Cali - Here we come!

Heading to CA this morning for a long weekend. We'll spend most of our time in Santa Barbara for a friend's wedding. The end of our trip will be in LA to visit family. LA is on fire right now - literally and figuretively - there are forest fires all over the place and the temp is over 100 in the valley, where we'll be visiting.
Oh well, Conor has never been, so it will be fun to show him around and see what he thinks of the place. I tend to think its pretty incredible - if it just weren't so expensive and crowded!
Training while there will likely consist of running and swimming - MAYBE a ride on a rented road bike, but that's still up for debate.
Looking forward to the time off and to warm, sunny weather!

Oh No

So we have a race coming up in less than 2 weeks. I haven't spent much time preparing. I'm just hoping I make it through the run.

Since we returned from CO, I've done:

2 x 1:30 - 1:45 bike rides in BC with Stacey on my tri bike.
2 x 45 minute swims in the pool in BC
4.5 mile run last weekend with Duke at the lake
6 mile run with Stacey in BC yesterday

Swimming is fine. Biking feels good - I described myself as feeling like I was "flying" the other day - the new bike is a huge improvement - it just FEELS better. The run is ok, not sure how my legs are going to feel once I get done with 40 miles on the bike, but I figure I will get it done one way or another.

Once this race is done, I need to get my shit together and get back to training for Oceanside. Evan says he will help coach me by setting up a plan and helping me understand HR training, etc. I guess I should figure out how to work my new Garmin Forerunner! And then I need to get my head in the right place and focused on preparing for Oceanside. Clearly, I am not there for this race in early October, but need to get there for the half!

Heading to Santa Barbara, CA tomorrow. Hope to get some swimming in and to run with my friend Katie. She's a great running partner and it will be nice to have some time to catch up!

Colorado = Heaven

Spent the last 5 days in Colorado for Conor's cousin, Kevin's wedding. Before I get into the specifics of training, let me just say that Colorado is about as close to heaven as it gets for me (so far). We've been to CO many times to ski and have spent some time in Denver as well. But the mountains in the fall were absolutely incredible. A couple more weeks and I think everything would have been yellow - breathtaking I'm sure.

While in CO, we spent our time in Avon near Beaver Creek ski resort. Our hotel had a great outdoor lap pool - overlooking the mountains. That sure does beat the YMCA!

Training:

Thursday:
Swim: ~1000 yards - this was TOUGH - the breathing is very difficult at that altitude and I noticed it most in the water. Basically broke this up into 4 X 250 with some rests in the middle to regain my breath. But check out the views - for real?
Hike: ~7 miles - Kevin lead Conor, Evan, Stacey and I on a trail through Beaver Creek to Beaver Lake. The hike was challenging, with quite a bit of steep uphill walking. It was a nice alternative to a run though.




Friday:
Run: ~5.5 miles, 60 minutes. Conor and I ran through Avon, East towards Vail. The run seemed pretty challenging - I was having a hard time breathing even though we were going pretty slow. Once we got to the half way point and turned around I saw that we had been running up a slight hill the entire 1st half - no wonder I was winded. The altitude didn't help either.
We spent the rest of Friday afternoon on a funyaking trip on the Colorado river. We had a group of 18 people - lots of fun and beautiful scenery!

Saturday:
Rest day - easy cruiser ride with Stacey, Katie, Cathy and Kristen. We rode about 8 miles total - from Avon to Edwards and back. It was relaxing and nice way to spend some time with the girls. Plus I was nursing a hangover from the night before - rehearsal dinner and karoke at Paddy's post dinner were lots of fun! Maybe too much fun! Thank god for Advil and big glasses of water!

Sunday:
Run - I got up early and went out for a jog on my own. This time I went West from Avon towards Edwards on the trail we rode the cruisers on Saturday. It was challenging - rolling hills on the trail, and again, I was winded the entire way. But I ended up running 48 minutes total and felt good at the end. The trail is incredible - it follows a gorgeous river the entire way and is shaded by lots of trees. I am envious of the folks who live in these small mountain towns with access to this kind of recreation right out their back doors! It's visits like this one that make both Conor and I want to move West.

Head back to work tomorrow and hope this nice weather will stick around for some riding in BC this week.

Finally!

I got my new bike over the long weekend. Perfect timing for getting out and doing a couple of rides.
This weekend:
Saturday: 38 mile ride - first time in the aero position - sore neck and shoulders.

Sunday: 1 mile swim, 30 minutes on trainer - practiced staying in aero position and relaxing neck and shoulders. Also switched out saddle for one with a hole in the middle - much more comfortable!

Monday: 38 mile ride - spent majority of the ride in aero and felt much less stress on my neck. Ride felt really good - smooth and fast. I still don't have a computer yet, so not sure of my speed, but certainly am finding the new bike faster and easier.

Tuesday: Rest day - travel to BC

Wednesday: 30 minutes on elyptical machine at 5:30am. Felt really good to get up and get something in before a very busy day at work starting with 7am meeting!

Looking forward to a couple of days in CO complete with swimming in an outdoor lap pool :), hiking and trail runs - assuming I can breathe at that altitude!

Still Waiting ....

Spent last weekend in Louisville keeping Evan company until the Ironman race on Sunday morning. The weather in Louisville was miraclously PERFECT and allowed Conor and I to get in some time on the road and in the water.

Friday, August 28: Ride: 1 hour (1st part of bike course) avg 17.2 mph; followed by 15 min run
The bike was ok - we got buzzed A LOT since it was a high traffic road and rush hour on Friday. Plus I don't think the folks in Louisville have a grasp on how to handle bikes on the roads yet. Too much buzzing when there was plenty of room to slow down and move over to the other lane! It scares the heck out of me to ride on roads like this and I was actually thankful that I was on Blue Steel and not my new bike where I would still be learning the handling!
The short run was ok as well - my legs were pretty tired for the first 12 minutes, then in the last few I really started to loosen up and settle down. Conor actually mentioned I picked up the pace a bit once I felt more in control. I need to remember that its going to take a bit for the breathing to settle, but that it will and at that point I will feel strong again.

Saturday, August 29: Swim in the BEAUTIFULLY BROWN Ohio River - 30 minutes (ish). Again, part of the swim course with other athletes - this was nice practice swimming without wetsuit and having to sight for my line. I love the swim. Spent the afternoon reading more of "Born to Run" - which is becoming more and more addictive.

Sunday, August 30: Race day - no activity except walking and driving and running around to catch a glimpse of Evan on the race!

Monday, August 31: Ride 1 hour same road - avg 17.1 mph - did the same route. Then head out on the drive back home.

Tuesday, September 1: Ride 15 minutes on Blue Steel to John & Nancy's to have Evan help me take my pedals off in prep for getting my new bike on Friday afternoon! Then spending most of the evening helping my mom with Grandma deal with car wreck aftermath.

I'm looking forward to getting the new bike on Friday and am hoping for kind weather this weekend so we can do some riding outside! Also need to get in a long run - happy its a long weekend!

Waiting for my Bike ...

Since last post ....

Tuesday: Swim 2000 -
300 warm up
500 swim
400 pull
300 kick (oh GOD!)
200 swim
100 pull
200 cool down

Overall I felt pretty good in the water. This type of workout is challenging for me - drills and anything with pulling or kicking - I prefer long, consistent swimming. However, I know changing things up a bit and working on specifics is what is going to help me improve. Hence, picking this session for my long swim.

Wednesday was hectic and was my travel day back to Chicago, so it was a rest day.
Today I rode the trainer for 1 hour over lunch and worked up a nice sweat - which feels good. I kept it in the big chain ring and in the middle of the cassette (see my terminology is getting better). I'm still on Blue Steel and a little irritated, no REALLY irritated that Conor aleady has his new bike and I am still suffering away on that piece of crap.

We head to BC tonight to meet up with Evan before we all take off for IM Louisville first thing tomorrow morning.

Weekend Update

Saturday: Ride with Conor on the North Branch Trail in Chicago burbs. Remarkably, did NOT feel like Chicago. I felt like I was riding through Binder Park Zoo in BC. I mean, without all the zoo animals. The path is paved then entire route and weaves through a beautiful forest preserve, complete with marshes, rivers and lakes. You have to stop to cross roads a few times and the path has LOT of curves and turns which require caution to avoid pedestrians and leisure cyclists. All in all, I would give this path a higher rating than the lakeshore, mostly because of the shade and its a lot less crowded.
We rode 30 miles and I'm estimating, we averaged somewhere around 17-18 mph (not including stops). I felt pretty good, rode the entire way in big chain ring, but had to push out a bit more effort to keep up with Conor. It was a good exercise in a longer ride at a higher effort but still at a pace where I can maintain consistency over time.

Sunday: Started the day with a visit to the dog beach with Duke. I am envious of his energy sometimes. After dog beach, was Girls Brunch, where I proceeded to drink 2 Bloody Marys - which ended up putting a severe damper on any training for Sunday afternoon. Lounging was in order.

Monday: Got in 1500 yards at lunch in the pool.
500 warm up
16 x 50 sprints w/ 10 second rest
200 cool down

Rep 1: 47 seconds
Rep 2 - 5: 50 seconds
Rep 6 - 7: 53 seconds (7 second rest)
Rep 8 - 11: 55 seconds (5 second rest)
Rep: 12 - 16: 55 seconds (10 second rest)

Going to do 30 min on the treadmill for easy run after work.

Tony, Sonicare and Orbea are GRRRRRREATTT!

Thankfully, I have a relatively flexible job, especially for Corporate America. Thanks Tony! Hence, I was able to get in a mid-afternoon swim yesterday of 2000 yards. Getting in some sort of activity mid-day is a really nice break and refreshes me for a more focused afternoon. The same is true for me with morning exercise, I feel awake and engaged immediately instead of spending the 1st hour of the day trying to wake up. I'd like to make morning and mid day sessions a regular part of my routine - just need to work on getting out of bed and prioritizing my daily calendar!

The swim went really well. I kept it simple to get the distance in the least amount of time.
300 warm up, 1500 swim, 200 cool down (with a couple of balance drills thrown in for fun). During the 1500 I switched breathing sides each 100, which kept my mind occupied and was a nice practice of bilateral breathing without having to breathe less frequently. I tried to focus on stretching out in the water and rotating my hips to create power.

Still waiting for Conor to finish Total Immersion so I can learn a thing or two myself!

Started the day with a 3 mile run with Duke - ran a little faster than normal and by the last mile was warmed up and feeling really good - saying "good morning" to everyone I saw and thinking how awesome it is to see their faces light up as a stranger spoke kindly to them. We too often ignore one another.

Then was off to 2 very important appointments: 8:30am - Dentist, 11am BIKE FITTING! Both were great. No issues at the Dentist and now my teeth are refreshingly clean and I have a new electric toothbrush for BC! Bike fitting was great, a long process, but worth every minute and dollar. I ended up ordering an Orbea Ora TLE. Both Cervelo P2 and Felt B12 could have been ok fits, but more modifications were needed in the stem area than the Orbea. I'm not brand loyal to any bike at this point, so finding the bike that has specs that fit me best was my priority. I'm anxious for it to come in and get out on the road!

Country Ride

Life got in the way of my training on Tuesday, but rode last night.

I used John and Nancy's as my starting point - that's where the bike pump and water bottles are! I invited Nancy to ride with me, and as usual, she accepted with excitement. We headed out for a ride through the country - south of town - where cars are few, roads are decent and views are good.

We rode for about 1 hour; I pushed the big chain ring the entire ride. Its pretty flat, not many hills, which made staying in the big ring a little easier. I spent most of the time in the mid gears in back, my legs felt tired when I tried to get into a tougher gear on the straight aways. I did however ride quite a bit above 16.5 mph, often finding myself in the 17 and 18 mph range. A nice surprise!

Upon completing the ride, I quickly got things put away and ran inside as the mosquitos had already decended on my sweaty shoulders, neck and arms and were munching away. I counted at least 5 bites in 60 seconds before I made it to the shelter of the family room.

Today is a commute day, plus a lunch meeting, so I am making time to swim mid-afternoon. Hoping to get in a bit of a longer swim - targeting 2000 - of nice smooth swimming.

In the meantime, I need to add Bug Spray to my Gearlist and I think I need to read up on the nomanclature of bike parts - I'm improvising with "big ring", "mid gears", etc.

Re-Learning to Swim

Yesterday's Training: Swim - 1500
500 warm up: Fine, tried to keep my elbows high
4 x 50 on 60 seconds: Was able to do 4 of these at 50 seconds each, allowing for 10 seconds rest.
4 x 50 w/ 10 second rest: Here I slipped to 55 seconds each and needed rest of 10 seconds in between.
2 x 50 catch drill - 1 arm with elbows high. 1 lap for each arm - this was a mess - I felt unbalanced in the water, was not rotating properly - felt like I couldn't keep my opposite shoulder high like it should be, had a hard time rotating up to breathe, etc.
2 x 50 balance drill - I'm getting a lot better at this one
2 x 100: Was able to do these in about 1:50 - feeling fairly smooth in the water and trying to "reach".
200 cool down

Conor gave me a tutorial on key points from Total Emersion Swimming - lengthen strokes, power comes from hips and rotation vs. arm stength, work on balance. Once he's done with the book, I plan to read it myself. I also think we should invest in some swim coaching/lessons.

Gear Check

I've been testing out a new technique for avoiding hangover, while still enjoying the libations. Every drink is followed by at least 1 large glass of water. This results in more trips to the bathroom, but staves off the inevitable headache the next morning. It worked wonders at this weekend's bachelorette party and kept me feeling well enough to get a 7 mile run in on Saturday afternoon. I was in Minneapolis and had the pleasure of staying close enough to run to and around Lake Harriett- which has a paved running path and great lake views! Minneapolis is a nice place - pretty white - but nice.

Now on to today's topic - GEAR. I am NOT a gearhead. I have been riding the same bike for 5 years, just now bought a new helmet, wear shoes that are larger than they should be because they were on sale, have kid sized Oakleys, and until 3 weeks ago had 1 real bike jersey. I did however, marry a gearhead, so I'm no stranger to that vicious cycle of upgrades that can come with any hobby - triathlon seems uniquely susceptible to this pattern. So in honor of all gearheads - below is my wish list:

1. Bike- a real tri bike that isn't made of steel.

2. Sunglasses - Preferably a pair that are stylish enough to wear when I'm not training, or better put, wouldn't make me look like a lesbian if worn with short hair and jeans.

3. Heart Rate Monitor & Watch - I have 2 sets of chest bands and shoe pods, but no watch to match?

4. Bike Shoes - a pair that fits properly.

5. Running Shoes - a pair that don't cause those blisters on my right foot.

6. Bike Trainer - this is really an optional item, I just want another one so I don't have to lug it back and forth, to and from MI every week. A Craig's list hunt might be in my future.

7. Sporty Training Wardrobe - specifically, white and red tops - "sporty spice" not small versions of "old spice".

8. Zipp SpeedShop 808/1080 Wheelset - DT Swiss 240 Hub - just kidding.

I will continue to mooch items from my in-laws while in MI and from Conor's gear in Chicago - so no need for a bike pump or water bottles or tubes or CO2 cartridges (yet, guaranteed my new bike will get more flats than good ol' Blue Steel did). And I have enough Power Bars to last me until next Spring (Thanks Stacey!). Once I get the items above, or at least the first 2, life will be much better. My friends and family can be proud to call me their "triathlete _______" instead of laughing at how out of place I look among the crowds of gearheads.

I was told blogging was a great way to keep track of my training. So, I'm going to give it a shot.

I completed my first half Ironman on August 1st. I enjoyed the race despite a painful bike ride - my bike is uncomfortable. I finished 80th out of 104. I'm not exactly pleased with that, but did beat my goal of 7 hours. This goal was not aggressive, but realistic. I took 1 week off to rest and figure out what I wanted to do next.

In the meantime, Conor decided a triathlon was in his future. So he signed us up for a race on October 4th. My training could use some help. Admittedly, I do not push myself. Instead, I do the time, usually at a moderate to easy pace. My goals have been to finish and enjoy it, not to compete.

Its time for a change. I now know I can finish and enjoy it, now its time for me to improve. I'd like to finish my next HIM in the top 50% of my age group. No more of this bottom 20% crap. Certainly, as training progresses, I will set other goals, but for now, this is a good start.

This week I headed back to training with a different attitude - improve:

Monday: Swim - 1350 before I got kicked out of the pool for kids lessons. I tried Evan's "balance" drill at the end for fun and ended up with a nose full of water.

Tuesday: Swim - 1500 (500wu, 16 x 50 w/ 10 sec rest, 200 cd). I focused on keeping my effort level HIGH during the sprinting - at the end of each lap I was out of breath. I consistently lap around 55 seconds, when pushing hard I can hit 50-52, but slip back to 55 the more reps I do. I also tried to keep my elbows high in the water, and can feel the difference in my muscles. Balance drill yielded better results, but still water up the nose.

Wednesday: Lunchtime workout - 30 minute run on treadmill (1st run since HIM) - progressively increased my speed, 5 min. intervals starting at 5.5 increasing 0.5 up to 7.5, then cool down at 5.0. I was drenched in sweat and felt like I really made a good effort when I was done. 10 minutes of weight training followed by a bit of stretching before I had to shower and head back to work. This is a workout to repeat - it felt good.

Thursday: 1 hour trainer ride. I'm trying to embrace my big chain ring. Rode the full hour in the big ring - mid gear. Rode on the roof deck overlooking the city - which was kind of cool. Duke followed me up there and spent the hour trying to find the shade where he could get in some more z's.

This weekend I head to MN for a bachelorette party. Since we have plans to be boating, I hope to get in some swimming and maybe a run as long as I'm not too drunk or hungover.