Soooooo...the last 3 weeks were pretty dang busy...work, dog sitting stuff, Storm games and lots of social stuff...lots of plates spinning. Obviously, I didn't blog anything about the recovery of the last race or anything resembling a race plan...and suddenly yesterday morning I was out there with a timing chip on my ankle again.
I appear to have a little black race weather cloud following me this summer...as usual, the weather was crap yesterday (today, of course, stellar). For the last few days, I was watching the forecast and, as predicted, it was raining when I got up at 4:40 a.m. AUUGGHHH...I must admit, that had I not paid for this race in advance and picked up my packet on Saturday, I likely would have bailed. I cut short 2 super fun social outings Saturday to get prepared (read: limit alcohol consumption and prioritize sleep) for this race, so it was more of a "have to" than a "want to" when I saw that drizzle. Fortunately, however, the race site was dry and it never rained on the actual race...
This race included a super sprint, a sprint, and an Olympic Tri...the Olympic was a the smallest with only about 140 racers. However, the other races had a few hundred and they were all starting later than us, but that seemed not to matter in the early competition for parking...I shoulda coulda woulda gotten up a little earlier to get a good space, but didn't and had to hike. Then...I went into the transition area and promptly racked my bike on the wrong rack. I was almost all nested into my little zone when I realized it and had to move to the rack where I was supposed to be...I was not loving the fact that I'd committed 2 rookie mistakes before the race even started. Oh, well...still had time to wander around and wait in the porto line.
Swim: Deep water start and the men's wave was 5 minutes ahead of ours...spint and super sprint a few minutes behind us. The lake was really warm and comfortable...as usual, the swim felt fast and fun. I was head to head with another person right away...we both were passing a lot of the men by the halfway buoy (love that)...and thought I dropped her...but then saw her again at the end out to my left. I thought I had a better angle to the finish, but she edged me out by about 6 seconds. I was probably 2 yards behind her as we hit the chip pad...dangit, I wanted to win the swim.
Swim time: 25:07
T1: Not too bad...though I did put my 2nd sock on upside down and thought that it might pay off later if I put the heel back under my foot...so that wasted a little time. Otherwise, it wasn't too awful this time. T1 time: 1:25
Bike: As usual this summer, I was not as warm on the bike as I prefer...but I must say, it was warmer than the other 2 races this summer. The course was fun...some rollers and some fast short descents. Good, smooth, clean pavement. Also, Ann Sloan was volunteering on the bike course, and it was great to see her...the only familiar face of the day out there today. About halfway through the bike, though, I was just not really feeling it...although my legs felt better (better taper week) than the last race, I just didn't feel like riding hard. The left side of my low back was cranky and I was distracted here and there... had quite a few thoughts about this being my last race of the season. I just didn't feel like cycling redline hard and had to buck up to hang in there. I wasn't physically miserable by any means, but just didn't feel hard core on the bike...mental hunger and edge was lacking, for sure. I also was a little demoralized by the usual 2-3 women in my age group who dropped me like I was standing still on the bike. I was looking forward to running by mile 15.
Bike time: 1:20:21
T2: I wasn't as cold as the last race, so I had a little dexterity in my hands...only took 2 tries to get my helmet off and I was off and running in a decent amount of time. T2 time: :49
Run: I had been looking forward to the run for a good hour, but again here I wasn't feeling like busting it. I managed "comfortably uncomfortable," though, and I did enjoy running on the Soos Creek Trail. I'd read the course description and knew it was an out-and-back with a short, steep descent in the first mile...which, of course, meant dreading the climb in the last mile and no real chance for any kind of negative split. There were 2 guys on the hill in blue body paint who were cheering for people all day...they were pretty funny and were yelling "Raise the bar!" since that was the team sponsoring the race...I made them laugh when I yelled, "Raise the BARF" back at them. I also chatted with another volunteer guy who was out on the course on a bike...he was cool and it was fun to chat with someone a little.
On the run, too, I found myself thinking that I'd rather not be "racing" at the moment and, note to self, this really should be my last race of the season. But the 2nd half of the run actually felt better than the first half and it went by pretty quickly.
Run time: 48:21
Total time: 2:36
This race was so small that they were only doing awards for the top 3 female and male finishers...and this time it was cash. I'd counted 3 women ahead of me on the run (out and back makes this painfully possible)...I was hoping that one of them may have been on a relay team, but no such luck. Turns out I was actually the 5th woman. Always the bridesmaid....
I was really glad I'd done the race and I would highly recommend this race (well organized, great volunteer support, etc.), but I think I'm done racing for a while...I'm going to do the Aquathon on Sept. 1 (thank god, a race with no biking), but otherwise, I'm gonna work a few more this summer and let others wear the bibs for a while. Junk miles on the bike, here I come!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Federal Escape Race Report
PO-DEE-UM!
Yesterday was the Federal Escape Tri...and my friend, Stacey, and I both had a good race and a lot of fun...it was great to go with her to do this race. Stace is not a morning person (um, understatement), but she agreed to let me pick her up at 5:30 a.m. to get to the race...and I must say she was totally ready to roll when I got there to scoop her. It was such a small race that we had plenty of time to park and get things set up before the race meeting at 7:15 (which included complete set up in the Sprint area and subsequently moving all our crap to the Olympic area and getting not-so-great transition area real estate, but whatever, it killed time and I only visited the porto once before the, um, last pee in the lake before the start, don't act surprised everyone does it).The race went off in 2 waves...and what was great (other than the lake being very small and WARM, as in warmer than the air), was that they sent off the women 5 minutes before the men...and the Olympic race an hour before the sprint. So we got out there before everyone else.
I pushed up to the front for the swim start and recognized Alicia, the rocket fast swimmer who is 22 and swam with us at Seattle U last year...and who, I know, is a really good and really serious triathlete (guess who won the whole race...yup, Alicia). I knew she'd go off the front of the swim, but who knew that I'd be 2nd behind her! I took off fast to get swim space and after someone touched my foot at the first buoy, nobody was close to me. Alicia was pretty far in front, but I was second and I have to say it was quite the rush coming through the first lap (2 lap course), and seeing a lot of people watching ME. I thought, "dang, this must be how it feels to be Macca or Chrissie Wellington and in front of the WHOLE field...I could really get used to this!" By the second lap I was picking off men who were in their first lap (HA) and I did come out of the water in 2nd place. Pretty cool. Swim time: 26:40
T1: It was a cool morning and I'd put out a zip-up jacket to wear on the bike. After the internal "calm and efficient" internal mantra which resulted in a cumbersome yard sale just like 2 weeks ago (time for a new mantra? more practice? something...I'm a mess here), I gave a short attempt at putting on the jacket...first sleeve, totally tangled. Pretty sure I said "fuck it" out loud, threw the jacket down, and decided to buck up and face the cold. T1: 1:22
Bike: As I hit the mount line, the volunteer told me "you're 3 minutes behind the leader..." Kind of nice to have that rush again of being at the front of the race for a little while (needless to say, the thundering disk wheels started coming by soon as the fast dudes started dropping me).
The bike course was 4 laps of the same course and I thought I'd hate that, but...I really liked it! There were a few rollers, but overall it was a fast course and it was kind of fun to do it 4x. I never wrote up a race plan, but as I started, I came up with a nutrition plan. I'd done a PowerBar fillet (ode to Seujan) and had a PowerBar cut into 5 pieces in the bento box. I took piece 1 right away and then decided to do another piece every 5 miles. This turned out to be an excellent plan and I will do it again (i.e. eat a scooby snack at at 0, 5, 10, 15, 19ish miles). My legs were tired and burning a bit by lap 3...the taper was off a day due to my schedule last week, and I felt like I did during that last brick...I would have liked to feel stronger and have more power in my legs. Note to self, the next race will include another day to rest up/taper down.
On the 4th lap, I sped up to pass one of the sprint course racers (on her first lap, I think, in caged pedals on a crappy bike) as we were going around a corner and up a slight hill. Just as I was about to go around her, I shifted too fast and dropped my chain....sshhhhiiittt....had to stop and throw it back on. I still buried her within a half mile, but I was cranky about having to stop as I was holding a good pace. Turns out it didn't cost me in placement, but still.... Right about that time, I was realizing that my body was really warm, but my hands were numb. I wondered about my dexterity for T2 and getting my race belt on. Well, it wasn't the race belt that turned out to be the problem....Bike time: 1:14:14
T2: Got into T2 and tried the "calm and efficient" thought again...and it tanked again (how about a mantra of "I'm crazy and making a mess," I mean it couldn't be much worse of a result than the old one). My fingers were not working and I could not get my friggin' helmet clipped off. I kept trying, kept swearing, attempted to pull it off with total force, thought about running with the damn thing still on (um, no way, that is the nerdiest thing possible), tried to wrangle with it more, swore AGAIN, and finally, a spectator outside the fence yelled, "Do you need help?" I thought about the possibility of DNF'ing for assistance, but this was a really small unpoliced race and I'd already wasted so much time, I had to risk it. I ran over to the fence, she unclipped me, and I'm eternally grateful. I was still clunky getting out (race belt was also not smooth), had to use my teeth to adjust my hat before putting it on, too...but got out. Shew. T2 time: 1:19
Run: The run course was 2 laps of the same course, some of which was the same as the bike. This meant that I saw some of the same volunteers 6 times total...felt like we were old friends by the end of the morning. I managed to make a few volunteers laugh as I went by and thanked several of them, which made the run more fun.
I also felt my legs on the run, but not quite as bad as on the bike. I didn't feel that I was super-pushing it, but I was comfortably uncomfortable...and happy it wasn't any more than a 10k. I'd have needed nutrition I didn't have with me if it had been longer, all they had on the course was one water/electrolyte station. I had nothing left to push a sprint at the end and "last mile, fast mile" didn't feel so possible, but when I saw my time, I realized why: 48:44 (um, that's a 7:50 mile pace, which is damn good for me if I say so myself). Only one woman passed me on the run...and of course, some dudes...but that's OK.
Total time: 2:32:17
I ended up the 7th woman overall (out of 65) and 2nd in my age group (out of 12). Stacey also rocked her race and was 3rd in her age group, whoop! The food afterwards was pretty good (pancakes and sausages and some other good stuff), so we stuck around, chatted with some people from Stacey's Tri club, and waited a riduculous amount of time for the awards ceremony to get our plastic trophies! :) Hey, it's the little things, right?
Today I did a "recovery" ride...I love how junk miles = recovery ride the day after a race. Lord knows I love me some junk miles. I went around Mercer Island, just 23 miles, light and fun. I ran into my friend, Ann, about halfway through so we stopped and chatted for a while. Nice to have a fun, relaxing ride and to see her.
My friend, the bike racer, had a bad crash yesterday on a descent on a training ride...which included a trip to the ER and some fractured pieces of vertebrae (oh, and the imprint of a guardrail on her back). I saw her last night and today and, despite her feeling that it's all part of the game (for her), I've reaffirmed my desire NOT to be a bike racer...regardless of the potential vicodin supply. Yikes.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Almost race day
This is the 3rd time I've tried to post this blog entry and it keeps failing. Nice when I keep talking about how much time I don't have this week and after I have carried my stats around in my pocket for days hoping for time to update the blog. So screw it...just the facts, boiled down even more.
Race week...did what I was sposed to except for the race plan which might happen today if I'm lucky. Swam Monday, Ran intervals (5x .25) on Lk Wa Blvd on Tuesday, biked intervals (5x 1 min on/2 min off) on Wednesday, solo swam at Seward yesterday. Today could be a light spin...TBD.
Looking forward to the race tomorrow, though I think it may be another experience in Seattle summer hypothermia...going with Stacey who is also racing and I'm pretty jazzed about that part, for sure. Yea for having a race buddy!
Race week...did what I was sposed to except for the race plan which might happen today if I'm lucky. Swam Monday, Ran intervals (5x .25) on Lk Wa Blvd on Tuesday, biked intervals (5x 1 min on/2 min off) on Wednesday, solo swam at Seward yesterday. Today could be a light spin...TBD.
Looking forward to the race tomorrow, though I think it may be another experience in Seattle summer hypothermia...going with Stacey who is also racing and I'm pretty jazzed about that part, for sure. Yea for having a race buddy!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Biggest brick this year
Yesterday I worked all day doing sports massage at the Ragnar Relay finish line on Whidbey Island...it was a gorgeous day and a fun, upbeat event, made even better because I got to work with my BFF from massage school, Shannon. It was, however, a long day (had to wait through 2 ferries on the way there and 3 on the way back) and, despite the fact that there was no workout yesterday, it didn't exactly feel like I'd had a "rest" day during today's brick. (Of course, I probably didn't help the brick prep by my beer consumption or by being the last customer at the Coastal Kitchen and having too much garlic heavy Greek food at about 11:00 p.m. last night...oops).
I had one early client today (a Ragnar survivor) and then got out on the bike at 11 a.m. for my big 'ol brick. This one was a 45 mile ride (incl 25 miles tempo) + a 5 mile run. In the interest of time, I just rode from home to Mercer Island and did the long side 3 times (I know how lacking in creativity can one be, but hey, if it ain't broke...) for the miles and tempo stretch I needed. Let's just say 25 miles is a longass time (for me) to hold tempo pace...whew. This ride was friggin' hard...I really had to mentally stay with the program to keep the workrate through it and strangely, I think I felt the worst in the last 11 miles --after the tempo part of the ride. I was totally limping home dreading the run. I did a decent transition and started running slowly downhill to the Lake...purposely holding back on pace because I didn't trust that there was much in my legs. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that the run felt better than the bike, by far. Not sure what's up with that, maybe it was just because I wasn't supposed to push it. I was definitely ready to be done by the last 1.5 mile or so, but I was not that miserable. My HR was a little high, but I really didn't feel I was pushing it, I think it was the temperature and just cardiac drift since I was out about 3.5 hours total. It was a nice hot afternoon, but a lot of Lk WA Blvd was shaded and pretty pleasant. I will admit that I ran about a mile downhill and didn't run back up, so the run was downhill then flat. I ended by the lake where I threw myself in and then walked up over the stairs to my house. My knees were pissed about the 6 flights of stairs on the way home, but otherwise felt good today...hamstring was a little surly on both the bike and the run.
The great thing about this brick is that I learned I can feel good on the run after feeling like total crap on the bike...I have a feeling I may need to pull up that memory at some point.
6 days till the Federal Escape Tri :)
Brick:
Bike: 45 miles
9 mile warm up: 38 min
25 mile tempo: 1:21:41; Avg pace 18.4mph Avg HR=142
11 mile moderate: 42 min
Run: 5 miles
45:21
9:04 min mile pace
Avg HR= 155
Max HR = 168
I had one early client today (a Ragnar survivor) and then got out on the bike at 11 a.m. for my big 'ol brick. This one was a 45 mile ride (incl 25 miles tempo) + a 5 mile run. In the interest of time, I just rode from home to Mercer Island and did the long side 3 times (I know how lacking in creativity can one be, but hey, if it ain't broke...) for the miles and tempo stretch I needed. Let's just say 25 miles is a longass time (for me) to hold tempo pace...whew. This ride was friggin' hard...I really had to mentally stay with the program to keep the workrate through it and strangely, I think I felt the worst in the last 11 miles --after the tempo part of the ride. I was totally limping home dreading the run. I did a decent transition and started running slowly downhill to the Lake...purposely holding back on pace because I didn't trust that there was much in my legs. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that the run felt better than the bike, by far. Not sure what's up with that, maybe it was just because I wasn't supposed to push it. I was definitely ready to be done by the last 1.5 mile or so, but I was not that miserable. My HR was a little high, but I really didn't feel I was pushing it, I think it was the temperature and just cardiac drift since I was out about 3.5 hours total. It was a nice hot afternoon, but a lot of Lk WA Blvd was shaded and pretty pleasant. I will admit that I ran about a mile downhill and didn't run back up, so the run was downhill then flat. I ended by the lake where I threw myself in and then walked up over the stairs to my house. My knees were pissed about the 6 flights of stairs on the way home, but otherwise felt good today...hamstring was a little surly on both the bike and the run.
The great thing about this brick is that I learned I can feel good on the run after feeling like total crap on the bike...I have a feeling I may need to pull up that memory at some point.
6 days till the Federal Escape Tri :)
Brick:
Bike: 45 miles
9 mile warm up: 38 min
25 mile tempo: 1:21:41; Avg pace 18.4mph Avg HR=142
11 mile moderate: 42 min
Run: 5 miles
45:21
9:04 min mile pace
Avg HR= 155
Max HR = 168
Friday, July 23, 2010
Ducks in a row
This morning I did a solo lake swim at Seward Park...It was a little odd to start out totally alone with calm water in the same place where 1,100 triathletes were stirring things up last Sunday. I had a really nice swim and, on the way back, as I breathed on my right, I saw a row of about 8 ducks in a perfect paceline swimming along side me. Glad somebody's got their ducks in a row!
Yesterday was a long run...8 miles, which is the longest I've run in quite a while. And, I gotta say, 8 miles feels long again. But it was OK, except for the last mile which was a bit of a slog. My hamstring was pretty mad later in the day, but I threw 2 Aleve at it and it seemed better this morning.
Yesterday's run:
8 miles
1:15:38
Avg HR=149
Yesterday was a long run...8 miles, which is the longest I've run in quite a while. And, I gotta say, 8 miles feels long again. But it was OK, except for the last mile which was a bit of a slog. My hamstring was pretty mad later in the day, but I threw 2 Aleve at it and it seemed better this morning.
Yesterday's run:
8 miles
1:15:38
Avg HR=149
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Just say no to extra credit
So Monday was a recovery day from the race...although it was only an 80 minute outing and I wasn't sore, I felt pretty body tired. I did weights, but that was it on Monday.
Yesterday was not a double, but I went for some extra credit and made it into one and questioned that decision later. I had a bike ride to do and wanted to save it till the afternoon when I'd have more sun and more time than I did in the a.m. But... I wanted to get moving again after the rest day, so I went for an easy 3 mile run when I got up. It felt OK, not great...However, when I got on the bike in the afternoon, my legs had a few things to say. First they said, "Aw hell no" when I started out for an hour-ish ride that included 2x 5 miles tempo...they slowly got a little less cranky, but "light and fast" are not words I'd use to describe my lower appendages so far this week.
I started out thinking it'd be a good idea to do the 2x 5 mile pieces over on Mercer Island. When I was almost over the bridge, not only were my legs questioning this decision, but my BRAND NEW front tire was slowly saying, "pppssshhhhh...." Now these are the tires that I got last week for the race...the ones that, after much discussion with the bike racer, I voted for because even if they aren't the most light fast tires, they are unlikely to puncture. And again, I learn there are no guarantees in life. Seriously, this was less than 20 miles into the lifespan of the tire...I got to the Mercer Island side of the bridge and texted the bike racer: fuck Continental, got a flat. However, it was sunny, I wasn't in a hurry, and it was after the race, so I realized pretty soon that it wasn't really that awful (especially since my legs thought sitting in the grass and not pedalling was much more fun than the alternative). I also didn't have any trouble getting the tire back on the rim, so later I was kind of thankful that it happened as I now feel closer to the Continentals afterall. After fixing the flat, I decided that just in case, I'd go back over the bridge and do the speedwork on Lk Wa Blvd, business as usual. The first 5 mile piece felt really really slow...felt like my legs couldn't push hard enough to give me much cardio...It was pretty much just a slog and a mental exercise to do it. As usual, I threw food at the problem and 1/4 of a Powerbar after the first one helped the second. Despite feeling sluggish, my speed on both pieces was in the speed range it usually is...interesting. The last few miles home I just spun it out and enjoyed the sunny afternoon along the lake.
Today was a sunrise swim with my swim pal, Robin, again...this, too, had that same "this is a lot of work" feeling, though I think we were pretty close to regular pace. The water was a little more roll-ey than usual and I was glad to be done working out for the day before 7 a.m.
Tuesday:
Morning, 3 mile run: 28:33, Avg HR = 140
Afternoon, 24 mile ride (1:30)
34 min warm up, 8.5 miles
5 mile tempo: 15:15 (avg speed 19.7mph), Avg HR = 145
6 min recovery
5 mile tempo: 15:12 (avg. 19.8mph), Avg HR = 144
4.3 mile recovery
Yesterday was not a double, but I went for some extra credit and made it into one and questioned that decision later. I had a bike ride to do and wanted to save it till the afternoon when I'd have more sun and more time than I did in the a.m. But... I wanted to get moving again after the rest day, so I went for an easy 3 mile run when I got up. It felt OK, not great...However, when I got on the bike in the afternoon, my legs had a few things to say. First they said, "Aw hell no" when I started out for an hour-ish ride that included 2x 5 miles tempo...they slowly got a little less cranky, but "light and fast" are not words I'd use to describe my lower appendages so far this week.
I started out thinking it'd be a good idea to do the 2x 5 mile pieces over on Mercer Island. When I was almost over the bridge, not only were my legs questioning this decision, but my BRAND NEW front tire was slowly saying, "pppssshhhhh...." Now these are the tires that I got last week for the race...the ones that, after much discussion with the bike racer, I voted for because even if they aren't the most light fast tires, they are unlikely to puncture. And again, I learn there are no guarantees in life. Seriously, this was less than 20 miles into the lifespan of the tire...I got to the Mercer Island side of the bridge and texted the bike racer: fuck Continental, got a flat. However, it was sunny, I wasn't in a hurry, and it was after the race, so I realized pretty soon that it wasn't really that awful (especially since my legs thought sitting in the grass and not pedalling was much more fun than the alternative). I also didn't have any trouble getting the tire back on the rim, so later I was kind of thankful that it happened as I now feel closer to the Continentals afterall. After fixing the flat, I decided that just in case, I'd go back over the bridge and do the speedwork on Lk Wa Blvd, business as usual. The first 5 mile piece felt really really slow...felt like my legs couldn't push hard enough to give me much cardio...It was pretty much just a slog and a mental exercise to do it. As usual, I threw food at the problem and 1/4 of a Powerbar after the first one helped the second. Despite feeling sluggish, my speed on both pieces was in the speed range it usually is...interesting. The last few miles home I just spun it out and enjoyed the sunny afternoon along the lake.
Today was a sunrise swim with my swim pal, Robin, again...this, too, had that same "this is a lot of work" feeling, though I think we were pretty close to regular pace. The water was a little more roll-ey than usual and I was glad to be done working out for the day before 7 a.m.
Tuesday:
Morning, 3 mile run: 28:33, Avg HR = 140
Afternoon, 24 mile ride (1:30)
34 min warm up, 8.5 miles
5 mile tempo: 15:15 (avg speed 19.7mph), Avg HR = 145
6 min recovery
5 mile tempo: 15:12 (avg. 19.8mph), Avg HR = 144
4.3 mile recovery
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Race Report: Seafair Sprint
My friend and swim buddy, Robin, and me...pre-race...
And Post-Race...with my clean bike!
And Post-Race...with my clean bike!
I'm back!! First race in 2 years and I'm as hooked as ever...had a great race at Seafair today! Sprint triathlons hurt...all that scoffing I did about short distance races in the past few years bit me squarely in the butt.
I am dog sitting again this weekend, so I was up at 4:30 a.m...after locking myself out of the house at 4:42 a.m. (thank god and/or detail oriented homeowners or both for spare hidden keys that saved my bacon after I yelled, "NOOOOO!" and the dogs were like, "dude, it's 4:42 a.m. what are we doing in the damn garage anyway?"), I busted it to go home to eat and grab my stuff. I was so amped that caffeine was barely necessary...I tried out my new tires and tuned up bike briefly on my block before loading it in the car and got even more psyched...felt and looked like a new ride. Sa-weet!
Got down to Seward Park with plenty of time and set things up...met a great 62 year old woman in the Porto line who started doing triathlons last year at this race. She was super cute and mentioned that last year there were only 5 women in her age group...Note to self: take care of injuries, continue to age up, and someday I will win my age group (although, crap, I looked up her results and there were 8 in her age group this year, my strategy is already being practiced, I may have to race till I'm 102...).
I tried to keep a lot of clothes on and stay warm...it was cloudy and in the 50s and I was in the 10th wave, so it was the usual hurry up and wait. I found my friend, Robin who was racing and her boyfriend, Kevin. He took our bags so I could keep my sweatshirt on as long as possible and he got a couple of pre-race photos.
Being in the 10th age group wave also meant that the elites were already off their bikes before I started swimming...hate that...
Swim: Finally...in the water...wore the sleeveless wetsuit and kept my arms out of the water as long as possible while we waited for the start. Brr. I took a position right at the front of my wave as I decided I was no messin' today, especially on the swim. I pretty much uncorked when the swim started and went right off the front. I have never gone totally off the front sprinting like that...I kept thinking, "that may have been a little ambitious, but maybe I can hold the lead till the next buoy..." then the next, then the next...pretty soon I was rounding the last buoy and running over people from the previous wave (seriously, someone doing backstroke perpindicular to the course? I almost T-boned them...NO MESSIN') and thinking, that hell, I'm gonna go #1 in my age group, there are no other green caps around me...COOL! Swim time: 12:30. Started the old mental mantra, "calm and efficient" in the final stretch to prep for T1. Lotta good that did...
T1: Um, I'm rusty. I began a day of poor triathlon ettiquitte and making my row look like a bad yard sale. Got myself out of there, neither gracefully nor as quickly as I shoulda...2:13.
Bike: Brrr. Dude, it was COLD out there. Tried to push it and stayed in the aerobars most of the ride. I was happy that I knew the course and where we'd go up onto the I-90 Express lanes, etc. (where it was even colder, augh). I got passed by 2 women in my age group on the bridge...which is predictable and sucks...went into the tunnel where it was a bit warmer...NICE...but then had to come back out and freeze again. I tried to push it...wondered if I should be going harder, but really I don't think I could have. One more chick from my age group passed me on Lk. Wa Blvd...dammit...down to 4th. Didn't worry much about nutrition, just drank about 2/3 of a bottle of gatorade on the bike. I was SO looking forward to running and getting warm. Bike time was good for me, despite it being my weak link: 38:06 (Avg. 18.9 mph).
T2: Did I mention I'm rusty? This one was better, but I added to my yard sale...1:30
Run: I could not feel the bottoms of my feet until the last half mile...seriously, running on stumps. The run wasn't easy...I wanted to push more on the first mile, but knew that hill was coming...another member of my age group dropped me hauling butt through the park...(down to 5th, crap, hang on...the goal was top 10 with a fantasy goal of podium). I thought about chasing, but she was really fast and I decided to just stay with my own race and not blow up, I mean I wasn't exactly sucking on this race.... When I got to the hill, I was happy I'd done some homework and had run that exact hill 3 days ago on my tempo run. A LOT of people were walking it (don't even ask, hell no I didn't). Coming back down was nice (though my quads may not agree tomorrow), as it helped to bring down the heart rate a little before the last push. I passed a lot of people throughout the run---younger people, I might add---and felt really good about it. My running has definitely improved, but I was just a tiny bit short of goal pace on this: 24:56 (Avg. 8:02 min mile).
My race support fan (the bike racer and tuner-upper!) was at the end which was GREAT...we went out for breakfast and I ate a lot more food than a less-than-90 minute workout should warrant, but I was dang hungry and will need another feeding later, for sure...Hm, how is it I'm eating as much as when I did half irons...hope I can really get away with this trend!
And now, at 3:00 p.m....out comes the sun. Friggin' tease. But I had a great day and I guess my race conditions may have been better than those my friend in NYC had today for her Olympic Tri...
Total results:
Swim 12:30
T1: 2:13
Bike: 38:06
T2: 1:30
Run: 24:56
Total 1:19:16
5th/59 in age group
225th/1104 overall
I am dog sitting again this weekend, so I was up at 4:30 a.m...after locking myself out of the house at 4:42 a.m. (thank god and/or detail oriented homeowners or both for spare hidden keys that saved my bacon after I yelled, "NOOOOO!" and the dogs were like, "dude, it's 4:42 a.m. what are we doing in the damn garage anyway?"), I busted it to go home to eat and grab my stuff. I was so amped that caffeine was barely necessary...I tried out my new tires and tuned up bike briefly on my block before loading it in the car and got even more psyched...felt and looked like a new ride. Sa-weet!
Got down to Seward Park with plenty of time and set things up...met a great 62 year old woman in the Porto line who started doing triathlons last year at this race. She was super cute and mentioned that last year there were only 5 women in her age group...Note to self: take care of injuries, continue to age up, and someday I will win my age group (although, crap, I looked up her results and there were 8 in her age group this year, my strategy is already being practiced, I may have to race till I'm 102...).
I tried to keep a lot of clothes on and stay warm...it was cloudy and in the 50s and I was in the 10th wave, so it was the usual hurry up and wait. I found my friend, Robin who was racing and her boyfriend, Kevin. He took our bags so I could keep my sweatshirt on as long as possible and he got a couple of pre-race photos.
Being in the 10th age group wave also meant that the elites were already off their bikes before I started swimming...hate that...
Swim: Finally...in the water...wore the sleeveless wetsuit and kept my arms out of the water as long as possible while we waited for the start. Brr. I took a position right at the front of my wave as I decided I was no messin' today, especially on the swim. I pretty much uncorked when the swim started and went right off the front. I have never gone totally off the front sprinting like that...I kept thinking, "that may have been a little ambitious, but maybe I can hold the lead till the next buoy..." then the next, then the next...pretty soon I was rounding the last buoy and running over people from the previous wave (seriously, someone doing backstroke perpindicular to the course? I almost T-boned them...NO MESSIN') and thinking, that hell, I'm gonna go #1 in my age group, there are no other green caps around me...COOL! Swim time: 12:30. Started the old mental mantra, "calm and efficient" in the final stretch to prep for T1. Lotta good that did...
T1: Um, I'm rusty. I began a day of poor triathlon ettiquitte and making my row look like a bad yard sale. Got myself out of there, neither gracefully nor as quickly as I shoulda...2:13.
Bike: Brrr. Dude, it was COLD out there. Tried to push it and stayed in the aerobars most of the ride. I was happy that I knew the course and where we'd go up onto the I-90 Express lanes, etc. (where it was even colder, augh). I got passed by 2 women in my age group on the bridge...which is predictable and sucks...went into the tunnel where it was a bit warmer...NICE...but then had to come back out and freeze again. I tried to push it...wondered if I should be going harder, but really I don't think I could have. One more chick from my age group passed me on Lk. Wa Blvd...dammit...down to 4th. Didn't worry much about nutrition, just drank about 2/3 of a bottle of gatorade on the bike. I was SO looking forward to running and getting warm. Bike time was good for me, despite it being my weak link: 38:06 (Avg. 18.9 mph).
T2: Did I mention I'm rusty? This one was better, but I added to my yard sale...1:30
Run: I could not feel the bottoms of my feet until the last half mile...seriously, running on stumps. The run wasn't easy...I wanted to push more on the first mile, but knew that hill was coming...another member of my age group dropped me hauling butt through the park...(down to 5th, crap, hang on...the goal was top 10 with a fantasy goal of podium). I thought about chasing, but she was really fast and I decided to just stay with my own race and not blow up, I mean I wasn't exactly sucking on this race.... When I got to the hill, I was happy I'd done some homework and had run that exact hill 3 days ago on my tempo run. A LOT of people were walking it (don't even ask, hell no I didn't). Coming back down was nice (though my quads may not agree tomorrow), as it helped to bring down the heart rate a little before the last push. I passed a lot of people throughout the run---younger people, I might add---and felt really good about it. My running has definitely improved, but I was just a tiny bit short of goal pace on this: 24:56 (Avg. 8:02 min mile).
My race support fan (the bike racer and tuner-upper!) was at the end which was GREAT...we went out for breakfast and I ate a lot more food than a less-than-90 minute workout should warrant, but I was dang hungry and will need another feeding later, for sure...Hm, how is it I'm eating as much as when I did half irons...hope I can really get away with this trend!
And now, at 3:00 p.m....out comes the sun. Friggin' tease. But I had a great day and I guess my race conditions may have been better than those my friend in NYC had today for her Olympic Tri...
Total results:
Swim 12:30
T1: 2:13
Bike: 38:06
T2: 1:30
Run: 24:56
Total 1:19:16
5th/59 in age group
225th/1104 overall
Friday, July 16, 2010
Me 'n Eminem
So my favorite "get amped" song for traning and races is Eminem's "Lose Yourself." I heard it in the car yesterday morning on the way to work --after a hard tempo run--and pretty much rocked the Rainier Valley in the old Rav4. It appears I'm getting kind of excited to race on Sunday. Yes, I do realize that 2 years ago I scoffed at short races and thought I'd NEVER do a sprint again...well, never say never, I guess. Did I admit yet that I studied last year's results to guesstimate where I can place in my age group? Yeah, guilty...
I had 2 really good lake swims this week, one at sunrise on Wednesday with my friend, Robin, and today at Seward Park alone. It was nice to do a solo swim on Sunday's race course...last workout before the race.
Yesterday was originally a brick, but I begged for a split due to schedule and got approval from Cheryl...I did a 6 mile tempo run early yesterday morning (which, surprise surprise hurt as tempo is listed under "Pain" in the triathlete dictionary) and got in a 31 mile moderate ride yesterday afternoon. I felt body tired and sleepy tired on both workouts, but felt great AFTER the tempo run (emphasis on after) and did enjoy the sunny late afternoon ride. Today again I felt like I was pulling telephone poles behind me in the lake, but that's OK...I think it means I'm doing it all correctly.
I had pretty good splits on yesterday's run (although I got another sideache in the middle, dammit) and have a solid goal to hold 8 minute miles on Sunday. I didn't run the BIG hill back home, but I did do one of the hills at the top of Seward Park on my last mile as I know I'll have that hill or some part of it on the course on Sunday.
By the time I got out on the bike, it was perfect outside...close to 80 degrees and sunny, my favorite conditions. I got to ride the north end of the lake to Bellevue where I got a pre-scheduled scoop home...fun to ride TO somewhere instead of the usual routes...and there was a chocolate milk recovery drink waiting for me, which was awesome as I finished at about 6:30 pm and the hunger meter was going up. I also scored an extensive bike cleaning last night (for which I'm very grateful) and my bike is shiny and twitching.
Tomorrow I will be doing sports massage at STP in Centralia all day...not exactly a taper day, but I think it will be super fun.
Yesterdays' stats:
6 mile (mostly tempo) run:
1 mile warm up: 8:47/ HR 133
Mile 2: 8:05/153
Mile 3: 7:59/159
Mile 4: 8:20/161
Mile 5: 8:13/164
Mile 6 (incl. hill): 8:25/164
31 mile ride:
2:00
Avg HR: 120
Max HR: 153
Avg speed 15.6 mph
I had 2 really good lake swims this week, one at sunrise on Wednesday with my friend, Robin, and today at Seward Park alone. It was nice to do a solo swim on Sunday's race course...last workout before the race.
Yesterday was originally a brick, but I begged for a split due to schedule and got approval from Cheryl...I did a 6 mile tempo run early yesterday morning (which, surprise surprise hurt as tempo is listed under "Pain" in the triathlete dictionary) and got in a 31 mile moderate ride yesterday afternoon. I felt body tired and sleepy tired on both workouts, but felt great AFTER the tempo run (emphasis on after) and did enjoy the sunny late afternoon ride. Today again I felt like I was pulling telephone poles behind me in the lake, but that's OK...I think it means I'm doing it all correctly.
I had pretty good splits on yesterday's run (although I got another sideache in the middle, dammit) and have a solid goal to hold 8 minute miles on Sunday. I didn't run the BIG hill back home, but I did do one of the hills at the top of Seward Park on my last mile as I know I'll have that hill or some part of it on the course on Sunday.
By the time I got out on the bike, it was perfect outside...close to 80 degrees and sunny, my favorite conditions. I got to ride the north end of the lake to Bellevue where I got a pre-scheduled scoop home...fun to ride TO somewhere instead of the usual routes...and there was a chocolate milk recovery drink waiting for me, which was awesome as I finished at about 6:30 pm and the hunger meter was going up. I also scored an extensive bike cleaning last night (for which I'm very grateful) and my bike is shiny and twitching.
Tomorrow I will be doing sports massage at STP in Centralia all day...not exactly a taper day, but I think it will be super fun.
Yesterdays' stats:
6 mile (mostly tempo) run:
1 mile warm up: 8:47/ HR 133
Mile 2: 8:05/153
Mile 3: 7:59/159
Mile 4: 8:20/161
Mile 5: 8:13/164
Mile 6 (incl. hill): 8:25/164
31 mile ride:
2:00
Avg HR: 120
Max HR: 153
Avg speed 15.6 mph
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Intervals, intervals, intervals...
I got hit with a Monday stick first thing yesterday morning...had a running interval workout to do and went to the Franklin High School track. Something about running on a real track makes me feel like I really did speedwork more than doing it by the lake with the GPS. The workout was 4 x 400 and 3x 800, and I did a mile before and after the hard stuff. I haven't done 800's in a llllooonnnggg time and it didn't take long to remember why (other than that I was injured): I didn't have to. 800s are friggin' hard. But it IS nice to get tough guy points before breakfast. While doing the workout, I really started thinking about the Seafair Tri this coming Sunday...never thought I'd enter another sprint Tri, but I have to admit, I'm kind of psyched about it. Anyway...I think I did pretty well on the run and later in the day, I went to the pool and did a swim. I'm planning to be in the lake on Wednesday and Friday this week, so I figured I should do a little speed work in the pool this week, too.
I went to bed late (for me) last night, and slept really hard...I think the run and all the other stuff of the day kind of zapped me. I woke up at my usual time today, but could not get up...went back to sleep till about 8:00 a.m...almost undheard of for me, but nice.
It took a couple hours and a good deal of caffeine to get the cobwebs cleared this morning...eventually went out for today's interval bike ride. That one was 10x 1 min sprints with 2 minutes recovery between each. Seemed like a lot of rest on paper, but...nope, 2 minutes in between each was just fine, thanks. Had a great workout on Lake WA Blvd and did half with a slight headwind and half 5 with a slight tailwind.
Whew, lots of stats...not even gonna bother with the swim ones.
Monday's interval run:
1 mile warm up 9:13
400: 1:39 (Avg HR:148)
1:27 recovery
400: 1:44 (HR 151)
1:29 recovery
400: 1:43 (151)
1:33 recovery
400: 1:43 (151)
1:59 recovery
800: 3:34 (159)
3:02 recovery
800: 3:35 (159)
2:29 recovery
800: 3:37 (159)
1:59 recovery
1 mile: 9:06
Today's interval bike (max HR on each hit high 150's)
Warm up: 22 min/ 6 miles
10x 1 min hard/2 min recovery
Headwind:
1. Avg speed: 22.3
2. 22.1
3. 20.5
Tailwind:
4. 23.4
5. 23.1
6. 22.6
Headwind:
7. 21.2
8. 22.8
Tailwind:
9. 22.6
10. 21.8
Total mileage was 20 miles, time 1:15
I went to bed late (for me) last night, and slept really hard...I think the run and all the other stuff of the day kind of zapped me. I woke up at my usual time today, but could not get up...went back to sleep till about 8:00 a.m...almost undheard of for me, but nice.
It took a couple hours and a good deal of caffeine to get the cobwebs cleared this morning...eventually went out for today's interval bike ride. That one was 10x 1 min sprints with 2 minutes recovery between each. Seemed like a lot of rest on paper, but...nope, 2 minutes in between each was just fine, thanks. Had a great workout on Lake WA Blvd and did half with a slight headwind and half 5 with a slight tailwind.
Whew, lots of stats...not even gonna bother with the swim ones.
Monday's interval run:
1 mile warm up 9:13
400: 1:39 (Avg HR:148)
1:27 recovery
400: 1:44 (HR 151)
1:29 recovery
400: 1:43 (151)
1:33 recovery
400: 1:43 (151)
1:59 recovery
800: 3:34 (159)
3:02 recovery
800: 3:35 (159)
2:29 recovery
800: 3:37 (159)
1:59 recovery
1 mile: 9:06
Today's interval bike (max HR on each hit high 150's)
Warm up: 22 min/ 6 miles
10x 1 min hard/2 min recovery
Headwind:
1. Avg speed: 22.3
2. 22.1
3. 20.5
Tailwind:
4. 23.4
5. 23.1
6. 22.6
Headwind:
7. 21.2
8. 22.8
Tailwind:
9. 22.6
10. 21.8
Total mileage was 20 miles, time 1:15
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Race in a week!
Whoo-hoo...Sunday rest day and I'm due. I had another good training week...registered for the Seafair sprint tri next Sunday (despite the fact that it means I paid $65 to do a short brick on the same roads I ride/run all the time, but whatever), so it's T-minus one week till I get to race and see how the training is really settling in.
Yesterday was a run/bike double...neither was at a "push it" pace which was just fine with me. I'm dog sitting in West Seattle and took advantage of the change of scnery and routes... went for an early flat run on Alki. It was fine, but I was definitely not jonesing for speed, hills, or extra credit distance. Nice morning with a cloud cover that burned off right about the time I got done running, giving way to another day of perfect sunny weather. After coffee and breakfast, I went out for my hour ride, and did a loop around West Seattle, along Alki and up past the ferry dock, up and over Marine View Drive. Nice to get a few hills, but I didn't kill myself on this ride...it was really pleasant and just fun to do a quick ride. I didn't know how long it would take and was supposed to do an hour...turned out to be exactly an hour when I pulled back up to the house. Perfect! Later I went to watch the Crit at Redmond Derby Days...and it was quite nice to watch other peoples' legs working hard while I did some good work on my tan.
7 mile run
1:06:14
Avg HR: 145
14.65 mile bike
1:00:39
Avg HR: 123
Max HR 155
Yesterday was a run/bike double...neither was at a "push it" pace which was just fine with me. I'm dog sitting in West Seattle and took advantage of the change of scnery and routes... went for an early flat run on Alki. It was fine, but I was definitely not jonesing for speed, hills, or extra credit distance. Nice morning with a cloud cover that burned off right about the time I got done running, giving way to another day of perfect sunny weather. After coffee and breakfast, I went out for my hour ride, and did a loop around West Seattle, along Alki and up past the ferry dock, up and over Marine View Drive. Nice to get a few hills, but I didn't kill myself on this ride...it was really pleasant and just fun to do a quick ride. I didn't know how long it would take and was supposed to do an hour...turned out to be exactly an hour when I pulled back up to the house. Perfect! Later I went to watch the Crit at Redmond Derby Days...and it was quite nice to watch other peoples' legs working hard while I did some good work on my tan.
7 mile run
1:06:14
Avg HR: 145
14.65 mile bike
1:00:39
Avg HR: 123
Max HR 155
Friday, July 09, 2010
Had to fly the white flag....
Well, I pretty much got my ass handed to me yesterday out in brick-land...Went out for a 40 mile ride (with 20 miles tempo in the middle) + 4 mile run...and...well...didn't exactly have that "always more in the tank" experience of last Saturday.
Not to make excuses, but...I'd like to preface by saying that I did do cycling hill repeats on Tuesday and that yesterday was a "record heat" day. I'm not complaining about either of these factors (god forbid I EVER EVER EVER say anything negative about heat in Seattle or may a bolt of lightening strike me down stat), but I think they were factors.
I warmed up riding over to the far side of Mercer Island and rode the long side each direction to get the 20 mile tempo piece. As soon as I took the pace up, I passed a guy who then sucked my wheel for 10 miles...I don't love it when people do that, especially when they don't announce themselves/ask and I was a little annoyed (and thus, did a few farmer's blow nose clears that, guess what, did not shake him). But I must admit that him being there pushed me a little and knowing that it was a dude on my wheel was a slight confidence booster (unlike that day last week when a guy with a double trail-a-bike carrying 2 non-pedalling small girls dropped me on Lake Wa Blvd). Anyway...rode the clockwise direction first, hit the lap timer, and flipped back alone for the 2nd half. No way did I negagive split, but I was close to holding pace in the 2nd half, so I'll take it. Then rode 12 more miles home. The knee hurt while riding and I felt pretty beat from pushing the ride...there was no enthusiasm for the run. I ran downhill to the lake with minimal confidence that I had 4 miles in my legs...the hamstring joined the knee in complaining, a dull sideache started, and my HR was really high for the pace I was(n't) running. OK, talking myself down...maybe I can make it 3 miles...at about 2.5 I was really feeling like crap and went through the little pullout park just north of Seward Park. I saw a poor overheated pug under a park bench, immobilized on his side, and panting/wheezing as if he were having a near-death experience...he pretty much sounded like I felt. I dragged a little further and, for once, listened to my body when it suggested we throw up the white flag and surrender. I walked a little, tried to run again, went back by the pug, and gave up. I threw myself into the lake and got my head under water to cool down...then walked over the hill back home (quad and knee fatigue bigtime going over 6 flights of stairs). My knee was pretty pissed when I got home, so I iced it and went to a great accupuncture/massage with Magical Monica...helped a lot.
This morning was another sunrise lake swim that was totally perfect. Swam to the yellow house again and the water was perfectly calm with Mt. Rainier in view...These are the mornings I dream about when I schlep to the pool all winter in the dark and the rain! Love it.
Yesterday's Brick:
40 mile bike: 2:20
8 mile warm up
20 miles tempo:
1st 10.3 miles: 32:27, Avg HR=145, Avg Pace: 19.1 mph
2nd 10.3 miles: 32:40, Avg HR = 149, Avg Pace: 18.9 mph
12 miles moderate
Lousy-ass run:
2.85 miles
25:28
Avg HR = 155
Not to make excuses, but...I'd like to preface by saying that I did do cycling hill repeats on Tuesday and that yesterday was a "record heat" day. I'm not complaining about either of these factors (god forbid I EVER EVER EVER say anything negative about heat in Seattle or may a bolt of lightening strike me down stat), but I think they were factors.
I warmed up riding over to the far side of Mercer Island and rode the long side each direction to get the 20 mile tempo piece. As soon as I took the pace up, I passed a guy who then sucked my wheel for 10 miles...I don't love it when people do that, especially when they don't announce themselves/ask and I was a little annoyed (and thus, did a few farmer's blow nose clears that, guess what, did not shake him). But I must admit that him being there pushed me a little and knowing that it was a dude on my wheel was a slight confidence booster (unlike that day last week when a guy with a double trail-a-bike carrying 2 non-pedalling small girls dropped me on Lake Wa Blvd). Anyway...rode the clockwise direction first, hit the lap timer, and flipped back alone for the 2nd half. No way did I negagive split, but I was close to holding pace in the 2nd half, so I'll take it. Then rode 12 more miles home. The knee hurt while riding and I felt pretty beat from pushing the ride...there was no enthusiasm for the run. I ran downhill to the lake with minimal confidence that I had 4 miles in my legs...the hamstring joined the knee in complaining, a dull sideache started, and my HR was really high for the pace I was(n't) running. OK, talking myself down...maybe I can make it 3 miles...at about 2.5 I was really feeling like crap and went through the little pullout park just north of Seward Park. I saw a poor overheated pug under a park bench, immobilized on his side, and panting/wheezing as if he were having a near-death experience...he pretty much sounded like I felt. I dragged a little further and, for once, listened to my body when it suggested we throw up the white flag and surrender. I walked a little, tried to run again, went back by the pug, and gave up. I threw myself into the lake and got my head under water to cool down...then walked over the hill back home (quad and knee fatigue bigtime going over 6 flights of stairs). My knee was pretty pissed when I got home, so I iced it and went to a great accupuncture/massage with Magical Monica...helped a lot.
This morning was another sunrise lake swim that was totally perfect. Swam to the yellow house again and the water was perfectly calm with Mt. Rainier in view...These are the mornings I dream about when I schlep to the pool all winter in the dark and the rain! Love it.
Yesterday's Brick:
40 mile bike: 2:20
8 mile warm up
20 miles tempo:
1st 10.3 miles: 32:27, Avg HR=145, Avg Pace: 19.1 mph
2nd 10.3 miles: 32:40, Avg HR = 149, Avg Pace: 18.9 mph
12 miles moderate
Lousy-ass run:
2.85 miles
25:28
Avg HR = 155
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Mermaid morning
Ah, those 3 words I love to hear, "Record heat today..." I could kiss the weatherman!
With the clear and sunny forecast (finally! Seasonal suicide tendencies averted just in time!) on the way, I emailed the unofficial Mermaid Captain, Karin, yesterday to see if I could lure her away from her pool workout to swim in the lake this morning. Hm, she was the 2nd person this week who accused me (oh, wait, I mean complimented me) on being a "bad influence" and tempting people into races and workouts. Thankyew, thankyewverymuch. Karin worked her captain powers and rallied Liz and Tatyana, so the 4 of us met at 5:45 a.m. at Madison Beach. It was the first swim of the year with Mt. Rainier and the sun smiling on the water. Oh, YEAH, this is why I live here! We swam to the yellow house and back...perfect morning!
Didn't blog yesterday, so catching up a little...Did weights and hill repeats on the bike (with its newly installed computer...kind of a buzzkill to see mph and cadence for a hill repeat day, but whatever!).
With the clear and sunny forecast (finally! Seasonal suicide tendencies averted just in time!) on the way, I emailed the unofficial Mermaid Captain, Karin, yesterday to see if I could lure her away from her pool workout to swim in the lake this morning. Hm, she was the 2nd person this week who accused me (oh, wait, I mean complimented me) on being a "bad influence" and tempting people into races and workouts. Thankyew, thankyewverymuch. Karin worked her captain powers and rallied Liz and Tatyana, so the 4 of us met at 5:45 a.m. at Madison Beach. It was the first swim of the year with Mt. Rainier and the sun smiling on the water. Oh, YEAH, this is why I live here! We swam to the yellow house and back...perfect morning!
Didn't blog yesterday, so catching up a little...Did weights and hill repeats on the bike (with its newly installed computer...kind of a buzzkill to see mph and cadence for a hill repeat day, but whatever!).I rode over to Madrona and did it 5 times...measured from the crosswalk at the bottom to Pine St. at the top (.85 miles). I didn't exactly hold a consistent pace through the 5 hills-- and honestly, the last 2 felt kind of shabby. But being out in the sun makes everything fun, so I mostly just got it done and relished the fact that I was sweating in the sun while wearing only one layer. And I also thought about the fact that this workout will pay off later...hopefully, during the next race.
Sidebar: My training plan calls for a "mini tri" on the same day as the Seafair triathlon...I may buck up and do a sprint race...even though a $65 entry fee feels a little steep....toying with the idea...
Bike Hill Repeats:
4ish mile warm up
Hills:
1. 5:33, Avg HR: 149
3:30 recovery
2. 5:43, Avg HR: 147
3:31 recovery
3. 5:50, Avg HR: 149
3:34 recovery
4. 5:54, Avg HR: 149
3:46 recovery
5. 5:59, Avg HR: 149
3:36 recovery
Moderate ride home: 6.5 miles, 26 min.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Fireworks shmireworks
Yesterday was a pretty mellow and needed rest day...strangely unstructured, but turned into a great day and a fun evening with a new friend, followed by neighbors' loud stupid fireworks (bah humbug, I know, I get cranky about loud things that happen past my bedtime). Debris rained on the roof and scared the dogs...good times.
Today was a holiday for most people (the people with "real" jobs), but I had 2 workouts and 2 clients, so I was happily busy again after yesterday's chillfest.
Since I'm housesitting on the north end, I started the day with a tempo run at Greenlake...another double loop for mental toughness. The task was 5 miles with 3 miles tempo in the middle. I took splits for each mile as it was a bit of a "field test" to ballpark my AT. By the end of the first hard mile, I had a lousy sideache...pretty sure I just hadn't hydrated well yesterday (story of my life)...fought it the rest of the run, but managed to keep the pace hard. It was not fun while I was doing it, but somehow it got fun in retrospect (isn't that what they say about childbirth? Still not interested in that one, but I kinda get it on a small scale) when I looked at my pace stats...all 3 of the tempo miles were just under 8 minutes. I always think I "should" be running 8 minute miles as that was my usual moderate pace in college when I trained for soccer...I did realize today while thinking about that, that I'm twice the age I was as a senior in college. But I don't care, dammit, 8 minute mile pace should still be my norm and I'm stickin' to it whether I get a sideache and trip on my tongue or not.
I was supposed to have 3 cilents today, but the latest one bailed so I had more time this afternoon to get in a swim. I thought about going to the lake, but the clouds hadn't burned off yet, so I went to the gym... figured it was good to do some speedwork in the pool anyway. The forecast is (finally! Maybe the summer gods are back on the job) really good for the rest of the week, so I figured this will be my only pool swim this week. Nice to go to the gym on a holiday...free street parking and had my own lane in the pool. Sweet!
5 mile run:
1 mile warm up: 9:04, HR 139
3 miles Tempo:
7:57, HR = 163
7:59, HR = 162
7:56, HR = 168
.1 mile walk
1 mile moderate 8:47, HR = 158
2700 yard swim
42 minutes
Today was a holiday for most people (the people with "real" jobs), but I had 2 workouts and 2 clients, so I was happily busy again after yesterday's chillfest.
Since I'm housesitting on the north end, I started the day with a tempo run at Greenlake...another double loop for mental toughness. The task was 5 miles with 3 miles tempo in the middle. I took splits for each mile as it was a bit of a "field test" to ballpark my AT. By the end of the first hard mile, I had a lousy sideache...pretty sure I just hadn't hydrated well yesterday (story of my life)...fought it the rest of the run, but managed to keep the pace hard. It was not fun while I was doing it, but somehow it got fun in retrospect (isn't that what they say about childbirth? Still not interested in that one, but I kinda get it on a small scale) when I looked at my pace stats...all 3 of the tempo miles were just under 8 minutes. I always think I "should" be running 8 minute miles as that was my usual moderate pace in college when I trained for soccer...I did realize today while thinking about that, that I'm twice the age I was as a senior in college. But I don't care, dammit, 8 minute mile pace should still be my norm and I'm stickin' to it whether I get a sideache and trip on my tongue or not.
I was supposed to have 3 cilents today, but the latest one bailed so I had more time this afternoon to get in a swim. I thought about going to the lake, but the clouds hadn't burned off yet, so I went to the gym... figured it was good to do some speedwork in the pool anyway. The forecast is (finally! Maybe the summer gods are back on the job) really good for the rest of the week, so I figured this will be my only pool swim this week. Nice to go to the gym on a holiday...free street parking and had my own lane in the pool. Sweet!
5 mile run:
1 mile warm up: 9:04, HR 139
3 miles Tempo:
7:57, HR = 163
7:59, HR = 162
7:56, HR = 168
.1 mile walk
1 mile moderate 8:47, HR = 158
2700 yard swim
42 minutes
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Hit by the brick and hit it back
This weekend finds me in Dr. Doolittle double dogsitting mode...I have the pug until tomorrow and he & I are bunking with 2 other dogs at their house in the north end. The good news is that there's lots of cable, a big backyard where I hosted a BBQ this evening, and a hot tub that I'm heading into before bed...I'm feeling happily wiped from a killer brick today and another good training week.
Yesterday was a lake swim day...I got up at 5:00am and it was raining and crappy...again. I threw my shampoo in the car thinking, "maybe I should just go swim at the gym..." then realized that it's really pansy to skip a lake swim because it's raining. I bucked up and it proved to be a really good decision. The rain let up and the water was really calm. I had a really good swim with my friend, Karin, who is much faster than I am. She had raced really hard at the Canada swim the morning before, so she was in recovery mode and it worked really well to swim together.
Today was brick day...I have to say my enthusiasm was not super high again. The weather was crappy and I felt a little body tired from the week. I watched the first half of the Germany - Argentina World Cup game in the leather chair with the pug and my coffee and really wanted to stay there for the rest of the game...and maybe Wimbledon, too. But...got my butt in gear. Just like yesterday, a good decision.
The brick was a 30 mile bike + 5 mile run. I based myself at Seward Park as I wanted to do 2 laps of the park for my run. I hate doing 2 laps of anything, but that's what the run will be for the race in 4 weeks, so I wanted the mental practice of the double loop slog.
I biked around Mercer Island and some extra on Lk Wa Blvd to get the 30 mile ride. My legs were feeling it within 5 miles, but it did get a bit better as I kept going. I always love to ride Mercer Island. On the way back over the I-90 bridge I reached for my Power Bar in the bento box...note to self: don't reach into your bento box with full fingered gloves...on the bridge...when your keys are in it. Clang...keys hit the pavement. I had to circle back, stop, and pick them up...thank GOD they clanged on the pavement and didn't splash into the lake...holy crap. Spent a few minutes thinking about what a nightmare it would have been if my keys had gone to the salmon and being thankful they didn't. I kept an OK pace, but I was a little nervous about the run. However, if I say so myself, I kinda rocked it. I did a quick transition and hit the Seward Park path going counter clockwise. I was supposed to keep tempo pace, but purposefully didn't look at HR or pace on the GPS...just wanted to go by RPE and see what happened. At the end of the first loop I decided to take my split and see how the first loop compared to the second. I wasn't exactly trying to negative split, but was curious about whether I would/could at least hold pace and not get slower. By the end of the second loop, I was playing that mental game one plays with oneself (OK the one I play with myself) when the fuel light is going off in the car...do I slow down and conserve what's left of the fuel or just hammer down and hope to reach the gas station and relieve the anxiety ASAP. No surprise that I generally go for the latter of those 2 strategies. I didn't sprint the end by any means (felt more like "last mile, hashed mile" than "last mile, fast mile," but I got it done and, in fact, did negative split it. My average pace on the run was an 8:14 minute mile pace and, for me, that's freakin' fast. I was really proud of this brick, especially since I wasn't exactly jonesing to do it. To celebrate, I took myself out for a soy latte recovery drink and took my bike to the shop to get it a new computer (mine's been dead for a year).
Things I learned today: I can eat both Clif Bars and Power Bars on the bike and run well...and I probably could have eaten a bit more of both. I should plan for nutrition on the run (didn't bring anything to carry for the run and coulda used some gatorade), my knee and hamstring feel better when I run off the bike than when I run cold (although the knee was pissed after the brick). I should not mess with my bento box on the bridge. I can do half a ride and an entire run without a bathroom stop if I'm too lazy and stubborn to stop even though I have to pee. And there's always more in the tank than you think. I knew that last one already but it's always good to have more physical evidence.
Brick:
30.3 mile ride:
1:53
Avg HR: 122
Avg Pace: 16.0mph
5 mile run
41:12
(lap 1 = 20:55, lap 2 = 20:16)
Avg HR: 156
Max HR: 168
Avg pace: 8:14!!!!! Yeah, baby.
Yesterday was a lake swim day...I got up at 5:00am and it was raining and crappy...again. I threw my shampoo in the car thinking, "maybe I should just go swim at the gym..." then realized that it's really pansy to skip a lake swim because it's raining. I bucked up and it proved to be a really good decision. The rain let up and the water was really calm. I had a really good swim with my friend, Karin, who is much faster than I am. She had raced really hard at the Canada swim the morning before, so she was in recovery mode and it worked really well to swim together.
Today was brick day...I have to say my enthusiasm was not super high again. The weather was crappy and I felt a little body tired from the week. I watched the first half of the Germany - Argentina World Cup game in the leather chair with the pug and my coffee and really wanted to stay there for the rest of the game...and maybe Wimbledon, too. But...got my butt in gear. Just like yesterday, a good decision.
The brick was a 30 mile bike + 5 mile run. I based myself at Seward Park as I wanted to do 2 laps of the park for my run. I hate doing 2 laps of anything, but that's what the run will be for the race in 4 weeks, so I wanted the mental practice of the double loop slog.
I biked around Mercer Island and some extra on Lk Wa Blvd to get the 30 mile ride. My legs were feeling it within 5 miles, but it did get a bit better as I kept going. I always love to ride Mercer Island. On the way back over the I-90 bridge I reached for my Power Bar in the bento box...note to self: don't reach into your bento box with full fingered gloves...on the bridge...when your keys are in it. Clang...keys hit the pavement. I had to circle back, stop, and pick them up...thank GOD they clanged on the pavement and didn't splash into the lake...holy crap. Spent a few minutes thinking about what a nightmare it would have been if my keys had gone to the salmon and being thankful they didn't. I kept an OK pace, but I was a little nervous about the run. However, if I say so myself, I kinda rocked it. I did a quick transition and hit the Seward Park path going counter clockwise. I was supposed to keep tempo pace, but purposefully didn't look at HR or pace on the GPS...just wanted to go by RPE and see what happened. At the end of the first loop I decided to take my split and see how the first loop compared to the second. I wasn't exactly trying to negative split, but was curious about whether I would/could at least hold pace and not get slower. By the end of the second loop, I was playing that mental game one plays with oneself (OK the one I play with myself) when the fuel light is going off in the car...do I slow down and conserve what's left of the fuel or just hammer down and hope to reach the gas station and relieve the anxiety ASAP. No surprise that I generally go for the latter of those 2 strategies. I didn't sprint the end by any means (felt more like "last mile, hashed mile" than "last mile, fast mile," but I got it done and, in fact, did negative split it. My average pace on the run was an 8:14 minute mile pace and, for me, that's freakin' fast. I was really proud of this brick, especially since I wasn't exactly jonesing to do it. To celebrate, I took myself out for a soy latte recovery drink and took my bike to the shop to get it a new computer (mine's been dead for a year).
Things I learned today: I can eat both Clif Bars and Power Bars on the bike and run well...and I probably could have eaten a bit more of both. I should plan for nutrition on the run (didn't bring anything to carry for the run and coulda used some gatorade), my knee and hamstring feel better when I run off the bike than when I run cold (although the knee was pissed after the brick). I should not mess with my bento box on the bridge. I can do half a ride and an entire run without a bathroom stop if I'm too lazy and stubborn to stop even though I have to pee. And there's always more in the tank than you think. I knew that last one already but it's always good to have more physical evidence.
Brick:
30.3 mile ride:
1:53
Avg HR: 122
Avg Pace: 16.0mph
5 mile run
41:12
(lap 1 = 20:55, lap 2 = 20:16)
Avg HR: 156
Max HR: 168
Avg pace: 8:14!!!!! Yeah, baby.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Subdued, dude
Yesterday I left Otto and Olive and moved to my next dog sitting gig, with Bugsy, the senior citizen curmudgeon pug. After getting pulled around the neighborhood all week by the other 2, this is a definite (and, OK, welcomed) change of pace. If this guy had a puppy pedometer, he'd be hard pressed to register a few hundred steps per day...he gets carried like a football up and down stairs and lifted to the couch; not a bad deal. He's a pretty subdued dude.
I tend to love old guys, especially cranky ones, so I love hanging with Bugsy (and find his little underbite charming, even when he can't see who I am and snaps it at me).
So anyway...catching up...yesterday I swam with the impromptu mini masters' group at Medgar Evars. It was a good butt-kicking and I was glad I had a swim-only day and that the workout was done early.
I tend to love old guys, especially cranky ones, so I love hanging with Bugsy (and find his little underbite charming, even when he can't see who I am and snaps it at me).
So anyway...catching up...yesterday I swam with the impromptu mini masters' group at Medgar Evars. It was a good butt-kicking and I was glad I had a swim-only day and that the workout was done early.Today was a run and bike day...I had a good 6 mile run this morning and felt the knee and back a bit. The work day was busy (14 x mini massages at Seattle Magazine) and I would have liked to hang with Bugsy on the couch afterwards....but the power of that color-coded piece of paper is strong and it got me out on the bike. My knee hurt more this afternoon, my back was stiff, and it was in the 60's and showery...I was right up there on the curmudgeon scale myself. But the ride was just an hour and not speedwork, so it went by quick. Afterwards, I used the foam roller on my IT bands, had 2 Aleve, smeared on the Arnica, and then threw beer (of course, to complete the AAA remedy of Aleve+Arnica+Amber for the knee and hamstring) at the problem while having a great dinner with my friend, Jason, whose birthday was today.
6 mile run
55:35
Avg HR: 144
16 mile bike
1:03
Avg HR: 122
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tempo--oooohhh ride
Today's workout was a tempo ride...just 2x 5 miles, which sounds easy enough, but the legs felt heavy from the time I got up today. I was dragging all morning and not exactly looking forward to the ride. I'd actually thought that maybe I shouldn't do a "hard" ride when my legs were tired from running intervals yesterday and then I realized that oooooh, I bet that was exactly the point. I also remembered that oooooh yeah, biking hard is more difficult to wrap my head around than running or swimming hard. The tougher stuff on the bike is stuff I'd never do without somebody telling me to...so...the piece of paper with the training schedule got me out there to do something other than junk miles.
I warmed up by riding a little in each direction on Lk Wa Blvd to strategize how to do the first TT into the wind so I could go with the wind on the second one. I never figured out which direction the wind was actually blowing, but I'm pretty sure it was a headwind in both directions :)
Of course I was quite happy to have done the ride when it was over...and most of it felt pretty good, but I was definitely limping home the last mile or so. I was also trying to indirectly figure out my AT for cycling and am pretty sure it's between 138-142 bpm.
Tempo Ride:
7.5 mile warm up
5 miles Tempo: 15:15 (Avg speed 19.7)
10 min recovery
5 miles Tempo: 15:37 (Avg. speed 19.2)
20 min recovery
Total: 24.5 miles, 1:28
I warmed up by riding a little in each direction on Lk Wa Blvd to strategize how to do the first TT into the wind so I could go with the wind on the second one. I never figured out which direction the wind was actually blowing, but I'm pretty sure it was a headwind in both directions :)
Of course I was quite happy to have done the ride when it was over...and most of it felt pretty good, but I was definitely limping home the last mile or so. I was also trying to indirectly figure out my AT for cycling and am pretty sure it's between 138-142 bpm.
Tempo Ride:
7.5 mile warm up
5 miles Tempo: 15:15 (Avg speed 19.7)
10 min recovery
5 miles Tempo: 15:37 (Avg. speed 19.2)
20 min recovery
Total: 24.5 miles, 1:28
Monday, June 28, 2010
Seeing Double
While being fully aware of what a nerdy thing it is to love schedules and calendars...I must admit I'm quite happy to have gotten that color-coded training schedule last night, and I happily started following my marching orders from the coach today. Well, most of them. I kinda cheated a little. But I can rationalize it 100% (and I feel good about it).
Today was a double...an interval run and a swim. The interval run was to be 8 x 400's. I needed to make sure the dogs ran off some energy early and I also wanted to do my workout, so we met in the middle. I drove Olive & Otto down to Seward Park and ran them one loop for my warm up...then threw them in the car and ran another loop with the GPS so I could measure the 400's. I ended up getting in 6 x 400's...and they were hard...so I'm calling it good (while trying to supress the thought that 6 is 75% of 8 and that 75% would be a "C" if I were getting a grade, and I mostly prefer to get A's...oh god, shut up eternal chattering mind!).
I was thinking about another outdoor pool workout at Colman today, but (fortunately) had to change things up to accomodate a client, so I swam at 24 Hr Fitness late morning. Had my own lane, so no complaints.
Not much else to report...day of doubles = 2 laps of Seward Park with 2 dogs, had 2 clients, did 2 workouts...a nice day of pairs... If I have time tonight, perhaps I'll "on demand" the 2 episodes of Friday Night Lights that I haven't seen.
Interval Run:
2.4 mile warm up (22 min)
6 x 400 (with walk/jog recovery of .10 - .15 between each)
1:41
1:41
1:39
2:06
1:40
1:41
(max HR on these was 168)
Total: 5 miles, 46:29
2600 yard (2400m) swim: 42 min.
Today was a double...an interval run and a swim. The interval run was to be 8 x 400's. I needed to make sure the dogs ran off some energy early and I also wanted to do my workout, so we met in the middle. I drove Olive & Otto down to Seward Park and ran them one loop for my warm up...then threw them in the car and ran another loop with the GPS so I could measure the 400's. I ended up getting in 6 x 400's...and they were hard...so I'm calling it good (while trying to supress the thought that 6 is 75% of 8 and that 75% would be a "C" if I were getting a grade, and I mostly prefer to get A's...oh god, shut up eternal chattering mind!).
I was thinking about another outdoor pool workout at Colman today, but (fortunately) had to change things up to accomodate a client, so I swam at 24 Hr Fitness late morning. Had my own lane, so no complaints.
Not much else to report...day of doubles = 2 laps of Seward Park with 2 dogs, had 2 clients, did 2 workouts...a nice day of pairs... If I have time tonight, perhaps I'll "on demand" the 2 episodes of Friday Night Lights that I haven't seen.
Interval Run:
2.4 mile warm up (22 min)
6 x 400 (with walk/jog recovery of .10 - .15 between each)
1:41
1:41
1:39
2:06
1:40
1:41
(max HR on these was 168)
Total: 5 miles, 46:29
2600 yard (2400m) swim: 42 min.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Rock 'n Roll...
I spent the morning unexpectedly on the periphery of the Seattle Rock 'n Roll marathon...
The dogs woke up amped and a little bonkers from the get-go this morning. They were twitchy and ready to blow off some steam at 6:30 a.m. (they did not care that I started the Pride weekend beer-for-dinner regime last night). I wasn't in the mood to have them pull my arms half out of the sockets walking (again), so I drove them down toward Seward Park for a run. Most of the roads to the park were closed...took me a few minutes to figure out that the Rock 'n Roll marathon was this morning and the route goes by the park and along Lake Washington. Luckily, we could weave through the water station set-up that was happening and the loop in the park was pretty deserted. We ran about 4 miles out-and-back in the park and came back out just in time to see the lead pack of the marathoners float by behind the lead motorcycles...always awe-inspiring to see elite runners, I love it. Our little 4-miler adequately flattened Olive and Otto for today, I think...shew.
After breakfast I went for a bike ride around Mercer Island...had to bob and weave a bit to get to the I-90 bridge due to the whole marathon cluster-mess and road closures, but once I got on the bridge, it was fun to ride alongside the mere mortals (those elites from earlier were long gone) who were running down the express lanes on miles 10-11 of their marathon...it was just fine with me to be pedalling, not running. I had a nice loop around the island and on the way back across the bridge, I ran into Seujan who was running the same direction as I was cycling...I slowed down and we chatted across the bridge for a bit before I finished my ride.
I got in about 12 hours of training this week...pretty sure that's the most/best I've done in a week in about 2 years. NICE to be back! Recovered by watching the US tank in the World Cup game (augh, those dudes should take a lesson from the US Women on how to WIN in the World Cup, fo sho)...and am ready for more Pride festivities and a rest day tomorrow!
4 mile run
36:01
Avg HR: 138
Max HR: 155
24.75 mile bike
1:42:30
Avg HR: 117
Max HR: 152
The dogs woke up amped and a little bonkers from the get-go this morning. They were twitchy and ready to blow off some steam at 6:30 a.m. (they did not care that I started the Pride weekend beer-for-dinner regime last night). I wasn't in the mood to have them pull my arms half out of the sockets walking (again), so I drove them down toward Seward Park for a run. Most of the roads to the park were closed...took me a few minutes to figure out that the Rock 'n Roll marathon was this morning and the route goes by the park and along Lake Washington. Luckily, we could weave through the water station set-up that was happening and the loop in the park was pretty deserted. We ran about 4 miles out-and-back in the park and came back out just in time to see the lead pack of the marathoners float by behind the lead motorcycles...always awe-inspiring to see elite runners, I love it. Our little 4-miler adequately flattened Olive and Otto for today, I think...shew.
After breakfast I went for a bike ride around Mercer Island...had to bob and weave a bit to get to the I-90 bridge due to the whole marathon cluster-mess and road closures, but once I got on the bridge, it was fun to ride alongside the mere mortals (those elites from earlier were long gone) who were running down the express lanes on miles 10-11 of their marathon...it was just fine with me to be pedalling, not running. I had a nice loop around the island and on the way back across the bridge, I ran into Seujan who was running the same direction as I was cycling...I slowed down and we chatted across the bridge for a bit before I finished my ride.
I got in about 12 hours of training this week...pretty sure that's the most/best I've done in a week in about 2 years. NICE to be back! Recovered by watching the US tank in the World Cup game (augh, those dudes should take a lesson from the US Women on how to WIN in the World Cup, fo sho)...and am ready for more Pride festivities and a rest day tomorrow!
4 mile run
36:01
Avg HR: 138
Max HR: 155
24.75 mile bike
1:42:30
Avg HR: 117
Max HR: 152
Friday, June 25, 2010
Back in black...neoprene, that is
Finally! This morning was my first open water swim of the year in Lake Washington...it was cloudy and cool out, but the water was flat and it was a great swim. A few of the braver and tougher swimmers have been in for weeks, but the water temp. was 59 a few days ago and I've been waiting for non-hypothermic conditions...or just a few more days that impersonate summer. But...Julie sent out the all-call email this week to the usual pod and this morning I was back in black..wetsuit, insulated cap, and socks...and was actually just fine. A little brisk on the entry, but we were in for 45 minutes and I wasn't even shaking when I got out. Many of the usual suspects were there and it was great to catch up at the Essential Bakery after the swim. I also had a great accupuncture & massage session today and my back is feeling MUCH better.
Didn't blog yesterday, but had a good early morning run on kinda tired legs and felt pretty good. Met with the coach, too, yesterday, and will soon have the color coded plan for the next 4 weeks till my race in hand...whoop!
Run:
6.25 miles
58:37
Avg HR: 140
Max HR: 153
Didn't blog yesterday, but had a good early morning run on kinda tired legs and felt pretty good. Met with the coach, too, yesterday, and will soon have the color coded plan for the next 4 weeks till my race in hand...whoop!
Run:
6.25 miles
58:37
Avg HR: 140
Max HR: 153
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
It's all fun and games...till somebody eats the toothpaste
Meet Otto, the 2-year old French bulldog...
And his pal, Olive...
I am on day 5 of an 11 day dog sitting gig with these 2 innocent-looking pups...and, honestly, most of the time they are pretty dang cool and easy to hang with. However, their humans put them into my care with a few caveats, the main one being that, well, they get into everything if you're not careful... especially if they don't have enough exercise, human time and are left to their own devices (which, obviously, I can relate to). I have been careful to keep gym bags up high, powerbars and edibles stashed, and shoes/clothes on top of the armoir in the room where I'm sleeping. However, I appear to have slipped yesterday... I'd picked up some groceries and left a new toothbrush and some toothpaste (both of which were still in their wrappers/boxes) on the kitchen table. Oops, my bad. I was in and out during the day, and went out last night to freeload some Showtime at some friends (sidebar, the season finale of "Nurse Jackie" was awesome and the jig is UP...next season will be great). A few times in the afternoon I kept wondering, "Where the hell did I put that toothpaste?" as it wasn't in the bathroom or in the kitchen where I left it...hmmm. I got home about 10:00 last night and let the dogs out for the last time of the day. When I called them in, Otto had a shredded banana peel in his mouth. Nice. Then Olive came trotting in behind him toting this:
I investigated further and found the staging area of the crime in the living room....
So...this morning the 3 of us were at Seward Park by 6:30 a.m. and I ran the toothpaste out of them...boot camp for toothpaste eaters, that's what I'm talkin' about. I was hell bent on making them too tired to misbehave today and it worked...we did basically a tempo run, some of which was at about an 8:30 pace (for me these days, that's pretty fast). By the last half mile, Otto was actually not pulling me and was panting pretty hard. HA!The dogs have been chillaxing since early this morning (victory for the human!). I didn't have any clients today (well, other than them), so I went for a good long bike ride...did the north end of Lake WA and got in 43 miles...finally in shorts and a short sleeved jersey....sweet! Can't wait for that familiar ugly biker tan and got a start on it, I think. My legs were ready to be done at about mile 30, but I kept throwing food at the problem and finished pretty well. Perfect day for it.
Early run:
Early run:
3.5ish miles: 30 min (didn't have GPR/HR)
Midday ride:
43.4 miles
2:52
Avg HR: 119
Avg pace: 15.3
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Almost open water time...
So it's almost July and the only open water swim I've done this year was a 23 minute attempt at a campground in upstate NY last week...just haven't felt tough enough for Lake Washington yet. But I'm edging closer and am at least swimming outdoors now (I know, lame, I really do have every intention of getting in the lake by July 4 if not sooner).
I went out to West Seattle for lap swim at Colman Pool today and was pretty happy with the vitamin D production. I could use another 20 degrees, but summer is slowly coming around. The masters' workout at Colman on Sunday was kind of grim... in the 50s and raining; the poor lifeguards were wearing parkas...today was a huge improvement on that scene, for sure! Really nice to be outside and warm in the big pool.
My legs were a little hungover from that brick yesterday (OK, it kind of felt like I was pulling telephone poles behind me in the water, I'll admit it), but the sunshine made it all good and I basically did an LSD swim with a few 50s at the end.
I strained my lower back loading a truck at the end of the GYGIG ride about 10 days ago and it's yelling quite a bit louder than my hamstring and my knee put together....It hurt a lot overnight and a bit in the water today...working on scheduling accupuncture and massage by the end of the week.
3000m swim, 1:00
Monday, June 21, 2010
ReEntry...
I have not blogged in at least 6 months, and haven't raced since Troika, almost 2 years ago...after that best-of-my-life race, the injury parade started, everything else in my life flipped, flopped, spun and landed....then rinsed and repeated. But you (the 3 of you who might possibly still check this damn-near dead blog) know all of that.
In the past 2 years, I've continued to subscribe to "Triathlete" magazine, but several issues went unread as I didn't even feel worthy of calling myself a triathlete...and the 8+ months of no-running made it downright painful to see "Runner's World" arrive in the mail. Slowly, but surely, though, with several one-step-forward-and-I-hurt-myself-again stages, I think I'm reentering my tritahlon life.
Last week I gave my 2007 Ironman Finisher T-shirt away to someone important to me who's doing her first tri this summer...I'm hoping it still has a little motivational mojo in it, although it almost seems like another lifetime since I did IMC 3 years ago. I kind of figured it's time to get back out there and get create some new mojo...guess we'll see.
Anyway, my hamstring, knee, and most recently my back, are not at 100%, but I've been jonesing to race and I gotta get my life back. I mean, what's the meaning of life if not to spend time, money,and energy to earn ill-fitting ugly race T-shirts, right? And how else am I supposed to deal with everything else in my life if I don't have a color-coded training schedule to keep me grounded? (sidebar: rhetorical, don't answer that one, I know I'm supposed to learn meditation and yoga, but I'm continuing to resist). So...yesterday I renewed my USAT membership and registered for the Federal Escape Olympic distance Tri on July 31...and today I did my first (kind of kick ass if I say so myself) brick in god knows how long (boring stats to follow, of course). I also re-hired my coach, and while on the bike today, I decided it was time to resurrect this blog. I mean, let's face it, I LOVE Facebook and am happily addicted, but I'm really a little too long-winded for those little updates. Plus, my mom quit Facebook, so I feel somewhat obligated to get this thing up and running again.
So...off I go...reclaiming my triathlete identity, purchasing Aleve, Arnica, and beer with wild abandon (that's a recovery trifecta for 40-something injured athletes if I've ever seen one) and happily scheduled to meet with the coach on Thursday to get that tri-colored training calendar I love so much! Bring it!
Today's Brick:
31 mile bike, south end of the Lake
2:00:30
Avg pace: 15.6mph
Avg HR:121
Max HR: 151
2.3 mile run
20:00
Avg pace: 8:40
Avg HR: 147
Max HR: 158
In the past 2 years, I've continued to subscribe to "Triathlete" magazine, but several issues went unread as I didn't even feel worthy of calling myself a triathlete...and the 8+ months of no-running made it downright painful to see "Runner's World" arrive in the mail. Slowly, but surely, though, with several one-step-forward-and-I-hurt-myself-again stages, I think I'm reentering my tritahlon life.
Last week I gave my 2007 Ironman Finisher T-shirt away to someone important to me who's doing her first tri this summer...I'm hoping it still has a little motivational mojo in it, although it almost seems like another lifetime since I did IMC 3 years ago. I kind of figured it's time to get back out there and get create some new mojo...guess we'll see.
Anyway, my hamstring, knee, and most recently my back, are not at 100%, but I've been jonesing to race and I gotta get my life back. I mean, what's the meaning of life if not to spend time, money,and energy to earn ill-fitting ugly race T-shirts, right? And how else am I supposed to deal with everything else in my life if I don't have a color-coded training schedule to keep me grounded? (sidebar: rhetorical, don't answer that one, I know I'm supposed to learn meditation and yoga, but I'm continuing to resist). So...yesterday I renewed my USAT membership and registered for the Federal Escape Olympic distance Tri on July 31...and today I did my first (kind of kick ass if I say so myself) brick in god knows how long (boring stats to follow, of course). I also re-hired my coach, and while on the bike today, I decided it was time to resurrect this blog. I mean, let's face it, I LOVE Facebook and am happily addicted, but I'm really a little too long-winded for those little updates. Plus, my mom quit Facebook, so I feel somewhat obligated to get this thing up and running again.
So...off I go...reclaiming my triathlete identity, purchasing Aleve, Arnica, and beer with wild abandon (that's a recovery trifecta for 40-something injured athletes if I've ever seen one) and happily scheduled to meet with the coach on Thursday to get that tri-colored training calendar I love so much! Bring it!
Today's Brick:
31 mile bike, south end of the Lake
2:00:30
Avg pace: 15.6mph
Avg HR:121
Max HR: 151
2.3 mile run
20:00
Avg pace: 8:40
Avg HR: 147
Max HR: 158
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