Tuesday, March 30, 2010

weekly totals

I finished out the week coaching at Junior Olympic (swim meet). This is the first of the "qualifying" meets for kids. There are trials and finals each day, and Pacific Swimming as some of the fastest age groupers in the country. My kids did great! I had three girls make their FIRST qualifying time for Far Westerns (the next standard above Junior Olympics), and were thrilled. My 11 yr old boy dropped 7 seconds in his 200 back and got a PRT (Pacific Recordable Time...basically, really fast)!! My kids swam great and for the most part were very mentally solid, I had no major psychological interventions (thats HUGE in my book)!!

With the meet, I was able to get in a 2 hr trainer ride on Saturday, and Sunday ended up being family time after the meet and so I saved my long run for Monday.

Weekly totals -

time: 15 hr
ytd time: 432 hrs 3 mins

Swim
time: 6 hrs
ytd time: 149 hrs 15 mins
distance: 15,000yds
ytd distance: 730,200 yds (that is 442 mi)

Bike
time: 4 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 176 hrs 45 mins
distance: 80 mi
ytd distance: 2,446 mi

Run
time: 3 hrs 3 mins
ytd time: 81 hrs 43 mins
distance: 22 mi
ytd distance: 425 mi

Thursday, March 25, 2010

3 Things Thursday

I realized that I haven't posted me weekly totals from last week. Sorry. They weren't that exciting being gone for the weekend. I'm also realizing that this weekend I'm at a swim meet, and therefore no long rides. Bummer, life gets in the way sometimes.

But this post is about 3 things that are good, that I'm grateful for, that makes me happy....

1.) Swimming - This weeks swim practices have been relatively easy. I am most happy with how my (changing) tan lines are coming along! :) Maybe one day I'll wear a 2 piece to train in and really change my tan lines. On the serious note, I've swam 3 times already this week getting b/w 3500-4000 each time.

2.) Biking - My bike is having issues. It is very prone to flats (no, its not MY fault ;) ), and needs a tune-up. Luckily I have a neighbor that is a Category1 Cyclist. I just need to run into him and mention him taking a look at my bike, before I send it off to a bike shop for $100+ of work. I am grateful with all the flats that I have become a MASTER at changing flats.

3.) Running - I've ran twice this week already. Monday I ran to my masters swim practice (4mi), swam (3500yds), and ran home (4mi). I was happy to do this split run, b/c it gave me a chance to run on rested legs and fatigued legs. My avg pace headed there was 8:40/mi, which I'm happy with. And my avg pace coming home was 8:48/mi, which I'm also happy with. Tuesday I got up and ran the FOMO track workout. It was 2x(3x800) descending the 800's 1-3. The husband/wife duo that run the workout did not run this morning and instead called out splits/encouragements....it was great!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Standing Tall

Its the title of a book recommended to me by a close friend in a masters program, emphasizing in Sport Psych. We talk a lot as athletes and coaches. I always love her recommending good books, articles, research, and tools that I can use as a coach, athlete, and person. "Standing Tall" by C. Vivian Stringer is an inspirational read. I was able to read it in about 30 hrs, and I don't consider myself a "reader".


Vivian Stringer is the womens basketball coach at Rutgers University, and the book follows her life as a coach, a woman of color, and a person. She has one of the best records in history of womens basketball. I connected a lot with the book, was touched by her strength through many life tragedies, and inspired by how she coached her girls. Life was not easy for her, and when faced with a hardship she relied on words from her father, "This may not be about you, or for you, but for those who will come after you. You must stand." The book is full of stories of athletes she has touched and who remain a big part of her life. She found talent in unusual places, and demanded that every girl on the court give her all. She tells her athletes, "You can look at your past and you can see it as a burden, keeping you down. Or you can draw strength from what has happened to you, and you can use that strength to make your own path." I want to use more of her philosophies when I coach, demand more out of my swimmers, and have parents know that I will help form their children into stronger leaders in the world.

If you are looking for a good read, I highly recommend this book.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

100 DAYS!



100 DAYS! Wow. Thats still a significant amount of time, but I am sure it will FLY BY! I think thats good motivation to get back on some good ass-kickin' workouts! I've become pretty secure in what I can handle, but haven't had any super challenging training moments. (more of, "I've done this before" moments lately).

In honor of being grateful of 3 things on Thursday......This week is dedicated to: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!

1.) Switching suit = new tan lines! Time to switch to the "cut out" back swim suit to try to reduce major tanlines. However, there will still always remain the "normal" 365 day suit tan.

2.) SUN! Yesterday was the first time I rode in shorts, short sleeve jersey, and fingerless gloves! OMG! It was amazing. But I had forgot what heat felt like, and massively sweating. Time to pull out more water bottles.

3.) SUNGLASSES! I can wear my sunglasses until I finish coaching (6:30pm)! I love it. Its so much nicer finishing work in the daylight, makes me less tired. And plus now, the kids never really know where I'm looking (intimidation factor)!

100 DAYS TO TRAIN IN THE SUN!

And with that....we're off to the SNOW this weekend to celebrate Nathans birthday! :)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

finished a good week...

Monday -
Coached 5am masters. Long Run (14mi). No LAC Coaching.

Tuesday -
Track workout (6am) kicked my butt. Felt the 14 miles. Swam TVM masters at 11:30am as a recovery (3500 yds).

Wednesday -
Long(er) weekday ride with Dana and Margaret. Started in Danville - rode 3 Bears (50 miles with good climbing).

Thursday -
This was me and Nathans 10 year "dating" anniversary! YAY! I needed a recovery day and clean the house day. I only swam with TVM Masters (4000 yds).

Friday -
Woke up feeling sick. No run. Had to deliver papers to Los Gatos and Fremont. Swam at lunch with TVM (3500 yds).

Saturday -
Heres my story telling for the week. Melinda has a cycling buddy whose wife offered to SAG an epic ride for his birthday! We met in Livermore at 7:30am and started off down Mines Rd. Within the first 5 miles, Ruben (birthday boy) hit a squirrel! I was right behind him and totally screamed...mostly b/c I have never seen it happen and me and Izzie always joke about it!! It was awesome, and don't worry the squirrel got away. We bike to the Junction (30mi). We were VERY happy to see that it has REOPENED under new ownership!! Its the only place that has bathroom, water, food between San Jose and Livermore - it is a safe haven for cyclists. We continued on San Antonio Rd. Along the flats/rollers I see of in the distance a HUGE herd of animals. They weren't cows or horses - so I wondered maybe goats or llamas?! When we got closer they were ELK! A herd of at least 50 ELK! One of old-timers with us said that was the largest herd you would see west of Colorado! SUPER COOL NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MOMENT! Then we start the massive climb up the backside of Mt. Hamilton. It's a doozy, but gorgeous. The next epic part of the ride was the SNOW on top of Mt. Hamilton. We had lunch on top, let me rephrase...I had my lunch inside the womens restroom in the Lick Observatory because it has a COUCH! We layered on all the clothes we had and headed on our COLD descent down the frontside of Hamilton. We biked through San Jose and then up Calaveras. After "The Wall" everyone was happy that the "climbing" was done (now just rollers). As we were descending I was following Ruben. We came around a right-hand corner and Ruben had a blow out. He went horizontal and I thought two things: 1.) I was going to see my first wipeout and 2.) Ruben's going to be really hurt and what are we going to do?! As he was flying horizontal evidentially his right pedal hit the ground and popped him up and he recovered! It was a MIRACLE! It was a frightening experience and I was glad he's ok. I stayed back with Ruben, along with Steve. Melinda, Dana, and Peter rode ahead to get phone reception to call Ruben's wife to pick him up and then continue to ride back to Livermore. Steve was able to "boot" the tires blow out spots good enough to fill the tire with probably 60psi. It was a good experience for me to see/learn kind of how to do it. We ride down slowly and Teresa (Ruben's wife) met us at the bottom and took Ruben home. Me and Steve continued on, but seeing the sun was setting I suggested we ride to my place and have Nathan (hubby) sag us back to Livermore to get our cars. It was good, because even with the sag the last 6 miles we got to our cars in the dark - happy we didn't get stuck in the dark. Still happy to finish with 100 miles total and 8000 ft elevation!!!
This is a picture of all of us on top of Mt. Hamilton. (me, Rueben, Dana, Melinda, Peter, Steve)


Weekly totals
time: 23 hrs 45 mins
ytd time: 406 hrs 53 mins
ytd distance: 3,182 mi

Swim
time: 4 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 137 hrs 15 mins
distance: 11,000 yds
ytd distance: 699,200 yds

Bike
time: 13 hrs 45 mins
ytd time: 169 hrs 15 mins
distance: 150 mi
ytd distance: 2,321.5 mi

Run
time: 4 hrs
ytd time: 75 hrs 43 mins
distance: 21.5 mi
ytd distance: 437.5 mi

Thursday, March 11, 2010

3 Things Thursday..

I like to think about what has impacted my life lately. What has been a focus this week? What has really hit me in a personal, physical, or spiritual way?

1.) PHYSICAL - Running. Specifically track workout. I believe every triathlete favors their strong sport, not only to stay in great shape in that area but also because it is comfortable, gives them confidence, and is most likely fun. I definitely do that with swimming. But - my running volume NEEDS to be ramped up. I have given my piriformis some time to rest and now ready to go. For me, going to the FMRC track workout represents stepping outside my comfort zone. The track workout is definitely the "runners" of the club doing something they love and are good at. And in comparison to my weakest link, I'm using it as a challenge and learning experience. I LOVE IT!

2.) PERSONAL - Friendship. I've posted about Izzie (my Ironman training buddy) and how doctors have recently discovered a nodule on her thyroid. She had it biopsyed yesterday, so I don't know the results yet. Shes been freaked out all week, and laying low. And I love how when you're in a time of need real friends don't leave you completely alone. The pic is of Izzie and Dana on our 110mi Del Puerto ride...you never go out alone.

3.) SPIRITUAL - Who has a meeting with their boss and is asked, "What does God want you to do here? What has he made you passionate about?" God has really blessed me in my working situation with strong Christians who believe that we need to do all things to bring glory to God. For me, my overall passion is to connect with the kids, help them, love them, and mentor them in LIFE through the tool and skill of swimming - it is so nice to have a working environment where that is welcomed, sought out, and encouraged. I am very excited to see where God takes me and the team through sport and life development.

Monday, March 8, 2010

weekly totals


This is a picture from the Del Puerto Century last Sunday. It has been my 5th flat on my journey to Ironman. We're big fans of catching each other with our butts in spandex. So, I had to make it a good one, even with Izzie's rear bottle aero cage that fell off during the ride in my jersey pocket.

This week has been a so-so week of training. The thing I'm worried about is the Napa marathon was this weekend, so Mindy is no longer in need of LONG tempos and LONG RUNS. I am of need to finding comparable running partners for long runs. I need more running. It'll happen - if I have to run by myself I will.

This weekend I had to coach at a swim meet. It was long, boring, and I didn't have many swimmers racing. I had 2 of my little ones there, that WAS really fun and they dropped a TON of time and were very happy. I also had my 12 yr old who is plagued with self-doubt, self-esteem issues, and negative self-talk. It is SO DRAINING sometimes to play the dual role of sport psych and coach. I think we're making progress. Lets hope we're making progress.

And here are the boring weekly totals:

time:11 hrs 15 mins
ytd time: 383 hrs 8 mins

Swim
time: 6 hrs
ytd time: 132 hrs 45 mins
distance: 16,200 yds
ytd distance: 688,200 yds

Bike
time: 2 hrs 15 mins
ytd time: 155 hrs 30 mins
distance: 40 mi
ytd distance: 2,171.5 mi

Run
time: 2 hrs
ytd time: 71 hrs 43 mins
distance: 11.2 mi
ytd distance: 416 mi

Friday, March 5, 2010

5 Things Friday

I am thankful for....

1.) THE POWER OF PRAYER - Izzie (the woman I'm doing IM CDA with and done many other adventures with) just found out she has a large nodule on her thyroid. I did my googling of this and found out that though most are benign, there is of course, some that are cancerous. She has it biopsyed on Monday. So, now I pray. And if you don't know me and prayer...its a whole other adventure! I will let you know her results.


2.) SPORT PSYCHOLOGY - Not, the general topic but applying it to my athletes. Anyone working with adolescents, or who have studied human development, know that kids are going through a lot mentally, physically, chemically, hormonally, and psychologically. I LOVE working on creating healthy, balanced, stable junior highers in sport! It's hard...its a challenge...but they deserve it. So, I am grateful for this passion, and also much research already done in the field of sport psych.


3.) SLEEP - I am so thankful for sleep. It is another thing I am passionate about. Ask my husband....don't bug me when I'm trying to go to sleep.


4.) SPRING BLOSSOMS - They are everywhere right now! Its gorgeous! I wish we'd have a little less rain so I could spend more time with them! They are fresh, new, and reminders that spring (and short fingered gloves, tshirts, and no toe covers) is coming!


5.) MY PARENTS - Me and Tank went up to their house yesterday to grab some things. I've come way past my adolescent rebellion, bitterness, identity crisis, and independentness to appreciate them a ton! They help me and my brother a lot, and are always supportive of our crazy life choices (like doing an ironman, adam climbing rocks, and even letting a big black dog walk around their nice house).

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Humiliity

I am constantly humbled in this world. How can you not look at the massive ocean or the endless night sky and be reminded just how small we are?! Well, I've decided to run Forward Motions Tuesday AM Track workout, and it is another lesson in humility. Don't get me wrong, its been cool to be there. I had a conversation with a friend about the olympics and how no matter what sport it is I LOVE watching well-trained athletes doing something they're passionate at. Well, the FMRC (Forward Motion Race Club) runners are just that! They are BEAUTIFUL runners, fast, trained, and passionate about it. So, for me, I stick to lane #3 to make sure they have room to pass me and lap me, and I am ok with that. How can I not be when I'm running the fastest I ever have in my life?!

Yesterday morning the main set was 3x1mi runs at "slightly slower than 10k pace." I don't have a 10k pace, but relating it to swimming (b/c thats all my frame of reference) I'd say a 5k is like 100 pace, 10k like a 200 pace, half-marathon like a 500 pace, and marathon like a 1000 pace. So, off we go....or maybe I should say off THEY go! Well, I messed up my garmin tracking of this workout but my 1 mile efforts were definitely between 7:00-7:20! HOLY COW THATS FAST FOR ME!!!! I was happy, I was happy I could run that after riding 110 miles 2 days before too. But, of course, humbled by the fact that I still got lapped. Wow, these people are rock-stars.

The woman who leads the workout took a picture, symbolically I'm off to the side not quite like the rest of the group (yet).

Monday, March 1, 2010

weekly totals

Monday 2/22
TVM Masters - 4000yds
Cycle - Palomares "cock ride" - seeing a peacock and horse errection - 40mi

Tuesday 2/23
TVM Masters - Main set: 30x100 @ 1:15 - 4600yds

Wednesday 2/24
Trainer Ride - Spinnervals "Bending Crank Arms"
TVM Masters - 4x50 + 1x100 + 4x100 + 1x200 (descending from :45 base to a :35 base) - 4500yds

Thursday 2/25
Tempo Run - Ran with Mindy the reverse hill loop. Chased another lady down on the path. - 9 miles @ 8:30/mi
TVM Masters - 4200yds
Stretch - 30-45mins

Friday 2/26
TVM Masters - Speed work - 3500yds
Genii (my boss' wife) went into LABOR!

Saturday 2/27
Coached LAC practice. Isaiah River Silver born 5:02am 7lbs 7oz and 20inches
Run - by myself - 6.2mi @ 9:21/mi

Sunday 2/28

Cycle - Del Puerto Century with Dana and Izzie. I'll have pics to come later. We always have a good time. Only 1 flat (and it was mine). Perfect weather. 8,000ft elev gain and 110miles. AND 8,855 Calories burned (according to my garmin) WOOHOO! In-N-Out sure tasted great Sunday night.

Weekly Totals
time: 22hrs 50mins
ytd time: 371hrs 53mins
ytd distance: 2,943.3mi

Swim
time: 7hrs 30mins
ytd time: 126hrs 45mins
distance: 20,800yds
ytd distance: 672,000yds (407mi)

Bike
time: 11hrs 35mins
ytd time: 153hrs 15mins
distance: 170mi
ytd distance: 2,131.5mi

Run
time: 2hrs 15mins
ytd time: 69hrs 43mins
distance: 15.2mi
ytd distance: 404.8mi