Training Goals - By Fezzy

Lately, Mommy has been doing all this crazy talk about training goals for me and her.

Everyday, I remind her with my super good behavior about how quickly I learned to go into my crate when Mommy and Daddy are leaving the house. Mommy has never had a furkid that she didn't have to chase down, with elaborate traps and fast reflexes, when it was crate time. I totally shocked her when I just followed the treat she held for me in the crate and plopped my cute little self down. Now, sometimes I can even guess when Mommy is about to leave and just head right on in - waiting oh so patiently for my biscuit and fuzzy toy.

You would think that would be enough, but Mommy had decided that it is time for a new goal for me - something about not jumping all over people when they walk in the house. I am choosing to ignore her lessons as they seem stupid. I am only showing how excited I am to see my favorite people or to meet someone new. I am hoping to train Mommy on this one.

But, I'll give her a little slack, as I've heard her mumbling about whether she should try to plan for more specific training goals. She is wondering if her current attempts to just survive a workout or even her loosely defined aspirations to "be a little faster" should be thought through a little more.

And the more she thinks about her training goals, hopefully the less she will think about mine.

The Decision

The coaches pretty much agreed either Mightyman or Naylor's would work with the IMFL training schedule. But I've decided to stick with Naylor's this year, mostly because it will be cheaper for both the registration and travel fees.

And as Ironwoman Canada told me this morning - it will be great speed work for me.

An Olympic distance race as speed work? Naylor's, no less, with its rip tide swim, challenging bike and demoralizing run course? I just shook my head.

Next year - though - I am in for Mightyman - and have already heard that several TRIgirls may be joining me!

So Tempting!

I was just paging through the Triathlon Life magazine that arrived the other day and I what did I find?

Mightyman!

A Half-Ironman back "home" and through the beautiful, picturesque Montauk.

Close to family and friends who I could either try to tempt to race with me or who may travel just a couple of hours to be cheerleaders.

Problem 1 - Naylor's Beach is on my calendar for that day. I was actually looking forward to doing Naylor's again - between hoping for some improvements, the new September date and racing with other TRIgirls. I haven't registered yet, so depending on Problems 2 and 3...

Problem 2 - I'm doing the Patriot Half three weeks earlier. Will I have recovered enough? Then again, we are not tapering for the Patriot in preparation for IMFL - so I doubt I'll be resting much after.

Problem 3 - Which race would be better for IMFL training - an Olympic or another half???

Problem 4 - If I do Mightyman, there won't be an Olympic distance race on my calendar. Therefore, no fourth TRIgirl pint glass to add to my collection.

The decision rests in the hands of my coaches - based upon their recommendation of which would be better for IMFL training.

If not this year, Mightyman (and maybe some other LI Event Power races) WILL be on next year's schedule! And you betcha I'll be trying to convince my triathlon friends to join me!

Not Triathlon Related...

Walking down Main Street to find some lunch, I see the spectacle that has formed right outside my office building.

The side roads are closed, the usual street cart vendors pushed aside, rows of news cameras line the curb, the protestors and the curious gawk about.

A few dogs are scattered in the crowd. Their people carry signs that reflect the full spectrum of the controversy – from “CON-VICK” to “Innocent Until Proven Guilty.”

I try to avoid the signs with photos, but as I circumvent the crowd, one is right there in my face. I quickly look away before the full impact of the abused dog pictured sinks into my eyes.

A lump settles in my throat.

Yes, Michael Vick is due at the Federal Court building today to face dogfighting charges.

I have not read the indictment; know better than to read it, but have heard enough about it to wonder if even half of it is true, do fines and prison seem like an adequate punishment?

When Did Virginia Become Florida?

I've been a bit out of the loop the past few days.

I spent four awesome days with my family in NY - for my mom's retirement and birthday. Was able to see my brother and sister-in-law's beautiful new home (with an in-ground pool that I may have to visit in the near future for "training"). I even squeezed in a few workouts.

If you are ever on Long Island - and need a place to swim, check out the Nassau County Aquatics Center. After finding out my parents no longer belong to our local pool - and that the "alumni privileges" at my alma mater only offer monthly pool memberships - and that the YMCA "AWAY" program only included NY Ys in scary parts of the boroughs - I hit gold with this indoor pool facility with a reasonable non-resident fee. The pool was beautiful - though I wished the 50 meter lanes had been open.

From afar, I tracked Ironwoman Canada as she competed in Lake Placid (with an amazing fourth place finish) and many of the TRIgirls as they competed in a local sprint (with awesome times and great stories (especially the post race party)).

Back home, unpacked and cuddled up with the furkids, I was looking forward to finishing the week with a few good workouts. My bag was packed with swim gear for tomorrow's Masters class - where I was hoping to catch up with Guppies, TRIgirls and maybe even Ironwoman Canada.

Until I saw the weather report. Starting around 3 pm, thunderstorms are predicted.

I don't remember afternoon thunderstorms being so commonplace in Virginia's previous years - but for whatever reason, they are a regular occurrence this year. After a few too many annoying pool closings this year during the evening Masters class, I've revised my plan and am going to try to swim in the morning.

I am ready for Fall.

Good News in the Mail

For the second time since beginning this Ironman journey, my mailbox has greeted me with more than just bills and paperspam. The other day, an envelope from my aunt and uncle caught my attention. I opened it to find a supportive note and a news clip called "Women find unity, strength at triathlons." A few months ago, the day before leaving for Eagleman, another article from my sister-in-law, "The growing allure of the Ironman race" seemed like a perfectly timed cheer of encouragement.

Some great information can be found in these articles.

From "The growing allure..."
"There's this sport called triathlon. There's this event called the Ironman."
"'After almost not letting me do the Ironman in 2001, saying it is not safe, my mom came up to Lake Placid to watch me,' says Rich Barkan of Long Beach. 'She had such a great time that now we go up for the race even if I'm not doing it. She's out there cheering.'"
"Time is not on the side of Ironman athletes. Even the experienced triathletes must train 20 hours a week over several months. This doesn't stop people with no tri background from taking the challenge."

From "Women find unity..."
"Triathlons can do that: turn ordinary middle-age women into passionate, can't-stop-me-now athletes." (This might be my favorite!)
"That's where you really get the community feel amongst women in our sport, when they're supporting a cause that is very close to them."
"The nonthreatening atmosphere of women-only events makes them attractive to novices and nonjocks. The emphasis is on testing one's mental and physical fortitude, enjoying a sense of accomplishment and just crossing the finish line -- not necessarily finishing first."

But, for me, the articles are more than just interesting and relevant words on newsprint. Someone I loved took the time to not only read the article, but thought of me and what I am trying to do, found their scissors to carefully cut out its jigsaw like borders, included a handwritten note, smacked a postage stamp on the envelope and sent their discovery to me.

Eventually, these news clips will work their way into a scrapbook I'm planning to put together, with the stack of photos accumulating by the computer, of the TRIgirl experiences and the Ironman training moments caught on film.

In the meantime, they will travel with me in my pocketbook over the next few months - something that will catch my eye as I rummage for change or keys - and will be a welcome reminder of the support I am fortunate to have.

Top Brick Moments

This Saturday's brick - a 30 mile bike ride and 10 mile run - definitely had some good, bad and ugly moments.

The Top 5 Bad and Ugly:

1. Totally screwed up the gearing with Patriot Sangria on nasty hill number two by crossing the "waited too long to go into my small chain ring" point. Ended up having to escape the bike vs. toppling over.
2. The last 4 of the 10 mile run. Most of my running buddies were on the half ironman schedule - with a 6 mile run. Without their company, the weather seemed hotter, my water breaks were longer and my legs felt increasingly tired.
3. The ugly blister on my pinky toe after the run.
4. The bizarre heat or sweat rash that appeared the morning after the brick - 50 tiny little puss pimples. Gross. This is the second time this has happened to me after a long workout. Does this happen to anyone else? Any ideas how to prevent it?
5. No TRIgirl coffee. Other than TRIgirl CD and her husband, West Creek was empty by the time I finished the brick.

The Top 5 Good:

1. Awesome new bike route plotted out by TRIgirl CD which starts at West Creek and winds through the rural backroads of four counties. Lovely scenery, quiet roads, great company. Nice little bonus - the bike route was actually 37 vs. 30 miles.
2. Patriot and I made peace on the rolling hills and the one nasty hill TRIgirl CD mentioned. (I thought the worst was over until I hit the second one, which must not have phased our route planner as she is a rock star cyclist.) I am starting to figure out the gears I need to be in with her to not loose too much cadence when climbing some hills.
3. Getting through the 10 mile run. The first six miles with TRIgirls SD, MW, KO, LD and MW went well. We frequently found ourselves dropping below the 10:30-11:00 minute miles we were aiming for - sometimes even seeing paces in the 9 minute range. I could have justified stopping at 6 because the bike was longer than planned. I pushed for 8 to try and meet last week's long brick run, then decided to try for 9 to add 1 mile, then figured it was only 1 more mile to hit the 10. I've really been trying to remind myself that to finish Ironman Florida, I will have to push myself when my mind or body wants to quit. I am hoping that plugging through the tough workouts will help build my confidence and will be something I can remember and draw from this November.
4. The water stop set up by TRIgirl CD and her husband that became our nirvana every three miles for fabulously chilled water to drink - and to dump on our sweaty selves.
5. The wonderful two hour post workout snooze - nothing like a good nap after a draining brick workout!

Not A Diet, But...

Ironwoman Canada had the nerve to leave her guppies and masters students for a whole month to train in Colorado because she was preparing for one of her biggest races of the year - Ironman Lake Placid. Hmph. We plugged along without her on Monday mornings, but it was wonderful to see her again this week - during her brief hiatus home before she leaves for Lake Placid this weekend.

And, boy, is she lean and in top condition. She looks like she will be kickin' some butt on July 22nd.

Which motivated me a bit to take a look at my diet. These past few months I've been eating way more than ever - because I can. A welcome relief from the constant calorie counting and food restrictions I've obsessed about my entire life until this Ironman training. The TRIgirl nutritional clinics have reinforced the idea that this is not the time for deprivation. But in retrospect, did I really need the extra side of cheese at lunch - or the second helping of whatever at dinner because I've been able to get away with it? Would it have hurt to eat a little more consciously?

So, for the past few days anyway, I've been trying to break my gluttony, gleeful, hand rubbing habit of wolfing down whatever looks tempting. I don't know if I'll lose any weight - and I've come to terms with the current number on the scale. Just a few small changes that could lead to losing some fat and gaining some lean muscle mass.

And I'm putting the disclaimer out there now - I'll still be in complete denial about any reports about the wasted calories from wine.

That's It!

The Patriot Sangria!

Where's my bottle of wine to christen my new bike with her perfectly combined, official name?

"The beauty of the Patriot Sangria is that it's as delicious as it is easy...The brandy adds its own unique zest to give this Sangria just a bit more hype."

Seems like a hopeful description for a bike, don't you think? Still gotta work on the "easy" part when hitting those uphills, but loving the Patriot Sangria just about all other times.

And here is the inspiration recipe:
http://wine.about.com/od/howwineismade/r/patriotsangria.htm

Did you notice the red, white and blue ingredients?

Maybe Not My Best Brick

Yesterday's 30 mile bike and 8 mile run probably wasn't my best brick. The paces for the bike and run, when I actually biked and ran, were not bad. But I seemed to find many ways to stall and break-up the workout:

• Before brick begins, talk to Coach B about IM CDA. Fiddle with Patriot, water bottles, food. Move Amarone from backseat to bike rack. TRIgirl KB said she'd be coming by to test her out. TRIgirl Annnn asks me if I am going to ride sometime today - hop on the bike and go.
• About halfway through the bike, pull into parking lot, look for TRIgirl KB. Don't see her, continue ride.
• After the bike, run into TRIgirl KB. Amarone is too big for her, too. TRIgirl JH had expressed interest as her husband is looking for a bike. Pack Amarone into her van to give him a chance to try it out.
• Complain about running to Coach B.
• TRIgirl DL heads out on the run, telling me she'll meet me later.
• Eat Gu. Drink cold water kindly offered by TRIgirl Annnn.
• Put on visor, reset Garmin, head out.
• Forget fuel belt. Go back, put it on. Head out again.
• Forgot IPOD. Go back, put it on. Head out again.
• Forgot to body glide. Go back, put some on. Finally head out to begin run for real.
• At mile two, catch up with TRIgirl DL - who was ready for a water break. Sounds good. Stop. Drink. Decide to continue with her plan to stop at every mile for hydration.
• Heat picks up.
• Around mile 4, run into TRIgirls SD, MW (Happy 40th birthday!), AF, TD and TB. Stop and talk for a few minutes. Decide to run the rest together.
• Humidity worsens.
• Stop at mile 5 to buy cold water, refill water bottles. Sit by picnic tables for awhile to gossip, chat, complain about heat.
• Stop at mile 7 to walk up nasty Capital One hill. Too hot.
• Finish run - 1:25 time for 8 miles actually ran. Probably covered over 9 miles including walking - and probably took close to two hours factoring in all the breaks.

So maybe this was more a sponge than a brick.

Hanging Up Those Boxing Gloves

As those of you following along may remember, my running style leaves much to be desired. Give me some boxing gloves and I may even be able to hold my own against a kangaroo.

I've been working on keeping my shoulders relaxed, elbows behind me and hands down for several months. It still is a conscious effort.

The run photos from my past two races show that occasionally I am getting it right - or at least making progress. More often than not, especially when tired, the pictures tell the truth - my shoulders want to come up and in - and my subconscious hope for a punching bag comes out.

Need proof?

Not perfect, but not bad, running at the PowerSprint (remember, it was a hurricane):





















Bad running at Eagleman (I tried to pick up the pace a little after seeing the finish line):




















Now that the post Eagleman slack period off is over, we've resumed a more serious run schedule - and I'm still struggling to piece this form thing together.

6 miles yesterday, 4 today. I seem to be able to concentrate on my form for a quarter mile maximum. Then I get distracted. Or tired. Or bored.

But I've discovered a few things. Watching my shadow can give me an indication of just how much my arms are flying around. Sometimes, when things "feel" right, I'll check Garmin and see that my pace is better. Other times, I look down, thinking things feel right - and see that my pace has dropped, but when going through all the checkpoints, can also figure out that something slipped.

I just hope someday, muscle memory kicks-in. Looking less like a kangaroo when running, no matter how cute they are, would be a welcome improvement.