Great run, not so great swim.

Run: 5k
Time - 25:10
pace - 8:10 (yippee!)

Whew! That was a great run! I had hoped to do it Saturday but my body needed some rest. Today was supposed to be a swim only day with some sprints but I really wanted to test my speed on a 5k. The mill and my Garmin were off a little bit on pace. I decided to run as hard as I could and calculate the pace in the end instead of letting the machines pace me. The run felt great and I increased my speed several times. I almost felt like I was holding back and I really wanted to push harder. I knew that feeling was from my recent 1 mile run/10 min bike intervals and I wouldn't last the full 3 miles if I pushed harder. It's not a bad pace but considering I was in the air conditioning, on the treadmill and I hadn't biked or swam before hand, I was a little disappointed. But then again, when am I ever satisfied? I always want to be faster, stronger and better :o)

The swim isn't even worth mentioning. I only managed about 20 minutes and it was no fun. My neck is really bothering me from the adjustment to my bike's aero bars so the swim was painful. I even got dizzy during a couple laps so I decided that was enough. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body and not fret over the schedule. Besides I would've been MORTIFIED if I had to be rescued in 4 feet of water! LOL

I also have some good news and some not so good news. For starters, I've made a plan for TN. Unfortunately, the closest YMCA was 35 miles away but we'll be staying at my in-laws farm which has plenty of room to run. My goals are to do a 6 mile run and 2 speed-work runs. There is a lake but I'm not even going to pretend I have an interest in putting a toe in it let alone swimming laps- yuck! I just hope the runs will be enough to keep my training up.

The other good news is that the Longleaf Olympic distance is starting to sound better. The swim is two laps and you run up the bank OUT OF THE WATER for the turnaround! The mile swim seems less daunting with a "break" halfway. The bike will not be an issue but the 10k at the end still sounds tough.

The not so good news is in regards to the MPM TRI. I satellite mapped the course and almost cried! The transition area is 350 feet away from the water and the path is all sand. Strike one. Then the bike course is over the Clearwater Bridge - I'm not worried about the climb, I'm freaking out about the high speed decent on the other side! Strike two. And last but certainly not least, the run looks to be entirely in the sand *falls to the floor crying* What have I gotten myself into?! They better be handing out some damn nice goodie bags for all this! LOL

WOOHOO!

I have some very exciting news! My hubby and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on the 26th and his gift blew me away! Behold the awesome-ness that is my new carbon fiber triathlon bike...



Seriously, I'm still in shock. This bike is sooooo fast and to be honest, it's a little intimidating. My cycling skills are not up to the standards of this bike. It's a different riding position in every way! It's nice to sit closer to the handle bars and my legs feel great after a ride. The aero bars, however, are taking some time to get used to. The slightest movement moves the whole bike so I need to focus on keeping my upper body stationary which will take some work. The other thing that I find alarming is the brakes are located on the lower handle so I don't have instant access - eeks! I'm still using cages for now, the clips will have to wait until after the MPM Tri.

Friday: Bike - 10 miles

I had my first ride on Friday and it settled my nerves quite a bit. I rode up 54 (on the sidewalk) to Longleaf for a quick 10 mile route. The bike is so fast and incredibly smooth!

Sunday: Bike - 20 miles
Time - 1:14
Pace - 3.7 mm

Today, Shannon and I headed to the Suncoast Trail at 6:30. It was a gorgeous morning with nice cool temps in the mid-70's. Other than some saddle issues, it was another awesome ride!
The kids and I are heading to TN this week. I'm going to fit in a swim tomorrow morning and then it will be five days with no training :o( I'm hoping to get some runs in while I'm there so I don't have to start all over when I get back. That's no fun.

Happy to be yucky

Bike 10 minutes @ threshold
Run 1 mile @ 7:30
Bike 5 minute recovery
Repeat x3

Today did not have a great start. I was having one of those difficult mornings where everything I touched did the opposite of what I wanted. If I was putting something away, everything around it fell down and by noon I was ready to call it a day and go back to bed. BUT I had some training to tend to and although I was not in the mood, I knew a great workout would make me feel better. It did. I am very happy to sit here a sweaty, nasty, yucky mess because I earned it! :o)

The workout was tough but the worst part happened at run #2. One third into the run I started to get HORRIBLE shin splints! It started on my right leg and felt like someone was hitting my shin with a hammer every time I stepped down. I was totally bewildered because I've never had shin splints before. I increased the incline to 2% and the pain subsided for the most part. Towards the end of the mile I went back to 1% and things were fine. I was afraid to do the third mile and decided if it happened again I would just hop on the elliptical for a mile. Thankfully, all went well and I was able to complete the entire workout. I may ice my shins just for good measure.

Tomorrow I think I'll spare my children the kid's gym and hit our home treadmill. My goal is to run a 5k at an 8:30 pace.

Swim: 1800 (ONE MILE!!!)
200 warm up
100 x 5 drills - buoy, kick board, single arm, touch-ups, hand drag
900 freestyle
200 cool down

I heart TRI training! It is so much more fun than any other workouts or classes and everyday is a new challenge or achievement. Today is a prime example - it was just going to be the same workout as Tuesday but I ended up hitting the ONE MILE mark! I was in my last lap of the 600 freestyle and felt fine so I kept going!

I've been entertaining the thought of doing the Olympic distance at the Longleaf Tri - 1.5K (.93 miles) swim, 40K (24.8 miles) bike, 10k run. If my workouts keep going this well it might be within reach :o) A major factor in that decision, however, is that it's a lake swim - can you say Gators?! Although I've done a few ocean swims I'm still terrified of the water especially if I can't see the bottom. I feel like I can get my body ready but mentally the water may be a huge roadblock. Not sure what to do?????

P.M. Run tonight if the weather stays clear...

Update...

The week after the TRI I had family in town so I ended up doing very light training. I also ate anything and everything I could get my hands on :o) It was fun while it lasted but now I am left battling the sugar cravings. Sometimes, the treats aren't worth it. Oh well. I continued light training last week as well. I managed to incorporate one run with sprints, a couple swims, and a really great run with Barb on Thursday. We ran our usual 4.7 mile route at an 8:40ish pace! I was pretty happy with that because speed is on my agenda for the next TRI.

Yes, there is another TRI on the horizon. I'm going to do the Morton Plant Mease Triathlon at Sand Key. The swim is 1/3 mile which is just a little longer than Dunedin but hopefully not too much of a difference. It's also a bigger race with a lot of elite, elite, elite athletes - Olympians and National Champs! Tim was nice enough to tell me that and follow it up with "don't worry, you won't see them anyway" uh, thanks? Not that I'm a contender to win (or even come close) but I don't want to look like a goober out there either :o) I'm a little nervous about having more people there in general but it's a baby step to the big races. I'm sure my standings will not be top 30% among this group but I'm more focused on improving my individual times. The swim is going to take time to develop and there are a lot of variables to that event but the run is the one thing I have the most control over. It's my top priority - I'm aiming for the 26 minute range. Which leads me to my awesome workout yesterday...

Bike 10 minutes @ threshold (80-90 cadence)
Run 1 mile @ 8:00 pace
Bike 5 minutes easy
Rinse, lather and repeat x 3

It was EXACTLY what I needed! I would like to do that once a week and really push my pace. I can't believe I managed an 8mm for all three miles! Truth be told, the second interval was the toughest which made me nervous for round three but I had no problems finishing. Next time, I'm hoping to increase my pace to 7:30 and/or push a harder gear on the bike.

Today was another awesome workout but this time in the pool. I met Shannon at 9:30 which was a great time and I think I'm going to incorporate more early morning swims. I usually go to the gym around 11:30 to avoid the 10:00 madness but by then the pool is packed. So mornings it is!

Swim - 1300
200 warm up
100 x 5 drills - buoy, alt breathing, kick board, hand drag, hand touch
600 freestyle
I skipped the 200 cool down because of the kid's gym time limits but at least I did all the hard stuff.

We are heading to Disney tonight for my daughter's 3rd birthday so I'll miss my P.M. Run and workout tomorrow. I'll be back Thursday and hopefully back to more awesome training!

TRI-A-LICIOUS!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY FELLOW TRIATHLETES - BARBARA, AMY AND SHANNON!

Finally, I'm posting about the TRI!  I'm not sure why I kept putting it off because it was an awesome experience and normally I can't wait to share.  I guess I didn't think words would do it justice.  It truly was everything I hoped it would be and I'm totally hooked!

First of all, I must say the event was superbly organized and very spectator friendly!  It was nice that we came through the transition area FOUR times so our friends and families could see us and not just have to stand around waiting for an hour and a half.  Secondly, the weather was perfect and the current actually worked in our favor!  Amen for that!  During the swim, I REALLY focused on remaining calm, controlling my breathing and maintaining a comfortable pace.  I didn't care if I was the last one out of the water, I just wanted to survive!  It sure was nice though when I realized I was 4th out of the water right behind our collegiate swimmer Amy ;o)  That little boost is a nice way to start a race.

I felt like the bike was my strongest event.  The transitions went a lot smoother than I had anticipated.  At the YTS super sprint I was at a stand still getting on and off the bike but at Dunedin I managed to keep the bike in motion.  The dismount was nerve-wracking because I was moving very quickly so that definitely needs more practice.

The run was my weakest event and my biggest disappointment.  It's been almost 2 weeks since the race and I'm still disheartened.  My worst case scenario was a 28 minute 5k and I finished it in 30:03. Not happy.  I could come up with several excuses - my race belt was chafing my stomach, my chip belt rubbed my ankle raw, it was 120 degrees -  but in the end, they're just excuses for not doing what I should have.  

  The one thing that's reassuring is that I never gave up.  My mind was telling me to move my ass but the tank was empty.  It was all I could do to keep pushing through the 2 miles of THICK SAND!  My lesson for this race is to have an energy supplement on the bike.  For some reason, I had assumed there would be gatorade on the run which was all the kick I would've needed but all I got was warm water.  Not so refreshing.  

Overall, I'm happy with my performance.  It was my first TRI and the numbers aren't so bad.  My time was 1:19:23 (1:17's would have been nice, tho).  I tied for 4th in my age group and came in the top 27% for overall female.  It was really an amazing experience - from training with my girls to crossing the finish line!   A year ago I would have NEVER believed I would do a triathlon.  But here I am with this incredible accomplishment and now I can never imagine NOT doing more :o)  I have a passion for the sport and a drive to do better and bigger races!

My body isn't the only thing racing...

There has been plenty to write about but this last week before the TRI has left my mind R-A-C-I-N-G.  I'm not sure how I feel or what I'm thinking and I certainly can't convey it all into words for a blog.  Otherwise it would look like this...

I be am is happy, scared, ready, not ready, ahhhhhhh, help me, it will be awesome, why am I doing this, I can't wait, it will be an extraordinary experience, it will be an hour and  a half of agony, I've worked so hard, I've trained enough, I need more time, what more could I do, I'm a triathlete, no I'm not, the current, the heat, the turns, the 600 other people... and the frantic thoughts could go on and on.  

That is what has been swirling through my head all week.  I try to take a breath and tell myself that I gave 100% in my training, I never made excuses, I CAN do this and I WILL finish.  The only expectation I have is that I give 100% during the race - no excuses. Regardless of my time or place, I gave MY 100% and how that measures up to everyone else's efforts is insignificant.  Sometimes, I put too much pressure on myself - it's that whole OCD, control freak part of me :o)  But I just have to remember that I've already won - three months ago I didn't want to get in a pool, I couldn't swim 25 yards, I'd never ridden a race bike and I was terrified of the ocean.  Today, I swim 500 yards easily, I enjoy the pool, I'm strong on the bike and I have not one but THREE open water swims under my belt!  The race will just be the cherry on top.

 I read a quote that said,   "In the end, people either have excuses or experiences; reasons or results; buts or brilliance.They either have what they wanted or they have a detailed list of all the rational reasons why not."