Random thoughts from the week....
After I almost vomited at track Tuesday morning I had a hard swim set at TVM. The set was 4x(1x50 + 1x100 + 1x150 + 1x200) with 2 rounds on :40 base, 1 min break half way, and 2 rounds on :35. Oh crap....after a great track workout 4 hrs ago?? Well, lets see what we got! I was already in the "guppy lane" (this half lane sized section at the end of the pool, made for water displacement but easily fits 1 swimmer with no line on bottom of pool) b/c there were enough guys in lane 1 and this way if I needed to crap out, I could! :) The 2 @ :40 was good. I was feeling my fatigued legs but I was holding water well. Onto the :35.....well, I made it till the 150, flipped the turn and knew I wouldn't be able to come back a 2:15 and immediately go into a 50 on sub :35. So, I stopped after the 200, rested :15 and did round 4 @ :37.5 base. This was totally doable, and much more felt "success" than "failing" at the :35. I do this with my athletes too... give them sets where I know they will "fail" - to see them push their limits, mentally handle "failing", and see them push past the point of "failing" to finish. But, I know I can't do those types of sets very often, they (typically) crush my adolescents spirit....they also need the sets where they can feel "success" at the point of "almost failing." Sorry, coach in me coming out.
And, just in case you hadn't heard...I must have moved to Oregon...or Washington. At least I thought so b/c the next 2 days had rain. Yes. Still rain in California in LATE May. So, I had some quality time with the trainer the next 2 days. At least, Tank (my dog) was happy to have me around more.
This week I have basically been waiting for the weekend to start. Not b/c of my boring 9-5 job and I only live for the weekends. But b/c this weekend will be EPIC!! Full of EPIC training. It is also great b/c our swim team is taking a break - I do not have to coach today (Friday) or Monday!
So, on the menu for the epic weekend:
Friday - I'm coaching TVM Masters this afternoon. I am planning to run there and home, if my foot can handle it. I'm pretty sure I've strained me plantar fascia ligament, so I may stay off of it today to save it for the weekend. At 5:30pm I am meeting Alexia (a FMRC IM CDA'r) at a local "lake" b/c on her schedule she needs to get in a 2.4mile swim. So, I said I'd accompany her. I'm happy to get more wetsuit time.
Saturday - IM CDA'rs Izzie, Alexia, Ernest, and myself are doing race rehearsal of 112 mile bike + 6 mile run. We're doing a 2 loop bike course...it'll only be 110-111....I know, cheaters - I'm ok with it. ;) I'm very excited!!
Sunday - BQ Alexia said..."Yes, lets do our last long run (22mi) on Sunday, on fatigued legs." Alright, I guess that makes sense. We will definitely be worked from Saturday, but as long as we're healthy I'm ready for the challenge. We have 2 options for our run...a 22 mile loop or 2x11 mile.
Monday - I am coaching a masters workout. And besides that 1.5hrs of standing and focusing...I plan on doing nothing. We're having some friends over to BBQ. I will enjoy sitting, bbqing, a beer, and most likely bringing my foam roller to the party and rolling. ;)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I just about vomited...
on the last interval at track this morning.
I've talked about FoMo track before. These guys are cheetahs....like for reals. But I like to go and watch the beautiful cheetahs do their stuff in hopes of catching some beta. (Now the word "beta" (pronounced BAY - TA) is actually a rock climbing lingo word....to BETA means to copy anothers awesome moves. As in, "I can't climb this freaking rock, I don't know where to put my hands and feet. You climb it so I can use your beta.") I've been getting faster, which is exciting. And I am now not the SLOWEST person at track Tuesday mornings....I am the SECOND slowest person. ;)
Todays workout was 6x800 @ 5k pace with the last 800 being your fastest/all out. Wow...here comes the distance swimmer running 6x at a "sprint" pace (5k is pretty much a "sprint" in the running world right? there are no track events of 100's and 400's right?) I ran with Iliana and Rob - and we set a good pace throughout. Took the first one too fast, not a big surprise since I don't exactly know the "feel" of a 5k pace.
1 @ 3:29
2 @ 3:39
3 @ 3:36
4 @ 3:33
5 @ 3:32
6 (all out) @ 3:18 .... at the 400 I was looking for somewhere to PUKE!
I did not puke, I just was pushing hard enough to actually feel like I was going to. I think its a cool feeling - I used to get it in the pool from working so hard..... used to is the key phrase. All in all, I consider it a great workout.
Here is post cool-down....I am in the green shirt
I've talked about FoMo track before. These guys are cheetahs....like for reals. But I like to go and watch the beautiful cheetahs do their stuff in hopes of catching some beta. (Now the word "beta" (pronounced BAY - TA) is actually a rock climbing lingo word....to BETA means to copy anothers awesome moves. As in, "I can't climb this freaking rock, I don't know where to put my hands and feet. You climb it so I can use your beta.") I've been getting faster, which is exciting. And I am now not the SLOWEST person at track Tuesday mornings....I am the SECOND slowest person. ;)
Todays workout was 6x800 @ 5k pace with the last 800 being your fastest/all out. Wow...here comes the distance swimmer running 6x at a "sprint" pace (5k is pretty much a "sprint" in the running world right? there are no track events of 100's and 400's right?) I ran with Iliana and Rob - and we set a good pace throughout. Took the first one too fast, not a big surprise since I don't exactly know the "feel" of a 5k pace.
1 @ 3:29
2 @ 3:39
3 @ 3:36
4 @ 3:33
5 @ 3:32
6 (all out) @ 3:18 .... at the 400 I was looking for somewhere to PUKE!
I did not puke, I just was pushing hard enough to actually feel like I was going to. I think its a cool feeling - I used to get it in the pool from working so hard..... used to is the key phrase. All in all, I consider it a great workout.
Here is post cool-down....I am in the green shirt
Saturday, May 22, 2010
If CDA is windy and cold I'll dominate.....
Only because that is the ONLY thing I've trained in!! ARGH! If its warm (or God forbid, HOT) I will not know what to do with myself.
It is LATE May....in CALIFORNIA....and today is a high of 56! And wind gusting up to 26mph.........prefect conditions for an "EPIC" training day.
Many Ironmen, triathletes, cyclists, and swimmers have talked about joining us for our last bit of training, so I organized two days and sent out an email including times, locations, drop/no drop policy, etc.
Today was going to be a swim/bike day from a local lake and then bike Mines Rd (which was just raced on by the Tour of California studs on their Stage 4...you can you tube some videos to check it out). We originally had 7 people wanting to swim and 6 wanting to bike. Well, between cold weather (and nerves for some warm water swimmers) and just scheduling we ended up with 2 on the swim and 5 on the bike.
It was 45 degrees when we got to the lake. It was just me and Izzie swimming, so we took our time begrudgingly putting on our wetsuits....
here is Izzie when I said "Do something really cute"
and here is my (mature) version of "doing something cute"
We didn't have an idea of where to swim, just wanted to swim for about 1 hr. The water was warmer than the air...so it actually felt warm. Now, I have a confession. The Ironman swim has been a big fear of mine, maybe even more than completing the run. I have been scared of the swim because of the mass start; and, because I'm a swimmer I'm going to have to put myself out there to swim it like I need to. I think being VULNERABLE to the beating that can occur and open water forces me to race differently than how I pool race. I'm much more of a back half (negative split) swimmer....and you can't do that in open water (especially IM)......so out with the studly, strong men I will ago swinging.
But TODAY - I gained confidence.....in what may seem like the most "DUH" area. The wetsuit. I don't wear my tri wetsuit very often (today was the 3rd time in my life...). And I FORGOT how much of a freaking life preserver it was. So, confidence was gained by thinking, "Even if I get clobbered by some angry ego maniac man b/c a girl is beating him....I CAN'T sink!" and also for the fact.....swimming in a wetsuit is so dang easy. We swam for 1 hr, not fast but not slow....we stopped like 3 times to see the time/figure out where to go. And I cleared my goggle like 50 times, something I probably should not do come race day.
When we came in we had 3 cyclists waiting to ride! We had John (Izzie's husband), Dana (a regular, doing IM Canada 2010), and Karin (the Olympic swimmer I talked about before, but also multiple Kona Ironman, and holds countless records in the pool and on tri courses). They looked FREEZING. Great. We make a "quick" transition by the cars and off we went.
Here is me, Karin, and Dana
This was my first time riding with Karin, she is as beautiful cycling as she is swimming. So, I tried to stay with her. That turned into.....try to keep her in sight. ;) Karin has been having hamstring issues, and with so much climbing she had to turn around a little earlier. The rest of us continued onto the Junction.
Here is Izzie and her hubby John at the Junction
We refilled some water and headed back.....in a headwind. A GNARLY headwind. Like push you off your bike gnarly. I pushed it back. I have mentioned before how much I HATE wind and it USED to just mentally defeat me. During my "think happy thoughts" stage on the ride I acknowledged how much better I was with wind - not only riding in it, but mentally dealing with it. Though, I still request IM CDA be sans crazy wind on the bike. ;)
Epic day #1 done and done. Cold and windy. But felt strong and confident. Going to run tomorrow....don't know how long as I am hosting a bridal shower for a friend of mine. Life goes on even in the peak of IM training right? Roll with the punches....and the wind. ;)
It is LATE May....in CALIFORNIA....and today is a high of 56! And wind gusting up to 26mph.........prefect conditions for an "EPIC" training day.
Many Ironmen, triathletes, cyclists, and swimmers have talked about joining us for our last bit of training, so I organized two days and sent out an email including times, locations, drop/no drop policy, etc.
Today was going to be a swim/bike day from a local lake and then bike Mines Rd (which was just raced on by the Tour of California studs on their Stage 4...you can you tube some videos to check it out). We originally had 7 people wanting to swim and 6 wanting to bike. Well, between cold weather (and nerves for some warm water swimmers) and just scheduling we ended up with 2 on the swim and 5 on the bike.
It was 45 degrees when we got to the lake. It was just me and Izzie swimming, so we took our time begrudgingly putting on our wetsuits....
here is Izzie when I said "Do something really cute"
and here is my (mature) version of "doing something cute"
We didn't have an idea of where to swim, just wanted to swim for about 1 hr. The water was warmer than the air...so it actually felt warm. Now, I have a confession. The Ironman swim has been a big fear of mine, maybe even more than completing the run. I have been scared of the swim because of the mass start; and, because I'm a swimmer I'm going to have to put myself out there to swim it like I need to. I think being VULNERABLE to the beating that can occur and open water forces me to race differently than how I pool race. I'm much more of a back half (negative split) swimmer....and you can't do that in open water (especially IM)......so out with the studly, strong men I will ago swinging.
But TODAY - I gained confidence.....in what may seem like the most "DUH" area. The wetsuit. I don't wear my tri wetsuit very often (today was the 3rd time in my life...). And I FORGOT how much of a freaking life preserver it was. So, confidence was gained by thinking, "Even if I get clobbered by some angry ego maniac man b/c a girl is beating him....I CAN'T sink!" and also for the fact.....swimming in a wetsuit is so dang easy. We swam for 1 hr, not fast but not slow....we stopped like 3 times to see the time/figure out where to go. And I cleared my goggle like 50 times, something I probably should not do come race day.
When we came in we had 3 cyclists waiting to ride! We had John (Izzie's husband), Dana (a regular, doing IM Canada 2010), and Karin (the Olympic swimmer I talked about before, but also multiple Kona Ironman, and holds countless records in the pool and on tri courses). They looked FREEZING. Great. We make a "quick" transition by the cars and off we went.
Here is me, Karin, and Dana
This was my first time riding with Karin, she is as beautiful cycling as she is swimming. So, I tried to stay with her. That turned into.....try to keep her in sight. ;) Karin has been having hamstring issues, and with so much climbing she had to turn around a little earlier. The rest of us continued onto the Junction.
Here is Izzie and her hubby John at the Junction
We refilled some water and headed back.....in a headwind. A GNARLY headwind. Like push you off your bike gnarly. I pushed it back. I have mentioned before how much I HATE wind and it USED to just mentally defeat me. During my "think happy thoughts" stage on the ride I acknowledged how much better I was with wind - not only riding in it, but mentally dealing with it. Though, I still request IM CDA be sans crazy wind on the bike. ;)
Epic day #1 done and done. Cold and windy. But felt strong and confident. Going to run tomorrow....don't know how long as I am hosting a bridal shower for a friend of mine. Life goes on even in the peak of IM training right? Roll with the punches....and the wind. ;)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Davis Double Century + Weekly Totals
Izzie picked me up Saturday morning from my house at 2:20am and we were on the road at 2:30am to Davis. The group we were riding with had a roll time of 4:30am. We were READY to go! ..... except I forgot ALL my nutrition at home. CRAP! Well, we will see what it is like fueling off the course (+mooching off my nice friends). There were 10 of us, and all pretty comparable on the bike so assumed we could ride together most of the day.
Heres a picture of the sunrise at about 5:30-6am
When I did this ride in 2008 (I think my previous post said 2007...but I was lying when I said that, it was definitely 2008) we were in shorts and short sleeve jerseys at 5am, it was nice this year to be "needing" a windbreaker and long fingered gloves. The first about 50 miles and pancake flat, a nice warmup. The we head into the hills...
It was gorgeous, and WAY easier than 2008. I kept thinking that all day. I think it was easier for 2 reasons.... #1) it was literally 20 degrees cooler and #2) I have about 3,000 more miles of training under my belt. We climbed Cardiac Hill and Honey Hill. We were all riding strong and dreading Cobb Mountain, that was the impending "doom" of the ride.
Here are 4 studly ladies looking strong..
We hit Cobb Mountain, which is an 8 mile climb with a steady 12% grade. At this point its now at least 85 degrees out (still a blessing it wasn't 105, but we haven't had any ride time with temps over 77 this spring yet). This is where the group 10 starts to break and people start to hurt. I made it up, no problems...Izzie right on my back wheel. We pass lots of people climbing, and NO ONE passed us! HOLLER!
Here is a group of us at the top of Cobb (and my first time having SODA on a ride!!)
I'm a sucker for team morale, so I was sad when people started hurting. Bev was having bad asthma and needed to ride slow. Dana's back was hurting her, so she rode ahead with Bev to take it slow...and Greg joined them as a manly escort. From Cobb Mtn we had a bit more climbing and then a GNARLY descent, and followed Tom and Phil at this part. On the descent we caught Bev, Dana, and Greg and rode with them to lunch. I was hoping lunch would help morale and we'd all finish strong with good attitudes! Here is 9 out of 10 of us (wheres Steve?? I think we lost him once people started to split into smaller groups...opps, good thing hes very independent and has done like a million doubles)
After lunch we had about 2.5 more climbs that are biatches and then its "relatively" easy back to the finish. We split up after lunch into our smaller groups. Dana was hurting and said she didn't want to get dropped by us and so took off ahead...alone. Bev and Greg were going to ride slow. Phil and Tom would ride and wait for Bev and Greg at rest stops. So, me, Izzie, Melinda, and Janet were left together. We climb Resurrection Hill and it seemed like CAKE compared to 2008! Here is end part of the gnarly descent from Resurrection
At this point it is mile 140. And we have 63 miles until the finish. Well, I am the young runt of the group and I take my "freshman" position in the front....pulling. I literally pulled 50 out of the last 60 miles. OUCH. But, it was what everyone needed. I am even surprised how strong I still felt to pull. There is a scary section of road, and when we'd pass someone I'd offer that they hop on to the pace line. And we definitely had some people hold on to our line the rest of the way home. I pulled pretty fast, because we realized that we could QUITE POSSIBLY make it back before we needed lights. So that was our goal...and we did it!! AND - we caught Dana with 5 miles left til the finish.....she finished strong, I don't think we would've been ABLE to drop her! ;) My garmin died at mile 192 (11 miles from finish) and at that point was 12 hrs 20 mins ride time...GREAT TIME!
So, here is us 5 ladies at the finish...
We enjoyed some good grub and drove home. I sat in a hot shower and climbed into bed. It was a great day! It gave me great confidence for IM CdA! And it was so fun. I only a had a couple of problems:
#1) forgot my nutrition...ended up not that big of a problem. But wish I had my "own" endurolytes...but I stole enough from friends
#2) my back hurt...from the beginning. I think it was sore from having my period and sleeping bad. But it was annoying for 203 miles.
#3) I had a weird twinge in my left upper hamstring/butt.....never fully cramped up, but I was scared by it threatening too.
#4) we all had MAJOR saddle soreness. Izzie made a joke at mile 190 (when she thought it was just us 4 ladies) and said "Whos having sex tonight?!" to which we all groaned.....and then found out we had 2 men drafting off our line. But I'm sure they were hurting just as much as we were!
and the WEEKLY TOTALS.....
time: 24 hrs 55 mins
ytd time: 562 hrs 45 mins
Swim
time: 5 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 192 hrs
distance: 13,900 yds
ytd distance: 833,600 yds
Bike
time: 16 hrs 25 mins
ytd time: 230 hrs 15 mins
distance: 255 mi
ytd distance: 3,319 mi
Run
time: 1 hr 30 mins (oops)
ytd time: 104 hrs
distance: 8.5 mi
ytd distance: 615.8 mi
and one last cute picture from the Davis Double of me and Izzie...my IM CDA partner!
Heres a picture of the sunrise at about 5:30-6am
When I did this ride in 2008 (I think my previous post said 2007...but I was lying when I said that, it was definitely 2008) we were in shorts and short sleeve jerseys at 5am, it was nice this year to be "needing" a windbreaker and long fingered gloves. The first about 50 miles and pancake flat, a nice warmup. The we head into the hills...
It was gorgeous, and WAY easier than 2008. I kept thinking that all day. I think it was easier for 2 reasons.... #1) it was literally 20 degrees cooler and #2) I have about 3,000 more miles of training under my belt. We climbed Cardiac Hill and Honey Hill. We were all riding strong and dreading Cobb Mountain, that was the impending "doom" of the ride.
Here are 4 studly ladies looking strong..
We hit Cobb Mountain, which is an 8 mile climb with a steady 12% grade. At this point its now at least 85 degrees out (still a blessing it wasn't 105, but we haven't had any ride time with temps over 77 this spring yet). This is where the group 10 starts to break and people start to hurt. I made it up, no problems...Izzie right on my back wheel. We pass lots of people climbing, and NO ONE passed us! HOLLER!
Here is a group of us at the top of Cobb (and my first time having SODA on a ride!!)
I'm a sucker for team morale, so I was sad when people started hurting. Bev was having bad asthma and needed to ride slow. Dana's back was hurting her, so she rode ahead with Bev to take it slow...and Greg joined them as a manly escort. From Cobb Mtn we had a bit more climbing and then a GNARLY descent, and followed Tom and Phil at this part. On the descent we caught Bev, Dana, and Greg and rode with them to lunch. I was hoping lunch would help morale and we'd all finish strong with good attitudes! Here is 9 out of 10 of us (wheres Steve?? I think we lost him once people started to split into smaller groups...opps, good thing hes very independent and has done like a million doubles)
After lunch we had about 2.5 more climbs that are biatches and then its "relatively" easy back to the finish. We split up after lunch into our smaller groups. Dana was hurting and said she didn't want to get dropped by us and so took off ahead...alone. Bev and Greg were going to ride slow. Phil and Tom would ride and wait for Bev and Greg at rest stops. So, me, Izzie, Melinda, and Janet were left together. We climb Resurrection Hill and it seemed like CAKE compared to 2008! Here is end part of the gnarly descent from Resurrection
At this point it is mile 140. And we have 63 miles until the finish. Well, I am the young runt of the group and I take my "freshman" position in the front....pulling. I literally pulled 50 out of the last 60 miles. OUCH. But, it was what everyone needed. I am even surprised how strong I still felt to pull. There is a scary section of road, and when we'd pass someone I'd offer that they hop on to the pace line. And we definitely had some people hold on to our line the rest of the way home. I pulled pretty fast, because we realized that we could QUITE POSSIBLY make it back before we needed lights. So that was our goal...and we did it!! AND - we caught Dana with 5 miles left til the finish.....she finished strong, I don't think we would've been ABLE to drop her! ;) My garmin died at mile 192 (11 miles from finish) and at that point was 12 hrs 20 mins ride time...GREAT TIME!
So, here is us 5 ladies at the finish...
We enjoyed some good grub and drove home. I sat in a hot shower and climbed into bed. It was a great day! It gave me great confidence for IM CdA! And it was so fun. I only a had a couple of problems:
#1) forgot my nutrition...ended up not that big of a problem. But wish I had my "own" endurolytes...but I stole enough from friends
#2) my back hurt...from the beginning. I think it was sore from having my period and sleeping bad. But it was annoying for 203 miles.
#3) I had a weird twinge in my left upper hamstring/butt.....never fully cramped up, but I was scared by it threatening too.
#4) we all had MAJOR saddle soreness. Izzie made a joke at mile 190 (when she thought it was just us 4 ladies) and said "Whos having sex tonight?!" to which we all groaned.....and then found out we had 2 men drafting off our line. But I'm sure they were hurting just as much as we were!
and the WEEKLY TOTALS.....
time: 24 hrs 55 mins
ytd time: 562 hrs 45 mins
Swim
time: 5 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 192 hrs
distance: 13,900 yds
ytd distance: 833,600 yds
Bike
time: 16 hrs 25 mins
ytd time: 230 hrs 15 mins
distance: 255 mi
ytd distance: 3,319 mi
Run
time: 1 hr 30 mins (oops)
ytd time: 104 hrs
distance: 8.5 mi
ytd distance: 615.8 mi
and one last cute picture from the Davis Double of me and Izzie...my IM CDA partner!
Friday, May 14, 2010
took a lot out of me...
the 20 mile run on Sunday did, that is.
Monday was a scheduled recovery day. I did get in to swim, just because its the easiest way for me to recover. I felt pretty good in the water, hopeful that I was in peak condition and could be back training hard on Tuesday.
Tuesday me and Izzie went for a ride. Just a foundation ride up to the top of Patterson Pass, which is some rollers and then just 1 big climb. When we started I was DYING on the rollers, told Izzie she was more than welcome to drop me....she however was KIND enough to stay with me, and behind me. :) I did feel better by the end of the ride, I guess I just had to spin the 20 miles out of my legs. And then I got to TVM Masters at 11:30am. After floating through warmup and feeling not TOO bad we got the main set of 12x150....alternate 2x150 @ 2:00 and 2x150 @ 1:45. OMG. This is a great set - if you are mentally and physically ready...which I was not (I still blame my two piece - I think I'm done wearing it and having a tanned stomach but sh*tty practices). I'm throwing the guys in my lane off their normal routine too...b/c this is a set that I would normally take the lead, but today I knew I could not. So, my set was 2x150 @ 2:00 which normally is easy, but I literally STRUGGLE to get 5 seconds rest and then 1x300..........fun.
So, I guess I'm not fully recovered. Well, I consider myself to have become somewhat enlightened as an athlete over the years and respectful of how VALUABLE recovery and rest is. But COME ON body...you've got an IRONMAN in 7 weeks! GET TO WORK. I got to the gym on Wednesday to do a "track" workout (b/c I skipped it for a ride with Izzie). Oh boy. 7 weeks. Come on...only 7 weeks. Embrace the pain. I felt really weak on the treadmill. The workout was 2x1mi @ 10k pace + 2x800 @ 5k pace + 2x400 @ all out. I did the 2x1mi like a good disciplined athlete, negative split, in the zone. The 2x800 were....miserable and dying. The 2x400 was.....skipped. I warmed down and got off. I went and lifted weights...b/c my body obviously wasn't doing its recovery job well enough I needed to give it more muscle fiber breakdowns to repair. (my abs and pecs are still sore) But in my enlightened athlete mind....KNOWING how hard that workout was (and really shouldn't have been) I did NOT swim, I ran errands and folded laundry instead (pat on the back for listening to my body).
Now, BODY, you listen to me. I haven't given you a hard week, nothing has even been long, I'm only asking for good work on a few things. Speed and hills. Thursday morning is long hill repeats! Since I was going solo I wanted about an 8 min hill that was close to my house. I head down to the Dublin Grade and figure this would be good enough. Its a slight incline, but sustained. However, when pushing it the hill is gradual enough that I can stay aero. I did it 3 times (each time got faster...but no longer 8 mins...maybe the point?) and then figured this isn't hard enough.... Well, luckily for me right off this road was another climb that I've actually never had done, b/c #1) it doesn't really lead you anywhere except to some housing developments and #2) its has to be a 14% grade or something. Ok Body, time to show me you are boss...lets take it on. So, we did! It is hard...granny gear and alternating between standing and sitting. But it is shorter...only took 3 mins (of max hr) ahah. I did it 4 times...and figured with the 3 long climbs that 7 hill repeats were good enough (plus I wanted to still allow my body to "recover") and went home. Being your own coach sometimes is nice. The coach in me allowed me to skip TVM AGAIN, but said that I MUST go to work early and swim (easy at least). I listened and went and swam 3,000yds on my own. I did it without stopping, b/c I knew that if I stopped to check the clock, fix my goggles, think about a set to do....then most likely my "workout" would be over. An easy 3k, but I stayed connected with the water (which is ultimate goal...I don't think it lost me any time for my IM).
On the menu for today/Friday......a run and a swim. The run will have some tempo in it (not a long one) and the swim will be required to complete the practice given at masters. ;) Oh, and we have my bff's dog staying with us....so on the menu is also a hike up the ridge to tire the 2 puppy doggies OUT!
Now, you ask "Lisa, why are you so worried about being recovered?" For 2 reasons mostly: #1) I expect my body to bounce back quickly (and really, I think it did, I'm happy with how it has recovered from the longest run in my life) #2) Because tomorrow (Saturday) we are riding a DOUBLE CENTURY. This is not my first double...in fact I did this exact double in 2007...on a total of 60 miles of training....in 105 degree heat and 120 degree off the pavement. Needless to say, it was not the best experience. This year, I'm doing it with a bunch of IM's and Triple Crown studs, I have SLIGHTLY more miles of training under my belt, and the predicted weather puts max temp at 85 degrees. But, riding with the studs..several people have been contemplating riding straight, riding hard, riding whatever....so, I want to be recovered not only to handle the 200 miles, but if I need to be able to ride it "strong" or "straight".
Here is a picture of my jersey after the first time doing the Davis Double...lets hope my jersey looks cleaner this year!!
HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!
Monday was a scheduled recovery day. I did get in to swim, just because its the easiest way for me to recover. I felt pretty good in the water, hopeful that I was in peak condition and could be back training hard on Tuesday.
Tuesday me and Izzie went for a ride. Just a foundation ride up to the top of Patterson Pass, which is some rollers and then just 1 big climb. When we started I was DYING on the rollers, told Izzie she was more than welcome to drop me....she however was KIND enough to stay with me, and behind me. :) I did feel better by the end of the ride, I guess I just had to spin the 20 miles out of my legs. And then I got to TVM Masters at 11:30am. After floating through warmup and feeling not TOO bad we got the main set of 12x150....alternate 2x150 @ 2:00 and 2x150 @ 1:45. OMG. This is a great set - if you are mentally and physically ready...which I was not (I still blame my two piece - I think I'm done wearing it and having a tanned stomach but sh*tty practices). I'm throwing the guys in my lane off their normal routine too...b/c this is a set that I would normally take the lead, but today I knew I could not. So, my set was 2x150 @ 2:00 which normally is easy, but I literally STRUGGLE to get 5 seconds rest and then 1x300..........fun.
So, I guess I'm not fully recovered. Well, I consider myself to have become somewhat enlightened as an athlete over the years and respectful of how VALUABLE recovery and rest is. But COME ON body...you've got an IRONMAN in 7 weeks! GET TO WORK. I got to the gym on Wednesday to do a "track" workout (b/c I skipped it for a ride with Izzie). Oh boy. 7 weeks. Come on...only 7 weeks. Embrace the pain. I felt really weak on the treadmill. The workout was 2x1mi @ 10k pace + 2x800 @ 5k pace + 2x400 @ all out. I did the 2x1mi like a good disciplined athlete, negative split, in the zone. The 2x800 were....miserable and dying. The 2x400 was.....skipped. I warmed down and got off. I went and lifted weights...b/c my body obviously wasn't doing its recovery job well enough I needed to give it more muscle fiber breakdowns to repair. (my abs and pecs are still sore) But in my enlightened athlete mind....KNOWING how hard that workout was (and really shouldn't have been) I did NOT swim, I ran errands and folded laundry instead (pat on the back for listening to my body).
Now, BODY, you listen to me. I haven't given you a hard week, nothing has even been long, I'm only asking for good work on a few things. Speed and hills. Thursday morning is long hill repeats! Since I was going solo I wanted about an 8 min hill that was close to my house. I head down to the Dublin Grade and figure this would be good enough. Its a slight incline, but sustained. However, when pushing it the hill is gradual enough that I can stay aero. I did it 3 times (each time got faster...but no longer 8 mins...maybe the point?) and then figured this isn't hard enough.... Well, luckily for me right off this road was another climb that I've actually never had done, b/c #1) it doesn't really lead you anywhere except to some housing developments and #2) its has to be a 14% grade or something. Ok Body, time to show me you are boss...lets take it on. So, we did! It is hard...granny gear and alternating between standing and sitting. But it is shorter...only took 3 mins (of max hr) ahah. I did it 4 times...and figured with the 3 long climbs that 7 hill repeats were good enough (plus I wanted to still allow my body to "recover") and went home. Being your own coach sometimes is nice. The coach in me allowed me to skip TVM AGAIN, but said that I MUST go to work early and swim (easy at least). I listened and went and swam 3,000yds on my own. I did it without stopping, b/c I knew that if I stopped to check the clock, fix my goggles, think about a set to do....then most likely my "workout" would be over. An easy 3k, but I stayed connected with the water (which is ultimate goal...I don't think it lost me any time for my IM).
On the menu for today/Friday......a run and a swim. The run will have some tempo in it (not a long one) and the swim will be required to complete the practice given at masters. ;) Oh, and we have my bff's dog staying with us....so on the menu is also a hike up the ridge to tire the 2 puppy doggies OUT!
Now, you ask "Lisa, why are you so worried about being recovered?" For 2 reasons mostly: #1) I expect my body to bounce back quickly (and really, I think it did, I'm happy with how it has recovered from the longest run in my life) #2) Because tomorrow (Saturday) we are riding a DOUBLE CENTURY. This is not my first double...in fact I did this exact double in 2007...on a total of 60 miles of training....in 105 degree heat and 120 degree off the pavement. Needless to say, it was not the best experience. This year, I'm doing it with a bunch of IM's and Triple Crown studs, I have SLIGHTLY more miles of training under my belt, and the predicted weather puts max temp at 85 degrees. But, riding with the studs..several people have been contemplating riding straight, riding hard, riding whatever....so, I want to be recovered not only to handle the 200 miles, but if I need to be able to ride it "strong" or "straight".
Here is a picture of my jersey after the first time doing the Davis Double...lets hope my jersey looks cleaner this year!!
HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!
Monday, May 10, 2010
5/3-5/9 Weekly Totals...8 weeks out!
Monday - Holy Moly me and Izzie woke up and attended a 5AM TVM masters swim practice!! The morning crowd was definitely confused, as was I! Wheres the sun?!? It was nice to see the morning crowd, though, I don't know if they're worth a 4:45am wakeup call. ;) Ironically this ended up being my "best" swim workout all week, some hard 50's on :35 and 3500yds. Then at 8am, JoLynn (a former REI coworker) met me at my place. I was taking her up for her FIRST Mt. Diablo ascent!! She was a trooper and made it the whole way, with only a minor walk at the steep summit! Its a huge accomplishment of local rides and I was glad to watch her conquer it! :)
Heres the studette conquering the mtn!
Tuesday - Opps, didn't make it to 6am track. I blame it on 5am masters. But I did make it to the gym to do the same speed workout on the TM. The set was 4x1200, and I descended from like a 7:37 to a 7:20 (which of course is easier to reach on a TM). I stretched and lifted some weights while at the gym, but can only handle so much gym time so I had to get out of there! I headed to my "normal" TVM masters at 11:30am, much better...the sun is out, I can wear a two piece, and I can shoot the shit on the pool deck b/c its warm enough to procrastinate actually getting in! I'm glad it was an empty day and it was only me and Karin in our lane. Karin had just WON Wildflower Tri for her age group and was still recovering....and I just plain sucked it up at this practice. Our main set was 3x(1x300+1x200+1x100) and could barely hold 1:12's...ouch.
Wednesday - Long(ish) weekday ride with Margaret and Dana in Walnut Creek. We did a new road (to me) and had a ton of climbing for the day (I forgot my garmin, but I'm sure it was over 5k ft). I was feeling great, and Margaret and Dana "encouraged" me to go tear up the road....which I did. It was a great ride, beautiful day, and 60mi and back in time for a meeting and work.
The "new road" took us to the bay...
Thursday - Was meeting Mindy for a 9 mile tempo run. Hmm, my legs are feeling my "great" ride from yesterday. I haven't ran with Mindy since she ran her Napa Marathon so I was happy to run with her again, and knew she was now out of "racing" shape so thought it would be nice if it was a slightly "slower" tempo run. It was slightly slower, not that it really mattered...my legs are shot. But, I thought of the great mental training benefits of running with stumps for legs. What this day now needed was another crappy swim! Perfect! Headed down to the pool and put on the two piece (maybe priority was tanning not swimming??). We had more people today, and when Tim tried to make me go in front of him I warned him that I would be "JUST making the interval today.." Yeah right, he tells me. Until the first repeat and he says, "You weren't kidding, I'm going in front of you." Haha....thanks, I'll be back here floating guys, don't worry about me.
Friday - I'm tired. My legs are fried. BUT - TVM Spaniard stud Jaime wanted to ride with me and Izzie. Well, Izzie couldn't ride, so I went out with Jaime. He is a natural athlete and even without cycling and on a 1991 neon colored bike he could kick my butt! But, it was a fun ride. I got my 11th flat in Ironman training....I'm going to start thinking there are Flat Trolls out attacking my tires. We rode Del Valle, and it was nice to have Jaime push me up the climbs....aka me push it to try to keep him within 10ft of me. A good, fast 40 miles with some good climbing....and now off to tan...I mean recover...I mean float...I mean swim. Today, I was not fooling anyone, lane #1 had enough people to make a good lane and I would get in the way with how I "needed" to swim. I got in lane #2 and loved it. It was what I needed for the day. About 4000yds later....no more slacker swims for the week! :)
Saturday - Today had an 80+ mile bike ride on the menu. However, this week was a HARD week for Hubby. I barely saw him. He was working long hours for a show and then Saturday our church was having a garage sale. He had to work the sale, sell some old equipment, shoot a video, and my family would be there too (which meant he had son-in-law duties too). Needless to say, he needed me more than I needed to bike. I did not feel too guilty b/c I needed a recovery day, especially with what I knew was coming on Sunday. So, I helped hubby and my family all day, and I was happy to show that they are always a priority over IM.
Sunday - I had a 20 mile run planned. The past week several different training partners had expressed interest in running part of it with me. I made a 10 mile loop that I would do twice (figured good practice for CDA) and people could choose either to join on loop 1 or loop 2. It was a mild run with some rolling hills, nothing too drastic. Mindy and Alexia were going to be my loop 1 partners. Mindy had to bail Saturday night b/c she found out her kids had a Mothers Day early morning surprise....HAPPY MOMS DAY MINDY! (probably more fun than a 10 mile run anyways). So, me and Alexia start and we met up with ERNEST in about 1/2mile down the road, who got the emails but was out of town. So, the 3 of us IM CDA'rs start the loop. I like training with them. We set a good pace, we get rained on a bit. Neither of them are ready for 20 miles b/c of certain injuries etc but they both ran from their house, and I believe got in about 15 miles. Loop 2 was supposed to be with Dana and Bev, but they both had to bail also. I preferred not running alone (but prepared to do so), so I called my big bro Saturday night saying .... "Hey! You're running 10 miles with me on Mothers Day..." And he came out!! Now my big bro is athletic....he is a swimmer, rock climber, and skiier....not a runner. But straight off the couch he ran the 10 miles with me! We got dumped on by rain for most of the run, but it was warm rain and not windy so I was ok with it. The 20 miles felt GREAT! Well, as great as 20 miles on your body it can I'm guessing. It was a great run and great confidence builder for me. Loop 1 was avg hr: 165 bpm and avg pace: 8:54 and Loop 2 was avg hr: 167 bpm and avg pace: 9:02. So, overall my avg pace was 8:58min/mi! PERFECT! I enjoyed a good ice bath, a good hot shower, and then made my 2 salads for mothers day and enjoyed time with the fam!
Here is my "off-the-couch" rock climber, swimmer brother after our wet 10 miles...
Weekly Totals
time: 22 hrs 45 mins
ytd time: 538 hrs 45 mins
Swim
time: 5 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 186 hrs 30 mins
distance: 13,700 yds
ytd distance: 819,700 yds (496 mi)
Bike
time: 9 hrs 55 mins
ytd time: 213 hrs 50 mins
distance: 124 mi
ytd distance: 3,064 mi
Run
time: 5 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 102 hrs 30 mins
distance: 34 mi
ytd distance: 607.3 mi
Heres the studette conquering the mtn!
Tuesday - Opps, didn't make it to 6am track. I blame it on 5am masters. But I did make it to the gym to do the same speed workout on the TM. The set was 4x1200, and I descended from like a 7:37 to a 7:20 (which of course is easier to reach on a TM). I stretched and lifted some weights while at the gym, but can only handle so much gym time so I had to get out of there! I headed to my "normal" TVM masters at 11:30am, much better...the sun is out, I can wear a two piece, and I can shoot the shit on the pool deck b/c its warm enough to procrastinate actually getting in! I'm glad it was an empty day and it was only me and Karin in our lane. Karin had just WON Wildflower Tri for her age group and was still recovering....and I just plain sucked it up at this practice. Our main set was 3x(1x300+1x200+1x100) and could barely hold 1:12's...ouch.
Wednesday - Long(ish) weekday ride with Margaret and Dana in Walnut Creek. We did a new road (to me) and had a ton of climbing for the day (I forgot my garmin, but I'm sure it was over 5k ft). I was feeling great, and Margaret and Dana "encouraged" me to go tear up the road....which I did. It was a great ride, beautiful day, and 60mi and back in time for a meeting and work.
The "new road" took us to the bay...
Thursday - Was meeting Mindy for a 9 mile tempo run. Hmm, my legs are feeling my "great" ride from yesterday. I haven't ran with Mindy since she ran her Napa Marathon so I was happy to run with her again, and knew she was now out of "racing" shape so thought it would be nice if it was a slightly "slower" tempo run. It was slightly slower, not that it really mattered...my legs are shot. But, I thought of the great mental training benefits of running with stumps for legs. What this day now needed was another crappy swim! Perfect! Headed down to the pool and put on the two piece (maybe priority was tanning not swimming??). We had more people today, and when Tim tried to make me go in front of him I warned him that I would be "JUST making the interval today.." Yeah right, he tells me. Until the first repeat and he says, "You weren't kidding, I'm going in front of you." Haha....thanks, I'll be back here floating guys, don't worry about me.
Friday - I'm tired. My legs are fried. BUT - TVM Spaniard stud Jaime wanted to ride with me and Izzie. Well, Izzie couldn't ride, so I went out with Jaime. He is a natural athlete and even without cycling and on a 1991 neon colored bike he could kick my butt! But, it was a fun ride. I got my 11th flat in Ironman training....I'm going to start thinking there are Flat Trolls out attacking my tires. We rode Del Valle, and it was nice to have Jaime push me up the climbs....aka me push it to try to keep him within 10ft of me. A good, fast 40 miles with some good climbing....and now off to tan...I mean recover...I mean float...I mean swim. Today, I was not fooling anyone, lane #1 had enough people to make a good lane and I would get in the way with how I "needed" to swim. I got in lane #2 and loved it. It was what I needed for the day. About 4000yds later....no more slacker swims for the week! :)
Saturday - Today had an 80+ mile bike ride on the menu. However, this week was a HARD week for Hubby. I barely saw him. He was working long hours for a show and then Saturday our church was having a garage sale. He had to work the sale, sell some old equipment, shoot a video, and my family would be there too (which meant he had son-in-law duties too). Needless to say, he needed me more than I needed to bike. I did not feel too guilty b/c I needed a recovery day, especially with what I knew was coming on Sunday. So, I helped hubby and my family all day, and I was happy to show that they are always a priority over IM.
Sunday - I had a 20 mile run planned. The past week several different training partners had expressed interest in running part of it with me. I made a 10 mile loop that I would do twice (figured good practice for CDA) and people could choose either to join on loop 1 or loop 2. It was a mild run with some rolling hills, nothing too drastic. Mindy and Alexia were going to be my loop 1 partners. Mindy had to bail Saturday night b/c she found out her kids had a Mothers Day early morning surprise....HAPPY MOMS DAY MINDY! (probably more fun than a 10 mile run anyways). So, me and Alexia start and we met up with ERNEST in about 1/2mile down the road, who got the emails but was out of town. So, the 3 of us IM CDA'rs start the loop. I like training with them. We set a good pace, we get rained on a bit. Neither of them are ready for 20 miles b/c of certain injuries etc but they both ran from their house, and I believe got in about 15 miles. Loop 2 was supposed to be with Dana and Bev, but they both had to bail also. I preferred not running alone (but prepared to do so), so I called my big bro Saturday night saying .... "Hey! You're running 10 miles with me on Mothers Day..." And he came out!! Now my big bro is athletic....he is a swimmer, rock climber, and skiier....not a runner. But straight off the couch he ran the 10 miles with me! We got dumped on by rain for most of the run, but it was warm rain and not windy so I was ok with it. The 20 miles felt GREAT! Well, as great as 20 miles on your body it can I'm guessing. It was a great run and great confidence builder for me. Loop 1 was avg hr: 165 bpm and avg pace: 8:54 and Loop 2 was avg hr: 167 bpm and avg pace: 9:02. So, overall my avg pace was 8:58min/mi! PERFECT! I enjoyed a good ice bath, a good hot shower, and then made my 2 salads for mothers day and enjoyed time with the fam!
Here is my "off-the-couch" rock climber, swimmer brother after our wet 10 miles...
Weekly Totals
time: 22 hrs 45 mins
ytd time: 538 hrs 45 mins
Swim
time: 5 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 186 hrs 30 mins
distance: 13,700 yds
ytd distance: 819,700 yds (496 mi)
Bike
time: 9 hrs 55 mins
ytd time: 213 hrs 50 mins
distance: 124 mi
ytd distance: 3,064 mi
Run
time: 5 hrs 30 mins
ytd time: 102 hrs 30 mins
distance: 34 mi
ytd distance: 607.3 mi
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