Wednesday - Tri'ing part 2

32 mile bike ride - flat and WINDY along Marine drive/20 min run; 2.34 miles; 8:35 avg

Didn't hit my goals...or did I? I wanted to do some time trial intervals tonight, but knew the possibility of actually accomplishing them would be slim. I did speed run work yesterday, swam this morning and still feeling the effects of the century ride from the weekend. Still who would I be if I didn't tri? So off I go.... Now it's a VERY bad thing if I'm heading out along Marine Drive in my hardest gear and I can't hit my threshold HR of 180. What does that mean? It means there is a ****load of tail wind...and tailwind brings headwind on the way back. I finally hit 180 near the end of the sector and held 180-183 for 3:30 and then went in for recovery. I tried to hit my second interval 2 minutes later and I couldn't get my HR up there, still in the hardest gear, still on the way out. I decided to bag it and attempt again on the way back. Turn around and Woah! I felt the force, the force of something nasty....I was riding into a brick wall of wind. Ugh! this was not so pretty. I tried to hit another interval but after several minutes of pushing hard I realized that I didn't have the muscle strength left to get my HR up. My whole right side of my body was acting funky as well, my right IT Band hurt pretty badly on the outside of my knee up my outer thigh....calf flared up yet again and my right should blade was very stiff. Can I just chop off the whole right side of my body? I decided to just toss out the intervals and just ride a nice moderate effort which would be hard not to accomplish with the wind working against me for the remainder of the ride. Finished in 1:40 avg'ing 19.5 mph which I am content with, slipped on my running shoes and went for a moderate 20 minute run. At first I was worried about the IT/calf flare up but it was gone as soon as I started running. My run felt great. Finished with a 8:35 avg which is ok for me.

So I started off with the question did I hit my goals? Yes...sure I wanted to do intervals...but my body didn't and my head listened to it. This has been work in progress for a very long time and it is nice to see the two (mind & body) are finally working as a team.

Side note; so odd that I wrote the blog about my past today. I had car problems this afternoon and ended up meeting up with my first ex boyfriend (6 year guy). He fixed my car issues as usual and we caught up on everything in between. I was am so thankful I changed my lifestyle. I couldn't even imagine living and going through the **** he endures day to day. It's sad that some people just don't ever see there true potential.

The past and present….but mostly the past.

Recently I have had a few people ask me about my up bringings. It used to be a sensitive subject as a lot of it was hard and hurtful. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger and has turned me into who and what I am today. And I like myself…..so I’ve decided to share with a little of what and where Kat has been. Please be forewarned none of this is sugar coated and some of the memories are very dark, but know I have taken something positive out of all of it.

*I lived in hotels on more then one occasion while a was a child.
*I moved so many times I never had a best friend; until I was 15.
*For many years I had a Coke and a Snickers Bar for breakfast.
*My mother had cervical cancer and was in and out of treatment for 3 years – some of the worst of my childhood.
*Although my parents despised each other they always showed their love for me.
*First movie I ever saw in a theater was The Little Mermaid with my mom. I think this is one reason I love swimming so much.
*My dad taught me how to ride a bike….I was 8, better late then never right? He did have me in the pool with him by the age of 1.
*I tried to end my life when I was 15
*I have been affiliated with organized crime although if you try to link it there is no visible proof.
*My mother and I spent a good year in a Catholic home for abused women when I was 5.
*I tried to enlist in the Army when I was 17, but a rather large heart murmur prohibited this.
*I didn’t learn how to drive until I was 18 (thanks Robin!)
*I dropped out of school and moved out on my own when I was 15.
*Got my GED when I was 16
*My first job I worked as a maid for a slum lord; happened to live at the same place I worked.
*I spent 6 years not talking to any family member. Now my mother and father are my best friends….although still not around much, thank God for a thing called a phone.
*At one point of my life I helped a friend *at the time* rebuild his car engine.
*My grandfather had lung cancer and his lung removed; he is now in remission.
*I have seen/lived around pimps, hoes and drug dealers….and have walked in on a few over doses/deaths.
*My mother makes the world’s best Mac N Cheese.
*By the time I was 16 I worked two jobs and over the next two years never had one solid day off in a row.
*I have dealt with court cases; city police and FBI on more times I’d like to remember.
*I have never been married or desired children.
*I worked my way up from being a maid to a Senior Buyer for a multi billion dollar company with no education other then a GED.
*I went from a cute skinny kid to a fat ugly kid within a few years; that’s what happens when mom gets sick and stops cooking.
*My father has melanoma; his fate is certain.
*I lived off Top Roman & PB & Honey sandwiches on white bread for 4 years, it sucked.
*When I was young I despised running. Running sucks when you’re overweight. Who would have ever guessed that I would learn to love it?
*I worked for the same company for over 8 years, I’m only 27.
*I fell in love when I was 16. Our relationship lasted 6 years and this man is still my best friend to date. It’s a bittersweet story.
*Ah back to the age of 15, turned gang related…I have scars to prove this.
*At the ripe age of 25 I ran my first 10k. By the time I was 27 I had completed several Olympic triathlons and a Half Ironman.
*Within the last 2 years I have raised over $10,000 for charities.

Today I am a young single women making a comfortable living in a safe, friendly environment and enjoying the things I love most; training and food.
The sky’s the limit. Ironman 09 here I come.

Tri'ing in two split workout....#1

Wednesday Morning Swim - Part one

250 warm up
1 mile race simulator
100 timed all out effort ; 1:34
50 easy
50 with fins easy
With fins
25 x 2 70%, 25 x 2 80%, 25 x 2 90%, 25 x 2 80%, 25 x 2 100%
200 easy with bobs at the first 25
200 x 5. First 200 breathing out though the nose.
100 easy
50 x 8; 65% effort intervals, count time ; ;52-53
100 easy

Cool down
25 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
25

Total yardage ; 2750

Swim was badass today. Shared a lane with April, found out we go basically the same speed. So happy we're doing Hulaman together.
Time to eat and load up for the brick tonight!

Tuesday - Run/Speed

10 min warm up
5 min stretch
4 x 1600's 7:30 with 90 sec floats
5 min cool down

Going in I was sort of dreading this workout. I knew I was very well capable of hitting my time goals, they're no longer aggressive (which needs to change soon). But I was REALLY tired after that century ride/run on Saturday. Much more tired then I had thought I'd be and I wasn't sure how long that would last for. Failing a workout IMO is one of the worst feelings, especially if it's because your body doesn't recover as fast as you thought it would. I was no longer sore, that really went away when I woke up on Sunday but my legs were stiff. If I was going to fail it would be in either A. Lack Of Energy or B. Stiff legs that wouldn't keep up. Thankfully I surprised myself and killed it. At the end I felt I could have added on one more 1600 repeat but felt now probably wasn't the time to push my luck or energy. Happy the fear is gone and my workout is done for the day. Time to eat, yet again

625.6 miles Ran Year-To-Date, 205 days this year, avg 3.05 mile a day

Random gym grip
My gym the 24hr Fitness Tualatin/Lance Armstrong has started offering free towel service. So I think, yay, one less thing to think about. I go in yesterday and they tell em I have to give them my membership card to hold in exchange for a towel. I'm like, okkkkaaaay. I guess people have been jacking the towels. Why? I haven't a clue, they're not even good towels, they're too thin and small. I'm a small girl; I can't even imagine a larger person using them. So anywho I give them my card and ask for two towels. They won't give two, only one. So I have to choose between one shower towel OR a workout towel. WTF?! I pay too much money for this gym as it is. Let me tell you, they up the monthly fee's $10 a month for this 24hr location only because it's the Armstrong SuperSport. The only extra feature it has are racquet ball courts. If it wasn't 5 minutes from my work I would go elsewhere. Ugh, just so annoying, they should just discontinue the towel service. Either have good quality service or none at all. Just my opinion here.

On a side note I got a rather good laugh. Some guy was walking around with a mullet, porn star mustache and a - get this - purple velvet jumpsuit. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Just another swim

Sunday - Recover from century ride

Monday - afternoon swim

Warm up - 250
12 x 50 drills; A-ok, Fist, Karate; 10 sec rest

1 x 100 fast; 20 rest
1 x 150 w/paddles; 20 rest
1 x 250 build speed by 50s; 20 rest
1 x 350 w/fins; 20 rest
1 x 450 steady pace 60% effort; 20 rest
1 x 100 fast; 20 rest

8 x 50's breathing every 3, 5 strokes - bi lateral breathing; 15 rest

Cool Down
25 x 5 pool wall pushups
50 x 5 pool wall pushups
50 x 5 pool wall pushups
50 x 5 pool wall pushups
50 x 5 pool wall pushups
25 x 5 pool wall pushups

Total 2900 yards

I was tired today. My HR stayed really low, thought it would be much higher with how fatigued I felt. Maybe I just didn't have the energy to push myself as hard as normal, who knows? My eyes are still swollen and hurt, I have to be experiencing really bad allergies or maybe got an infection during the ride. The odd thing is they're not red. Hopefully this will go away soon.

106.9 mile adventure to the beach.

Route mapped
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=16752

Mental energy is not at its highest so I’m going to break this out into points of interest and hopefully it makes sense. Please excuse typos and grammar…as brain cell have been lost : )

*The adventure – Bike from Beaverton to The Oregon Coast, more specifically Gearhart, 106.9 miles with 5173 ft of elevation gain.
*Before the start I will admit I had quite a bit of fear looming. This would be my first century of the season. Before this ride my longest of the year had been 70 miles. The distance wasn’t the intimidating factor though, I’ve accomplished a century before so I knew I could do it, what I feared was doing a century ride with 7 men (no women) and all training for an Ironman. Their endurance and power would be greater then mine; which I thought would inevitably leave me riding alone for a VERY long time. This ride would be more mental toughness then anything.
*My start was a rough one. My dysfunctional bike computer was rubbing against my rear tire; which promoted me to stop and have it looked at 3-5 blocks out. Not a good start. The first 5 miles started out on rolling hills; my body appeared to have a hard time adapting to this as my shifting was done poorly.
*I rode most of Hwy 30 with Scott who spoke a lot about being in the aero position and conserving energy on these long distance rides. I became a sponge and soaked up everything he said. This prompted me to ride aero 90% of the ride, very good decision IMO.
*First big climb came around mile 20 and lasted to mile 26-27. Climbing felt really good. I knew climbing up would lead to descending down which I was fearing. I had stayed aero for most of this point so I decided to try descending in aero. This was a good idea, I felt much more stable and I was able to cut and lean into the corners. The fear of descending is still present but not as much. I am starting to gain confidence….and this is a step in the right direction.
*Within 20 miles Darrell happened to get 4 flat tires! He became VERY fast at changing them. Ultimately it was Don who spotted the tire-flattening staple. Tire surgery was then performed on the ER floor of HWY 47. The tire survived and on we rode.
*We stopped and met Devin’s parents around mile 60. At this time we decided it was good to get a photographic memory (picture) and load up on fuel and hydration for the rest of the ride. It was also time to bid farewell to Scott as he was heading back to Portland.
*Mile 66-71ish was challenging. We had a steady long climb late into the ride. This tuckered me out a bit. Upon reaching the summit we regrouped and agreed upon meeting up with the Devin’s parents (SAG) around mile 82. I was more then happy to descend down at this point, although was not to pleased doing so in the rain.
*Thank God for giant tree leaves as nature called for duty.
*Mile 80-91 seemed like all but too much one on one time with Kat. I had become separated from the group. My computer didn’t work, I was unsure of mileage but knew I was somewhere around 80 thanks to my trusty map but saw no SAG vehicle or group of riders. I didn’t know if I passed them…or if they were farther out, my mind started playing tricks on me. I had been pretty good on nutrition and hydration up to his point, but slowly I was starting what I feared….dipping too far into my caloric reserves and trying to play catch up, in which case you never win.
*Mile 90 and I hit the bay; I knew the ocean was just around the corner; as were my riding buddies at mile 91. I was happy to see them and happy to know I hadn’t gone off course. I was also happy to find out I was not the only one riding alone as there was another behind me and a few that had their own “one on one time”. I think most of us had started to reach a point of fatigue. Finished off my last bar which brought me to around 1000 kcal in 6 1/2ish hours, according to my trusty HRM I had expended around 2900 kcal. Good thing I ate BIG the night before and morning of the ride.
*Riding the bridge on Hwy 101 over the bay was an interesting experience. We were all tired, there was a tone of debris on the side of the road (worse then the dirty 30), the cars rode very close in on one side, and on the other side had the ocean waves smashing around. It was really a chaotic yet peaceful experience, kind of weird to describe. Riding the ocean side was picturesque…so beautiful, grey and wild. Fatigue was growing and as my surroundings felt crazy (cars, debris, wind, bridge, ocean) I was at ease. I was too tired to really be affected by my surroundings.
*Darrell and I rode the last 10 miles of Hwy 101 together. It literally felt like it was never going to end. I was now very caloric deficient and felt it in my energy. I had switched from bars to Cliff Shot Blocks with caffeine on mile 91, don’t think this was a good idea. Not sure if it was the caffeine or the gummy block consistency but it created havoc on my tummy. I had a small tsunami brewing….not pleasant.
*Mile 106, group meets up a few blocks from the finish so that we could all ride in together. Realization hit me, I did it and I held my own among the Ironmen : ) I rode in with Darrell and there were still 2 men behind me. And during the ride I was almost never at the end….I kept a middle ground. I guess I’m a better cyclist then I give myself credit for….yet I know I still have much more progression to make.
*Devin’s Aunt’s house, we arrive at the finish. Woot! Woot! Time for transition and to take a little run. This felt much better and worse then I had anticipated. For one it didn’t take my legs too long to transition. 3-5 minutes in and they felt A-ok. What hit me was my nutrition and I’m not exactly sure where it went wrong but as I hit 12-13 minutes into the run I stopped and yakked all over the sidewalk. I puked a LOT! Where the hell did all that come from? After I hit Niagara Falls I stood there heaving for a few moments and realized that my eyes had filled with tears. Disappointment hit me. How the hell would I ever be able to do an Ironman? Here I stood wallowing in my own self pity starring at the flow of vomit running down the street. Ugh. I picked up my self worth and started running again. I lasted all but 2-3 minutes before I started walking. My energy was depleted and it was trying to crush my spirit. But I would not let that happen, 30 sec of walking was all I could take, started running again, ugh! Another 2-3 minutes and I resorted back to walking; I just had no go. I continued this walk/run battle until I reached the house. Thankfully we only went out 2-3 miles.
*I reach the house and met back up with everyone. They had thought my over zealous ass went for an extra loop. Haha! I only had wished. I quickly went into brush my teeth, the taste in my mouth was prompting for an encore I was not willing to give. I then took a shower, which felt like an eternity in heaven. Good quality self-reflection happened here. At first I just stood there weak, allowing fatigue to hurt my spirit. Then I reflected on the adventure I had gone on…quickly I felt much better. I did my first century of the year, not only that I ran (briefly) afterwards. Each time I hit a low point I quickly picked myself back up. I held my own among the men. I had done an IM brick and I’m not even doing an IM this year. I can only assume these bricks will get easier with time. I have acclimated my body to go from cycling to running…I know my focus for the on coming year is going to be based highly upon nutrition as my tummy happens to be my fiercest enemy.
*The rest of the night was spent enjoying good food and GREAT company. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to ride and recover with. Special shout out to Devin for organizing the ride; his parents for supporting SAG and his aunt’s for their gracious hospitality.

Sunday – The aftermath
I woke up on Sunday morning and was surprised that my muscles were not sore. Fatigued yes, sore…not so much. The only thing that was sore was….well let’s just say I wish I had a pillow to sit on all day. I got up rolled my legs and back and did some Pilates. Had thought about joining a friend for an easy 6 mile run but realized my energy was not present. My muscles felt fine but my motivation was gone. I was tired and fatigued. My eyes also hurt. I went into the house to brush my teeth and realized my whole face was mildly swollen. Not sure what happened but I was having an allergic reaction to something, my eyes, cheeks and throat were inflamed and tender to touch. Took an anti-histamine when I got home which helped with the swelling, there had to have been something in the air my body rejected. I’m taking today off as recovery, as I cannot stop napping. I only hope I can recover quicker as I do more of these types of workouts.

BTW, I am an unstoppable eating machine.

Sleep.....need more sleep

Thursday....continued

Evening....4.2 mile "easy" paced run.

Open water swim - 5 loops around Klineline. I've always stopped at 4 loops, 5 was a first. I don't know about the distance but I'm thinking it is around 500 meters per loop and I swim on the far outside...so I'm thinking 2500-2700 meters or so; took me 62 minutes.

Post swim I felt pretty good considering I did a 7 mile tempo run during lunch, 4.2 mile "easy" paced run in the heat in the evening and then a 2500-2700 meter open water swim. Bedtime was another story. The last 3 days have caught up with me yet again, I knew it was going to happen as I had planned Friday as a Recovery day for Saturdays Century/Brick. I was expecting fatigue, I was not expecting to have restless leg syndrome, and be woken up by a growling tummy throughout the night. Blah, today I am a walking zombie. I think I got may be 3 hours of solid sleep...and my legs are really tight and fatigued. I might opt for an ice bath when I get home, that is if rolling the stick throughout the day doesn't help. Even though I'm physically and mentally tired I'm happy, It's Friday and I get to "train" my tummy and eat all day! Brown rice sushi for lunch and Claim Jumpers with my mama for dinner. Yay food!

Q-Tip

Thursday
30 mins Pilates & rolling with stick

Training part 1 - Tempo Run

When the training you know and have done for the last few weeks/months become “less difficult” you need to take a step back and appreciate the progression and know now it’s time to step up your game.

10 min warm up
4 min stretch
5 min easy run
10 min tempo (7:35 min/mile 170-175 HR)
5 min easy
10 min tempo (7:35 min/mile 175-182HR)
5 min easy
10 min tempo (7:35 min/mile 180-185HR) Talked to a newbie triathlete doing his first sprint tri during this interval. Holding conversation at 185 bpm is challenging but somehow I managed to do it
5 min easy

7.2 miles total

I feel freaking fantastic. I <3 yogurt and I do believe I might be having one of the worst hair days of my life. When I got home last night I showered but was too lazy to wash my hair. NOTE: When you wear a helmet, have lots of hair and sweat a lot you MUST wash your hair. My lazy ass didn't and woke up to a giant fizz ball. I threw it up on top my head and my office mate has been calling my Q-tip all day, which has caught on to other co-workers now referring to me as Q-Tip. Nice. Thankfully the sweat from that bad ass tempo run tamed things down a bit and turned the frizz into curls....and I'm rockin a nicely blushed complexion from the elevated HR....oh the benefits of training.
__________________

Wednesday night brick

22 mile West Hill Ride/20 min easy run

I really don't have much to write on this. I did 10 miles of run/speed work + swimming yesterday, I really thought this would have taxed my energy for the brick, but it didn't. I was very surprised that the brick actually turned out to be easier then it had in the previous 2 weeks. I'm sure utilizing my aeros had something to do with this. My HR stayed in a lower range and even climbing Newberry I never hit my anaerobic zone and I had an extra 1-2 gears added on! Maybe I'm just becoming stronger and more efficient....that's at least what I'll tell myself :)

Today was a good day

I had no intentions of pulling a triple today let alone double speed run workouts....but that damn cup o coffee I had this morning really kicked my energy into over drive....so booyah, here goes Tuesday night part 2

Evening Run
5 min warm up
3 min stretch
1 min warm up
1:45 @ 7 min/mile– 400
90 sec float
3:40 @ 7:20 min/mile– 800
90 sec float
7:40 @ 7:40 min/mile - 1600
90 sec float
3:40 @ 7:20 min/mile – 800
90 sec float
1:45 @ 7 - min/mile 400

Damn, felt like I was flying yet again!

Follow up with a swim....
Warm-up 250

6 x 50 drills; A-Ok, First, Claw; rest 10
4 x 50 Fins; rest 10
4 x 50 paddles; rest 10

6 x 200s, rest :20 between each.
#1 & #4: be speedy on the first 100, then swim easy (positive split)
#2 & #5: be speedy on the middle 100 (even split)
#3 & #6: be speedy on the last 100 (negative split)

Warm-down
25 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
25 x 5 wall pushups

Total meters: 2,400 yards

My Strawberry banana Power Gel was not enough in between run and swim. At the end of the swim my tummy was growling so loud I thought it was sending shock waves through the pool. I got some weird looks. Anywho, energy stayed with me throughout the swim.

I have had an AMAZING training day. Hoping the energy sticks with me for the next two days, they will just as challenging.

Turbo charged

Tuesday morning - part 1
Morning Tempo Run

There is nothing like hitting the open road and getting my heart rate up to 185 while the neighborhood around me sleeps. I woke up at 4:45am, pre alarm, got dressed, consumed a Strawberry-banana PowerGel and hit the concert. Still dark....very nice. First 10 minutes, easy warm up. 3 min stretch, legs are feeling pretty good this morning, another 7 min easy run. Time to hit tempo, what a transition the body makes from slow to speed. My body automatically kicks it up to high gear. My chest leans forward, legs leap outward and turn over like high reving pistons, my blood is pumping and my heart rate is climbing, 175-185 bpm and I'm officially in turbo mode. It's 5:20am and I am flying high. Kept target HR for 20 minutes at which point I downshift to a 160-170 moderate run to finish off with. Had a good run this morning and then had a kick ass cup of coffee waiting for me when I got home. Mmmmmm

Just Cadence and I

Easy 44 mile ride from NW Pdx out to Sauvie’s Island, 2 loops and back. The purpose was to get mileage in, spin out my legs from yesterdays run and really just take it easy keeping my HR low. A nice calk walk, but sadly no cake at the end. I ran a lot yesterday and decided to have a few alcoholic beverages that evening; energy was not going to be there, even if I wanted it. I wasn’t able to start my ride until 1 pm, which sucks because the wind really picks up out around that Island. Cadence was getting a new chain so I had to wait for River City to open. Upon picking her up I learned something new….I have a non compact double cassette. I always was under the impression I had a compact but was never quite certain. Funny, so analytical about my training yet I don’t know jack about my bike. I asked the bike technician today and he said it was just a double. No wonder feels difficult getting up steep hills. I wonder how I’d do with a compact? So does this make me a stronger rider using a standard double? Anyway, off I go for my ride. Practiced riding in my aeros; which I completed for over 75% of the ride. I now feel very comfortable in them; it’s about freaking time. I took it nice and easy, kept my HR around 150-165 for the ride duration and managed to pull out an avg of 19.89 mph, rode for 2 hours 10 mins. I felt efficient; this ride did not tax me. I realized in the last week I really like riding by myself, Cadence is really all the company I need.

Longest run to date.....for the time being that is :)

Saturday -Wildwood trail run. 3 hours 12 minutes; lsd paced. Felt good the whole run. Calf hurt a little for the first 2 miles but then I never felt it again. Everything worked on this run, legs, digestive, mental, energy. Found a new training buddy as well. Today was a good day.

Took a 12 minute ice bath when I got home just to PREVENT any injuries. Feeling pretty good now, will continue to roll my legs throughout the night.

Thursday Triples

Thursday

Noon Pilates – 60 minutes

I think I strained my right abductor or pulled my groin Wednesday, getting a not so good feeling coming from that region. Pilates stretching hurt but felt good. The stupid clam pissed my outer gluts off, they were on fire.

Evening – Tempo Run & Open Water Swim

I leave the office at 4:30 hoping to get to Klineline by 5:30 and get a 60 min tempo run in before my swim. Here I am stuck in massive gridlock at 5:20 and I'm not even ½ way there. With traffic brings road rage which brings on lack of motivation for training, so I quickly pull off the freeway and decide to do my tempo run in North Portland. Best decision I made for the day. I ended up running down Willamette which crossed by Portland University…and I happened to run by a ton of guys running without their shirts. OMG, made my freakin' day. The run was a little taxing. 10 min warm up easy, 3 min stretch, 7 min easy, 10 min tempo (HR 180-185), 5 min easy, 10 min tempo (HR 180-185), 15 min easy, 6.2 miles. I think I averaged 9 min miles which is good because my slow was SLOW and my fast was well, my HR was up there, let's just go with that. I ran without water in limited shade in peak heat, 80 degrees. I felt my right calf and abductor the whole time. Mind over matter….I don't mind so it doesn't matter

Open Water – 3 laps around Klineline.

I had intentions of doing my normal 4 loops and wanted to even push 5. I ended up swimming with Paul and after every loop I got distracted from my 4-5 loop goal and would rest for too long and talk about training. I talk too freakin much…more then I write and that is a lot. On the 3^rd lap I got a really bad side stitch, bad enough I had to stop and take a few deep breaths.

I only slept 6 hours last night. I was restless…..my body hurts and feels like it's breaking down on me. Going to rest today and hopefully recover enough to attack my 3 hour trail run on Saturday.

Survey,..because why the hell not?

10 WHATS:
What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up?
Must pee now!

What did you do last night?
Took Cadence out for a spin along Marine Drive followed up by a 20 min run. You know, just the typical Wednesday night brick.

What is the most important part of your life?
My first response is training…but that’s sad right? How about eating? Got to fuel those workouts.

What would you rather be doing right now?
Swimming, biking or swimming.

What did you last cry over?
I don’t recall, probably some stupid. Ah yes, I cried during my Pac Crest taper, I was right it was something stupid, uncontrollable girl emotions.

What is your next day off and how are you going to spend it?
Saturday, running for 3 hours and then kickin it at Shannon’s Mid Summer Tiki-Palooza, grass skirts and coconut bras.
What always makes you feel better when you are upset?
Running

What are you worried about?
My calf concerns me

What are you looking forward to most in this week?
My 3 hour trail run on Saturday. Open water swim tonight also sounds appealing, I nice cool down for my tempo run.


NINE HAVE YOU EVERS:
Have you ever been out of the country?
Can’t say I have, but that will change come August. Look out Canada, here comes KAT!

Have you ever done something outrageously dumb?
One too many times, it’s inevitable when you bonk.

Have you ever been back stabbed by a friend?
Does eating my last Cliff bar count?

Have you ever had the cops called on you?
So I didn’t know it was a crime to run off with a stranger’s steak. I was running and hungry so I thought a quick snatch and run would do no harm….who knew? Really?

Have you ever read an entire book in one day?
Yes…..I know I have NO life.

Have you ever got a speeding ticket?
Knock on wood, not in a VERY long time. Someone I usually get let go with a warning.


EIGHT WHOS:
Who was the last person you saw?
Randy, my co-worker who happens to be sitting right next to me.

Who was the last person you texted?
Gumby….talking about our next ½ irons.

Who was the last person to call you?
Martha Stewart, she needed my help with a new recipe.

Who is the last person you freaked out on?
The buss boy who tried to take my sushi before I was finished. Back the fuck away from the sushi.

Who did you last hug?
My moma : ) Love ya moms


SEVEN WHENS:
When was your last shower?
Shower? Who showers? Doesn't sweat cleans the soul? Uh oh, I’ll probably never date again.

When was your last adventure?
Saturday was an adventure, adventure through dehydration, starvation, inferno of bike hell.

When was the last time you danced?
Vegas baby, 4th of July. Uh-oh….it’s been too long, you know what that means! Time to Hula in a grass skirt at the tiki party.

When did you get married, or when do you want to?
Never been, can’t foresee it in my future. Scratch that, when Beckham or Jeter ask me : )

When did you last go to the movies?
Sometime during my last taper. Saw the new Austin Powers movie, I think I was the only one laughing.

When did you last take a vacation and where?
Vegas baby, 4th of July!


SIX WHERES:
Where do your grandparents live?
Biking distance, they live on top of a killer hill that will hand you your tail.

Where did you last hang out?
On the corner of 6th and Burnside, a girls got to make that $ somehow.

Where is your favorite place to be?
In the water, on my bike or running along a trail.

Where did you sleep last night?
In your bed,. Uh! Was I that forgettable? I thought you’d never forget, considering I don’t shower!

Where would you like to move?
Interesting question…since I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I’m not sure just yet, maybe Cali or further east. I need to get out and explore my options…..further then the nearest Cheesecake Factory….but of course has to be within 10 miles of one.


FIVE DO/DOES:
Do you like someone right now?
I like a lot of people; I have a ton of friends…which come to think of it is odd given my multiple personalities. Oh you mean like-like right? I have a 6th grade crush, but that’s all it is.

Do you ever wish you were someone else?
Nope, I like me, myself and I and Irene fo shizzle

Do you have nightmares?
Yes….I often dream the cookie monster is going to come and steal all my cookies while I’m sleepy. What a tragedy that would be.

Does the future scare you?
No, it excites me!

Do you believe in life after death?
I believe there is heaven and hell.


FOUR WHYS:
Why are you best friends with your best friend?
Because she’s SuperWoman! Such an inspiration, plus she understands me. E40 and The Click is our bond!

Why did you get a MySpace?
To connect with long lost friends, now I use it to keep contact with everyone….and to meet the occasion stalker.

Why did your parents give you the name you have?
Oh this is an interesting story. It was a last minute decision. I was supposed to be a boy. They had the name Kyle picked out. Then I decided to pop out 3 months premature and I guess my dick fell off in the process. Since they didn’t have a girl name picked out I was named after my mother…. Katie, my dad decided to tack on his name as my middle, so I was left with Katie Rey….sounds like I’m from the south. Anywho, there was some kind of screw up when I was conceived; I’m way too much of a tom boy to be a girl. Blah!

Why are you doing this survey?
Because work is slow and I am bored, go figure.


THREE IFS:
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d want the ability to heal people….from sickness, hatred, heartache, whatever

If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you?
Yea, I think everyone has something they could have done different. For starters I sure of hell wouldn’t have wait 17 years to get back on a bike……look at what I was missing!

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could bring one thing what would it be?
Really, after this survey how could you not know? Running shoes!


ONE LAST QUESTION:
Are you happy with your life right now?
Yes, life is what you make of it and I make sure I live mine to the fullest.

It’s a beautiful day….for a bike ride.

Wednesday’s are my shorter ride days; I usually work on climbing or speed. But with the recent pain my calf has been given me I questioned pushing my limits. I asked a few people and everyone I talked to said; “Take it easy.” I think what really hit home with me was my co-worker. He replies; “Fuck no” and laughs. Then goes into detail….”You always push yourself to the max, on race day you know what you can do. Why risk getting injured now and screw up the next few months of racing? You already have the power and speed your looking for to hit your goals for this season, don’t fuck it up now.” Lol, thanks Randy….I thought of this at the beginning of my ride. Speaking of my ride, what a glorious ride it was. I head out to Marine Drive early, the PDX tri club moved their rides to 6:30 but with traffic and heading from the other side of town this just screws me, so I opted to ride alone. Quiet honestly I was looking forward to it. I’ve had two rides alone this season, one in pouring down rain = not fun and mostly that last one last Saturday when I bonked, became dehydrated and hit a rock bottom low. I needed a good one on one ride with Cadence this year.
I hit the road soaking up the sun, feeling oh so fine. 10 mins in and I can feel my calf a little. Not bad pain but there is a reminder that not all is good in the hood. It was at this point I clearly made up my mind to do a moderate ride, nothing hard…my legs just want to push it. So I took the easy endurance route. Kept an avg 160-170 HR for the 32 mile ride which I completed in a comfortable 1 hour and 38 mins. The headwind shifted a lot, no surprise here. It was with me for awhile; then against me and then at one point thought it was going to toss my tail right into the river…but thankfully that never happened. I think my avg was around 19 mph, that using a pace calculator since I’ve totally given up on my POS cateye. My time also accounts for the 2-3 pictures I stopped to take. It was so freaking beautiful and I was having such a great time how could I not capture it in a picture? They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe these pictures were over achievers. Another highlight of my ride was getting down in my aero bars. I haven’t really worked on this all season. After I had my little descent scare I had no desire to get low, low, low, low, low, unless it happened to be in my drops. As soon as I hit the path back from the 205 bridge I dropped into aero position and HELD it the entire way home. This was a good 20-25 mins. It was badass; there was one point that I got so comfortable I realized I was getting out and in shifting and not thinking out about it. It’s cool that one day it just all clicks. At the end of the ride I put on my running shoes and ran easy for 20 minutes. This was new; my right abducter screamed in pain. Why? I haven’t a clue. My calf also reminded me to take it easy, which I gladly obliged. Finished my 2 hour brick and did a lot of heavy stretching at my car. Legs are tired today but I think feel ok to hit the tempo run tonight.

On a side note, I would like to throw a 7-11 Slurpee at any bike rider I see wearing an Ipod or NOT wearing a helmet. Get a clue.

Oh yes….and a picture of my new friend Oscar. My moma bought me a fish! He is named after De La Hoya and Dela Renta, one bad ass boxer and another bad ass fashion designer. See Oscar is a Betta fish, blue with these beautiful long flowing fins, reminds me of one of the designer’s gorgeous dresses…and he’s feisty as all hell, kind of like me, but more like the De La Hoya. Fish knows how to throw down! Anywho, it’s been a year since I lost Capone and I think it’s time to have a companion in my home. One that doesn’t need too much care. Let’s keep it positive and hope I don’t kill him!

Knowing the limits…when to push it and when not to

Part 1 - Morning workout
1 mile easy run
15 mins of drills
A$$ kickers, strides, side strides and bounds. I cut the bounds short by 2 sets, my right calf was starting to give me a not so good sensations….so I headed in to start my swim

Warm Up 250
6 x 50s, Drills; A-ok, Fist, Karake; 15 sec rest between each
1 x 150 with paddles; 20 sec rest
1 x 250 build speed by 50s; 20 sec rest
1 x 350 with fins; 20 sec rest
1 x 450 hold a steady pace, 60% effort; 20 sec rest
1 x 100 fast; 20 sec rest
8 x 50s with breathing pattern, per 50: every 3 strokes, and 5 strokes…bi-lateral breathing
Cool Down
25 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
50 x 5 wall pushups
25 x 5 wall pushups
Total yards: 2500

Part 2 – lunch workout - failed
8 x 800 repeats
1 mile warm up run – 10 min pace
2 x 800; 7:10 pace w/ 90 sec float

I shouldn’t have done part 2; I should have listened to that little tweak of pain my calf inflicted in the morning. Funny thing, I was actually worried about my energy levels going into the workout. I am still feeling weak from this weekend. The distance+heat+dehydration and lack of nutrition really fucked up my body and energy. But yet I put all that behind me and hit the treadmill anyway, I only have 3 weeks to make progression. During the first 800 I feel another surge if pain, it starts at the outside of my right ankle and shoots up my calf. Is this a cramp? Or am I over stressing my legs? I ignore it…pain is weakness leaving the body, right? Hit my 90 sec recovery and my leg is lightly throbbing. Get into the second 800 and BAM it happens again. This time my ankle felt week and I thought my leg might collapse….I finish the 800 experiencing this weakness and striking pain 2 more freaking times. Go into recovery which has now become a limping jog. I stop the treadmill hoping to wake up to what I believe has just been a nightmare. Stretch my leg out and got at it again, no go, not happening. My calf is officially fucked. I bow my head in disappointment as I walk off to shower.
So here I sit now at my desk, leg elevated with ice…..waiting for the 800mg of Ibuprofen to kick in. I HOPE this was just cramping and I have not injured myself. The old Kat would have limped through the rest of the workout….at least I had some sense to throw in the towel, hopefully not too late.

Redemption…in a small form or another.

Sunday 2 ½ hour LSD run

Before I went to bed I drank some pickle juice and had a bottle of water by my nightstand. I set up phone alarm to off every 45 minutes to drink some. One would think this would interrupt sleep and be annoying but in all actuality it worked just fine. It also made it possible to txt a friend well wishes with a 3 hour time difference.

As I start the day I’m still dehydrated. Urinating is not happening as I thought it should, although I was able to put the 2 lbs I lost back on. I think this was purely from my over indulgence of food last night, which was btw, oh so yummy. I spent the first 3 hours of the morning trying to hydrate and get some of my weekly cooking in.
I met Kyle and Carly are the Wildwood trail around 11am. The planned workout was to do a 2 ½ hour LSD run in the heat. The weather temps where 80-90 when we started running, but we did have the advantage on running in the forest, so it was probably more like 75-80 with the shade. The gained outcome was to acclimate to running in the heat and to work on agility and endurance on the trail; all of this was achieved. Kyle had to drop off about 4 miles out which just left Carly and I. It was really great to run with her. We are so a like in so many ways, yet different as well. She makes a great running partner. We come to 1hr 15 and we have covered 7 miles; time to turn around. At which point we meet up with Devin and his friend; we all run back together. The run was successful. With the help of Carly I was able to manage my pace well. We ended our run right at 2 ½ hours, which was good considering how hilly the terrain was. I was VERY surprised at how good the run felt. My legs were loose and I never felt a tired bonking feeling. I managed nutrition and worked my hydration well. I was thirsty when we came to the finish but much better of then what I thought I’d be. Before starting the run I had actually thought I may pass out on the trail….good thing that didn’t happen. I thought I had to pee, which made me excited until I tried and not much ended up coming out. Ugh, this is so frustrating….and it makes my insides feel icky. I weighed myself when I got home and I was down another .8 lb. I’m going to spend the rest of the day eating and drinking a ton of h2o while taking in some Pedialyte. Maybe I can get my mom to meet me for sushi.

Bonking…How do we not learn the first time?

Leslie & I - TNT Cheerleaders

Hulaman course - you can click on elevation
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/gaston/187544781106

Saturday I had my first HUGE, MASSIVE, GIGANTIC, bonk of the season…it went something like this.

Friday I did not eat or drink enough throughout the day. I tried at the end of the night but I know my body and I could has easily gotten in more fuel and h2o….instead I just figured I’d be ok…..was I wrong.
Saturday morning I met up with Leslie at The Gorden Recreation Complex. Chris was kind enough to transport us along with our pride and joy (bikes) up to Hagg Lake to cheer our friends competing in the TRI and then to ride the ½ Ironman Hulaman course. I drank 64 oz while cheering (7:30-10am), ate ½ a PB and honey sandwich, a PB chocolate chip Cliff bar and a V8. I thought this would be good pre race fuel…it probably was IF I had enough fuel dury the bike ride. The forecast for the day was supposed to hit 95. I also took down some Hammer Endurolytes. I was a little let down with the Hagg Lake tri. The turn out was a bit small, probably the repercussion of the death at the last AA sports event. I did see an ambulance on site at this event. Also, we only had 3 TNTers racing. Wow, what a difference in team’s year over year. I remember last year we had a bunch or peps racing, and a ton out to cheer. This year there was only 3 cheerers. Oh well, we cheered well. GREAT job Joie, Maryjane and Dave. You guys rocked! Nice work on such a hard course and hot weather.
Once the last racer from TNT got in Leslie and I decided to hit the road, literally. We departed around 10 to 11. I was anticipating this ride to take about 3.5 hours, we were to take a leisurely pace, check out the course and just take our time…this turned into 5 hour ride. I am hoping during race day to do a sub 3 hour ride.
The first 20 miles of the course is very hilly, 1 1/3 loops around Hagg Lake and then out to Old HWY 47. I HATE Hagg Lake’s road. It sucks ass, really, it need to be repaved. It’s very curvy and has a ton of rolling hills, some which momentum can work for you, others in which it can’t. This would be a perfect ride for me to work on my descending and cornering, IF the road wasn’t so crappy. Too much vibrations, too many holes in the road….puts me in a very unsteady place. Also I’m not sure how I’m going to get my nutrition in…I’ll need to eat 10-15 minutes after exiting the water which will put me at hills for over an hour….this will be interesting. As I finish my last loop around Hagg I stop and wait for Leslie. She is training for her first ½ Ironman and this was going to be her longest ride to date. As a newer rider and adding distance I was not going to leave her behind. As I’m waiting I dig into my much needed PB Powerbar, 50 minutes into the ride. I drop a big chunk on the ground, lol, I pick it up contemplating eating it (this is about 40-50 kcal I’m losing here) but it was covered in pine needles, there was no way☹. This would count as mistake #1. We continue on for another 10-12 miles or so before I get a call . 702 area code, Vegas? Hmmm, oh no, I’m not answering that! Check my VM and it’s Leslie, she has a flat. So I back track to make sure everything is A-ok. Add an additional 6 miles onto ride. I arrive and she’s almost done with the tire change when we notice a giant staple or some kind of nail in the tire. We’ve now been out for about 2 hours, it is HOT (85-90 degrees) and it dawns on me that 1. I do not have enough nutrition. (I know WTF? Who me? Yea, Kat practice what the fuck you preach). And 2. I might not have enough water. I brought 3 32 oz bottles and 1 16 oz bottle filled with water and NUNN. We were almost ½ done and I had already gone through 64 oz of water. This is the point that it dawned on me; this ride was not going to end pretty. Leslie successfully removed the nail and changed her tire. Great job hun; especially with the pressure of those judgmental cows on the sidelines moooooo’ing every so often.

Me; with chain grease....as always.
Off we go again. The rest of the course would be pretty flat with one hill left around mile 32-34. For the love of god, this was no hill, it was a fucking mountain, WTF?! Who put this in the course? The good thing is that it was short, but it was steep. I reach the summit gasping for breath. It was at this point I noticed my mouth was dry and water wasn’t helping. I’m now down to 16 oz of water and only 100 kcal left in Cliff shot blocks and I still have 21-22 miles to go. I’ve only consumed 300 kcal from a Powerbar and some shot blocks and I’ve expended over 1400 kcal at this point. Trouble is on the horizon. I wait a while for Leslie to catch up. 15-20 minutes later, still no Leslie. Thank God for Verizon’s “Are you there?” phone coverage. Found out she missed the turn and was back tracking. I told her I needed to continue on, I know there was a market in North Plans and I had to get sugar and water…the next point of contact would be when I reached the store. Thankfully Leslie is a good cyclist and was comfortable on her own….and she actually listened to my advice about nutrition, wish I had. The next 10 miles were miserable, every mile I reached a new found low point. The course had been difficult, lots of hills to climb and very rough road, it was HOT and there was pretty much no shade during the ride. I tried to talk positive to myself. I tried to envision the market and all the fuel and hydration available; this made things worse…as I was picturing a river of Root Beer running down the fields of wheat. Fuck! A mirage. I also started to notice my left hand going numb again. Great, more problems with my nerve, I’m going to have to get my bike refitted yet AGAIN. Oh, I also forgot to mention during this ride I was carrying a 5-8lb backpack. We were at the Tri for 3.5 hours before we started our journey; I had to bring stuff with me. Riding with the damn bag sucked. Mile 42 and I’m out of water. I pass the turn on mile 44 and pedal my ass to the market. I had visions on H2o and Root Beer dancing in a Conga line while being rained on by candy coated M & Ms. I don’t think this is normal. I throw down Cadence and run into the store. Ouch! One of the doors didn’t work. The store clerk had quite the laugh at me. Once I got into the store I was in AW. It was like I had entered heaven….all the aisles of fat and sugar laden goodness beamed with light. Was this heaven? Quickly I hit the aisles, grab a PB chocolate chip Cliff bar, Smart water and a small Root Beer. I struggle with money at the counter as my left hand is having major nerve problems and I have no brain cells left in my head. The clerk was very kind and asked if I needed to sit and rest for a while. I appreciated the offer but I still had another 12-13 miles to go. I wanted to get it over with ASAP.

A little slice of HEAVEN.
I run back outside drink my soda quickly (How could I not burp after drinking 12 oz of soda in 1 minute? Seriously, the man that teaches me how to burp I WILL marry). I then eat ¾ of my Cliff bar and call Leslie; she is still a ways out. I have a temporary sugar high and think I have incredible energy. BTW Sugar is the DEVIL in disguise, he’s such a damn liar. Soooo, my stupid ass decided to ride out to Leslie; I wanted to make sure she had enough fuel and water. Add another 6 miles out and back. It was good to see her, she looked well, much better then I. I gave her some water and then again we’re off….just 13 miles to go at this point, less then an hour, just maybe I’ll make it. Mile 51 and my low hits again. Damn you sugar to HELL! Where did you go? Mile 56 and the ride is over…that’s mile 56 on the cue sheet, keep in mind I added an additional 10-12 miles, so I’m somewhere between 66-68 at that point. I’m tired and dehydrated. It took what seemed like an eternity to pack all my gear up. I then decided to lay in the shade under a tree and wait for Leslie.
When I got home I did my weigh in. 2.2 lbs lost since morning, only 1.6% body weight, so not THAT bad. But I have NEVER in my life consumed 180-200 oz of fluids and not been able to pee. I was not able to until 10pm that night, and even then I didn’t have much. I was surprised that my muscles actually felt ok, no leg or back pain. Thought I would have some built up fatigue in my muscles…but I don’t which makes me think with proper nutrition and hydration I should be able to kill that course. Bring it Hulaman!

Later that night Michele was having a martini fundraiser….It would have probably been in my best interest to not go to this. I was shaking and sick for most of the night, alcohol didn’t help any, but I do have to say that the blueberry martini was REALLY yummy. Driving home was bittersweet. I left before my other team mates, they had all planned to continue the party, I on the other hand had a 2.5 hour run in the heat planned for the next day and I was in NO state to drink much. I really wanted to stay out and have fun with my friends. When Shannon and I get together we’re unstoppable. BUT my true heart belongs to training/racing…what brings me the most joy also saddens me so. Sometimes I hate skipping out on fun……and going home alone, as always.

More training.....

Thursday

Lunch time - 1 hour Pilates
I missed class last week since Tracy (instructor) wasn't there, she sure made up for the lost workout this week. My abs/ribs feel brusied today (friday) thanks! Good to see my friend Laura at class

Evening -

The plan was to do a tempo run....but then I was seduced by the soft green grass and cooling shade. Who wants to run a tempo in the heat anyway? I haven't been feeling well, still fighting off this cold and my legs are fatigued from the previous days work. I heard Seth in the back of my head, "You want quality workouts and rest when needed", then I heard Scott, "No reason to do junk miles". So I opted to read, and txt until the lifeguards were off duty so that we could start swimming.

Open water swim at Klineline - QUALITY WORKOUT
felt great! I did 4 loops around the lake, 44 mins (stopping and adjusting after each loop, had some chaffing around my neck and underarm, ouch!) , somewhere around 2000-2400 meters. Got a side stitch on loop 2, that sucked, never had one swimming before, it hurt.


Friday
Was supposed to be a rest day, but I woke up at 4:45am energized. I am not one to let anything go to waste so I put on my running shoes and hit my tempo run. 6.15 miles, 10 min warm up, 5 min stretch, 5 min run, 10 min tempo interval (HR Z3 178-182), 5 min recovery run, 10 min tempo run (HR Z3-Z4 180-185), 15 min cool down run....lol not sure how much of a cool down it was, took FOREVER to get my HR back down.
QUALITY WORKOUT

*Snot rockets did not work for me this morning - I arrived at home glazed in snot, hot, I know.
*It is a bit of a challenge to go fast 15 mins after jumping out of bed, really weird feeling.
*IMO there is no better way to start the day then with a high energy run. It was absolutely beautiful this morning. Started as light was just peaking through, the air was crisp...raced the sun rising
*I was attacked by a sticker bush, it jumped out of nowhere!
*6 am and my training is done for the day. Now I get to eat all day to prep for the long training tomorrow.

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!

Climbing on fatigue & heat

Wednesday evening - Part 2

22 mile ride along the West Hills with the PDX Tri club followed up with an easy 10 min run.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...land/255811765
click on elevation to see the climbs.

This was semi challenging and I think for a number of reasons. My lymph nodes are still swollen, sleep was poor the night before, weather was in the 80's, legs were tired from the 1600 repeats the day before, testing out new nutrition and tackled a hill that is difficult non the less.

What I took from this ride -
*I HATE when boys pass me, more importantly I HATE this climbing a steep hill. WTF????????
*My lip still hurts and I really want to sue Starbucks
*Carbo Pro does NOT work for me. Easy on the GI my ass, it invoked my lovely acid reflux, ick & ouch!
*Glad to have a new friend to ride and train for the Hulaman HIM with. Leslie you kicked ass last night!
*Only true competitive triathletes brag about peeing on the bike.
*I'm still fearful of descending around corners and my breaks were making really loud squealing sounds. I checked everything out and it appeared ok. Thinking they might just need to be cleaned, so Friday night Cadence will get a bath and a lub job. (This would be hot if I was talking about a man.)
*I woke up throughout the night with restless leg syndrome. The last few days I've had some difficult but good workouts, they're starting to catch up and **** with my sleep. I'm going to rest tomorrow to go into the big weekend.
*Running after biking has become second nature.

Just one of those mornings.....

Let me tell you how I started my day

4:50am,, wake up, reach over to turn on the light and knock oil all over night stand
5:40am, take a sip of my Starbucks and burn a nice little hole in my lips - still hurts
7:20ish, plug my hair dryer in and shock myself. Didn't hit me as to what had happened until the girls in the locker room asked me if I was ok. I felt the shock but I guess it created a spark and I shook a little bit. Feel ok now though.
7:40am, put on dress and snap the spaghetti strap

I REALLY hope my day gets better

Morning Swim

Warm up 250 easy

10 x 50s, 2 easy, 2 fast, rest :10 between each
6 x 50; paddles; rest 10
3 x 100; fins; rest 15

1 x 600, at 60% effort,
breathe every 5 or 6 strokes; rest 20-30
1 x 50 easy
2 x 200s, at 70% effort,
breathe every 4 or 5 strokes; rest 20-30
1 x 50 easy
4 x 75s at 80% breathe every 3 or 4 strokes; rest 20-30
1 x 50 easy
1 x 200 easy with a buoy, roll your hips through to both sides.

Warm-down
25 w/ 5 pool pushups
50 w/ 5 pool pushups
50 w/ 5 pool pushups
50 w/ 5 pool pushups
50 w/ 5 pool pushups
25 w/ 5 pool pushups

Total yards; 3250

Despite all the random ****ed up **** that happened this morning I had a kick ass swim. I felt very strong and powerful, gliding through the water. My mind was playing tricks on me though....I thought my workout was 2950, not 3250. What's a little extra 300 yards though right?

I'm going to attack the west hills on Cadence tonight and follow that up with a quick and easy 10 min run.

Spead my wings and I'm flying again......

Tuesday - Noon time run/speed work

Treadmill @ gym.....it's 90 today/but I didn't use the fan and choose the one closest to the open doors

1 mile warm up
5 min stretch
13 mins of drills outside the gym (damn it's hot!) a$$ kickers, strides, bounds, side strides
4 x 1600 @ 7:30 pace or 8mph for 7 1/2 mins; 90 sec floats at 10:00 pace

1st 1600 - HR 170-180 (this isn't so bad z3)
2nd 1600 - HR 180-185 (ok, feeling it a little bit now; z4)
3rd 1600 - HR 182-190 (check it out yo, I'm flying! z4-z5)
4th 1600 - HR 185-190 (Ick, my tummy doesn't feel too well, z5)

Successfully completed run/speed work. Haven't done mile repeats in over a month. Forgot how they felt, painful & GREAT! I am so happy to be back to training hard. I have once again found my long lost love, we're so happy to be reunited.

Evening run through Leif Erickson

Monday evening part 2 - LSD paced run - 9 miles - 8:50-9 min/miles

Meet up with Shannon, Eric and Merideth at the trail head of Leif Erickson for an easy paced run. I hadn't ran since the 1/2 iron and feel like I'm getting sick, swollen lymph nodes, so I wasn't sure how well I'd run or for how long. Not sure if this sickness is either a real cold coming on or the remains of Vegas = dry dessert+alcohol = lack of hydration. So I'm doubling up on my Emergen-C's hoping it goes away. Running with friends is great, time flew by. Soon we reached mile marker 4.5 and it was time to turn around. My energy levels and legs felt REALLY good. Unfortunately my tummy wasn't on the same path as it was arguing with the Cool Mint Chocolate Cliff Bar I ate pre run.

Back on the grind

Morning swim, part 1....

Warm Up 250....
6 x 50s, Drills; A-ok, Fist, Karake; 15 sec rest between each....

....1 x 100 fins; 20 sec rest....

1 x 200 (supposed to be with paddles, but forgot them in my sleepy haze this morning)....

1 x 150 with buoy; 20 sec rest....

1 x 250 build speed by 50s; 20 sec rest....

1 x 350 with fins; 20 sec rest....

1 x 450 hold a steady pace, 60% effort; 20 sec rest....

1 x 200 fast; 20 sec rest....

....8 x 50s with breathing pattern, per 50: every 3 or 5 strokes (working on bi-latteral breathing); 10 sec rest between each....

Cool Down ....

25 x 5 wall pushups....
50 x 5 wall pushups....
50 x 5 wall pushups....
50 x 5 wall pushups....
50 x 5 wall pushups....
25 x 5 wall pushups....

....Total yards:....
2900....

.. ..I was tired this morning and really not motivated to swim. So glad I got my ass up and did it. I had a FANTASTIC workout. I felt really quick (which had to have been a façade) and I had a ton of energy. I'm sure I have at least a weeks worth of stored fat to use as fuel from last weekend. The rest is you want to call it that was good…..I have 3-4 weeks of some serious heavy work to do if I want to try to get a top 3 placement at Hulaman. Bring it on, I'm ready : ) ....

.... I'll be doing an easy 6-9 mile LSD run this evening for round 2. ....

4th of July in Vegas

I think the quote the best sums up the weekend is "who does that?"

• Truly, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, some things will never be mention again.
• We got to meet the very own Tokyo destroyer Godzilla….what a scary mess. It's sad such hot man had such an ugly personality.
• It sucks being the third wheel….will make note of this in future planning trips.
• I have decided from here on out to never go out with a personal trainer again. Somehow I always end up with one and they're nothing but trouble…and not the fun, happy go lucky kind of trouble…more of the I'm into myself, have no personality and all about themselves kind of trouble. WTF was I thinking? Oh wait, alcohol eliminated the thinking process.
• A Giradellhi strawberry ice cream chocolate dipped sugar cone is the best treat at 11pm when it's still 100+ outside.
• Getting lost trying to find your hotel room while needing to pee makes for a highly entertaining story.
• Who wants to join the pool Conga line?
• On the strip right in front of a ton of people and cops none the less; a women decides to back into reverse and smash the car behind her.
• Chocolate cake shots and Red Headed sluts where my favorite drinks of the trip.
• The Kansas City Boys and The LA Boys….kept mixing them up.
• Oh how I <3 salsa dancing, I was lucky enough find a great partner to throw down with.
• I only got to see one firework : (
• Who wears socks into a pool?
• Germany, London, Holland….the foreign men where in full force.
• Fanny packs…who wears fanny packs?
• Yes I did a bring pack a "burrito" filled with fat free cream cheese, roast beef and s/f blackberry jam onto the plane. I also always had a Cliff Bar in my purse. You can take the athlete away from training but you can't take the training out of the athlete.
• It's hard to go down a pool slide with a Mojito.
• The best way to not sleep in Vegas (without drugs) is to take those 5 hour energy drinks. I think I need an intervention.
• $10 for a subway meal. WTF?
• Crossing paths with an ex…what are the chances?
• 2 will always out number 1
• Aleve and Emereng-C are hangover miracle workers
• Sleep is highly over rated. 6 hours in 48 hours worked out just fine….if you want to feel like a Zombie.

Memorable trip. I learned a lot about myself, about my "friends" and characteristics of people I will never see again.

Lalalalala!

I woke up at 2am to the sounds of thunder, at first I swore it was my tummy yelling at me again. I was on a caloric cut yesterday and it wouldn’t STFU up….but at this time it was weather. Crazy it was! I couldn’t go back to sleep so I raided the fridge and opted for a high fiber tortilla. Nice fullness façade.

I would highly suggest not licking a sharp knife, you might end up cutting your tongue like me…I just couldn’t resist the residue of pb and honey.

I really want a MINI cooper. I am so tired of my POS car. I know I should buy a house first but I REALLY want my MINI. Zoom! Zoom!

It took me 242 licks to get to the tootsie on a tootsie pop.

Vegas Baby Vegas! Just a few hours to go. Going to get lit like the sky on the 4th of July! First and last vacation for the last/next 2 years, hell yea I’m going to party it up. Then it’s back to training and racing. So hoping the girls will walk down to In N Out Burger. Secretly that is my whole reason for going, I <3 their burgers and fries. Wish we had on in Oregon.

I think the person that can teach me how to burp I’ll marry. Do you have any idea how much it sucks not being able to!?

So the plan was to get an easy 30-45 min run in this morning and Pilates before my flight out. Turns out they cancelled the Pilates class and I woke up (second time) to a monsoon. I really wanted to go run in it but I would have been soaked within a minute and I realized I no longer have body glide. I left my whole new tube at the race. %#$@$#!!! Plan spoiled.

“I smell Sex and Candy Here”, “If I go crazy then will you still Call me Superman”,
“I'm not waiting around for a man to save me, ('Cos I'm happy where I am)
Don't depend on a guy to validate me”, “Smile like you mean it,” “

David Hasselhoff has a dating website….this scares me, he scares me.

I wonder what the effects of eating cotton candy with cycling or running would be. Hmmm, I’m sure you’d become a sticky mess but I wonder if it would be like nitrous to a car. I want to test it out.

I’d like to be a guy just for one day. I want to experience peeing standing up. It would kick ass to not wear heels to work or put on makeup. I’m sure I would no longer get dropped on the bike rides. I’d also like to see as if I were a man I’d be unapproachable as I am as a female. I don’t want to wait in bathroom lines any longer. Would my salary increase? I’d also like to use the excuse “but I’m a man.” I would like to see what not having estrogen would be like. I want to hear “You da man!” and get a slaped on the ass.

Recovery work feels good.

Wednesday morning swim; part 1

250 warm up

1 mile race simulator
100 timed all out effort ; 1:40 (WTF?! Seriously slow...I'm still exhausted)
50 easy
50 with fins easy
With fins
25 x 2 70%, 25 x 2 80%, 25 x 2 90%, 25 x 2 80%, 25 x 2 100%
200 easy with bobs at the first 25
200 x 5. First 200 breathing out though the nose.
100 easy
50 x 8; 65% effort intervals, count time ;50-;52
100 easy

Cool down
25 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
50 with 5 wall push ups
25

2750 yards

5:25am...Beep! Beep! Beep! Alarm goes off and I bounce out of bed. Time to swim, yay! I haven't done anything since racing on Saturday and have been dying to get back to my fitness. Sadly my energy in the pool didn't replicate that of my morning excitement. Immediately after my warm up I realized I was still exhausted. Blah, this sucks.... I continued on my set just happy to be doing something, even if it was taxing the hell out of me.

Part 2 - Lunch time spin 45 min easy recovery. Avg HR 147, max 159.

I wish I could write a novel based on all my thoughts during my spin session. I seriously had a sensory overload.

I'll be off to Vegas tomorrow so this is my only day of training until next Monday. Well....maybe I'll try to get a easy run in tomorrow morning before Pilates and my flight.

I stepped on the scale this morning, BIG NO-NO. I put on 6.5 lbs....not happy about this. I know it's mostly water retention and hormones since I'm involuntarily a women and I have this stupid monthly curse...ok and I have been eating like I was starved for a month. I'll probably put on another 2 lbs in Vegas....oh well, at least I'll have plenty of "endurance fuel" to utilize when I get back on my daily grind.