OK. The 4th discipline.... NUTRITION!
So I'm working with a nutritionist now and I'm really trying to change my habits. The evenings are the worst for me. I find that once I'm home I just start putting food in my mouth. I'm not sure exactly what that is about....am I eating because I'm stressed, avoiding something...what? WHat is it. Is it that I am not eating enough still during the day.
I am consuming much less fat which is good. I'm trying to eat more carbohydrates and eat more smaller snacks.
So here is what I am trying to do at each "meal" 1 handful protein, 2 handfuls grain, 2 handfuls fruits and veggies. o I'm really trying to spread out my eating throughout the day and consume my calories more evenly thoughout the day instead of so heavily at night.
It's hard to change habits. I think i've lost some weight but not a huge amount yet. I've got to just keep working on it though. I think planning my meals would work much easier for me so I know what to expect.
i did make a good choice today. I was making my lunch and I could have had a chicken sandwich instead I made myselt chicken soup and only had 1/2 a chicken breast and had veggies that I otherwise wouldn't have had and had my grains as brown rice, a complex carb instead of a simple processed carb. So that's a good thing.
I did come home and start snacking immediately after my evening run and then yoga. But I hate fruit and for dinner I tried to keep my protein down and keep things within proportion. I ate way more fruit than i should have but better that than other things.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Timberline/govt camp ride
This weekend I headed up to Timberline with the Geckos.
We met out at Tri-Sport but I had a timeline to get back by so ended up heading out ahead of everyone fully expecting to be over-taken by the faster riders fairly quickly.
So I head out Halsey to Troutdale, turn onto the Historic HWY, across Stark Street Bridge turn up Kerlake Rd and start heading up hill. That is pretty much the story from that point. It's uphill to one extent or another including a very steep climb right after a stop sign on 302nd! Did I say Steep! Lowest gear standing was how I got up that one.
On top of that it was a HOT day. Very humid as well. Temp was about 94 but the humidity made it feel warmer.
I missed the stop in Welches so pulled over at a Subway for water to remix drinks. I was trying to consume about 1 bottle every hour (regular concentration). I was doing well with this. However, as it heated up I could feel that I really just needed some straight water but didn't really have any access at this point. So I took electrolyte tabs and continued up the Mtn.
I didn't get all the way to Gov't camp. I think I had about a mile left to go and turned around because I was really pushing getting home in time.
I hadn't realized how much I had climbed until I started going down. I flew down to Sandy. I don't think I ever had to get back out of my big chain ring all the way. Unfortunately I had a blow out on my side wall on my brand new tires which sucked. Went through 2 tubes fixing that one and limped the rest of the way home delicately.
Stopped in Sandy for water to refuel and filled one bottle full of just water. That was exactly what I needed.
When I got back onto Halsey I was ready to be done and since it's a straight shot I started singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall to pass the time counting down the blocks to the store.
All in all a good ride. I think I climbed about 5000 feet and rode 106 miles. Good stuff. That is my last really long ride until IMC!
We met out at Tri-Sport but I had a timeline to get back by so ended up heading out ahead of everyone fully expecting to be over-taken by the faster riders fairly quickly.
So I head out Halsey to Troutdale, turn onto the Historic HWY, across Stark Street Bridge turn up Kerlake Rd and start heading up hill. That is pretty much the story from that point. It's uphill to one extent or another including a very steep climb right after a stop sign on 302nd! Did I say Steep! Lowest gear standing was how I got up that one.
On top of that it was a HOT day. Very humid as well. Temp was about 94 but the humidity made it feel warmer.
I missed the stop in Welches so pulled over at a Subway for water to remix drinks. I was trying to consume about 1 bottle every hour (regular concentration). I was doing well with this. However, as it heated up I could feel that I really just needed some straight water but didn't really have any access at this point. So I took electrolyte tabs and continued up the Mtn.
I didn't get all the way to Gov't camp. I think I had about a mile left to go and turned around because I was really pushing getting home in time.
I hadn't realized how much I had climbed until I started going down. I flew down to Sandy. I don't think I ever had to get back out of my big chain ring all the way. Unfortunately I had a blow out on my side wall on my brand new tires which sucked. Went through 2 tubes fixing that one and limped the rest of the way home delicately.
Stopped in Sandy for water to refuel and filled one bottle full of just water. That was exactly what I needed.
When I got back onto Halsey I was ready to be done and since it's a straight shot I started singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall to pass the time counting down the blocks to the store.
All in all a good ride. I think I climbed about 5000 feet and rode 106 miles. Good stuff. That is my last really long ride until IMC!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Open Water Swimming
At my lesson Friday Laurie had me use a tempo trainer. This is basically a metronome. It fits on your goggles and you establish your stroke rate based on the beat.
We played around with it and found that somewhere between 1:04 and 1:00 was a good rate for me.
However, today while swimming I discovered something. I'm dropping my hand again when I breathe. Particularly on the left side, when i breathe to the right. So I'm getting only a fraction of the pull that I should be getting. I think that is exactly what I was doing in the race last weekend too. I wasn't thinking about going long. So I think I need to go back into counting my strokes per length again and trying to take that feel into the open water.
I think I'm going to try to go to klineline again Wed and swim some with a wetsuit and then without and see how it feels. It's kind of like swimming with a fist and then swimming with your full hand. The wetsuit takes away so much sensory experience it is really hard. It gives you added buoyancy but if I lose my technique in the process it's not good.
We played around with it and found that somewhere between 1:04 and 1:00 was a good rate for me.
However, today while swimming I discovered something. I'm dropping my hand again when I breathe. Particularly on the left side, when i breathe to the right. So I'm getting only a fraction of the pull that I should be getting. I think that is exactly what I was doing in the race last weekend too. I wasn't thinking about going long. So I think I need to go back into counting my strokes per length again and trying to take that feel into the open water.
I think I'm going to try to go to klineline again Wed and swim some with a wetsuit and then without and see how it feels. It's kind of like swimming with a fist and then swimming with your full hand. The wetsuit takes away so much sensory experience it is really hard. It gives you added buoyancy but if I lose my technique in the process it's not good.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Swimming Faster
I'm sure I'll eventually get back to my race report but right now I'm processing my race and trying to figure out how I can improve.
So my swim was slower than I wanted it to be at Lake Stevens. Particularly since IM races typically have accurate courses and there was this very handy yellow rope that you could follow which means I was right on course.
This was my typical 1.2 mile swim 39 minutes. That means that my pace is 1:50/ 100 yards.
So the question is: why do I swim so much slower in open water than in the pool? I have a theory. I am a trained seal! I swim in pools all the time. I know where the walls are. I can tell how fast I'm going by the feel of the water and the bottom of the pool. All the things that I use as a reference for speed are completely removed in open water.
So how do I get beyond that? Well I think one thing I can do is no longer warm up. I am going to jump in and start swimming pace. I think that is part of my issue. I have trained myself to get in swim about 1000 leisurely yards and then get ready for the Heart Rate set and then main set. Well that's not what an IM race is going to allow for. It's too long of a day to hop in and do 1000 yards off the bat! As a matter of fact the only warm up I'll have that day is getting into my wetsuit.
The other interesting thing is that with a wetsuit you lose your feel for the water. You go faster because you're more buoyant but you don't get that lovely sensory input of the water on your skin. So one suggestion Sybil had was to get the feel by body position. Get used to where my arms/shoulders are when I pull and then also figure out a tempo that works well for turnover. So I've got to find a song I can play in my head that won't drive me nuts for 140.6 miles!
So my swim was slower than I wanted it to be at Lake Stevens. Particularly since IM races typically have accurate courses and there was this very handy yellow rope that you could follow which means I was right on course.
This was my typical 1.2 mile swim 39 minutes. That means that my pace is 1:50/ 100 yards.
So the question is: why do I swim so much slower in open water than in the pool? I have a theory. I am a trained seal! I swim in pools all the time. I know where the walls are. I can tell how fast I'm going by the feel of the water and the bottom of the pool. All the things that I use as a reference for speed are completely removed in open water.
So how do I get beyond that? Well I think one thing I can do is no longer warm up. I am going to jump in and start swimming pace. I think that is part of my issue. I have trained myself to get in swim about 1000 leisurely yards and then get ready for the Heart Rate set and then main set. Well that's not what an IM race is going to allow for. It's too long of a day to hop in and do 1000 yards off the bat! As a matter of fact the only warm up I'll have that day is getting into my wetsuit.
The other interesting thing is that with a wetsuit you lose your feel for the water. You go faster because you're more buoyant but you don't get that lovely sensory input of the water on your skin. So one suggestion Sybil had was to get the feel by body position. Get used to where my arms/shoulders are when I pull and then also figure out a tempo that works well for turnover. So I've got to find a song I can play in my head that won't drive me nuts for 140.6 miles!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Lake Stevens 1/2 Ironman
Sunday was the Lake Stevens Half ironman. It was a beautiful day and we had perfect weather for the race.
Here are my stats for the race:
Lake Stevens 70.3 7/8/2007
Swim: 00:38:56
T1: 00:03:26
Bike: 3:25:55
T2: 00:04:01
Run: 2:24:27
Total Time: 06:36:45
Swim pace: 1:50/yd
Bike Pace: 16.32 mph
Run Pace: 11:02/mile
Here are my stats for the race:
Lake Stevens 70.3 7/8/2007
Swim: 00:38:56
T1: 00:03:26
Bike: 3:25:55
T2: 00:04:01
Run: 2:24:27
Total Time: 06:36:45
Swim pace: 1:50/yd
Bike Pace: 16.32 mph
Run Pace: 11:02/mile
Jasper Blake
Monday night I was lucky enough to get into an event featuring Jasper Blake, the Ironman Canada winner of 2005. He was in Portland, at Club Sport, talking about his training, racing and campaign to raise money for the MS Society as his mom has MS.
It was a great talk but I think the best part about it was talking to him post event about his relationship with his mom, her MS and his training one on one.
Check out his website at: http://www.jasperblake.com/
It was a great talk but I think the best part about it was talking to him post event about his relationship with his mom, her MS and his training one on one.
Check out his website at: http://www.jasperblake.com/
Monday, June 25, 2007
Cranks
I have been meaning to mention this for awhile now. Cranks!
I got a new set of 165 mm Ultegra Cranks. They replaced my perfectly good carbon fiber cranks. I know why would I replace perfectly good carbon fiber cranks?
I'll tell you! Because I'm short. These cranks are sooooo much better. My cadence is faster. My pedal stroke is smoother and more even. It feels great.
I never feel like I'm rocking anymore either. It's great. I love them. They were definitely worth the $300 investment.
I got a new set of 165 mm Ultegra Cranks. They replaced my perfectly good carbon fiber cranks. I know why would I replace perfectly good carbon fiber cranks?
I'll tell you! Because I'm short. These cranks are sooooo much better. My cadence is faster. My pedal stroke is smoother and more even. It feels great.
I never feel like I'm rocking anymore either. It's great. I love them. They were definitely worth the $300 investment.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Epic Day
I had carefully prepared for this day all week. Wanting to be a little rested but not too much while also leading "normal" life.
Well the week was far from normal. Steph gave birth this week and Cate and I now have a little baby in our lives and that was the adventure for the week. So this week was anything but calm and relaxing. Because I am who I am I still got most of my workouts in this week. I also took Friday off to just hang with Cate and get a massage and my swim lesson. She leaves soon for Europe and I just wanted to spend time together today.
I had everything ready. (Those old IM packing lists that I saved come in really helpful!) All my bags for the day were packed. All my nutrition mixed up and in the cooler. All I had to do in the morning was eat and get dressed and drive to the start.
For Breakfast I had 3 pieces of cornbread and a blueberry, banana, Perpetuem, and Yogurt smoothie. I'm not sure how many calories that was but I'm guessing about 700 - 800. (Can I tell you I LOVE my magic bullet!) That will be a necessity for IMC.
So I headed to the river with plenty of time. Just like I want to do for the race. Enough time that I don't have to stress about getting everything done. A song by Pink and an older song Beautiful Oblivion played on the radio and also in my head for the rest of the day! Taught me to be careful about what I listen to race morning because it will likely echo in my head for the rest of the day!
I was ready to swim before Zan and Chris showed up so I got in and started swimming. The water was much colder than the lakes. It took a little while to get used to it but eventually it felt better. The temp was 63 degrees.
I was trying to work on some of the things Laurie had me doing during my swim lesson on Friday to speed up my stroke rate a little. I tried to slip my elbow up earlier and swing my hand through a little faster but it just didn't feel good. swimming against the current made it feel even worse so I eventually decided just to go back to the "good feeling" swimming and work on it in the pool first.
Unfortunately my neck got burned again by my wetsuit which made it uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
Got out and headed to the car to move things to our transition area for the rest of the day by the 205 bridge. Quickly checked in with Zan re: the plan for the day and giving her the instructions and reminder to myself. 1st loop easy, 2nd loop steady, 3rd loop should start feeling a bit harder but will probably be the same pace as the 1st if you pace correctly.
I headed out for my first loop and kept reminding myself to be patient. I swear the first 80 miles are all patience. Then the real work starts. I headed up to Crown Point. I worked on drinking every 10 minutes and consume just over a bottle an hour. I tried to hold my power on the flats to around 140 and climbing to 170.
Got to 205 in 2:25 for 40 miles (this includes a rest stop) so total ride time 2:21. Grabbed my nutrition for the next loop from the cooler and headed out passing Zan as she was heading in.
Again I reminded myself, patience. I had plans of skipping stopping after the second loop by trying to pack everything with me. But decided against this so that I would have cold drinks.
The second loop was 30 miles. Which is when I realized that today was going to be 110 miles, not 100. Good! A good test. I really needed to put more chamois butter on as I could feel some heat rash developing on my rear. But I didn't want to take the time. I figured I could do it when I stopped at the van.
The third loop I was still feeling really strong and good. I pushed up the pace a little pushing my watts to maintaining 150 while not letting my HR go above 134. I was actually able to push around 165 watts at this HR.
Heading up the hill I noticed I didn't have the same power in my legs as I did the first loop. I was struggling to push 170 up the hills without my HR going too high. So I decided to just spin and not try to push it too hard.
I thought I would run into Zan on my way down the hill from Corbett but I never did. I was concerned that she had decided to just do 2 loops and then the run and would be discouraged. When I got back to 205 I found that she had just shortened her last loop so that we could do the last section together.
I changed and got ready to run. I carried a water bottle and a thing of concentrated perpetuem. We ran for 45 minutes which quite honestly felt quite easy. Our average pace was 5.6 mph which is faster than i will run the IM because that is higher than what I want my HR at that point. I also was able (after the first initial shock) to stomach the concentrated perpetuem with water. I didn't like my carrying method so that will need to change. I think what I might do is carry a water bottle in my hand with Perpetuem and then had the concentrated stuff in a flask and then every... 5 miles refill the water bottle with the stuff in the flask. 1 flask of perpeuem, a flask of gu and a water bottle and salt tabs should be all I need for the run... oh and pepto bismal, can't forget that!
Overall a great day. I didn't feel real tired afterwards. I know I could have kept going. I think the 1/2 IM in a couple weeks will feel almost short if I pace it correctly. It will be a good rehearsal for the IM. I'm looking forward to it. It will be fun.
Well the week was far from normal. Steph gave birth this week and Cate and I now have a little baby in our lives and that was the adventure for the week. So this week was anything but calm and relaxing. Because I am who I am I still got most of my workouts in this week. I also took Friday off to just hang with Cate and get a massage and my swim lesson. She leaves soon for Europe and I just wanted to spend time together today.
I had everything ready. (Those old IM packing lists that I saved come in really helpful!) All my bags for the day were packed. All my nutrition mixed up and in the cooler. All I had to do in the morning was eat and get dressed and drive to the start.
For Breakfast I had 3 pieces of cornbread and a blueberry, banana, Perpetuem, and Yogurt smoothie. I'm not sure how many calories that was but I'm guessing about 700 - 800. (Can I tell you I LOVE my magic bullet!) That will be a necessity for IMC.
So I headed to the river with plenty of time. Just like I want to do for the race. Enough time that I don't have to stress about getting everything done. A song by Pink and an older song Beautiful Oblivion played on the radio and also in my head for the rest of the day! Taught me to be careful about what I listen to race morning because it will likely echo in my head for the rest of the day!
I was ready to swim before Zan and Chris showed up so I got in and started swimming. The water was much colder than the lakes. It took a little while to get used to it but eventually it felt better. The temp was 63 degrees.
I was trying to work on some of the things Laurie had me doing during my swim lesson on Friday to speed up my stroke rate a little. I tried to slip my elbow up earlier and swing my hand through a little faster but it just didn't feel good. swimming against the current made it feel even worse so I eventually decided just to go back to the "good feeling" swimming and work on it in the pool first.
Unfortunately my neck got burned again by my wetsuit which made it uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
Got out and headed to the car to move things to our transition area for the rest of the day by the 205 bridge. Quickly checked in with Zan re: the plan for the day and giving her the instructions and reminder to myself. 1st loop easy, 2nd loop steady, 3rd loop should start feeling a bit harder but will probably be the same pace as the 1st if you pace correctly.
I headed out for my first loop and kept reminding myself to be patient. I swear the first 80 miles are all patience. Then the real work starts. I headed up to Crown Point. I worked on drinking every 10 minutes and consume just over a bottle an hour. I tried to hold my power on the flats to around 140 and climbing to 170.
Got to 205 in 2:25 for 40 miles (this includes a rest stop) so total ride time 2:21. Grabbed my nutrition for the next loop from the cooler and headed out passing Zan as she was heading in.
Again I reminded myself, patience. I had plans of skipping stopping after the second loop by trying to pack everything with me. But decided against this so that I would have cold drinks.
The second loop was 30 miles. Which is when I realized that today was going to be 110 miles, not 100. Good! A good test. I really needed to put more chamois butter on as I could feel some heat rash developing on my rear. But I didn't want to take the time. I figured I could do it when I stopped at the van.
The third loop I was still feeling really strong and good. I pushed up the pace a little pushing my watts to maintaining 150 while not letting my HR go above 134. I was actually able to push around 165 watts at this HR.
Heading up the hill I noticed I didn't have the same power in my legs as I did the first loop. I was struggling to push 170 up the hills without my HR going too high. So I decided to just spin and not try to push it too hard.
I thought I would run into Zan on my way down the hill from Corbett but I never did. I was concerned that she had decided to just do 2 loops and then the run and would be discouraged. When I got back to 205 I found that she had just shortened her last loop so that we could do the last section together.
I changed and got ready to run. I carried a water bottle and a thing of concentrated perpetuem. We ran for 45 minutes which quite honestly felt quite easy. Our average pace was 5.6 mph which is faster than i will run the IM because that is higher than what I want my HR at that point. I also was able (after the first initial shock) to stomach the concentrated perpetuem with water. I didn't like my carrying method so that will need to change. I think what I might do is carry a water bottle in my hand with Perpetuem and then had the concentrated stuff in a flask and then every... 5 miles refill the water bottle with the stuff in the flask. 1 flask of perpeuem, a flask of gu and a water bottle and salt tabs should be all I need for the run... oh and pepto bismal, can't forget that!
Overall a great day. I didn't feel real tired afterwards. I know I could have kept going. I think the 1/2 IM in a couple weeks will feel almost short if I pace it correctly. It will be a good rehearsal for the IM. I'm looking forward to it. It will be fun.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Day before Epic Day
I have been preparing this week for a race rehearsal day.
I took the day off of work to spend it with Cate and since Steph had jus had her baby we didn't spend it as I had planned. It was not quite the pre-race day I would have imagined.
Food:
Chicken Flautas
Beans
Rice
Dinner
Chicken Sandwich
Fries
Energy bar
I have been trying some of the race Day Boost stuff but found that it seemed to upset my stomach so I'm not sure it's such a good idea for me. I'll try it again the week of Lk Stevens and if it's an issue I will stop using it early in the week.
I took the day off of work to spend it with Cate and since Steph had jus had her baby we didn't spend it as I had planned. It was not quite the pre-race day I would have imagined.
Food:
Chicken Flautas
Beans
Rice
Dinner
Chicken Sandwich
Fries
Energy bar
I have been trying some of the race Day Boost stuff but found that it seemed to upset my stomach so I'm not sure it's such a good idea for me. I'll try it again the week of Lk Stevens and if it's an issue I will stop using it early in the week.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Hagg Lake Swim
Hagg Lake swim.
I'm pretty sure the course was long so I'm not so worried about the time. Even sub 1hr swimmers thought they were about 7 minutes slower.
Other than that I learned a couple things:I can free up the restriction on my shoulders by making sure my wetsuit is pulled all the way up. Make sure I free up my arms by pulling the arms up a bit more too.Do not velcro the neck at all.
I can swim with a kick and it still feels very easy. And I can site with barely lifting my head between strokes. I just peak.
I felt very comfortable breathing every 3 strokes but then I also had lots of open water around me.
My HR was avg of 133 for first loop and 135 (when I turned on kicking) for the second loop.
I think to go faster I need to figure out how to pick up the rhythm in my hips and catch the water better.
I'm pretty sure the course was long so I'm not so worried about the time. Even sub 1hr swimmers thought they were about 7 minutes slower.
Other than that I learned a couple things:I can free up the restriction on my shoulders by making sure my wetsuit is pulled all the way up. Make sure I free up my arms by pulling the arms up a bit more too.Do not velcro the neck at all.
I can swim with a kick and it still feels very easy. And I can site with barely lifting my head between strokes. I just peak.
I felt very comfortable breathing every 3 strokes but then I also had lots of open water around me.
My HR was avg of 133 for first loop and 135 (when I turned on kicking) for the second loop.
I think to go faster I need to figure out how to pick up the rhythm in my hips and catch the water better.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Speedy me
I seem to be getting faster in running. I "easily" get up to 6 mph now. I don't think I ever saw 6 mph on a regular basis in teh past few years.
YEAH!!!!
YEAH!!!!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Epic Week Summary
Training Gone Wild
Epic Week Training
My Brief Foray into feeling like a real Athlete (with a Capitol A)
Over the course of 13 days (almost 2 weeks) I embarked on my fantasy of living the life of a true triathlete. One that doesn’t have to “work” for a living. Well I didn’t quite get my fantasy because over the course of this time I worked 5 days. However thanks to one heck of a boss who lets me get away with my crazy… it’s sunny outside PLEASE may I leave early! Pleas and a partner who supports me in just about any endeavor I decide to undertake I was able to do it.
Statistics
Swim
I can’t even begin to thank Cate for letting me train for an ironman for the 3rd time! It is huge. It is a huge time investment, financial investment, and emotional investment. Did I say that it is huge. I have been planning these two weeks for months. I can’t tell you how many times she had to hear me say “I’m training that week… I can’t……”. It’s hard enough to hear that I am training for the day but for me to say I am taking 2 weeks to devote to training everything else must wait…. Well you try it with your partner and tell me how it goes.
So huge thank you to Cate. Who supports me, rescues me on hot days when I have a bad tire in the middle of “God’s Country” as she puts it, and had a stash of cold Diet Coke (in the bottle I might add) ready for me after each ride. And organized and prepped for two parties we were hosting that weekend with little assistance from me. Not to mention putting up with my “life in constant transition”, stinky workout clothes, fatigued and weary attitude. She is absolutely the best.
Also thank you to my boss who tolerates my crazy IM training schedule. Who seems to “get” that this is just as important to me as others who take time off for maternity/paternity leave.
Thank you to my chiropractor and massage therapist who put me back together and get me back out there to train even more. Especially since just 2 days prior to my embarking on this “training gone wild” I was literally unable to walk 50 feet without tears in my eyes from the pain I was having in my foot. Seriously 2 days prior to my Epic training I was walking with a cane because I could not bear weight on my foot. So thank you Dr. J and Miriam for putting me back together again.
And, I can’t forget my compadre, Zan. Who had planned these past two weeks to join me almost every day in this adventure but came down sick and watched from the sidelines as I stacked on the miles. I’m sure that between her frustration at her illness and asthma and my just downright fatigue and sheer lack of sugar in my blood stream we made quite the pair. Zan was there everyday checking in and encouraging me to enjoy myself when she was green with envy and down in the dumps trying to seek some inner peace over her situation.
Thanks for the memories
Life in general felt like one big transition area. i was always onto my next 'leg'. Either another workout or training related task (like bike fittings), washing clothes so I'd have something to wear or stuffing calories down my throat so I could get my sorry ass up the the stairs and into bed.
I don't know that I have ever felt so consistently tired. And I'm still feeling it almost 4 days post Epic week. (I did run 3 hours yesterday which was probably not the smartest thing to do.) I was grumpy and crabby and just fatigued. Sleep wasn't enough. food wasn't enough. It does make you realize how much your mind/will plays into an Ironman. My body was done but I had more workouts to do and no matter how hot or tired I was I was going to try to finish them. it's not all that dissimilar to the race. Your mind keeps you going when your body otherwise would have stopped.
There were some classic moments i won't forget:
Epic Week Training
My Brief Foray into feeling like a real Athlete (with a Capitol A)
Over the course of 13 days (almost 2 weeks) I embarked on my fantasy of living the life of a true triathlete. One that doesn’t have to “work” for a living. Well I didn’t quite get my fantasy because over the course of this time I worked 5 days. However thanks to one heck of a boss who lets me get away with my crazy… it’s sunny outside PLEASE may I leave early! Pleas and a partner who supports me in just about any endeavor I decide to undertake I was able to do it.
Statistics
Swim
- Time: 9.5 hr
- Distance: 15 mi
Bike
- Time: 40.25
- Distance: 585 mi
Run
- Time: 2.75 hr
- Distance: 15.25
Other
- Time: 7 hr
59.50
615.25
Other Statistics
Approximate Calories Burned: ~42,000
Bottle of Perpetuem Drank: 32 (I would guess half of my caloric intake during this time period was Perpetuem)
Number of Flats: 2 (both in 1 day within 5 miles of one another, I bailed on the ride)
Most feet climbed in a day: 7000
Steepest grade climbed 16% (at least that is what the sign said… read on)
Feet of elevation climbed: ~20,000
Level of Fatigue Felt: Mind numbing
I can’t even begin to thank Cate for letting me train for an ironman for the 3rd time! It is huge. It is a huge time investment, financial investment, and emotional investment. Did I say that it is huge. I have been planning these two weeks for months. I can’t tell you how many times she had to hear me say “I’m training that week… I can’t……”. It’s hard enough to hear that I am training for the day but for me to say I am taking 2 weeks to devote to training everything else must wait…. Well you try it with your partner and tell me how it goes.
So huge thank you to Cate. Who supports me, rescues me on hot days when I have a bad tire in the middle of “God’s Country” as she puts it, and had a stash of cold Diet Coke (in the bottle I might add) ready for me after each ride. And organized and prepped for two parties we were hosting that weekend with little assistance from me. Not to mention putting up with my “life in constant transition”, stinky workout clothes, fatigued and weary attitude. She is absolutely the best.
Also thank you to my boss who tolerates my crazy IM training schedule. Who seems to “get” that this is just as important to me as others who take time off for maternity/paternity leave.
Thank you to my chiropractor and massage therapist who put me back together and get me back out there to train even more. Especially since just 2 days prior to my embarking on this “training gone wild” I was literally unable to walk 50 feet without tears in my eyes from the pain I was having in my foot. Seriously 2 days prior to my Epic training I was walking with a cane because I could not bear weight on my foot. So thank you Dr. J and Miriam for putting me back together again.
And, I can’t forget my compadre, Zan. Who had planned these past two weeks to join me almost every day in this adventure but came down sick and watched from the sidelines as I stacked on the miles. I’m sure that between her frustration at her illness and asthma and my just downright fatigue and sheer lack of sugar in my blood stream we made quite the pair. Zan was there everyday checking in and encouraging me to enjoy myself when she was green with envy and down in the dumps trying to seek some inner peace over her situation.
Thanks for the memories
Life in general felt like one big transition area. i was always onto my next 'leg'. Either another workout or training related task (like bike fittings), washing clothes so I'd have something to wear or stuffing calories down my throat so I could get my sorry ass up the the stairs and into bed.
I don't know that I have ever felt so consistently tired. And I'm still feeling it almost 4 days post Epic week. (I did run 3 hours yesterday which was probably not the smartest thing to do.) I was grumpy and crabby and just fatigued. Sleep wasn't enough. food wasn't enough. It does make you realize how much your mind/will plays into an Ironman. My body was done but I had more workouts to do and no matter how hot or tired I was I was going to try to finish them. it's not all that dissimilar to the race. Your mind keeps you going when your body otherwise would have stopped.
There were some classic moments i won't forget:
- Riding in Vancouver and having a motorcycle cop pull next to me and "remind" me that the stop signs are for me too. (I was on my second loop of my 2 X 50 mile loops. I wasn't going to stop for any stop signs! I had a time to beat.)
- Riding in Forest Grove after swimming in hagg Lake thinking "I want a nice easy flat ride" I had it all mapped out. Then I turned up Blooming Farm road and encouter a big hill. About 1/4 way up theres a sign that reads Alpe de blooming Farm Road. 16% grade next 4 miles. Can i tell you how I just about fell off my bike when my jaw hit the ground. (I made it up and it wasn't 16%.... only a very small section was that steep but it was a lot longer than it appeared from the bottom.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Epic Week Day 8: Sleep is a grand thing!
Oh boy was I grumpy and tired yesterday! I wouldn't have wanted to be around me. I just couldn't seem to shake my mood or my fatigue yesterday.
Zan and Robert came by and we drove out to swim at hagg lake and then do a bike and a run. Well the swim went fine. It actually felt really good to be in open water with no walls where I could just swim and not have to turn. It was interesting being in a wetsuit again. Now that my body position is better I totally felt like I was almost on top of the water. I didn't have to kick hardly at all and I felt like I was just cruising along. It was great. It took me awhile to put my "new" stroke into place but once I had it I felt like I could sustain it. Especially since I didn't feel like I needed to kick. My left hand was dropping some so I really concentrated on extending it out there and it finally came around. i did notice that my recover felt much different and even took a good deal more strength. next time i swim open water I think I'll check my wetsuit out a little better and try to get a little more mobility in the arms. I think I may not have had it fitted well. I don't remember it feeling like that in the past.
After the swim I got on my bike and it was all I could do to sit on my bike. I couldn't find a comfortable position to save my life. I was also on a new route where I didn't really know where I was going and I ended up going up a really steep hill that after Silver Falls the day before I was not ready for. It took everything I had to get up it. Then I took a wrong turn.... ARGH!!! Needless to say it didn't help my grumpiness.
So when i got back i didn't run. I was completely exhausted. I ended up going to bed around 7:30 and asleep by 8. I ended up sleeping about 12 hours, maybe more.... I definitely needed it.
Today I rode out to Crown Point. It was good to be back on a familiar route. I like my new position on my bike. It was certainly much more comfortable. And I think I like my new shoes except i don't know how you run in those. I feel like I slide all over the place. I'm tempted to just carry them to the bike mount and put them on there. I can't believe anyone could actually run on those. maybe on grass it would be fine.
I definitely need a cleat fitting though because my feet were cramping up. I think they need to be slid back a ways toward the ball o fmy foot.
The ride was good. I still have fatigue in my legs but not too bad. I felt strong most of the way and my run afterwards was good. I had a hard time bringing my heart rate down to even 153. It was staying in the upper 150's even when i felt like I was running really slow and easy. I only ran for 20 minutes so maybe I should try to run until I can get it down next time.
Tomorrow i just swim and bike to work. I'll only work on form tomorrow at swimming so that I can have a good ride on Wednesday.
Zan and Robert came by and we drove out to swim at hagg lake and then do a bike and a run. Well the swim went fine. It actually felt really good to be in open water with no walls where I could just swim and not have to turn. It was interesting being in a wetsuit again. Now that my body position is better I totally felt like I was almost on top of the water. I didn't have to kick hardly at all and I felt like I was just cruising along. It was great. It took me awhile to put my "new" stroke into place but once I had it I felt like I could sustain it. Especially since I didn't feel like I needed to kick. My left hand was dropping some so I really concentrated on extending it out there and it finally came around. i did notice that my recover felt much different and even took a good deal more strength. next time i swim open water I think I'll check my wetsuit out a little better and try to get a little more mobility in the arms. I think I may not have had it fitted well. I don't remember it feeling like that in the past.
After the swim I got on my bike and it was all I could do to sit on my bike. I couldn't find a comfortable position to save my life. I was also on a new route where I didn't really know where I was going and I ended up going up a really steep hill that after Silver Falls the day before I was not ready for. It took everything I had to get up it. Then I took a wrong turn.... ARGH!!! Needless to say it didn't help my grumpiness.
So when i got back i didn't run. I was completely exhausted. I ended up going to bed around 7:30 and asleep by 8. I ended up sleeping about 12 hours, maybe more.... I definitely needed it.
Today I rode out to Crown Point. It was good to be back on a familiar route. I like my new position on my bike. It was certainly much more comfortable. And I think I like my new shoes except i don't know how you run in those. I feel like I slide all over the place. I'm tempted to just carry them to the bike mount and put them on there. I can't believe anyone could actually run on those. maybe on grass it would be fine.
I definitely need a cleat fitting though because my feet were cramping up. I think they need to be slid back a ways toward the ball o fmy foot.
The ride was good. I still have fatigue in my legs but not too bad. I felt strong most of the way and my run afterwards was good. I had a hard time bringing my heart rate down to even 153. It was staying in the upper 150's even when i felt like I was running really slow and easy. I only ran for 20 minutes so maybe I should try to run until I can get it down next time.
Tomorrow i just swim and bike to work. I'll only work on form tomorrow at swimming so that I can have a good ride on Wednesday.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Epic Week: Day 7 Silver Falls Brick
Today I rode from Champoeg State Park to Silver Falls State Park. It was a great ride. I think I was pretty well rested after yesterday. I did ride a little harder than I probably should have because I rode with someone else who was on my wheel all the way up the hill.
I'm pretty tired tonight though. Tomorrow is a triathlon day. Swim, bike and run.
I'm pretty tired tonight though. Tomorrow is a triathlon day. Swim, bike and run.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Epic Week: Day 7 Recovery Day
Today was a recovery day. I did not sleep well last night at all. I could not fall asleep so ended up taking some tylenol PM to get to sleep. Finally I slept but had night sweats again. Ugh!
I didn't feel too bad however. I could tell that I still had some accumulated fatigue in my legs from yesterday however when I walked upstairs. I did get a massage this morning. It was OK. Not the best. She is on and off again sometimes. My calf/foot feels much better however. very little pain left. So that's really good.
I then went to work although that was for little more than checking e-mail and a meeting. I didn't get much else done. I guess that's OK. That's the way it will probably be next week as well.
I thought I had a swim lesson today but Laurie didn't have me on her calendar. So we worked together just a little bit. It was good though. I only really needed a couple pointers. She did recommend that I enter a long course swim meet and see how my stroke holds up when the adrenalin is pumping. that is actually a really good idea especially if she is going to be there. maybe Cate will want to do it too.
The things I worked on was keeping my head down just a bit more. It helps to see my shadow on the bottom of the pool. I like that about Southwest. It helps me keep my focus because I can see my hand extending in front of me. The other is to drop my fingers a little in my extension. Also to get a little more energy/momentum in my hand entry while also making it clean.
Other than that I came home and got ready for tomorrow's ride I'm posting it here. It is 90 miles from Champoeg Park to Silver Falls and back. It should be good. Looks like there are 4 of us riding. That will be good to have some other people there.
Then tomorrow night we have dinner with Patricia and larry. That will be nice.
I didn't feel too bad however. I could tell that I still had some accumulated fatigue in my legs from yesterday however when I walked upstairs. I did get a massage this morning. It was OK. Not the best. She is on and off again sometimes. My calf/foot feels much better however. very little pain left. So that's really good.
I then went to work although that was for little more than checking e-mail and a meeting. I didn't get much else done. I guess that's OK. That's the way it will probably be next week as well.
I thought I had a swim lesson today but Laurie didn't have me on her calendar. So we worked together just a little bit. It was good though. I only really needed a couple pointers. She did recommend that I enter a long course swim meet and see how my stroke holds up when the adrenalin is pumping. that is actually a really good idea especially if she is going to be there. maybe Cate will want to do it too.
The things I worked on was keeping my head down just a bit more. It helps to see my shadow on the bottom of the pool. I like that about Southwest. It helps me keep my focus because I can see my hand extending in front of me. The other is to drop my fingers a little in my extension. Also to get a little more energy/momentum in my hand entry while also making it clean.
Other than that I came home and got ready for tomorrow's ride I'm posting it here. It is 90 miles from Champoeg Park to Silver Falls and back. It should be good. Looks like there are 4 of us riding. That will be good to have some other people there.
Then tomorrow night we have dinner with Patricia and larry. That will be nice.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Epic Week: Day 6 Eagle Fern Ride
Today I rode the Eagle Fern Ride. I haven't done it in about 3 or 4 years. It was much easier this time than last as I recall. It's a beautiful ride. Just hard. It was 4800 feet of elevation over just over 50 miles.
I also swam today. 4100 yards. Felt pretty good. At the end of the practice I felt like my toes were on the surface and my hand was extending really well.
Today I tried to keep my form while adding in the kick. It took awhile.
I also swam today. 4100 yards. Felt pretty good. At the end of the practice I felt like my toes were on the surface and my hand was extending really well.
Today I tried to keep my form while adding in the kick. It took awhile.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Free Form
I'm still working on my Free form. Today was "IM" day for our masters crew. Instead of working on stroke I did drills during the stroke set and used the particular stroke to work on a particular stroke focus.
The other thing I figured out today was that I can use a modified fist drill. When I breathe I close my hand into a fist so that if I start pressing down early it doesn't have nearly the benefit. Yet if I extend it is a huge benefit.
I guess I could modify that to breathing only to one side and keeping that hand closed.
The other thing I figured out today was that I can use a modified fist drill. When I breathe I close my hand into a fist so that if I start pressing down early it doesn't have nearly the benefit. Yet if I extend it is a huge benefit.
I guess I could modify that to breathing only to one side and keeping that hand closed.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Swim Focus Week
This week I'm concentrating on my swim. I am working on my form. It feels like this is a never-ending process for me.
So today I did mainly 25's working on that feeling of swimming downhill. I really think that between than and getting my hips into the picture for my rotation I'll start improving.
The thing that I find really helps me to think about using my hips is to think about a roll onto my side especailly when I breathe. I think about continueing to extend my hand underwater as I breathe. That seems to inhibit the desire to jerk my hand back and lift my head.
Today the PAC kids were swimming and some of them are just so effortless looking. That's what I want to look like. Like all I'm doing is really just gliding. You can really tell the difference between those kids who just glide and those that are working to keep it up. It's amazing the effort they expend.
SO I will just keep working at it. I get impatient and want to push it but I know that it's going to come eventually. The more I practice it the more it will come. I still have a lot of time before Canada. No need to stress about it.
So today I did mainly 25's working on that feeling of swimming downhill. I really think that between than and getting my hips into the picture for my rotation I'll start improving.
The thing that I find really helps me to think about using my hips is to think about a roll onto my side especailly when I breathe. I think about continueing to extend my hand underwater as I breathe. That seems to inhibit the desire to jerk my hand back and lift my head.
Today the PAC kids were swimming and some of them are just so effortless looking. That's what I want to look like. Like all I'm doing is really just gliding. You can really tell the difference between those kids who just glide and those that are working to keep it up. It's amazing the effort they expend.
SO I will just keep working at it. I get impatient and want to push it but I know that it's going to come eventually. The more I practice it the more it will come. I still have a lot of time before Canada. No need to stress about it.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Two Firsts!!
Yesterday when I arrived I went for a ride just about as soon as I got in and I had two firsts!
I took my jacket off while I was riding my bike yesterday. Granted this is on my road bike, not my tri bike. I think the headset is looser on my tri bike.
The other is that I rode the Lacamas Lake loop which is 52 miles round trip in 2:57. Under 3 hours. Granted I didn't stop at the rest stop which made the trip about 5 minutes faster.
I took my jacket off while I was riding my bike yesterday. Granted this is on my road bike, not my tri bike. I think the headset is looser on my tri bike.
The other is that I rode the Lacamas Lake loop which is 52 miles round trip in 2:57. Under 3 hours. Granted I didn't stop at the rest stop which made the trip about 5 minutes faster.
Week in California
I hate traveling. It totally screws up my routine. I guess I didn't do too bad considering the limited time I had to train. The other factor is that I don't have as much control, and over indulge while I am out of town. So now I get to pay the price.
My weight is back up to the high end of my low range when i thought I was done with that. I do think some of it is just normal weight gain because my period is coming soon and I also seem to gain water weight when I fly.
So I did pretty well last week. I ran every day. Monday I got 3 hours of running in. Every other day I got at least 45 minutes in. I swam twice for 2 hours each just focusing on form.
I'll write about yesterday's ride in my next post.
My weight is back up to the high end of my low range when i thought I was done with that. I do think some of it is just normal weight gain because my period is coming soon and I also seem to gain water weight when I fly.
So I did pretty well last week. I ran every day. Monday I got 3 hours of running in. Every other day I got at least 45 minutes in. I swam twice for 2 hours each just focusing on form.
I'll write about yesterday's ride in my next post.
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