The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Chapter 1

When I first started this blog, I mentioned there would be times when I’d share the good, the bad and the ugly. The past few days have seen a little of each.

The Good
90 minute bike class on Saturday – Tightened my trainer to almost Coach B’s standards. One and a half hours in aero position. Actually enjoyed the standing drills at levels 9 and 10. After class, Coach B said I did well in the aero. Felt strong.

Five mile easy run on Sunday – Met up with TRIgirls DL, Devil Face, TD, SJG, and LD at my favorite local park for a two loop run, including hills. Was my best time of day to run (late morning) and my preferred weather conditions (cool and dry). Finished up the last mile of run with TRIgirl SJG at a 9:15 pace – and, for once, felt like it was a little push, rather than a major effort, to keep up that stride.

The Bad
Missed the Saturday pre-bike run - Made the choice to stay in bed for an extra hour instead of doing dreaded half mile repeats. Little bit of guilt, but I got over it.

The Ugly
February’s schedule – Received our schedules for February. Runs are gearing up – several 6 and 8 mile brick workouts. Did I read that right – is there a day where we do 6 half mile repeats?

Floor work during this morning’s swim – Knew it couldn’t be good when the other guppies started groaning when Ironwoman Canada laid down mats at the far side of the pool. Boy, were they right. Swim 50 fast, plank pose for a minute, swim 50 fast, “V” kick for a minute, swim 50 fast, wall sit for a minute, swim 50 fast, push ups for a minute – repeat from beginning. And, oh, did I mention, throw in some sculling afterwards for good measure? Could barely lift myself out of the pool after the hour.

Tag, I'm It!

Alas my slow running has caught up with me once again. I was tagged on my blog by Ironmom with the following game of Tri Blogger Tag. I'm going to tag some of the people in my favorite blogs list:

Triathonmom, TriJinx, TriDi, I’m TRI-ing, Florida-Bound and Nancy Toby.

If you've been tagged, answer these six questions, then tag six more folks.

1. Describe a memory from your first triathlon ever
2. Describe a memory from your most recent triathlon
3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?
4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri?
5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing triathlons?
6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards?

My answers:

1. Describe a memory from your first triathlon ever
My first triathlon was in 2000 – I registered for an open water sprint in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Doing a triathlon was a life goal – and I trained on my own and with a friend – without a real coach, group – or even reading a book. I had no idea what to expect. I remember not sleeping much the night before. I remember thinking how cool it was to receive a race packet with a swim cap. I remember being surprised about having my race number magic markered on my arms and legs. I remember that I had never practiced a transition – and just kind of strolled through them, smiling the whole time. Most of all, I remember the feelings of accomplishment, exhilaration – and exhaustion – after finishing.

2. Describe a memory from your most recent triathlon
My most recent triathlon was the ACAC Sprint in Richmond last October. Overall it was a great race – my best performance in my age group. But I can still feel the cold – it was a bitterly chilly morning. I remember the swim to bike transition, so grateful for a towel wrapped around my shoulders, kindly provided by TRIgirl LD who had volunteered during the race. I remember the hill from Hades that soon warmed up my frigid bones. And I remember finishing the race, with an amazing sense of support and encouragement from the other TRIgirls and Coach G – and joining them to cheer in the others who crossed the finish line after me. Oh yeah – there was an awesome and delicious celebratory, pig-out brunch that followed at Hondo’s – uh waiter, another mimosa, please.

3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?
Ah – my unsuccessful wetsuit experience from the Very Big Nut triathlon. Please see my blog entry if you want to hear the gory details as it is too embarrassing to have to relive again!

4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri?
There are usually points during the swim and bike, where I overcome the worry about finishing – and begin to get into a groove - enjoying the experience of feeling one with the water or noticing the beautiful scenery around me. I start appreciating the race – and concentrate on thanking all the volunteers – or at least giving them a big smile of gratitude. I’ll try to commiserate, in an encouraging way, with other participants who may be struggling worse than I am.

But, if I had to pick one moment – it would be crossing the finish line at Naylor’s Beach with TRIgirl Devil Face. We had both had a tough race – from the grueling heat and humidity to an unplanned change in the race course. Running those last few hundred yards together recharged my spirit, as well as my very tired and dehydrated body.

5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing triathlons?
I’ve learned that this asthmatic, approaching middle-age, non-athlete has the willingness, drive and determination to accomplish tough physical (and mental challenges). While many of the natural athletes from my childhood have grown inactive or out of shape, this “tortoise” from their past may actually finish the race ahead of those “hares” – or at least will be in the race as they lounge about on their couches.

6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards?
Ah, an easy one to answer – Ironman Florida! The absolute biggest and scariest goal I’ve ever set for myself.

I Forgot to Eat

I am not doing so well with the “fourth” leg of the triathlon – nutrition.

I knew the whole “eat during a race thing” was going to an issue. Haven’t even started to address that yet.

What I didn’t realize, until a few weeks ago, is that incorporating healthy habits during training would be a challenge.

Before I go any further, please know, I do not lack for overall caloric consumption. I am a social eater – and, especially recently, allow myself to enjoy the whole food experience with friends and family. So, I splurge, probably more than I should, at parties or evenings out. I’ve lost my holiday pooch – but the pounds are not melting off my body. There is no reason to worry.

On a regular, nothing special planned type of day, I’ll sometimes forget to eat. This is a habit developed from years and years of struggling to keep my weight down by focusing on non-food related activities. With training dominating more of my time – fitting in meals or snacks is further pushed to the wayside. I’ll forget my resolution to grab a piece of fruit on my way out the door to work. On weekends, I’ll submerge myself in house chores – and discover it is 2:00 pm and nothing besides water, Gatorade and a Starbucks latte has crossed my lips – even after a two hour bike/run workout.

Take a recent Monday, when I woke up early for a Guppy lesson, proud that I grabbed a bag of sports jelly beans to munch on during the drive to the pool, swam for an hour, headed off to work, ate a sandwich and a fruit cup for lunch, went to a two hour weight and bike workout with just a Gatorade in my stomach – and arrived home around 8:30, not feeling terribly hungry, nor tempted by anything in our rather scantily clad refrigerator. But about three hours later, my belly finally reminded me, with big hearty growls, that it was empty. I didn’t want to eat. I’d tried eating after a late workout – and that kept me up, too – in a much more uncomfortable way – between the adrenalin still pumping through my body and the food working its way through my digestive track.

So I need to figure out – and, more importantly, carry through – a meal plan that provides enough sustenance for training, but that works with my busy schedule - as well as my reluctance to eat too close to a workout. To realize it is just as important to plan for small, healthy snacks throughout the day as it is to plan my weekly training. To take the time to pack my lunch bag as well as my gym bag. And to incorporate greater consistency, with more food on a regular day and less binging during social outings.

Could it Be?

After the past two swim classes, I am wondering, is it possible, could it be…am I getting a little faster?

Just the tiniest bit, maybe?

At Coach S’s class yesterday, we ended the main set with seven laps - 25 meters easy, 25 meters fast. I really tried to push myself during the fast lengths, kicking and pulling harder, while still keeping a controlled stroke. And there were a couple of times, for half a length here or there, where it felt “right” - like I was putting all the pieces together, remembering all the little and big form mechanic details - and gliding through the water.

So, as I was driving to Ironwoman Canada’s class this morning, I was a bit curious how my arms would hold up. Usually there is a slower lane (where I am almost always the slowest of the two or three guppies assigned) and a faster lane. Today, the folks who sometimes share my lane were not there, hence no apparent slower/faster lane. For a couple of the laps during the 1300 – 1400 meter set (I lost count today), I was able to keep up with the others, and there were a few other laps where I didn’t lose too much ground. (OK, the longest drills were just 100 meters, but still…)

My weakened arms were further put to the challenge – of tackling five laps doing various “sculling” drills using a buoy. Ironwoman Canada’s interest in adding sculling to our workouts was sparked by a magazine article. Sculling - "the way a swimmer moves through the water by using only the hands and forearms" – was a new concept to me. I found an article online that explains the drills better than what I could put into words.

All I can add is that sculling is exhausting – and my arms felt a burn similar to what is typically experienced during weight lifting. For one drill – where we sculled feet first on our backs, it seemed like I was hardly moving forward at all – and it took forever to get to the wall.

Anyway, I am actually supposed to start paying attention to my times during various drills at Masters class, so I should know more in a few weeks if I’m really any quicker or if it just feels I like I am faster because I am working so hard!

Changes to My Race Calendar

My credit card saw some action this weekend as I registered for several races.

After some debate, I'm in for the Shamrock and Roll 8K the weekend of St. Patrick's Day. Coaches G and M had figured out a way to fit the half marathon into the full and half ironman training progams. But after some discussion - and even a little back and forth between the coaches, I'll still be doing the 8K. Right now, working on increasing the miles at a pace closer to my tempo pace is a bigger challenge than running 13 miles - so I'm aiming for a sub 10 minute/mile as my goal for the race.

TRIgirl Devil Face and I were orginally going to skip the Shamrock, until another TRIgirl offered us a place to stay (there tends to be a three night minimum at most hotels for the race - and it seemed like quite an expensive hassle to participate in an 8K). So, we concocted the idea for a local alternative - fun (emphasis on fun) St. Patty's run. We're still planning on coordinating this race - with festive beverage stops along the way - but it will probably be the weekend before or after the Shamrock.

Soon after the Shamrock (and the *hiccup* fun run), TRIgirls will be participating in teams for the Monument 10K. I guess that will be another chance to try and hit the sub 10 minute goal - but I'll see how the 8K goes before setting this objective in stone. There are about five teams of five TRIgirls each - so there will be lots of pink charging down Monument Avenue this year. We are also looking for ways to raise donations for the Massey Cancer Center as part of our committment to the race.

The last charge on my credit card for the weekend was for the Smith Mountain Lake Sprint triathlon - a recent addition to the race schedule - but a good one - as it gives us another opportunity for an open water swim.

There is one more race I may throw on the card before the work week begins - the Shady Grove Sprint - but I'm waiting to hear back from Coach G to see if it fits into our taper as it is scheduled for the weekend before Eagleman. Keeping my fingers crossed since I like this race because it is less than 10 miles from my house - and I'm curious if all the training this year will help improve my times from 2006.

Better go update all my calendars!

Growing the Family

TRIgirls has a new program - Big Sister/Little Sister.

TRIgirl KB is my fabulous new little sister - and I couldn't be happier. Being a back-packer, I don't have much to offer in terms of training advice - but I hope to be able to support and help answer any questions as she embarks on her first year as a TRIgirl.

TRIgirl KB and I share several similar experiences and outlooks. We both turn 40 this year. We both perviously worked with children. We both are currently employed by the same company. We both want to live life to the fullest. And, we both believe in striving to be the best we can be. Oh, and of course, we both love wine!

My little sis will be giving Vinho Verde some much needed love and attention this year. We've also started meeting a few minutes before Sunday swim classes to spend some time reviewing stroke concepts. I truly believe she not only will be the embodiment of TRIgirls, but will be inspiring me, with her humor and wisdom, over the upcoming months.

Active Wear vs. Slacker Wear?

Wow – it has been awhile since I’ve been able to get my act together to post something new.

Last Friday was a rest day – a much relished day of relaxation. Yet, the remainder of the holiday weekend included over six hours of swimming, biking and running. As a result of this gradually increasing training, my active wear wardrobe has started to get more and more use – as I’ll wake up on weekends or holidays and throw on exercise clothes, even if my workouts are scheduled later in the day – like Sunday’s 5 pm swim practice. This gives my gym bag a slight break – and may also reassure my dad - who sent me a very funny email, “never thought my little girl would ever be a ‘bag lady’ ha ha. You are doing great!!!”

So in addition to my emerging hobo habits, I find myself running all over town in my workout attire between training classes. On Monday, after a lunchtime swim but before the evening's weight training and bike class, I made a quick detour to pick up some groceries - still bearing lovely raccoon goggle eye marks, wet swim cap hair and no make-up. As I was leaving the store, I heard someone call out my name. I reluctantly turned around to discover it was one of my clients. As we stood there talking, I thought to myself - we’ve compared running races in the past – there is a chance he might chalk off my less than stellar appearance to training – ugh – but there is also the embarrassing possibility that he might think I am just some slacker who can’t pull it together on a day off. While we chatted, I tried to figure out a graceful way to drop a “Oh, I just came from the gym – I don’t normally look like this – I’m training for an Ironman so I have an excuse” type of comment into the conversation, but the right opening never materialized.

Then I had an even scarier realization – he had recognized me right away – in a quite out of work context. Yikes!

Some Pomp and Circumstance, Please!

Yesterday, I arrived at Masters swim class and Ironwoman Canada gave me a “400!” welcome. As I started to put on my cap and goggles, she pointed to the second lane.

I have spent the past two-three months in the first lane (well, actually it is probably the last, but since it is the first when looking from left to right, I consider it lane one). This is the “special lane” – where I’ve been fortunate enough to receive quite a bit of Ironwoman Canada’s individualized instruction to improve my form.

I said, “You want me in THAT lane?” and Ironwoman Canada and a fellow Guppy began teasing me about how I had graduated.

And yes, there are still four or five more lanes, occupied by other Guppy alumni and ex-collegiate swimmers, to aim for future commencements, but for now I’ll proudly add a tassel to my swim cap and give it a good ole flip to the side.

Why My Gym Bag is Tired

Sunday – Put on bathing suit, sweats, flip-flops. Pack gym bag with dinner clothes, shoes, socks, make-up, brush, comb, shampoo, conditioner, hair dryer. Go to swim practice. Swim 1300 meters with Coach S and TRIgirls. Shower at gym. Wrap wet bathing suit in towel. Put in gym bag with swim cap and goggles. Meet friends and hubby for dinner. Go home. Unpack gym bag. Hang bathing suit up. Cross fingers that bathing suit is dry by next morning. Repack gym bag with work clothes, make-up, etc.

Monday – Put on bathing suit, sweats, flip-flops. Breathe sigh of relief that bathing suit is mostly dry. Go to Guppy swim lesson. Swim 1400 meters. Spaz out during drill using tennis balls and buoys. Shower at gym. Wrap wet bathing suit in towel. Put in bag with swim cap and goggles. Go to work. Meet friends for dinner. Drive home. Unpack gym bag. Hang bathing suit up. Repack gym bag with bike shorts, shirt, bike shoes, socks. Realize another bag is needed for tomorrow’s work clothes. Pack second bag. Lay out running pants, fleece, sneakers, socks and Garmin for next morning’s run.

Tuesday – Put on running clothes. Run 3 mile negative split. Go to gym near work to shower. Go to work. Drive to bike and weight training. Change out of work clothes into bike shorts, shirt, sneakers, socks packed in second bag. Do weight exercises. Run back to gym bag, take off sneakers and put on bike shoes. Shoot, forgot towel. Bike on trainer for one hour. Hit level 10 for first time. Go home. Unpack both gym bags. Repack one gym bag with towel, bathing suit, swim cap, goggles for tomorrow’s Masters class.

Realize that I haven’t showered at home in three days.

And that I’ve been getting dressed from clothes stuffed in a bag way more often than from hangers or drawers.

Yummy!

At least once or twice during bike or weight class, Coach M will call out a resounding “Yummy!”

But it has never been about food.

Nope, his yummies are about how he and the other coaches have concocted new devious ideas to take training up a notch (or three).

Let’s do push-ups resting our hands on an exercise ball. Yummy!

How about with two exercise balls? Extra Yummy! (I’m convinced one day I am going to nose dive right down between those balls and land smack on my face.)

Chest presses lying on the exercise ball – using a tough weight. Yummy!

Now let’s hold the dumbbells up in the air instead of down by your chest during the rest part of the press. Extra Yummy!

Four sets of 30 second intervals on the bike trying to hit 50 or more revolutions. Yummy!

Why not a fifth set for a full minute? Extra Yummy!

Level 5, Level 6, Level 8 – oh, how about Level 9 - on the bike trainer? Yummy!

Level 9 – and stand up. Extra Yummy!

So, I guess what happened at TRIgirl Devil Face’s birthday dinner (Happy Birthday, TriJinx!) shouldn’t have been a complete surprise. Devil Face had selected a fabulous sounding restaurant to celebrate. Even during the morning bike class (yes, the one with the infamous fifth set mentioned above) we were drooling with anticipation for the delectable meal that awaited us. TRIgirl Molly Who? reminded us about the number of Weight Watcher points our classes burn up – so we had already justified picking whatever we wanted on the menu.

I ordered a pasta dish with wild mushrooms and truffle sauce. Giddy with excitement as the garlic smell permeated the air, I grabbed my fork, gingerly wrapped the pasta around it, carefully selected a mushroom – and took my first bite.

“Yummy!” I exclaimed.

And what did I start thinking about? The lovely flavors in my mouth? A sip of wine to make my tastebuds even happier?

Uh, no, I envsioned exercise class – and the torture that usually follows after hearing a “Yummy!”

I’ll be looking up synonyms for “yummy” to use at my next restaurant outing.

First Attempts at Our Running Goals

This week’s training included two runs using our new paces.

On Monday, to ring in the New Year, I attempted the first workout - running one mile at the easy pace – and then two miles at the daunting tempo speed. I tried setting up a “workout” in Garmin to warn me if I was off pace. It sort of worked, but I need to play with it some more. I focused on slowing down for the easy pace – and was pretty close to achieving my tempo target with 9:42/mile. By the end, I felt I could go a little further at that pace, but still thought the idea of running six miles was preposterous. It is a lovely dream, though – especially with the Monument 10K scheduled as our first race for the season. Let’s see – at a 9:40 pace I’d finish in just nudge under 60 minutes. To be honest, I’d be thrilled if I can get in the 62 minute range.

Yesterday I joined TRIgirls Molly who?, DL and MJW for our second run drill – two ½ mile repeats, with a 4-5 minute break using our easy pace. Since we met at 6:00 am, it was still dark when we started. The course we run is quite lovely – packed dirt gravel – easy on the joints – and there is a marker exactly at the half mile point – (Garmin consistently says .50 every time). There is one little hill I’d like to see demolished when we do the repeats, but other than that, the course is flat with nice winding turns surrounded by pretty trees.

We did an easy warm up first mile, giving a little moon howl about halfway through. Then it was time for the repeats. Feeling nervous because I hadn’t slept well the night before – and it had been a few months since last doing the repeats – I just sighed and told myself to do my best. With one last look to kick-off Garmin – we were off.

About half-way through the first one, I was ready to stop – and slowed down a bit – so I resigned myself to not hitting the time – except that I did. Not only did I hit it, but I beat it. And not only did a beat it, but I had a PR for a ½ mile with a 3:55. All four of us did great.

We finished the 5 minutes of the easy run – and as we approached the mile landmark to get ready for the second repeat, we ran into Coach G – and took a break for a few minutes to chat with her – and share our exciting results.

As tempting as it was to call it a day, we gritted our teeth for the second one. Since the first one went so well, I was ready to accept that the second one would be a mess, figuring I exerted myself too much and would be tired for the next go round. Again I started out faster and slowed down a bit about half-way through. After crossing the half mile post, I almost choked when I looked down and saw my time – 3:53 – even better than the first one and a new PR. Maybe it was the unofficial break – maybe it was running with our speed demon, TRIgirl MJW – or maybe it was the adrenalin from the excitement of the first repeat. I don’t know, but I wish I could bottle it for the future.

Happy that the worst was over, we jogged the last of the three miles. At the end, TRIgirl MJW jumped in to run with me (she’d finished quite a bit ahead of the rest of us) and – I hesitate to use the word – but it felt like – a sprint - for the last few hundred yards. I seriously don’t think I’ve ever run that fast for any distance – and so appreciate MJW’s pushes and little tips of what my body should be doing when running faster.

Now if I can only figure out how to keep my pace more consistent so I’m not slowing down halfway through the repeats…

Remembering It Is 2007

Happy New Year!

It usually takes a month or two for my brain to completely realize it is a new year. I’ll subconciously write checks or date documents with the previous year and end up with a nice ole stack of extra recycling.

I wonder if this year will be different. Because of IMFL, I’ve thought much more about the upcoming year as Father Time graciously waited for Baby New Year these last few months. Starting this week, our IM training picks up intensity, easing me one step closer to hopefully crossing the finish line in Panama City. And because of Fezzy, I have an extra reminder to appreciate every moment – and not spend too much time daydreaming about what is ahead. He has already doubled in size and I know by the end of 2007, the wonderful puppy period will start to be a memory.

I’m not one to make formal New Year’s resolutions – my latest goals for IMFL might count to some degree. But there are two things I think I’ll add to the list.

• Improve my eating habits. I lost 17-18 pounds in 2006 as a result of training hard and eating 1 ½ meals during my weight loss period. I’ve been working on eating more often – but it is hard to break old habits. So, I’d like to focus on consistently incorporating some sort of breakfast (besides coffee or juice) and a healthy snack or two during the day.
• Keeping work in balance. I love my job, but for about six to eight months of the year it can be extremely demanding. For a significant chunk of the past year, I easily clocked in over 60 hours/week – with many weeks closer to 80 hours. There are several reasons for the long hours – the main one simply being a very heavy workload. While I am still driven and eager to give my best for my company, I really believe “my best” would be improved by ensuring a better ratio of “quality vs. quantity.” There will be times when an 80 hour week is necessary - but figuring out strategies to make sure it isn’t happening so often that it causes burnout – is important – especially with future training weeks of 20-25 hours in the picture!

Wishing everyone a wonderful 20067!