Insomnia's a bitch - tossed and turned for about 4 hours, my mind was in overdrive and I have no clue why. I'm dropping the restless leg medicine, going to search out an alternative. Before I hear any feedback know I have tried everything under the sun to help my legs and sleep problems. Calcium, magnesium, hot Epsom salt baths at night, limiting caffeine intake after a certain hour, warm milk, melatonin, tea's, herbs, various mineral supplements, aroma therapy, counting sheep...frick, I've done it all. Is sleep too much to ask for? I may have managed 4 hours of solid sleep last night.
5:00am - 8 mile mind numbing run on the stupid gym treadmill; 8:30 pace - moderate-easy
My legs feel like dead weight from yesterday..somehow that didn't effect the quality of my run today.
Post run Swim
500 warm up; 8:15 shaved 15-30 seconds off my normal warm up time...hmmmmm
1 x 200 paddles; rest 10
2 x 25 kickboard; rest 15
repeat 1 x
Drills
3 x 150 - 25 A-Ok, 25 Karate, 25 Fist Pulls, 50 One Arm Catch up (25 per arm), 25 freestyle; rest 15
1 x 50 easy
Set
10 x 100's; 1:42-1:45 pace; 15-18 recovery
Total yardage - 2500
Inside the mind of Kat...enter at your own risk.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Brickin it in company!
Power Building 60 minute Spin - at the gym no wattage meter
The point of doing this at the gym had two folds, one to workout with my badass friend Alana at 5:30am and the other to try to get my HR up to my anaerobic threshold out of the saddle since I am unable to climb out of the saddle on the trainer. Why can't I get out of the saddle on the trainer is a mystery to me, all I know is that when I have tried I have just about tipped the bike and myself over = no fun.
** 10 min warm up – high cadence easy on spin
*Intervals out of saddle. 1:30 anaerobic threshold training, 60 recover in saddle; X 4 (HR- 183-187) - (failure - I was not able to maintain 183+ . I was barely able to hit 183, I held each interval between 175-183 for 2 minutes before I accepted failure, I just didn't have the muscle to increase the HR)
**1 min recovery
*Sprints – In saddle
20, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
40, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery,
60, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery, (bloody hell my quads hurt!!!!)
40, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
20; 30 sec recovery,
**3 min recovery
*One leg training
Right leg high cadence…med. resistance 1:00
Left leg high cadence…med. resistance 1:00 (really? am I still doing this? Alana confirmed we were)
Repeat 2 x
**2 min recovery
*Intervals out of saddle. 1:30 anaerobic threshold training, 60 recover in saddle; X 4 (HR- 183-187)
failure - I was not able to maintain 183+ . I maxed at 183, I held each interval between 180-183 for 90 sec - 2 mins
**2 min recovery
*Sprints – in saddle
20, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
40, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery, (I think my legs have now disowned me)
60, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery,
40, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
20; 30 sec recovery,
**2 min cool down recovery
3 mile run on treadmill; 8:10 pace... My legs were shot from the spin, quad pain was intense...surprisingly the run felt really good and comfortable.
Recap on the failure. I don't believe in excuses. I KNOW I can accomplish this workout, I did it last year, it has been done and therefore can be achieved again. I do believe my run/speed work yesterday had an effect on my muscular strength today, blah....just an "in yo face!" reminder that I can either work on power on the run or bike, over doing it on both doesn't do any good, just prohibits peaking. Sleep sucked ass as I heard my neighbor banging on the walls for 4 hours. WTF? They must have been doing something wild over there because they I stayed awake even after taking my sleep medicine. F^%$sticks...
Props to Alana for getting up waaaaaay before dawn and dropping a lung on the spin floor, you rock hun!
The point of doing this at the gym had two folds, one to workout with my badass friend Alana at 5:30am and the other to try to get my HR up to my anaerobic threshold out of the saddle since I am unable to climb out of the saddle on the trainer. Why can't I get out of the saddle on the trainer is a mystery to me, all I know is that when I have tried I have just about tipped the bike and myself over = no fun.
** 10 min warm up – high cadence easy on spin
*Intervals out of saddle. 1:30 anaerobic threshold training, 60 recover in saddle; X 4 (HR- 183-187) - (failure - I was not able to maintain 183+ . I was barely able to hit 183, I held each interval between 175-183 for 2 minutes before I accepted failure, I just didn't have the muscle to increase the HR)
**1 min recovery
*Sprints – In saddle
20, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
40, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery,
60, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery, (bloody hell my quads hurt!!!!)
40, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
20; 30 sec recovery,
**3 min recovery
*One leg training
Right leg high cadence…med. resistance 1:00
Left leg high cadence…med. resistance 1:00 (really? am I still doing this? Alana confirmed we were)
Repeat 2 x
**2 min recovery
*Intervals out of saddle. 1:30 anaerobic threshold training, 60 recover in saddle; X 4 (HR- 183-187)
failure - I was not able to maintain 183+ . I maxed at 183, I held each interval between 180-183 for 90 sec - 2 mins
**2 min recovery
*Sprints – in saddle
20, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
40, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery, (I think my legs have now disowned me)
60, ;30 sec recovery,
50, ;30 sec recovery,
40, ;30 sec recovery,
30, ;30 sec recovery,
20; 30 sec recovery,
**2 min cool down recovery
3 mile run on treadmill; 8:10 pace... My legs were shot from the spin, quad pain was intense...surprisingly the run felt really good and comfortable.
Recap on the failure. I don't believe in excuses. I KNOW I can accomplish this workout, I did it last year, it has been done and therefore can be achieved again. I do believe my run/speed work yesterday had an effect on my muscular strength today, blah....just an "in yo face!" reminder that I can either work on power on the run or bike, over doing it on both doesn't do any good, just prohibits peaking. Sleep sucked ass as I heard my neighbor banging on the walls for 4 hours. WTF? They must have been doing something wild over there because they I stayed awake even after taking my sleep medicine. F^%$sticks...
Props to Alana for getting up waaaaaay before dawn and dropping a lung on the spin floor, you rock hun!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sleeping, running and swimming
I slept fantastic last night! 8.5 solid hours, woo hoo! A little disoriented this morning, but not tired = I can deal with this.
Run - 70 mins
10 min warm up run
5 min stretch
25 mins drills
strides, side strides, bounds, hands in air (I look like a crazy person....wait, I am crazy :)), tail kickers, high knees
Speed Work
5 min warm up
4 x 800's 6:58 pace; 2:30 floats at 9:15s
Swim - 40 mins
500 warm up - Wow, I'm really feeling the two vaccinations I got yesterday, nothing like swimming with a dead arm. This was annoying and limited the yardage and drills I was able to do :( well honestly I could have harden the F%$# up...but I will leave that for another day
2 x 25 kickboard; 10 sec res
1 x 50 one arm catch up w/ kickboard
repeat 1 x
2 x 200 - 50-A-ok, 50 Karate, 50 Fist (ouch, ouch, ouch!), 50 one arm catch up; 15 sec rest
2 x 50 kickboard; 10 sec rest ( my legs yelled out "have MERCY!")
10 x 100's - moderate pace. I focused on feeling my body, trying to feel the CHI :) - 1:45 pace; 15 sec rests
2200 yards total
Run - 70 mins
10 min warm up run
5 min stretch
25 mins drills
strides, side strides, bounds, hands in air (I look like a crazy person....wait, I am crazy :)), tail kickers, high knees
Speed Work
5 min warm up
4 x 800's 6:58 pace; 2:30 floats at 9:15s
Swim - 40 mins
500 warm up - Wow, I'm really feeling the two vaccinations I got yesterday, nothing like swimming with a dead arm. This was annoying and limited the yardage and drills I was able to do :( well honestly I could have harden the F%$# up...but I will leave that for another day
2 x 25 kickboard; 10 sec res
1 x 50 one arm catch up w/ kickboard
repeat 1 x
2 x 200 - 50-A-ok, 50 Karate, 50 Fist (ouch, ouch, ouch!), 50 one arm catch up; 15 sec rest
2 x 50 kickboard; 10 sec rest ( my legs yelled out "have MERCY!")
10 x 100's - moderate pace. I focused on feeling my body, trying to feel the CHI :) - 1:45 pace; 15 sec rests
2200 yards total
Monday, January 26, 2009
Just another manic Monday
Seriously yo
Woke up and jumped on the trainer for a 90 min spin
20% (warm up/ cool down) endurance >160/ 70% threshold 160-180 watts/ 10% race pace - 180-200+ watts
Not a bad spin, HR was really low, legs were tired and fatigued, surprised they were able to hold the watts....I somehow stayed highly amused watching the first season of Ugly Betty. I can fully relate to Betty, well all but the braces.
3 hours latter and my legs start throbbing, they're very tired....so I beat them with my plastic stick, this will be the first of 3 torturous rolling sessions of the day. Work was crazy busy, I don't think I stopped to breathe until I got off and talked training with my boss. Breathe Kat breathe...tomorrow is your recovery day. There I go talking to myself again.
Evening swim-
Met up with a few friends to get some help with my swimming.
Swam 850 yards before friends showed up, then had my stroke watched and did a few drills. Ended up around 1400-1500. I learned that I swim like a fish out of water. My hand crosses over my body which makes my body flop around. I'll be trying out a one arm catch up drill with and without kick board to work on that. It was nice to actually get feedback on my swimming. It was also cool to swim with friends, swimming alone can kind of get old.
Now I sit...and eat....and type. I'm uber tired, my legs are tired, my mind is tired. I get to see my doc about my insomnia and restless leg syndrome tomorrow, I hope she can help.
Good night
Woke up and jumped on the trainer for a 90 min spin
20% (warm up/ cool down) endurance >160/ 70% threshold 160-180 watts/ 10% race pace - 180-200+ watts
Not a bad spin, HR was really low, legs were tired and fatigued, surprised they were able to hold the watts....I somehow stayed highly amused watching the first season of Ugly Betty. I can fully relate to Betty, well all but the braces.
3 hours latter and my legs start throbbing, they're very tired....so I beat them with my plastic stick, this will be the first of 3 torturous rolling sessions of the day. Work was crazy busy, I don't think I stopped to breathe until I got off and talked training with my boss. Breathe Kat breathe...tomorrow is your recovery day. There I go talking to myself again.
Evening swim-
Met up with a few friends to get some help with my swimming.
Swam 850 yards before friends showed up, then had my stroke watched and did a few drills. Ended up around 1400-1500. I learned that I swim like a fish out of water. My hand crosses over my body which makes my body flop around. I'll be trying out a one arm catch up drill with and without kick board to work on that. It was nice to actually get feedback on my swimming. It was also cool to swim with friends, swimming alone can kind of get old.
Now I sit...and eat....and type. I'm uber tired, my legs are tired, my mind is tired. I get to see my doc about my insomnia and restless leg syndrome tomorrow, I hope she can help.
Good night
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Weekend Training Review
Saturday - last day of recovery week
2 hour easy spin
Avg wattage 154
Watched Beerfest with a friend..
Who knew they paid people to get frogs off? Who knew frog semen wasn't green but the eggs are?
Spinning with a friend, watching a comedy was supposed to help me keep some sort of sanity and to prevent talking to myself which I find myself doing more often. Is this normal? I don't consult in a 3rd person, I think that's where I will draw the line and commit myself. In the end I think I lost brain cells with the amount of "WTF?" I experienced throughout the movie and adapting to the heat in the dungeon. Yes, I referred to your basement as a dungeon. Fricken-A it got hot in there. Post ride we went for what was supposed to be an easy 4 mile run. Now usually I can get off the bike and run 8:00 min/miles no problem, that was not the case on Saturday. My legs moved fine but my HR was elevated to 185 and for the first 2 miles I felt like I was going hurl. I think going from spinning in a hot ass room to running at 30 degrees had something to do with it. Ugh, feeling like your going to get sick is no fun for anyone. I slowed down about half way through and felt much better, we end with 7:50 avg....so maybe I started out to fast as well.
Sunday - First day back on build - week 1
Approx 8-8.5 mile run
Best run I've had in sometime. We started from Athlete's Lounge in NW and headed up to Lower McClay Park up to Wildwood and then down to Leif Erickson Train, up to mile 1.5 and the back down. My objective - to run up the trail to Wildwood pushing my aerobic to anaerobic max. Mission accomplished. I held 175-190 HR for a 25 min duration and maxed out at 204. I did this same run about 6 weeks ago and it seriously handed me my ass. Back then I ended up walking several hills, today I stormed up this hills, seriously BADASS. Hehe, having pent up frustrations has it's perks. It snowed yet again last night and the trails were covered. It was crazy trying to go fast, uphill wasn't too bad. My vertigo kicked in descending, almost bit it twice but caught myself each time. I ended on a massive runners high....wish all my runs could be this great!
Lunch and recovery with friends....mmmm, grilled cheese
Afternoon swim
5 x 500's; 30 sec rest - 9:00-9:15 pace
Swim felt really good. I had a ton of energy and just felt like I glided through the water.
Evening Ironman dinner. Good times with good food and amazing people. Somehow we were able to put together a rough 09 IM race, long training workout schedule.....this is going to be quiet the adventure!
2 hour easy spin
Avg wattage 154
Watched Beerfest with a friend..
Who knew they paid people to get frogs off? Who knew frog semen wasn't green but the eggs are?
Spinning with a friend, watching a comedy was supposed to help me keep some sort of sanity and to prevent talking to myself which I find myself doing more often. Is this normal? I don't consult in a 3rd person, I think that's where I will draw the line and commit myself. In the end I think I lost brain cells with the amount of "WTF?" I experienced throughout the movie and adapting to the heat in the dungeon. Yes, I referred to your basement as a dungeon. Fricken-A it got hot in there. Post ride we went for what was supposed to be an easy 4 mile run. Now usually I can get off the bike and run 8:00 min/miles no problem, that was not the case on Saturday. My legs moved fine but my HR was elevated to 185 and for the first 2 miles I felt like I was going hurl. I think going from spinning in a hot ass room to running at 30 degrees had something to do with it. Ugh, feeling like your going to get sick is no fun for anyone. I slowed down about half way through and felt much better, we end with 7:50 avg....so maybe I started out to fast as well.
Sunday - First day back on build - week 1
Approx 8-8.5 mile run
Best run I've had in sometime. We started from Athlete's Lounge in NW and headed up to Lower McClay Park up to Wildwood and then down to Leif Erickson Train, up to mile 1.5 and the back down. My objective - to run up the trail to Wildwood pushing my aerobic to anaerobic max. Mission accomplished. I held 175-190 HR for a 25 min duration and maxed out at 204. I did this same run about 6 weeks ago and it seriously handed me my ass. Back then I ended up walking several hills, today I stormed up this hills, seriously BADASS. Hehe, having pent up frustrations has it's perks. It snowed yet again last night and the trails were covered. It was crazy trying to go fast, uphill wasn't too bad. My vertigo kicked in descending, almost bit it twice but caught myself each time. I ended on a massive runners high....wish all my runs could be this great!
Lunch and recovery with friends....mmmm, grilled cheese
Afternoon swim
5 x 500's; 30 sec rest - 9:00-9:15 pace
Swim felt really good. I had a ton of energy and just felt like I glided through the water.
Evening Ironman dinner. Good times with good food and amazing people. Somehow we were able to put together a rough 09 IM race, long training workout schedule.....this is going to be quiet the adventure!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Spin, Work, Swim
Easy hour long spin
Avg wattage 145/ avg HR 141 - funny they're so close
Work...lots of work, spring 09 product is arriving. It's exciting. I should have a lock on my debit card, I want it all!
Evening swim
500 warm up
Drills
2 x 200; 50 A-ok, 50 karate, 50 fist, 50 fast free; 15 sec rest
4 x 50's; 25- one arm down, 25 free back; rest 10
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 200 buoy
1 x 200 fins
1 x 100; 50 easy; 50 hard & fast (just the way I like it :)); 20 sec rest - negative split
1 x 100; 50 hard & fats; 50 easy; 20 sec rest - positive split
repeat set 5 x's
Ooooo, that last 1000 was hard and so much fun. I forgot how much I love have my breath taken away by H2o.
Total yardage 2,800
2 things I learned tonight
*Do not go grocery shopping post swimming, you might end up buying the store.
*Do not eat burnt kettle corn popcorn, pop a new bag. WTF? is wrong with me? I just hate wasting food!
Avg wattage 145/ avg HR 141 - funny they're so close
Work...lots of work, spring 09 product is arriving. It's exciting. I should have a lock on my debit card, I want it all!
Evening swim
500 warm up
Drills
2 x 200; 50 A-ok, 50 karate, 50 fist, 50 fast free; 15 sec rest
4 x 50's; 25- one arm down, 25 free back; rest 10
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 200 buoy
1 x 200 fins
1 x 100; 50 easy; 50 hard & fast (just the way I like it :)); 20 sec rest - negative split
1 x 100; 50 hard & fats; 50 easy; 20 sec rest - positive split
repeat set 5 x's
Ooooo, that last 1000 was hard and so much fun. I forgot how much I love have my breath taken away by H2o.
Total yardage 2,800
2 things I learned tonight
*Do not go grocery shopping post swimming, you might end up buying the store.
*Do not eat burnt kettle corn popcorn, pop a new bag. WTF? is wrong with me? I just hate wasting food!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
My life :)
Hour by hour, day in and day out,
Sun, wind, snow or rain about...
to shower upon thee and at times cause self-doubt.
Swimming, riding and running the distance,
pushing and pulling, upping the resistance.
A single, a double, a triple, a brick...
pleasure come in the form of a painful stick.
Tearing down muscle, growing used to fatigue,
still searching out for a caffeinated IV.
Sweat, blood, pain and tears,
it's all part of the course along with fear.
I question and wonder, what I can achieve?
what genetics do I have and can I be.......... all I can be?
Minutes turn into seconds to shave off time,
dedication is there, are you feelin' my rhythm?
Sleep, eat, work and train,
this is my life and wouldn't want it to change.
What is the price I am willing to pay?
To reach my goal on that glorious day?
I'll end on a quote I overheard my buddy once say
“Kat will trade Mr. Right and a white picket fence for a PR any day.”
Sun, wind, snow or rain about...
to shower upon thee and at times cause self-doubt.
Swimming, riding and running the distance,
pushing and pulling, upping the resistance.
A single, a double, a triple, a brick...
pleasure come in the form of a painful stick.
Tearing down muscle, growing used to fatigue,
still searching out for a caffeinated IV.
Sweat, blood, pain and tears,
it's all part of the course along with fear.
I question and wonder, what I can achieve?
what genetics do I have and can I be.......... all I can be?
Minutes turn into seconds to shave off time,
dedication is there, are you feelin' my rhythm?
Sleep, eat, work and train,
this is my life and wouldn't want it to change.
What is the price I am willing to pay?
To reach my goal on that glorious day?
I'll end on a quote I overheard my buddy once say
“Kat will trade Mr. Right and a white picket fence for a PR any day.”
Early morning run
It is what it is
55 min easy recovery around my hood
First time I've really explored the area running since I moved. Ran an out and back, first half had a slight down grade which meant up hill coming back. Ran at an easy pace and just enjoyed the morning. The freezing cold made this a tad bit difficult as I couldn't feel my fingers (with gloves) or face. Let me take that back, I could feel them and it felt like someone had smashed them with a hammer. The ground was beautiful, glistened with frost...made me think I was running in a field of diamonds, so pretty.
7 miles; 8:00 min avg
Feeling good this morning, looking forward to another glorious day!
55 min easy recovery around my hood
First time I've really explored the area running since I moved. Ran an out and back, first half had a slight down grade which meant up hill coming back. Ran at an easy pace and just enjoyed the morning. The freezing cold made this a tad bit difficult as I couldn't feel my fingers (with gloves) or face. Let me take that back, I could feel them and it felt like someone had smashed them with a hammer. The ground was beautiful, glistened with frost...made me think I was running in a field of diamonds, so pretty.
7 miles; 8:00 min avg
Feeling good this morning, looking forward to another glorious day!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The start of recovery week
Monday
Set my alarm for an early morning recovery spin....woke up 30 minutes late, realized I set the alarm for PM not AM, Oops. After 9 hours of sleep I was still tired, my legs were tired. I opted to get up and do Pilates instead, work on my mobility, stability and flexibility. Energy was pretty low throughout the day so I opted to take today off instead of Tuesday.
Had the pleasure of experiencing Thumper last night, the middle east does rabbit well. Mmmm. The whole Indian, eating on the floor with hands and what not was a fun experience. Good food, great company and tri talk. Good way to cap off a recovery day/night.
Tuesday
Morning spin
Easy 60 mins - Power tap said I was at endurance threshold, I avg'd 141 watts. Probably should have been lower for true recovery but since I have no heat in my living room (I'm frugal) I need to keep my HR up high enough to keep me warm. Avg HR was 140...and my extremities were pretty cold throughout the ride, next time I'll wear more then bike shorts and a sports bra...maybe bootie covers? :)
Work - lots of work
Evening Swim
500 warm up
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 100 buoy
1 x 100 fins
1 x 200 paddles
Michele arrived, yay! The rest of the swim we pretty much made up as we went along
3 x 100; 25-A-ok, 25-Karate, 25-fist; 25 free; 15 sec rests
2 x 50; scully 25, free 25
2 x 50; one arm catch up 25, free 25
2 x 50; hand water flip 25; free 25
2 x 300 descending by 100; positive, even, negative split
200 cool down
2500 yards total
I was tired during swim...probably left over fatigue from last week. My right tricep wasn't feeling too hot either, probably from poor form. Michele made my swim, it was really nice to have a friend in the pool, even if she was growling at the a-hole in the next lane. Love ya girl!
Post swim I recovered with my extended family Michele and Johan for sushi. Good food, better company! Muah! Love you two!
Set my alarm for an early morning recovery spin....woke up 30 minutes late, realized I set the alarm for PM not AM, Oops. After 9 hours of sleep I was still tired, my legs were tired. I opted to get up and do Pilates instead, work on my mobility, stability and flexibility. Energy was pretty low throughout the day so I opted to take today off instead of Tuesday.
Had the pleasure of experiencing Thumper last night, the middle east does rabbit well. Mmmm. The whole Indian, eating on the floor with hands and what not was a fun experience. Good food, great company and tri talk. Good way to cap off a recovery day/night.
Tuesday
Morning spin
Easy 60 mins - Power tap said I was at endurance threshold, I avg'd 141 watts. Probably should have been lower for true recovery but since I have no heat in my living room (I'm frugal) I need to keep my HR up high enough to keep me warm. Avg HR was 140...and my extremities were pretty cold throughout the ride, next time I'll wear more then bike shorts and a sports bra...maybe bootie covers? :)
Work - lots of work
Evening Swim
500 warm up
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 100 buoy
1 x 100 fins
1 x 200 paddles
Michele arrived, yay! The rest of the swim we pretty much made up as we went along
3 x 100; 25-A-ok, 25-Karate, 25-fist; 25 free; 15 sec rests
2 x 50; scully 25, free 25
2 x 50; one arm catch up 25, free 25
2 x 50; hand water flip 25; free 25
2 x 300 descending by 100; positive, even, negative split
200 cool down
2500 yards total
I was tired during swim...probably left over fatigue from last week. My right tricep wasn't feeling too hot either, probably from poor form. Michele made my swim, it was really nice to have a friend in the pool, even if she was growling at the a-hole in the next lane. Love ya girl!
Post swim I recovered with my extended family Michele and Johan for sushi. Good food, better company! Muah! Love you two!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The end of a powerful week
*Monthly weigh in - dropped 2.5 lbs in 4 weeks. It is VERY difficult to calorie cycle while trying to achieve power/endurance/speed but somehow I managed it. Another 3 lbs to go and I'll be set for racing.
*Saturday Training
****Met up with the PDX Tri club for the Wildflower group ride. It was a nice turn out this week, a lot of new faces. Beautiful day for a ride, cold but clear and sunny. Rode out to Sauvie's Island from the NW Athlete's Lounge (9ish miles), 2 loops around the Island (26 miles) at threshold 190-210 watts, and back to AL...immediately followed up with an easy 20 min run = 2.5 miles. Lol, I finally experienced brick legs. I didn't think I thrashed them so bad on the bike until I got off and started running. But alas, I still hit my 8 min avg....and that was with hills. Training is coming along very nicely.
Power data
45.7 miles - 2:31 hour ride
Max speed 24.86/ Avg speed 18.12
Max Cadence 143/ Avg cadence 65 (yes I know, I'm a pedal masher)
Max HR 180 (this was only due to the cold weather)/ avg HR 160 (on target)
Max Power 412 watts / Avg power 170
Max Power kg 6.78 / avg power kg 2.76
Caloric intake on bike - 320
Caloric expenditure on bike 1510
2.5 miles run - 8:00 pace
Max HR 171 / Avg HR 161
Post Ride/Run I was starving, joined a few friends for recovery fuel at Santa Fe. Bomb a$$ Caribbean Shrimp Burrito!
Later I checked out a few time trail bikes. I think I'm going to end up with a B16 Felt. The Felt fit really nice, I think I'm going to get a custom paint job on her as well....I already have her named picked out, but I won't disclose until she's purchased and painted :) On another note, the bike is uber tiny - 50! I'm going to be riding a kid sized bike! I guess that's what happens when you have short legs and a long torso, damn it! Oh yea, I also was informed that my current road bike is WAY to big for me. Now I knew this before as I have problems holding it up at stop lights but what really pisses me off is that it's caused problems with my stability descending....and we all know the issues I have descending. I can't wait to get a new bike, one that actually fits me!
Later that night....
Alana and I hooked up to go salsa dancing. We were on the buddy system, no more then two drinks and home before midnight or the Land Rover would turn into a pumpkin.....reality would be we'd be shit to train with the next day and I am not about to sacrifice training. We decided to do salsa big and dressed up in black dresses, strappy shoes and I rocked a red flower in my hair. Aztec Willies has an hour salsa lesson before the open up the dance floor, we joined this as A. I haven't been real salsa dancing in about 10 years and well we both needed help. Alana got the hook up with the manager and we received free cover, a safe place for our coat and purses and drinks on the house, lucky us! Even with free drinks we stayed true to our bond and only had one glass of red wine. The dance floor was a little intimidating once it opened up, there were so many great dancers....and then there was Alana and I. I have the hip and shoulder action but two left feet, Alana had the feet and no shoulders, we would have been ok united as one. But our lack of knowledge didn't hold us back from having a stellar time. Guys approached us to dance, we kindly accepted. Once on the floor we fully warned them we had no idea what we were doing, but it didn't matter, these latino men were good, REAL good. Suddenly we were spun right, spun left, tilted back, legs in the air (everything covered of course!), shimmies here, shimmies there, completely out of control yet in control. It didn't matter we didn't know where to put our feet, as long as the guy knows what he is doing you end up dancing on air. It was nice to see the men dripping in sweat as much as we were, it got hot and it was hot fast! I was swept off my feet by suave latino men, oh what a night. A quarter past 11 and my legs were growing really tired. Yes it sounds early but we started at 9:30 and remember, this girl did a 3 hour bike run in the morning. It was time to call it a night. We bid our farewell and made it home.
Sunday Training
11ish mile hill run up through the cemetary, out to Twilliger, downtown and back to Willamette Park. i thought this run would be difficult and we could push the pace but our fearless leader was a little preoccupied and opted not to lead and stay in th eback of the back....which doesn't really help the rest of the group if we didn't have a course map. So when was going to be a nice powerful hill run turned into an LSD paced run....it's all good though, got to meet some new PDX tri club members and I can never really complain about laughing and talking throughout a run....plus Alana and I decided to throw a little salsa shimmie in here and there. Lol, good times.
Recovered with friends at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I gave into temptation and had the mizzithera(sp?) and brown butter with whole wheat noddles....bad idea, I felt the lump in my tummy for my swim that followed.
Swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 100 fins
repeat 2 more times
1 x 50; 25 scully down, 25 free back
1 x 50; 25 one arm catch up down, 25 free back
1 x 50; 25 hand water flip down, 25 back
repeat 1 more time
2 x 100; 25 A-ok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free
500 cool down
Total yardage- 2500
I'm tired....yet feel very accomplished. I managed to get my training hours up to 14.5 this week, ran 6 days, and had 4 successful power threshold workouts. Today is the end of my 3 week build and tomorrow starts my the beginning of my recovery week, an extra day off and easy intensity workouts. Yay! Bring it on :)
*Saturday Training
****Met up with the PDX Tri club for the Wildflower group ride. It was a nice turn out this week, a lot of new faces. Beautiful day for a ride, cold but clear and sunny. Rode out to Sauvie's Island from the NW Athlete's Lounge (9ish miles), 2 loops around the Island (26 miles) at threshold 190-210 watts, and back to AL...immediately followed up with an easy 20 min run = 2.5 miles. Lol, I finally experienced brick legs. I didn't think I thrashed them so bad on the bike until I got off and started running. But alas, I still hit my 8 min avg....and that was with hills. Training is coming along very nicely.
Power data
45.7 miles - 2:31 hour ride
Max speed 24.86/ Avg speed 18.12
Max Cadence 143/ Avg cadence 65 (yes I know, I'm a pedal masher)
Max HR 180 (this was only due to the cold weather)/ avg HR 160 (on target)
Max Power 412 watts / Avg power 170
Max Power kg 6.78 / avg power kg 2.76
Caloric intake on bike - 320
Caloric expenditure on bike 1510
2.5 miles run - 8:00 pace
Max HR 171 / Avg HR 161
Post Ride/Run I was starving, joined a few friends for recovery fuel at Santa Fe. Bomb a$$ Caribbean Shrimp Burrito!
Later I checked out a few time trail bikes. I think I'm going to end up with a B16 Felt. The Felt fit really nice, I think I'm going to get a custom paint job on her as well....I already have her named picked out, but I won't disclose until she's purchased and painted :) On another note, the bike is uber tiny - 50! I'm going to be riding a kid sized bike! I guess that's what happens when you have short legs and a long torso, damn it! Oh yea, I also was informed that my current road bike is WAY to big for me. Now I knew this before as I have problems holding it up at stop lights but what really pisses me off is that it's caused problems with my stability descending....and we all know the issues I have descending. I can't wait to get a new bike, one that actually fits me!
Later that night....
Alana and I hooked up to go salsa dancing. We were on the buddy system, no more then two drinks and home before midnight or the Land Rover would turn into a pumpkin.....reality would be we'd be shit to train with the next day and I am not about to sacrifice training. We decided to do salsa big and dressed up in black dresses, strappy shoes and I rocked a red flower in my hair. Aztec Willies has an hour salsa lesson before the open up the dance floor, we joined this as A. I haven't been real salsa dancing in about 10 years and well we both needed help. Alana got the hook up with the manager and we received free cover, a safe place for our coat and purses and drinks on the house, lucky us! Even with free drinks we stayed true to our bond and only had one glass of red wine. The dance floor was a little intimidating once it opened up, there were so many great dancers....and then there was Alana and I. I have the hip and shoulder action but two left feet, Alana had the feet and no shoulders, we would have been ok united as one. But our lack of knowledge didn't hold us back from having a stellar time. Guys approached us to dance, we kindly accepted. Once on the floor we fully warned them we had no idea what we were doing, but it didn't matter, these latino men were good, REAL good. Suddenly we were spun right, spun left, tilted back, legs in the air (everything covered of course!), shimmies here, shimmies there, completely out of control yet in control. It didn't matter we didn't know where to put our feet, as long as the guy knows what he is doing you end up dancing on air. It was nice to see the men dripping in sweat as much as we were, it got hot and it was hot fast! I was swept off my feet by suave latino men, oh what a night. A quarter past 11 and my legs were growing really tired. Yes it sounds early but we started at 9:30 and remember, this girl did a 3 hour bike run in the morning. It was time to call it a night. We bid our farewell and made it home.
Sunday Training
11ish mile hill run up through the cemetary, out to Twilliger, downtown and back to Willamette Park. i thought this run would be difficult and we could push the pace but our fearless leader was a little preoccupied and opted not to lead and stay in th eback of the back....which doesn't really help the rest of the group if we didn't have a course map. So when was going to be a nice powerful hill run turned into an LSD paced run....it's all good though, got to meet some new PDX tri club members and I can never really complain about laughing and talking throughout a run....plus Alana and I decided to throw a little salsa shimmie in here and there. Lol, good times.
Recovered with friends at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I gave into temptation and had the mizzithera(sp?) and brown butter with whole wheat noddles....bad idea, I felt the lump in my tummy for my swim that followed.
Swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 100 fins
repeat 2 more times
1 x 50; 25 scully down, 25 free back
1 x 50; 25 one arm catch up down, 25 free back
1 x 50; 25 hand water flip down, 25 back
repeat 1 more time
2 x 100; 25 A-ok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free
500 cool down
Total yardage- 2500
I'm tired....yet feel very accomplished. I managed to get my training hours up to 14.5 this week, ran 6 days, and had 4 successful power threshold workouts. Today is the end of my 3 week build and tomorrow starts my the beginning of my recovery week, an extra day off and easy intensity workouts. Yay! Bring it on :)
Friday, January 16, 2009
Lucky number 5
Another 5 am workout...
Run - Hill repeats
10 min warm up - 9-10 min pace
5 min stretch
Workout
5 x 5 min 8:57 min/mile starting at 2% increasing to 4%; 5 min floats - flat same pace
5 min cool down - 9:30s
7.15 miles total
I keep forgetting how hard hill repeats are....
Jumped in the pool.....which was nice and warm this morning, uh-oh...I hope no one pee'd in it.
5 x 500s at 9:15 pace; 30 sec rests
The run and swim felt good. 3/4 of the way through the swim I started to fade, later I realized it was lack of calories. I had only consumed 19% of my caloric expenditure, for a strong workout on an empty stomach (first thing in the morning) I need to consume 25-30%...ie I burned a little over 1100, I only consumed 210 :0
Lesson learned.
I've got 2 days of hard training left before I start my recovery week and I feel stellar. Honestly I am a bit surprised, I mean I have my highs and lows but I have far more highs then lows. My body is adapting to the increase of workload and intensities well. Tomorrow is my official weigh in. I weigh myself and take taped measurements once a month under the same circumstances to monitor weight and muscle loss/gain. During the off season I gained 5 lbs (some muscle, some fat) from my racing weight and 7 lbs from my training weigh. Yes my racing weight is higher then training, it is due to taper, carb and sodium loading. I'd like to get back down to my training weight within the next month. With the rate I've been going at I should be there in no time at all. I thought it would be difficult to go back to clean macro-nutrients, but it was rather easy. A few training session of shit food will surely change the way one eats.
Run - Hill repeats
10 min warm up - 9-10 min pace
5 min stretch
Workout
5 x 5 min 8:57 min/mile starting at 2% increasing to 4%; 5 min floats - flat same pace
5 min cool down - 9:30s
7.15 miles total
I keep forgetting how hard hill repeats are....
Jumped in the pool.....which was nice and warm this morning, uh-oh...I hope no one pee'd in it.
5 x 500s at 9:15 pace; 30 sec rests
The run and swim felt good. 3/4 of the way through the swim I started to fade, later I realized it was lack of calories. I had only consumed 19% of my caloric expenditure, for a strong workout on an empty stomach (first thing in the morning) I need to consume 25-30%...ie I burned a little over 1100, I only consumed 210 :0
Lesson learned.
I've got 2 days of hard training left before I start my recovery week and I feel stellar. Honestly I am a bit surprised, I mean I have my highs and lows but I have far more highs then lows. My body is adapting to the increase of workload and intensities well. Tomorrow is my official weigh in. I weigh myself and take taped measurements once a month under the same circumstances to monitor weight and muscle loss/gain. During the off season I gained 5 lbs (some muscle, some fat) from my racing weight and 7 lbs from my training weigh. Yes my racing weight is higher then training, it is due to taper, carb and sodium loading. I'd like to get back down to my training weight within the next month. With the rate I've been going at I should be there in no time at all. I thought it would be difficult to go back to clean macro-nutrients, but it was rather easy. A few training session of shit food will surely change the way one eats.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
5 am Brick
Woke up at 5am in a dream like haze and hoped on the bike trainer
75 mins - threshold ride (this $#$%%^ was hard!)
Based off my wattage zones
50% race pace effort - 200 watts
24% threshold - 180 watts
20% endurance (recovery periods every 12-15 minutes for 3-4 minutes) - 160 watts
Put on my run shoes and went for a brisk 2 miles run - 8:00 pace
Brrrr, freaking A! I should have took the time to put on say maybe a jacket....or gloves...or a hat...or all three! Instead I jumped right outside, freezing 28 degrees this morning. I realized my mistake 2-3 minutes in and was too far to turn around. We all need a little toughness right? Hmmmm....I thought my face had fallen off. I was cold for 1/2 the morning.
On a positive note, I've done several short bricks now and holding an 8:00 mile at the start is not a problem, my legs have no issues with the run transition, even after slaughtering my quads on the trainer. This makes me very happy, I only pick up speed as the mileage increases during triathlon. Woot! Woot!
I can not wait until Monday. I have built my beginning schedule to have 3 weeks of hard training followed by a week of light recovery and an extra day off (2! in on week!). I've learned over the last few years that tend I to bonk or hit said wall after 4-5 weeks of heavy work. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes. Thus far my schedule has worked out well. I've had some very difficult training sessions and have noticed each week I am making very small gains, which over time will turn into big gains, with the right amount of rest and balance that is.
75 mins - threshold ride (this $#$%%^ was hard!)
Based off my wattage zones
50% race pace effort - 200 watts
24% threshold - 180 watts
20% endurance (recovery periods every 12-15 minutes for 3-4 minutes) - 160 watts
Put on my run shoes and went for a brisk 2 miles run - 8:00 pace
Brrrr, freaking A! I should have took the time to put on say maybe a jacket....or gloves...or a hat...or all three! Instead I jumped right outside, freezing 28 degrees this morning. I realized my mistake 2-3 minutes in and was too far to turn around. We all need a little toughness right? Hmmmm....I thought my face had fallen off. I was cold for 1/2 the morning.
On a positive note, I've done several short bricks now and holding an 8:00 mile at the start is not a problem, my legs have no issues with the run transition, even after slaughtering my quads on the trainer. This makes me very happy, I only pick up speed as the mileage increases during triathlon. Woot! Woot!
I can not wait until Monday. I have built my beginning schedule to have 3 weeks of hard training followed by a week of light recovery and an extra day off (2! in on week!). I've learned over the last few years that tend I to bonk or hit said wall after 4-5 weeks of heavy work. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes. Thus far my schedule has worked out well. I've had some very difficult training sessions and have noticed each week I am making very small gains, which over time will turn into big gains, with the right amount of rest and balance that is.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Warm bed, hot run and a cold pool
I did not want to get out of my cozy heated bed this morning. I finally had a solid night's rest (first in a week!) and did not want it to end. But alas, training calls. I used to get be enthusiastic about getting anaerobic 15 mins after waking, the off season really cramped my style. The last few weeks have been difficult to get up and get going, not that I don't do it...it just seems harder then what I remembered.
My morning run was power by U2 and GU
10 min warm up
5 min stretch
10 min easy 9:30-9:00
3 x 1600's at 7:30 with 2:30 floats at 10:00
5.75 miles total
I don't know what the hell is wrong with the people that go to my gym but they all have scent issues. Today I ran next to Mr. Allspice, YUCK! Homeboy was over doused with cheap cologne. Seriously, did he think he was going to pick up a chick at 6 am on the treadmill? Really?
Swim
F%^$##$%!!!!! the water was cold this morning
500 warm up
Drills
3 x 200; 50 a-ok, 50 karate, 50 fist, 50 free; 15 sec recovery
1 x 50; 25 skully down; 25 free back
1 x 50; 25 one hand catch up down; 25 free back
1 x 100 buoy pull focusing on rolling
repeat 1x
1 x 200 fins
3 x 100 paddles; 15 sec rest
1 x 200 cool down
2200 yards
I got extra resistance training as the people next to me created massive waves throughout my swim, I thought I was in a wave pool.
My days are growing longer....fatigue has become my new best friend.
My morning run was power by U2 and GU
10 min warm up
5 min stretch
10 min easy 9:30-9:00
3 x 1600's at 7:30 with 2:30 floats at 10:00
5.75 miles total
I don't know what the hell is wrong with the people that go to my gym but they all have scent issues. Today I ran next to Mr. Allspice, YUCK! Homeboy was over doused with cheap cologne. Seriously, did he think he was going to pick up a chick at 6 am on the treadmill? Really?
Swim
F%^$##$%!!!!! the water was cold this morning
500 warm up
Drills
3 x 200; 50 a-ok, 50 karate, 50 fist, 50 free; 15 sec recovery
1 x 50; 25 skully down; 25 free back
1 x 50; 25 one hand catch up down; 25 free back
1 x 100 buoy pull focusing on rolling
repeat 1x
1 x 200 fins
3 x 100 paddles; 15 sec rest
1 x 200 cool down
2200 yards
I got extra resistance training as the people next to me created massive waves throughout my swim, I thought I was in a wave pool.
My days are growing longer....fatigue has become my new best friend.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The end of a 6 day build
60 min morning spin
Stayed in my "endurance" zone, 95% aero bars focusing on yoga style breathing. Inhaled through the nose and exhale through the mouth. I was able to engage and work my core through most of the workout while managing to keep my wattage on target with a lower heart rate. The heart rate is really a questionable thing. It's usually higher then 147 for a 163 avg wattage, not to mention I'm tired as shit from 6 days of building. Was it the breathing practice or the aero positioning? Who knows, what I do know is I need to practice riding aero for long durations. Breathing and eating in that position does not come easy, all in due time right? I zoned out to Kill Bill's slow Asian themed soundtrack and watched Joe from Oregon Live visit Dots Doughnuts. It's not right to watch sugary-fatty food on the tv while riding. I should be happy I no longer have cable. I could very easily see myself on the trainer for 3 hours watching Paula Dean with ho-ho's as my fuel source.
Post work - short run work out
20 mile easy run
5 min stretch
25 minutes of run drills - A$$ kickers, strides, side strides, hands high, high skips, and core balancing.
10 min cool down
Recovered with a much needed hard cider (tomorrow's recovery day, can I get a Woot! Woot!), pizza (my favorite guilty pleasure) and friends at the monthly tri club meeting. I <3 my friends, life is beautiful.
Stayed in my "endurance" zone, 95% aero bars focusing on yoga style breathing. Inhaled through the nose and exhale through the mouth. I was able to engage and work my core through most of the workout while managing to keep my wattage on target with a lower heart rate. The heart rate is really a questionable thing. It's usually higher then 147 for a 163 avg wattage, not to mention I'm tired as shit from 6 days of building. Was it the breathing practice or the aero positioning? Who knows, what I do know is I need to practice riding aero for long durations. Breathing and eating in that position does not come easy, all in due time right? I zoned out to Kill Bill's slow Asian themed soundtrack and watched Joe from Oregon Live visit Dots Doughnuts. It's not right to watch sugary-fatty food on the tv while riding. I should be happy I no longer have cable. I could very easily see myself on the trainer for 3 hours watching Paula Dean with ho-ho's as my fuel source.
Post work - short run work out
20 mile easy run
5 min stretch
25 minutes of run drills - A$$ kickers, strides, side strides, hands high, high skips, and core balancing.
10 min cool down
Recovered with a much needed hard cider (tomorrow's recovery day, can I get a Woot! Woot!), pizza (my favorite guilty pleasure) and friends at the monthly tri club meeting. I <3 my friends, life is beautiful.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
What a kick ass weekend!
I think Hell has officially frozen over, for Saturday night I had a date. Not only a date but a 3rd date....how in the world does this happen when I have a no dating policy during my training season? I'm completely dumbfounded by the whole thing. During the date I was inspired by the Blazer's cheerleaders, they were rockin silver sequins hot pants. I sooooo want a pair of silver sequin tri shorts. I'm going to get them, even if I have to *bedazzle* them myself. I look at it as a strategic racing move, I'll blind the competitors :) Anywho, very fun night, good food, good view and great company.
Sunday's training started with a 15ish mile lsd run though the west side of the city. The picture at the top of my blog is of the friendly little squirrel that decided to beg Darrell and I for food while we waited for Seth. I swear that squirrel was demonic, do you see his red beady little eyes? Crazy little guy ran right up to me for food, I turn around and there were 2 more, it was like a small squirrel gang. Darrell saved the day by feeding them chocolate Power Bars. We were kind of worried we'd come back and have dead squirrels around our cars. I thought they might explode from all the sodium, Darrell thought they might not react to chocolate well, and we both thought they might go crazy from the caffeine. But alas, we returned to no dead squirrels.
The started from Willamette Park, up Corbett, up Twilliger, out to Taylor's Ferry and back. If anyone knows the area you are aware the run was consent climbing, descending and on going rollers. I think we covered around 900-1000 feet ascending and descending. Alana meet up 5 miles in. Can I just express how happy I am to FINALLY have another female interested in training? That being said without insult to any of my gf's, I know we all have our own lives to live. Anywho, go Alana, go Alana, go! :) Back to the run, I bonked around mile 13 or so and was so close to the finish didn't want to take another gel, I wanted food. I'm really getting tired of gels, it's too early in the season to be tired of gels.....this is going to be a long season.
Post run a few of us recovered with food and football.
Then I headed off for a short swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 fins
1 x 200 paddles
repeat 1 X
1 x 200; 50-a;ok, 50-fist, 50 karate; 50 hand flick
1 x 500 breathing odds, 3,5,3,5,3 every 100
2000 yards total
Recovered with a jalepeno guacamole boca burger and Tillamock strawberry ice cream with my grandparents.
The weekend was long and didn't leave much time for rest, but it was well worth it, I had a great time.
Riding through the hills we go
Saturday Ride -
3 loops around Hagg Lake, 2250 ft of climbing in 31 miles. This was a good ride, cold but good. I was a little surprised to see snow along the side of the road. My first loop was slower and taken with extra caution. I haven't been out on the road in a few weeks and it took awhile for me to get comfortable on the slick, curvy, hilly road. The second and third loop went really well. I would have stayed out to do a 4th, as my energy levels supported it but my dress attire did not. I had too many layers on, well I think I needed them but they produced, well I produced a LOT of sweat which made my clothes very damp next to my skin and descending became very cold and somewhat painful.
I had a few objectives for this ride.
1. Get my tail out riding in the cold again - accomplished, although it took a few hours for my hands and feet to defrost and not feel like someone had taken a hammer to them.
2. Attack each hill, climbing out of the saddle and stay in the big ring the whole ride - mission accomplished, this wasn't AS HARD as I had anticipated, power is finally returning :)
3. Have fun - fo shizzle!
4. Work on my descending issues - :( sadly this didn't happen, the ice and snow kept me in fear. Another day I suppose.
5. Nutrition, keep strong power, good GI, no bonking - accomplished. I <3 my power meter. Seeing my energy expediture helps fuel to perform. Just say no to bonking
Wattage data
1:54:00 ride
31.15 miles - 2250 ft climbing and descending
Max wattage 474, avg wattage 149
Max wattage per/kg 7.07/ avg wattage per kg 2.46
Max Cadence 131/ Avg Cadence 53 (I was climbing!)
Max HR 180/ Avg HR 149
Thanks Walter and Johan for the riding company!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Somethings aren't meant to be
And today that would be my swim
I hit the gym after another long day at work. Did I mention I was pulling 9-10 hours a day all week but one day? I'm thoroughly exhausted. Anywho...I get to the gym and the plan was to run then swim. As I unpack and layout my swim gear for an easy transition I realize I left my goggles at home. Uh-oh. I got to the front desk and check goggle cost $10.00 for a crappy pair of gym goggles. I already have a pair of Blue Seventy and Aqua Sphere goggles at home, both badass might I add. My frugal tail is not about to give them gym a 60% profit on a cheap pair of goggles I may never wear again....I'll finish my swim rant later. I make my way over to the treadmills only to see the ones that calculate splits are all in use. Only 8 out of 24 treadmills provide pace/per mile display, complete bullshit in my opinion. What was even worse was that all 8 were in use by WALKERS. Not run/walkers, not hill walkers....just flat line walkers. So I stood on the wall for 10 minutes while I watched two girls txt messages on their phones and occasionally look over my way to notice that I was scowling at them. Really, WTF? Mobile phones should not be allowed on treadmills. Finally one of the stupid girls gets off of the machine and I quickly have to cut someone moron off from taking my machine. Wait your turn buddy. 5 minutes into my workout I realized that I was stuck in a very bad place. Never have I ever wanted to hurl from the smell of another person training. Seriously, it was worse then being stuck in the Hood2Coast van with 6 smelly runners for 24 hours. Next to me was this women walking, dressed in black from head to toe with one of those scarves covering her face...and wreaked of middle eastern food, sour middle eastern food. Oh my God it was awful. Really, what did I do to deserve this? I tried breathing through my mouth to see if that would help, no not so much. Since I am on a gym bitch tangent, another qualm of mine is the lack of hot people at my gym. There are NEVER any hot people there, the trainers aren't even hot. Part of the motivation of being in the gym is eye candy, I feel like I really deserve some kind of refund.
10 min warm up - just about hurled
5 min stretch
10 min 9:30 pace 2-5% incline
10 min recovery 9:30pace
10 min 9:30 pace 2-5% incline
10 min recovery 9:30pace
10 min 9:30 pace 2-5% incline
10 min recovery 9:30pace
7.45 miles
I then decided I'd "tri" to swim without goggles. That lasted a whole 50 yards, ouch! I have to get up early tomorrow for a cold, hilly bike ride, I figure forgetting my goggles was a sign I needed to go home. I'm irritated, I need to rest so that I can have a kick ass ride tomorrow morning,
I hit the gym after another long day at work. Did I mention I was pulling 9-10 hours a day all week but one day? I'm thoroughly exhausted. Anywho...I get to the gym and the plan was to run then swim. As I unpack and layout my swim gear for an easy transition I realize I left my goggles at home. Uh-oh. I got to the front desk and check goggle cost $10.00 for a crappy pair of gym goggles. I already have a pair of Blue Seventy and Aqua Sphere goggles at home, both badass might I add. My frugal tail is not about to give them gym a 60% profit on a cheap pair of goggles I may never wear again....I'll finish my swim rant later. I make my way over to the treadmills only to see the ones that calculate splits are all in use. Only 8 out of 24 treadmills provide pace/per mile display, complete bullshit in my opinion. What was even worse was that all 8 were in use by WALKERS. Not run/walkers, not hill walkers....just flat line walkers. So I stood on the wall for 10 minutes while I watched two girls txt messages on their phones and occasionally look over my way to notice that I was scowling at them. Really, WTF? Mobile phones should not be allowed on treadmills. Finally one of the stupid girls gets off of the machine and I quickly have to cut someone moron off from taking my machine. Wait your turn buddy. 5 minutes into my workout I realized that I was stuck in a very bad place. Never have I ever wanted to hurl from the smell of another person training. Seriously, it was worse then being stuck in the Hood2Coast van with 6 smelly runners for 24 hours. Next to me was this women walking, dressed in black from head to toe with one of those scarves covering her face...and wreaked of middle eastern food, sour middle eastern food. Oh my God it was awful. Really, what did I do to deserve this? I tried breathing through my mouth to see if that would help, no not so much. Since I am on a gym bitch tangent, another qualm of mine is the lack of hot people at my gym. There are NEVER any hot people there, the trainers aren't even hot. Part of the motivation of being in the gym is eye candy, I feel like I really deserve some kind of refund.
10 min warm up - just about hurled
5 min stretch
10 min 9:30 pace 2-5% incline
10 min recovery 9:30pace
10 min 9:30 pace 2-5% incline
10 min recovery 9:30pace
10 min 9:30 pace 2-5% incline
10 min recovery 9:30pace
7.45 miles
I then decided I'd "tri" to swim without goggles. That lasted a whole 50 yards, ouch! I have to get up early tomorrow for a cold, hilly bike ride, I figure forgetting my goggles was a sign I needed to go home. I'm irritated, I need to rest so that I can have a kick ass ride tomorrow morning,
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Brick
I'm growing fatigued
10 hour workday...followed by
Brick
1 hour trainer ride; 62% threshold/ 37% endurance
2 mile easy run ; 8:00 pace
I'd write more but I have a ton of stuff I need to focus on, another day I guess
10 hour workday...followed by
Brick
1 hour trainer ride; 62% threshold/ 37% endurance
2 mile easy run ; 8:00 pace
I'd write more but I have a ton of stuff I need to focus on, another day I guess
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Daily Double
Morning Run drills and speed work
10 min warm up
20 min misc drills; High knees, A$$ Kickers, Bounds, Side Strides, Strides, Hands in the Air and High Knee Skips
5 min warm up
4 x 800s 7:00 pace; 3 min floats 9:30 pace
10 min cool down
There is something cool about doing run drills in an empty gym parking lot, before dawn in the pouring rain.
1 hr 10 mins - 5 miles excluding drills
Moved right along to the pool
5 x 500's - 9:15s w/ 30 rests
50 min swim = 2500 yards
10 min warm up
20 min misc drills; High knees, A$$ Kickers, Bounds, Side Strides, Strides, Hands in the Air and High Knee Skips
5 min warm up
4 x 800s 7:00 pace; 3 min floats 9:30 pace
10 min cool down
There is something cool about doing run drills in an empty gym parking lot, before dawn in the pouring rain.
1 hr 10 mins - 5 miles excluding drills
Moved right along to the pool
5 x 500's - 9:15s w/ 30 rests
50 min swim = 2500 yards
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
The enjoyment of suffering
There has to be something very, very wrong with me, as I do not get full enjoyment out of racing or training until I am in complete and utter pain. I don't think this is normal or in any way or right. The thing I find odd is that I hate anaerobic/speed power training UNTIL I hit my anaerobic zone. Getting up to that point sucks, but baby once I'm there.....there's no stopping me.
Spin - Anaerobic Intervals
15 min warm up
10 x :60 all out sprints; 2 min recovery between (this was the plan at least.....it is very difficult for me to hit my anaerobic zone in the saddle, in fact since I decimated my quads in the marathon I haven't been able to even reach anaerobic sitting, today I did. On the first interval I tried to climb out of the saddle, that didn't work out too well. The bike, trainer and I almost tipped over, I will not be attempting that one again. The rest of my intervals I stayed planted in the seat and just tried to grind it out.)
1st - 308 watts - HR - 173
2nd - 288 watts - HR - 178
3rd - 285 watts - HR - 177
4th - 273 watts - HR - 181
5th - 269 watts - HR - 180 ( at theis point they were getting very difficult to maintain. My HR was not dropping fast enough to fully recover to pull out the next, so I increased recoveries to 3 minutes.
6th - 288 watts - HR 181.5
7th - 282 watts - HR 183
8th - 274 watts - HR 183
9th - 278 watts - HR 183
10th - 289 watts - HR 182 - Booyah! Kill Bill's Theme song played during my last interval, just what I needed to hammer through it
5 minute recovery spin
4 x 30 one legged power spins; 175-180 watts
5 min cool down
Max HR 183/ Avg HR 172
Max wattage 320/ Avg wattage 172
Max wattage per kg 5.26/ avg wattage per kg 2.84
I was finally able to crest my anaerobic HR on the bike, it's about damn time! This is just the beginning to a world of hurt.
I decided to indulge in tad bit more suffering by making myself an uber hot thai chile turkey wrap for recovery fuel....my lips are still burning. If my body could go mutiny on me it would.
Tomorrow is going to hurt, thankfully it's my recovery day :) Now, I must beat my legs with the stick if I expect to sleep at all tonight.
Spin - Anaerobic Intervals
15 min warm up
10 x :60 all out sprints; 2 min recovery between (this was the plan at least.....it is very difficult for me to hit my anaerobic zone in the saddle, in fact since I decimated my quads in the marathon I haven't been able to even reach anaerobic sitting, today I did. On the first interval I tried to climb out of the saddle, that didn't work out too well. The bike, trainer and I almost tipped over, I will not be attempting that one again. The rest of my intervals I stayed planted in the seat and just tried to grind it out.)
1st - 308 watts - HR - 173
2nd - 288 watts - HR - 178
3rd - 285 watts - HR - 177
4th - 273 watts - HR - 181
5th - 269 watts - HR - 180 ( at theis point they were getting very difficult to maintain. My HR was not dropping fast enough to fully recover to pull out the next, so I increased recoveries to 3 minutes.
6th - 288 watts - HR 181.5
7th - 282 watts - HR 183
8th - 274 watts - HR 183
9th - 278 watts - HR 183
10th - 289 watts - HR 182 - Booyah! Kill Bill's Theme song played during my last interval, just what I needed to hammer through it
5 minute recovery spin
4 x 30 one legged power spins; 175-180 watts
5 min cool down
Max HR 183/ Avg HR 172
Max wattage 320/ Avg wattage 172
Max wattage per kg 5.26/ avg wattage per kg 2.84
I was finally able to crest my anaerobic HR on the bike, it's about damn time! This is just the beginning to a world of hurt.
I decided to indulge in tad bit more suffering by making myself an uber hot thai chile turkey wrap for recovery fuel....my lips are still burning. If my body could go mutiny on me it would.
Tomorrow is going to hurt, thankfully it's my recovery day :) Now, I must beat my legs with the stick if I expect to sleep at all tonight.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Randomnes....isn't this I?
*Life is beautiful and so are you.
*Does any other triathlete hate aqua aerobics? I hit the pool 3-4 times a week and it never fails, one or two of those times the pool is preoccupied with water aerobics. Agh! I understand the elderly have to get their fitness on too, but couldn't they schedule it mid morning, mid afternoon, not peak hours?
*I wish I had a place to plant an herb garden. I would grow endless basil, basil and cilantro. Mmmmm
*I forgot how good it feels to be a girl. I forgot how good it feels to train my ass off. I lost my way for sometime, I'm glad I found myself.
*I'm contemplating purchasing the WKO software. Anyone have any feedback on it? Also, if I purchase the software I need to upgrade to a HRM that can download data, suggestions are highly encouraged.
*Are rules meant to be broken?
*Sunday Bloody Sunday
*Pondering doing the Pacific Crest HIM or the Olympic, what to do? what to do?
*Does any other triathlete hate aqua aerobics? I hit the pool 3-4 times a week and it never fails, one or two of those times the pool is preoccupied with water aerobics. Agh! I understand the elderly have to get their fitness on too, but couldn't they schedule it mid morning, mid afternoon, not peak hours?
*I wish I had a place to plant an herb garden. I would grow endless basil, basil and cilantro. Mmmmm
*I forgot how good it feels to be a girl. I forgot how good it feels to train my ass off. I lost my way for sometime, I'm glad I found myself.
*I'm contemplating purchasing the WKO software. Anyone have any feedback on it? Also, if I purchase the software I need to upgrade to a HRM that can download data, suggestions are highly encouraged.
*Are rules meant to be broken?
*Sunday Bloody Sunday
*Pondering doing the Pacific Crest HIM or the Olympic, what to do? what to do?
Sunday training
30 min Pilates
Morning swim - 40 mins
500 warm up
Drills
2 x 100; 25-aok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free
2 x 50; skully down, return with water flips with exiting hand
Main Set
1 x 200; speedy on the first 100, easy last 100 - positive split
1 x 200; easy 50, speedy 100, easy 50 - even split
1 x 200; easy 100, speedy last 100 - negative split
repeat 1 x
Total yardage = 2000
10 mile LSD run along the waterfront
Brrrrrr, chilly 31 degree run, cold yet dry. Had a great time despite an argumentative GI, funny how running with a friend makes pain and irritability just a tad bit better then running alone.
All the best wishes to Ilana on her marathon, go get 'em tiger!
Morning swim - 40 mins
500 warm up
Drills
2 x 100; 25-aok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free
2 x 50; skully down, return with water flips with exiting hand
Main Set
1 x 200; speedy on the first 100, easy last 100 - positive split
1 x 200; easy 50, speedy 100, easy 50 - even split
1 x 200; easy 100, speedy last 100 - negative split
repeat 1 x
Total yardage = 2000
10 mile LSD run along the waterfront
Brrrrrr, chilly 31 degree run, cold yet dry. Had a great time despite an argumentative GI, funny how running with a friend makes pain and irritability just a tad bit better then running alone.
All the best wishes to Ilana on her marathon, go get 'em tiger!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking
into the future....legs keep on turning, turning, turning...over and over....
Muahahahaha! Victory is mine! Or sanity is completely lost. Realistically it's a bit of both. I have been stuck at 2 hours for the last month, always growing too tired or bored to continue forward. I gave up going out last night and having a good time with friends for training, I'll be damned if I wasn't going to make progression. I decreased my avg wattage by 8% and I was able to turn 2 hours into 3. I was entertained by disc 3, season 3 of Weeds (my season is all over now, time to move on) and a couple episodes of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. During the 3 hours I went through 2 pairs of bike shorts, 2 bath sized towels and 2 jersey tops, which would have turned into 3 but by the end I said f%^$%$# it and ended up in just my sports bra. I was fueled off of a Power Gel, a GU Roctane and chocolate chip peanut butter Cliff Bar (my personal fav. flavor), 2 salt sticks and 96 oz of water.
Wattage data is a little something like this
Duration 3:00:13
Energy expenditure 1648 kcal
Distance (which you can't count on a trainer w/resistance) 46.6 miles)
Max Cadence 104/Avg Cadence 77
Max HR 1868/ Avg HR 148
Max watts 228/ Avg watts 152
Max watts per kg 3.75/ Avg watts per kg 2.51
2hrs and 30 minutes in and ready to call it quits....then remembered I was signed up for a little event called an Ironman. I AM NOT a quitter. Now that I'm getting up to walk around I noticed that my legs are a little tired, imagine that. And I leave you with a disgusting picture of my wound, since it hurt like a bitch for the majority of my ride and I'm sure you all really care to see it.
Muahahahaha! Victory is mine! Or sanity is completely lost. Realistically it's a bit of both. I have been stuck at 2 hours for the last month, always growing too tired or bored to continue forward. I gave up going out last night and having a good time with friends for training, I'll be damned if I wasn't going to make progression. I decreased my avg wattage by 8% and I was able to turn 2 hours into 3. I was entertained by disc 3, season 3 of Weeds (my season is all over now, time to move on) and a couple episodes of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. During the 3 hours I went through 2 pairs of bike shorts, 2 bath sized towels and 2 jersey tops, which would have turned into 3 but by the end I said f%^$%$# it and ended up in just my sports bra. I was fueled off of a Power Gel, a GU Roctane and chocolate chip peanut butter Cliff Bar (my personal fav. flavor), 2 salt sticks and 96 oz of water.
Wattage data is a little something like this
Duration 3:00:13
Energy expenditure 1648 kcal
Distance (which you can't count on a trainer w/resistance) 46.6 miles)
Max Cadence 104/Avg Cadence 77
Max HR 1868/ Avg HR 148
Max watts 228/ Avg watts 152
Max watts per kg 3.75/ Avg watts per kg 2.51
2hrs and 30 minutes in and ready to call it quits....then remembered I was signed up for a little event called an Ironman. I AM NOT a quitter. Now that I'm getting up to walk around I noticed that my legs are a little tired, imagine that. And I leave you with a disgusting picture of my wound, since it hurt like a bitch for the majority of my ride and I'm sure you all really care to see it.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Becoming an Iron(WO)man
Happy 2009!
It is now time for me to start my official training. *le* sigh....
My self discipline has been weak for a few months now. I know letting yourself go is needed but getting it back is more difficult then one might think. Today I conquered temptation....Me = 1, Slice of apple pie = 0. A whole bunch of friends are going out tonight. I REALLY want to go...BUT know if I do I will have at least one drink and stay out too late, so I will stay home alone tonight and take care of somethings around the house. Tomorrow I should be well rested and be able to get a very long productive spin in. It's really hard missing out :( but I know in the end it will be worth it.
Morning swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 100 fins ( I had to discard the fins after the 100, my wound on my ankle is still very fresh and the fins were making the pain a lot worse)
1 x 200 paddles
3 x 100; 25 a-ok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free; rest 15
2 x 50; skully 25 down, freestyle back
2 x 50; one arm catch up
2 x 50; water flip with hand
2 x 50; blackline
Main Set
1 x 500; breathing every 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, stroke per 100; rest 30
repeat 1 x
1 x 300 breathing every 3,5,3 stroke per 100.
Total yardage = 3,000
This workout was difficult. I had good power throughout the swim, fatigue caught up to me by mid afternoon. I feel much more strong and efficient with bi-lateral breathing, I'm going to continue to work on this area.
It is now time for me to start my official training. *le* sigh....
My self discipline has been weak for a few months now. I know letting yourself go is needed but getting it back is more difficult then one might think. Today I conquered temptation....Me = 1, Slice of apple pie = 0. A whole bunch of friends are going out tonight. I REALLY want to go...BUT know if I do I will have at least one drink and stay out too late, so I will stay home alone tonight and take care of somethings around the house. Tomorrow I should be well rested and be able to get a very long productive spin in. It's really hard missing out :( but I know in the end it will be worth it.
Morning swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles
1 x 100 fins ( I had to discard the fins after the 100, my wound on my ankle is still very fresh and the fins were making the pain a lot worse)
1 x 200 paddles
3 x 100; 25 a-ok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free; rest 15
2 x 50; skully 25 down, freestyle back
2 x 50; one arm catch up
2 x 50; water flip with hand
2 x 50; blackline
Main Set
1 x 500; breathing every 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, stroke per 100; rest 30
repeat 1 x
1 x 300 breathing every 3,5,3 stroke per 100.
Total yardage = 3,000
This workout was difficult. I had good power throughout the swim, fatigue caught up to me by mid afternoon. I feel much more strong and efficient with bi-lateral breathing, I'm going to continue to work on this area.
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