Weekend Update

I know it's now Thursday, but I started to compose a post on Saturday and got distracted by friends. This past weekend I went down to DC to visit. I stayed with my friend S, the one who got me into tri, and her family. Another friend from college, R, also came down for a bit.

On Saturday S, R, and I went to the gym to get a swim in. Both of them have a lot more swim experience than I do, so it was a good opportunity to have my swim stroke "analyzed". They gave me some really good pointers. R bopped me on the head at least once because of my negative mental script, but I apparently made pretty good progress in the short time we were there.

On Sunday we went back to the gym to participate in my first Spinning Class. I'm glad I've finally taken a class, and is wasn't actually as bad mentally as I feared. This particular instructor was on the encouraging side more than on the drill instructor side; he didn't yell at us, although at one point he did say some people weren't working hard enough. Since I felt ready to die at one point, I am fairly certain he wasn't talking about me! My own gym isn't geared for spin classes, but I think they do have at least one spin bike. I have to take a look next time I'm there, but that's the subject of my next post. I did find it interesting to note that it's possible to clip in on the spin bike; if I get shoes I can learn to clip in and out without worrying about falling over on my bike!

All in all, it was an excellent weekend.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder?

Sorry for the delay in updates. I have wiring issues from fingers and toes, I haz no internets wherever I goes! Between cranky computer issues and training/work I have not been able to post!

On Sunday I ran 6 miles. I like to run on the bike path in the Valley Forge Park, partly because it's is nice and flat, and partly because the bike path is marked every .5 mile. I wish I were faster. I at least was consistent with my time for the Jingle 10k race - 78 minutes. I bought some Muscle Milk the week before and finally tried it out. I put some in 1 of the flasks on my fuel belt, and kept the other 4 flasks water. I have come to the conclusion that muscle milk is kind of gross, even if it is chocolate flavored. Soy protein is just not something I think I will ever like. I do love water; 4 7 oz flasks is only just enough for 6 miles when I have to provide all my own water. I knew I should have filled the 6th flask! Fuel belt is still comfy, for those who were wondering. I also still love Jelly Belly Sport Beans for a quick jolt of energy and an easy mental reward. Much tastier than the Muscle Milk!

Six miles of running is really hard on my knees. For one thing I stink at stretching, even though as a massage therapist I yell at my patients when they don't stretch. On the plus side, I am taking a whole stretching seminar next weekend (Active Isolated Stretching) so I will not have that excuse for much longer. Also, running is just not kind to the body. I need to do better with pacing; I got slower and slower with each mile. All in all I was proud of myself, but for sure pretty exhausted and sore.

Monday was a rest day, because I forgot my swim suit at home and did not have time to go retrieve it.

Tuesday I got to the gym and had the intention of working on the bike, but I started on the treadmill to warm up and just kept going. I used the one treadmill that has quick buttons to jump between "jogging" at 4 mph and "running" at 6mph so I could easily go between the two. I generally run on a flat path as I am averse to hills, but since the treadmill is a wee bit easier on my body I decided to try to do interval training and increase the incline. I started at 5 minutes of jogging (=14 min per mile) at zero incline and then did 1 minute of running (=10 min per mile). I dropped back down to jogging, but increased the incline to 3, jogged for 5 minutes and then ran for 1. I repeated this for another cycle, except I kept the run at 2 minutes before dropping down to jogging. At this point I got bored (about 20 some minutes in) but I was close enough to 2 miles that I just decided to get to 3 miles and then quit. I lowered the incline, played with the speed, got t0 3 miles and quit. Drank some more water, did 5 useless minutes on the Stair Master (I have always hated the stair master, but thought I should do more than just run for some reason probably because I am insane), drank more water, and eased my way down to the locker room to change into my swimsuit.

I brought my mask and snorkel this time, hoping it would help with the swimming and breathing problem. Unfortunately all I discovered was a) I had to keep my face down for if I tried to look ahead at the wall water got in the snorkel, and b) I was doing hyperventilation breaths. As my legs already were a bit tired from the run it was fairly useless, as workouts go.

I do have a swimming-related question. Why, when I was the ONLY person in the pool until some guy came in, did he choose the lane right next to me for swimming? I chose that lane so I would be away from people, not to swim right next to people! He was a much better swimmer than I, so after a half-hearted attempt to try to get 10 laps in I just gave up. I think I sort of managed 8 or 9 laps.

I stopped by the library on my way to work and picked up a few books on swimming. Hopefully I'll learn something before tomorrow's workout. I'm going to bike first and then swim. Silly gym schedule so is not working for me. I would much rather swim first, but the pool is still only open from 12-3. Oh well, students return next Monday so the schedule should be more accessible soon.

I weighed myself on a friend's scale today. I need to get a new battery for mine. I was somewhat pleased with the result, but I have no idea what I was before I started training to know if I'm having much weight loss. Don't really care what the scale says, as I can clearly see more muscle definition in my legs!

Hopefully the phone lines (DSL) and computers will cooperate tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Truth is Funnier Than Fiction

Yesterday my roommate from college emailed me an article she wrote. What Not To Do endearingly captures her very first and her most recent triathlon experience. Her description of the swim is quite similar to what my DC (the one I blame for getting me into tri) friend felt during the swim portion of her first tri. What Not To Do is an encouraging tale of redeeming a horrible experience.

Her husband also has great comedic talent for storytelling. Hopefully I will be as good at Beating The Demons. He chronicles how he bests his fear of the water, making me laugh out loud several times.

It is nice to realize I am not alone. Sometimes we have mental scripts we need to defeat, such as the You Suck You Suck You Suck I keep hearing in my head, and sometimes we don't look before we leap and fail to do the training needed or too much training too soon. If my friends can rise above these challenges, I believe I can too.

The Nice, France Triathlon

Somewhere I read something about a triathlon in Nice, France. I mentally filed that tidbit away, but since I don't believe I had even signed up for my first triathlon yet I did not look it up. I did think that was pretty cool, though, and maybe I'd contemplate doing it someday.

Today is a triathlon researching kind of day so I did a quick google. Know what I found? The triathlon in Nice is an IRONMAN. This competition is a 2.5 mile swim, 112 miles on the bike, and a full marathon of 26.2 miles. The bike ride sounds quite challenging, and I think I've been to some of those towns. At least the run is on a flat path at the Promenade Des Anglais. I won't be signing up for it any time soon, however!

My USAT Timing Chip came in the mail yesterday!

I have no real training news. My work schedule and the reduced times the gym is open have prevented me from being active these past couple of days. I will try to make up for it tomorrow. I need to at least get a run in, even if I don't bike. Although I'll probably brick again. Can one brick too often, I wonder?

I did squee a bit yesterday when my timing chip arrived. Some races give you a discount if you have your own chip, although neither of the tris I have signed up for gave me that option. Still, the ankle strap is surprisingly light and comfortable! I'm sure I'll be able to use it for running races. I need to start looking at the schedule. I do so much better when things are broken down into smaller chunks. Training for a race in February or March is much easier to grasp than training for a race in July or September.

I am close to registering for a 140-mile 2 day bike ride called Ride For The Feast. It goes from the beaches in Delaware to Baltimore, MD. It's a fundraising drive for Moveable Feast, and sounds like a very interesting experience! I think it'll be a great opportunity to meet new people. It's also a great excuse to invest in a new bike. Will I be able to get up to 70 miles at a time before May?

I'm also considering signing up for the Philadelphia Tri Club. (I'm a little bit unhappy with the fees for everything; I would have to pick one of the more spendy sports options... Oh well, it's for healthy lifestyle choices, right?) I think the club might be great, but since my work schedule is so erratic it's really hard to get together in the evening, and I doubt there are very many mid-morning group workouts. That's my complaint with the gym, too. I think I saw a flyer for a masters swim class, but it met from 6:30-9 pm or something like that. That is prime working time for me! Well, the start is. My appointments are usually completed by 8 pm. My other problem is the website doesn't seem to be very well updated; I'm not sure they are even a club anymore!

I had a good laugh at articles some friends of mine wrote about some of their tri experiences. I wish I were half as funny!

The Hill Keeps Besting Me

Today I decided to bike to Trader Joe's to get some groceries. It's sort of a cheap workout, as it's not even 4.5 miles round-trip. However, I live in a neighborhood with some gently rolling hills. These hills are so gently rolling that you don't even notice them when driving, but I certainly notice them when trying to pump myself up on my own steam!

My goal is to someday get to Trader Joe's without needing to stop for a break one or multiple times. I hope to achieve this through spinning classes or drills to get me standing while biking, as this is supposed to give me extra oomph. I did actually get into a standing position once today. I just don't have great confidence in my ability to not fall off. The hills aren't nearly as difficult to master on the return trip, which is good since I'm usually loaded up with groceries at that point.

After noshing on a yummy black bean burrito, I got my swim stuff together and headed to the pool. It'll be my last swim this week, due to the limited hours available during winter break. I managed to swim 10 laps, but I am still having some issues. My plan is to bring my mask and snorkel to my next swim session so I can get my body used to the movement without panicking over the breathing. Hopefully this is a smart plan.

My Triathlon & Training Info

This is a catch-up post for those who have not heard the details yet and didn't see them in the about me section.

I have signed up to do the Philadelphia Women's Triathlon here in Philly on July 6, 2008. It's a 750 meter swim (about .5 mile), 17 mile bike, and 5k (3 mile) run. This is considered a Sprint Distance. Sprints can vary quite a bit from race to race. This race has a longer bike portion than others.

The second triathlon I signed up to do is The Nation's Triathlon in DC on September 14, 2008. It is an Olympic Distance tri, and about twice the distance of my first tri. It's a 1.5 k (about 1 mile) swim, 25 mile bike, and 10k (6 mile) run.

When trying to decide what to do about joining a gym, I chose the least expensive option - I joined the gym at my college alma mater. As an alum I get a nice break on the price; a whole year costs about one or two months at some of the other local gyms, and I get access to an olympic sized pool and other fitness equipment. The downside to this is that there are no spinning classes, no yoga classes, no master swim groups (that I know of yet but I still have to check), and since the students are currently on winter break I am stuck with odd hours of availability. Some of the other local gyms do offer Day Pass options, which I will probably use from time to time just to have access to a spinning class or master swim to check my progress. I can find some spinning podcasts (although I haven't listened to one yet) so as long as I know how to do it on my own I still can.

Today was not made of win.

I have been having a hard time sleeping lately. I just can't seem to get to bed at a decent hour, or I can't stay asleep, general insomnia issues. I'm fine if I take Tylenol PM, but I don't like to do that too much. This morning I completely missed my first appointment because I overslept. This did not start my day out on a good foot.

One thing that was pretty positive to note however was that my legs feel pretty good; better than they normally do after a run. I'm thinking the biking first actually was really good for me!

I packed my swim stuff last night and did remember to grab my gym bag. (I failed to bring my ipod for work, and didn't know where I put my regular set of keys.) I was a little worried about how I was going to get into the gym, since it's key-card access only. I had a workaround all figured out but then I found my keys in my gym bag! Crisis averted.

This was my first time in the pool where the purpose was to actually swim and not just cool down from sunbathing. Bought a new silicone swim cap, and new goggles too. I was hoping these items would help me magically be able to swim laps, but alas this was not true. I don't know how many times I actually managed to make it back and forth in the 30 minutes I stayed in the pool. I do know it got my heart beat going, even though I don't yet have a HR monitor, as I had to stop for a bit until I could catch my breath several times. Some laps I did freestyle, and some were breast-stroke, or doggy paddling to get from one end to the other. I was really grateful there weren't many people around to see me splashing and gasping like a fish out of water.

There's a swim workshop I would dearly love to do next weekend, but it's $500! At the moment I can think of better things to be doing with my money than that. I am contemplating getting the swim dvd, drill cards, and book package though. I'm also hoping to maybe get some cheap swim lessons from one of the students, or maybe the swim coach can help me out at least once or twice.

There are so many areas I need to work on before July. On the one hand, isn't that what this process is all about? On the other, it's so discouraging to be starting from zero for everything. I need to watch more of those inspiring Iron Man competitions; if amputees and legally blind people can do this I need to suck it up and stop whining!

My First Brick Workout

I haven't been on my bike since before Thanksgiving, so I was way overdue for a bike ride. Thanks to Global Warming, it was a balmy 50+ degrees out. With the weather so mild I ended up in my regular bike shorts and my new Super Grover short sleeved jersey instead of worrying about my awkwardly padded long bike tights.

I am a slow "athlete". I sometimes get discouraged as cyclist after cyclist passes me and quickly is out of sight. I have a hybrid bike, with pretty fat tires, and it's just not speedy. Even so, I managed to pedal almost the entire 10 miles, ending up with about 5 minute/mile. Felt pretty good as I got off the bike at my car.

I don't know yet how long one should plan for a transition time, but I managed to put my bike back on my car rack, lock it in, take my helmet off, and add the fuel belt I got for Christmas (thanks sis!) under 2 minutes. Which I thought was pretty good.

And then came the run. WHY do people do this? The first mile of my 3 mile run was extremely hard. My legs just did not feel like they belonged to me, and instead I had some weird rubber stilt type appendages in their place. I got a new watch so that I could plan out my run/walk intervals, but since this was the first time I used it apparently I didn't push the start properly to have it count down! I don't know how long I was oddly jogging before I decided I did something wrong, but I did get it to count down properly after a bit. I think I averaged about 13 minutes per mile, which is a bit slower than what I can sometimes do, but my first time running post bike.

All in all I am pleased with my first brick workout. Tomorrow -- first time in the pool!