05/28/09 - Bike
Just writing to share some of my excitement. Up until this point, I've just been kind of blindly riding my bike on my weekly rides. This is the area that I like and know the least about. I begrudgingly have to pull out my bike a few times a week, knowing that at some point, I am going to hit a hill that will kill and possibly defeat me! That is, until last night! We've started a new weekly group training that involves coached drills and technique for cycling. Think of it as track practice for biking!
I arrived last night, feeling pretty apprehensive, even considering leaving... I road my bike to work, and thought, I could just keep on going past the ride meet-up and straight to the house. Well, this wouldn't really help my training, so I decided to suck it up and see what this training had to offer. Worst case scenario, I'll just turn around, or cry, or worse yet, walk!! HA! (I had imagined some pretty bad scenarios of never ending hills!) Our coach was of course, due to our club's exceedingly high standards, an elite athlete. He had wonderful ideas and concepts about how to approach biking, that had me looking at the sport differently, and actually feeling relaxed about it. But, even better, we got drilled on technique. FINALLY! This is what I've been missing out of this program!
We did some pedaling technique and just lapped around a 2 mile block. Then, it was on to some drills, where you're in your hardest gear, at a very low speed, and then very quickly increase speed and hit a hill, while maintaining that hard gear and never lifting off your seat. This was great. The coach just watched and pulled us in each time to give us advice on updating our technique, moving from our core, staying stable on the bike, not pulling on the handle bars, keeping your back flat... before I knew it, I was increasing speed in a fluid motion, and at a great pace. I was so happy with myself, that at the end of practice, I literally whistled my whole bike ride home!
05/29/09 - Swim
Really nice swim this morning. I'm not sure what it was about it, but I felt like a kid this morning... energetic and playful. I did some 500m repeats, a few pulling sets, and then did some drills from the old days of water polo (head-up freestyle)... man is that hard and fun! I actually think that it's great for building up the arm muscles, and am adding it to my repretoire! Also threw in some other strokes, I did a few sets of butterfly, back, and breaststroke. Sure, these strokes might not be essential to my training, but they were fun. By the end of my 1900m's I just wanted to stay in the pool and play around. Which is what I did! I did a little underwater swimming, followed by a couple of somersaults, and finally floated on my back.
While I was floating, I thought back to the days when we'd get to swim practice, only to find out that it was a fun day... this meant no organized practice, and often involved an oiled up watermelon! These were the best nights of the entire summer! I've got to find someone in town with a pool, I don't think my summer will be complete now without pushing an oiled up watermelon through the water!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Goodness...
I haven't forgotten to post the details on the tri, I'm just waiting for a friend to send me the pics. How totally typical, after 16 weeks of build-up, writing a blog every couple days, I just fudge the end and give up... NEVER! They're on the way!
In the mean time, since the triathlon, I've had some good moments. I had a track practice where I was practicing out an 8-minute/mile 10k pace.... yes, that's what I said. 8! My coach thinks that by the end of the season, 8 will be within my reach. Now, let me preface this by saying, that last year at this time, I was barely making it to the end of my block without stopping to walk. My pace was nonexistent, because when you're doing 15 minute miles, you don't care. Here I am now, and what a change. No, it's not that I keep pace... to be honest, I rarely even wear my watch, but to cut running time in half in just one year is exciting. It has me really looking forward to next year!! (And no, I'll bet my savings that I won't be cutting time in half again! HA!)
In the midst of these good training sessions, I had some horrible bouts of ear infections to deal with last week, along with a girl's trip out of town. I didn't get quite as much training in as I'd like to, but I think I'm still on target for my race next weekend. I've done all the training, this blog is my testament to that, now I just have to maintain, rest, and hope for a peak performance on the 7th. Then, it's time to show no mercy as I begin another base building phase (which mean lots of 2xday workouts) and then move forward to another peak in September. I'll keep ya posted!
In the mean time, since the triathlon, I've had some good moments. I had a track practice where I was practicing out an 8-minute/mile 10k pace.... yes, that's what I said. 8! My coach thinks that by the end of the season, 8 will be within my reach. Now, let me preface this by saying, that last year at this time, I was barely making it to the end of my block without stopping to walk. My pace was nonexistent, because when you're doing 15 minute miles, you don't care. Here I am now, and what a change. No, it's not that I keep pace... to be honest, I rarely even wear my watch, but to cut running time in half in just one year is exciting. It has me really looking forward to next year!! (And no, I'll bet my savings that I won't be cutting time in half again! HA!)
In the midst of these good training sessions, I had some horrible bouts of ear infections to deal with last week, along with a girl's trip out of town. I didn't get quite as much training in as I'd like to, but I think I'm still on target for my race next weekend. I've done all the training, this blog is my testament to that, now I just have to maintain, rest, and hope for a peak performance on the 7th. Then, it's time to show no mercy as I begin another base building phase (which mean lots of 2xday workouts) and then move forward to another peak in September. I'll keep ya posted!
Friday, May 22, 2009
I Did It!
I'm a triathlete! I've got photos and a story to come soon. I've been unable to put it all together yet, but have no fear, I crossed the finish line. It was a huge personal success, and I did better than expected. All my efforts had a great pay off.
The next race is on June 7th, so I'm playing with my workout schedule. Trying to recover from my last race, keep my fitness up and fine tune a few things, and then I have to taper again. After that, I step it up a lot! I'm doubling the distance I've been training for, and will begin training for an Olympic triathlon. Giggity, giggity!
UPDATE
Here are some pics of the Nu2Tri Graduation Triathlon! The race went great. I was 2nd out of the water (some fish beat me), but then my transition practice paid off, so I left and finished first on the bike, then I slowed down... alot on the run! I'm not a runner, but I still managed to sprint the last .5 mile or so!
Trying on my race belt to ensure it fits!
No, the women on the bikes are NOT in the race, but they did enjoy slowly riding through the middle of the course.... see me checking behind me to see how close the next cyclist is!
The final sprint!
2009 Nu2Tri Triathletes!
The next race is on June 7th, so I'm playing with my workout schedule. Trying to recover from my last race, keep my fitness up and fine tune a few things, and then I have to taper again. After that, I step it up a lot! I'm doubling the distance I've been training for, and will begin training for an Olympic triathlon. Giggity, giggity!
UPDATE
Here are some pics of the Nu2Tri Graduation Triathlon! The race went great. I was 2nd out of the water (some fish beat me), but then my transition practice paid off, so I left and finished first on the bike, then I slowed down... alot on the run! I'm not a runner, but I still managed to sprint the last .5 mile or so!
Trying on my race belt to ensure it fits!
On your marks!!!! I almost started getting sick, but then realized I needed to start swimming. I'm in the yellow, the girl in the lane farther from me is the one that passed me... she never came to any of our swims, so I didn't even see it coming!
No, the women on the bikes are NOT in the race, but they did enjoy slowly riding through the middle of the course.... see me checking behind me to see how close the next cyclist is!
The final sprint!
2009 Nu2Tri Triathletes!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Slowin Down
05/11/09 - 05/13/09
Well, I'm just a few days away from my first triathlon. The last 15 or so weeks have passed by in a blur, but one thing is for sure, I've come a long way from when I first started. I'm now equipped and trained to finish my race on Saturday. This week, I'm just focusing on getting mentally prepared for the event.... believing that I can do it has been a little hard for me the last few days. I'm doing my best to get back the confidence I had, but it seems that under stress I sometimes don't have the strength to carry on with everything. Balancing life, family, friends, work, sleep, eating, triathlon, and all the rest of it may be taking an emotional toll on me right now.
However, the good news is that those feelings of doubt seem to dissipate the moment I start doing one of my activities. I was having a rough day yesterday, but after an evening of biking my race-day course and practicing T2 transitions, I felt that surge of strength come right back. I'm just doing my best to remember that feeling, and carry it with me throughout the day. As I type this, I literally feel like just putting my head on the keyboard and going to sleep though... like I said, I'm struggling a bit.
I'm pretty sure that some continued successes, good nights of sleep, and light workouts should get me back in the right frame of mind. As of Monday, I've begun tapering, which means I'm cutting the length and intensity of my workouts. This allows me to rest up my muscles for the big race day, while still maintaining a certain level of fitness. The other thing I'm doing is practicing some final details, like going and actually walking the race course to visualize all the details, riding my bike to learn just when I should be shifting, picking spots on the race course that are reminders to drink electrolytes, perfecting my flip turns, putting on and taking off all the necessary components at each transition so that it becomes second nature. The less I have to think about on race day, the more I can just relax, push hard, and have fun!
The name of the game for me since the day I started all my training has been fun. I know that sometimes I've complained because it's been challenging, but at no point can I actually look back and say that I wasn't smiling through the whole thing. That in itself, may be my greatest success!
Well, I'm just a few days away from my first triathlon. The last 15 or so weeks have passed by in a blur, but one thing is for sure, I've come a long way from when I first started. I'm now equipped and trained to finish my race on Saturday. This week, I'm just focusing on getting mentally prepared for the event.... believing that I can do it has been a little hard for me the last few days. I'm doing my best to get back the confidence I had, but it seems that under stress I sometimes don't have the strength to carry on with everything. Balancing life, family, friends, work, sleep, eating, triathlon, and all the rest of it may be taking an emotional toll on me right now.
However, the good news is that those feelings of doubt seem to dissipate the moment I start doing one of my activities. I was having a rough day yesterday, but after an evening of biking my race-day course and practicing T2 transitions, I felt that surge of strength come right back. I'm just doing my best to remember that feeling, and carry it with me throughout the day. As I type this, I literally feel like just putting my head on the keyboard and going to sleep though... like I said, I'm struggling a bit.
I'm pretty sure that some continued successes, good nights of sleep, and light workouts should get me back in the right frame of mind. As of Monday, I've begun tapering, which means I'm cutting the length and intensity of my workouts. This allows me to rest up my muscles for the big race day, while still maintaining a certain level of fitness. The other thing I'm doing is practicing some final details, like going and actually walking the race course to visualize all the details, riding my bike to learn just when I should be shifting, picking spots on the race course that are reminders to drink electrolytes, perfecting my flip turns, putting on and taking off all the necessary components at each transition so that it becomes second nature. The less I have to think about on race day, the more I can just relax, push hard, and have fun!
The name of the game for me since the day I started all my training has been fun. I know that sometimes I've complained because it's been challenging, but at no point can I actually look back and say that I wasn't smiling through the whole thing. That in itself, may be my greatest success!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Week 15!
05/05/09 - 05/10/09
This was a great training week. We were pelted with just a bit of weather, but then conditions broke way to provide some awesome training weather. I won't bore you with the details, but I just used this week to show myself that I am ready! I pushed hard a few times, a relaxed a few others, and all in all, I just felt fit.
I finished up my 15th week of triathlon training, pulled the buckle on my belt loop one smaller, and have now begun mentally preparing myself for next weekend... my first Tri! I'll spend most of the week tapering and doing some transition training. I'm hoping my elite athlete of a brother will guide me through the cumbersome process of going from wetsuit, to bike, to run, so that by Sunday, I'm a transition queen. Other than greasing the bike, laying out my clothes, and getting some rest, I'm ready. I'm trained, and actually confident that this should be a fun experience!
Only bummer was that I missed our re-scheduled practice triathlon. I was out of town this weekend visiting the fam for Mother's Day, but the below pic is what I could have been doing... should I be worried that my teammates now have the edge on me?????
This was a great training week. We were pelted with just a bit of weather, but then conditions broke way to provide some awesome training weather. I won't bore you with the details, but I just used this week to show myself that I am ready! I pushed hard a few times, a relaxed a few others, and all in all, I just felt fit.
I finished up my 15th week of triathlon training, pulled the buckle on my belt loop one smaller, and have now begun mentally preparing myself for next weekend... my first Tri! I'll spend most of the week tapering and doing some transition training. I'm hoping my elite athlete of a brother will guide me through the cumbersome process of going from wetsuit, to bike, to run, so that by Sunday, I'm a transition queen. Other than greasing the bike, laying out my clothes, and getting some rest, I'm ready. I'm trained, and actually confident that this should be a fun experience!
Only bummer was that I missed our re-scheduled practice triathlon. I was out of town this weekend visiting the fam for Mother's Day, but the below pic is what I could have been doing... should I be worried that my teammates now have the edge on me?????
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I Take that Back
05/04/09 - Track
I was on the phone with my mom last night as I drove to the track. I was telling her how humid it was, and complaining about being tired. I explained that Santa Cruz was balmy all day yesterday, and I was just waiting for the moment when the clouds would burst and finally relieve us from the humidity with a cooling rain. She said to just get out there and run, and I'll feel much better. Well, I thought, what does she know! She's not the one busting her butt everyday, 7 days a week! Sometimes I just get tired!
I begrudgingly headed up to the track, started my warm-up and had to strip off my jacket with just one lap under my belt! It got warm super fast! We started with some 3/4 mile (1200m) repeats at a fast pace, and on queue, a gentle mist started falling. It was the type of mist that has you feeling like the clouds have fallen down from the heavens to join you on the ground. One one of our 1200's, our coach came by to help us loosen up. He has an amazing ability to get you to forget about your feet, bring the effort to your large muscles, and within seconds, leave you running in better form and with less effort! I literally felt like I was running on clouds.
After the 1200's we were in for a treat! 500m repeats with the last 100m being an all out sprint! It was cool outside, a little wet, there was a slight breeze... this weather was made for sprinting! Between each sprint we did a half lap or so cool down, which was so easy to do with all the moisture surrounding us. There was just a small group of people that showed up to the track, and we had such a great time cheering each other in to the finish. (I should make a side note, this is a big deal... we never cheer each other along. No matter how much I try to be a cheerleader, our die hard triathletes just seem too focused to care. Today was the exception, with one of the women we have termed "The Angry Clown" even joining in! Everyone was in a great mood!)
It's so funny how a good run or practice can shift your mood so quickly. I went from feeling tired to being so energized that I had to call my mom at the end of practice to let her know, she was right! Of course, I won't tell her that too much, don't want it going to her head or anything!
I was on the phone with my mom last night as I drove to the track. I was telling her how humid it was, and complaining about being tired. I explained that Santa Cruz was balmy all day yesterday, and I was just waiting for the moment when the clouds would burst and finally relieve us from the humidity with a cooling rain. She said to just get out there and run, and I'll feel much better. Well, I thought, what does she know! She's not the one busting her butt everyday, 7 days a week! Sometimes I just get tired!
I begrudgingly headed up to the track, started my warm-up and had to strip off my jacket with just one lap under my belt! It got warm super fast! We started with some 3/4 mile (1200m) repeats at a fast pace, and on queue, a gentle mist started falling. It was the type of mist that has you feeling like the clouds have fallen down from the heavens to join you on the ground. One one of our 1200's, our coach came by to help us loosen up. He has an amazing ability to get you to forget about your feet, bring the effort to your large muscles, and within seconds, leave you running in better form and with less effort! I literally felt like I was running on clouds.
After the 1200's we were in for a treat! 500m repeats with the last 100m being an all out sprint! It was cool outside, a little wet, there was a slight breeze... this weather was made for sprinting! Between each sprint we did a half lap or so cool down, which was so easy to do with all the moisture surrounding us. There was just a small group of people that showed up to the track, and we had such a great time cheering each other in to the finish. (I should make a side note, this is a big deal... we never cheer each other along. No matter how much I try to be a cheerleader, our die hard triathletes just seem too focused to care. Today was the exception, with one of the women we have termed "The Angry Clown" even joining in! Everyone was in a great mood!)
It's so funny how a good run or practice can shift your mood so quickly. I went from feeling tired to being so energized that I had to call my mom at the end of practice to let her know, she was right! Of course, I won't tell her that too much, don't want it going to her head or anything!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
05/02/09 - Triathlon.... CANCELED!
Today was supposed to be my first triathlon. We were meeting informally with our training group to do a mini-triathlon and get some good transition training. I got all my gear together the night before, and woke up with some pre-race jitters. I was sure to get up early to get in my pre-race breakfast, to hit the restroom, stretch, and then to find out it was canceled! I guess pouring rain isn't ideal conditions for ocean swimming and biking. What a let down.
I got in a 6 mile run that day instead, but it doesn't make up for the mental and tactile preparation I had already put towards my first race. I just have to look at it as my first opportunity to train for the blues. After all my early morning, adrenaline-filled anticipation, I was definitely unprepared for the slump that followed.
Today was supposed to be my first triathlon. We were meeting informally with our training group to do a mini-triathlon and get some good transition training. I got all my gear together the night before, and woke up with some pre-race jitters. I was sure to get up early to get in my pre-race breakfast, to hit the restroom, stretch, and then to find out it was canceled! I guess pouring rain isn't ideal conditions for ocean swimming and biking. What a let down.
I got in a 6 mile run that day instead, but it doesn't make up for the mental and tactile preparation I had already put towards my first race. I just have to look at it as my first opportunity to train for the blues. After all my early morning, adrenaline-filled anticipation, I was definitely unprepared for the slump that followed.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Taking in the Sights
04/30/09 - Bike
With no more coached core trainings on Thursdays, we're now able to add another bike ride to our routine. After chasing down my runaway dog, we unloaded our gear in Aptos, CA, and noticed that my training gal pal had some seriously low tires. After both of our failed attempts using our small hand pumps, it dawned on me that the bike shop across the street might be the perfect place to get some air! Go figure!
We detoured into the Aptos Bike Shop, and were greeted by an adorable black lab, and the shop owner. What a great little operation they have going there, the people were nice, the dog was friendly, and it's woman owned... I know where I'm getting my bike maintenance done in the future!
With our tires filled to the brim, we hit the road for our evening ride. We planned to do about 24 miles, from Nisene Marks and out along the coastal farms in Watsonville, complete with beach front views, endless strawberry fields, and flower farms. We started out and hit a quick 400ft climb. Did I say that I HATE hills, well I do. I like riding fast, and the hills still get me crawling. I could really use some coaching on hill technique, and even though I hate it, I might just need to bring my bike to the base of a hill and do some repetitions up and down it... boo!
Anyway, the evening was beautiful, sunny, a little foggy, some cross wind, and warm. We had fun talking through the ride, screaming at the hills, and taking a few detours for sight seeing. We got a chance to tour through the cutest beach town, La Selva Beach, and stare in desire at their pristinely manicured yards and awe inspiring ocean views. Then we headed along the coast on rolling hills and checked out an old farm house, some beach front campsites, and finally a beach front mansion that literally looks like it was occupied in the 70's by the Cuban drug cartel! I'm talking gold fixtures on the gate and statues of lions! Think Tony Montana in Scarface!
Due to our late start and detours, we didn't make it all the way to Sunset Beach, but we had a great ride and perfectly timed our arrival back at the car, just as it started getting too dark to wear my sunglasses. We did just under 20 miles and got back home in time to watch the Office! What a great ride!
05/01/09 - Swim
Happy 1st of May! I started off the month with a great swim this morning. I did my normal 400m warm-up and then braced myself for my timed 500m race distance. I'm still trying to figure out my pacing for this distance, always afraid that I'll start too fast. I just started out nice and slow, and at the half way mark, kicked it up. It helped that the woman next to me was a fast swimmer, because she definitely started racing me. I only had 50m to go, so I kicked it up and we were definitely matched for speed. It was fun to finish strong, and if I had to put $50 on it, I'd say that I touched first! My personal victory for the day!
Anyway, I finished the 500m and saw my time. I wasn't horribly impressed, 8:30. I don't think it's bad, but I know I could do better. I think I'm starting just way too slow for fear of burning out. I had a race in high school, the 200m butterfly. I had never done it before, and the Coach wanted me to do it for Championships. Well, my 50m was very fast, and so without a previous time, I ended up being seeded #1 for the race. WHAT? I was so freaked out that I got in, went as fast as I could the first 100m, and then could barely move the next 100m... it was awful and embarrassing and my friends still laugh about it! Hopefully with more practice, I'll lose that fear, and I'm hoping to bring my 500m into the 7 minute range by the end of the season. I should note though I started in the 9minutes, so at least I'm seeing progress!
More swimming and pulling followed, and I hopped out of the pool and raced to the showers to try and beat the crowd!
With no more coached core trainings on Thursdays, we're now able to add another bike ride to our routine. After chasing down my runaway dog, we unloaded our gear in Aptos, CA, and noticed that my training gal pal had some seriously low tires. After both of our failed attempts using our small hand pumps, it dawned on me that the bike shop across the street might be the perfect place to get some air! Go figure!
We detoured into the Aptos Bike Shop, and were greeted by an adorable black lab, and the shop owner. What a great little operation they have going there, the people were nice, the dog was friendly, and it's woman owned... I know where I'm getting my bike maintenance done in the future!
With our tires filled to the brim, we hit the road for our evening ride. We planned to do about 24 miles, from Nisene Marks and out along the coastal farms in Watsonville, complete with beach front views, endless strawberry fields, and flower farms. We started out and hit a quick 400ft climb. Did I say that I HATE hills, well I do. I like riding fast, and the hills still get me crawling. I could really use some coaching on hill technique, and even though I hate it, I might just need to bring my bike to the base of a hill and do some repetitions up and down it... boo!
Anyway, the evening was beautiful, sunny, a little foggy, some cross wind, and warm. We had fun talking through the ride, screaming at the hills, and taking a few detours for sight seeing. We got a chance to tour through the cutest beach town, La Selva Beach, and stare in desire at their pristinely manicured yards and awe inspiring ocean views. Then we headed along the coast on rolling hills and checked out an old farm house, some beach front campsites, and finally a beach front mansion that literally looks like it was occupied in the 70's by the Cuban drug cartel! I'm talking gold fixtures on the gate and statues of lions! Think Tony Montana in Scarface!Due to our late start and detours, we didn't make it all the way to Sunset Beach, but we had a great ride and perfectly timed our arrival back at the car, just as it started getting too dark to wear my sunglasses. We did just under 20 miles and got back home in time to watch the Office! What a great ride!
05/01/09 - Swim
Happy 1st of May! I started off the month with a great swim this morning. I did my normal 400m warm-up and then braced myself for my timed 500m race distance. I'm still trying to figure out my pacing for this distance, always afraid that I'll start too fast. I just started out nice and slow, and at the half way mark, kicked it up. It helped that the woman next to me was a fast swimmer, because she definitely started racing me. I only had 50m to go, so I kicked it up and we were definitely matched for speed. It was fun to finish strong, and if I had to put $50 on it, I'd say that I touched first! My personal victory for the day!
Anyway, I finished the 500m and saw my time. I wasn't horribly impressed, 8:30. I don't think it's bad, but I know I could do better. I think I'm starting just way too slow for fear of burning out. I had a race in high school, the 200m butterfly. I had never done it before, and the Coach wanted me to do it for Championships. Well, my 50m was very fast, and so without a previous time, I ended up being seeded #1 for the race. WHAT? I was so freaked out that I got in, went as fast as I could the first 100m, and then could barely move the next 100m... it was awful and embarrassing and my friends still laugh about it! Hopefully with more practice, I'll lose that fear, and I'm hoping to bring my 500m into the 7 minute range by the end of the season. I should note though I started in the 9minutes, so at least I'm seeing progress!
More swimming and pulling followed, and I hopped out of the pool and raced to the showers to try and beat the crowd!
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