So obviously I haven't been on this here bloggity blog since I last posted back in what, June? Oops. Came back on a random whim and saw I had comments from forever ago ... *smiles sheepishly*
Well, given that in JUNE I had a 50 day tri countdown, ze tri has come and past. I did blog about the race results on my other blog that I update a lot more frequently and share with my boyfriend.
Besides, Amber and Gen never really did post over here anyway.
BUT. If by some chance you, future faceless reader, find your way over here and are curious on how I did in my second tri ever ... go to my other blog. I'll even link the posts here:
initial thoughts
official posty post
entry with official photos i stole from fotojack
So, thanks for stopping by *waves* and you might see me again on here.
Maybe.
We'll see.
I would like to add, however, that I am not going to stop tri-ing it. I'm not sure if I'm going to do the Tri for the Cure again (maybe as a relay with some friends), but other tris? For sure.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Countdown: 50
Only 50 days left until the 2008 Tri for the Cure ... and I'm the only one that marginally cares about the blog. As far as I know, Amber's still in - I know she has a road bike and has been riding it to work, but I don't know about the rest of her training. Gen, due to boyfriend issues (that is, john's joining the navy), will actually not be racing this year. Boo.
Anyway, training on my end hit a snag in early June - my training buddy (that is, boyfriend) got in a small wreck while we were out on a ride and then I got a blister on the top of my toe that prevented me from running. Since then, however, we've been good. This week alone was:
- swimming
- off
- running
- swimming/lifting
- cycling (28 miles!)
- running (today)
Tomorrow is 5K #3 of the season (with #4 coming up on wednesday).
In talking with Brandon, I think we want to run three times a week, lift at least twice, swim two-three times and bike two-three times a week. I may have to change this around a bit when Brandon starts ground school for work at the end of the month, but we'll try to keep it going as long as possible.
Happy training, everyone ...
Anyway, training on my end hit a snag in early June - my training buddy (that is, boyfriend) got in a small wreck while we were out on a ride and then I got a blister on the top of my toe that prevented me from running. Since then, however, we've been good. This week alone was:
- swimming
- off
- running
- swimming/lifting
- cycling (28 miles!)
- running (today)
Tomorrow is 5K #3 of the season (with #4 coming up on wednesday).
In talking with Brandon, I think we want to run three times a week, lift at least twice, swim two-three times and bike two-three times a week. I may have to change this around a bit when Brandon starts ground school for work at the end of the month, but we'll try to keep it going as long as possible.
Happy training, everyone ...
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Countdown: 78
I think from now on, my titles will just be the number of days left.
In any case, I've decided on a few major things as far as the tri goes:
1.) I'm getting a road bike. The parents have agreed to chip in with me on one as an EARLY birthday present (getting it on my b-day would give me only a mere 29 days to get used to training on it as opposed to the hopeful 77). The lucky winner looks to be the gorgeous (and economical!) Trek 1.2 WSD. Isn't it pretty? I also, you know, enjoy the ride and the feel to it. At one bike store to get a feel for size I tried out the Specialized Ruby Elite which was AWESOME, but just a tad out of my price range in that it was DOUBLE what I'm looking to spend. Erg.
2.) I've made a radical decision in terms of my swimming. Last time I swam, Thursday, I did a total of 500 meters. The first 400 were alternating between freestyle crawl and breaststroke (so training like last year), with the first 125 done without stopping ... well, except for the pauses at each end of the pool 'cuz I can't do flip turns. ANYWAY, I also decided to do the last 150m breaststroke and without stopping - which ended up being a lot easier than the first 125m, despite it being at the end of my pool time.
Therefore, I came to a dilemna that ended up being detailed in my other workout blog that basically came down to ... since I ended up doing last year's tri swim almost entirely with breaststroke, do I train with that since it's my stronger stroke even though it's technically less efficient, or do I continue attempting to get stronger with the crawl?
In discussions with the boyfriend, we decided that, given that time is a factor (those 78 days and everything), I'm going to train primarily swimming breaststroke to get stronger and gain more endurance with that stroke (important!) - something I really wasn't getting with the alternating stroke training method. Part of that was because it's kind of difficult to switch strokes in the middle of a body of water - especially one you're not quite sure of when it comes to its depth. So, if I swim three days a week (goal), two days will be entirely breaststroke while day three will involve both strokes. Then, after the tri, I can try to improve on my freestyle crawl for the next race.
Happy training, everyone ...
In any case, I've decided on a few major things as far as the tri goes:
1.) I'm getting a road bike. The parents have agreed to chip in with me on one as an EARLY birthday present (getting it on my b-day would give me only a mere 29 days to get used to training on it as opposed to the hopeful 77). The lucky winner looks to be the gorgeous (and economical!) Trek 1.2 WSD. Isn't it pretty? I also, you know, enjoy the ride and the feel to it. At one bike store to get a feel for size I tried out the Specialized Ruby Elite which was AWESOME, but just a tad out of my price range in that it was DOUBLE what I'm looking to spend. Erg.
2.) I've made a radical decision in terms of my swimming. Last time I swam, Thursday, I did a total of 500 meters. The first 400 were alternating between freestyle crawl and breaststroke (so training like last year), with the first 125 done without stopping ... well, except for the pauses at each end of the pool 'cuz I can't do flip turns. ANYWAY, I also decided to do the last 150m breaststroke and without stopping - which ended up being a lot easier than the first 125m, despite it being at the end of my pool time.
Therefore, I came to a dilemna that ended up being detailed in my other workout blog that basically came down to ... since I ended up doing last year's tri swim almost entirely with breaststroke, do I train with that since it's my stronger stroke even though it's technically less efficient, or do I continue attempting to get stronger with the crawl?
In discussions with the boyfriend, we decided that, given that time is a factor (those 78 days and everything), I'm going to train primarily swimming breaststroke to get stronger and gain more endurance with that stroke (important!) - something I really wasn't getting with the alternating stroke training method. Part of that was because it's kind of difficult to switch strokes in the middle of a body of water - especially one you're not quite sure of when it comes to its depth. So, if I swim three days a week (goal), two days will be entirely breaststroke while day three will involve both strokes. Then, after the tri, I can try to improve on my freestyle crawl for the next race.
Happy training, everyone ...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Reality Check
So in my late-night ponderings last night, I came to a scary realization in that this year's tri is about two and a half months away.
Two. and. a. half. months. To be exact, 80 days away.
80.
Days.
Scary, isn't it? I'm trying to think of my progress now from where I was at this point last year and it's not all that comforting. I can swim better than I could last year at this point, but I also don't swim nearly enough. I'm going tonight which is good and hopefully I can start going two to three times a week, varying up the workouts I do while I'm in the pool.
I'm regularly running more now than I was last year (thanks, boyfriend!), but in terms of pace, I'm actually slower. I completed a 5K on May 11, running the whole way, but my time was a good 2 minutes slower than it was during the 5K I ran all the way last year on May 5. Still, given that I'm running more at this point than I was last year gives me a lot of hope.
In terms of cycling, this is where I might be screwed ... in part because I don't have a functional bike (thanks, gen's boyfriend). I'd really like to get a road bike for my birthday, but if I get it then, I'll only have 29 days until the tri to get used to it and train hard on it - MUCH later than I'd prefer. Which means, get my old bike fixed and hope it doesn't take too long. And hope that wheels aren't that expensive. Erg. That, or hope John's still willing to fork out some dough for it. Either way ...
I also want to lift a lot more this year than I did last year - I wasn't lifting that much during training - just pure cardio. While that isn't technically the worst thing to do, I think lifting more will aid me as well.
Really, all I think I need to do is tell myself to breathe. My boyfriend, Brandon, (whom i also share my other blog with) is moving out here and says he'll become my training buddy and push me - which I really need. Hopefully I can coordinate some time with Amber to go on some rides (or find a bike for brandon to use) and we should be good ... right?
Two. and. a. half. months. To be exact, 80 days away.
80.
Days.
Scary, isn't it? I'm trying to think of my progress now from where I was at this point last year and it's not all that comforting. I can swim better than I could last year at this point, but I also don't swim nearly enough. I'm going tonight which is good and hopefully I can start going two to three times a week, varying up the workouts I do while I'm in the pool.
I'm regularly running more now than I was last year (thanks, boyfriend!), but in terms of pace, I'm actually slower. I completed a 5K on May 11, running the whole way, but my time was a good 2 minutes slower than it was during the 5K I ran all the way last year on May 5. Still, given that I'm running more at this point than I was last year gives me a lot of hope.
In terms of cycling, this is where I might be screwed ... in part because I don't have a functional bike (thanks, gen's boyfriend). I'd really like to get a road bike for my birthday, but if I get it then, I'll only have 29 days until the tri to get used to it and train hard on it - MUCH later than I'd prefer. Which means, get my old bike fixed and hope it doesn't take too long. And hope that wheels aren't that expensive. Erg. That, or hope John's still willing to fork out some dough for it. Either way ...
I also want to lift a lot more this year than I did last year - I wasn't lifting that much during training - just pure cardio. While that isn't technically the worst thing to do, I think lifting more will aid me as well.
Really, all I think I need to do is tell myself to breathe. My boyfriend, Brandon, (whom i also share my other blog with) is moving out here and says he'll become my training buddy and push me - which I really need. Hopefully I can coordinate some time with Amber to go on some rides (or find a bike for brandon to use) and we should be good ... right?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
One Off the List
So training has been bad lately, but hockey playoffs/postseason will do that to me - too much time working, not enough time doing anything else. Seriously. I haven't even done my taxes yet.
In any case, I did get one thing that should help my transitions down - a two-piece tri suit (tank and shorts). Granted, one goal for this year was figure out a way to chop transitions down WITHOUT buying a tri suit, but I got a good deal on the stuff. We had a coupon and a dividend to use at REI, so I ended up getting $125 worth of crap for just under $60. I'll take that. Top's a little small, but I'm also a little pudgy right now. I also felt that going one size up wouldn't support my small boobs well enough when running. In any case, I figure I have until August to worry about it. ;)
Happy training, everyone!
In any case, I did get one thing that should help my transitions down - a two-piece tri suit (tank and shorts). Granted, one goal for this year was figure out a way to chop transitions down WITHOUT buying a tri suit, but I got a good deal on the stuff. We had a coupon and a dividend to use at REI, so I ended up getting $125 worth of crap for just under $60. I'll take that. Top's a little small, but I'm also a little pudgy right now. I also felt that going one size up wouldn't support my small boobs well enough when running. In any case, I figure I have until August to worry about it. ;)
Happy training, everyone!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I Am Training.
Since I have another workout blog going I probably won't be updating this all that much, but I'll try when I do tri-related training. That, or a weekly/bi-monthly update. Something like that.
In any case, I'm starting to run again, as difficult as it might be. I'm sticking with it, knowing that it was a pain in the ass getting into running last year and if I just stick with it, I'll be good. I haven't swam in a few weeks, but I hope to sometime this week - perhaps tomorrow. We'll see. As for the cycling portion ... well, I still haven't done anything with my mangled bike and don't bike much at the gym except for my usual 10 minute warm-up on the recumbent bike. Still, since I know I need to bike more, I hopped on the stationary today for 20 minutes (7.2 miles) instead. Go me!
Granted, the level was lower than what I was doing last spring/summer, but I'm easing myself back into it.
In other things related to the 2008 Tri for the Cure, Gen has recruited a few more people to race with us TAG girls, so we'll have a big ol' party. :) Hopefully I can direct some of them over to ze blog ...
In any case, I'm starting to run again, as difficult as it might be. I'm sticking with it, knowing that it was a pain in the ass getting into running last year and if I just stick with it, I'll be good. I haven't swam in a few weeks, but I hope to sometime this week - perhaps tomorrow. We'll see. As for the cycling portion ... well, I still haven't done anything with my mangled bike and don't bike much at the gym except for my usual 10 minute warm-up on the recumbent bike. Still, since I know I need to bike more, I hopped on the stationary today for 20 minutes (7.2 miles) instead. Go me!
Granted, the level was lower than what I was doing last spring/summer, but I'm easing myself back into it.
In other things related to the 2008 Tri for the Cure, Gen has recruited a few more people to race with us TAG girls, so we'll have a big ol' party. :) Hopefully I can direct some of them over to ze blog ...
Monday, February 11, 2008
T Is Back In
Well, I'm registered once again. At least, I should be if the stupid site loads.
Now, on to training!
Now, on to training!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Tri 2008
Well, they've announced the 2008 Tri for the Cure and it looks like TAG is signing up for it again. I know Amber already has signed up, Gen's planning on it and I will as soon as I get some money (so hopefully by the end of this month).
I've been off the horse lately from working out, but as the February training schedule is up on the official site, I may just start doing that instead of the random "I'll do whatever I want" thing when I'm at the gym. I'll probably do different weights than what their schedule says because I've got my own, different regimen (that i like better), but y'know.
Goals for this year:
- Chop 17:22 off my time to finish in 1:30:00. This is the ideal; if I get anywhere close to this I'll be happy.
- Get a new bike. I <3 my bike, but really, I'd like a better tri bike.
- Get my swimming OODLES better. That was my weak point last year.
- Build up endurance.
- Figure out a way to have faster transitions without buying a tri suit.
I've been off the horse lately from working out, but as the February training schedule is up on the official site, I may just start doing that instead of the random "I'll do whatever I want" thing when I'm at the gym. I'll probably do different weights than what their schedule says because I've got my own, different regimen (that i like better), but y'know.
Goals for this year:
- Chop 17:22 off my time to finish in 1:30:00. This is the ideal; if I get anywhere close to this I'll be happy.
- Get a new bike. I <3 my bike, but really, I'd like a better tri bike.
- Get my swimming OODLES better. That was my weak point last year.
- Build up endurance.
- Figure out a way to have faster transitions without buying a tri suit.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
The Breakdown
Okay, now that the race results are officially in, I can share my breakdown (and, i'll also share amber's and gen's since they SUCK and never update this).
So, me:
1430th overall
95th in my age group (20-24)
21:06 swim (1781st overall)
7:07 first transition
43:19 bike (1357th overall; 15.7 mph)
3:41 second transition
32:07 run (1069th overall; 10:21 splits)
1:47:22 overall.
Amber:
2178th overall
127th in the age group (same)
17:34 swim (876th overall ... i hate her ... just kidding!)
8:16 first transition
54:22 bike (2391st overall; 12.5 mph)
5:46 second transition
39:14 run (1968th overall; 12:39 splits)
2:05:15 overall
Gen:
2398th overall
137th in the age group (same)
33:23 swim (2586th overall)
8:33 first transition
48:13 bike (2017th overall; 14.1 mph)
4:35 second transition
42:11 run (2207th overall; 13:36 splits)
2:16:56 overall
We. Are. Awesome! :)
So, me:
1430th overall
95th in my age group (20-24)
21:06 swim (1781st overall)
7:07 first transition
43:19 bike (1357th overall; 15.7 mph)
3:41 second transition
32:07 run (1069th overall; 10:21 splits)
1:47:22 overall.
Amber:
2178th overall
127th in the age group (same)
17:34 swim (876th overall ... i hate her ... just kidding!)
8:16 first transition
54:22 bike (2391st overall; 12.5 mph)
5:46 second transition
39:14 run (1968th overall; 12:39 splits)
2:05:15 overall
Gen:
2398th overall
137th in the age group (same)
33:23 swim (2586th overall)
8:33 first transition
48:13 bike (2017th overall; 14.1 mph)
4:35 second transition
42:11 run (2207th overall; 13:36 splits)
2:16:56 overall
We. Are. Awesome! :)
WOOOOOO!!!!!
Oh. My. God. That was totally freaking awesome! Finishing that race was the biggest endorphin rush EVER.
*takes a deep breath*
Okay. So we'll start out from last night. My brother just moved into a new house so he had a little party (obviously the night before i have a race. figures ...). I went, being the good sister that I am, though I avoided the beer that was calling out to me. My original intention was to only stay about a half-hour.
Riiiight. Three hours later, I'm heading home. I figure that going to bed by 11:30 wasn't all that bad because that's what I usually do. Therefore, keeping with routine, right? That's what I thought.
Anyway, finally rolled out of bed this morning at 4:30ish, ate breakfast, got my stuff all together ... and learned that Gen and I were not carpooling together. This was an issue because my bike really doesn't fit in my car. I somehow got the wheels off and the bike jammed in my car, but when I got to the parking lot, I couldn't get my back wheel back on or my brakes to go back together (both small little issues). Some kind souls in the car next to me got my back wheel back on (getting hands full of chain grease for their trouble; i felt bad), I somehow got my back brake connected again ... but my stupid front brake wasn't going back together. By this point, I'd been at the parking lot for about 45 minutes and really should have been setting up my spot in the transition zone.
When Gen and her boyfriend John finally arrived, I met up with them and John thankfully was able to put my front brake back together. I quickly hopped on the bike, it seemed to work - good enough for me. Met up with Amber in the transition zone, squashed my stuff next to hers, warmed up ... I felt ready to go after that stupid bike fiasco.
At 8:20am, Amber and I went in our heat (gen was 4 minutes earlier). First up: swimming. For next time, I know that THIS is something I need to work on. It's fun being kicked every now and then, but you can't really get away from the person kicking you without getting too far off course or stopping yourself. I also ended up doing the breaststroke pretty much the entire way, keeping my head above water (so totally not how i had practiced). Had to stop and use the swim angels once to clear out my goggles (seeing is good), though I almost stopped one other time because I was having a mini asthma/anxiety attack. Still, survived the swim (in supposedly, i found out later, 21 minutes ... though i kinda don't believe it (championchip be damned)).
After a long (7 minute!) transition, I hopped on the bike for the shortened (stupid construction - cut the bike course by a mile) bike course. I ended up making up a lot of ground on the bike course, feeling good enough to scream and yell support at pretty much everyone I passed (yeah, i'm that crazy kid). I was a little concerned 'cuz my bike was squeaking something fierce, but I got through it totally fine. My legs burned at a few points, but overall, it was an easier 11.4 miles than I had been doing on the C/E-470 trail. Still, my poor bike gets a tune-up this week just to be safe.
Next up: 3.1 mile run ... which by itself wouldn't be so bad for me right now, but after all that other crap? Yeeeah, I ended up walking probably half of it. I did have an advantage by not having bike shoes though - much quicker transition. Though I put my watch on after the swim, I never really looked at it until I was on the running course. At that point, I realized that I was still on pace for my goal of finishing under two hours. As I just mentioned like two sentences ago, I ended up walking probably about half (made sure i alternated), although it probably would have been less had it not been for my feet (stupid blisters). Still, I had enough in the tank for a nice sprint finish and apparently a time of 1:47:22! WOOOO!
My entire body was covered in sweat and I was totally nasty and disgusting, but damn that was awesome.
I don't know if I'm now hooked on triathlons, but doing this race (or a similar one) is definitely something I'll consider again.
*takes a deep breath*
Okay. So we'll start out from last night. My brother just moved into a new house so he had a little party (obviously the night before i have a race. figures ...). I went, being the good sister that I am, though I avoided the beer that was calling out to me. My original intention was to only stay about a half-hour.
Riiiight. Three hours later, I'm heading home. I figure that going to bed by 11:30 wasn't all that bad because that's what I usually do. Therefore, keeping with routine, right? That's what I thought.
Anyway, finally rolled out of bed this morning at 4:30ish, ate breakfast, got my stuff all together ... and learned that Gen and I were not carpooling together. This was an issue because my bike really doesn't fit in my car. I somehow got the wheels off and the bike jammed in my car, but when I got to the parking lot, I couldn't get my back wheel back on or my brakes to go back together (both small little issues). Some kind souls in the car next to me got my back wheel back on (getting hands full of chain grease for their trouble; i felt bad), I somehow got my back brake connected again ... but my stupid front brake wasn't going back together. By this point, I'd been at the parking lot for about 45 minutes and really should have been setting up my spot in the transition zone.
When Gen and her boyfriend John finally arrived, I met up with them and John thankfully was able to put my front brake back together. I quickly hopped on the bike, it seemed to work - good enough for me. Met up with Amber in the transition zone, squashed my stuff next to hers, warmed up ... I felt ready to go after that stupid bike fiasco.
At 8:20am, Amber and I went in our heat (gen was 4 minutes earlier). First up: swimming. For next time, I know that THIS is something I need to work on. It's fun being kicked every now and then, but you can't really get away from the person kicking you without getting too far off course or stopping yourself. I also ended up doing the breaststroke pretty much the entire way, keeping my head above water (so totally not how i had practiced). Had to stop and use the swim angels once to clear out my goggles (seeing is good), though I almost stopped one other time because I was having a mini asthma/anxiety attack. Still, survived the swim (in supposedly, i found out later, 21 minutes ... though i kinda don't believe it (championchip be damned)).
After a long (7 minute!) transition, I hopped on the bike for the shortened (stupid construction - cut the bike course by a mile) bike course. I ended up making up a lot of ground on the bike course, feeling good enough to scream and yell support at pretty much everyone I passed (yeah, i'm that crazy kid). I was a little concerned 'cuz my bike was squeaking something fierce, but I got through it totally fine. My legs burned at a few points, but overall, it was an easier 11.4 miles than I had been doing on the C/E-470 trail. Still, my poor bike gets a tune-up this week just to be safe.
Next up: 3.1 mile run ... which by itself wouldn't be so bad for me right now, but after all that other crap? Yeeeah, I ended up walking probably half of it. I did have an advantage by not having bike shoes though - much quicker transition. Though I put my watch on after the swim, I never really looked at it until I was on the running course. At that point, I realized that I was still on pace for my goal of finishing under two hours. As I just mentioned like two sentences ago, I ended up walking probably about half (made sure i alternated), although it probably would have been less had it not been for my feet (stupid blisters). Still, I had enough in the tank for a nice sprint finish and apparently a time of 1:47:22! WOOOO!
My entire body was covered in sweat and I was totally nasty and disgusting, but damn that was awesome.
I don't know if I'm now hooked on triathlons, but doing this race (or a similar one) is definitely something I'll consider again.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
FIVE, Four, Three, Two ...
Only five days left; can you believe it?
... I can't believe I'm the only one posting in this thing, that's what I can't believe. :-p
Anyway, I'm very unsure as to how I feel about this. Gen and I did an open water swim on Sunday at the Cherry Creek swim beach. While getting the open water experience was good, there were some downsides. Basic things learned:
- Swimming in really shallow water sucks, especially when you're kinda tall.
- I. Hate. Seaweed. I know I'm going to swim into some and have to stop and rip it all away from my head/face before I continue on Sunday ...
- Murky water is really a little scary at first, but not so bad after a while.
- Swimming through boat wakes sucks also since for a few seconds, it feels like you're not moving anywhere.
The tri will be in a different part of the park, but I'm thinking that the water will probably be much of the same, just deeper.
We missed Amber that day, but she did a bit of the same swimming, plus the bike course. Apparently it's a little hilly, but doable. A trainer at work who is also doing the tri has done the bike and running course and said the same thing. Luckily all I do is bike and run hills since that's all there is around here.
I heard from Gen yesterday she did a mock-tri at (i'm guessing) the hospital gym, just to know she could finish. I had been thinking of doing something similar, but a.) I'd want to do it outside, since biking and running inside is SO much different than outside for me and b.) I'd heard that doing a full mock wasn't a good idea. However, at this point, I kinda figure, "whatever works," so yeah.
Today I did my first mini brick workout (a little late in the game, i know). Biked for 11.5 mi and then did a quick jog around the block (.4 mi). The jog was a lot shorter than I'd have liked it to have been, but all I really wanted to do was get a feel for it ... because it's really actually kinda weird.
The schedule for the rest of the week is tentatively looking like so: swim tomorrow morning, run tomorrow night, small bike and probably yoga on Thursday, hockey Friday night and only a nice walk on Saturday. I figure that should be good enough. My original thought was to take Friday completely off, but really, I like my hockey and have been trying to get back into that as well.
Still, I'm a little apprehensive since my body isn't particularly built (well, muscles still aren't trained) for endurance and a triathlon is all about endurance. My legs really wanted to crap out on me at several points on the bike today and that was all by itself - no swim beforehand and only a miniscule run after. I'm also hoping the sports asthma won't be a problem since I had some slight issues with that on the bike as well. I guess we'll see, but I know myself well enough to know that I won't be able to definitively say for sure how I'm going to do until I wake up Sunday morning and see how I feel. If I feel good, I know I'll be fine (see: race around the rez). If I don't feel good, or wake up late and get a bad start (not-blogged about race on the fourth because it was CRAP), I may be in for a long day.
... I can't believe I'm the only one posting in this thing, that's what I can't believe. :-p
Anyway, I'm very unsure as to how I feel about this. Gen and I did an open water swim on Sunday at the Cherry Creek swim beach. While getting the open water experience was good, there were some downsides. Basic things learned:
- Swimming in really shallow water sucks, especially when you're kinda tall.
- I. Hate. Seaweed. I know I'm going to swim into some and have to stop and rip it all away from my head/face before I continue on Sunday ...
- Murky water is really a little scary at first, but not so bad after a while.
- Swimming through boat wakes sucks also since for a few seconds, it feels like you're not moving anywhere.
The tri will be in a different part of the park, but I'm thinking that the water will probably be much of the same, just deeper.
We missed Amber that day, but she did a bit of the same swimming, plus the bike course. Apparently it's a little hilly, but doable. A trainer at work who is also doing the tri has done the bike and running course and said the same thing. Luckily all I do is bike and run hills since that's all there is around here.
I heard from Gen yesterday she did a mock-tri at (i'm guessing) the hospital gym, just to know she could finish. I had been thinking of doing something similar, but a.) I'd want to do it outside, since biking and running inside is SO much different than outside for me and b.) I'd heard that doing a full mock wasn't a good idea. However, at this point, I kinda figure, "whatever works," so yeah.
Today I did my first mini brick workout (a little late in the game, i know). Biked for 11.5 mi and then did a quick jog around the block (.4 mi). The jog was a lot shorter than I'd have liked it to have been, but all I really wanted to do was get a feel for it ... because it's really actually kinda weird.
The schedule for the rest of the week is tentatively looking like so: swim tomorrow morning, run tomorrow night, small bike and probably yoga on Thursday, hockey Friday night and only a nice walk on Saturday. I figure that should be good enough. My original thought was to take Friday completely off, but really, I like my hockey and have been trying to get back into that as well.
Still, I'm a little apprehensive since my body isn't particularly built (well, muscles still aren't trained) for endurance and a triathlon is all about endurance. My legs really wanted to crap out on me at several points on the bike today and that was all by itself - no swim beforehand and only a miniscule run after. I'm also hoping the sports asthma won't be a problem since I had some slight issues with that on the bike as well. I guess we'll see, but I know myself well enough to know that I won't be able to definitively say for sure how I'm going to do until I wake up Sunday morning and see how I feel. If I feel good, I know I'll be fine (see: race around the rez). If I don't feel good, or wake up late and get a bad start (not-blogged about race on the fourth because it was CRAP), I may be in for a long day.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The Countdown Continues ...
Only 12 days left until the Tri for the Cure and I'm feeling okay about it. I don't think I'm going to end up being as competitive as I'd like to be or as one of the trainers at work (also doing the tri) thinks I'm going to be (she thinks i'm going to finish in 1:45 ... yeah whatever), but I think I'm okay with it. Sure, my competitive nature is struggling with this somewhat-acceptance, but I've made enough strides along the way to say, "Quiet, you!"
My swimming, which was total crap four months ago, has picked up fairly well. Each time I'm in the pool I can do my laps quicker. Granted, I still can't do many consecutively (or really, any), but I've always had issues with endurance. I haven't yet done an open water swim (this weekend! a little late, but one is better than none, right?), but I've been logging pool time when I can manage ... which means waking up over an hour earlier than normal to swim before work.
While I've never considered myself much of a runner and have claimed to hate the mere activity for years, the more I run, the more I'm okay with it. Though it's not much, I've been logging around 6-8 miles a week for the past month. True, that's about one-fourth of what I should be logging, but for someone who can't stand to run and whose lungs feel like exploding half the time when she does run? That's not bad .... especially considering that I've done the Glendale Farm loop twice in just about 30 minutes (so doing just a tad longer than a 5k faster than i've ever officially raced a 5k) WITH a small stretch break in the middle. How I'll do after swimming and biking is another story, but in general, I'm starting to actually enjoy running, if only a little.
My one main issue now is the cycling part. While I never focused on it much, thinking it would be my strong point, I'm now thinking I may have screwed myself over (go figure; this is a typical t trait). When I did my somewhat-crazy long bike ride a week and a half ago (so the last time i posted), I did have quite a bit of leg burn that wasn't happy at all. I do just fine on a stationary, but put me outside and really, what I'm doing isn't quite as nice as I'd like it to be. I'm sure actual hills and wind and other such factors help with the added pain, but y'know. Still, I think I need to somehow try to squish in a few long rides this week.
So, for the most part, everything seems to be coming together. There's a few key things I haven't quite gotten to yet (open water swim, brick workouts, scout the course, learning general bike maintenance (next monday)), but compared to where I was a few months ago? Light years away.
Of course, that tells me that if I was doing what I'm doing now back four months ago, I'd be totally awesome right now, but I think I'd also be more bored with doing the same three things than I am now. As much as I was apathetic about the elliptical before this training, I'm really looking forward to hopping on one again because it will be something DIFFERENT. This boredom is also another reason why I'm playing hockey again, even though it's probably not typical triathlon cross-training.
My swimming, which was total crap four months ago, has picked up fairly well. Each time I'm in the pool I can do my laps quicker. Granted, I still can't do many consecutively (or really, any), but I've always had issues with endurance. I haven't yet done an open water swim (this weekend! a little late, but one is better than none, right?), but I've been logging pool time when I can manage ... which means waking up over an hour earlier than normal to swim before work.
While I've never considered myself much of a runner and have claimed to hate the mere activity for years, the more I run, the more I'm okay with it. Though it's not much, I've been logging around 6-8 miles a week for the past month. True, that's about one-fourth of what I should be logging, but for someone who can't stand to run and whose lungs feel like exploding half the time when she does run? That's not bad .... especially considering that I've done the Glendale Farm loop twice in just about 30 minutes (so doing just a tad longer than a 5k faster than i've ever officially raced a 5k) WITH a small stretch break in the middle. How I'll do after swimming and biking is another story, but in general, I'm starting to actually enjoy running, if only a little.
My one main issue now is the cycling part. While I never focused on it much, thinking it would be my strong point, I'm now thinking I may have screwed myself over (go figure; this is a typical t trait). When I did my somewhat-crazy long bike ride a week and a half ago (so the last time i posted), I did have quite a bit of leg burn that wasn't happy at all. I do just fine on a stationary, but put me outside and really, what I'm doing isn't quite as nice as I'd like it to be. I'm sure actual hills and wind and other such factors help with the added pain, but y'know. Still, I think I need to somehow try to squish in a few long rides this week.
So, for the most part, everything seems to be coming together. There's a few key things I haven't quite gotten to yet (open water swim, brick workouts, scout the course, learning general bike maintenance (next monday)), but compared to where I was a few months ago? Light years away.
Of course, that tells me that if I was doing what I'm doing now back four months ago, I'd be totally awesome right now, but I think I'd also be more bored with doing the same three things than I am now. As much as I was apathetic about the elliptical before this training, I'm really looking forward to hopping on one again because it will be something DIFFERENT. This boredom is also another reason why I'm playing hockey again, even though it's probably not typical triathlon cross-training.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Amping It Up
So with the looming Tri "deadline" in front of me, I decided it's time to get super serious with training (yeah, a little late, I know, but better late than never, right?). As a result, I woke up at 4:30 this morning so I could swim before my shift. The original plan was to wake up at 4 so I could bike to work, swim and then take a detour to another club to drop something off before going home. However, bed was a bit too nice and Mom didn't want me riding in the dark.
Anyway. I got into the pool and really didn't feel like swimming. I did one fairly strong lap and was like, "I'm done now." However, my brain wasn't having any of that and I ended up staying in the pool for 20 minutes and 600 meters.
After work, I got home, unwound for a bit, then hopped on the bike and headed over to the Highlands Ranch 24 Hour to drop off this stupid member's Kid's Club card (I walked in with my bike and the guy at the desk just stared: "you biked all this way to drop off one card?" "... yes."). My legs still suck (boo!) and the stupid C-470 trail has an assload of hills, so the (around) 15.6 mile trip took me 90 minutes. My legs were about ready to give out on the last long trail climb back up toward Yosemite so I had to drop to a gear lower than I usually do for that hill and for the last stupid hill in my neighborhood (drawbacks to where I live: 99% of ride routes end with some sort of miserable hill).
Since I'm crazy (or determined, take your pick), I think I may go do the Glendale Farm loop as well today (so run 1.6 miles).
Of course, I also fully admit that one reason I want to do a lot today is I plan on drinking tonight and therefore want to burn a crapload of calories so I can drink some and still have a deficit. I do realize this is somewhat counterproductive, but hey. I'm finally starting to get some weekends free from work so I gotta take what I can get.
Anyway. I got into the pool and really didn't feel like swimming. I did one fairly strong lap and was like, "I'm done now." However, my brain wasn't having any of that and I ended up staying in the pool for 20 minutes and 600 meters.
After work, I got home, unwound for a bit, then hopped on the bike and headed over to the Highlands Ranch 24 Hour to drop off this stupid member's Kid's Club card (I walked in with my bike and the guy at the desk just stared: "you biked all this way to drop off one card?" "... yes."). My legs still suck (boo!) and the stupid C-470 trail has an assload of hills, so the (around) 15.6 mile trip took me 90 minutes. My legs were about ready to give out on the last long trail climb back up toward Yosemite so I had to drop to a gear lower than I usually do for that hill and for the last stupid hill in my neighborhood (drawbacks to where I live: 99% of ride routes end with some sort of miserable hill).
Since I'm crazy (or determined, take your pick), I think I may go do the Glendale Farm loop as well today (so run 1.6 miles).
Of course, I also fully admit that one reason I want to do a lot today is I plan on drinking tonight and therefore want to burn a crapload of calories so I can drink some and still have a deficit. I do realize this is somewhat counterproductive, but hey. I'm finally starting to get some weekends free from work so I gotta take what I can get.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
!
Including today, we have 24 days before the Tri. Under a month and just over two weeks.
You scared?
You scared?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
On Second Thought ...
... my 5K time last Wednesday was pretty good. 33:49 in 90-degree heat with walking is only 1:15 more than the 32:33 i did that was entirely running in May ... which was in much more ideal conditions. So really, I am improving - the conditions just didn't show it. Sweet!
In other news, I did a mini-brick yesterday at the gym (nothing like a real one, i know) - stationary bike for 20 minutes and then treadmill for 10 (7.1 mi/.9 mi). I didn't feel all that bad during it, though that, tonight (story soon) and then that 5K are making me realize that I either a.) need thinner socks to train in or b.) need some super blister balm since the bottoms of my feet are starting to bug me. It's a bit annoying.
ANYWAY. I've been trying to find running trails that a.) aren't pavement, b.) aren't ridiculously hilly and c.) close to the house (that is, 5 compared to 20 minutes away). One of the trainers suggested the Glendale Farm Trail that's about 5 miles away from home (25 south to surrey ridge; go under freeway and turn on gravel road before forced to get back on 25). Since it was a relatively cool day today (70sish), I decided to go check it out.
Verdict: I like it. It doesn't fulfill point b.) above, though it's pretty hard to find ANYTHING around here that does. The loop is 1.6 miles, though I don't know if that includes this little dead-end part of the trail. Anyway, there's an uphill portion (a bit twisty if you head left at the trailhead) that flattens out, though has a slight uphill incline continuing north-ish. The trail then forks at either the 2/3 or 3/4 point - either to the dead-end part or continuing on - and then winds its way down hill. I didn't feel all that good until about halfway through the flat part and had to walk some, but near the end I felt good (except for this stupid foot thing). Not good enough to try a second loop, mind you, but perhaps later this week if it stays cool. I did the loop in about 16 minutes, which is my basic running average right now.
As a footnote, I also biked to work today (3.4 miles one way) as part of Bike to Work Day 2007, so go me!
In other news, I did a mini-brick yesterday at the gym (nothing like a real one, i know) - stationary bike for 20 minutes and then treadmill for 10 (7.1 mi/.9 mi). I didn't feel all that bad during it, though that, tonight (story soon) and then that 5K are making me realize that I either a.) need thinner socks to train in or b.) need some super blister balm since the bottoms of my feet are starting to bug me. It's a bit annoying.
ANYWAY. I've been trying to find running trails that a.) aren't pavement, b.) aren't ridiculously hilly and c.) close to the house (that is, 5 compared to 20 minutes away). One of the trainers suggested the Glendale Farm Trail that's about 5 miles away from home (25 south to surrey ridge; go under freeway and turn on gravel road before forced to get back on 25). Since it was a relatively cool day today (70sish), I decided to go check it out.
Verdict: I like it. It doesn't fulfill point b.) above, though it's pretty hard to find ANYTHING around here that does. The loop is 1.6 miles, though I don't know if that includes this little dead-end part of the trail. Anyway, there's an uphill portion (a bit twisty if you head left at the trailhead) that flattens out, though has a slight uphill incline continuing north-ish. The trail then forks at either the 2/3 or 3/4 point - either to the dead-end part or continuing on - and then winds its way down hill. I didn't feel all that good until about halfway through the flat part and had to walk some, but near the end I felt good (except for this stupid foot thing). Not good enough to try a second loop, mind you, but perhaps later this week if it stays cool. I did the loop in about 16 minutes, which is my basic running average right now.
As a footnote, I also biked to work today (3.4 miles one way) as part of Bike to Work Day 2007, so go me!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Results: In
So apparently all I had to do was search online for the results for that stupid 5K I did last week. Well, the good news is I did better than I thought, though not by much. I had estimated between 34 and 36 minutes - official time: 33:49, 290/652 runners. It's not great, but really, it's still better than my first ever 5K time so I think I'm good with that.
Speaking of 5Ks, the Lone Tree Firecracker 5K is coming up on the 4th. I still intend on running it, but that may require me taking a long lunch break at work (didn't get the time off i requested - not happy about that. i need battery recharging time and i'm not getting it ... assholes.) that day since I'm scheduled. Peachy, I know.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Small Victories
Still don't know my 5K time (grrr), but good news on the swimming front!
When I do end up swimming, I usually split my laps between freestyle (i think that's what you call the regular "swim" stroke) and the breaststroke. Lately I've been doing around nine laps ... though not consecutively and usually stopping at the halfway point of every lap (shut up, i'm working on it). However, tonight I did 14 laps ... including a few laps that were a consecutive 50 meters (well consecutive with a mini jerk in the middle since i can't do the underwater kick turn thingy)! That's only one lap off of what I'll need to be able to do for the tri, so it looks like that's slowly coming along - plus! :)
Once July hits I'll start trying training "bricks" as well as a few open water swims and hopefully I'll be good ...
When I do end up swimming, I usually split my laps between freestyle (i think that's what you call the regular "swim" stroke) and the breaststroke. Lately I've been doing around nine laps ... though not consecutively and usually stopping at the halfway point of every lap (shut up, i'm working on it). However, tonight I did 14 laps ... including a few laps that were a consecutive 50 meters (well consecutive with a mini jerk in the middle since i can't do the underwater kick turn thingy)! That's only one lap off of what I'll need to be able to do for the tri, so it looks like that's slowly coming along - plus! :)
Once July hits I'll start trying training "bricks" as well as a few open water swims and hopefully I'll be good ...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Training: Decent ...
So about a month and a half to go to the tri and my training is getting ... better. I've started swimming at least twice a week (which i know i need to amp up, but compared to my no swimming ever, this is an upgrade) and biking when I can, though that's dropped off the past week.
However, getting myself to run more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time is a real struggle. I don't know, unless I'm in a competitive-type atmosphere, I get too bored or ... something. That, however, brings me to tonight ...
A few weeks ago, someone dropped off a few pamphlets for the Summer Solstice Race (for melanoma research) at work. I thought about doing it, but never signed up given that I really haven't been running much (stupid lack of motivation). However, I knew that I had to run at some point this week and run outside. Most people I've talked to said I needed to start running outside a lot more but I despise running outside in my neighborhood because it's hilly and I hate hills. ANYWAY, this one was in the relative flat-land that is City Park. Sooo, I drove over there and signed up. The race was at 6:30 this evening and it was still 90 freaking degrees outside (tied a record at 97 today). I started off slow and steady (harkening back to the relative success it brought me back in may in boulder), even though the two other people I knew there got in front of me. I managed to run the first two miles (longest. two. miles. ever.) without walking, but the heat and my asthma decided to overtake me and force me to walk some. I still kept a decent pace when I did walk, so that's a positive ... plus I passed the two other people I knew.
I don't know my final time (stupid people didn't have a working race clock) AND I won't find out until Monday (wtf?!) how I did, but I'm guessing it was somewhere between 34 and 36 minutes which isn't great, but considering the conditions and that I haven't run much lately, I'll take it.
Now I just need to find some way to make myself run that much on a semi-regular basis without continually forking out the dough for races ...
However, getting myself to run more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time is a real struggle. I don't know, unless I'm in a competitive-type atmosphere, I get too bored or ... something. That, however, brings me to tonight ...
A few weeks ago, someone dropped off a few pamphlets for the Summer Solstice Race (for melanoma research) at work. I thought about doing it, but never signed up given that I really haven't been running much (stupid lack of motivation). However, I knew that I had to run at some point this week and run outside. Most people I've talked to said I needed to start running outside a lot more but I despise running outside in my neighborhood because it's hilly and I hate hills. ANYWAY, this one was in the relative flat-land that is City Park. Sooo, I drove over there and signed up. The race was at 6:30 this evening and it was still 90 freaking degrees outside (tied a record at 97 today). I started off slow and steady (harkening back to the relative success it brought me back in may in boulder), even though the two other people I knew there got in front of me. I managed to run the first two miles (longest. two. miles. ever.) without walking, but the heat and my asthma decided to overtake me and force me to walk some. I still kept a decent pace when I did walk, so that's a positive ... plus I passed the two other people I knew.
I don't know my final time (stupid people didn't have a working race clock) AND I won't find out until Monday (wtf?!) how I did, but I'm guessing it was somewhere between 34 and 36 minutes which isn't great, but considering the conditions and that I haven't run much lately, I'll take it.
Now I just need to find some way to make myself run that much on a semi-regular basis without continually forking out the dough for races ...
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Yeah That's Better
Got back on the bike today - rode to a friend's house (a bit further than where I went yesterday), talked to him a while and then rode back. Taking out the time I spent talking, I figure I did about 11.46 miles (again, thanks to RunningMap.com) in just over an hour which is much more like it. It also helped that the lights were mostly with me for half the ride (have to cross some busy intersections while on the trail).
About an hour later, I went to the gym for a bit and did 10 minutes on the treadmill (random, level 2, first 8 min. at 5.7 mph, 1 at 6.0 and 1 at 6.5) - the first five or so minutes felt really good and then a little fatigue (stupid lungs) started setting in, but overall I'm okay with that. Then I lifted (arms/back/chest) for a little while, but rushed through it since I thought I was supposed to meet the same friend from earlier to go out on his boat. Obviously he still hasn't called. Grr ...
Anyway, after training seemed to be going really crappy, it's been looking up the past two days. Two days is two days, but still ... it makes me feel better. Now all I need to do is get my butt in the pool more and I'll hopefully be good ...
About an hour later, I went to the gym for a bit and did 10 minutes on the treadmill (random, level 2, first 8 min. at 5.7 mph, 1 at 6.0 and 1 at 6.5) - the first five or so minutes felt really good and then a little fatigue (stupid lungs) started setting in, but overall I'm okay with that. Then I lifted (arms/back/chest) for a little while, but rushed through it since I thought I was supposed to meet the same friend from earlier to go out on his boat. Obviously he still hasn't called. Grr ...
Anyway, after training seemed to be going really crappy, it's been looking up the past two days. Two days is two days, but still ... it makes me feel better. Now all I need to do is get my butt in the pool more and I'll hopefully be good ...
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Not Bad ...
First of all, why am I the only one updating this? I know Ms. Gen is rarely near a computer, but Ms. Amber, I say you have no excuse! :-p
So I've been bad about working out lately - ridiculously stressed, working a lot (stupid work) and generally emotionally unstable. Yeah, it's fabulous. Despite all that crap, however, I managed to have two bright points this week:
1. I ran stairs at Red Rocks on Thursday (for like 15 minutes, but it still counts).
2. Though I got talked into working a split shift at work (6-11am and now 5-10pm), I forced myself to go on a nice long bike ride. Was out for about an hour and thanks to RunningMap.com (which is one of the coolest sites ever, i might add), figured out that the ride was about 10 miles long.
While that might not be the best pace (before i was estimating the 12.1 for the tri in about 45min), I would like to point out that a.) I'm really not in my best shape right now and b.) I rode from my house down to a good chunk of the C-470 bike trail (from yosemite to colorado) and back, which happens to be a LOT hillier than the course will be.
Basically all this proves is that the cycling part will be my strongest during the Tri, which is something I already knew. But with all the setbacks and lack of good training lately, I need a silver lining, damnit.
And speaking of the Tri, not to scare everyone or anything, but it's basically in TWO MONTHS. That's right, 60 days ... I'm trying hard not to think that I'm screwed, but part of me really thinks I am ...
So I've been bad about working out lately - ridiculously stressed, working a lot (stupid work) and generally emotionally unstable. Yeah, it's fabulous. Despite all that crap, however, I managed to have two bright points this week:
1. I ran stairs at Red Rocks on Thursday (for like 15 minutes, but it still counts).
2. Though I got talked into working a split shift at work (6-11am and now 5-10pm), I forced myself to go on a nice long bike ride. Was out for about an hour and thanks to RunningMap.com (which is one of the coolest sites ever, i might add), figured out that the ride was about 10 miles long.
While that might not be the best pace (before i was estimating the 12.1 for the tri in about 45min), I would like to point out that a.) I'm really not in my best shape right now and b.) I rode from my house down to a good chunk of the C-470 bike trail (from yosemite to colorado) and back, which happens to be a LOT hillier than the course will be.
Basically all this proves is that the cycling part will be my strongest during the Tri, which is something I already knew. But with all the setbacks and lack of good training lately, I need a silver lining, damnit.
And speaking of the Tri, not to scare everyone or anything, but it's basically in TWO MONTHS. That's right, 60 days ... I'm trying hard not to think that I'm screwed, but part of me really thinks I am ...
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