Know what I've been up to? Riding and running in sweltering heat. Which I hate. Buuuuttt, I have a race in July. Stupid. I hate summer a lot, and typically try to schedule my races in the spring and fall. Triathlons, it seems, take place mostly in the summer. I guess because of the swim part. Unless you're swimming in Lake Michigan, where it is approximately 3 degrees above freezing. So, at the end of all my showers from now until July 18th, I am spending about 5 minutes standing in water as cold as I can make it. It takes my breath away. I am hoping this will help make the water in Racine slightly less terrifying and cold feeling. We'll see. I only have to be in it for, best case scenario, 45 minutes or so. I don't think I can reasonably spend that much time a day standing in an ice cold shower, so 5-10 minutes is going to have to do.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
4:12
Four hours and twelve minutes. That is how long I sat on my bike seat today to cover 60.85 miles. It was not a brilliantly fast ride, but it was 10.85 miles longer than I've ever ridden before. With the low speed came a fairly easy recovery. I was hot and tired (and really dirty!) after, but not especially sore, and even now, hours after finishing, I still feel good in all the places that I might have guessed would hurt.
Partly the slow pace came from the route I took, which resulted in lots of places where I had to stop for cross traffic. Also, lots of other bike/pedestrian traffic to manage (surprising for a Tuesday morning). And also the temperature when I started was 81 degrees, and by finish had climbed to 91 degrees in almost completely full sun. At one point my bike computer read 97 degrees. I don't think that is quite accurate, but it felt hot out there with no shade cover. I managed to eat a peanut butter & jelly "Uncrustable," take a gel, drank plenty of water and gatorade, all while moving. I was happy that at the end of the ride I really had to pee--a sign I had managed my hydration well, especially in all the heat and sun.
I skipped my planned post-ride run (again), because I am a wimp, it was hot, I was tired and, honestly, I had something I needed to do and didn't want to postpone it another 30 minutes. Lame, and now I regret it. I knew that was going to happen.
My bike spent a few minutes in the shop yesterday to get ready for today's ride. It needed a new tube in the rear tire after the flat I got Sunday. $20 and about 15 minutes and I was back on the road.
I thought about a lot of things while riding for 4+ hours:
1. The temperature
2. When I planned to eat, and a plan for when I was going to drink which drink
3. What I was going to eat when I was done
4. How long it takes to ride that many miles
5. How riding double the distance to train for a full Ironman seems insane
6. Ironman triathletes are bad ass people
7. How I wished I had some company
8. That I wished I had worn different shorts, or maybe any shorts would start to be irritating after 4 hours on a bike seat
9. Ice cream, ice water, snow, winter...ok, kidding. I was thinking about ice cream, though. Did I mention it was hot??
10. The creepy man that kept passing me then slowing, then passing, then eventually talked to me. Was he going to knock me down, club me, and toss me into a van? Turns out he was harmless, or I rode on before he had a chance to abduct me, but that I was thankful for conversation the last 2 miles because my will to finish was being strongly tested. Actually with 2 miles left I was fine; it was the point about 6 miles before then that I really needed a kick in the rear.
Anyway, I am happy that it's behind me, and looking forward to another lake swim tomorrow and a run in the high heat again. I hate this weather, but getting a few good workouts in now will help acclimate me for race day (I did a 6-miler right before Ragnar in about 90 degrees and it was torture, but on race day my long leg 9.6miles, was in the heat of the afternoon at 80+ degrees and full sun...and yes it was hot and miserable, but I felt very prepared and was able to maintain a solid pace, so I'm sticking with this plan of acclimating myself).
Anybody racing this weekend?
Partly the slow pace came from the route I took, which resulted in lots of places where I had to stop for cross traffic. Also, lots of other bike/pedestrian traffic to manage (surprising for a Tuesday morning). And also the temperature when I started was 81 degrees, and by finish had climbed to 91 degrees in almost completely full sun. At one point my bike computer read 97 degrees. I don't think that is quite accurate, but it felt hot out there with no shade cover. I managed to eat a peanut butter & jelly "Uncrustable," take a gel, drank plenty of water and gatorade, all while moving. I was happy that at the end of the ride I really had to pee--a sign I had managed my hydration well, especially in all the heat and sun.
I skipped my planned post-ride run (again), because I am a wimp, it was hot, I was tired and, honestly, I had something I needed to do and didn't want to postpone it another 30 minutes. Lame, and now I regret it. I knew that was going to happen.
My bike spent a few minutes in the shop yesterday to get ready for today's ride. It needed a new tube in the rear tire after the flat I got Sunday. $20 and about 15 minutes and I was back on the road.
I thought about a lot of things while riding for 4+ hours:
1. The temperature
2. When I planned to eat, and a plan for when I was going to drink which drink
3. What I was going to eat when I was done
4. How long it takes to ride that many miles
5. How riding double the distance to train for a full Ironman seems insane
6. Ironman triathletes are bad ass people
7. How I wished I had some company
8. That I wished I had worn different shorts, or maybe any shorts would start to be irritating after 4 hours on a bike seat
9. Ice cream, ice water, snow, winter...ok, kidding. I was thinking about ice cream, though. Did I mention it was hot??
10. The creepy man that kept passing me then slowing, then passing, then eventually talked to me. Was he going to knock me down, club me, and toss me into a van? Turns out he was harmless, or I rode on before he had a chance to abduct me, but that I was thankful for conversation the last 2 miles because my will to finish was being strongly tested. Actually with 2 miles left I was fine; it was the point about 6 miles before then that I really needed a kick in the rear.
Anyway, I am happy that it's behind me, and looking forward to another lake swim tomorrow and a run in the high heat again. I hate this weather, but getting a few good workouts in now will help acclimate me for race day (I did a 6-miler right before Ragnar in about 90 degrees and it was torture, but on race day my long leg 9.6miles, was in the heat of the afternoon at 80+ degrees and full sun...and yes it was hot and miserable, but I felt very prepared and was able to maintain a solid pace, so I'm sticking with this plan of acclimating myself).
Anybody racing this weekend?
Monday, June 16, 2014
Training Recap
I can't remember back to Monday and what all I did this week for training. I know I didn't follow my plan exactly as it was printed, and my planner with my workouts written down is too far away for me to get.
I was worried at the start of the week that I'd be really sore from Ragnar last week, because I was still really sore on Sunday. I used the foam roller, took Sunday and Monday off and felt good after that. I guess it must have been Tuesday that I rode my bike in the trainer then did a treadmill run (indoor BRICK workout) and did some light strength stuff and way, way too many sit ups on the crunch bench because I felt that through Friday!
Wednesday I got up early and swam 3000m!! My longest swim by far to date. It took me 1:05 to finish; a little slow but I wanted to finish feeling strong. My arms were so tired after that. I then did a very slow 25min run. After my monstrous swim and the kids being up all night Wed night, I slept through my alarm Thurs morning. Then the kids napped through the time in the afternoon that I thought I could get a swim in. So, Thursday ended up being a wash. I had every intention of getting on the treadmill that night, but I had so much to do to get ready for work Friday morning that it didn't happen. Friday nothing because of work and then family night at the Firemen's festival. Saturday I got up really early and did my long run/swim.
My run felt awful. Probably because I missed pretty much every run I was supposed to do this week and that I never really worked out the kinks from Ragnar. I made it 10 miles at 8:16/mile. Pretty good clip but it didn't feel good at all....and I was supposed to go 14 miles. Then I hit the pool for a 3200m swim (that's 2 miles!!). I was very happy at making it this distance, and in 1:08! My late laps got slower by a bit than I started out, especially the last 900m or so.
At the advice of a friend, I am trying to extend my swimming workouts. Swimming in the pool is way easier than open water, so going way over on distance in the pool should give me some confidence in open water at Racine. The swim there is 1.2 miles, so if I routinely swim near 2 miles or over, I'll be sure that I can cover distance in Racine even with the extra effort of open water swimming.
Sunday I set out on a 60 mile bike. I was feeling great; the weather was good. I planned to really work on my nutrition and then planned a 30 minute run post bike. 20 or so miles in, I ate a peanut butter sandwich on the the fly. People driving by were probably wondering what on earth I was doing. It seemed to settle ok, and gave me a real energy boost. I was starting to get hungry at that point! Because I was riding into a really bad headwind, I decided to change up my course a little. I planned 30 miles out and back, but at 25 miles, I turned around and decided I would cut through town for a few loops then head back to make up the total 60 miles. At this point, a deer came flying up over the side of the road straight for me. I was riding at 19.4 mph in aero (read: my hands were not on my brakes). I tried to stay my course and not panic but it was all happening very fast; I didn't want to go down going that fast without my hands to help brace my fall. The deer started zig zagging, and I managed to grab my front brake to slow down (not smart--lucky I didn't go over the handle bars!), and at the last second the deer turned and headed back away from the road. All the zig zagging changed his course from coming straight at me to getting a bit ahead of me, so it was more likely before he changed direction that I might actually hit him. Either way it was probably not going to end well.
I shook that off and not ten minutes later "bam!" I hit a rock or something that caused a loud pop. I pedaled up to a turn off, checked my front tire. It was full. Turned to check my back tire and could hear the air rushing out before I even felt it. I texted that I was going to need a ride and that I'd try to make it up to a store that was a few miles up the road. As soon as I got on my bike the back tire was already on the rim. Not riding anywhere. So I called with my location and set up on a nice grassy area on the side of the road and worked on my tan. My day was over.
Today my bike is going into the shop to repair the rear tire. I don't have any of the equipment/spare parts here, and it needs to be tuned up before Racine anyway.
I was worried at the start of the week that I'd be really sore from Ragnar last week, because I was still really sore on Sunday. I used the foam roller, took Sunday and Monday off and felt good after that. I guess it must have been Tuesday that I rode my bike in the trainer then did a treadmill run (indoor BRICK workout) and did some light strength stuff and way, way too many sit ups on the crunch bench because I felt that through Friday!
Wednesday I got up early and swam 3000m!! My longest swim by far to date. It took me 1:05 to finish; a little slow but I wanted to finish feeling strong. My arms were so tired after that. I then did a very slow 25min run. After my monstrous swim and the kids being up all night Wed night, I slept through my alarm Thurs morning. Then the kids napped through the time in the afternoon that I thought I could get a swim in. So, Thursday ended up being a wash. I had every intention of getting on the treadmill that night, but I had so much to do to get ready for work Friday morning that it didn't happen. Friday nothing because of work and then family night at the Firemen's festival. Saturday I got up really early and did my long run/swim.
My run felt awful. Probably because I missed pretty much every run I was supposed to do this week and that I never really worked out the kinks from Ragnar. I made it 10 miles at 8:16/mile. Pretty good clip but it didn't feel good at all....and I was supposed to go 14 miles. Then I hit the pool for a 3200m swim (that's 2 miles!!). I was very happy at making it this distance, and in 1:08! My late laps got slower by a bit than I started out, especially the last 900m or so.
At the advice of a friend, I am trying to extend my swimming workouts. Swimming in the pool is way easier than open water, so going way over on distance in the pool should give me some confidence in open water at Racine. The swim there is 1.2 miles, so if I routinely swim near 2 miles or over, I'll be sure that I can cover distance in Racine even with the extra effort of open water swimming.
Sunday I set out on a 60 mile bike. I was feeling great; the weather was good. I planned to really work on my nutrition and then planned a 30 minute run post bike. 20 or so miles in, I ate a peanut butter sandwich on the the fly. People driving by were probably wondering what on earth I was doing. It seemed to settle ok, and gave me a real energy boost. I was starting to get hungry at that point! Because I was riding into a really bad headwind, I decided to change up my course a little. I planned 30 miles out and back, but at 25 miles, I turned around and decided I would cut through town for a few loops then head back to make up the total 60 miles. At this point, a deer came flying up over the side of the road straight for me. I was riding at 19.4 mph in aero (read: my hands were not on my brakes). I tried to stay my course and not panic but it was all happening very fast; I didn't want to go down going that fast without my hands to help brace my fall. The deer started zig zagging, and I managed to grab my front brake to slow down (not smart--lucky I didn't go over the handle bars!), and at the last second the deer turned and headed back away from the road. All the zig zagging changed his course from coming straight at me to getting a bit ahead of me, so it was more likely before he changed direction that I might actually hit him. Either way it was probably not going to end well.
I shook that off and not ten minutes later "bam!" I hit a rock or something that caused a loud pop. I pedaled up to a turn off, checked my front tire. It was full. Turned to check my back tire and could hear the air rushing out before I even felt it. I texted that I was going to need a ride and that I'd try to make it up to a store that was a few miles up the road. As soon as I got on my bike the back tire was already on the rim. Not riding anywhere. So I called with my location and set up on a nice grassy area on the side of the road and worked on my tan. My day was over.
Today my bike is going into the shop to repair the rear tire. I don't have any of the equipment/spare parts here, and it needs to be tuned up before Racine anyway.
out of commission
This week I'm planning another open water swim and some time spent in ice baths to acclimate my body to the cold of Lake Michigan. Still hoping my bike can be done today so maybe I can get in that 60 miler as well. Two long bikes would be a good week!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Do What You Love
You may have seen the Jim Carrey commencement speech going around the internet where he spoke to the graduating class of Maharishi University's school of Management. I watched the video several times because what he said is so true, and also so unexpected given that it was said by Jim Carrey, but also because I wanted to make sure I got it right when I quoted it below:
"So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossible to achieve and ridiculous to expect, so we never dare to ask the universe for it...
...You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love."
Well said, Mr. Carrey.
Throughout my years of running, a lot of people have questioned my sanity, my motivations, my choices on how to spend my time and money. People are always on board with you until they are called on to be a part of your goals. And, believe me, I get it. My choosing to train for a marathon or this half ironman has been a commitment by my husband and our kids, not just by me. For the most part, I can do my training early (before the sun) or late, after the kids go to bed and I can hit the treadmill, the bike trainer, or do some strength training. But factoring in pool workouts, means that I do have to adjust my schedule a bit. And when I'm not training, my body is tired. 4:30 or 5:00am alarms mean early bed times. My family has responded beautifully, supporting and encouraging me when my own motivation wains. It's hard to want to get out the door when it's dark and you've already been up twice with a kid awake, or you head out extra early to get in miles of running and swimming before a double shift at work. But I'm no hero here, plenty of "weekend warriors" are pulling even more intense training schedules than I.
It's the half hearted support, that gets to me. I try not to burden anyone else because this is my goal, my lifestyle, my choice. Sometimes it means missing out on things that might be more fun, sometimes it's ok to miss a training day. But what I cannot tolerate is support that is offered but can't be followed through on. I'd rather it not be offered at all.
Life is way too short for me to not pursue this with all I've got. Yes, it's a hobby. I also view it as a lifestyle. Endurance sports force one to push their minds as well as bodies. If I can push through a hard workout, then I can apply that same determination to other areas of my life. I can survive, I can be mentally tougher, more willing to persevere.
One example is in swimming. I knew how to swim before triathlon training, but I would never have classified myself as a swimmer. Still wouldn't, probably. I read and watched, and learned how to breath, how to swim with my face in the water, how to use my arms and legs. Can I improve? Yes. Are there things I do wrong? Yes. But when I started my training program, I could make it 400 meters before I needed a rest on the side of the pool. I worked up to 800m at a time. I had a mental block about needing a break. And then one day I pushed through. And today, I swam 3000m (yes, 3000!! Almost 2 whole miles!) at once. It took me an hour and 4 minutes, but I stopped only one time to adjust my goggles and check my watch, but otherwise I swam consecutively. I wasn't afraid, per se, but I wanted it. I really wanted it, and so I took a chance. And look at what I accomplished.
The barrier was self imposed to large degree. I have the fitness base. I put my mind to it, did what I love doing, and went for it.
You can too. Do what you love with or without the support of those around you. Don't look back tomorrow, in a week, in a year and realize the opportunity is passed. Make the most of yourself today, in this moment. I support you.
"So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossible to achieve and ridiculous to expect, so we never dare to ask the universe for it...
...You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love."
Well said, Mr. Carrey.
Throughout my years of running, a lot of people have questioned my sanity, my motivations, my choices on how to spend my time and money. People are always on board with you until they are called on to be a part of your goals. And, believe me, I get it. My choosing to train for a marathon or this half ironman has been a commitment by my husband and our kids, not just by me. For the most part, I can do my training early (before the sun) or late, after the kids go to bed and I can hit the treadmill, the bike trainer, or do some strength training. But factoring in pool workouts, means that I do have to adjust my schedule a bit. And when I'm not training, my body is tired. 4:30 or 5:00am alarms mean early bed times. My family has responded beautifully, supporting and encouraging me when my own motivation wains. It's hard to want to get out the door when it's dark and you've already been up twice with a kid awake, or you head out extra early to get in miles of running and swimming before a double shift at work. But I'm no hero here, plenty of "weekend warriors" are pulling even more intense training schedules than I.
It's the half hearted support, that gets to me. I try not to burden anyone else because this is my goal, my lifestyle, my choice. Sometimes it means missing out on things that might be more fun, sometimes it's ok to miss a training day. But what I cannot tolerate is support that is offered but can't be followed through on. I'd rather it not be offered at all.
Life is way too short for me to not pursue this with all I've got. Yes, it's a hobby. I also view it as a lifestyle. Endurance sports force one to push their minds as well as bodies. If I can push through a hard workout, then I can apply that same determination to other areas of my life. I can survive, I can be mentally tougher, more willing to persevere.
One example is in swimming. I knew how to swim before triathlon training, but I would never have classified myself as a swimmer. Still wouldn't, probably. I read and watched, and learned how to breath, how to swim with my face in the water, how to use my arms and legs. Can I improve? Yes. Are there things I do wrong? Yes. But when I started my training program, I could make it 400 meters before I needed a rest on the side of the pool. I worked up to 800m at a time. I had a mental block about needing a break. And then one day I pushed through. And today, I swam 3000m (yes, 3000!! Almost 2 whole miles!) at once. It took me an hour and 4 minutes, but I stopped only one time to adjust my goggles and check my watch, but otherwise I swam consecutively. I wasn't afraid, per se, but I wanted it. I really wanted it, and so I took a chance. And look at what I accomplished.
The barrier was self imposed to large degree. I have the fitness base. I put my mind to it, did what I love doing, and went for it.
You can too. Do what you love with or without the support of those around you. Don't look back tomorrow, in a week, in a year and realize the opportunity is passed. Make the most of yourself today, in this moment. I support you.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
May
Hi readers. I was reminded by one of you that it has been a long time since I've posted here. There hasn't been any particular reason why not. I've been busy. Training has been somewhat of a disaster (in my mind); and while I've thought about what I wanted to post during the day, by the time I have time to sit down and do it, other things take precedence. It's a tough gig lately.
Anyway, here's what has been happening. The critical long workouts have been spotty. I did do a 50-mile bike ride. That was awesome, and hard. I felt so far away from home at the 25-mile mark out, but the back went fast even with the nasty head wind. Just once I'd love to be out on my bike without some kind of gale force wind. Just once. Maybe on race day?
I did my first open water swim. It was a lot more panic-inducing than I expected. Partly it was the water temperature, and partly the dark water with no reassuring black line painted on the bottom of the lake. This first open water swim also marked the first time I swam in my wetsuit. I have no idea what temperature the water was...below 70 degrees for sure. It was cold. It took my breath when I tried to put my face in, which made me feel even more panicked. So, I got lots and lots of practice at sighting, and no practice at swimming like a normal person. I had kayak support, which I was thankful for, because my caveman style swimming made me really fatigued really fast.
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Anyway, here's what has been happening. The critical long workouts have been spotty. I did do a 50-mile bike ride. That was awesome, and hard. I felt so far away from home at the 25-mile mark out, but the back went fast even with the nasty head wind. Just once I'd love to be out on my bike without some kind of gale force wind. Just once. Maybe on race day?
I did my first open water swim. It was a lot more panic-inducing than I expected. Partly it was the water temperature, and partly the dark water with no reassuring black line painted on the bottom of the lake. This first open water swim also marked the first time I swam in my wetsuit. I have no idea what temperature the water was...below 70 degrees for sure. It was cold. It took my breath when I tried to put my face in, which made me feel even more panicked. So, I got lots and lots of practice at sighting, and no practice at swimming like a normal person. I had kayak support, which I was thankful for, because my caveman style swimming made me really fatigued really fast.
first steps into the cold water
I kept trying to get some of my face in at least
I was really happy with my wetsuit. My body felt very warm, and the cold water did not really bother my hands or feet...just my face.
My next open water swim occurred at my very first triathlon! The Richmond Sprint Triathlon on May 31st. A change of plans sent me to the race alone, and that was actually ok because I had a lot of time to plan and mentally prepare. During the race, it would have been nice to have had a familiar face though.
I checked and re-checked my gear multiple times before the race. I got to transition very early to set up, and was there to watch the start of a half iron distance race, which calmed me a lot after seeing the process (run in, bike out, etc). My swim during the race went better than my previous open water. I was able to tolerate the cold a bit better, although still had trouble keeping my breath even. And I know I went out way faster than I wanted to. The water temperature this race was 71 degrees. Wetsuit legal. I got through transition fine, had everything I wanted to where I could easily locate it and put it on in an order that made sense. My T2 time was longer than T1, but I think this is because I ate a gel and took time to drink a lot of water. Both times were just over 2:00, so I felt very happy with that. I felt tired but strong on the run. I was very thankful it was only a 5k left at that point. Many times during those 3 miles I thought about how much work I had to do before Racine.
Having a "practice" race was huge for me. I feel way more prepared and it showed where I need to work. For example, from now to Racine, I will not be doing any biking without doing some sort of run after. I also want to add back in more strength training (which I had been focusing on prior to ramping up my triathlon training plan) to help combat late race fatigue.
The results of the triathlon were outstanding for a first showing. As I said, I felt strong on the run, and finished in just over 24:00, at 7:46 pace. And that helped push me to the top of my age group! Yes...an age group championship in my first showing!
officially a triathlete!
atop the podium
my official finish time 1:28:04
And then last weekend I joined "Four Men and Some Ladies" and participated in the overnight relay from Madison, WI to Chicago. It was a fun time, as relays always are, a unique challenge (3 runs in 30 hours)--especially with my first leg at 9.6 miles!
I have lots more to say, and plan to return tomorrow to talk about my observations from the outside in, and staying true to your own goals.
See you soon!
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