Not sure how it happened but I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed! Maybe good sleep? Maybe my Zoot compression tight's? Maybe my Yogi Time Tea? Maybe a combination of all of the above? I'm motivated and energized and ready to face another long week of training!
AM Swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 250 paddles;10
1 x 250 buoy;10
1 x 50 - one arm glide
2 x 200 - 50-a-ok, 50-fist, 50-karate, 50-free;15
1 x 50 - one arm glide;10
2 x 50 - one arm catch up;10
2 x 50 - high elbow finger drag;10
1 x 250 paddles;10
1 x 250 buoy;10
Main Set
1 x 200 - positive split (first 100 hard/last 100 easy);10
1 x 200 - even split (first 50 easy/middle 100 hard/last 50 easy);10
1 x 200 - negative split (first 100 easy/last 100 hard);10
repeat 1 x
1 x 100 - Cool down
Total yardage 3500
That, that, that is all folks :)
Inside the mind of Kat...enter at your own risk.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Good, the Bad, The Ugly
The Good - Saturday LSD 3.5 hour run along the Wildwood Trails.
Approx 20 miles - avg HR 150
Focus on run was to
A. run slow
B. run the duration
C. feel good
Mission accomplished
I recovered with a much need ice bath. My legs thanked me greatly.
With little to no peer pressure I tried a Four Loko's
which turned me into this
Juego loco Kat
Washed down the Four Loco with 2 Cadillac Margarita's - ceviche and fish taco's - not sure if this was the prime recovery food it forced me into a Kat nap -
The Bad & Ugly - Sunday 80 mile ride starting at The Kennedy School riding up to Larch Mnt and back down.
I don't think this ride would have gone UGLY if I hadn't left my two bottles (800kcal) of premade malto and salt sticks at home in my refrigerator. This mishap thew me into a little panic. I had malto in the back of my car, but it was not measured and I had no clue how much to use. The bottles I was left with were 4 oz shorter then my norm and I don't measure malto via a scooper, I use a gram scale. I throw a couple scoops into each bottle, hoping it is enough. So now I had the calories but I was shit out of luck for sodium. I can not go without sodium, I sweat entirely too much. My riding partners stopped at a Plaid Pantry with me 20 miles in. I was looking for Pedialyte, which they did not have so I opted for a salt shaker. Table salt - Ick, but it would have to make due. Seth saved me with a picked salt pack a bit later. Now I have malto and sodium and am ready to move onward. I took the climb up Larch (approx 3500ft clinb) very easy and stayed in my saddle. With my recent pain in my quad/abductor I was not trying to push my luck. I reached the top a few minutes after the boys and can honestly say I was whipped. My legs and body were tired. I was a little light headed and at this point didn't think about the caloric deficient I was in. Seth talked us into climbing up to the view point. Out of all the times I've climbed Larch I've never gone up to the view point, I'm glad I did today - it was breath taking.
After a quick rest we moved on to the descent down Larch. This is were my ride got REALLY ugly. I didn't pack arm warmers (it was 85 today!) or a jacket and the descent was 14 miles in the cold shade. As I descended my body shook from A. the cold chills and B. the road vibrations. My back started hurting. I great REALLY tired or staying on bars out of aero. My hands hurt to break, I didn't have the muscular hand power to break anymore - I was too tired. By the time I finally (took me waaay too long) met up with the boys at the bottom I was in poor shape. I had realized I had bonked. My first "bonk" on the bike of the year. I was dizzy and my tummy was growling. At this point I had no idea how deficient I was. My power meter had me at 1900kcal and I think I had taken in somewhere around 500-600 kcal - but really who knows. I sucked down a lot of malto and we continued on our way. The ending descent was much more forgiving. The malto quickly kicked in and I felt a little stronger and lost the dizziness. The end strip along Marine was a little tough. I felt I had decent muscular power left in my legs (as I had never pushed them) but my upper body had taken a toll and I felt as if I had a dagger sticking into my right shoulder blade. Sitting up helped but this was not an option with the head wind, so I stayed aero and just kept telling myself to suck it up.
I was uber happy to reach the car and opted out of my planned brick. I needed food and didn't want to piss my body off more then it already was. Instead I opted to recover with a fat-ass cheeseburger. Mmmmm, cheeseburger never tasted so well.
Post ride I was a little disturbed with my performance. Am I starting to over train? Or was this just a workout gone bad off of poor nutrition? Seth said he thought I just had a bad workout and could be pushing through a new fitness wall. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger right? This made me feel better and after I went home and downloaded my power data I believe he was right. One thing I love about my power meter - wattage does not lie. Regardless of how shitty I felt (via poor nutirion) I still performed and held good wattage. It turns out the "easy" climb up Larch was done at my threshold 90 mins at 170 watts. Without adequate fueling I was bond to bonk - yet still I held the power. I also learned that I can bounce back from bonking. The end of my ride I was still holding good power 150-170 through the head wind.
My apologizes to Seth and Mark for whining so much, thanks for putting up with me :)
Ride data
80 miles - approx 4500 ft of elevation gain
5hrs 20 mins ride time
2690 kcal expenditure - via wattage meter
Max speed 32/ avg speed 15.01 :(
Max HR 159 (this is badass considering I was climbing for 90 mins!)/ Avg HR 125 - I <3 endurance
Max Watts 355/ Normalized avg watts 145/ Avg watts 124
Approx 20 miles - avg HR 150
Focus on run was to
A. run slow
B. run the duration
C. feel good
Mission accomplished
I recovered with a much need ice bath. My legs thanked me greatly.
With little to no peer pressure I tried a Four Loko's
which turned me into this
Juego loco Kat
Washed down the Four Loco with 2 Cadillac Margarita's - ceviche and fish taco's - not sure if this was the prime recovery food it forced me into a Kat nap -
The Bad & Ugly - Sunday 80 mile ride starting at The Kennedy School riding up to Larch Mnt and back down.
I don't think this ride would have gone UGLY if I hadn't left my two bottles (800kcal) of premade malto and salt sticks at home in my refrigerator. This mishap thew me into a little panic. I had malto in the back of my car, but it was not measured and I had no clue how much to use. The bottles I was left with were 4 oz shorter then my norm and I don't measure malto via a scooper, I use a gram scale. I throw a couple scoops into each bottle, hoping it is enough. So now I had the calories but I was shit out of luck for sodium. I can not go without sodium, I sweat entirely too much. My riding partners stopped at a Plaid Pantry with me 20 miles in. I was looking for Pedialyte, which they did not have so I opted for a salt shaker. Table salt - Ick, but it would have to make due. Seth saved me with a picked salt pack a bit later. Now I have malto and sodium and am ready to move onward. I took the climb up Larch (approx 3500ft clinb) very easy and stayed in my saddle. With my recent pain in my quad/abductor I was not trying to push my luck. I reached the top a few minutes after the boys and can honestly say I was whipped. My legs and body were tired. I was a little light headed and at this point didn't think about the caloric deficient I was in. Seth talked us into climbing up to the view point. Out of all the times I've climbed Larch I've never gone up to the view point, I'm glad I did today - it was breath taking.
After a quick rest we moved on to the descent down Larch. This is were my ride got REALLY ugly. I didn't pack arm warmers (it was 85 today!) or a jacket and the descent was 14 miles in the cold shade. As I descended my body shook from A. the cold chills and B. the road vibrations. My back started hurting. I great REALLY tired or staying on bars out of aero. My hands hurt to break, I didn't have the muscular hand power to break anymore - I was too tired. By the time I finally (took me waaay too long) met up with the boys at the bottom I was in poor shape. I had realized I had bonked. My first "bonk" on the bike of the year. I was dizzy and my tummy was growling. At this point I had no idea how deficient I was. My power meter had me at 1900kcal and I think I had taken in somewhere around 500-600 kcal - but really who knows. I sucked down a lot of malto and we continued on our way. The ending descent was much more forgiving. The malto quickly kicked in and I felt a little stronger and lost the dizziness. The end strip along Marine was a little tough. I felt I had decent muscular power left in my legs (as I had never pushed them) but my upper body had taken a toll and I felt as if I had a dagger sticking into my right shoulder blade. Sitting up helped but this was not an option with the head wind, so I stayed aero and just kept telling myself to suck it up.
I was uber happy to reach the car and opted out of my planned brick. I needed food and didn't want to piss my body off more then it already was. Instead I opted to recover with a fat-ass cheeseburger. Mmmmm, cheeseburger never tasted so well.
Post ride I was a little disturbed with my performance. Am I starting to over train? Or was this just a workout gone bad off of poor nutrition? Seth said he thought I just had a bad workout and could be pushing through a new fitness wall. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger right? This made me feel better and after I went home and downloaded my power data I believe he was right. One thing I love about my power meter - wattage does not lie. Regardless of how shitty I felt (via poor nutirion) I still performed and held good wattage. It turns out the "easy" climb up Larch was done at my threshold 90 mins at 170 watts. Without adequate fueling I was bond to bonk - yet still I held the power. I also learned that I can bounce back from bonking. The end of my ride I was still holding good power 150-170 through the head wind.
My apologizes to Seth and Mark for whining so much, thanks for putting up with me :)
Ride data
80 miles - approx 4500 ft of elevation gain
5hrs 20 mins ride time
2690 kcal expenditure - via wattage meter
Max speed 32/ avg speed 15.01 :(
Max HR 159 (this is badass considering I was climbing for 90 mins!)/ Avg HR 125 - I <3 endurance
Max Watts 355/ Normalized avg watts 145/ Avg watts 124
Friday, July 17, 2009
It was all a matter of time
I knew it would happen, it always does....the question really falls down to when. Weekend after weekend of long training workouts, usually the endorphins of such workouts will carry me through the work week - but not this week. This week Oscar my evil head appeared. Long time no see. Yes, I have an evil head - it resembles something like the Mike's hard lemonade commerical.
I'm sure you all have one as well, maybe just not as crazy as mine...as I tend to talk back to it :) Monday I was tired, Tuesday was a little worse. The amount OT I've been putting in at work hasn't helped my fatigue. I'm grateful that I love my company and what I do for a career so I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing out that training +work+ life can = too much sometimes. I should have given myself more then 2 days to recover before jumping back into the daily grind. The 5lb water/carb weight gain from the bike ride wasn't helping my mental state. Tuesday night I tweaked my left abductor during a run, bad enough that the knot stayed with me for a couple of days. Wednesday night Oscar appeared and I knew it was time to take some more R & R. I wanted to swim and run on Thursday but knew I needed to let my leg heal...or I would screw myself yet again. The potential injury and fear of returning to aqua running put me into forced rest and was a complete mind &^$&! Not to mention my phone decided to died and I had to deal with Verizon's BS for over 2 hours!
TGIF - I woke up today with no abductor pain, a new phone and new found energy. I'm opting to give myself another day off from biking/running just to keep things on the "safe" side.
AM Swim
8 x 500's - each one felt really long and slow, maybe because it's a %^# ton of yards? Landed on 8:45-9:00s and gave myself 45-60 min rest between - swimming time 1:10:03/ 1:45s - which I am happy with.
I've got another long training weekend ahead of me and I can honestly say I am looking forward to it :)
I was recently asked a question that I couldn't respond to, I did not know the answer.
Q. What is it you want?
Now this is a very broad question and it was asked in context to several different things.
After sitting and pondering it for a few days I think I have found my answer.
A. I only want what I can not have. Nothing good ever comes easy. Once I set my mind on something I achieve it (that could sound wrong and right in many ways) then I move on to the next whatever it may be. I don't stick with anything for too long for once it becomes easy it becomes boring.
I look back at this answer and I think in some ways it's good - always look for bigger and better things and in other ways bad - as I can not settle. It's bittersweet I suppose. I wonder if I will ever find that one thing that will make me settle......
I'm sure you all have one as well, maybe just not as crazy as mine...as I tend to talk back to it :) Monday I was tired, Tuesday was a little worse. The amount OT I've been putting in at work hasn't helped my fatigue. I'm grateful that I love my company and what I do for a career so I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing out that training +work+ life can = too much sometimes. I should have given myself more then 2 days to recover before jumping back into the daily grind. The 5lb water/carb weight gain from the bike ride wasn't helping my mental state. Tuesday night I tweaked my left abductor during a run, bad enough that the knot stayed with me for a couple of days. Wednesday night Oscar appeared and I knew it was time to take some more R & R. I wanted to swim and run on Thursday but knew I needed to let my leg heal...or I would screw myself yet again. The potential injury and fear of returning to aqua running put me into forced rest and was a complete mind &^$&! Not to mention my phone decided to died and I had to deal with Verizon's BS for over 2 hours!
TGIF - I woke up today with no abductor pain, a new phone and new found energy. I'm opting to give myself another day off from biking/running just to keep things on the "safe" side.
AM Swim
8 x 500's - each one felt really long and slow, maybe because it's a %^# ton of yards? Landed on 8:45-9:00s and gave myself 45-60 min rest between - swimming time 1:10:03/ 1:45s - which I am happy with.
I've got another long training weekend ahead of me and I can honestly say I am looking forward to it :)
I was recently asked a question that I couldn't respond to, I did not know the answer.
Q. What is it you want?
Now this is a very broad question and it was asked in context to several different things.
After sitting and pondering it for a few days I think I have found my answer.
A. I only want what I can not have. Nothing good ever comes easy. Once I set my mind on something I achieve it (that could sound wrong and right in many ways) then I move on to the next whatever it may be. I don't stick with anything for too long for once it becomes easy it becomes boring.
I look back at this answer and I think in some ways it's good - always look for bigger and better things and in other ways bad - as I can not settle. It's bittersweet I suppose. I wonder if I will ever find that one thing that will make me settle......
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
So Be It
Warm Up
1 x 500
Drills
4 x 50 - catch up/high elbow finger drag; 10
1 x 300 buoy; 10
4 x 50 - extended pull down/water splash
1 x 200 easy
Main Set
6 x 200s on the 3:30 - 3:10, 3:14, 3:12, 3:15, 3:15, 3:17 (ugh, I had too much coffee before swim and acid reflux kicked in on the 4th interval. Nothing like tasting your stomach lining. Mmm, mmm, good)
1 x 100 easy
2 x 200 - 50-Aok, 50 fist, 50-karate, 50 sprint
Cool down
1 x 500
Total yardage = 3400
Evening Ride
Up the West Hils - Skyline Rollers and back down - 25 miles
I took it very easy on this ride. My left abductor is still a little pissy and I didn't want to make things worse. For the most part I didn't feel it while I was riding. I felt it after, but not any worse then before. I may take the next 2 days off from running or biking to let the irritation go down. We'll see how it feels in the morning.
I grew an evil head to night, my attitude went to shit and I pretty much kept to myself. We all have "those" days right?
Max watts 353/ Avg normalized watts 154, Avg watts 130
Max HR 170/ Avg HR 135
1 x 500
Drills
4 x 50 - catch up/high elbow finger drag; 10
1 x 300 buoy; 10
4 x 50 - extended pull down/water splash
1 x 200 easy
Main Set
6 x 200s on the 3:30 - 3:10, 3:14, 3:12, 3:15, 3:15, 3:17 (ugh, I had too much coffee before swim and acid reflux kicked in on the 4th interval. Nothing like tasting your stomach lining. Mmm, mmm, good)
1 x 100 easy
2 x 200 - 50-Aok, 50 fist, 50-karate, 50 sprint
Cool down
1 x 500
Total yardage = 3400
Evening Ride
Up the West Hils - Skyline Rollers and back down - 25 miles
I took it very easy on this ride. My left abductor is still a little pissy and I didn't want to make things worse. For the most part I didn't feel it while I was riding. I felt it after, but not any worse then before. I may take the next 2 days off from running or biking to let the irritation go down. We'll see how it feels in the morning.
I grew an evil head to night, my attitude went to shit and I pretty much kept to myself. We all have "those" days right?
Max watts 353/ Avg normalized watts 154, Avg watts 130
Max HR 170/ Avg HR 135
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Back to the grind
AM Swim
Normally I would break out my swim details by warm up/drills/mainset BUT this workout was a thoughtless recovery (mental recovery) so it's 90% drills without any kind of mainset. I also didn't limit myself on rest time, if I was tired I held on to the wall for awhile, reasoning behind 3200 yards taking my slow ass 1:05 to do.
1 x 500 - easy
5 x 100 - paddles
1 x 50 - one arm glide
4 x 50 - out/catch up, return/high elbow finger drah
1 x 250 - buoy
1 x 200 - easy
1 x 50 - one arm glide
1 x 250 - buoy
1 x 200 - 50 A-ok, 50 Fist, 50 Karate, 50 Sprint Free
1 x 500 - moderate
3 x 100 - sprints
1 x 200 - cool down
Total yardage 3200
Evening Run - 8.5 miles/ 8:05 pace - avg HR 157 (80 degree heat)/ PE -easy
Tonight I decided to run in my Nike LunarRacer's. I haven't ran more then a 10k in these and would like to see what I can do without compromising stability. I usually do this loop in the morning and with a PE of easy avg around 9's - 9:30s. I think today's run shoes proves what a difference weight makes. My Triax 12's (normal run shoe or at least trail shoe) weighs somewhere around 11 oz - they are heavy. The Lunar's weigh just over 4 oz..which in return cut my avg mile down by over a full minute. I did experience muscle cramping tonight but I don't think it was shoe related. My left abductor cramped up at my turn around point and the muscle knotted and grew as I ran home. I'm 99% sure this was from the long bike ride this weekend as the abductors were the only muscle group in my legs to have DOMS. Monday my muscles felt fine as did today, reasoning as to why I decided to run. I'm hoping ice and marble rolling pin will help get this knot out, it hurts like a mother%^$%#.
Highlights of my run
*Running in the evening sun
*Running around Nike and gazing at all the beautiful men running with glistening bodies and no shirts. Yay for no shirts!
*Running a decent clip with no effort
Low lights
*Knot in abductor
*Almost getting hit not once, not twice, not three times BUT 4 FRICKENING times! All by cars that tried to take their "free" right without coming to a stop or LOOKING. The one I was most surprised with was the guy rolling out of the Nike headquarters. Could you imagine if the dude hit me? 5 o'clock news - Nike employee hits runner on his way out of work. WTF?!
Normally I would break out my swim details by warm up/drills/mainset BUT this workout was a thoughtless recovery (mental recovery) so it's 90% drills without any kind of mainset. I also didn't limit myself on rest time, if I was tired I held on to the wall for awhile, reasoning behind 3200 yards taking my slow ass 1:05 to do.
1 x 500 - easy
5 x 100 - paddles
1 x 50 - one arm glide
4 x 50 - out/catch up, return/high elbow finger drah
1 x 250 - buoy
1 x 200 - easy
1 x 50 - one arm glide
1 x 250 - buoy
1 x 200 - 50 A-ok, 50 Fist, 50 Karate, 50 Sprint Free
1 x 500 - moderate
3 x 100 - sprints
1 x 200 - cool down
Total yardage 3200
Evening Run - 8.5 miles/ 8:05 pace - avg HR 157 (80 degree heat)/ PE -easy
Tonight I decided to run in my Nike LunarRacer's. I haven't ran more then a 10k in these and would like to see what I can do without compromising stability. I usually do this loop in the morning and with a PE of easy avg around 9's - 9:30s. I think today's run shoes proves what a difference weight makes. My Triax 12's (normal run shoe or at least trail shoe) weighs somewhere around 11 oz - they are heavy. The Lunar's weigh just over 4 oz..which in return cut my avg mile down by over a full minute. I did experience muscle cramping tonight but I don't think it was shoe related. My left abductor cramped up at my turn around point and the muscle knotted and grew as I ran home. I'm 99% sure this was from the long bike ride this weekend as the abductors were the only muscle group in my legs to have DOMS. Monday my muscles felt fine as did today, reasoning as to why I decided to run. I'm hoping ice and marble rolling pin will help get this knot out, it hurts like a mother%^$%#.
Highlights of my run
*Running in the evening sun
*Running around Nike and gazing at all the beautiful men running with glistening bodies and no shirts. Yay for no shirts!
*Running a decent clip with no effort
Low lights
*Knot in abductor
*Almost getting hit not once, not twice, not three times BUT 4 FRICKENING times! All by cars that tried to take their "free" right without coming to a stop or LOOKING. The one I was most surprised with was the guy rolling out of the Nike headquarters. Could you imagine if the dude hit me? 5 o'clock news - Nike employee hits runner on his way out of work. WTF?!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Seattle to Portland - 203 miles
Once again I will reiterate - Fear is a very good thing. Not only is it a good thing but it creates an amazing high once you “man-up” and tackle it.
A BIG thanks to Seth for STP in one day invite - you know you can count on me for the 4-man Hood To Coast Team :)
A BIG thanks to Sue for all her kindness and hospitality, you made a stranger feel like a good friend.
Thanks Shannon and Nadine for the carb loading pre race fun.
On to the event....well let's start off with a short preface. Seth and I relaxed on a nice 3.5 hour train ride up to Seattle. The ride was fun filled with compression socks, a bit of alcohol and a whole lot of race/training talk. Sue graciously picked us up from the train station and we then headed over to Serious Pie for a carb loading dinner with Shannon and Nadine. For the next 2-3 hours we indulged in, need I say it? Serious Pie :) - or some might say some oh-so-delicious pizza and a couple glasses of red wine. I went to bed with 5 hours of sleep to spare, not an ideal situation for an 8 hour girl but the night of fun was well worth it. Unfortunately I paid for that fun, at 3:45am my alarm went off and I awoke to a serious headache. Ouch. Kat started the morning, (or maybe still night) with an evil head. A little coffee, yummy food and a kick ass riding partner quickly put the evil head in it's place and it disappeared for the rest of the day :)
The first century
Mile 1-50
The STP start was one of the many things I fear from this ride. As most of you know I am not a graceful rider…ok that’s the sugar-coated way of putting it. In all honesty I have poor bike handling skills, I’m clumsy and don’t like riding in packs. Starting a ride with several hundred riders was intimidating. Seth and I got to the start line, just in the nick of time. We were able to ride off at the end of the last “early bird” riders (1 day-ers) - 15 minutes ahead of the two day mass start. The start wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. People were overall pretty respectful of space - as much as one can be with several hundred riders. They were loud and vocal with riding communication. IE “slowing” “to the left” “stopping” and so on. We took the first 15 or so miles easy as it was pretty crowded and we were riding through town. I think my highlight during this time was riding by Lake Washington as the sun was rising - absolutely beautiful. Once we got out of town it was time for Kat to learn about pace lining. I had pace lined before - Ha! With one or two riders, does that even count? I struggled with it at first. Seth would “take off” like a fricking rabbit, grab on to a wheel and leave me in the dust. I tried to sprint off but it was difficult. My watts would sore sky high and it would hurt my quads. Sprinting scared me so early in the ride. I had to manage my intensity to last 200+ miles. We were passed by a tandem with aero helmets - it was badass! I was able to cling on their wheel for a short bit, once we hit some corners I fell back - to be expected from Kat. Seth “schooled” me on pace lining. I soaked up the info and after a few attempts I got it down. I knew this was a necessity as I was able to conserve 50-80 watts in the line while going 5-7 mph faster. We hit the first aid station around 8ish - 50 miles down. I refilled my bottle of malto, downed a PB & J, banana and ½ a Cliff bar. During the our first brake Seth named me the Bumble Bee as I was rockin a yellow cog jersey (uber cute IMO) and black shorts. I would have opted for something more aggressive like a Yellow Jacket but I’ll take what I can get J
On to leg 2
Mile 50-100
Shortly after the start we found a quick pace line (25-30mph) and attached on. Seth lost his sponge (aero bottle, which this would not be the only time in the ride!) and we were parted. Kill Bill’s whistle song goes off from my pocket. It’s Seth. I’m trying to stay with this fast pace line and my phone is ringing. What to do?! What to do?! Of course I had to answer it, I had to get back with my riding buddy. Talk was short. Signal disconnected and I wasn’t going to let these guys drop me. A txt later we decide to meet at the mini aid station at mile 86 - Tenio’s famous cookie stop. I lost the pace line when the riders decided to “cycle-cross” over to the bike path. I was too slow on the movement and rode the first of the bike path alone. This was actually a good thing as the bike path was not too crowded and I was able to finally get aero. I will not, repeat will not follow a pace line in aero bars - ever! I took the whole bike path in aero and was able to maintain a nice clip of (22-24mph) at a moderate intensity level. 1/3 way down the path and I look behind me and found out I had a tail. Hot damn! I would have never thought that I would lead a pace line - a pace line of all men at that! There were a few dudes that I picked up along the bike path that I would see miscellaneously around the route during the next 140+ miles. I was referred to as the “tri-girl” or the “rabbit” :) . Seth and I met back up at mile 86. I stopped and had one of the famous melted oatmeal chocolate chip cookie at the aid station - it was phenomenal! We continued on together until we hit the ½ way point in Centralia.
½ way point -
I can honestly say at this point I was whipped. I had managed intensity well but the heat was starting to catch up with me. I was almost relived to know Seth was feeling it too. We both agreed the second half was going to be much slower then the first half. The stop was longer then expected - as were most stops. At this point my back was starting to turn pink, thankfully Centralia had a sunscreen tent and I got slathered up. I ended up with a golden tan - no burn, thanks sunscreen ladies. We took in some more solid food. I had a plain turkey and cheese sandwich on white bread. At first I thought, ugh - so plain, but after devouring it I found it rather tasty - funny how that happens. Seth got one of the vendors to donate a few paper boats of pickle juice. I think this saved us from cramping and re-energized out electrolytes. Way to go Seth! Water stop, malto refill and we were off.
The second century
Mile 100-145
This was by far the worst leg for me. Coming out of half way point I felt heavy, bloated, hot and fatigued. My tummy took a good 20-30 minutes to digest all the food I had force fed down. Digestion came at the wrong time as we were approaching the “rollers.” Up and down and round and round. This was my leg of being “dazed and confused.” I’d look down at my power meter. I was going 18-19 mph at low wattage - yet I was tired and didn’t feel like I was moving forward. Seth loses his sponge somewhere around mile 135. I stop so he can go back to get it. This was a mistake because as I try to get back onto my bike I clip in and fall right over. What’s a ride if Kat doesn’t fall over? I was pretty much at a standstill and I didn’t break skin - I was A-ok. We decided to stop at the next mini aid station a mile down the road to get water and try to regain some sanity. Picture moment.
On ward we went to the next food aid station at mile 145. This was a good time as we got more solid food and took some time to rest a bit. The last 45 miles were tough. I was now experiencing my longest ride ever, prior had been 112 miles. I looked within myself and found the positive. 10 or so more miles and we’d be in Oregon - home town. Then all we had to do was highway 30, one more food stop and coast home. It’s funny how after doing 145 miles that 65ish more doesn’t look all that bad. Plus the sun was shinning - things could always be worse.
Mile 145-175
This was an incredible leg. I don’t know where my energy came from but it was in full force. On the train ride up I had told Seth I didn’t know what I was great at. I’ve felt a little lost in training. I mean in tri I’m not great in any of the three sports, I’m just ok in all 3. Well during this ride I found what I’m great at - endurance. As most of the pack suffers as mileage/duration goes on I excel. For the remainder of the ride I had good strong power. 5 or so miles into the leg we come up to the Longview Bridge. I looked up at it, longer moderate climb, so far into mileage it scared me. The bike lane was narrow, there was a lot of debris and I would be riding it up with 20-25 other men. Forward I pedal and I hear something from Seth like “Ride up you animal”. I laugh to myself as I don’t feel animalistic at all. 150 miles in I didn’t feel strong, but in comparison to the group I was. I passed all but one man climbing the bridge and I did so quickly. Descending the bridge was scary as shit! It was windy and there where ruts in the road. I had MASSIVE front wheel wobble. I thought I might fly right off the bridge. My arms, hands and wheel shook violently - this was not ok. To calm myself I started singing Bobby Darin’s - Don’t Rain On My Parade. It helped and I survived. As we reached the highway another rider came up behind me and said he thought my wheel was going to fly off. “You and me both buddy”. The next 20-25 miles my power really came out. I’d come up on pace line after pace line - attacked and passed. I would have probably sat on the back of a wheel if they were moving fast enough but at this point each pace line was avging 15-17 mph, I was hitting 20-21 in aero. I had the power so I decided to ride with it. I think the real confidence booster was passing pace lines of 20-30 MEN - quickly.
Mile 175-203
The last aid station! I fueled up on more PB & J and decided it was now time to take some vitamin I. Upon getting back on the bike I realized my abs and sit bones were sore. Riding aero for so long really works the core! And I guess 175 miles into the ride and just now experiencing some kind of tail pain is not bad. I <3 my Gore Bike shorts! The first few miles back on the bike were slow. Eh, we had a tad bit of headwind. I was getting tired of my position on the bike so I was shifting around too much. My tummy was still digesting from the last aid station so aero was not that comfortable BUT riding aero saved me 30-40 watts and I was able to go several mph faster - so I forced myself to ride aero. Again, the last 20 miles or I went along passing pace line after pace line of dudes. I wish I had a camera of this, it was one of the highlights of my ride. The compliments from the boys didn’t hurt either. I rolled into the finish at 203 miles - 11hrs and 20 mins of riding time - not bad for a “non” cyclist.
And now for the techy-nerdy stuff
Ride data
Total distance (miles) 202.25
Uphill distance (miles) 30.87
Uphill altitude (feet) 1,951
Maximum altitude (feet) 463
Power data
Ride Time 11:20:19
Caloric expenditure (based off of watts-pedaling only) 5220 kcal
Max speed 42 mph :) / Avg speed 17.93 mph
Max cadence 143 / Avg cadence 68
Max HR 173 / Avg HR 144
Max torque 33.56 / Avg torque 519
Max Power 470 (hehe, sprint to a paceline) / Normalized Avg watts 142 / Avg watts 126
Max watts to kg 7.73/ Avg watts per kg 2.05
Seth - you were right. I am now confident for the bike leg for IMC. Thank you!
A BIG thanks to Seth for STP in one day invite - you know you can count on me for the 4-man Hood To Coast Team :)
A BIG thanks to Sue for all her kindness and hospitality, you made a stranger feel like a good friend.
Thanks Shannon and Nadine for the carb loading pre race fun.
On to the event....well let's start off with a short preface. Seth and I relaxed on a nice 3.5 hour train ride up to Seattle. The ride was fun filled with compression socks, a bit of alcohol and a whole lot of race/training talk. Sue graciously picked us up from the train station and we then headed over to Serious Pie for a carb loading dinner with Shannon and Nadine. For the next 2-3 hours we indulged in, need I say it? Serious Pie :) - or some might say some oh-so-delicious pizza and a couple glasses of red wine. I went to bed with 5 hours of sleep to spare, not an ideal situation for an 8 hour girl but the night of fun was well worth it. Unfortunately I paid for that fun, at 3:45am my alarm went off and I awoke to a serious headache. Ouch. Kat started the morning, (or maybe still night) with an evil head. A little coffee, yummy food and a kick ass riding partner quickly put the evil head in it's place and it disappeared for the rest of the day :)
The first century
Mile 1-50
The STP start was one of the many things I fear from this ride. As most of you know I am not a graceful rider…ok that’s the sugar-coated way of putting it. In all honesty I have poor bike handling skills, I’m clumsy and don’t like riding in packs. Starting a ride with several hundred riders was intimidating. Seth and I got to the start line, just in the nick of time. We were able to ride off at the end of the last “early bird” riders (1 day-ers) - 15 minutes ahead of the two day mass start. The start wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. People were overall pretty respectful of space - as much as one can be with several hundred riders. They were loud and vocal with riding communication. IE “slowing” “to the left” “stopping” and so on. We took the first 15 or so miles easy as it was pretty crowded and we were riding through town. I think my highlight during this time was riding by Lake Washington as the sun was rising - absolutely beautiful. Once we got out of town it was time for Kat to learn about pace lining. I had pace lined before - Ha! With one or two riders, does that even count? I struggled with it at first. Seth would “take off” like a fricking rabbit, grab on to a wheel and leave me in the dust. I tried to sprint off but it was difficult. My watts would sore sky high and it would hurt my quads. Sprinting scared me so early in the ride. I had to manage my intensity to last 200+ miles. We were passed by a tandem with aero helmets - it was badass! I was able to cling on their wheel for a short bit, once we hit some corners I fell back - to be expected from Kat. Seth “schooled” me on pace lining. I soaked up the info and after a few attempts I got it down. I knew this was a necessity as I was able to conserve 50-80 watts in the line while going 5-7 mph faster. We hit the first aid station around 8ish - 50 miles down. I refilled my bottle of malto, downed a PB & J, banana and ½ a Cliff bar. During the our first brake Seth named me the Bumble Bee as I was rockin a yellow cog jersey (uber cute IMO) and black shorts. I would have opted for something more aggressive like a Yellow Jacket but I’ll take what I can get J
On to leg 2
Mile 50-100
Shortly after the start we found a quick pace line (25-30mph) and attached on. Seth lost his sponge (aero bottle, which this would not be the only time in the ride!) and we were parted. Kill Bill’s whistle song goes off from my pocket. It’s Seth. I’m trying to stay with this fast pace line and my phone is ringing. What to do?! What to do?! Of course I had to answer it, I had to get back with my riding buddy. Talk was short. Signal disconnected and I wasn’t going to let these guys drop me. A txt later we decide to meet at the mini aid station at mile 86 - Tenio’s famous cookie stop. I lost the pace line when the riders decided to “cycle-cross” over to the bike path. I was too slow on the movement and rode the first of the bike path alone. This was actually a good thing as the bike path was not too crowded and I was able to finally get aero. I will not, repeat will not follow a pace line in aero bars - ever! I took the whole bike path in aero and was able to maintain a nice clip of (22-24mph) at a moderate intensity level. 1/3 way down the path and I look behind me and found out I had a tail. Hot damn! I would have never thought that I would lead a pace line - a pace line of all men at that! There were a few dudes that I picked up along the bike path that I would see miscellaneously around the route during the next 140+ miles. I was referred to as the “tri-girl” or the “rabbit” :) . Seth and I met back up at mile 86. I stopped and had one of the famous melted oatmeal chocolate chip cookie at the aid station - it was phenomenal! We continued on together until we hit the ½ way point in Centralia.
½ way point -
I can honestly say at this point I was whipped. I had managed intensity well but the heat was starting to catch up with me. I was almost relived to know Seth was feeling it too. We both agreed the second half was going to be much slower then the first half. The stop was longer then expected - as were most stops. At this point my back was starting to turn pink, thankfully Centralia had a sunscreen tent and I got slathered up. I ended up with a golden tan - no burn, thanks sunscreen ladies. We took in some more solid food. I had a plain turkey and cheese sandwich on white bread. At first I thought, ugh - so plain, but after devouring it I found it rather tasty - funny how that happens. Seth got one of the vendors to donate a few paper boats of pickle juice. I think this saved us from cramping and re-energized out electrolytes. Way to go Seth! Water stop, malto refill and we were off.
The second century
Mile 100-145
This was by far the worst leg for me. Coming out of half way point I felt heavy, bloated, hot and fatigued. My tummy took a good 20-30 minutes to digest all the food I had force fed down. Digestion came at the wrong time as we were approaching the “rollers.” Up and down and round and round. This was my leg of being “dazed and confused.” I’d look down at my power meter. I was going 18-19 mph at low wattage - yet I was tired and didn’t feel like I was moving forward. Seth loses his sponge somewhere around mile 135. I stop so he can go back to get it. This was a mistake because as I try to get back onto my bike I clip in and fall right over. What’s a ride if Kat doesn’t fall over? I was pretty much at a standstill and I didn’t break skin - I was A-ok. We decided to stop at the next mini aid station a mile down the road to get water and try to regain some sanity. Picture moment.
On ward we went to the next food aid station at mile 145. This was a good time as we got more solid food and took some time to rest a bit. The last 45 miles were tough. I was now experiencing my longest ride ever, prior had been 112 miles. I looked within myself and found the positive. 10 or so more miles and we’d be in Oregon - home town. Then all we had to do was highway 30, one more food stop and coast home. It’s funny how after doing 145 miles that 65ish more doesn’t look all that bad. Plus the sun was shinning - things could always be worse.
Mile 145-175
This was an incredible leg. I don’t know where my energy came from but it was in full force. On the train ride up I had told Seth I didn’t know what I was great at. I’ve felt a little lost in training. I mean in tri I’m not great in any of the three sports, I’m just ok in all 3. Well during this ride I found what I’m great at - endurance. As most of the pack suffers as mileage/duration goes on I excel. For the remainder of the ride I had good strong power. 5 or so miles into the leg we come up to the Longview Bridge. I looked up at it, longer moderate climb, so far into mileage it scared me. The bike lane was narrow, there was a lot of debris and I would be riding it up with 20-25 other men. Forward I pedal and I hear something from Seth like “Ride up you animal”. I laugh to myself as I don’t feel animalistic at all. 150 miles in I didn’t feel strong, but in comparison to the group I was. I passed all but one man climbing the bridge and I did so quickly. Descending the bridge was scary as shit! It was windy and there where ruts in the road. I had MASSIVE front wheel wobble. I thought I might fly right off the bridge. My arms, hands and wheel shook violently - this was not ok. To calm myself I started singing Bobby Darin’s - Don’t Rain On My Parade. It helped and I survived. As we reached the highway another rider came up behind me and said he thought my wheel was going to fly off. “You and me both buddy”. The next 20-25 miles my power really came out. I’d come up on pace line after pace line - attacked and passed. I would have probably sat on the back of a wheel if they were moving fast enough but at this point each pace line was avging 15-17 mph, I was hitting 20-21 in aero. I had the power so I decided to ride with it. I think the real confidence booster was passing pace lines of 20-30 MEN - quickly.
Mile 175-203
The last aid station! I fueled up on more PB & J and decided it was now time to take some vitamin I. Upon getting back on the bike I realized my abs and sit bones were sore. Riding aero for so long really works the core! And I guess 175 miles into the ride and just now experiencing some kind of tail pain is not bad. I <3 my Gore Bike shorts! The first few miles back on the bike were slow. Eh, we had a tad bit of headwind. I was getting tired of my position on the bike so I was shifting around too much. My tummy was still digesting from the last aid station so aero was not that comfortable BUT riding aero saved me 30-40 watts and I was able to go several mph faster - so I forced myself to ride aero. Again, the last 20 miles or I went along passing pace line after pace line of dudes. I wish I had a camera of this, it was one of the highlights of my ride. The compliments from the boys didn’t hurt either. I rolled into the finish at 203 miles - 11hrs and 20 mins of riding time - not bad for a “non” cyclist.
And now for the techy-nerdy stuff
Ride data
Total distance (miles) 202.25
Uphill distance (miles) 30.87
Uphill altitude (feet) 1,951
Maximum altitude (feet) 463
Power data
Ride Time 11:20:19
Caloric expenditure (based off of watts-pedaling only) 5220 kcal
Max speed 42 mph :) / Avg speed 17.93 mph
Max cadence 143 / Avg cadence 68
Max HR 173 / Avg HR 144
Max torque 33.56 / Avg torque 519
Max Power 470 (hehe, sprint to a paceline) / Normalized Avg watts 142 / Avg watts 126
Max watts to kg 7.73/ Avg watts per kg 2.05
Seth - you were right. I am now confident for the bike leg for IMC. Thank you!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
AM PM
AM Swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 250 paddles;10
1 x 250 buoy; 10
repeat 1 x
2 x 50 - Aok;10
2 x 50- Fist; 10
1 x 50 - one arm glide; 10
2 x 50 - catch up;10
2 x 50 - finger drag/high elbows
1 x 50 - one arm glide; 10
Main Set
4 x 100's (first 75 easy; last 25 hard) ; 10 -;15 rest at end of 100 block
4 x 100's (first 50 easy; last 50 hard) ; 10 -;15 rest at end of 100 block
4 x 100's (first 25 easy; last 75 hard) ; 10 -;15 rest at end of 100 block - 1:36; 1:38, 1:37, 1:34 (how is it my 100 sprints are the same speed 3000+ yards into a workout as 200 yards into a workout? I really have no "fast" speed. I think this just means I need to work on my efficiency.)
4 x 100's (hard) ; 10
Cool down
200
Total yardage - 3800 yards
A beautiful specimen rockin a Speedo joined me with 1000 left to go. My oh my, he was a beauty. During the cool down we swam side by side, what a great way to end the swim!
PM Run -
1 mile warm up around the track
5 min stretch
Easy run up Twilliger hills :) 5.2 ish miles
cool down with 15 min run barefoot on the grass around the track - did 9 loops which is just a tad bit over 2 miles in 16 mins - I have NEVER run an 8 min pace so easy before. Makes me think I'm wearing the wrong kind of shoes....if any at all. I <3 barefoot running.
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 250 paddles;10
1 x 250 buoy; 10
repeat 1 x
2 x 50 - Aok;10
2 x 50- Fist; 10
1 x 50 - one arm glide; 10
2 x 50 - catch up;10
2 x 50 - finger drag/high elbows
1 x 50 - one arm glide; 10
Main Set
4 x 100's (first 75 easy; last 25 hard) ; 10 -;15 rest at end of 100 block
4 x 100's (first 50 easy; last 50 hard) ; 10 -;15 rest at end of 100 block
4 x 100's (first 25 easy; last 75 hard) ; 10 -;15 rest at end of 100 block - 1:36; 1:38, 1:37, 1:34 (how is it my 100 sprints are the same speed 3000+ yards into a workout as 200 yards into a workout? I really have no "fast" speed. I think this just means I need to work on my efficiency.)
4 x 100's (hard) ; 10
Cool down
200
Total yardage - 3800 yards
A beautiful specimen rockin a Speedo joined me with 1000 left to go. My oh my, he was a beauty. During the cool down we swam side by side, what a great way to end the swim!
PM Run -
1 mile warm up around the track
5 min stretch
Easy run up Twilliger hills :) 5.2 ish miles
cool down with 15 min run barefoot on the grass around the track - did 9 loops which is just a tad bit over 2 miles in 16 mins - I have NEVER run an 8 min pace so easy before. Makes me think I'm wearing the wrong kind of shoes....if any at all. I <3 barefoot running.
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