4000 meter (2.48 mile) open water - Race (ahahahahahahaha! I laugh because I will probably never "race" a swim)
My mom picked me up bright and early and we started the day off right with breakfast at La Provence Bakery. they have THE BEST oven baked oatmeal ever! Mmmmm, carbs to fuel the day.
Hagg Lake was absolutely beautiful. Bright and sunny, 60-70, not a cloud in the sky. We got there early and where able to cheer on friends doing the 800 meter and 2000 meter swims. GOOOOOO Scott, Julie, Emily, Alana, LeAnn and Meredith! Suiting up came quickly as did my fear. I knew I could do the distance, I knew I could handle the chaos of open water, what I feared was the amount of fatigue that would set in at say 8 or 9 in the evening. DOMS are a %$#%$ and knew they would unleash their wrath on me. Fear was diminished as I stepped in the water. Did I say stepped? I meant fell. Clumsy Kat took two steps in and fell on her tail, what else is new? :D I swam out a few meters to warm up and came back. Wetsuit was aligned properly and felt good. I ran into Devin and really hoped he didn't puke on me. I was comforted when he told me that only happens during tris. 10 second count down began and we were off. I started out in the front next to Scott, Devin and Leland. I am NOT a fast swimmer and was instantly passed by the masses. I was also swam over 1 or 2 times and hit pretty hard (Leland!). Swim combat! Fun stuff. None off it phased me as I continued on my three stroke breathing and tried to focus on my stroke and body positioning. Rounding off the 2nd buoy I felt like we were going uphill. How is that possible? It felt like this for a good buoy maybe two. Emily, you were right! On and on I swam and continued to get passed right and left. I felt like every time I looked over someone was passing me. It was a bit demoralizing at first. I just told myself that I did a long trail run the day before and would have a long bike post swim so it was OK to take it easy, and that is just what I did. I took the entire swim easy. I suppose I could have pushed myself, but WHY? I'm not going to win an IM, nor would I ever do so in the swim. Coming around to the shore for lap two was a good thing. I could hear the crowd cheering and the second loop is always better than the first. It's a mental thing, I know it's at least half way over :). My goggles had a drop or two of water that would roll into my eyes every time I would turn to breath, this became annoying so I started to swim with my eyes closed. At one point I think I got some extra zzzzzzz's in. I ended up taking in a bit of water 1/3 into my second loop as I remembered a joke my mom and I had. Note to self - do not attempt to laugh in the water. The longest part of the swim was the last buoy up onto the shore. I could hear the crowd cheering, I could see them yet it felt like they were miles away. Each stroke felt like a damn mile. As I approached the shore I took my number and checked my watch 1:06! Much better then I had thought. As I was taking it "easy" and felt like I was getting passed right and left I figured I'd come in at a 1:15ish. Who would have thunk?! Not sure where I placed overall in the pack since the results have yet to be posted. I think I was somewhere in the middle but will let you know when I find out.
Post swim and it was time to bike. None of my friends wanted to bike after so again, I was in this alone. I was happy to run into another triathlete on the way out, Deanne was going to ride a few loops around Hagg Lake. We ended up riding together for a loop and a 1/3 until I had to say "Au Revoir" and continue my ride home. Shortly along old Hwy 47 I ran into a girl training for IM Cordelane. We decided to ride together up until the crest of Clapshaw, about 15 or so miles. It was really nice to ride with two other badass female triathletes for 1/2 of my ride. Company can REALLY do wonders. I rode the last 25ish miles home alone and have to say I felt pretty strong for the duration. My nutrition, hydration and electrolytes where right on spot - felt pretty good for riding without shade in 85-90 degrees for 3 hours. The last 10 miles and my shoulders started to feel heavy. The fatigue of the swim was starting to kick in. I was also getting really hot, hot meaning burned. I applied SPF but obviously not enough as my shoulders and the back sides of my calves were started to glow. Ouch. I finished my ride 53 miles later glowing, from a sunburn and endorphins - this weekend I conquered my fears.
Mom and I recovered with mexican food and cadillac margarita's - Lol, who am I kidding? I only needed on margarita to get lit!
Inside the mind of Kat...enter at your own risk.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Facing our fears - Part 1
I'll address the subject line in my workout later in the blog
Another morning I awoke far too early. I needed to be up at 6am to drive out to Vancouver Lake to help set up our annual Tri Club mock-tri. It's kind of a season kick off, targeted at beginners or seasoned triathletes that wanted to get their feet in the water pre racing. Anywho, my mind and body must have been on a different time zone because I was up and ready to embrace the day at - ready for it? 4:30am. WTF!? I decided to make the most of my "free" time with Pilates and foam rolling.
It was a beautiful day for our sprint mock -tri. By race start it was in the 60s and not a cloud in the sky. I opted not to participate this year and instead volunteered with transition rack set up, body markings (oh-la-la), a T2 and run clinic, post race food prep and finish line tape holder. It was great to catch up with all the TNT alumni and new TNT athletes. Race season is in the air and it is making me giddy!
Facing our fears - part 1
2.5 hour trail run
I did 2.5 hours last weekend on a road path. I know I can do the distance, that's not what really scared me. Last weekend I ran with my good friend Michelle. I'm a social runner, I love to hear and tell stories. It helps make the time go by and keep my mind in a positive place. Today I would be running alone. Not only was I alone but I had no music. I've had two Ipods die on me in the last month and I'm not about to go invest in another one. So with that being said, I truly ran my run alone. IF things would get rough, IE leg pain, GI problems, fatigue I knew that I only had myself to count on. But really, it's always just me, myself and I. It can be depressing but in the end I think it makes me stronger. I'm testing out a Suunto HR monitor for work. This is good, it would be the first time I'd be able to use HR data since I'd been injured. Lol, it's funny, Suunto has activity settings based off of your training level. The say 2+ workouts a day is level 10. I feel like IM athletes should have their own special level 11, crank it up to level 11! My goal was to do this run at an LSD pace and keep my avg HR down below 160 - my Z2. This would be a bit of a challenge since I've lost run efficiency, I was running on hilly trails and I was running mid day when the temp was around 85 - thankfully for me I was in the forrest and I think it was about 10 degrees cooler. My second goal was to stay positive :) I ran steady and consistent, nice and easy. 1:15 I hit my 1/2 point and turned around. I was feeling good! I spent most of the time day dreaming about IMC and the training. It kept me focused and energized. 2 hours in and I was starting to feel fatigue set in. I didn't bring enough water, 32 oz is just not enough for me. I knew better, I should have done a shorter out and back and refilled. Note to self for next time. I ended my run tired but happy. I did it. I ran alone, pain free (never thought I would say that again!) and stayed in my happy place and avg'd 157 :) I recovered at Sweet Tomatoes where I ate their entire salad buffet, they should have charged me twice - I also treated myself to strawberry apple cobbler topped off with vanilla frozen yogurt. Yummy!
I stopped by the store and treated myself to 21lbs of ice. Tonight pampering came in the form of an ice bath, hot tub and foam rolling. My legs never hurt and my body felt pretty good. BUT the trail can leave behind some nasty DOMS, which I am prone to. Rather then allowing them to sneak up on me I'm trying to be proactive and stop them before they start. Plus tomorrow starts part 2 of facing my fears - I'm pretty sure I will feel as if someone has thrown me up against a wall (not in a good way!) come Sunday night. Ice bath tomorrow as well.
Side note - I was told by 3 different people today during our mock-tri that I scare them or people they know. This is not the first time I've heard this before ad find it rather depressing. I don't want to "scare" or "intimidate" anyone. I want to inspire. I don't race on a competitive level against anyone but myself. I opted out of joining a specific tri club this year for this kind of stero-type. I guess it doesn't really matter, I am who I am and people can think what they want. Maybe next year I'll join the "scary" people, at least then I'll feel like I'm apart of something, rather than an outsider looking in.
Another morning I awoke far too early. I needed to be up at 6am to drive out to Vancouver Lake to help set up our annual Tri Club mock-tri. It's kind of a season kick off, targeted at beginners or seasoned triathletes that wanted to get their feet in the water pre racing. Anywho, my mind and body must have been on a different time zone because I was up and ready to embrace the day at - ready for it? 4:30am. WTF!? I decided to make the most of my "free" time with Pilates and foam rolling.
It was a beautiful day for our sprint mock -tri. By race start it was in the 60s and not a cloud in the sky. I opted not to participate this year and instead volunteered with transition rack set up, body markings (oh-la-la), a T2 and run clinic, post race food prep and finish line tape holder. It was great to catch up with all the TNT alumni and new TNT athletes. Race season is in the air and it is making me giddy!
Facing our fears - part 1
2.5 hour trail run
I did 2.5 hours last weekend on a road path. I know I can do the distance, that's not what really scared me. Last weekend I ran with my good friend Michelle. I'm a social runner, I love to hear and tell stories. It helps make the time go by and keep my mind in a positive place. Today I would be running alone. Not only was I alone but I had no music. I've had two Ipods die on me in the last month and I'm not about to go invest in another one. So with that being said, I truly ran my run alone. IF things would get rough, IE leg pain, GI problems, fatigue I knew that I only had myself to count on. But really, it's always just me, myself and I. It can be depressing but in the end I think it makes me stronger. I'm testing out a Suunto HR monitor for work. This is good, it would be the first time I'd be able to use HR data since I'd been injured. Lol, it's funny, Suunto has activity settings based off of your training level. The say 2+ workouts a day is level 10. I feel like IM athletes should have their own special level 11, crank it up to level 11! My goal was to do this run at an LSD pace and keep my avg HR down below 160 - my Z2. This would be a bit of a challenge since I've lost run efficiency, I was running on hilly trails and I was running mid day when the temp was around 85 - thankfully for me I was in the forrest and I think it was about 10 degrees cooler. My second goal was to stay positive :) I ran steady and consistent, nice and easy. 1:15 I hit my 1/2 point and turned around. I was feeling good! I spent most of the time day dreaming about IMC and the training. It kept me focused and energized. 2 hours in and I was starting to feel fatigue set in. I didn't bring enough water, 32 oz is just not enough for me. I knew better, I should have done a shorter out and back and refilled. Note to self for next time. I ended my run tired but happy. I did it. I ran alone, pain free (never thought I would say that again!) and stayed in my happy place and avg'd 157 :) I recovered at Sweet Tomatoes where I ate their entire salad buffet, they should have charged me twice - I also treated myself to strawberry apple cobbler topped off with vanilla frozen yogurt. Yummy!
I stopped by the store and treated myself to 21lbs of ice. Tonight pampering came in the form of an ice bath, hot tub and foam rolling. My legs never hurt and my body felt pretty good. BUT the trail can leave behind some nasty DOMS, which I am prone to. Rather then allowing them to sneak up on me I'm trying to be proactive and stop them before they start. Plus tomorrow starts part 2 of facing my fears - I'm pretty sure I will feel as if someone has thrown me up against a wall (not in a good way!) come Sunday night. Ice bath tomorrow as well.
Side note - I was told by 3 different people today during our mock-tri that I scare them or people they know. This is not the first time I've heard this before ad find it rather depressing. I don't want to "scare" or "intimidate" anyone. I want to inspire. I don't race on a competitive level against anyone but myself. I opted out of joining a specific tri club this year for this kind of stero-type. I guess it doesn't really matter, I am who I am and people can think what they want. Maybe next year I'll join the "scary" people, at least then I'll feel like I'm apart of something, rather than an outsider looking in.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Spin
90 min Z2-Z3 spin
Avg watts 155/ Max 205
Avg HR 150/ Max HR 169
None eventful
This weekend of training into next week will either make me or break me. I'm rounding off the third week of my build phase. Technically next week should be recovery BUT life happens. My training will lighten up with additional work load (career) and I have I have an Olympic and HIM in June that I'd like to PR. So I'm going to *attempt* to push myself in mainly volume for another week and hope for the best. I feel ok today BUT training plans for Sunday scare me A LOT.
Avg watts 155/ Max 205
Avg HR 150/ Max HR 169
None eventful
This weekend of training into next week will either make me or break me. I'm rounding off the third week of my build phase. Technically next week should be recovery BUT life happens. My training will lighten up with additional work load (career) and I have I have an Olympic and HIM in June that I'd like to PR. So I'm going to *attempt* to push myself in mainly volume for another week and hope for the best. I feel ok today BUT training plans for Sunday scare me A LOT.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Food aroma - such a tease!
AM Run - 8.5 miles - easy 9 min pace.
Dare I even say it? I hesitate as superstitious as I am....*knock on wood* running has become natural again :D and I am LOVING EVERY MINUTE of it!
My tummy started growling during the last mile, it started right as we passed Krispy Kreme - Go figure. I tried to hold my breath as a ran by as to not get tempted by the sugary aroma. I advise against doing this as I almost passed out, the sweet smell extended onto the next black (the blocks are longer then avg!), They should really have a smell advisory for the area.
"Sugary sweetness - Run at your own risk!"
Evening Open Water swim - 5 loops at Klineline - approx 2500-2800 meters
*Swimming into the sunset is pretty bad ass.
*Body still has to adjust to swimming in a wetsuit - my arms get tired faster
*4th loop around I swear I smelled BBQ. WTF is the deal with food smells today?
*I got caught up in fishing line - Really? Do I like a look tasty? Oh I got it! They must have mistaken me for a massive fish - stupid fin on swim cap. Lol
*OW is mentally more challenging for me, at least in the pool I can tell I'm going somewhere. It feels like it takes forever to get anywhere in a mass body of water.
Dare I even say it? I hesitate as superstitious as I am....*knock on wood* running has become natural again :D and I am LOVING EVERY MINUTE of it!
My tummy started growling during the last mile, it started right as we passed Krispy Kreme - Go figure. I tried to hold my breath as a ran by as to not get tempted by the sugary aroma. I advise against doing this as I almost passed out, the sweet smell extended onto the next black (the blocks are longer then avg!), They should really have a smell advisory for the area.
"Sugary sweetness - Run at your own risk!"
Evening Open Water swim - 5 loops at Klineline - approx 2500-2800 meters
*Swimming into the sunset is pretty bad ass.
*Body still has to adjust to swimming in a wetsuit - my arms get tired faster
*4th loop around I swear I smelled BBQ. WTF is the deal with food smells today?
*I got caught up in fishing line - Really? Do I like a look tasty? Oh I got it! They must have mistaken me for a massive fish - stupid fin on swim cap. Lol
*OW is mentally more challenging for me, at least in the pool I can tell I'm going somewhere. It feels like it takes forever to get anywhere in a mass body of water.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Swim, Work, Bike
AM swim
8 x 500s - hit each one on a slow 8:30-9:00 pace, recovered with ;30s
Total Yardage - 4,000
And the morning's workout is sponsored by lack of zzzzzzzzzzzzzz's. I think I may have got in another power nap during my swim. I'm getting good at squeezing those in where I can :)
Work, lots and lots of work - at least I <3 my job.
Evening Bike -
32.3 miles - Marine Drive out and back
It feels good to go out pushing a decent amount of watts hitting 25mph and pushing those same watts on the way back at 20-21 mph. The wind was kind today :) and the sun set was beautiful!
Max watts 348/ Avg watts 155
Max HR 175 / Avg HR 152
8 x 500s - hit each one on a slow 8:30-9:00 pace, recovered with ;30s
Total Yardage - 4,000
And the morning's workout is sponsored by lack of zzzzzzzzzzzzzz's. I think I may have got in another power nap during my swim. I'm getting good at squeezing those in where I can :)
Work, lots and lots of work - at least I <3 my job.
Evening Bike -
32.3 miles - Marine Drive out and back
It feels good to go out pushing a decent amount of watts hitting 25mph and pushing those same watts on the way back at 20-21 mph. The wind was kind today :) and the sun set was beautiful!
Max watts 348/ Avg watts 155
Max HR 175 / Avg HR 152
Monday, May 25, 2009
Slept some, swam some, ran some, drank and ate some....
8.5 hours of blissful, solid sleep. Sleep does a body sooooooo good.
AM swim -
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 250 paddles; 15
1 x 250 buoy; 15
repeat 1 x
1 x 50 one arm glide; 10
2 x 50 catch up down 25, finger drag back; 10
2 x 100 - 25-aok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free; 10
1 x 50 one arm glide; 10
2 x 50 catch up down 25, finger drag back; 10
Main Set
1 x 200 -fast hard 100/ easy 100 (positive split); 15
1 x 200 - easy 50 / fast hard 100/ easy 50 (even split);15
1 x 200 - easy 100/ fast hard 100 (negative split); 15
repeat 1 x
Cool down
1 x 200 easy
Total yardage - 3400
Went home and took a nice little 30 min power nap
Woke up and drove downtown for a fun run around the waterfront. Today, yes today, I AM A RUNNER. I ran in heat, with limited shade at an easy PE level in a nice little clip. Circled the waterfront 3 times at a 8:30 pace. It's coming back, maybe I'll even be fast again one day :)
Recovered with hard cider, yummy food and wonderful company - my mom. :D
AM swim -
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 250 paddles; 15
1 x 250 buoy; 15
repeat 1 x
1 x 50 one arm glide; 10
2 x 50 catch up down 25, finger drag back; 10
2 x 100 - 25-aok, 25 fist, 25 karate, 25 free; 10
1 x 50 one arm glide; 10
2 x 50 catch up down 25, finger drag back; 10
Main Set
1 x 200 -fast hard 100/ easy 100 (positive split); 15
1 x 200 - easy 50 / fast hard 100/ easy 50 (even split);15
1 x 200 - easy 100/ fast hard 100 (negative split); 15
repeat 1 x
Cool down
1 x 200 easy
Total yardage - 3400
Went home and took a nice little 30 min power nap
Woke up and drove downtown for a fun run around the waterfront. Today, yes today, I AM A RUNNER. I ran in heat, with limited shade at an easy PE level in a nice little clip. Circled the waterfront 3 times at a 8:30 pace. It's coming back, maybe I'll even be fast again one day :)
Recovered with hard cider, yummy food and wonderful company - my mom. :D
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A beautiful weekend in the Gorge....
shared with wonderful friends
Saturday
2.5 hour LSD run - 15ish miles
All week I was nervous about this run. It would be my longest post injury. I was engulfed by butterflies the moment I awoke. Life is so weird, activities that once brought on comfort and joy now cause distress and dread. :le sigh: The one thing that made my outlook on the run better was Michele - I had a great running partner. The run that I dreaded turned out to be highly enjoyable. We ran a beautiful out and back and then some path through the Gorge. No leg pain, no GI distress, limited fatigue (at the end) and GREAT companionship. Thank you Michele, I couldn't have done it without you.
Open water swim - 40 minutes
Post run Michele and I met up with LeAnn for open water swimming - in the freezing 54 degree Columbia Gorge! Brrrrr.
I let Michele use my blue fish cap and I wore my pink camo shark cap over the neoprene. We have this kickass picture of us face to face with the caps - she is smiling (happy fish) and I am growling (mean shark...do sharks growl? Maybe tiger sharks :)) It was funny as hell. It was soooo hard to growl at someone so damn cute!
David was kind enough to stand watch and make sure the wind didn't carry us away. I think this is the coldest water I have swam in. I was very fortunate that my co-worker gave me a neoprene swim cap, it helped keep my skull and ears warm. I did feel like I got "freezer burn" when I stuck my face in the water. The cold was a motivating factor to swim fast. Within 5 minutes I felt pretty good. I swam 3 loops around the cove. The first 1/3rd or so of the loop was pretty easy, the remainder was spent fighting wind and current, it was a bit brutal. I got out feeling ok. Michele on the other hand experienced "the claw" and had the 1st or 2nd stages of hypothermia. Recovery was spent in the hot tub.
Sunday
2.5 hour bike ride
After the best french toast breakfast in the world....a group of us headed out for a bike ride.
*The way out was pretty much a steady climb. At times it would look as if we were not climbing, but we were.
*It was a beautiful day!
*At the turn around point we stopped and shared a turkey/cheese melt and fries - among 5 of us :)
*The way back was suppose to be easy, we were descending the climb....the wind had something else in mind.
*Flying back down at 24-28 mph pushing 200+ watts against the wind - awesome!
*Being pelted by bugs is NOT ok, ouch. Seriously, they hurt.
*A dump truck full of dirt decided to pull out right in front of me, not only did he spray dirt all over me but I got his lovely exhaust fumes in my face as well. It took me a good 5 minutes of coughing to recover. F%^# Stick!
Avg watts - 149 / Max watts 387
Avg HR 146 / Max HR 168
Recovered with a glass of wine in the hot tub.
I had planned on staying out of town w/friends the 3 day weekend, but my energy had a different agenda. I have been training off of 6-7 hours sleep for the last 5-6 days. I'm an 8 hour a night girl and with the volume I'm currently at (16-18 hour weeks) I can't afford to continue on like this. I am becoming a zombie. I thought it was best to come home, rest and get good solid sleep in my own bed tonight. I drove home and rocked out the Rolling Stones and U2....which reminds me. "And I stiiiiiiillllll haven't found.....what I'm looking for." I hate having a hole in my heart.
Saturday
2.5 hour LSD run - 15ish miles
All week I was nervous about this run. It would be my longest post injury. I was engulfed by butterflies the moment I awoke. Life is so weird, activities that once brought on comfort and joy now cause distress and dread. :le sigh: The one thing that made my outlook on the run better was Michele - I had a great running partner. The run that I dreaded turned out to be highly enjoyable. We ran a beautiful out and back and then some path through the Gorge. No leg pain, no GI distress, limited fatigue (at the end) and GREAT companionship. Thank you Michele, I couldn't have done it without you.
Open water swim - 40 minutes
Post run Michele and I met up with LeAnn for open water swimming - in the freezing 54 degree Columbia Gorge! Brrrrr.
I let Michele use my blue fish cap and I wore my pink camo shark cap over the neoprene. We have this kickass picture of us face to face with the caps - she is smiling (happy fish) and I am growling (mean shark...do sharks growl? Maybe tiger sharks :)) It was funny as hell. It was soooo hard to growl at someone so damn cute!
David was kind enough to stand watch and make sure the wind didn't carry us away. I think this is the coldest water I have swam in. I was very fortunate that my co-worker gave me a neoprene swim cap, it helped keep my skull and ears warm. I did feel like I got "freezer burn" when I stuck my face in the water. The cold was a motivating factor to swim fast. Within 5 minutes I felt pretty good. I swam 3 loops around the cove. The first 1/3rd or so of the loop was pretty easy, the remainder was spent fighting wind and current, it was a bit brutal. I got out feeling ok. Michele on the other hand experienced "the claw" and had the 1st or 2nd stages of hypothermia. Recovery was spent in the hot tub.
Sunday
2.5 hour bike ride
After the best french toast breakfast in the world....a group of us headed out for a bike ride.
*The way out was pretty much a steady climb. At times it would look as if we were not climbing, but we were.
*It was a beautiful day!
*At the turn around point we stopped and shared a turkey/cheese melt and fries - among 5 of us :)
*The way back was suppose to be easy, we were descending the climb....the wind had something else in mind.
*Flying back down at 24-28 mph pushing 200+ watts against the wind - awesome!
*Being pelted by bugs is NOT ok, ouch. Seriously, they hurt.
*A dump truck full of dirt decided to pull out right in front of me, not only did he spray dirt all over me but I got his lovely exhaust fumes in my face as well. It took me a good 5 minutes of coughing to recover. F%^# Stick!
Avg watts - 149 / Max watts 387
Avg HR 146 / Max HR 168
Recovered with a glass of wine in the hot tub.
I had planned on staying out of town w/friends the 3 day weekend, but my energy had a different agenda. I have been training off of 6-7 hours sleep for the last 5-6 days. I'm an 8 hour a night girl and with the volume I'm currently at (16-18 hour weeks) I can't afford to continue on like this. I am becoming a zombie. I thought it was best to come home, rest and get good solid sleep in my own bed tonight. I drove home and rocked out the Rolling Stones and U2....which reminds me. "And I stiiiiiiillllll haven't found.....what I'm looking for." I hate having a hole in my heart.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tired
I can't recall the last night I've had a solid 8 hours of sleep, it's starting to take a toll on me.
90 min Z2 spin. I think I took a power tap on the trainer, I was rudely awoken to a suspense scene in LOST. That damn music, so loud and creepy.
Max watts 175, avg watts 146
HR stayed at a nice low 141 avg - hence why I was able to sleep :)
90 min Z2 spin. I think I took a power tap on the trainer, I was rudely awoken to a suspense scene in LOST. That damn music, so loud and creepy.
Max watts 175, avg watts 146
HR stayed at a nice low 141 avg - hence why I was able to sleep :)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Running into the day and swimming into the night
AM Run - 8ish miles
My legs thank you, Mr. foam roller and and Ms. Zoot compression recovery tights. I was sure I'd have RLS throughout the night or massive fatigue after last night's hill climb, but nope, none, zip, zilch. I sleep like a sound log...does that phrase even make sense? I don't know why I'm asking that as most of my statements don't make sense. Statements are sponsored by the caloric deficient. Hehe....Anyway
This was THE best run alone since injury to date. Hit the road around 5:45, the sun was already up...I felt like I was tardy, I've watched it rise every morning this week and today it beat me to it. What a phenomenal run. No leg pain, no tummy pain, energy stayed consistent, I couldn't ask for anything better....well company is always nice. I lost the strap to my HR monitor and really don't want to buy another without upgrading as the battery is dying on my Polar watch as well. All of my runs have been without tracking HR data, which was a little weird at first, but now I love it. There is no digital reminder of intensity, I'm running purely off of feel. Now if I wanted to go fast this would be a bad thing but because I'm returning from injury and my LSD pace is my IM goal pace I can keep on keepin on at my slow speed and enjoy it :) Life is grand!
Evening swim - First OW of the season, not only that but the first swim in my fabulous new Helix wetsuit.
4 loops around Klineline Pond - approx 500 meters...or something like that
The wetsuit will take some getting used to. The first loop around I think my arm sleeve was mis-aligned because I felt painful resistance along my right forearm. I stopped and adjusted it and pain appeared to go away. The suit fits like second skin which is awesome, but on the flip side it is really warm - good and bad I suppose. Bad when I'm pushing myself and my body tends to over heat. Good when the water's cold. My first OW went pretty well. I had no open water shock, but then again I never get shock. This is probably due to growing up swimming in neighborhood lakes, rivers and ponds. I have to thank my dad for making me a water baby. My only weakness in open water is getting used to my new wetsuit which will happen over time. I finished my last loop swimming into the sunset - I think sunrise/sunset is my theme for the week :) Good night moon.
My legs thank you, Mr. foam roller and and Ms. Zoot compression recovery tights. I was sure I'd have RLS throughout the night or massive fatigue after last night's hill climb, but nope, none, zip, zilch. I sleep like a sound log...does that phrase even make sense? I don't know why I'm asking that as most of my statements don't make sense. Statements are sponsored by the caloric deficient. Hehe....Anyway
This was THE best run alone since injury to date. Hit the road around 5:45, the sun was already up...I felt like I was tardy, I've watched it rise every morning this week and today it beat me to it. What a phenomenal run. No leg pain, no tummy pain, energy stayed consistent, I couldn't ask for anything better....well company is always nice. I lost the strap to my HR monitor and really don't want to buy another without upgrading as the battery is dying on my Polar watch as well. All of my runs have been without tracking HR data, which was a little weird at first, but now I love it. There is no digital reminder of intensity, I'm running purely off of feel. Now if I wanted to go fast this would be a bad thing but because I'm returning from injury and my LSD pace is my IM goal pace I can keep on keepin on at my slow speed and enjoy it :) Life is grand!
Evening swim - First OW of the season, not only that but the first swim in my fabulous new Helix wetsuit.
4 loops around Klineline Pond - approx 500 meters...or something like that
The wetsuit will take some getting used to. The first loop around I think my arm sleeve was mis-aligned because I felt painful resistance along my right forearm. I stopped and adjusted it and pain appeared to go away. The suit fits like second skin which is awesome, but on the flip side it is really warm - good and bad I suppose. Bad when I'm pushing myself and my body tends to over heat. Good when the water's cold. My first OW went pretty well. I had no open water shock, but then again I never get shock. This is probably due to growing up swimming in neighborhood lakes, rivers and ponds. I have to thank my dad for making me a water baby. My only weakness in open water is getting used to my new wetsuit which will happen over time. I finished my last loop swimming into the sunset - I think sunrise/sunset is my theme for the week :) Good night moon.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Stronger
AM Swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles;15
1 x 200 buoy; 15
2 x 50 one arm glide;10
1 x 50 catch up; 10
1 x 50 finger drags;10
repeat 1 x
2 x 200 - 50-A-ok, 50- fist, 50 karate, 50 free (fast and strong); 15
1 x 200 paddles;15
1 x 200 buoy; 15
Main Set
5 x 200's on the 3:30 - landing on 3:10 consistently - that last 200 sucked tail, I don't know how I managed to stay on 3:10
300 cool down
Total yardage - 3400
Evening Bike Ride
I had planned on a brick BUT 10 minutes into my ride I realized I left my malto and sodium at work. Durp! This was a problem since A. I'm a heavy sweater and it was warm out and B. I only had one GU to get me over the west hills twice. Uh-Oh
Not really sure how this happened but I had solid climbs. I ascended up and over Germantown, strong. Rode Skyline to Newberry where I did a white knuckled descent. Took Hwy 30 back to the NW Lucky Lab to meet the PDX tri club for their ride. A really nice guy gave me a GU - THANK YOU. Took Lovejoy up to Cornell, climbed Cornell to Thompson at which some how I peaked 554 watts! Badass!!! Hit Skyline to Springville back to work. It was along Springville that I bonked. Bonked is a weird way of putting it since I never lost power. I was still climbing hills at 250-300 watts and this was IN THE SADDLE. But my tummy started to knot up and I had a sickly pit. I needed food, not only food but I needed hydration. The water was going in and I was immediatly sweating it out. I decided that it would probably be best to run another time, I needed food and I needed it NOW. I scarfed down a bar as soon as I hit my car.
31 miles with over 2100 ft of climbing :)
Check out my ride
www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/hillsboro/821124287839184032
Max watts 554! :D/ Avg'd 139
Max HR 180/ Avg 150
I need to go get more food now
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles;15
1 x 200 buoy; 15
2 x 50 one arm glide;10
1 x 50 catch up; 10
1 x 50 finger drags;10
repeat 1 x
2 x 200 - 50-A-ok, 50- fist, 50 karate, 50 free (fast and strong); 15
1 x 200 paddles;15
1 x 200 buoy; 15
Main Set
5 x 200's on the 3:30 - landing on 3:10 consistently - that last 200 sucked tail, I don't know how I managed to stay on 3:10
300 cool down
Total yardage - 3400
Evening Bike Ride
I had planned on a brick BUT 10 minutes into my ride I realized I left my malto and sodium at work. Durp! This was a problem since A. I'm a heavy sweater and it was warm out and B. I only had one GU to get me over the west hills twice. Uh-Oh
Not really sure how this happened but I had solid climbs. I ascended up and over Germantown, strong. Rode Skyline to Newberry where I did a white knuckled descent. Took Hwy 30 back to the NW Lucky Lab to meet the PDX tri club for their ride. A really nice guy gave me a GU - THANK YOU. Took Lovejoy up to Cornell, climbed Cornell to Thompson at which some how I peaked 554 watts! Badass!!! Hit Skyline to Springville back to work. It was along Springville that I bonked. Bonked is a weird way of putting it since I never lost power. I was still climbing hills at 250-300 watts and this was IN THE SADDLE. But my tummy started to knot up and I had a sickly pit. I needed food, not only food but I needed hydration. The water was going in and I was immediatly sweating it out. I decided that it would probably be best to run another time, I needed food and I needed it NOW. I scarfed down a bar as soon as I hit my car.
31 miles with over 2100 ft of climbing :)
Check out my ride
www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/hillsboro/821124287839184032
Max watts 554! :D/ Avg'd 139
Max HR 180/ Avg 150
I need to go get more food now
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunrise - Sunset
Riding into the sunrise
5am -Rise and shine baby! Jumped out of bed and made my way to the kitchen for breakfast. Heated up an english muffin w/ PB & honey and enjoyed a small bowl of cheerios as I watched the sky slowly light up. Got dressed, mounted Carnage and I was off for a morning ride.
The goal - chase the sunrise :D
2-3 miles into the ride I start climbing. My legs are not yet awake, come to think of it my mind was only semi awake. My legs are yelling at me "WTF were you thinking woman!?" I didn't know how to respond, my brain was moving kind of slow, all I could do is continue to pedal and hope my legs would in return cooperate. I'm not sure if 6 mph counts as chasing the sunrise, at one point a squirrel was running faster then me. Wow. Mile 7 and I finally reached the top of Skyline. Happy that was over I went on to attack the Skyline roller"coaster". My speed was checked when flying down a hill I came face to face with a deer. Ok, we weren't that close but the deer stayed in the middle of the road for longer than I would have liked. It was kind of scary, I wasn't sure if it was going run at me, stay in the middle of the road or go hopping off. Lucky for me it choose to hop off back into the forest. I reach Thompson, went down the descent then climbed my way back up. This time around my legs were wide awake and I felt strong on the climb. Hit up Skyline again for more rollers and then down Springville home.
Elevation gain was 1500ft in 23 miles. I think on future rides I'll make sure to map in a few flat miles before I hit the hills, that was brutal.
Evening swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles;10
1 x 200 buoy
repeat 1 x
Main Set
4 x 100s (first 75 easy/last 25 hard);15
4 x 100s (first 50 easy/last 50 hard); 15
4 x 100s (first 25 easy/last 75 hard);15
4 x 100s (HARD ALL THE WAY); 15
Cool down - 200 easy
Total yardage - 3100
I rode into the sunrise and swam into the sunset.
Beautiful day of training - yet I'm melancholy
It's starting to happen again, the same thing that happens ever year. Why are there so few of us? And why can't I find another?
"I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore"
5am -Rise and shine baby! Jumped out of bed and made my way to the kitchen for breakfast. Heated up an english muffin w/ PB & honey and enjoyed a small bowl of cheerios as I watched the sky slowly light up. Got dressed, mounted Carnage and I was off for a morning ride.
The goal - chase the sunrise :D
2-3 miles into the ride I start climbing. My legs are not yet awake, come to think of it my mind was only semi awake. My legs are yelling at me "WTF were you thinking woman!?" I didn't know how to respond, my brain was moving kind of slow, all I could do is continue to pedal and hope my legs would in return cooperate. I'm not sure if 6 mph counts as chasing the sunrise, at one point a squirrel was running faster then me. Wow. Mile 7 and I finally reached the top of Skyline. Happy that was over I went on to attack the Skyline roller"coaster". My speed was checked when flying down a hill I came face to face with a deer. Ok, we weren't that close but the deer stayed in the middle of the road for longer than I would have liked. It was kind of scary, I wasn't sure if it was going run at me, stay in the middle of the road or go hopping off. Lucky for me it choose to hop off back into the forest. I reach Thompson, went down the descent then climbed my way back up. This time around my legs were wide awake and I felt strong on the climb. Hit up Skyline again for more rollers and then down Springville home.
Elevation gain was 1500ft in 23 miles. I think on future rides I'll make sure to map in a few flat miles before I hit the hills, that was brutal.
Evening swim
500 warm up
Drills
1 x 200 paddles;10
1 x 200 buoy
repeat 1 x
Main Set
4 x 100s (first 75 easy/last 25 hard);15
4 x 100s (first 50 easy/last 50 hard); 15
4 x 100s (first 25 easy/last 75 hard);15
4 x 100s (HARD ALL THE WAY); 15
Cool down - 200 easy
Total yardage - 3100
I rode into the sunrise and swam into the sunset.
Beautiful day of training - yet I'm melancholy
It's starting to happen again, the same thing that happens ever year. Why are there so few of us? And why can't I find another?
"I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore"
Sunday, May 17, 2009
It's a Beautiful Day - Don't Let it Get Away
And I didn't :)
2 hour (includes water stops) LSD run - 11ish miles
At last! I finally found someone to run with. Interesting enough it's the same person I did 90% of my marathon training with - Go Nicole! We were going to run up in the forrest but it was so beautiful we wanted to soak up the sun and took our run downtown to the waterfront. Ran the 10 miel waterfront loop, plus a little extra to put us up to the two hour mark, or hour and 55 minutes to be exact. I continued to have tension with my soleus but I paid close enough attention to it that I don't think I pushed anything too hard or far. I tried the malto and sodium with a fuel belt. I experienced a bit of stomach distress but I'm thinking this is normal as I have to train my stomach to consume and run again, I know in time it will get better. With that being said the sodium and caloric intake was on point. It was pretty warm when we ran, 70ish-maybe 80 by the time we finished and I didn't feel sluggish, dehydrated or bloated...in fact I looked like a salt stick!
My longest run straight through since injury and it felt great, I think this was mostly due to having company. Running with someone is so therapeutic for me.
We recovered at The Stepping Stone, who doesn't love Man-Cakes?
2 hour (includes water stops) LSD run - 11ish miles
At last! I finally found someone to run with. Interesting enough it's the same person I did 90% of my marathon training with - Go Nicole! We were going to run up in the forrest but it was so beautiful we wanted to soak up the sun and took our run downtown to the waterfront. Ran the 10 miel waterfront loop, plus a little extra to put us up to the two hour mark, or hour and 55 minutes to be exact. I continued to have tension with my soleus but I paid close enough attention to it that I don't think I pushed anything too hard or far. I tried the malto and sodium with a fuel belt. I experienced a bit of stomach distress but I'm thinking this is normal as I have to train my stomach to consume and run again, I know in time it will get better. With that being said the sodium and caloric intake was on point. It was pretty warm when we ran, 70ish-maybe 80 by the time we finished and I didn't feel sluggish, dehydrated or bloated...in fact I looked like a salt stick!
My longest run straight through since injury and it felt great, I think this was mostly due to having company. Running with someone is so therapeutic for me.
We recovered at The Stepping Stone, who doesn't love Man-Cakes?
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Today's workout fueled by Vitamin D :D
What a beautiful freaking day!!!!
Big brickin it - 58 mile ride/40 min run - (ok, ok, maybe not so big :))
I took today's ride at a very comfortable pace. We rode out in the peak of the heat (80-87?) and I wanted to make sure my hydration would be on point, and I'm happy to report that it was. The route was fairly easy, mostly flat with some climbs in the middle, I think net gain was around 1700ft, not much at all. On the way back my bottles decided to launch a few times, irritated the hell out of me. Also a bee found it's way up the back of my shirt and decided to sting me twice while riding - not fun! Ouch!
Despite the bee stings and bottle launching I had a great ride with great company.
Ride data
58 miles - 3:25:30
Max wattage 160/ Avg wattage 142
Max HR 171 (stupid heat)/ avg HR 149 (this is good!)
Caloric intake 80kcal malto + 130g sodium every 20 mins = 560 kcal 930mg sodium
Caloric expenditure = 1750 ( I LOVE me power meter - I have yet to bonk on a ride with this thing)
Post Ride I threw on my running shoes and went for an easy LSD run. I went out for 20 mins and came back. I wanted to do a longer run but will be doing a 2 hour run on the trails tomorrow morning. My soleus is still a tad bit sensitive and I didn't want to push my luck. The run was HOT! I drank more malto and sodium and felt well energized throughout.
I'm happy to be back in the game :)
Big brickin it - 58 mile ride/40 min run - (ok, ok, maybe not so big :))
I took today's ride at a very comfortable pace. We rode out in the peak of the heat (80-87?) and I wanted to make sure my hydration would be on point, and I'm happy to report that it was. The route was fairly easy, mostly flat with some climbs in the middle, I think net gain was around 1700ft, not much at all. On the way back my bottles decided to launch a few times, irritated the hell out of me. Also a bee found it's way up the back of my shirt and decided to sting me twice while riding - not fun! Ouch!
Despite the bee stings and bottle launching I had a great ride with great company.
Ride data
58 miles - 3:25:30
Max wattage 160/ Avg wattage 142
Max HR 171 (stupid heat)/ avg HR 149 (this is good!)
Caloric intake 80kcal malto + 130g sodium every 20 mins = 560 kcal 930mg sodium
Caloric expenditure = 1750 ( I LOVE me power meter - I have yet to bonk on a ride with this thing)
Post Ride I threw on my running shoes and went for an easy LSD run. I went out for 20 mins and came back. I wanted to do a longer run but will be doing a 2 hour run on the trails tomorrow morning. My soleus is still a tad bit sensitive and I didn't want to push my luck. The run was HOT! I drank more malto and sodium and felt well energized throughout.
I'm happy to be back in the game :)
Friday, May 15, 2009
Just fine, every thing's just fine
AM Spin - 90 minutes Z2 - avg 136 watts
Took another power nap on the bike this morning while watching LOST. I'm on season two disc 3, having a hard time really getting into it. The story line kind of bores me, I do enjoy the creepiness they create with the cinematography and music...it wakes me up when I'm about to dose off. Does anyone have any good TV series recommendations? I'm a huge fan of dark comedy/dramas. I tend to think things are funny when the shouldn't be.
I find it annoying when people get "snooty" when training insecurities are called out. Being over dramatic doesn't help anything.
I think I'm probably the last person to say someone can't do something or discourage someone - in fact "inspiring" is a word that often comes to mind. But whatever, one's perception is one's reality and I can't change that.
Evening swim
7 x 500's - I'm tired and decided to do these at a comfortable pace - hit each one on an 8:20 with ;40 sec recoveries.
After swim I spent some time in the hot tub massaging my soleus with the jets. It feels much better today :) I had some fun with one of the guys in the hot tub. Get your mind out of the gutter! He liked my fish fin swim cap. I decided to mess with him and actually convinced him that the fin made me go faster, along with the latex because it was "hydro-namic!" AHAHAHAHAHA! Dude had no clue. I know, it was a little wrong, but it amused me :D
Took another power nap on the bike this morning while watching LOST. I'm on season two disc 3, having a hard time really getting into it. The story line kind of bores me, I do enjoy the creepiness they create with the cinematography and music...it wakes me up when I'm about to dose off. Does anyone have any good TV series recommendations? I'm a huge fan of dark comedy/dramas. I tend to think things are funny when the shouldn't be.
I find it annoying when people get "snooty" when training insecurities are called out. Being over dramatic doesn't help anything.
I think I'm probably the last person to say someone can't do something or discourage someone - in fact "inspiring" is a word that often comes to mind. But whatever, one's perception is one's reality and I can't change that.
Evening swim
7 x 500's - I'm tired and decided to do these at a comfortable pace - hit each one on an 8:20 with ;40 sec recoveries.
After swim I spent some time in the hot tub massaging my soleus with the jets. It feels much better today :) I had some fun with one of the guys in the hot tub. Get your mind out of the gutter! He liked my fish fin swim cap. I decided to mess with him and actually convinced him that the fin made me go faster, along with the latex because it was "hydro-namic!" AHAHAHAHAHA! Dude had no clue. I know, it was a little wrong, but it amused me :D
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Don't do me like that
Sleep = non-existent. My legs kept me tossing and turning all night, twitch here twitch there....restless.
I finally got out of bed 30 minutes before I needed to, bored and annoyed at the restlessness I decided to try to be productive and foam roll.
Am swim - lackluster
500 warm up - eh, the top of my right shoulder/arm hurts - alot. Not the good kind of burn either, the kind that worries me..it felt like over use.
Drills
1 x 250 paddles - yea this felt great (sarcasm)
1 x 250 buoy - still not good
repeat 1 x
1 x 50 - one arm glide/alternate arms on the 25
2 x 50 - catch up down 25/25 return on the finger drag
repeat 1 x
Main Set
4 x 100s one the 1:45 - failure. I wanted to do 10 but could only pull out 4. Honestly I just gave up. Energy wasn't there and my arm hurt. I am weak
1 x 500 - comfortable happy zone pace
1 x 100 sprint - tried to end on a little bit of energy
Total yardage - 3000
Energy was low throughout the day. I needed to tutn my frown upside down - I was taking my mama out for a belated mother's day dinner, I could not have negative energy. This is very un-Kat-like.
Evening track
I was dreading this. The first night I've been to the track since injury. I wasn't there to work on speed. I've pretty much given up on attempting to run FAST for the remainder of the season. It's just not logical. I can easily run my IM goal time as long as I can get my efficiency back up to par. Speed will be another year. The purpose of hitting the track was to do an easy warm up mile, spend 10-15 minutes on drills (efficiency and form work) and then run up that monster Twilliger and back.
1 mile warm up -easy
5 min stretch
10 min drills - tail kickers, side strides, strides and hands in the air. These hurt as I knew the would. I limited myself to a short duration of each.
Short stretch - ran up Twilliger 5.2 miles. I haven't ran these hills in a looooooong time. They were so much harder and longer then I remembered. My right soleus hurt a lot. I think the drills and the hills tweaked something just not right. My GI HATES me. I think I have to start ditching the Venti Starbucks coffee's on run days - that or I just have to build an iron stomach again. This sucks, every run I either have some sort of leg pain, or stomach distress. It's depressing. I no longer feel like a runner :(
Alas I finish my run, stretch out my legs and strapped on some ice. Happy to go spend the rest of the evening with my mom.
I finally got out of bed 30 minutes before I needed to, bored and annoyed at the restlessness I decided to try to be productive and foam roll.
Am swim - lackluster
500 warm up - eh, the top of my right shoulder/arm hurts - alot. Not the good kind of burn either, the kind that worries me..it felt like over use.
Drills
1 x 250 paddles - yea this felt great (sarcasm)
1 x 250 buoy - still not good
repeat 1 x
1 x 50 - one arm glide/alternate arms on the 25
2 x 50 - catch up down 25/25 return on the finger drag
repeat 1 x
Main Set
4 x 100s one the 1:45 - failure. I wanted to do 10 but could only pull out 4. Honestly I just gave up. Energy wasn't there and my arm hurt. I am weak
1 x 500 - comfortable happy zone pace
1 x 100 sprint - tried to end on a little bit of energy
Total yardage - 3000
Energy was low throughout the day. I needed to tutn my frown upside down - I was taking my mama out for a belated mother's day dinner, I could not have negative energy. This is very un-Kat-like.
Evening track
I was dreading this. The first night I've been to the track since injury. I wasn't there to work on speed. I've pretty much given up on attempting to run FAST for the remainder of the season. It's just not logical. I can easily run my IM goal time as long as I can get my efficiency back up to par. Speed will be another year. The purpose of hitting the track was to do an easy warm up mile, spend 10-15 minutes on drills (efficiency and form work) and then run up that monster Twilliger and back.
1 mile warm up -easy
5 min stretch
10 min drills - tail kickers, side strides, strides and hands in the air. These hurt as I knew the would. I limited myself to a short duration of each.
Short stretch - ran up Twilliger 5.2 miles. I haven't ran these hills in a looooooong time. They were so much harder and longer then I remembered. My right soleus hurt a lot. I think the drills and the hills tweaked something just not right. My GI HATES me. I think I have to start ditching the Venti Starbucks coffee's on run days - that or I just have to build an iron stomach again. This sucks, every run I either have some sort of leg pain, or stomach distress. It's depressing. I no longer feel like a runner :(
Alas I finish my run, stretch out my legs and strapped on some ice. Happy to go spend the rest of the evening with my mom.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Big Ring Massacre
Is what took place on my legs tonight.
2 hour long spin session
30 min Z2-Z3 warm up
4 x 15 min big rings spins Z4-Z5 holding 180-210 watts w/a 55-60 cadence; 5 min Z2 recoveries
15 min high spin/flush that lactic %$#^ out cool down
1st interval - Difficult, I told myself the first is always the hardest - it will get better
2nd interval - Alas, this one was better, not by much but gave me hope
3rd interval - By now my windows are fogged up and I have a pond forming underneath me. I'm watching LOST, trying to block out the pain in my quads and the massive amount of fatigue. I don't think I took enough salt. This interval was harder then the first, it was time to admit I had been lying to myself- it would not get easier, or better or less difficult. I was in hell and I was determined to spin out alive.
4th interval - Boom Boom Pow! I think I was lost in LOST. Fatigue's a B$%@#! Lack of sodium's a B%$@^. My pond had now turned into one of the country's great lakes - I was going to have to swim away from the bike. Wanting to quite I continued to ask myself "How bad do you want it?" My response was bad enough that I would finish the 15 minutes with full power and swim away from Carnage with my head held up high.
My legs are not going to want to rest tonight. Yogi time tea, come to my rescue.
2 hour long spin session
30 min Z2-Z3 warm up
4 x 15 min big rings spins Z4-Z5 holding 180-210 watts w/a 55-60 cadence; 5 min Z2 recoveries
15 min high spin/flush that lactic %$#^ out cool down
1st interval - Difficult, I told myself the first is always the hardest - it will get better
2nd interval - Alas, this one was better, not by much but gave me hope
3rd interval - By now my windows are fogged up and I have a pond forming underneath me. I'm watching LOST, trying to block out the pain in my quads and the massive amount of fatigue. I don't think I took enough salt. This interval was harder then the first, it was time to admit I had been lying to myself- it would not get easier, or better or less difficult. I was in hell and I was determined to spin out alive.
4th interval - Boom Boom Pow! I think I was lost in LOST. Fatigue's a B$%@#! Lack of sodium's a B%$@^. My pond had now turned into one of the country's great lakes - I was going to have to swim away from the bike. Wanting to quite I continued to ask myself "How bad do you want it?" My response was bad enough that I would finish the 15 minutes with full power and swim away from Carnage with my head held up high.
My legs are not going to want to rest tonight. Yogi time tea, come to my rescue.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Just another training day
Morning run - 60 mins - or 59 to be exact
6.5 miles, easy comfortable 9 min pace.
Evening swim
8 x 500 repeats; 30
I hit the first 6 on 8:10 dead on, then I got tired and sloppy and the next two landed on a 8:15 then 8:20.
Total yardage = 4,000
Thinking ahead - yet not.
Not - as in I forgot my after workout dinner in the refrigerator at home. Thinking ahead - picking up hot gooey pizza goodness post swim/pre grocery shopping. I didn't end up buying the whole store! I <3 pizza.
6.5 miles, easy comfortable 9 min pace.
Evening swim
8 x 500 repeats; 30
I hit the first 6 on 8:10 dead on, then I got tired and sloppy and the next two landed on a 8:15 then 8:20.
Total yardage = 4,000
Thinking ahead - yet not.
Not - as in I forgot my after workout dinner in the refrigerator at home. Thinking ahead - picking up hot gooey pizza goodness post swim/pre grocery shopping. I didn't end up buying the whole store! I <3 pizza.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Monday...Monday
Getting out of bed at 5 this morning was difficult. I think I may have actually took a nap during my spin session.
2 hour spin - Z2 endurance
Energy picked up throughout the day. I'm telling you, power naps on the bike will do that!
My quads hurt, more specifically my right quad. I can feel an imbalance. I rolled a lot today, I hope it feels better tomorrow.
Evening swim -
500 warm up
Drills
2 x 200 - 50 A-ok, 50 fist, 5 karate, 50 free; 20
1 x 50 one arm catch up; 10
1 x 50 high elbow finger drag; 10
repeat 1 x
Main Set
1 x 200 - first 100 fast/hard - 100 easy (positive split);20
1 x 200 - first 50 easy - 100 hard/fast 0 50 easy (even split);20
1 x 200 - first 100 easy - 100 hard/fast (just how I like it!)(negative split); 20
repeat a total of 3 x
200 cool down
Total yardage = 3300
And this swim was brought to you buy the powers of Roctane - jet fuel for the endurance athlete :)
2 hour spin - Z2 endurance
Energy picked up throughout the day. I'm telling you, power naps on the bike will do that!
My quads hurt, more specifically my right quad. I can feel an imbalance. I rolled a lot today, I hope it feels better tomorrow.
Evening swim -
500 warm up
Drills
2 x 200 - 50 A-ok, 50 fist, 5 karate, 50 free; 20
1 x 50 one arm catch up; 10
1 x 50 high elbow finger drag; 10
repeat 1 x
Main Set
1 x 200 - first 100 fast/hard - 100 easy (positive split);20
1 x 200 - first 50 easy - 100 hard/fast 0 50 easy (even split);20
1 x 200 - first 100 easy - 100 hard/fast (just how I like it!)(negative split); 20
repeat a total of 3 x
200 cool down
Total yardage = 3300
And this swim was brought to you buy the powers of Roctane - jet fuel for the endurance athlete :)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
A day of racing, a PR and a tiring run
Wow, writing a sprint RR is much harder then a HIM. There's really not much to talk to go into. I mean 1,2,3 and it's over. I never even had a chance to warm up. I'll do my best though - here goes
Canby Gator Grinder Sprint Triathlon - RR
I have the best job in the world, my bosses idea of team building is to do a local sprint triathlon together. This was pretty cool as I would have never done one on my own. I was kind of nervous going into the race, it was my first of the season and it was a first distance and pool swim. The nervousness was much different then what I experienced in the past. I suppose it was the unknown factor of a sprint that did it to me for I was very confident about the whole race, I know my s^&$
Saturday
5:00am - My heat didn't start until 10am, so technically I could have slept in, done some pilates...took it easy. BUT one of my co-workers was starting in the first wave at 7:30am - I wouldn't miss this for the world! I got to the race start a little early and decided to drive the bike course. The first couple miles were pretty flat, then it went into some curvy corners and hills, and rollers to end on a flat. The bike course did not seem that challenging, riding in my car that is.
7:30-9:00am- I spent the next few hours watching my co-workers go off in heats, cheering, screaming and enjoying the race atmosphere. I watched a guy go off from the bike in aerobars pulling his kid in a back carriage, it was seriously badass.
9:00am - Usually pre race I spend about 15 minutes doing run drills and sprints. It helps activate my fast twitch muscles. I tried to do this today and well....fast twitch muscles did not want to activate. I said "GO!" and they said...."Um, nope, don't really want to." Who was I to argue? This was a "fun" race, not even categorized as a C. So I stretched, called it good and fit in to my uni-blue LG PowerShark TriSuit. Since this was a pool swim we got to wear our own swim cap. I was super excited by this as I got to rock my TYR blue goldfish. It has a huge smiley face on the front and a fin on top! Seriously badass! Plus it match my blue tri suit.
9:45am - The heat lines up by the pool. I'm a bit giddy and anxious and decide to jump around and wave to Alana. It's soooo cool when your friends go out of their way to come see your race - even if it is a short one.
9:57am- We have 3 minutes to warm up. WTF?! It take my body a good 20 minutes get going. I jumped into the pool and was the first to start "warming up". I got a quick 100 in. As I finish a woman next to me says "You know you have a fast racesuit on, that means you HAVE to go fast." I think to myself "Oh-S%^$!" There are supposed to be 4 people per lane, but 2 people in my lane decided not to show up, so then there was just dude and I. They allowed us to split the lane. I wasn't sure what to think about this. I kind of wanted to draft. I had put down a 8:00 500 yard time, I had never pulled one of those out. I didn't even know if I was capable of doing so. I was fully intending on race adrenaline and drafting to make it happen.
Swim - We kicked off by 5 sec delays. As soon as I kicked the wall my timing chip strap came off. Stupid velcro. My first thought was "Uh-oh!" But I quickly calmed myself. I had started my watch and as long as I knew my splits that's all that really mattered. I swam fast and hard, thinking about my body position and form on each stroke. I'd approach to the wall and each time tell myself to flip. "Pull, pull, pull! Work it girl!" I hit the wall and jumped out of the pool. I think I may of actually flown out as I don't recall too well. The guy managing the swim had someone get my chip as soon as I had taken off :) So I took the extra second to put it back on. I was the first girl out of the water in in my heat. Finished with a 7:50 :D PR baby.
T1- This went by fast. Glasses, TT Helmet, Shoes and I was off! - 1:05 - fast for me
Bike - Mother of God, I can't breath! I mounted my bike and sat up for a moment trying to catch some air. I quickly reminded myself this was not a long course. I did not have the time to allow my body to acclimate I had to GO-GO-GO and deal with it, so I quickly tucked into aero and decided breathing would wait for another day. The first few miles were flat and fast, I managed to hold an average of 200 watts pushing 20-23 mph. Then came the curves and hills. This was so much harder then driving! My quads started to burn as I attacked. Throughout the hills my wattage dipped and soared and ended up peaking at 421. A girl passed me on one of the curvy descents (my weakness)...I let her go, I knew I'd be seeing her again. I always come back. A guy ended up passing me around mile 8 which was annoying because he didn't stay far ahead and I didn't want to get a drafting penalty. In the end it may have been for the best as it pushed me to keep ahead of him. I finished the bike at 36.59 - 19.5mph avg. I wanted to do at least 20 mph avg, this was a little disappointing but I suppose with the all the hills it made sense. I stayed true to my power range and ended up with a 175 average. 45% was in Z5 (200+) while 20 % Z4(180-200) and the rest was Z3-Z2 (downhill recoveries).
T2- 1:53- almost double T1, It never fails, I took a nap. Lol, in all seriousness it was putting on the stupid socks.
Run- Eh, I don't know what to say about the run. I started out pushing myself, realized I didn't like, found a comfort zone and stayed in it. This was a little disappointing. First time in a race that I have EVER settled for comfort. I'm not sure what it was. I don't know if it was because I had been injured for so long and I was afraid to push. Or that it takes my body too damn long to pick up speed running or possibly and realistically I am NOT a SPRINTER. I am an endurance athlete, I like to go long. Anywho, I found my comfort zone, settled in and enjoyed. I think a mile in I was dehydrated. I had drank 15-20 oz on the bike, but it was warm out and running under the sun w/out shade just made things worse. Plus I didn't take a salt tab. Bad Kat. There was an aid station on the looped course and I decided to douse myself in water, it felt really good. Just after this point I passed the girl who passed me on the descent. I have a habit of yelling out words of encouragement as I pass people. Thankfully my slow run wasn't THAT slow and I was able to do this a lot. I told the girl she was looking good and strong. She laughed and replied "I knew you would get me on the run." Lol, as I thought to myself, I always do. The last 800 meters I experienced a massive side crap. It was not the way I wanted to end the race. I tried to breath through it but it wouldn't go away. I managed to suck it up and sprinted the last 200 meters on the track. Run finished with a slow but study even 24:00 mins - 7:45 pace.
I was greeted by all my co-workers and my good friend Alana at the finish line. We took a few pictures and then enjoyed an oh-so yummy BBQ. Mmmmm, salmon burgers. I am truly blessed to work with such a great group of people.
Race stats
1st AG
2nd overall woman
Finishing time 1:11:50 (my goal was between 1:10-1:15 so I'm happy with this :))
Splits
Swim - 7:50 - 500 yards - PR baby, all that focus swimming while I was injured paid off!
Bike - 36:59 - 12 mile - I wanted a 35, but am happy with what I got. It was an unfamiliar course and I pushed my efforts
Run - 24:00 - 3.1 mile - Shows my lack of training and made me realize why I <3 long course so much!
*************************************************
After the BBQ and awards I drove downtown to get my LSD run in. I was going to hit the trails but since it was so pretty out I wanted to run through the inner city. I also wanted to run the path that had injured/crippled me for so long. I thought that I'd never want to run this run again but today it called me and I destroyed a mental block I had created.
85 min run - LSD pace - 8ish miles
Ugh, fatigue set in. I didn't allow enough time for digestion to finish from the BBQ. The first 30 minutes my tummy cramped. It was odd cramping, all in my obliques. After the cramping went away I felt much better, but it was still warm and as the day turned into afternoon it grew hot. My energy was taped. I think that race kicked my tail.
I ended up finishing my run day at 11 miles. This makes me happy, I think my mileage will be high enough to be able to race Pacific Crest HIM at the end of June and shoot for a PR.
As evening grew I joined some friends for a BBQ, drinks, karaoke, drunken 1am piggy back rides and Voodoo doughnuts. The sugar high from the toxic Red Bull/Vodka and doughnuts made it really hard to sleep.
Sunday - I was lazy and recovered all day :)
Canby Gator Grinder Sprint Triathlon - RR
I have the best job in the world, my bosses idea of team building is to do a local sprint triathlon together. This was pretty cool as I would have never done one on my own. I was kind of nervous going into the race, it was my first of the season and it was a first distance and pool swim. The nervousness was much different then what I experienced in the past. I suppose it was the unknown factor of a sprint that did it to me for I was very confident about the whole race, I know my s^&$
Saturday
5:00am - My heat didn't start until 10am, so technically I could have slept in, done some pilates...took it easy. BUT one of my co-workers was starting in the first wave at 7:30am - I wouldn't miss this for the world! I got to the race start a little early and decided to drive the bike course. The first couple miles were pretty flat, then it went into some curvy corners and hills, and rollers to end on a flat. The bike course did not seem that challenging, riding in my car that is.
7:30-9:00am- I spent the next few hours watching my co-workers go off in heats, cheering, screaming and enjoying the race atmosphere. I watched a guy go off from the bike in aerobars pulling his kid in a back carriage, it was seriously badass.
9:00am - Usually pre race I spend about 15 minutes doing run drills and sprints. It helps activate my fast twitch muscles. I tried to do this today and well....fast twitch muscles did not want to activate. I said "GO!" and they said...."Um, nope, don't really want to." Who was I to argue? This was a "fun" race, not even categorized as a C. So I stretched, called it good and fit in to my uni-blue LG PowerShark TriSuit. Since this was a pool swim we got to wear our own swim cap. I was super excited by this as I got to rock my TYR blue goldfish. It has a huge smiley face on the front and a fin on top! Seriously badass! Plus it match my blue tri suit.
9:45am - The heat lines up by the pool. I'm a bit giddy and anxious and decide to jump around and wave to Alana. It's soooo cool when your friends go out of their way to come see your race - even if it is a short one.
9:57am- We have 3 minutes to warm up. WTF?! It take my body a good 20 minutes get going. I jumped into the pool and was the first to start "warming up". I got a quick 100 in. As I finish a woman next to me says "You know you have a fast racesuit on, that means you HAVE to go fast." I think to myself "Oh-S%^$!" There are supposed to be 4 people per lane, but 2 people in my lane decided not to show up, so then there was just dude and I. They allowed us to split the lane. I wasn't sure what to think about this. I kind of wanted to draft. I had put down a 8:00 500 yard time, I had never pulled one of those out. I didn't even know if I was capable of doing so. I was fully intending on race adrenaline and drafting to make it happen.
Swim - We kicked off by 5 sec delays. As soon as I kicked the wall my timing chip strap came off. Stupid velcro. My first thought was "Uh-oh!" But I quickly calmed myself. I had started my watch and as long as I knew my splits that's all that really mattered. I swam fast and hard, thinking about my body position and form on each stroke. I'd approach to the wall and each time tell myself to flip. "Pull, pull, pull! Work it girl!" I hit the wall and jumped out of the pool. I think I may of actually flown out as I don't recall too well. The guy managing the swim had someone get my chip as soon as I had taken off :) So I took the extra second to put it back on. I was the first girl out of the water in in my heat. Finished with a 7:50 :D PR baby.
T1- This went by fast. Glasses, TT Helmet, Shoes and I was off! - 1:05 - fast for me
Bike - Mother of God, I can't breath! I mounted my bike and sat up for a moment trying to catch some air. I quickly reminded myself this was not a long course. I did not have the time to allow my body to acclimate I had to GO-GO-GO and deal with it, so I quickly tucked into aero and decided breathing would wait for another day. The first few miles were flat and fast, I managed to hold an average of 200 watts pushing 20-23 mph. Then came the curves and hills. This was so much harder then driving! My quads started to burn as I attacked. Throughout the hills my wattage dipped and soared and ended up peaking at 421. A girl passed me on one of the curvy descents (my weakness)...I let her go, I knew I'd be seeing her again. I always come back. A guy ended up passing me around mile 8 which was annoying because he didn't stay far ahead and I didn't want to get a drafting penalty. In the end it may have been for the best as it pushed me to keep ahead of him. I finished the bike at 36.59 - 19.5mph avg. I wanted to do at least 20 mph avg, this was a little disappointing but I suppose with the all the hills it made sense. I stayed true to my power range and ended up with a 175 average. 45% was in Z5 (200+) while 20 % Z4(180-200) and the rest was Z3-Z2 (downhill recoveries).
T2- 1:53- almost double T1, It never fails, I took a nap. Lol, in all seriousness it was putting on the stupid socks.
Run- Eh, I don't know what to say about the run. I started out pushing myself, realized I didn't like, found a comfort zone and stayed in it. This was a little disappointing. First time in a race that I have EVER settled for comfort. I'm not sure what it was. I don't know if it was because I had been injured for so long and I was afraid to push. Or that it takes my body too damn long to pick up speed running or possibly and realistically I am NOT a SPRINTER. I am an endurance athlete, I like to go long. Anywho, I found my comfort zone, settled in and enjoyed. I think a mile in I was dehydrated. I had drank 15-20 oz on the bike, but it was warm out and running under the sun w/out shade just made things worse. Plus I didn't take a salt tab. Bad Kat. There was an aid station on the looped course and I decided to douse myself in water, it felt really good. Just after this point I passed the girl who passed me on the descent. I have a habit of yelling out words of encouragement as I pass people. Thankfully my slow run wasn't THAT slow and I was able to do this a lot. I told the girl she was looking good and strong. She laughed and replied "I knew you would get me on the run." Lol, as I thought to myself, I always do. The last 800 meters I experienced a massive side crap. It was not the way I wanted to end the race. I tried to breath through it but it wouldn't go away. I managed to suck it up and sprinted the last 200 meters on the track. Run finished with a slow but study even 24:00 mins - 7:45 pace.
I was greeted by all my co-workers and my good friend Alana at the finish line. We took a few pictures and then enjoyed an oh-so yummy BBQ. Mmmmm, salmon burgers. I am truly blessed to work with such a great group of people.
Race stats
1st AG
2nd overall woman
Finishing time 1:11:50 (my goal was between 1:10-1:15 so I'm happy with this :))
Splits
Swim - 7:50 - 500 yards - PR baby, all that focus swimming while I was injured paid off!
Bike - 36:59 - 12 mile - I wanted a 35, but am happy with what I got. It was an unfamiliar course and I pushed my efforts
Run - 24:00 - 3.1 mile - Shows my lack of training and made me realize why I <3 long course so much!
*************************************************
After the BBQ and awards I drove downtown to get my LSD run in. I was going to hit the trails but since it was so pretty out I wanted to run through the inner city. I also wanted to run the path that had injured/crippled me for so long. I thought that I'd never want to run this run again but today it called me and I destroyed a mental block I had created.
85 min run - LSD pace - 8ish miles
Ugh, fatigue set in. I didn't allow enough time for digestion to finish from the BBQ. The first 30 minutes my tummy cramped. It was odd cramping, all in my obliques. After the cramping went away I felt much better, but it was still warm and as the day turned into afternoon it grew hot. My energy was taped. I think that race kicked my tail.
I ended up finishing my run day at 11 miles. This makes me happy, I think my mileage will be high enough to be able to race Pacific Crest HIM at the end of June and shoot for a PR.
As evening grew I joined some friends for a BBQ, drinks, karaoke, drunken 1am piggy back rides and Voodoo doughnuts. The sugar high from the toxic Red Bull/Vodka and doughnuts made it really hard to sleep.
Sunday - I was lazy and recovered all day :)
Friday, May 8, 2009
Fast twitch muscles - ACTIVATE
I swam on Thursday - 3000 yards, nothing special
I've got my first sprint triathlon tomorrow, not only my first sprint but my first pool triathlon. This will be interesting since A. I usually take a nap in transition and B. It takes my body a good 30-40 minutes to warm up. I'm in the 2nd to last heat wave which puts me in with the "faster" swimmers, WTF was I thinking? I'm attacking the course blindly and allowed for a one day taper :D. What long course athlete tapers for a "fun" race, let alone a sprint. But alas - my first "race" of the season - I am giddy.
Fast twitch muscles - ACTIVATE :D
I've got my first sprint triathlon tomorrow, not only my first sprint but my first pool triathlon. This will be interesting since A. I usually take a nap in transition and B. It takes my body a good 30-40 minutes to warm up. I'm in the 2nd to last heat wave which puts me in with the "faster" swimmers, WTF was I thinking? I'm attacking the course blindly and allowed for a one day taper :D. What long course athlete tapers for a "fun" race, let alone a sprint. But alas - my first "race" of the season - I am giddy.
Fast twitch muscles - ACTIVATE :D
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Swim, Bike, Run...Oh My!
Swim
Met up with Alana for an early morning swim. I tested out my new Louis Garneau blue 1 pc PowerShark tri suit. It is seriously BADASS. I look very alien like, my TT helmet will be the cherry on the Sunday. Too bad I can't rock my blue gold fish swim cap, it has a fin on top! It's very stealth :)
500 warm up - pushed it a little just to see what my sprint will feel like - 8:15. I need to hit a 8 min 500y, hopefully race adrenaline and drafting will help :)
Drills
1 x 250 buoy
1 x 250 paddles
repeat 1 more x
1 x 50 - one arm glide
1 x 50 - catch up
1 x 50 - finger drag
repeat 1 more time
1 x 200- 50 A-ok - 50 fist - 50 karate, 50 free
Main Set
10 x 100's - one the 1:45 - landed on 1:30-1:32 each time.
200 cool down.
Total yardage 3200
I was asked to write an article for my work's blogspot on triathlon. Any aspect I'd like. This is much more difficult then I thought it would be. I blog my training day in and day out and it all just flows off my finger tips. I think my problem is choosing what to write about. Also the fact that when I think about the sport I get giddy and day dream, it's hard to stay on topic. Triathlon is my passion, it is my life, it's what makes me happy and completes me. It's hard to express that in 750-1000 words. Somehow I will manage.
Evening Brick
90 min spin - I grew tired of our crap-tastic weather the weekend and decided to bike indoors. Intervals indoors are much more difficult IMO then outside.
10 min warm up
4 x 15 on the big ring - upper threshold 180-210 watts; 5 min recoveries.
Malto on the 20 - got to love me some malto :)
I then transitioned into my racing flats and went out for a 3.12 mile. I wanted to see if I had an oomph left in my run. It's been so long since I tried to make my legs go fast. I also wanted to test out going sock-less in my Nike flats. One mile in I found that to be a bad idea as the side of the shoe was cutting into my ankle. Have no fear! I threw some socks in my pocket :) Some guy passed me as I was putting on my socks. I used him as a rabbit, but he was slow so that didn't last for long. I ended up finishing a dab over 24 minutes which put my run at a 7:45 pace. I'm no longer fast, but I don't feel slow either. I still have a little "GO" left and that's nice to know. Rocked my new Louis Garneau 2pc black Power Shark. I feel like a whale in this thing. At least on the bike, but it doesn't help that I have a mirror next to my trainer (so what, I'm vain! Lol, I like checkin' out my body position :)) and this suit the my tummy bulge is apparent , not hot. But on the other hand, it's a hot suit to run in - looks very sleek and the quad compression is amazing. I'm glad I tested the suit out as I forgot Body Glide and quickly learned where I chafe, ouch.
And I leave you with my most recent batch of frozen yogurt - blueberry
Yogi time tea, take me away zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Met up with Alana for an early morning swim. I tested out my new Louis Garneau blue 1 pc PowerShark tri suit. It is seriously BADASS. I look very alien like, my TT helmet will be the cherry on the Sunday. Too bad I can't rock my blue gold fish swim cap, it has a fin on top! It's very stealth :)
500 warm up - pushed it a little just to see what my sprint will feel like - 8:15. I need to hit a 8 min 500y, hopefully race adrenaline and drafting will help :)
Drills
1 x 250 buoy
1 x 250 paddles
repeat 1 more x
1 x 50 - one arm glide
1 x 50 - catch up
1 x 50 - finger drag
repeat 1 more time
1 x 200- 50 A-ok - 50 fist - 50 karate, 50 free
Main Set
10 x 100's - one the 1:45 - landed on 1:30-1:32 each time.
200 cool down.
Total yardage 3200
I was asked to write an article for my work's blogspot on triathlon. Any aspect I'd like. This is much more difficult then I thought it would be. I blog my training day in and day out and it all just flows off my finger tips. I think my problem is choosing what to write about. Also the fact that when I think about the sport I get giddy and day dream, it's hard to stay on topic. Triathlon is my passion, it is my life, it's what makes me happy and completes me. It's hard to express that in 750-1000 words. Somehow I will manage.
Evening Brick
90 min spin - I grew tired of our crap-tastic weather the weekend and decided to bike indoors. Intervals indoors are much more difficult IMO then outside.
10 min warm up
4 x 15 on the big ring - upper threshold 180-210 watts; 5 min recoveries.
Malto on the 20 - got to love me some malto :)
I then transitioned into my racing flats and went out for a 3.12 mile. I wanted to see if I had an oomph left in my run. It's been so long since I tried to make my legs go fast. I also wanted to test out going sock-less in my Nike flats. One mile in I found that to be a bad idea as the side of the shoe was cutting into my ankle. Have no fear! I threw some socks in my pocket :) Some guy passed me as I was putting on my socks. I used him as a rabbit, but he was slow so that didn't last for long. I ended up finishing a dab over 24 minutes which put my run at a 7:45 pace. I'm no longer fast, but I don't feel slow either. I still have a little "GO" left and that's nice to know. Rocked my new Louis Garneau 2pc black Power Shark. I feel like a whale in this thing. At least on the bike, but it doesn't help that I have a mirror next to my trainer (so what, I'm vain! Lol, I like checkin' out my body position :)) and this suit the my tummy bulge is apparent , not hot. But on the other hand, it's a hot suit to run in - looks very sleek and the quad compression is amazing. I'm glad I tested the suit out as I forgot Body Glide and quickly learned where I chafe, ouch.
And I leave you with my most recent batch of frozen yogurt - blueberry
Yogi time tea, take me away zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Frozen Yogurt!
Yup, that's right, I finally did it. After several attempts I finally made a successful batch of frozen yogurt. Mmmm, it was sooooo good and guilt free, none of that HFCS crap. I used Trader Joe's non fat european style (thicker) plain yogurt, honey and fresh organic strawberries.
Michele fixed my knitting fubar- my scarf was slowly turning into a poncho as I kept adding knots. But alas I am back to a scarf and this time I'm going to do it right! Look at me becoming domesticated!
Next thing you know I might actually date.....ahahahaha! Don't hold your breath :)
Monday, May 4, 2009
Rain, lots and lots of rain
Somehow I woke up at 4:35 - 10 minutes before my alarm went off. With 7.5 hours of sleep I was well rested. My body did some massive recovery work when I slept as when I woke up my legs felt really good! I jumped on the bike and did an easy 75 min recovery spin. My power meter has been giving a low battery warning for some time now, today it decided not to read - time to replace the battery. I suppose it was a good thing going without power. Sometimes seeing a low wattage number can be depressing, even if it's supposed to be that low - IE recovery. I utilized HR instead of wattage for today's spin and kept a nice and easy 135 bpm. Legs felt really good after.
MASSIVE headache all day. I've had a knot in the back of my neck since my ride on Saturday. I really need to work it out as it's rather annoying and painful.
It rained all day. Not light and showery but hard and aggressive, it came down in sheets. I watched it pour down from my desk throughout the day. I smiled and at times would drift off dreaming about my trail run that would come after work. I was looking forward to running in the mud. I didn't really dress/plan for the weather. In my bag I had a pair of split shorts and a Sugoi tank. As long as I kept my HR up I wouldn't get cold, and I'm not afraid of the mud or getting wet. It's funny that after not being able to run for so long that even the crappiest conditions can make one giddy :)
Evening trail run -55 mins - 5 miles through hills, mud and massive amounts of rain.
I don't think I've ever ran in so much rain before, it was seriously dumping on me and I LOVED it. The first 5-10 minutes were a little hard. I had to push it to get my HR elevated to keep warm. I run on the high side, within 10 minutes I was soaking wet pushing a 175 hr and glowing with a runners high. Up and down each hill I went, slipping, sliding and jumping through the mud puddles. I almost lost my shoe on several occasions. I am SO HAPPY to RUN again! It almost makes want to cry for joy.
I recovered with badass hard cider, pizza and good friend at the PDX tri club meeting. Lots of my friends had PRs this weekend racing Wildflower HIM and the Eugene Marathon - I feel so proud to be friends with such an amazing group of people. You guys/girls seriously rock!
MASSIVE headache all day. I've had a knot in the back of my neck since my ride on Saturday. I really need to work it out as it's rather annoying and painful.
It rained all day. Not light and showery but hard and aggressive, it came down in sheets. I watched it pour down from my desk throughout the day. I smiled and at times would drift off dreaming about my trail run that would come after work. I was looking forward to running in the mud. I didn't really dress/plan for the weather. In my bag I had a pair of split shorts and a Sugoi tank. As long as I kept my HR up I wouldn't get cold, and I'm not afraid of the mud or getting wet. It's funny that after not being able to run for so long that even the crappiest conditions can make one giddy :)
Evening trail run -55 mins - 5 miles through hills, mud and massive amounts of rain.
I don't think I've ever ran in so much rain before, it was seriously dumping on me and I LOVED it. The first 5-10 minutes were a little hard. I had to push it to get my HR elevated to keep warm. I run on the high side, within 10 minutes I was soaking wet pushing a 175 hr and glowing with a runners high. Up and down each hill I went, slipping, sliding and jumping through the mud puddles. I almost lost my shoe on several occasions. I am SO HAPPY to RUN again! It almost makes want to cry for joy.
I recovered with badass hard cider, pizza and good friend at the PDX tri club meeting. Lots of my friends had PRs this weekend racing Wildflower HIM and the Eugene Marathon - I feel so proud to be friends with such an amazing group of people. You guys/girls seriously rock!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Running, swimming and a little pampering
My body felt ok riding, it felt ok after riding.....12 hours later it did not feel ok. I woke up mid-slumber to twitching legs. I stood up and had a massive knot in my neck, shoulders were tight and my legs almost collapsed from under me. Can't forget to mention my elbow and knee are bruised, cut and swollen.
Oh joy, training tomorrow will be so enjoyable.....I went back to bed.
Woke up for the day and thought to myself "Coffee, good breakfast, take care of things around the house. Abuse my body even more with the foam roller and stick. Finish up with ice and pilates. IF I feel better I will train today, if not I will recover all day."
Good food, good massage and stretching and I felt pretty good. Good enough to drive up to Wildwood to go for a 90 minute trail run. Wildwood was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shinning through the trees and the trail was muddy. Mud is so much fun, I ran through it feeling like I was a kid again in my pink rubber boots stopping through puddles. I LOVE muddy trail runs. Another pain free run to add to my training log :) Oddly enough my knee and elbow are still pretty swollen from my fall yesterday, but my knee did not hurt at all during the run. I iced after just to make sure everything stayed pain free.
Off to swim
Swim
5 x 500s - 8:30-8:45; these were slow, I had no desire to go fast. I grew tired and my neck and upper body was uber sore from the bike ride the day before.
After a long weekend of a lot of rain, mud and hard training I decided to pamper myself with hair appointment. The scalp and hand massage was euphoric.
Oh joy, training tomorrow will be so enjoyable.....I went back to bed.
Woke up for the day and thought to myself "Coffee, good breakfast, take care of things around the house. Abuse my body even more with the foam roller and stick. Finish up with ice and pilates. IF I feel better I will train today, if not I will recover all day."
Good food, good massage and stretching and I felt pretty good. Good enough to drive up to Wildwood to go for a 90 minute trail run. Wildwood was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shinning through the trees and the trail was muddy. Mud is so much fun, I ran through it feeling like I was a kid again in my pink rubber boots stopping through puddles. I LOVE muddy trail runs. Another pain free run to add to my training log :) Oddly enough my knee and elbow are still pretty swollen from my fall yesterday, but my knee did not hurt at all during the run. I iced after just to make sure everything stayed pain free.
Off to swim
Swim
5 x 500s - 8:30-8:45; these were slow, I had no desire to go fast. I grew tired and my neck and upper body was uber sore from the bike ride the day before.
After a long weekend of a lot of rain, mud and hard training I decided to pamper myself with hair appointment. The scalp and hand massage was euphoric.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
112 miles later
A new PR in a number of ways ☺
Goals
1. Do my first century alone – mission accomplished
2. Have successful nutrition that will work for IM – mission accomplished
3. Run after ride - failure
Let me paint a picture for you –
RACC Century – 100 miles with 4800 ft elevation gain. Weatherman predicts rain all day. All of my friends are out racing the HIM I had to withdraw from (stupid fracture!) or the Eugene half or full marathon the next day, which I couldn’t do either (stupid fracture!) Instead of wallowing in my own self pity which I have a habit of doing on the occasion I decided to do the century ride, alone, by myself.
I woke up at 3 am to the wind howling and rain hitting my bedroom window; this was not a good sign.
5 am I got up the good. Went out side, yup still raining. I made a massive yummy breakfast, I knew it would be the last solid food I would have for a very long time. Loaded up the car and I was off. I was scared, nervous, confident and excited all at the same time.
Mile 1-40
This was a good time for me. I started out easy, well you know what? I never really went hard but back to going easy. I chit-chatted with some local triathletes and 2 dudes that were riding single speeds. The single speed dudes ended up doing the century; lord knows how they managed to get up those last two hills. It rained a lot in the beginning. I dressed well and that kept me warm, but I still got wet.
The first aid station was at mile 40, I roll in and I hear a “Woohoo! We have out first girl”. Go me! The early bird gets the worm. Lol, really all I got was a banana and some water for my malto/salt tabs. One of the bike mechanics came over and pumped up my tire, turns out it had flattened out to 20 psi. Oops. Throughout the rest of the ride I never really noticed it going flat, but when I finished you could visibly see it was pretty low.
Mile 40-50
This was another good bout. I’m keeping on my nutrition and intensity and every thing is happy go lucky – as it can be in the rain.
Mile 50-62
Everything goes to SHIT! I miss a right hand turn on Yukaton Rd? I end up climbing up some nasty, insane hills. They never %#^^@#ing ended. 5-6 miles in I knew I had gotten lost. I hadn’t seen a marker (we had street markers painted) in a long time. I knew there was a problem when I’d come to a split in the road and there was no direction. I couldn’t find myself on the map either. %^#$%#^@!!!!!! The next oh say hour 15 was a mental mind F%#&. Not only was I dazed and confused on location but I was all alone. No other riders, not many drivers and was worried about nutrition. Upon departing the 40 mile aid station I had 800 kcal in my bottles and 40 oz of pure water. As time went on things were running low. Finally I came across a car and waved it down. The guy gave me directions to get back into town and I was on my way again.
Mile 62-89
On the road again – so happy to be on the right road again. Getting back on the route was such a relief. My worry now went from being lost to nutrition. I had about 25 miles to go to the next aid station, 240 kcal and a GU to hold me over. I think I still had 20 or so oz of water. If I spaced it out right and took it easy as I had been I’d be ok. For like 15 miles I really had to pee. This was a good piece of mind, it showed that I was hydrated….yet at the same time it was really annoying. I couldn’t wait until the next aid station. I was out in the middle of the country, in no-mans land so I just found some tree to hide in and squat. Note to self, look before you squat. I brushed my leg by stinging nettle. My quad burned for the next few hours. Between these miles I contemplated asking the SAG wagon to drive me back when I got to the aid station. I would have been at 90 miles, I still wanted to run and I had no intentions of doing 112 – not to mention the 1000 or more ft of climbing I did in those 12 miles I got lost. Again, can I just say NIGHTMARE? I contemplated this back and forth for miles on end.
Mile 89-112 (that’s right)
I reached the aid station, at last! Filled up my bottles with more water for the malto, grabbed a few chocolate covered espresso beans (heavenly) and a banana and I was on my way again. Only 23 more miles…that’s all. I caught up to a few riders and chatted for a bit. It was nice to have some company; I realized I only like myself for so long. It started to rain again and it rained hard. The winds picked up too. At one point I was sure the wind was going to knock me right off my bike. I did not need this right now. The RACC has these 2 hills at the end of the ride, it’s really not right that they add them at the end. One is long and steep, climb up out of your saddle steep and the other is short and steep, but it’s around the corner and it never fails to surprise me. I don’t know how the hell I climbed up both of those hills but I did. In fact my energy for the whole ride was pretty decent. My nutrition was on point, no problems besides needing to pee (and getting stung by the nettle, WTF?). 5 miles left and the rain let up, I started to feel good again. Ok, I can still run after all is said and done. 2 miles to go and I miss a turn. I turn around to check the marker and my bike drifts out from under me and I fall on my knee (fractured leg), elbow and hip. F%^#!!!!! AND I was stuck clipped in my bike. I couldn’t twist my leg to unclip. Thankfully some guys saw me fall and ran over to help. He was able to twist my ankle and get me unclipped. I tore open my knee and my elbow. It hurt but at that point not much could faze me. I decided I probably shouldn’t run, as I had landed on the leg with the healing fracture. Hopefully I didn’t do any further damage, it doesn’t hurt right now. I rolled back to the start and reached my car. Thankfully it was over. That $%^# was hard, how in the hell am I going to do an IM? As I I’m putting my bike away it starts pouring. Seriously down pouring, harder then anything I rode in all day. I got in my car, drank my recovery drink and slumped into my heated seat as I watched the downpour and the wind howl. I drove down the street to recover with a Burgerville cheeseburger – kid sized – my favorite. I ran into another triathlete at the Burgerville drive in that I had briefly ridden with earlier in the day, we just looked at each other and sky and could tell we were both like “glad it’s over”. I sat in my car eating my cheeseburger as the radio announced a severe weather warning for the area. Wind gusts 50-60 mph, thunder and lighting, speak of the devil, down came the lighting and thunder. THANK GOD IT’S OVER.
As I got back into town the sky opened up and the sun gleamed down upon me. I did it. I did 112 miles 6000+ ft of climbing. My body doesn’t hurt; my nutrition was on point. For every low I had a high, isn’t that what IM is about?
Max wattage 406/ avg wattage 136
7 hours and 40 minutes - way too %^$%^#ing long
Friday, May 1, 2009
Anchored swim
Eh, I woke up to dead weights for legs. DOMS set in from my trail from the night before. I've always found running to be so humbling.
AM swim
500 - warm up ( I swear my legs were hitting the pool floor)
1 x 250 buoy; 10
1 x 250 paddles; 10
repeat 1 more x
Main Set
1 x 200 (100 hard/100 easy - positive split); 20
1 x 200 (50 easy/ 100 hard/ 50 easy - even split); 20
1 x 200 (100 easy/ 100 hard - positive split); 20
repeat 2 more x
easy 200 cool down
Total yardage -3,500
Carbo loaded on sushi in the evening. Looking forward to the century/brick tomorrow. Send good weather vibes my way.
AM swim
500 - warm up ( I swear my legs were hitting the pool floor)
1 x 250 buoy; 10
1 x 250 paddles; 10
repeat 1 more x
Main Set
1 x 200 (100 hard/100 easy - positive split); 20
1 x 200 (50 easy/ 100 hard/ 50 easy - even split); 20
1 x 200 (100 easy/ 100 hard - positive split); 20
repeat 2 more x
easy 200 cool down
Total yardage -3,500
Carbo loaded on sushi in the evening. Looking forward to the century/brick tomorrow. Send good weather vibes my way.
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