at the lake than anywhere else.
65. My Grandpa Youngers taught my brother and I how to play poker when we were little.
66. I miss Grandpa Youngers more than any of my other relatives who have passed away.
67. I've never been to his gravesite. I don't think I could handle it.
68. I am addicted to reality television - especially Bravo.
69. Twilight, Taylor Swift and Paris Hilton drive me nuts.
70. My favorite food groups are Carbs and Sugar.
71. I've never broken any major bones - just a pinky toe. I tripped over a cart at Costco
72. I dislocated my shoulder in high school during a district basketball game. To this day it still pops out occasionally.
73. There are currently 5 whitewall tires with 4.5inch tread sitting in my office.
74. Dad and I are restoring a 1941 Pontiac Businessman's Coupe and a 1957 Chevy pickup.
75. I'm very competitive. So is Dave.
76. During pre-marital counseling, our pastor told us we weren't allowed to compete against each other.
77. To this day, our biggest fight has been about who really won that raquetball game in college.
78. It was me.
79. I like Chick-Lit books.
80. I will pester my husband about what my Christmas/Birthday presents are and where they are stashed until he breaks.
81. He never breaks, but the dog did sniff them out once.
82. For the first time ever, I have tan lines this summer!
83. I like Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble.
84. I see myself being an Ephrata-ite for life.
85. I'm okay with that. I think.
86. I don't eat storebought bakery cookies - they never taste as good as they look, and I can make better.
87. Crap, this is a long list.
88. I have a peanut allergy, which sucks when I'm trying to take in calories on the bike - do you know how many granola/energy bars have peanuts in them? All of them!
89. I own the entire set of Sex and The City episodes and have watched it from start to finish multiple times.
90. After all, multiple is better, right? ;)
91. I'm a Girl Scout drop-out who managed to marry an Eagle Scout.
92. I have golf clubs, but rarely play. Not that I don't enjoy it, I just find it frustrating with no physical contact to relase the frustration!
93. Santa Claus scares me. Especially the ones at the mall.
94. I'm really good at talking myself out of stuff. I need to get better at talking myself into things.
95. The last 2 movies I saw were "the Hangover" and "Julie and Julia". I loved them both!
96. My current favorite movie is "Superbad"
97. I'm scared of my next race, but I think that's because it's way out of my comfort zone.
98. I hate being out of my comfort zone, but I'm pretty sure it makes me a stronger person in the end, so here we go.
99. I like 16 oz., triple, skinny, sugar free vanilla lattes. A barista called me high maintenance once.
100. I can't believe you read this whole list.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
WTF was I thinking?
...ever have one of those moments? Welcome to my world.
The decision was made, mostly by me, to make the jump up to the Olympic distance. Why?
ummm.....
Sprints have become to easy, and just aren't enough of a challenge anymore. I wasn't even sore after Saturday's race. I feel ready to move up...I thnk...as I say this my stomach jumps into my throat. Lovely.
Lately I have been asking others about different races they have done that I am now considering doing, just to see what their opinion was of that particular race. Want to know what the responses were?
No.
It sucked.
Hills. Lots of hills.
It's hard.
I got heat exhaustion.
It rained.
WTF people?!? This is not helping! Fine. So what if it's hard - if it were easy everyone would do it right? To me hard should mean that it's a challenge, which means you should be a tougher athlete and competitor, both physically and mentally, at the end of that race. Hills? Not my favorite, but I get the feeling we're about to become close friends. There will be no more riding flats - all hills from here till the race. Heat? Welcome to eastern washington. It's the desert. Rain? "Let it roll in and rain down, and I will ride through it."
Dave made the point that everyone believes I can do this except me. Pretty sure we need to change that over the next 4 weeks too.
So, in an attempt to muster some courage, confidence and a little bit of cockiness: 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 10K run - Bring. It. On.
pray people. pray hard.
On a side note, my sneaky husband ordered me a set of these for my birthday, which is still 3 weeks away. I was making comments about talking to my bike guy this weekend about what kind to get, etc....so Dave spilled the beans!! HA! Hopefully they make it here (and are comfortable) before the race.
The decision was made, mostly by me, to make the jump up to the Olympic distance. Why?
ummm.....
Sprints have become to easy, and just aren't enough of a challenge anymore. I wasn't even sore after Saturday's race. I feel ready to move up...I thnk...as I say this my stomach jumps into my throat. Lovely.
Lately I have been asking others about different races they have done that I am now considering doing, just to see what their opinion was of that particular race. Want to know what the responses were?
No.
It sucked.
Hills. Lots of hills.
It's hard.
I got heat exhaustion.
It rained.
WTF people?!? This is not helping! Fine. So what if it's hard - if it were easy everyone would do it right? To me hard should mean that it's a challenge, which means you should be a tougher athlete and competitor, both physically and mentally, at the end of that race. Hills? Not my favorite, but I get the feeling we're about to become close friends. There will be no more riding flats - all hills from here till the race. Heat? Welcome to eastern washington. It's the desert. Rain? "Let it roll in and rain down, and I will ride through it."
Dave made the point that everyone believes I can do this except me. Pretty sure we need to change that over the next 4 weeks too.
So, in an attempt to muster some courage, confidence and a little bit of cockiness: 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 10K run - Bring. It. On.
pray people. pray hard.
On a side note, my sneaky husband ordered me a set of these for my birthday, which is still 3 weeks away. I was making comments about talking to my bike guy this weekend about what kind to get, etc....so Dave spilled the beans!! HA! Hopefully they make it here (and are comfortable) before the race.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Apple Capital Sprint
Once again, a little slow on the posting. Sorry. (for the 1 person who actually reads this little blog)
So. Last Saturday was the Apple Capital Sprint Tri in Wenatchee. This has to be my favorite race to do, and this year was no exception. There were 8 members of our "unofficial" Ephrata Tri Club who participated, 5 of which raced the sprint. It was fun to have so many people I knew there - it gave me people to cheer for out on the course.
Ephrata Tri Team: Sam, Gavin, Taylor, me, Dee Dee
I have been working on my training/race nutrition lately and it completely paid off on Saturday. Usually I have trouble eating enough calories, but it was not the case this weekend. This awesome book I bought Nutrition for Endurance Athletes has guidelines for every intensity & training pace imaginable. Dave and I discovered that on race morning I was starting out with a major calorie deficit. Not good. Normally I'd just have a bagel and some juice - apparently not enough carbs for what I was about to put my body through. Saturday I had a bagel with jam, 8 oz of fruit juice, a bowl of oatmeal, a banana, HEED and a gel. Count it up people - that's about 250 grams of carbs. For breakfast. I *heart* carbs.
Swim: 500yds / 12:32 / 2:30 per 100 - 3 minutes better that last year
Ok, so not my fastest quarter-mile swim ever, but probably my best race swim ever. I didn't freak out about the abundance of seaweed (seriously, they swathe a channel through it for the race. gross.), I did not hyperventilate, and I swam as part of the pack the whole time - as noted by the photo below. I was so mad when I came out of the water because I was never able to break free of everyone. It seemed like I was always sandwiched between people or had someone criss-crossing in front of me. Other than that, I have no complaints!!
Ok, so not my fastest quarter-mile swim ever, but probably my best race swim ever. I didn't freak out about the abundance of seaweed (seriously, they swathe a channel through it for the race. gross.), I did not hyperventilate, and I swam as part of the pack the whole time - as noted by the photo below. I was so mad when I came out of the water because I was never able to break free of everyone. It seemed like I was always sandwiched between people or had someone criss-crossing in front of me. Other than that, I have no complaints!!
that's me in the middle, #25, with someone trying to mount me
Bike: 13.1 miles / 43:04 - 6 minutes better than last year
Not much to say here. It went well. I had forgotton how hilly this course was - there's the monster climb right out of transition and then you get rolling hills the rest of the way. Nothing too exciting happened - I think I passed one girl in my age group and nobody passed me, so that's always a plus!
Not much to say here. It went well. I had forgotton how hilly this course was - there's the monster climb right out of transition and then you get rolling hills the rest of the way. Nothing too exciting happened - I think I passed one girl in my age group and nobody passed me, so that's always a plus!
Headed down the big hill into T2
Run: 5K / 26:30 / 8:32 per mile
I felt great for this entire run, probably because of my big breakfast (thanks for force-feeding me Dave!) and I was actually able to run up the monster hill out of T2. Yeah, they make you bike & run the hill. Stupid race director. I don't see him out there. (Oh, wait - he's a pro & he's awesome!) Anyways, the run was also pretty uneventful - I was able to pass quite a few people, but also got passed once or twice. This race is so small that I was pretty much by myself for the whole run which was kind of nice! My one complaint is that I had the Kenny Loggins song Playing with the Boys stuck in my head for the entire run. Yes, ladies, Tom Cruise shirtless and sweaty was with me saturday morning - it made for a nice distraction.
Getting ready to climb the hill
Total time: 1:27:22 - PR! (but also the shortest swim of the year)
2nd in my age group - girl who got 1st beat me by 7 minutes
7th woman overall
Felt great the whole way through this race. From start to finish I feel like I did the best I could under the given circumstances (like people who don't sight on the swim! argh!!) After the race I didn't get the headache/queasy feeling like I usually do, but I was also shoveling water and food down as soon as I crossed the finish line, so once again, yay for nutrition!!
Done!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Pick a Number...
hmmm...I'll take:
...9...
...45...
...30...
for a PR, Alex.
Normally when I race I don't like to play the numbers game. I just like to go out and have a good time, focus on the process not the outcome, and let the numbers fall where they may. Sometimes I place, sometimes I don't.
*yawn*
I'm tire of this game. It's boring. Where is the challenge? So this time around I've decided it's going to be a little different. I've picked my numbers, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get them. It's going to be uncomfortable, hell, it's probably going to hurt, but I WANT THOSE NUMBERS.
Nine minutes for the swim is the freakin' overstatement of the century. I did a quarter-mile swim in 6:51 the other day. Nine is my safety number, but would still be a PR. Heck, let's make it 8 while we're feeling a little cocky.
45 minutes for the bike. Totally doable, but I'm going to have to push. 13 miles in 45 minutes is about an 18 mph average - I can do that no problem on a flat course, but this course isn't exactly flat.
30 minutes on the run should really be more like 28. My last brick was a hilly bike with a 30 minute run afterwards, where I proceeded to sqeeze 3.5 hilly miles into said 30 minutes. This run has one nasty climb up out of the park, but considering how I have been running 1 mile hills all summer I don't see this to be a problem. I'm thinking it might even be my chance to make up some time and catch people.
The last number is 1:27:45. That's my final time from Valley Girl a month ago. Any time faster than that and I'll be a happy camper.
...9...
...45...
...30...
for a PR, Alex.
Normally when I race I don't like to play the numbers game. I just like to go out and have a good time, focus on the process not the outcome, and let the numbers fall where they may. Sometimes I place, sometimes I don't.
*yawn*
I'm tire of this game. It's boring. Where is the challenge? So this time around I've decided it's going to be a little different. I've picked my numbers, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get them. It's going to be uncomfortable, hell, it's probably going to hurt, but I WANT THOSE NUMBERS.
Nine minutes for the swim is the freakin' overstatement of the century. I did a quarter-mile swim in 6:51 the other day. Nine is my safety number, but would still be a PR. Heck, let's make it 8 while we're feeling a little cocky.
45 minutes for the bike. Totally doable, but I'm going to have to push. 13 miles in 45 minutes is about an 18 mph average - I can do that no problem on a flat course, but this course isn't exactly flat.
30 minutes on the run should really be more like 28. My last brick was a hilly bike with a 30 minute run afterwards, where I proceeded to sqeeze 3.5 hilly miles into said 30 minutes. This run has one nasty climb up out of the park, but considering how I have been running 1 mile hills all summer I don't see this to be a problem. I'm thinking it might even be my chance to make up some time and catch people.
The last number is 1:27:45. That's my final time from Valley Girl a month ago. Any time faster than that and I'll be a happy camper.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
You can DO it!
This was the view from my office yesterday afternoon.....
Not too shabby if you ask me!
It was time for yet another mile swim. Dave and I went out on Monday and I had a less than stellar performance. I jumped and reacted to every little thing in the lake, I was timid in the water, I was terrifed when I could see the bottom and when I couldn't.
Let me just say that nothing lives in this lake except for fishies and some moss-like seaweed. Apparently I thought there were king crabs and the screeching eels from the Princess Bride.
*sigh* I know.
However, I made it through Monday's Mile in 41:00 and did better on the second half-mile than the first, so at least it wasn't a complete waste.
So let us skip ahead to Wednesday. And the predicted thunderstorms that didn't happen (dang it), and me being freaked out, and the mental breakdown that ensued. It was not pretty. I was in tears at lunch because I didn't want to go back out into the lake, that's how scared I was. I have never been afraid of water in my life!! So Dave asked me questions and we tried to figure out what exactly I was scared of...
....water? No.
....fishies? No, not really. They swim away when you move.
....seaweed? Ewww. But, no.
....irrational monsters like king crab & screeching eels? NO. And I need to quit watching 'Deadliest Catch'.
....the distance? It's intimidating, but no.
....then what? Miserable failure.
Get over it. We're going. fine.
This is the point in the conversation where he gives me his best exasperated look and begins a coaching lecture. It's interesting how being scared of one thing, like failing, can lead you to believe that you're actually scared of another, like irrational lake-creatures.
All afternoon I tried not to think about it, but every tri blog I read seemed to be talking about being scared and trying to be fearless. I didn't feel fearless by the time we headed to the lake. One quote did stick out in my mind though:
"Fear is probably the thing that limits performance more than anything - fear of not doing well, of what people will say. You've got to acknowledge those fears, then release them."
Hmmm. You mean fear is what has been holding me back? You mean if I release that fear I will be able to have a great swim? I'm game, lets give it a try.
We got to the lake and unloaded, got warmed up and were ready to go. I was feeling a little better by then. Somewhere in the middle of my afternoon I decide that it was time to ante up. Put up or shut up. Sh!t or get off the pot. You get the idea. Swim or find another sport. Dave gave me a countdown, just like at a race, and I was off!
Almost immediately two things were apparent 1) I didn't warm up enough because I was fatigued 200m in and 2) I should lift weights AFTER my swim, not before. Oh well, keep moving. For the first 1/4 mile you can actually see the bottom - it's about 6 feet deep. R.O.U.S's covered in fuzzy moss, the leggy seaweed that looks like a crab.....and then all of a sudden nothing. Dark. Deep. Cold. .....panic......NO! I REFUSE TO PANIC. I just focused on my form, tried to think about something else and before I knew it 19 minutes later I had hit the halfway point.
Now, before I discuss the return trip, let me just say that I have never swam that slow of a 1/2 mile - Moses Lake Tri was a terrible swim and that took 17 minutes. So, Dave and I agree that our 1/2 mile estimating abilities might be a little on the long side. Oh well....I'll be that much more prepare for my half-irons next summer!
After a minute or two of rest Dave started the clock and we headed back the other way. For a couple of minutes at the very beginning I had to flip over on my back to rest my arms - it felt like they were on fire. Once I recovered, I flipped back over and away we went! This time it was head down, balls to the wall, no fear swimming.
It was fantastic.
I have never felt that good in the lake - I was holding a decent pace, breathing well, and fighting through the pain in my arms. With every stroke I kept repeating to myself, "you can do it, you can do it" At one point I even had a huge smile on my face! I was singing the Beach Boys song 'Catch a Wave' and having a wonderful time! Then with about 400m left, I noticed that my left arm was kind of tingly and I couldn't feel my fingers. Ummmm....bad? Instead of panicking I flipped onto my back and assessed the situation.
Can I wiggle my fingers? yes. but they are tingly.
Does the elbow work? yup. we're good there.
Can I rotate my shoulder, or did it dislocate (again)? shoulder rotates but is uncomfortable.
hmmm....seemed okay, so back to swimming I went, this time adjusting my stroke so that my core and hips helped pull my left arm through, thus taking some of the strain off my shoulder. It worked! I finished in 22 minutes (that includes the rest at the halfway point), and swam the whole way back!!!!! WOOHOO! GO ME!
I was kind of hoping for a negative split but with the longer rest interval and stopping to check my shoulder, that didn't happen. However, my pace was actually faster on the way back and I swam stronger than I did on the first leg, and I wasn't scared!! I'm am thrilled with this swim and if I thought my arms could handle it, I'd go out again. But then, I suppose I get rest days for a reason! :)
Whew! Long post! Now that it's done, I think I'll go watch Deadliest Catch. Bring on the crab!
Blue Lake
It was time for yet another mile swim. Dave and I went out on Monday and I had a less than stellar performance. I jumped and reacted to every little thing in the lake, I was timid in the water, I was terrifed when I could see the bottom and when I couldn't.
Let me just say that nothing lives in this lake except for fishies and some moss-like seaweed. Apparently I thought there were king crabs and the screeching eels from the Princess Bride.
*sigh* I know.
However, I made it through Monday's Mile in 41:00 and did better on the second half-mile than the first, so at least it wasn't a complete waste.
So let us skip ahead to Wednesday. And the predicted thunderstorms that didn't happen (dang it), and me being freaked out, and the mental breakdown that ensued. It was not pretty. I was in tears at lunch because I didn't want to go back out into the lake, that's how scared I was. I have never been afraid of water in my life!! So Dave asked me questions and we tried to figure out what exactly I was scared of...
....water? No.
....fishies? No, not really. They swim away when you move.
....seaweed? Ewww. But, no.
....irrational monsters like king crab & screeching eels? NO. And I need to quit watching 'Deadliest Catch'.
....the distance? It's intimidating, but no.
....then what? Miserable failure.
Get over it. We're going. fine.
This is the point in the conversation where he gives me his best exasperated look and begins a coaching lecture. It's interesting how being scared of one thing, like failing, can lead you to believe that you're actually scared of another, like irrational lake-creatures.
All afternoon I tried not to think about it, but every tri blog I read seemed to be talking about being scared and trying to be fearless. I didn't feel fearless by the time we headed to the lake. One quote did stick out in my mind though:
"Fear is probably the thing that limits performance more than anything - fear of not doing well, of what people will say. You've got to acknowledge those fears, then release them."
Hmmm. You mean fear is what has been holding me back? You mean if I release that fear I will be able to have a great swim? I'm game, lets give it a try.
We got to the lake and unloaded, got warmed up and were ready to go. I was feeling a little better by then. Somewhere in the middle of my afternoon I decide that it was time to ante up. Put up or shut up. Sh!t or get off the pot. You get the idea. Swim or find another sport. Dave gave me a countdown, just like at a race, and I was off!
Almost immediately two things were apparent 1) I didn't warm up enough because I was fatigued 200m in and 2) I should lift weights AFTER my swim, not before. Oh well, keep moving. For the first 1/4 mile you can actually see the bottom - it's about 6 feet deep. R.O.U.S's covered in fuzzy moss, the leggy seaweed that looks like a crab.....and then all of a sudden nothing. Dark. Deep. Cold. .....panic......NO! I REFUSE TO PANIC. I just focused on my form, tried to think about something else and before I knew it 19 minutes later I had hit the halfway point.
Now, before I discuss the return trip, let me just say that I have never swam that slow of a 1/2 mile - Moses Lake Tri was a terrible swim and that took 17 minutes. So, Dave and I agree that our 1/2 mile estimating abilities might be a little on the long side. Oh well....I'll be that much more prepare for my half-irons next summer!
After a minute or two of rest Dave started the clock and we headed back the other way. For a couple of minutes at the very beginning I had to flip over on my back to rest my arms - it felt like they were on fire. Once I recovered, I flipped back over and away we went! This time it was head down, balls to the wall, no fear swimming.
It was fantastic.
I have never felt that good in the lake - I was holding a decent pace, breathing well, and fighting through the pain in my arms. With every stroke I kept repeating to myself, "you can do it, you can do it" At one point I even had a huge smile on my face! I was singing the Beach Boys song 'Catch a Wave' and having a wonderful time! Then with about 400m left, I noticed that my left arm was kind of tingly and I couldn't feel my fingers. Ummmm....bad? Instead of panicking I flipped onto my back and assessed the situation.
Can I wiggle my fingers? yes. but they are tingly.
Does the elbow work? yup. we're good there.
Can I rotate my shoulder, or did it dislocate (again)? shoulder rotates but is uncomfortable.
hmmm....seemed okay, so back to swimming I went, this time adjusting my stroke so that my core and hips helped pull my left arm through, thus taking some of the strain off my shoulder. It worked! I finished in 22 minutes (that includes the rest at the halfway point), and swam the whole way back!!!!! WOOHOO! GO ME!
I was kind of hoping for a negative split but with the longer rest interval and stopping to check my shoulder, that didn't happen. However, my pace was actually faster on the way back and I swam stronger than I did on the first leg, and I wasn't scared!! I'm am thrilled with this swim and if I thought my arms could handle it, I'd go out again. But then, I suppose I get rest days for a reason! :)
Whew! Long post! Now that it's done, I think I'll go watch Deadliest Catch. Bring on the crab!
Loading up to head home
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Long workouts, short-ish summary
So I've started training for an Olympic distance race that takes place at the end of the summer and I had my first two long distance workouts this weekend. Saturday was a run and Sunday was a bike. After the swim workout I had on Thursday I needed these to be good workouts.
What happened on during Thursdays swim you ask?
I swam into a rock. I kid you not. It was a R.O.U.S. - Rock of Unusual Size. Apparently the lake is a little low due to the TWO WEEKS of 100 degree weather we've been having around here, so the rocks that you didn't notice last time, you swim into this time. Lovely. It scared the crap out of me too because, really, you don't expect to hit anything in the middle of the f'ing lake.
You know that scene from the cartoon version of The Grinch where the Grinch and Max are sledding down the hill and Max is wrapped around the Grinch's head, clinging for dear life? Picture me in my wetsuit, cursing & clinging to the front of the kayak. Yeah.
At least I got my 2/3 mile in. Hopefully a whole mile next time!
Saturday was the first long run & I was shooting for about 6 miles. (In an Olympic distance you run 6.2, so this was right on target). Thankfully the weather broke and it was a glorious 70 degrees first thing in the morning. I fueled up, grabbed my trusty iPod and water bottle, and headed out to Shady Acres, which would be my turn around point. It's a specially chosen turn around because my in-laws live out there. This means that if I'm dying half way through, at least I know whose front lawn I'm dying on.
It's all about strategy.
The goal was to keep the pace around 10:00min/mile on the way out so I'd have enough legs to make it all the way back and maybe pick up speed. I was able to do both, but keeping that 10:00 pace gets to be a challenge! Overall I averaged 9:34 per mile, ran 7 miles and passed another runner on the hill at the very end. WooHoo!!
Today was my long bike - supposed to be between 1:30 - 2:30. Oh goodness. My longest bike till now has been 1:30, so I figured I'd shoot for 2:00. It was another cool morning with NO wind (I hate wind on the bike), so I had breakfast, loaded the gear on the Tri-Mobile and headed out.
Today's goals were to enjoy the ride, figure out a nutrition plan that works and to be able to make it back home. Managed to do all three. I've been doing some research into race nutrition lately because I have a serious problem taking in all the calories I need to get me through these workouts and races. The plan for today was at the top of the hour gel, electrolytes, water; at the :15 HEED; at :30 2 Fig Newtons and water; and the :45 HEED. It seemed to work ok - I was supposed to be taking in somewhere between 180-200 calories per hour and I'm pretty sure I got there. Next time I'll have to see if I can run afterward with that much stuff in my tummy!
It was a perfect morning to ride & I was actually a little chilly to start out with. I got to try out my new bike shorts and spiffy Livestrong jersey. Love the jersey, the bike shorts are going to take some getting used to - the kind of feel like someone took a superplus maxi pad and shoved it in my tri shorts. Not pleasant.
My ride took me out Dodson, Road 5, Road A, Road 3 and back in. I averaged about 18 mph on the way out, and 15/16mph on the way in. Freaking headwind. Technically I don't think you could even call it wind. More like a breeze. Just enough that I felt it - so the way back was about 15 miles of resistance training. FUN! But it makes me better, so I suppose it's ok.
Overall, I'm very happy with this week of training! The goal for this week is to work on some speedy 400's in the pool for the next race (Aug. 22, Daroga State Park in wenatchee if anyone is interested) and to get a mile swim done in the lake.
What happened on during Thursdays swim you ask?
I swam into a rock. I kid you not. It was a R.O.U.S. - Rock of Unusual Size. Apparently the lake is a little low due to the TWO WEEKS of 100 degree weather we've been having around here, so the rocks that you didn't notice last time, you swim into this time. Lovely. It scared the crap out of me too because, really, you don't expect to hit anything in the middle of the f'ing lake.
You know that scene from the cartoon version of The Grinch where the Grinch and Max are sledding down the hill and Max is wrapped around the Grinch's head, clinging for dear life? Picture me in my wetsuit, cursing & clinging to the front of the kayak. Yeah.
At least I got my 2/3 mile in. Hopefully a whole mile next time!
Saturday was the first long run & I was shooting for about 6 miles. (In an Olympic distance you run 6.2, so this was right on target). Thankfully the weather broke and it was a glorious 70 degrees first thing in the morning. I fueled up, grabbed my trusty iPod and water bottle, and headed out to Shady Acres, which would be my turn around point. It's a specially chosen turn around because my in-laws live out there. This means that if I'm dying half way through, at least I know whose front lawn I'm dying on.
It's all about strategy.
The goal was to keep the pace around 10:00min/mile on the way out so I'd have enough legs to make it all the way back and maybe pick up speed. I was able to do both, but keeping that 10:00 pace gets to be a challenge! Overall I averaged 9:34 per mile, ran 7 miles and passed another runner on the hill at the very end. WooHoo!!
Today was my long bike - supposed to be between 1:30 - 2:30. Oh goodness. My longest bike till now has been 1:30, so I figured I'd shoot for 2:00. It was another cool morning with NO wind (I hate wind on the bike), so I had breakfast, loaded the gear on the Tri-Mobile and headed out.
Today's goals were to enjoy the ride, figure out a nutrition plan that works and to be able to make it back home. Managed to do all three. I've been doing some research into race nutrition lately because I have a serious problem taking in all the calories I need to get me through these workouts and races. The plan for today was at the top of the hour gel, electrolytes, water; at the :15 HEED; at :30 2 Fig Newtons and water; and the :45 HEED. It seemed to work ok - I was supposed to be taking in somewhere between 180-200 calories per hour and I'm pretty sure I got there. Next time I'll have to see if I can run afterward with that much stuff in my tummy!
It was a perfect morning to ride & I was actually a little chilly to start out with. I got to try out my new bike shorts and spiffy Livestrong jersey. Love the jersey, the bike shorts are going to take some getting used to - the kind of feel like someone took a superplus maxi pad and shoved it in my tri shorts. Not pleasant.
My ride took me out Dodson, Road 5, Road A, Road 3 and back in. I averaged about 18 mph on the way out, and 15/16mph on the way in. Freaking headwind. Technically I don't think you could even call it wind. More like a breeze. Just enough that I felt it - so the way back was about 15 miles of resistance training. FUN! But it makes me better, so I suppose it's ok.
Overall, I'm very happy with this week of training! The goal for this week is to work on some speedy 400's in the pool for the next race (Aug. 22, Daroga State Park in wenatchee if anyone is interested) and to get a mile swim done in the lake.
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