Tri-A-Licious

Marathon update

2010-11-27T07:46:00.003-05:00

Working for a living really interferes with my life. I'm so annoyed that I haven't been able to blog about my marathon journey but I am happy to report that training went really well. It was actually a lot easier than I anticipated. Hopefully, I will be able to say the same about the race tomorrow. Here's a quick recap:

The 3 x 20 mile runs were awesome. Average paces for each #1 - 10:09, #2 - 10:02 and #3 - 9:41 and we weren't even trying to shave time.
The first 2 minutes of an ice bath are miserable but by minute 10, I don't want to get out.
Christy and Dana are the greatest running partners.
I wish the training plan was 2 weeks shorter. I felt incredible and ready two weeks ago, now I'm exhausted and achy.
I prefer the Sunday long runs to the shorter (tedious) weekly runs.
I am having issues with my knee. The back of it swelled up after our last long run. Dr says it's not a major issue. I believe it is related to my hamstring being tight. I'm hoping I don't cramp tomorrow.
I am ready to finish this race but more importantly, I am ready to rest. And I want that stupid sticker.

Ok, I'm off to finish packing now. Looking forward to our final and ultimate long Sunday run tomorrow!

Week #7 and the big 2-0!

2010-10-10T10:28:00.006-04:00

First of all, how crazy was Kona?! I was on the edge of my seat those last few miles and when Macca and Raelert were stride for stride, I think I stopped breathing completely! In my heart, I was rooting for Crowie but I didn't want Macca to lose it so close to the finish. As for the women's race, I wanted Rindy to take it and when I heard Chrissie was out, I knew this was Rindy's day! Watching her run was incredible - I don't know how she does it but her running looks powerful and effortless at the same time. Huge congrats to all the IM finishers!

Now on to my training update which is going to seem totally insignificant after discussing Kona!

Week #7: 29 miles

Tuesday: 3 miles @ 9:22

Short easy run after Sunday's 18 miler. My legs were still fatigued and it felt like these 3 miles were never going to end. Since it was such a short run I increased the speed and incline a bit.

Friday: 6 miles

The week got a little crazy and I missed Thursday's 2 mile run. Missing a run really bothers me, especially considering I am only training one event at the moment. I was happy though that I was still able to get in a hill run. The weather continues to treat us with cooler morning temps and our runs are certainly benefiting. It's amazing how much faster we run without the oppressive heat and humidity weighing down on us.

Sunday: 20 miles @ 10:09

First 20 mile run of the training and to sum it up in one word... easy. Who knew?! I wasn't anxious about this run at all. In fact, I was getting nervous about not being nervous! Our run route broke down nicely into 5 mile increments which made for great mental checkpoints. Once again half our run was complete before the sun came up and we had the trail to ourselves. I honestly can't get over how easy this run was. We talked and laughed the entire run and surprisingly managed to keep a better pace than last week's 18 mile run. I think what surprised me most was how strong we ran - the second half of the run was faster by over 20 seconds per mile and our last two miles were the fastest of the whole run. I don't know about Christy and Dana but for me, the first half of the run is slower because it's so dark outside. Miles 4 and 5 in particular need a little extra caution because of bad sidewalk and pavement. I really thought that my expected MP of 9:39 was crazy and had set my own expectations at a 10:15 pace but if the runs keep going this well it could be a reality.

I followed up the run with an ice bath and lots of stretching. Other than being extra tired, my only issue is a sore left foot. My arch is bothering me but I have been diligent about stretching and icing it so hopefully it will be good as new by mid week. I am happy to have the first 20 mile monster out of the way and I am actually looking forward to the next one!

Week #6

2010-09-30T17:40:00.008-04:00

Total miles: 28 miles

Thursday: 7 miles

2 easy

3 x 1600 @ 8:41 with 800 easy

1 miles easy

Saturday: 3.1

Race for the Cure 5k

Sunday: 18 @ 10:21

This was a make or break run for me. I've really been struggling on the longer runs so I needed a good run. Mentally, I wasn't that freaked out. On one hand, I was telling myself it was only two more miles than last week's run - no bigge. Then every now and then I would have a wave of anxiety at the thought of an 18 mile run. I mean c'mon, 18?!?!?Fortunately, we had wonderful weather for our run and I know the cooler temps were a big benefit. It also seemed to stay dark for a really long time. I think we were just shy of 10 miles when we were able to finally turn our head lamps off. Having the first half of our run complete before the sun came up really made the run feel like it was flying by. It was also a very quiet morning. It felt like we had the park to ourselves. We didn't see anyone else on the trail until around mile 12 or 13 when we were heading out of the park. I felt great at mile 10, started to get that "oh sh*t, this hurts" feeling at mile 12, felt much better by mile 14, was happier than a pig in mud when we hit our cooler with Gatorade and frozen washcloths just before mile 15 and dug deep to finish the remaining miles strong. The frozen washcloths really made all the difference and I don't know why it took us so long to think of it!

Overall, we kept a nice even pace between 10:15 - 10:30 the whole time. No walking at all and we even picked up the pace the last 4 miles. It was a great run. I could not have been happier with this run! Afterwards, I had a failed attempt at an ice bath. Apparently one bag of ice isn't enough because my body heat had it melted in about 90 seconds. I was in pretty rough shape after the run but felt much better by late afternoon. In the evening, I took a hot epsom salt bath followed by the foam roller and I felt really good this morning. The true test will be my first run of the week tomorrow.

Week #5 Sweet Sixteen!

2010-09-27T14:35:00.004-04:00

Week #5: 25 miles

Ever since I switched training plans, I stopped tracking my weeks so I'm just going to jump right in at week #5.

Tuesday: 4 miles
Just an easy four miles at a 9:13 pace.

Thursday: 0
We had a slight family miscommunication on schedules and unfortunately my run got bumped.

Friday: 5 miles
Hilly and humid five miles. This course is still not getting easier but at least it's a change of course.

Sunday: 16
Finally over the 15 mile hump and starting my mileage climb! I'm not going to lie, it was tough. After my shower, I stretched really well and did the foam roller. I tried to keep busy the rest of the day just to keep my legs in motion but by 2 o'clock I was wiped out. That run kicked my butt and I am sitting at my desk now ready to fall asleep. I'm very nervous about the 18-miler up next and the 20-miler that follows. I might need to bring my iPod to distract me during those last few miles, they get pretty ugly.

Scheduled PT session this morning at 7:30 (which did not help my exhaustion) and I got a lot of good information on why and how my shoulder started to act up. I have a slew of exercises and stretches to practice at home so hopefully I will correct my poor posture which will in turn alleviate any shoulder injuries in the future.

Week #4 Review

2010-09-21T17:32:00.004-04:00

Run Total: 25 miles

Wednesday: 5 mile tempo

Friday: 5 mile hills

Sunday: 14 mile long run @ 10:22

Fall weather teaser!

2010-09-19T11:54:00.002-04:00

Today was GLORIOUS! The weather was absolutely beautiful and it was such a treat! There were these wonderful "pockets" of cool temps throughout the trail and it honestly felt like someone had turned the a/c on. I'm going to appreciate this great weather for what it is - just a fluke. I'm sure we'll be back to the heat and humidity very soon. Our fall weather is always hit or miss with one day at 90 degrees and the next at 40. You just can never tell. Anyway, it was a great 14 mile run!

Run: 14 miles.

The miles are going to start adding up the next few weeks and I'll finally get over the 15 mile hump and into marathon territory!

Tsk, tsk.

2010-09-17T04:31:00.005-04:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated! This has been my longest blog hiatus and it certainly was not by choice. Work has been all consuming lately but I should have some assistance soon. I'm hoping to get back to regular posting or at least one post per week. I've missed bloggerland!

In a nutshell, I have been running three times per week (tempo, hill and long runs) and my recent long runs have been 13, 10 and 11 miles. On the 13 miles run, I rolled my ankle on a rock at mile 3. I walked it out for a few minutes and managed to run the remaining miles with no problem. The rest of the day I felt fine as well but the next day my ankle was hurting so badly. It got worse by mid week but thankfully I was pain free by the weekend. A week of no running didn't set me up very well for the scheduled 14 mile run so I only did 10. This last weekend we had 14 scheduled but my younger son had his first black belt test for karate. He needed to run 2 miles in 18 minutes and the class was meeting too early for me to fit my entire run in before. I was able to run 9 miles and then the 2 with him. By the way, it's been a long time since my legs have seen a pace in the 8's and those two short miles at an 8:40 pace kicked my butt! I know summer running is tough but I feel like my running fitness is getting worse. I'm so much slower :( At least I'm increasing my mileage so it's not a total loss.

That same week as the ankle problem, I got the results on my MRI and I am happy to report that there is no tear or injury and the inflammation is gone. To avoid this ordeal in the future, the doc prescribed physical therapy to strengthen my shoulder muscles and increase flexibility. My PE evaluation is scheduled for Tuesday next week. Hopefully, I can get in the pool the following week. Time is running out for the Longleaf Triathlon which is only 4 weeks away.

Total mileage the last two weeks was low 20's.

Run: 11

So far this week, I've completed a 6 mile tempo and a 5 mile hill run with 14 on tap for tomorrow.

Whirlwind

2010-08-27T11:30:00.005-04:00

My head is about to spin. The last two weeks have been CRAZEEEE and there is no end in sight. Work is killing me with deadlines and I've been working at night and weekends. Hopefully, I will get a break soon otherwise I'll need to schedule a mental health day ;)

Quick update:

Found a marathon training plan I like and this was the first week.
Kicked my own butt with squats and single leg lunges Wednesday and have been walking like I have a stick up my rear ever since.
Between extra work hours and three school open houses (on separate evenings, of course), the bike rides were sacrificed.
Great hill run this morning but thanks to my glutinous dinner last night, I was plagued with side stitches and nausea. Fun.
So, so, so friggin happy it's Friday! I get to sleep in tomorrow! I get so excited about sleeping in that I don't even want to go to sleep, I just want to enjoy the feeling of laying in bed knowing that I won't see 4 a.m. the next day! It really is the little things in life..
My feet hurt. All over. All the time. I haven't been wearing heels either. I'm worried that this could lead to an injury.
Speaking of injury, I get my MRI results on Monday *fingers crossed*
Wednesday run - 5 miles
Friday run - 6.25 miles

Have a great weekend!

Fantastic Fifteen

2010-08-22T13:18:00.003-04:00

Run: 15 miles

Yup, that's right... today's 15 miler was fan-tas-tic! We had great weather (well, as good as it can be for August in Florida). It was overcast with a slight drizzle and a cool breeze. There was pretty bad rain all over the area this morning but they seemed to be everywhere we weren't. It would either rain before or after we hit a spot so we really lucked out.

I could really use this type of service on our dark long runs!

The first 3 miles were another wild kingdom adventure. The gators were louder than usual, something made its presence known in the nearby water, there was a lot of rustling in the bushes by something larger than the usual armadillo or opossum and then the birds were having a squawking contest. I really do not enjoy those creepy miles.

Once inside the park we met up with friends and ran an out and back for 3 miles to accommodate Jen's training and them headed out again for the remaining miles. I felt really strong on this run. I didn't have to walk at all and our pace was almost 30 seconds faster than last week. The last mile and a half I was definitely starting to get achy but we stayed on pace and finished strong. Yay!

I'm in too much of a rush to think of a clever title... sorry.

2010-08-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

Run: 4 miles @ 9:30-ish

Survived the hill run! Loved the change of scenery and looking forward to this new weekly run. Woohoo!

Still no MRI results. Time is of the essence people! Don't they realize I only have 239 days, 22 hours and 25 minutes until NOLA 70.3? Sheesh.

Narrowing down my marathon program options. I think I may have found a winner but I want to run it by my running partner before committing.

Also, getting new running shoes today! Now that I finally found the perfect pair of shoes I need to get another pair before the manufacturers "improve" or "update" them and ruin everything. Lucky enough, Fit2Run is offering $20 off for bringing in an old pair running shoes! Gotta love that :)

And one more thing...

2010-08-19T10:18:00.002-04:00

I love triathlon/running because it is the ONLY thing in life that comes with a 100% guarantee that you will get what you give.

Think about it. You cannot say that with 100% certainly in anything else - not in team sports, relationships or career.

Now excuse me while I get back to my thankless job... :)

Are we there yet?

2010-08-16T14:23:00.006-04:00

That's how I felt the ENTIRE 15 mile run Saturday.

That's also how I feel about this week... when is the weekend finally going to get here? I have been so busy at work that to say that I am "overwhlemed" would be an understatement. So obviously my blog has suffered. Here's the lowdown on the week so far...

15 mile Saturday run. Harder and slower than I expected. Not sure the FIRST program is ideal (or even healthy) for me. I'm a novice marathoner and a mediocre runner. Gathered a lot of other great marathon programs and I am going to sit down this weekend and find the right one for *me.* (see, David? I even blogged about it so now you know I'm actually listening to you this time)
1 hour trainer ride. Finally. I could tell Eleanor was pissed about being neglected. She made sure the saddle took her anger out on my girly parts.
Watched 'Troy' while on the trainer. That movie was much better before 300 came out.
New schedule eliminates Cardio Sculpt classes but I am still managing Body Flex on Wednesdays.
MRI last week on the shoulder. Surprised to find out needles were involved. More surprised that they had to go directly into the shoulder joint. Not sure if anyone realized I was there because that area already hurt. That was the easy part, though, 45 minutes in the "casket" was torture for this fidgety claustrophobic. Results pending.
School started this week. I officially have a 6th grader (MIDDLE SCHOOL!), 4th grader and Kindergartner. Needless to say, having my oldest go to middle school and my youngest go to Kindergarten made for an emotional week.
New run route tomorrow - hills! I got invited to join some amazing runners on their weekly hill run. Fingers crossed I can at least keep them in sight :)

Hope everyone is having a great week. I'm looking forward to catching up on all my favorite blogs!

sick

2010-08-11T08:06:00.002-04:00

ear, nose and throat. ugh.

no interval run, no Cardio Sculpt and donuts for dinner... not my best day.

Week #1 Marathon Training

2010-08-09T11:00:00.007-04:00

Week #1
Run: 28.5
Bike: 0
ST: 3 hours

Now that I'm not that sore from the ST workouts, I will be able to incorporate more bike training. I'm happy with my week. My key training is obviously running and the runs were very good for the week.

Run: 15 miles
1-10.5 @ 10:05
10.5 - 15 @ 10:20

Saturday's long run was all over the place. The morning started with this:

4:56 a.m. and already 82 degrees.

Christy and I headed north to the park and saw a couple of lightning flashes but didn't think much of them because they were so far off in the distance. We could barely hear the thunder that's how far away they were. By our very scientific method of counting the seconds between lightning and thunder. we guessed the lightning was at least 24 miles away. We reached the park and got to our meeting spot at 6. It was still pitch black and that's when the lightning and thunder really started to be an issue. We knew we wouldn't be running the scheduled 10 miles in the park and our only hope was that the people we were meeting would be able to give us a ride back to our cars. We waited 10 minutes and decided it was time to literally make a run for it and hope to outrun the storm and get back to our cars (5 miles) without incident. The good news is that the temperature and humidity dropped significantly - it had to be a 10 degree difference. Had it not been for the lightning, the cooler temps and slight drizzle would've been perfect running conditions!

Just as we got out of the park and to the main road (putting our total miles at 6), our ~~knight in shining armour~~ housewife in a blue minivan came to our rescue. Our dear friend Jen, woke to the sound of the storm and came to the park specifically to rescue us. Good thing, too, because as we drove back to our cars the rain started to come down so hard we could barely see.

Typical to Florida, once back at our cars, the weather was fine. We ran an additional 4.5 miles staying close in case the weather took a turn for the worst. By that point, we were out of water and called it a day. I got home and finished the remaining 4.5 miles on the treadmill. Despite the crazy patchwork miles, I ended up with a solid 15 mile run.

Mid-Week Update

2010-08-04T10:10:00.005-04:00

Tuesday
ST: 1 hour Cardio Sculpt
Run: 1.5 miles

I took the Cardio Sculpt class again last night. This class was a little more leg heavy than previous classes but I worked up a good sweat and did a lot of exercises I wouldn't do on my own. Speaking of sweat, I cannot get over how much I sweat. It never used to be this much... ever. I am literally dripping wet and I notice that none of the other women in the class are as nasty as me. Do we sweat more with age? Do our bodies produce more sweat glands (or do they grow) to accommodate our endurance activities? It's weird. It's gross, too, but I like it in a strange way. Kind of like a way to see how hard I worked.

Moving on from that disgusting little tangent, I finally have some Caden running to share! Sunday he ran 2 miles in 19 minutes on the treadmill. Very good progress but eventually he will need to learn to pace himself and not let the mill do all the work.

Last night after Cardio Sculpt, we went to the track for some interval training. I was very impressed with his performance but more impressed with his positive attitude. He stopped to walk about 20 feet into our warm up and as promised, I made him do 10 mountain climbers right there on the track. After that incident, however, he was good to go!

Caden's run
800 warm up
4 x 400 w/ 2 min RI
2:07:16
2:00:00
2:00:38
2:00:00

I set a goal for 2:15:00 intervals and he succeeded with flying colors. Pretty darn consistent, too, considering my watch wasn't showing pace (operator error). Thursday will be another run with longer intervals. Four weeks and counting until his first test day!

Wednesday

ST: 1 hour Body Flex
Run: 6 miles
2 miles easy
2 miles @ 8:34
2 miles easy

Not a hard run but my legs were definitely fatigued after last night's workouts. My biggest battle this morning was staying up after the alarm went off. I really wanted to crawl back into my warm bed but that would've just screwed up the rest of my training for the week. I'm glad I didn't give in, I feel much better starting my day with a run.

Update:

Body flex class tonight kicked my butt! Three words... lunging dead lifts. Ouch!

Day 1 of Marathon Training!

2010-08-02T10:01:00.003-04:00

Run: 6 miles

2 miles easy

3 x 1600 @ 8:06 (.10 RI)

1 mile easy

Since I completed the first 4 weeks of the schedule in July, there were no surprises on today's run. I knew to expect a hard but doable workout. I was really tired, though. Just as my head hit the pillow last night a thunderstorm rolled in. Florida, more notably Tampa, is the lightning capital of North America. Our thunderstorms are severe and intense. The rapid and wild flashes of the lightning are like a strobe light but it's the thunder that will get your blood pumping. The crack of the thunder is as if God is taking a giant sledgehammer to the earth. It rattles the windows and doors and when the storm is right on top of you and there is no delay between lightning and thunder, it will rattle your teeth. I love thunderstorms and I love when it rains at night but I don't love it when I'm 30 minutes past my bedtime and I'm on a countdown until 4 a.m. Thanks to Mother Nature's little temper tantrum last night, I'm almost 2 hours light on sleep. Now I'm on a countdown until bedtime... only 4 more hours.

Week #4 recap

2010-08-01T20:45:00.004-04:00

Last week of pre-training. It was a quick four weeks and I followed all but one of the scheduled runs. I'm happy with where I am going into marathon training and I'm feeling confident about getting to 26.2 in 17 weeks.

Week 4

Run: 27 miles

Strength training: 2 classes and 1 circuit day

Bike: 0 (ugh)

Happy about the increased strength training but I've got to get on my bike!

JULY GOALS:
-3 runs per week - DONE!
-2 bike rides per week (1 Spinerval, 1 longer ride at a steady pace) - NOPE :(
-one 15 mile run - DONE!

AUGUST GOALS:

-3 runs per week

-2 bike rides per week

-2 strength training sessions per week

Glad that's over

2010-07-31T15:02:00.011-04:00

Run: 15 miles

It wasn't pretty but I did it. Even though my average pace was a full minute slower than I wanted, I can still check my first 15 mile run off the list. There were a lot of factors that made today difficult and I'm not using them as excuses for my poor performance but there were some things I needed to take note of and change going forward

The one major factor was totally out of my control - HUMIDITY. To say that it was muggy, might be the understatement of the year. My first step outside I was hit with a wall of dense, hot air and I knew we were in for it. I could literally see the moisture in the air with my headlamp. I'm not sure if it was the humidity or the fact that I forgot my Endurolytes but I was sooooo thirsty. I drank a lot more water than usual (and more than is probably recommended while running) but I just couldn't quench my thirst. I was really thirsty all day yesterday, too, so I'm sure I started out slightly dehydrated. Although I drink a lot of water on a daily basis anyhow, I learned my lesson and will make more of an effort to hydrate with something other than water for these long runs.

The other big issue of the day was my aching feet. This was much more than the usual tired feet after a long run. In fact, as soon as we got back to our cars, I immediately took my shoes and socks off and did a little "foot yoga." It felt like I had been walking on rocks all day. After some discussion, Christy and I determined it was from my trip to the mall the day before in flip flops/heels. I walked from end to end in those shoes. There's another big lesson from the day. I guess because these are just training runs I don't think I need to make any special preparations but today was a huge wake-up call that I need to respect these runs more. That's what training is for though, right? Mental, physical and circumstantial preparation.

For nutrition I had a TriBerry Gu at 5, a Jet BlackBerry at 9, G2 at 13 and a G3 Recovery when we finished.

Compression/Recovery Gear

2010-07-30T15:23:00.005-04:00

I've decided that I need to invest in some compression pants. They aren't cheap so I want to make sure I get the most for my money. My initial reaction was to go with Zoot because I love all of their products but the 2XU compression gear is pretty impressive, too. Any suggestions? Feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Sore!

2010-07-28T09:46:00.008-04:00

Wednesday
Run: 6 miles
1 mile easy @ 10:00
4 miles @ 8:41
1 mile easy @ 9:13

Strength training: Lower Body & Body Flex

Once again, the tempo pace seemed a little too easy (8:54) so I sped up a bit. It was a good run and I think it's safe to say that tempo runs are my favorite. I don't particularly enjoy intervals and my long runs are completely draining but the pace and distance of the tempos is juuuuust right.

The Y offers a Body Flex class which is a weight training class that focuses on each muscle group for 4 or 5 five minutes of non-stop reps. It is a great workout but the only downside is that the class schedule only offers 2 (of the 7 classes per week) to accommodate working folks and even they are a close call with a 5:40 start time. Anyway, this was all just a long way to say that I wanted to take the class but wasn't sure I could make it on time so I followed the run with lower body weight training just to be sure I got some weight training in for the day.

Leg press
3 x 10 @ 90 lbs
Calf raises
3 x 10 @ 90 lbs
Lunges
3 x 8 @ 50 lbs (the squat rack was occupied to I had to use the Smith machine - not my favorite)
Leg extensions
12 @ 30 lbs
10 @ 35 lbs
8 @ 40 lbs
6 @ 45 lbs
to failure @ 30 lbs

Turns out, I was able to make the Body Flex class and now I am so sore that it would hurt if a butterfly landed on my ass. Thank you lunges and squats :)

Thursday

Strength Training: Cardio Sculpt

If there is anything that I learned in Boot Camp, it's that the best cure for sore muscles is more exercise so Cardio Sculpt was my remedy. It's funny because I've never really been a big fan of gym classes (other than Boot Camp which I love and miss terribly) but I am enjoying the change of pace as well as the bonus time with my friends.

Unfortunately, my daughter woke up at 3 a.m. for no apparent reason other than disturbing my sleep so my morning bike ride on the trainer got the bump.

Intervals and an epiphany

2010-07-27T10:53:00.006-04:00

Monday
Run: 6 miles
1 mile warm up
5 x 1K @ 7:41 (400 RI)
1 mile cool down

This was exactly what intervals should be. I was okay for the first three but the last two were a battle of will.

Tuesday
So much for my plan. With 5 people going 5 different directions, I can make all the schedules I want but there's never any guarantee. This week there won't be any runs at the track with Caden but I plan to pick up where we left off next week.

I actually ended up making this a rest day, however, I got anything but rest. Do you ever have those days where it feels like everything just tumbles down on you? This was one of those days. I was only 4 hours into my day when I had a moment of complete hopelessness - I was overwhelmed with every aspect of my life. I had so many balls in the air and they suddenly felt like bowling balls that were impossible to juggle. It was a moment of total defeat. And then came the spark. An ember of anger that quickly grew to a blazing fire of determination. Failure is not an option. I have come too far and fought too long to give up now. That is the moment that defines me. It is my ability to forge through the "walls." I may not be the fastest or the strongest but I never give up. That mental fortitude cannot be taught, bought or borrowed. It is earned at the finish line and every single one of us needs to remember those defining moments and apply them even for the intangible finish lines of life. Extraordinary is defined as "going beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular or established." What we do, whether 3.1 or 140.6, makes us extraordinary. Don't ever forget that.

Week #2 and Week #3 recap

2010-07-26T04:45:00.003-04:00

Whoops! I completely forgot to post my weekly results.

Week #2

Run: 25 miles

Bike: 60 min

Strength: 1 hour

Week #3

Run: 26 miles

Bike: 45 min (Spinveral's #3)

Strength: 1 hour

I need to get back on the bike!

Over the hump

2010-07-25T10:01:00.005-04:00

Run 14 miles @ 10:27

I woke up the morning of this run stiff and sore from the Cardio Sculpt class on Thursday night. It was now day 2 post workout and you know that's when it really settles in. Since the park doesn't open until 6:00 a.m. (along with the sun), Christy and I started at 5:00 a.m. and ran 5 miles to the park and then an additional 9 miles in the park. Equipped with my new headlamp, we were ready to set out in the dark. That is until we got about a 1/4 mile in and I heard this very loud "croak" from the wilderness next to us. Immediately I was uneasy because the thought of any critter near me makes me squeamish. I mentioned to Christy that the big ass frog making that noise better stay put. She hemmed and hawed a bit and then reluctantly told me that it wasn't a frog... it was a gator. Fantastic. So there we were running in the pitch black with only the 10 meter circle of light from my headlamp as visibility, I was so sore I could barely take the next step let alone run for my life if needed and this horrible "croaking" terrorized us for at least 2 miles. Let me tell ya, I have never been so happy to see the sun. It's one thing to be around nature when you can see it from a distance, it's an entirely different situation when it's dark and you won't see it until you're practically on top of it. Me no likey.

Once inside the park, we clicked off the miles pretty quickly. The schedule called for 13 miles and after debating on whether to add another mile or two, we settled on 14. It was a much better run than the last few weeks and I'm really happy to see slow and steady progress. It's hard to see such a slow pace but I need to keep in mind that for now, it's just about increasing the mileage. It was my longest run to date and has officially put me on the other side of the half marathon fence. Despite the wild kingdom moments, I liked the new route. We were done much earlier and mentally, it was nice breaking up the run into three chunks - north 5, in 4, out 4 plus 1 for good measure.

P.S. On the way back to our starting point there was a dead gator in the road. Yes, I should be sad but I'm more concerned that it was heading to/from the path that we were on that morning. The dangers of running take on a whole new meaning down here in the swamp we call Florida - yikes!

Butt kicking Thursday

2010-07-23T09:47:00.003-04:00

Run: 2 miles
Cardio Sculpt

Yesterday started off with my 7 mile tempo run and ended with an hour of Cardio Sculpt (high impact strength training) and a 2 mile interval run with my younger son. I was a sweaty, nasty, sore mess and I loved it! Other than boot camp, I'm not really one for gym classes but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by last night's class. Due to my lack of coordination, I avoid anything "dancy" or with several steps to remember and the class included minimal amounts of both. There were a lot of push ups and I tried to keep up but my shoulder wasn't cooperating and I ended up having to substitute them for crunches or other ab work.

After the class, we headed over to the track. My little one rode her scooter around and I put my son to work. I'm going to keep track of his runs on my blog to keep him accountable as well. He has the talent but his biggest obstacle is mental strength. His initial black belt test requires 2 miles in 18 minutes but he will ultimately have to run 2 miles in 16 minutes to pass. Right now, he has a lot of work ahead of him but I know two nights a week at the track will get him there.

Caden's run:
800 warm up
800 @ 10:07
800 @ 9:12
800 @ 9:14

Last night we established some ground rules. For starters, every time I would offer encouragement he would cut me off and argue with me. Once he starts arguing it quickly turns into whining and frantic breathing so rule #1: no talking. Focus on one foot in front of the other and find the rhythm of your breathing and stepping. The next issue was that he would just stop to walk, no warning. To me this is unacceptable when we are only running 800's so rule #2: every time he stops, he owes me 10 mountain climbers at the end of the lap. Next week, Tuesday will include drills and a longer main set and then Thursday we'll do 800's again.

Intervals + Florida heat = Failure

2010-07-20T20:25:00.004-04:00

Run: 3 miles

Well, it certainly looked good on paper. The plan was to do my interval run on the track next to my oldest son's football practice while the younger two kiddos played with their friends. The only problem was I did not take into account that even at 7 p.m. the temps are still in the 90's with serious humidity and the sun blazing down on us. I finished two warm up miles, the first interval (1200 @ 7:57) and half of the second interval (1000 @ 7:54) before I hit complete engine failure. I was done.

So intervals will go back to the treadmill at 5 a.m. from now on. I did convince my younger son to run with me at the track next week. He is currently phasing for his Black Belt in Karate and needs to complete a 2 mile run in 16 minutes as part of the criteria. That kind of run I think I can handle. So it will help him train for that goal and help me get a few extra miles for the week.

Progress

2010-07-18T16:38:00.007-04:00

Run: 13 miles

Saturday's long run was pushed to Sunday to accommodate my son's football activities. Thankfully, my running buddies were able to adjust their schedules as well so I wouldn't have another long and lonely run. I also managed to remember my watch, two Gu's and thank you to the running God's (as well as a nice little uproar from the running community) we had water on the trail.

So I have another 13 miles under my belt. The pace wasn't anything impressive but it was much better than the last two long runs and progress is progress! I think we shaved more than 10 minutes off of last weekend's 13 miler. It was nice to have Christy doing her usual distraction/cheer leading techniques. I wore my water belt for the most of the run and it wasn't as bad as I remembered it. It's a good thing, too, considering I'll be wearing every Saturday from now on. I also need to invest in a head lamp because as the mileage increases, my start time will need to get earlier.

Too easy treadmill tempo

2010-07-16T10:32:00.006-04:00

Wednesday

Cardio: 30 min elliptical (replaced my bike ride)

Wt. Training: back/bi

Thursday

Run: 7 mile tempo

1 mile easy

1 @ 10:00

5 miles @ MP (9:39)

1 @ 9:31
2@ 9:22
3,4,5 @ 9:13

1 mile easy

1 @ 8:06

Obviously, I didn't do a very good job of following my scheduled paces. Although I think 9:39 is too ambitious for my MP, it was much too easy for a five mile tempo. As you can see from the last "easy" mile, I was desperate to get off the treadmill. Seven miles is a long time to be running in place and staring at the same wall. Overall, it was a good run - it was easy, my legs felt great and now I'm one run closer to 26.2!

I followed up the run with some stretching and foam roller torture. I hit a spot on my right IT band that hurt so bad it made my stomach turn. Needless to say, I'll be working on that throughout the weekend.

Happy Training!

2010-07-13T07:35:00.003-04:00

That's right my friends, TWO posts in as many days. I'm on a roll.

Today's schedule called for intervals, always a pleasure. The pace was really challenging (for me anyway) but thankfully there were only four. I added an extra warm up mile for good measure.

Run: 5 miles

2.5 warm up

4 x 800 @ 7:35 (2 min RI)

.5 cool down

I've been trying to incorporate more weight training so after my run today I did some leg extensions and leg curls. Not a very impressive weight workout but I want to ease into it so I can actually walk tomorrow.

Week #1 - Base Building

2010-07-12T09:08:00.009-04:00

I'm not sure where my motivation went but I would appreciate if it found it's way back to me. I started this blog for accountability but it became way too easy to not post which in turn made it easy to not train. The solution - now I am adding blog goals to my list, minimum 2 posts per week.

So here's my training recap:

Week #1 - Base Building
-1 bike ride: 1 hour

-Interval run: 6 miles
2 mile w/u
3 @ 1600 (2 min RI) @ 8:06
1 mile c/d

-missed my tempo run and second bike ride.

-Long run: 13 miles
Solo 13 mile run, no watch, no water and 1 Gu. The watch wasn't a terrible loss because the trail has mile markers. The single Gu was poor planning on my part. The water, however, was completely unexpected. I've been using this trail for over a year and have always had water at some point. There were times when the water was warm or a few water stops were empty but for the most part, I've always had water. I can't stand wearing a water belt so it's one of the main reasons I run this particular trail. I guess I better break out the water belt, though, I can't take a chance of having another run like this.

On a positive note, it was the first time I reached the "end" of the trail where it meets the SunCoast. On the way back I began to think of all the different routes for my longer runs. I have quite a few options so it will be nice to change it up if I feel like it.

There's something about Mary

2010-06-30T04:29:00.013-04:00

"Mary" as in my marathon training. Yeah, I know... so clever. Anyway, I'm starting to panic a little bit about the training because it is crazy intense. I mean, it's intense for a seasoned marathoner let alone a newbie like myself. There are FIVE 20 milers in 16 weeks. The first being in week 4 and then every other week! What have I gotten myself into?

On a side note, I just picked up a stack on magazines that have been laying around for a while and what do you think was on top? An ad for the marathon I'm doing. I never even saw it before because it was on the back of the mag but there it was... like a little omen.

I honestly can't believe I am even talking about a marathon. I have never ever had any desire to complete one and was adamant that I would not put my body through 4+ hours of running. I can't even sit in a car for four hours! But (there's that but again) here are my crazy reasons for changing my tune.
1) The run is my weakest event and I need to work on it the most. What better way to improve than to train for a marathon?
2) After the 70.3, I knew that I didn't want to stop there. My ultimate goal is to be an Ironman and part of those 140.6 miles is a marathon. I know I can do the swim and bike but I need to prove to myself that I really can do the run. I can't commit to a IM right now but I can baby step my way there in the meantime.
3) Sticker envy. I want a 26.2 sticker on my car, too.

I've completed putting together my training schedule. I am using the Run Less, Run Faster program again. I spent way too much time crunching all the numbers like a crazy person but hey, I want to know exactly what I am getting into. Here's the lowdown on the plan:

-plan based on a 26:00 5K
-the suggested MP is 9:39
-official training begins the week of August 1
-weekly mileage range from 25 to 36 miles
-five 20 mile runs

For starters, the MP is nuts. I think the 10:00-10:15 range is more realistic. Then there is the issue of weekly mileage. Is 25 - 36 miles enough? I was expecting to be closer to 40 per week. I used the Run Less, Run Faster HM program and had great results so I guess I just need to trust that the MP program will do the same.

July is going to be my warm up to the actual training. I plan to follow the first four weeks of the training schedule modifying the long run mileage to 13, 13, 14, 15. After fine tuning everything, I realized that my previous goal of two 15 mile runs this month wasn't really feasible.

JULY GOALS:
-3 runs per week
-2 bike rides per week (1 Spinerval, 1 longer ride at a steady pace)
-one 15 mile run

DUNEDIN TRIATHLON RACE REPORT

2010-06-22T12:50:00.013-04:00

Just a couple years ago in 2008, this was my first triathlon. It was the most miserable yet exciting experience I'd ever had and it absolutely changed my life. Last year's race wasn't quite the awesome experience I had the first time around but I only had myself to blame. I was in the midst of a lot of personal upheaval at that time and my training definitely suffered.

This year, I had very mixed feelings about participating. Part of me really wanted to do the race for a number of different reasons; it's a good event, it was close to home so there are a lot of friendly faces, a good friend was making her triathlon debut and at the very least it would have been my 3rd year in a row participating. But another part of me remembers the awful rocky swim from last year and the unusually crowded bike course, this year the swim waves were co-ed which I was not looking forward to plus my shoulder was killing me. But (there's always a but) since I had already signed up, I figured I would go and make the most of it. I have to say, though, this was the first race morning that I woke up feeling completely indifferent. It was weird. I was pretty much just going through the motions.

I got to the race site early, early and was ushered with all the other early birds to a parking lot far, far away from transition. Then we had to walk in the dark, around the pavement, down a sandy trail (I carried my bike, by the way), past the transition area and finally to body marking and chip pick up. Did I mention it was in the pitch darkness? Anyway, by the time I got to the chip table, I was less than thrilled to be there and was really thinking I should have cut my losses and stayed home. I finally headed into transition and whaddya know, I got the much coveted isle spot. Hmm, maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all. Before long, some friendly faces were starting to filter in and the race morning excitement was working it's magic on me.

Swim: 1.4 mile
Time: 7:19 (6 out of 28 AG)
Fortunately, the swim course was located about a half mile down the shore in a rock-free area of the beach this year. UNfortunately, that meant there would be a good portion of sandy run to TI following the swim. Sandy runs are totally my favorite *rolls eyes* This tri is notorious for a shallow swim and this year was no exception. There were two instances during the swim I actually stood up and walked while I tried to fix my goggles. It's like a nice little safety net which makes it great for folks out there for the first time or for the people who just flat out don't like the swim. In the photo, you can see how shallow the water was as well as the little bit of chop that was out there. It wasn't a horrible swim but I did get a little dizzy from all the commotion. Before I knew it, the swim was over. I had no idea how I finished in my wave. With my bad shoulder and goggle issues, I assumed I was in the back of the pack. It wasn't until I got home and saw the results that I realized I had done better than I thought. Oh, and I was so excited for my first-timer friend that I almost missed my wave! Thanks to a couple who walked by me and told me my wave was going off, I managed to make it to the line within 30 seconds of the start!

T1: 3:28 (2/28)

Bike: 12 miles
Time: 35:41 (1/28)
Speed: 20.2 mph
The bike is a two loop course along the causeway to the beach. There are two small bridges and a tight turnaround inside the park. It's not the fastest course but it short, flat and closed to traffic. The first few minutes on the bike were really difficult. My legs were fatigued from a 6 mile run the day before and the beach run to T1 didn't help matters. It took me at least 2 miles to warm up and then I found my rhythm. The highlight of the race for me happened as I was coming in to T2. I heard the announcer call my name and say something along the lines of I'm no stranger to the sport and I coming into T2 with a lot of men. For a split second I panicked when I heard my name but then I realized it was a compliment and that little shout out had me beaming the rest of the day! I'm really proud of my bike split - with a bum shoulder and slow run, it's the only thing I've got going for me LOL

T2: 0:41 (2/28)

Run: 3.1 miles
Time: 26:21
Pace: 8:30

Well per usual, my run was super slow compared to everyone else but I did my best. The run goes through the trails of the park and there are some sandy parts that seem to kill my momentum. It's also protected from the nice ocean breeze but at least there's a lot of shade. I felt like I ran strong and I was happy with me performance. Well, mostly happy. I held first place in my age group until the last 400 meters. I saw the girl go by me and I saw the age on her calf. She was running with a guy and passed me just as we got to a single file section of the run course. She went first so I was behind the guy and by the time the course opened up, I couldn't get passed her. She beat me by FOUR seconds! I know I should be happy that I placed second for having a hurt shoulder but in all honestly, it felt like I lost first place. It took a few days for the sting to go away. Oh and get this, the third place girl beat me in T1 and T2 by one second each. I thought that was a funny little stat.

All in all, it was a great day. I was there to cheer on my friends and it was an awesome way to spend a Sunday morning. I'm already looking forward to next year!

I'm baaaaa-aaaack

2010-06-22T10:42:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been far too long since my last post. I don't believe in excuses so I'm not going to list a bunch of paper thin reasons why I haven't blogged. At the end of the day, it just wasn't enough of a priority. The good news is that there wasn't much to blog about but I guess that's also the bad news. Here's the lowdown on my June happenings:

Dunedin Triathlon (June 6) - great race, agonizing loss, more to come in the race report...
Still in a major funk and I can't shake it. Saw the Endo Dr who suggested it may be due to the thyroid med, Synthroid, and switched me to Armour. It's been a few weeks and no difference, still feeling down in the dumps. Totally lacking all motivation, eating anything and everything I can get my hands on but on a good note, I'm not gaining any weight. Go figure.
Appointment with Dr. Carlan at Eaton Orthopaedics confirmed the shoulder diagnosis - inflammed long head of the biceps tendon. No tears or major damage. Woohoo! Script for antiinflammatory, rest for another two weeks and then I can ease back into normal activities.
Not a whole lot of training to recap. Just a pathetic and slow 5 mile run at the wrong time of day and a nice 10 miler on Saturday.
I have a plan... 25 weeks until my first marathon. 16 week program begins August 1. First goal is to complete two 15 mile runs in July. Still finalizing the weekly breakdown of goals.

I plan to catch up on all my favorite blogs soon!

Turning lemons into lemonade

2010-06-05T09:12:00.005-04:00

The bad news is that my shoulder is out of commission for the summer. No swimming, no summer tri's, no boot camp.

Preliminary diagnosis is that the issue is not in the rotator cuff but is actually where the biceps connect to the shoulder. Going to another doctor for more info but in the meantime I need to ice, rest and do prescribed band exercises.

The good news is that I found a loophole. Of course, big picture is that I'm not going to sacrifice next year's NOLA 70.3 for some summer sprints so I will stop swimming. Really, I promise. But in order to continue racing, I'm going to relay the bike or run. The first on my list is the School's Out Inaugural Triathlon next month and I will be doing the bike leg! So that buys me some time. If I'm still unable to swim for the Sand Key Triathlon in September and the Longleaf Triathlon in October, then I will find a relay for those as well but I really hope to be swimming by then. Another good thing to come from this injury is that it will free up some time for weight training and marathon training.

I'm really happy that this did not rear it's ugly head before the Florida 70.3 and that I have plenty of time to heal/rehab before my next 70.3. If it had to happen, this is was great timing :)

New gear!

2010-06-04T13:39:00.008-04:00

My running shoes served me well but after training for and racing a half marathon and a HIM, they definitely needed to be retired. I was going to just by a new version of the same shoe because I knew what to expect. They weren't perfect but they were the lesser of all the evils every other shoe offered. I didn't have to worry about shin splints or knee/hip issues but I have suffered with blisters this whole time. I get the same blisters after every run and although I'm used to the pain (really, it doesn't even phase me anymore), my feet look awful.

I opted for the Asics GT 2150's. So far so good. Tomorrow's 6-miler will be my first "long" run with them and I have my fingers crossed.

For my sprint tri's, I wanted to have a lighter pair of shoes so Hubs got me the Zoot Ultra Race 2.0. They are easy to slip on, lightweight, and seemingly indestructible to sand, salt and water. I'll be testing them out this weekend at the Dunedin Tri.

Next on my list... socks. Any suggestions?

Where did the week go?

2010-06-04T13:20:00.003-04:00

Quick update of my training for the week. It was a pretty lackluster week but I should have my training plan ready for next week.

Saturday

Bike: 1 hour

1 hour easy ride after the run

Sunday:

off

Monday

Bike: 1 hour

Run: 1 mile

60 minute Spinerval, 1 mile run

Tuesday

Swim: 1600

I cut this swim short since my shoulder has really been bothering me lately and my arm was still tender from where I had blood drawn last week.

Wednesday

Bike: .5 hour

Run: 3 miles

3 x 10 bike/1 mile run @ 8:06

Thursday

Well, I showed up for swim class, had my swim and goggles on and was even in the pool but never swam a single lap. The only thing that got any exercise was my mouth. Fellow swimmer, Kathryn, will be doing her first tri at the Dunedin Triathlon this weekend so we spent the entire class talking about everything triathlon :)

Friday:

Run - 3.5 miles

2 mile warm up

4 x 800 @ 7:53: 400 RI

I continue to struggle with my runs and this low mileage is such a drag. I don't want to be negative but I just don't see a great run for me at the Dunedin Tri this Sunday. Despite that, it should be a great time with lots of familiar faces!

Back in the swing of things and back to the starting line

2010-05-31T09:05:00.005-04:00

Saturday I resumed my usual long runs except this one really wasn't very long. It wasn't very easy either. My knee was still a bit sore from my fall and everything else was sore from a trip to the chiropractor the evening before. It was a slow 6 miler but despite that slower pace I struggled the last two miles. I felt as though I hadn't been running 10-12 miles every week for months. I understand that if you don't use it, you lose it but damn! That was quick! From the way I was feeling, I had serious doubts that I would ever get my mileage back up. I know I will but I don't like that it feels like I'm starting over. Hopefully, progress won't take me very long this time around.

Run: 6 miles @ 9:33

1 - 9:32

2 - 9:20

3- 9:17

4 -9:33

5 -9:50

6 -10:12

um yeah, those last two miles were ugly.

Post-race funk

2010-05-27T17:53:00.008-04:00

Okay, I am just shy of two weeks post-70.3 and the high has officially worn off. Now I can't seem to muster the smallest inkling of motivation. It doesn't help that my shoulder is bothering me or that my hip hurts because I haven't had my shoe inserts. I should also mention the digger I took in the lobby at work the other day. Yes, that's right... I can swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles but I can't manage to walk from carpet to tile and remain upright. My hands were full so all my weight landed on my left knee which is now swollen and bruised. All I have to say about that is THANK GOODNESS it did not happen before the 70.3. Can you imagine?! Ugh.

This morning I went for blood work (again) to see if the new thyroid medicine is working or if I am just destined to be a lard ass. Thanks to a sub par phlebotomist, I now have a huge, swollen and painful bruise on my arm and I can't fully extend it. Awesome. In all seriousness, this weight issue is really bothering me. Two years I have been carrying around an extra 20+ pounds and I'm over it. I work way too hard to look like I just got off the coach, dusted off the the cookie crumbs and showed up at the swim start. I know I'm being a whiner but sometimes I just need to vent. So there. I've had my little tantrum and now it's time to wrap up the pity party.

In an attempt to get back on track, I signed up for the Dunedin Sprint Triathlon on June 6th. Needless to say, my training needs to get ramped up and quick. I really need a plan to get me back to my normal schedule. I can feel myself slipping into that vicious cycle of not feeling well because I'm not training and not training because I'm not feeling well. It's time to get ahead of it before too much time lapses. I have an appt with the chiro tonight so that should resolve my hip issues and I will get a new insert so I can run again. Saturday's run is questionable but if my knee feels better I am hoping for at least 5 or 6 miles. In the meantime, I need to work on a training plan...

I LOVE MOTHER'S DAY 5K RACE REPORT

2010-05-27T06:12:00.007-04:00

Finally! I can't believe how long it's taken me to post this report, sheesh! I love, love, love this event. It's a small (although participation doubled this year), family friendly race and it holds a special place in my heart. This was the first race my family participated in and it really became a turning point for our family as a whole. From this point on, races became a family affair and I think it was the first time everyone really understood this part of my life.

For the last 2 years, I ran the 5K with my oldest son, Leland. It was his first 5K and he came in at 45:18 in 2008, 30:39 in 2009 and pretty much left me in the dust after that. Last year he consistently swept his age group with 24 minute 5Ks. This year he ran it alone and despite very little training came in at 26:03. Ah, to be young again.

This was the year for my younger son, Caden, to move up from the fun runs and tackle his first 5k. He did a wonderful job and kept a positive attitude for the whole run. I was very impressed with his efforts and I look forward to running it again with him next year. Official time: 37:39!

Little Miss Avery was ready for the 1/2 mile fun run. She was even sporting a new running outfit from Target. Seriously, the athletic clothes they have for little girls is to die for!

Doing what I love the most with the people I love the most was the perfect Mother's Day gift.

MAD DOG MADEIRA BEACH TRIATHLON RACE REPORT

2010-05-25T14:40:00.010-04:00

Last year I relayed this race (swim) and really wanted to participate individually this year. Since it fell the weekend after the 70.3, I waited to see how I would feel post-race before dropping the $80 (!) to sign up. By Friday, I was certain I could do this race with no issues so I snagged one of the last open spots. I wasn't sure what to expect for registering so late but I ended up with a sweet rack in transition! It was way better than the elites LOL

General Overview:

-Put on by the Mad Dogs Triathlon club for 25 years so it's established, organized and run like a well-oiled machine.

-Longest sprint distance in the area: 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 5K run

-Great bike course

- The waters off of Madeira Beach are gorgeous.

-There's also a great post-race party but that's not really my thing so I can't say first hand

(I'm the sasquatch in the florescent "procrastinator cap")

Swim: 1/2 mile

Time: 18:11

My swim wave was females 39 and under which ended up being close to 120 women. The crowds don't bother me but I think larger wave groups are better suited for out and back swims or deep U-shaped swims. This was out 30 feet (at best) and then a right turn at the first buoy with the majority of the swim along the beach. It was a crowded mess. I couldn't even doggy paddle there were so many bodies and to be honest, I'm not one to swim over people. I feel like it's bad race karma and really just not necessary. Yes, of course it's gets rough but I'm not going to intentionally interfere with another person's race just to save a few seconds. Needless to say, it was a very slow swim, over 3 minutes slower than my swim time last year.

T1: 1:25

Bike: 15 miles

Time: 42:06 (21.4 avg. speed!)

Okay, this is where I got fired up. I was ready to put all those Spinervals DVDs to the test and really see how much I've improved over last year. It. Was. Awesome. I felt so strong on the bike and I was having a great time. Last year, my average speed for sprints was barely 18 mph so I am super stoked that I averaged 21.4 mph! Whoot! *happy dance*

For the majority of the bike, everyone was in great spirits, courteous, and following all the USAT rules like good little triathletes. Then came the last few miles and things took an ugly turn. There was a group of 5 or six women who were riding 3 deep and refused to accelerate to pass/be overtaken or just get the eff out of the way. There was another female, a gentlemen and myself who could not get around these idiots. So there we are, about 8 or 9 bikes in less than the width of a car lane packed in like sardines trying to avoid manholes and cones. It was very dangerous and I was furious that these women were putting so many people in danger. There were some words exchanged and we finally got around them only to have them come up and do it again about 200 yards from dismount! I just backed down at that point to get as far away from them as possible.

On a cheerier note, there was a young girl who was only 15, competing in a bathing suit on a road bike and keeping up with the big girls! She was incredible but I was even more impressed that when I passed her, she told me "good job!" Then when she passed me on the run, she had more encouraging words to share. I ran a little while with her, told her how impressed I was and wished her good luck as she sped off. She really made my day and exemplified the sportsmanship that many athletes twice her age lack.

T2: 1:01

Run: 3.1 miles

Time: 30:43 (ugh!)

Clearly, this sucked. I wasn't quite as recovered as I thought after the 70.3. The second half of the race was on the sandy beach which is no bueno. Fortunately, I encountered a lot of funny and friendly folks that kept me smiling. Just like usual though, 3 or 4 fellow age groupers passed right on by. I always lose a ton of time on the run but one of these days I'll be fast, too! :)

Team Tri-A-Licious!

Results: 1:33:25

12/40 Age Group

390/1000 Overall

Overall, I'm glad I did. I was able to be there with Christy for her second tri ever and first ocean swim... which she crushed by the way. She's always my biggest cheerleader when it comes to running so it was nice to return the favor.

I did have this nagging "blah" feeling though and it took me a few days to figure it out. I think I was trying to relive the magic of the 70.3 in a some way. That race was absolutely my greatest athletic achievement and I wasn't ready to let it go. Obviously, I didn't find what I was looking for and I realize now that I can't. At least not until NOLA. So for now, I am just going to enjoy the sprints for what they are and have fun along the way.

IRONMAN FLORIDA 70.3 RACE REPORT

2010-05-17T14:14:00.009-04:00

Wow! Absolutely the most miserable and amazing day of my life! I don't even know where to begin!

Hubs surprised me with this super sweet video of the race. My brother-in-law, Chris, also did the race and the joke of the day was figuring out which of the three look alike TriGators he was, hence the comments in the video.

General Overview:

This was my first IronMan event and I could not be happier with the experience.

Organized

Well staffed

Fantastic volunteers

Great entertainment

Awesome course (well, mostly)

Plenty of aid stations throughout

The only down side was no finisher's swag :( I really wanted a finisher's hat or shirt like they gave out last year. That's purely fluff though, when it came to the important athlete amenities, they hit it out of the park!

Pre-Race:

The morning of the race, I was a wreck. My hands were shaking and I could barely eat or drink anything. I got up at my usual 4 a.m. and was out the door by 4:45. Having that as my normal schedule for the last few months really made it easier on race morning. Chris and I made the nearly 1 mile walk from the hotel to transition where we set up and got body marked without any waiting. Seriously, no waiting at all. We had a little over an hour to just hang out before my wave started. I did my best to choke down a banana and then sipped a Gatorade Prime 01 pre-race drink. It was the perfect pre-race fuel for me since I couldn't eat anything. Then before I knew it, I was lining up at the water's edge.

Swim: 1.2 miles

Time: 47:09

Okay, so I've read in numerous articles that the swim is supposed to be this "zen-like" experience and frankly, I always thought those authors were full of it. But low and behold, it happened to me! Who knew they were right?! As soon as my face hit the water, I was calm as could be. I followed my plan to hang back and to the outside of my group and it worked beautifully. I had plenty of room and swam slow and easy until the first buoy. It was about that time that I realized how badly I had to pee. Sorry if this is TMI, but it's a very important part of my race experience. I guess I was too nervous before the start to even notice so here I am, halfway through the swim and it feels like someone is stabbing my bladder. I slow down and try to "go" and swim - no luck. I breaststroke and try to "go" - no luck. I freakin stop and tread water and try to "go" - no luck. I saw the swim finish and literally did not want to get out yet! I really didn't want to have to make a pit stop on the bike course but that's exactly what happened.

Other than the bladder issue, the swim was awesome. It was actually EASY! I even felt great when I got out, not exhausted at all. Granted, I took my sweet time and probably swam too easy but I could have easily swam the loop twice! I had plenty of pep to run all the way to T1 and was on the bike in no time. Transitions are usually very fast for me since it's the easiest way to make up time for being a slow runner. For this race, though, I was in no rush. I figured it was better to take an extra 30 - 60 seconds and make sure I had/did everything and was ready for the 3 hours that were to follow.

T1 - 3:50

Next time I need to apply sunscreen.

Bike: 56 miles

Bike Time: 2:55:34 @ 19.1 (including a 7 minute potty stop)

This was fun and fast! I felt amazing on the ride and really enjoyed the "rolling hills." I was easily holding 23 mph on the straight-aways and passed my way up the climbs. It was crazy how easily I was getting up the hills. At mile 17 (I think) we hit the first aid station so I finally got my potty break. Unfortunately, it took me forever to get my one piece tri suit off/on and I lost a lot of time. Once back on the bike, the next 20 miles flew by. The bike portion of the race was so much better than I expected it to be.

The last 15 miles got a little tough but that is where my lack of longer training rides comes in. At mile 40, we hit a headwind. The wind wasn't terrible but it was bad timing considering I was starting to feel achy at that point. My hips were sore and my neck was tight from the aero position. There was also a portion of the course that went through a neighborhood that got a little slow - lots of cars and turns. Overall, the bike course was awesome. It flew by and never felt like a 3 hour ride.

T2: 2:26

Again, I took my time in transition to fully prepare for the next 2+ hours of running ahead of me.

Run: 13.1 miles

Run time: 2:34:50 @ 11:49

I knew going into this race that the run is hot, dirty, long and miserable but it was worse than I expected. I have lived in Florida for almost 20 years and can honestly say that I have never experienced anything that hot before. Running on the asphalt was a relief from the heat of the long stretch of grassy dirt trail. I don't know what the hell made it so much hotter but you could literally feel the heat radiating off the ground and sucking the oxygen from your body. It was dangerously hot and I give huge credit to the event staff for offering water, ice, Gatorade, power bars, cookies, pretzels, cool sponges and bananas at every single mile. Not only that, but the drinks were cold and there was plenty of ice even by my third run loop. Outstanding! The saving grace was the kiddie pool filled with ice and water at each mile. I am a serious germ freak but I had no problem sharing that ice cold water with thousands of my closest, sweatiest, and snottiest friends. I would be shocked if I didn't get sick from sharing so many bodily fluids but hey, desperate times! I took my time through every aid station - stopped to poor ice water on my head, replenish my sponges, sip some Gatorade and drink a cup of water. This half marathon was not about a PR, it was about surviving the heat.

My legs felt great off the bike but the first lap was definitely the hardest. I think that was largely in part to not knowing the course yet and being surprised by the severity of the elements. Lap two gave me a big boost as I passed the 8 mile marker. I had accidentally stopped G-Unit for a few miles of the first lap so I really wasn't sure of my mileage. It then became about tackling the the three loops rather than the 13 miles. The mile markers on the course were sporadic at best and I was in no mood to try and figure out the math. At first glance of the mile 8 marker, I was thinking that it didn't apply to me until the next loop. It took me almost a mile to convince myself that I was really that far into the run. It was cake after that! Before I knew it, I was heading down the finisher's chute! It was just as amazing as I had hoped it would be! I would literally do it all over again next weekend if I could.

If Miami wasn't sold out, I would be there in October. So instead, I signed up for the IronMan 70.3 New Orleans in April 2011! Maybe, I'll even do NOLA and Florida back to back!

Results:

6:23:50

40/85 AG 30-34

Other than the potty break, I am very pleased with the results of my first HIM. It never ceases to amaze me what we can do when we put our minds to it. More importantly than time, I raced smart - my fuel and hydration were right on point. Nutrition is usually a problem for me because of two reasons. First, I'm not that knowledgeable on the subject. All my research materials are either too specific and become confusing or too general. Thankfully, I surround myself with poeple who are much smarter than me. Secondly, I don't like to eat or drink all that much during swim and bike training. I knew that getting this right was crucial to prepare for the heat so I planned accordingly and actually followed my plan. Here's how it played out...

Pre race

Banana

Gatorade P01 drink

Bike

2 Endurolytes (10 mile mark)

4 fig newton bars throughout

Jet Blackberry Gu (30 mile mark)

Gatorade

3 refills of water

2 Endurolytes (40 mile mark)

Run

Water and Gatorade at every mile

Jet Blackberry Gu (mile 3, 7)

TriBerry Gu (mile 11)

Post Race

Gatorade Recover 03

I hate pizza but that was all they offered so I forced myself to eat a piece. On the drive back home, we stopped at Chili's and I had a cup of chicken tortilla soup, half a chicken wrap, lots of water and a glass of orange juice. I figured OJ was a good immune system boost to combat the germfest that was surely taking place inside my body :)

My cup runneth over

2010-05-12T15:14:00.008-04:00

I feel like a terrible blogger and an even worse blog follower. Still super busy but I WILL make time to catch up on every one's blogs next week. I'm not going to bother with a training post, there is too much I want to get out of my head before the big race. I just need to organize all these random thoughts to clear the chaos and find my focus.

First, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the tremendous amount of support I have received during my journey to the Florida 70.3. I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful, thoughtful and genuinely kind people in my life. It’s not easy to find a balance between working, family, and training. I clumsily maneuvered my way through it and the Hubs and kiddos have been very patient with me. I could never have gotten through this without their support. My friends, whether near or far, athlete or not, have touched my heart with their encouragement. I have received priceless advice that will make all the difference on race day, the most incredibly thoughtful gifts and a general enthusiasm that has kept me inspired and motivated throughout my training. My heart is full and I will forever be grateful. Thank you all!

Next, I need to talk about the race. We're here on property and it's all become very real. As we drove in, I saw the barricades for the bike route and my hands immediately started sweating! LOL After we got Leland all settled in for the IronKids race tomorrow, I made my way to the expo. It's just under a mile from the hotel to the transition/expo area so I opted to make a short run out of it. I wanted to feel what it was like to run in the heat... it's not very fun. I picked up my packet and some cool swag then walked back to the hotel. That long quiet walk through the trees gave me the perfect opportunity to find my focus.

What I've done:
1. I've packed everything I thought I could possibly need... and doubled the quantity. Every scenario I can control has been accounted for.

2. Nails are clipped down to nubs. I've heard one too many horror stories of nails being kicked off during the swim. No thanks.

3. The training is done. Did I train enough? Maybe. Did I do my best? Yes. Would I do things differently? Yes. I should have scheduled more bike to run workouts. I'm finishing the run regardless but it will be a little more difficult.

4. Nutrition and hydration have been good all week.

5. Taper was much more of a taper than I had hoped for but what's done is done.

Race day plan:

Since this is my first time at this event and my first time at this distance, I have no specific time goals. I know what I don't know. Make sense? That being said, however, I also know my personality - it's all or nothing with me. I need to have a goal to keep me "on task" so here's what I've come up with:

Goal 1: After taking into account my average training times, the oppressive heat and actually doing all three events in one day, I would be very happy to come in under 6:30:00.

Goal 2: Cross the finish line upright and before the event closes. First or last, I'm still a finisher.

Swim -
I am going to start at the back and take my time. Once around the first buoy, I should feel warmed up and ready to pick up the pace a bit.

Bike -
Eat, drink, pedal, repeat.

Run -
Just keep running. It is going to be hot, miserable, dirty and long so I just want to keep moving. Every step gets me that much closer to the finish line that I have been fantasizing about for the last 6 months.

Overall, I just want to stay in the moment and enjoy what I am doing exactly when I am doing it. I do this for fun and I need to remember that.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! I am looking forward to some exciting race reports next week!

Week #14 Review

2010-05-06T04:22:00.004-04:00

Swim: ~2000
Bike: 1 hour
Run: 19 miles

This is my last full training week before the taper next week and I can't get through these workouts fast enough. Well, it hasn't actually been a "full" training week since it will be a one swim week. I missed Tuesday's swim class to attend a school function for one of the kiddos. Come to think of it, I did cut my interval run short this week, too. Okay, maybe it's not a "full" training week" but it's also not a taper week either. I'm almost there though. Today is a not-so-fun tempo, tomorrow will be a bike/run brick workout and then Saturday begins my official taper with a short 8 mile run.

Update:
After that entry, things got crazeeee at work. I missed my Wednesday and Friday workouts which killed my bike training. It was such a whirlwind, I'm not sure if I even remember all the training details but here goes...

Tuesday
Interval run: 5 miles

Wednesday
off

Thursday
Tempo run: 7 miles
1 mile easy
2 miles @
1mile easy
2 miles @
1 mile easy

Swim: 2000

Friday
off

Saturday
Run: 8 miles @ 8:50
Whew, this run kicked my butt! I guess I thought it was only 8 miles so it would be no big deal. I thought wrong. It was hot and humid but it was actually cooler to keep running. We stopped for 5 water breaks and each time it felt like the humidity was swallowing me. Our water stops were a little longer than usual but since our pace was a little quicker than usual, I welcomed the break.

Sunday
I Love Mother's Day 5k - race report coming soon...

Panicking!

2010-05-04T10:55:00.007-04:00

Holy hell I am turning into a complete nut with this race just 11 days away. Normally, I am not one to focus on all the bad things that can happen in life because it serves no purpose. With this race closing in, all the time, sacrifice and effort I have put into it are making me panic about something stupid happening and making all my work for nothing. I have seen three really bad car accidents in the last 4 days and I'm terrified someone is going to crush me in my little Prius. I've always driven super sized SUVs and never worried about my safety but now I have this little go kart of a vehicle making me feel vulnerable. It doesn't help that I spend two hours of my day in rush hour traffic. I'm also worried that someone is going to rear end our car on the way to the race thus totalling my bike that is transported on the back of the car. It doesn't stop there though. My daughter had a headache and I practically quarantined her. Luckily, it turns out it was just a side effect from her Kindergarten shots. Then today, as I was running on the mill, the lady on the mill next to me fell. It was a scream, some thuds and lots of flailing. So there I am, witness to her seemingly painful fall, running at an interval pace well out of my comfort zone and praying that I don't end up the next one down. By the way, to her credit she got right back up and kept running. It was pretty admirable until she almost fell again 20 minutes later while she was messing with her phone. Guess she's one of those people who likes to learn the hard way.

Anyway, I'm losing my mind. Is this normal? I don't recall ever being this frantic before any other race. It's ridiculous and quite frankly, exhausting! I just really want this race to get here. Well, I say that now but the day before I'll probably be second guessing myself and wishing I had another 2 weeks :)

Here's my not so super run this morning.

Run: 5 miles (.5 walking RIs)
2 mile warm up
3 x 1K @ 7:53, 400 RI
1 mile cool down

I was supposed to do 5 x 1K so boo on me. I also tried to run the RIs but the 7:53 pace killed me. Oh well, miles are miles.

Week #13 Review

2010-05-01T09:34:00.005-04:00

Swim: 1850
Bike: 3 hours
Run: 30.5 miles (biggest mileage week evuh!)

Thursday
Thursday's swim was supposed to be just an easy swim - not too long and not too fast. Unfortunately, the class was packed again so it was another night of circle swimming. I'm really over the crowds. I'm not willing to move my swims to the early morning hours though, so I guess I just have to deal with it.

The swim wasn't too bad but I cut out the last set of sprints. My right shoulder gets a little achy after sprints and I really want to avoid any unnecessary aches this close to the race. Losing that last set of 500 left me with a little less distance than I would have liked, though.

Swim: 1850

Friday
REST! I was really ready for a rest day :)

Saturday
Hello Summer! Ugh, this was a hot, sweaty run. The pace was okay but I was having major issues with thirst. I started taking a new medication and I think that may have been the culprit. I felt like I had eaten cotton balls! There was also another snake sighting. Thank goodness it was just a sighting and nothing more eventful but I still had nightmares later that night. I'm such a wimp when it comes to reptiles.

Run: 12 obscenely sweaty miles @ 9:26

Sunday
It ended up being another rest day. We just hung out at the pool as a fam.

My legs feel like...

2010-04-29T09:21:00.005-04:00

J-e-l-l-o!

Whew! It's been a tough 18 hours of training! Wednesday evening I got in a little brick action. I rode on the trainer for two hours and then hit the mill for a quick 3 mile run. For the bike ride, I warmed up for the first 15 minutes and then did a ladder of all the gears using 5 minute intervals. I used my big chain ring and started on the easiest gear, worked my way to the hardest, and then back down. Once that was completed, I rode a steady tempo in a hard gear for the remainder of the ride. It was a good ride but I was having major saddle issues. Hopefully, it was just due to the ill fitting shorts I had on. I was happy with the ride otherwise and very glad to have a longer ride in for the week. The run went really well , too. It was only three miles but I felt strong. I eased into the run with a very easy pace to work out all the "kinks" and then picked up my speed for the last two miles.

Bike: 2 hours

Run: 3 miles

mile 1 - 9:48

mile 2 - 8:36

mile 3 - 8:36

It just occurred to me that I did not fuel at all during this training and come to think of it, I usually don't fuel during any of my trainer rides. I guess because I always feel like trainer rides don't really count, I don't treat them with the respect they deserve. It's pretty stupid not to fuel at all during a two and half hour workout and I plan to change that going forward. That lack of fuel and the fact that my only post workout nutrition was chocolate milk, did not help me during this morning's run. I was definitely dragging a little bit and my legs were sooo heavy but I managed to complete the 7 mile tempo run.

Run: 7 miles
1 mile easy- 10:00
2 miles tempo - 8:41/8:41
1 mile easy - 9:32
2 miles tempo - 8:41/8:49
1 mile easy - 10:00

The scheduled run called for an easy pace of 10:15 and tempo pace of 8:46. The easy pace was a little too easy so I bumped it up slightly. I probably should'nt have increased it so much for the 4th mile but I was getting impatient as I watched the distance tracker slowly crawl forward. Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot to mention the best part of my run! I'm plucking along at tempo pace just around mile 3.75 when wham! The treadmill stops dead. No beeping, no warning, just shuts off. Thanks to the running gods above, I didn't stumble or fall. I alerted the Y staff of the malfunction and switched to a different mill. Surprisingly, they just unplugged it, plugged it back in and let some other poor soul jump on. I think I would've slapped an "out of order" sign on it and called maintenace but I guess that's just me ;)

Down to the details

2010-04-27T14:44:00.004-04:00

This week I've been trying to organize my thoughts and handle all the last minute details for the big race. I only have two training weeks left and then a taper week before the day of reckoning.

Monday I went to Fit2Run and loaded up on fuel. I got my two favorite Gu's; Jet Blackberry and TriBerry. I also purchased Endurolytes by Hammer Nutrition. I haven't used this product before but I know that it is going to be brutally hot on the run and I need to plan accordingly. To ensure I don't have any adverse effects, I am going to test them out on Saturday's long run and Sunday's long bike ride. I also picked up some LockLaces for my running shoes. It's nice that I finally got around to it since it's just about time for a new pair of shoes. Better late than never I guess. Since they aren't giving Garmin bike computers out for free these days, Hubs was nice enough to transfer his bike computer to my new ride. I love my old computer but it doesn't have cadence. With a three hour (hopefully) ride on race day, I want to have every possible tool to gauge my effort. Next on the to-do list is to make a fueling plan.

Here's my tentative plan:

Pre race

1 - 2 Endurolyte capsules
Power bar or Gu chomps (no caffeine before the swim; my heart will already be pumping out of my chest)

Bike
mile 2 - TriBerry Gu (25 mg caffeine)

mile 25 - 1 -2 Endurolyte capsules and a power bar

mile 50 - JetBlackberry Gu (2x caffeine)

Run

mile 7 - JetBlackberry Gu or non-caffeinated Gu depending on how I feel.

I'm up for any suggestions!

Training this week has been pretty good.

Monday
1 hour ride (15 warm up/45 minutes Spinerval)
1 mile run

Tuesday
Run: 7.5 miles
2 mile warm up
3 x 2000 @ 8:07 (400 RI)
1 mile cool down

The last 2000 was k-i-l-l-i-n-g me. Brutal. Thankfully, I was able to run at the Y and the bright lights, a/c and people (witnesses) kept me on task. Tuesday night I was in my closet getting ready for swim class when I realized that I really just wanted to stay home with the family. It's not that I didn't want to swim per se, it's just that I wanted to spend the evening with them more. I had an easy swim planned anyway and I decided that at this point, my swimming skills are what they are. The rewards of spending some much needed time with my little people far exceeded the benefits of the swim. I was glad I did because they followed me around all evening talking my ear off!

Week #12 update

2010-04-24T05:41:00.012-04:00

Swim: 5650
Bike: 2.5 hours
Run: 20 miles

Wednesday morning, I made up my interval run. It was harder than I expected but I was glad that I made it through. In the evening, I rode for 1.5 hours while I watched the rest of P&P :) It ended up being a late night but totally worth it.

Run: 5 miles
2 mile warm up
10 x 400 @ 8:06
.5 mile cool down

Bike: 1.5

Thursday morning my daughter woke up 20 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Since I was the only parent home, I stayed with her so that meant no tempo run in the garage gym for me. I tried to make it up in the evening before swim class but I ran out of time. The schedule called for 5 miles at 8:47 but after the first mile, I knew I was not going to have time for all five. So I figured increasing the speed would make me feel less guilty for missing the miles.

Run: 3
mile 1- 8:47
mile 2- 8:13
mile 3- 8:13

It may have been a lackluster run day but it was a great swim day. I managed to add some extra distance. I actually can't remember what the workout was (great reason to keep my blog updated!) but I know we hit 3000.

Swim: 3000

Friday morning I was going to do an easy bike (even though it was my day off) but then I realized that I had a big training weekend ahead so the rest was needed. Saturday, I headed out for a 12 mile run. I ended up being by myself which isn't really a big deal. Most of my training is alone anyway and it was probably a good thing that there weren't any witnesses. It was an interesting run. First of all, G-Unit was giving me all kinds of grief. It wouldn't switch from the bike setting to the run setting. So I had to change the entire display page to suit my running needs. By the way, it's still set on bike. I finally started my run but things didn't get much better. Aside from my legs feeling like lead, I opted to wear my new iPod shuffle for entertainment on the lonesome two hour run. I LOVE the new teeny tiny shuffle but my play list was making me nuts! The music was good, just not good music for running. Then I tried to stop G-Unit for a water break and the keys were locked! I was ready to throw in the towel at that point. Oh and "that point," was only three miles into the run.

I was so flustered that my inner dialogue was beginning to sound schizophrenic. One second, I was telling myself to stay positive and keep trudging along and the next second I was ready to stomp my feet and throw a fit. Finally, the rational side of me took hold and I decided to walk the last third of mile three and collect myself. It was just the trick. I was able to calm down and find my purpose. I got a drink at the four mile marker and finished the run without any further tantrums. That was the last of the tantrums but not the last of the blog worthy events. I know, it's like the never ending post :)

Let me begin by saying that I like all animals but anything other than a cat or dog scares the crap out of me. So imagine my pleasure when I had TWO wild animal encounters during my run. The first was on a long stretch of trail where there happened to be no other people. Out of nowhere comes a deer. It starts grazing right at the edge of the trail, opposite the side I am running on (the trail is about 6-7 feet in width). When I first see it, I am about 50 yards away so I think "Ok, not a problem. It will get skittish and run off into the forest to be with all the other woodland creatures" But as I get closer, I realize this thing is not phased by me at all. Then it perks up and we make eye contact - Holy sh*t! My heart just about jumped out of my chest! These things have some huge, frightening solid black eyes and I realized that little Bambi here does not look so friendly after all. So now, I am 15 feet from this thing and it's not moving. I did my best not to make any changes in my movements, just kept running, and was praying to high heaven that my watch wasn't going to beep or buzz leading to a hoof in my rib cage. I seriously thought I was going to have my very own "when animals attack" moment. Thankfully, I ran on by without incident but that was a little too much nature for my liking.

Then at mile 7, I'm running along totally in the zone, a little tired and not really paying attention, when I damn near stepped on a lovely little snake sunning itself on the trail. *shudder* Now I don't know what you've heard about Florida, but it's like the damn Amazon around here. We have all kinds of deadly snakes, critters and creatures. And I'll admit that the snake was only the size of 2 pencils end to end but w-h-a-t-e-v-e-r. I have such a fear of those things it may as well have been an anaconda. Needless to say, I was very happy to be finished with this run. Hopefully, this was my fill of park animals for a while.

Sunday morning I volunteered at the St. Anthony's tri which was such a treat. I felt a little ache in my gut when we got to the venue - I wanted to compete so badly. Then I saw the water and quickly changed my tune. Big props to all the athletes that tackled that swim! No long bike ride for the day thanks to the miserable weather we had. I don't know who pissed Mother Nature off but she absolutely unleashed her fury on us.

Honest Scrap award!

2010-04-22T12:14:00.005-04:00

I was tagged by Caratunk Girl to share ten honest things about myself. This is such a fun post and I've really enjoyed reading all the other Honest Crap blog posts. Hopefully, mine won't be too painfully boring.

Here goes...

1. I'm terribly uncomfortable in large social gatherings - even if I know everyone. I'm much more comfortable in a small group of friends.

2. I avoid sweets (cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc.) at all costs because I have no self control. I will binge eat an entire tray of brownies so I've learned it's better for me just to not have any.

3. I hate pizza and macaroni and cheese. The only pizza I eat is from California Pizza Kitchen.

4. This recession has turned my life upside down in every possible way. The last two years have been the biggest struggle of my life. Even though I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am grateful for the lessons that I've learned during this time. I am a better person for it.

5. I'm 5'11" and being tall makes me feel too masculine.

6. My guilty pleasure is celebrity gossip blogs. My top 3 are Perez Hilton - I've been a fan of his since waaay back when he was in NY as Pagesixsixsix; Idontlikeyouinthatway - definitely NSFW but it takes sarcasm to a whole new level; and Celebrity Baby Blog - just because.

7. I have ZERO tattoos and plan on keeping it that way but the only one I would consider is, of course, the M-dot.

8. I'm a people pleaser to a fault but I'm finally learning to make "me" a priority.

9. My two pet peeves are poor grammar and tardiness. Don't get me wrong, I make grammatical mistakes all the time and I'm certainly no Rhodes Scholar but I do know the difference between there, their and they're. As for tardiness, again, I have children and I understand that things happen but I'm talking about the people who are late for EVERYTHING. It's rude.

10. I have a finance degree but I am terrible with numbers. Terrible.

At this point, I think all my blogger friends have been tagged already. Thank you for all the great posts - it was fun to read!

Follow the leader and try to keep up!

2010-04-21T12:16:00.009-04:00

Tuesday's swim class ended up being much more of a workout than I had anticipated. I got there a few minutes early to try and find a lane and get in some extra laps. Now that the weather is nice, suddenly everyone wants to swim. I think that those of us who were dedicated enough to swim at night in 40 degree temps should get lane priority HAHA All kidding aside, the swims have been chaotic lately now that they've moved us into the "family" pool. There are only 3 lanes, it's crowded and filthy - we're back to band aids and clumps of hair floating by *gag* I think everyone in the master's class would happily donate money to pay for an additional lifeguard to be stationed at the lap pool.

Anyway, last night's class was exceptionally crowded so we had to circle swim with five people in our lane. Circle swimming makes me a little frantic because I freak out thinking that I'm going to be the one to slow everyone down. The first part of the swim I was the only girl so that only added to the pressure to keep up. That's just my own weird complex, though. Overall, we had a wonderful group of swimmers and it was an awesome workout. I pushed much harder than I normally do and all the chaos in the pool definitely felt like more of a race day experience. It was just the butt kicking I needed!

Swim: 2650
500 warm up before class
2 x 75 build to sprint
400 warm up with the class
5 x 100 drills
500 ladder
10 x 50 fast (I consistently hit these in the 48-50 second range with 10 second RI)
100 cool down

Smart me - 1, Lazy me - 0

2010-04-19T12:47:00.008-04:00

As previously mentioned, I intended to move my alarm clock to the other side of the room in an effort to get me out of bed on time. It worked. I got out of bed at 4:15 but I was a little annoyed with myself for... well, outwitting myself. I finally stopped pouting once I realized I had a new video to watch for my trainer session today. A friend had loaned me the 2 part movie series of the greatest love story ever (and no, there are no silly Vampires involved) - Pride and Prejudice! Since I had planned just an easy ride this morning to loosen up my legs, it was the perfect opportunity to put aside the Spinervals DVDs and spend my morning with Mr. Darcy. It was the fasted hour ride of my life! I was so disappointed when I realized my time was up. Too bad I can't listen to audio book on race day or it would be the easiest race ever!

Bike: 1 hour (easy)

Week #11 Review

2010-04-18T08:07:00.008-04:00

Swim: 2000
Bike: 6 hours
Run: 10 miles

Well, I had a great bike week but my swim and run numbers were slashed in half. I just can't seem to balance all three but at least the pendulum is swinging towards the bike now. Saturday morning I headed out for my first 50 mile ride and it went pretty damn good. I left from my house for this ride instead of driving to the trail and due to time constraints, I tried to choose a route that would keep me close to home. On one hand, keeping it close to home meant more slow areas to navigate than usual but on the other hand, not riding a straight out and back meant that the ride never felt tedious. In fact, the 35 miler I did a month ago out and back on the trail felt a lot longer than Saturday's ride.

This ride was a great confidence boost for me. I started out feeling unsure about my capabilities because 1) I forgot to eat anything before I left the house and 2) I only had one Gu to get me through 3 hours of riding. Way to plan ahead, right? I felt a little hungry around mile 12 but once I hit my rhythm, all was forgotten. I forced myself to stop at mile 30 to fuel which was good because I realized I hadn't taken in nearly enough fluids by that point. My fuel for the day was Gu's new Jet Blackberry with 2x caffeine and HELLO! It was yummy (well, as yummy as that crap can be) and gave me more than enough oomph. That will definitely be a race day fuel for me! Overall, it was a strong ride for me - I maintained my speed between 19 - 22 mph (my avg speed last year at the sprint tri's was 18), I felt stronger the second half of the ride (thank you Jet Blackberry) and I did not have any neck/shoulder pain. Holla! I can't get over how great this bike fits me. *Love her*

I ended up having to cut the ride short by five miles to get me home just in the nick of time. I jumped on the trainer to finish out the remaining miles and then hit the treadmill. I had planned on a 6 mile run but I had the little lady with me and that wasn't working out so well. My "gym" is set up in the garage next to the kids area filled with everything imaginable to entertain her. True to diva form, she opted to play with everything for 5 seconds and then play 8 rounds of twenty questions with me. During mile 3, she was losing her patience with me and the treadmill, so I called it a day at 4 miles.

The run went surprisingly well, too. I definitely had some gumby legs going on the first mile and I took the pace nice and easy. I was so afraid that my knees would hurt or there would be pain somewhere but nothing ever happened! I felt okay on the run - better than I expected to feel but not 13.1 ready for sure.

Bike: 50
Run: 4 miles
1-10:15
2-9:36
3-9:36
4-9:12

Week #10 Review & Week #11 update

2010-04-14T21:20:00.007-04:00

Week #11 Update

Monday

Bike: 1 hour

Tuesday

Hubs had business to tend to so I was on kid duty most of this week. Tuesday was a rough day and despite my best efforts for a Tuesday run, the kiddos were not having it. No training at all this day.

Wednesday

Early a.m. I made up Tuesday's interval run.

Run: 6 miles

2 mile warm up

3 @ 8:12

1 mile cool down

Woohoo! Finally a great bike ride even if it was on the trainer. After work, I did the Spinerval's "Have Mercy" workout while the kids played outside. I felt great on the bike but an hour into the ride the kids were ready for dinner. This posed a problem since I still had an hour left to ride. Desperate times call for desperate measures so I had the kids bring me my phone and I ordered them a pizza - dinner was handled and I never got off the bike! Probably not my best parenting moment but they were happy and I got to finish my ride. It was a win-win.

Bike: 2 hours

Thursday

By Thursday, I was flat out exhausted. Besides handling all the kid and house duties, work was super busy this week. I missed my Thursday morning tempo run but made it to swim class with all the kids in tow. It was a good swim but I know I wasn't giving it 100%.

Swim: 2000

500 warm up

100 easy/50 fast/100 easy/50 fast/100 easy

10 x 25 sprint/25 recovery

500 easy

Friday

This was yet another morning this week that I overslept. I am having a really hard time with my 4:15 wake up time lately. It makes me so mad at myself because I know better! I know that not getting up at that time either comprises my morning workouts or eliminates them entirely. Thanks to snooze, I sacrificed my tempo run for the week. I think it's time to move the alarm clock out of arms reach.

Tomorrow, I plan to redeem myself with a 3 hour ride followed by a 3-5 mile run, weather permitting. I really do not want to do that workout on the mill and CompuTrainer in the garage but it must be done. Sunday will be my long run and that will finish out a pretty nice training week.

Week #10 Review

Swim: 4500

Bike: 1:45

Run: 20.5

Super busy week and unfortunately, my blog suffered. Last week's recap:

Thursday evening: 2200 swim

Friday: off

Saturday: Iron Girl 15K

Sunday: TriGator Super Sprint

TRIGATOR SUPER SPRINT RACE REPORT

2010-04-13T20:25:00.011-04:00

First I have to tell you that we are a house divided. Hubs graduated from Florida State. I was accepted to the Business School at FSU (but ended staying local and going to the University of South Florida) - we are FSU fans. When Leland was two years old, he matter-of-factly told us that he was going to the University of Florida. He was now a Gator and there was nothing we could do to change his mind. Hubs refused to buy him any UF merchandise but Leland (always smarter than his years) got around that by asking Santa Claus for Gator gear. Now our house has more blue and orange that garnet and gold. I have to admit, though, that I am pleased with Leland's decision. UFis an outstanding school and I couldn't ask for a better role model than the one and only Tim Tebow. Leland would rather watch Sports Center than any cartoon or sitcom and when arrests and general unsportsmanlike conduct go hand in hand with the sports world, it is refreshing to have a man of such conviction and character highlighted.

I think Hubs has finally accepted this, too, because the TriGator Super Sprint Triathlon was his idea. We got up at an excruciatingly early 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and headed to Gainesville. This was Leland's first trip to UF and it ended up being a very special experience for all of us.

We got to swim in one of the campus pools - Olympians swam here dude!

"If you practice with emotion and purpose, you compete with passion and confidence"

The race itself was small and not exactly what I was expecting. I don't have anything bad to say and I would definitely recommend it but you just can't go into it with too many expectations. What it lacked in goodies, it made up for with the course on campus. The swim was a staggered start (by swim level) that snaked in a pool. This worked out perfectly because the three of us were able to line up together and the Hubs and I stayed with Leland the entire race. The 4 mile bike and 2 mile run went through campus with lots of cool things to see - Lake Alice, fraternity row, the football training field, the Bull Gator outside the stadium, etc. Leland struggled a little bit at times but of course being the youngest athlete at the race, he got rock star attention and lots of cheers to keep him going.

Swim: 250 yards in 7:08

Bike: 4 miles

1-4:59 (included T1)

2-3:57

3-3:41

4-5:04 (big hill & included T2)

Run: 2 miles

1-8:47

2-9:27 (same big hill)

Overall, Leland did a great job. The pool was a 50 yard length which we don't have at home but he didn't seem to have any issues. There were actually a lot of adults that seemed to be having a difficult time - several were stopping at each 50, there were a lot doing the breaststroke and I even saw one guy walking. The bike took some time for him to find a rhythm. I think the elevation changes were a difficult adjustment for him. He's not very comfortable changing gears on the climbs and I could tell the faster descents had him uneasy. He rode smart and steady, though, which to me is much more impressive than going balls out and risking a crash. The run was supposed to be 1.5 miles but really ended up being 2 miles. It wasn't his best run but again the elevation changes were a new challenge for him. Truth be told, I was grateful for the easier pace. I knew I could keep up with the boys at an 8:00 pace but my legs were feeling a little heavy after the 15K the day before. It was a great race and awesome opportunity for us to spend some quality time with each other. After the race, we had to take him to the Florida Field so he could see where all the magic happens. I have all the confidence in the world in him and I know that if he stays the course, he'll walk that campus as a student one day.

Touring the campus...

IRON GIRL 15K RACE REPORT

2010-04-11T14:36:00.009-04:00

La chicas

Leland waiting at the finish line for me

So cool

Happy finishers!

I ♥♥♥ this event! This is my third year in a row participating and this year was by far the best experience!

Highlights:

Awesome swag

Gorgeous course

Very organized

Women only

Awesome post-race buffet

Great merch

Entertainment throughout the course

Plenty of water stops

Very nice race shirts

Super cute finisher's medals

I wasn't sure how well this race was going to go for me since I hadn't completed a long run in three weeks. It was also the first time a 15K was offered at this event and I had no clue how I would feel running that mileage while dealing with the bridge twice. I had no expectations or goals set for this race other than to just enjoy it.

It ended up being a gorgeous day in Clearwater! The last two years were overcast and windy but this year it was cool temps, sunny skies and minimal wind. If you've never been to Clearwater Beach, it's hard to describe how beautiful it is. There were moments on the run I wished I had a camera just so I could share with you the beauty of the course. We started at Pier 60 and headed for the Clearwater Memorial Bridge which may as well be Everest to us Floridians. I held steady going over the bridge and enjoyed the reward of a speedy decent. We then headed to a residential area with lots of shade and some fun entertainment. We looped this twice and it wasn't until the second loop that I noticed the homes were massive estates. There are a lot of immense homes like that on the water here in Florida and I always wonder what these people do to afford these incredible homes. I mean, seriously, what do you do??? My Dad in his cynical, dry humor always responds very flatly with "drugs." Anyway, the first 6 miles flew by and I couldn't believe how easy this race was for me. I was even running a little faster than what I thought was my "easy pace." Mile 7 I started to get hot and by the time I got to the bridge the second time, I figured I would use the time I had gained from my faster pace to walk some of the bridge and really take in the view. It was heavenly - the water, the sun, the boats - the epitome of Florida living. Mile 8 was tough because my feet were on fire by this point. I had this problem last summer and thought it was my shoes but now I don't think the shoes are the issue. I walked a couple more times and finally saw the finish line.

The one perk of being the slowest person in my circle of runners is that everyone was waiting at the finish line to cheer me on LOL Thanks Jen, Dana, Christy, Kristine and of course the greatest race spectator of all, David, for the happy faces and encouraging cheers. This finish line was extra special for me because Leland was one of the volunteers handing out the finishers medals so I got to see his smiling face as I crossed and he gave me my medal. It was very cool.

G-Unit had the distance at 9.56 and I know some of the other runners had more than 9.3 clocked on their watches as well. My official time ended up being 129:01. It wasn't until later in the weekend that I realized that my time was 2 minutes faster than last year's Gasparilla 15K which says a lot about my progress considering 1) I wasn't even trying 2) I crossed the bridge twice plus managed several additional inclines throughout the course and 3) I walked three times!

Run: 9.3 @ 9:34

Time: 1:29:01

1-8:53

2-9:08 (first time over the bridge)

3-9:02

4-9:09

5-9:17 (had to stop at the water stop to take my fuel, forgot to do it before I got there)

6-9:06

7-9:12

8-9:57 (walked some of the bridge)

9-9:59 (walked briefly two more times)

Feeling like a hot mess

2010-04-08T11:43:00.009-04:00

This has been a miserable week. It's like you're allowed to have fun but life makes you pay for it afterwards. Vegas was a blast. It was exactly what I needed after enduring the last two years of craptastic circumstances. I was absolutely the happiest I have been in a long time and felt totally care free. Within 24 hours of landing back home, though, reality smacked me in the face with the fury of Elin Woods. Damn. It's so frustrating because in the in the last few months we finally made 3 steps forward but in an instant we are once again 10 steps back. I try to keep things in perspective and be grateful for all the blessings we have. I also try to remember that I can't stress about things that are out of my control. I'm not running the show and I just have to keep the faith that it will all work out in the end - it always does. Sometimes, though, I just feel like throwing a pity party.

It doesn't help that I am having serious doubts about my training. I feel like I am prepared for the swim but I am struggling once again with my running and my bike training is a joke. With the race one month away, I am starting to think I'm in way over my head. The rational part of me knows that it's not as bad as I think. That I'm just in a "funk" which is only exacerbating all these doubts that are probably just a natural part of training for longer distance events. I've been stretched really thin for a long time and it's starting to take it's toll I guess. I just need to hang in there a little bit longer and then I can relax the reigns. I hate feeling like this. I need a cookie.

Here's some happy Vegas pictures...

The Strip

One of the many yummy dinners

My ridiculously hot Sis-in-law and I loose on the goose.

Ghost Bar... a little windy.

Last night

Monday
Took this day off. Despite downing 10-12 water bottles a day while in Vegas, that dry air did a number on me and I was terribly dehydrated. Okay, okay, maybe the vodka had a little something to do with it too :-)

Tuesday
I attempted an interval run which was a disaster but I ended the day on the CompuTrainer doing the Florida 70.3 course. I only had time for half the ride but I was pretty happy with it.
Run: 3 miles
Bike: 1.5 hours

Wednesday
Swim: 2300
Holy chlorine Batman! With this week being Spring Break for our local schools, the Y clearly wanted to prepare for all those little bladders. The chlorine was so bad that my eyes, nose and lips were stinging and my sinuses were still wrecked the next morning.

Thursday
Run: 6 miles
1 mile w/u, 5 miles @ 8:57

heading to the pool shortly...

Week #8 Review

2010-04-05T11:42:00.004-04:00

It’s been a little hard to concentrate with so much on my plate. There were a lot of small tasks that needed to be completed in a very short period of time. In the end, I was able to coordinate with the Easter bunny and get all the Easter goodies handled, make a trip to our fabulous International Plaza and finish up my last minute shopping as well as squeeze in some training. I realized that the schedule was just going to have to fall to the wayside this week – no need create additional stress for myself. It was a mild training week but I’m confident that I will be back on track next week. I actually left myself no choice for slacking and signed up for the IronGirl 15K which is the weekend after we return from Vegas. I don’t do well with too much idle time so I find that a tight schedule keeps me on track.

Tuesday
3 x 20 min bike/10 min run

Bike: 1 hour
Run: 30 minutes

Swim: 2500
500 easy
4 x 50 kick (ugh)
3 x 25 drill/25 pull/25 fast
3 x 400 (100 easy, 100 fast, 100 easy, 100 fast)
150 cool down

Wednesday
45 min ride
1 mile run @ 4.5% incline

Thursday
1 hour of Sunrise Yoga before we headed to the airport

Friday
Yes, that's right. I actually managed to squeeze in a run while we were in Vegas. We landed in Vegas Thursday afternoon and never missed a beat. We stayed up for just shy of 24 hours straight - it started with yoga and ended with too many hours of drinking, gambling and dancing to count. Thanks to our internal clocks, we slept for only 4 hours and then hit the strip for a 5 mile run. Not exactly my easiest run but 5 miles none-the-less.

Week #8 Totals:
Swim: 2500
Bike: 1:45
Run: 6.5 miles

1 month until 70.3

2010-03-30T13:32:00.004-04:00

Holy crap! It will be here before I know it!

March in review:
It's safe to say that this was not a great month of training for me.

March Goals:
1. One 14 mile run - this run was scheduled for Wednesday but I have a ton of last minute errands to run for our vacations. I thought about splitting it 7 miles in the morning and 7 miles in the evening but that seems kind of half assed. I'd rather push it back a week and do the full mileage at once.
2. PR at the Princess HM - DONE
3. 5K at 8:40 pace - DONE
4. Increase my bike time to 4 hours per week. - FAIL

Strengths:
1. Increased my base training pace to reflect my recent 5k PR.
2. More time on the bike (not goal amount) and my first out door ride.
3. Very comfortable with the swim.

Weaknesses:
1. Bike - I need to put in more time on the bike!
2. Strength training - I've been lazy with this

April Goals:
1. One 15 mile run
2. Increase bike time to 4 hours per week.
3. Incorporate one brick workout per week
4. 50 push ups, 50 sit ups, 5 minutes of planks EVERY DAY
5. Buy a bike computer
6. Buy new sunglasses

Week #7 Review

2010-03-30T13:18:00.004-04:00

Insanely busy! The Hubs took boy #1 to football camp in Orlando over the weekend so I was pretty busy with everything but training. Saturday was another fun installment of laundry, boy #2's basketball game, cleaning the house and some other quick errands. Easter weekend we are all heading out of town - just not together - so packing 5 people for 2 different destinations was quite a task. The kiddos are going on a cruise with their Nana and the Hubs and I will be with the rest of the sinners in Vegas! The Vegas trip was planned a while back and I thought Easter was the following weekend when I committed. I feel bad for missing Easter with my people but they seemed pretty psyched about cruising it.

I knew my long run was out on Saturday but had planned a nice long ride Sunday afternoon. Mother Nature, however, was in a bad mood that day and we were hit with a torrential downpour and thunderstorms. I couldn't even ride the trainer because it's hooked up to the electricity. Anyway, here's my embarrassing weekly round up...

Swim: 4300
Bike: 1.5
Run: 7.5

ugh.

2010-03-25T06:36:00.005-04:00

Wednesday evening I did the Spinerval 5.0 Mental Toughness DVD. It's 90 minutes of mostly tempo work. I like this video because it's one of the longer workouts but makes the hour and half go by seemingly fast.

Bike: 1.5

Thursday morning's run was comical at best. In just a mere 5 miles my iPod fell twice (the second time it almost took me with it), my pony tail fell out, my pants were falling down, both shoes came untied and I came very close to topping off this fumble-palooza with a puketastic finale. Thankfully, I managed to calm the tummy demons and finish the run without further incident. After I left though, I couldn't help but laugh as I made a mental summary of the run's mishaps. Good grief, that's a lot to deal with for only 5 miles!

Run: 5 @ 8:49

Tonight I mixed up the swim with a new workout. It was a nice change of pace and definitely more challenging than the usual swim.

Swim: 2300
600 easy

4 x 50 side kick

2 x (3 x 100)
-100s as follows:
(three in a row, no RI)
25 90% effort
25 85%
25 75%
25 65%

500 (250/250 negative splits)

300 cool down

The weather had warmed up to 70 degrees with 65% humidity and I was looking forward to very comfortable conditions for the swim. Unfortunately, the Y had other plans. Apparently, they can't heat both pools so they started heating the family pool instead of the lap pool. That's right, the outside temperatures finally increased and now the water temperature dropped. Oh well, cold is better than closed.

Snap out of it already!

2010-03-23T10:14:00.005-04:00

I was in a serious funk on Sunday which continued into Monday. Tuesday, I forced myself to get up at 4:30 to train and it was just what the doctor ordered! Sometimes you don't feel great because you're not training but you're not training because you don't feel great - it's tough to get out of that cycle. I think knowing how much better I feel when I exercise leaves me no excuses but to just get it done.

Tuesday's interval run was a doozy. It didn't help that I have been having sinus issues thanks to Spring allergies but I managed to sniffle my way through the workout.
The schedule called for 3 x (2 x 1200; 2:00 RI) @ 7:57 pace. What?! My eyes totally bugged out of my head when I saw that pace! It got even better when I realized the treadmill only hit 7:53 or 8:00. Great. I really struggled through this one but the book says that it's better to complete the whole workout and miss the pace than to finish only part of the workout on pace. So here's my less than stellar numbers...

Run: 7.5
1 mile warm up
1200 @ 7:53
1200 @ 8:00
1200 @ 8:00
1200 @ 8:06
1200 @ 8:06
1200 @ 8:13
.5 mile cool down (I ran out of time)

I wasn't able to run through the RI's so I made the most out of walking them and grabbed dumbbells to fit in some upper body work while I "recovered."

I fully anticipated Tuesday evening to be nuts because Hubs was busy so I had to manage all the after school shuffling by myself. To my complete surprise, the evening ended up being productive and fun for everyone! Plus I got to spend some much needed time with the people I made. Yes, I could just say "children" but I made three people and I'm going to brag about it as much as I can ;) Anyway, in just a mere two hours I picked up dinner from Publix (I know, I cheated but whatever), got boy # 2 to guitar lessons, shopped for new shoes for an upcoming trip with boy #1 and the girl in tow, got boy #2 to basketball while the girl played in the kids gym and boy #1 joined me for a swim. We were a little late to swim class but I managed to squeeze in 2000 before my time was up. It was a great evening and I'm completely out of my funk!

Swim: 2000
2 x 200 warm up
5 x 100 drills
-strong pull
-one arm
-finger drag
-sighting
-fists
Ladder
-25 sprint
-50 breast stroke (which I still can't do properly)
-75 drill
-100 steady
-200 race pace
... then back down the ladder
2 x 200

Week #6 Review

2010-03-20T09:43:00.010-04:00

Continuing with my race distance weekend, I completed the 13 mile run Saturday morning. We headed out extra early so it was very cold, very dark, very foggy and totally creepy. No one had a light so off we went into the dark abyss. I'm a total weenie when it comes to scary movies - I cover my eyes and ears like a 3 year old - so this morning's conditions had me a little spooked. Thank goodness the animals were smart enough to stay asleep because the sight of even a harmless bunny would have sent me into hysteria. The sun started to peek out just before the 5 mile mark and it was so nice to finally see our surroundings! This run felt much harder than I expected. Our initial goal was 13, then we decided to just do 10 but at mile 8, that little OCD monster within started nagging me about following the schedule so we tacked on the extra miles for 13. Those last two miles hurt everywhere and were the slowest miles of the run but I ended up with a 2:07:xx finish. I wasn't really paying attention to the pace but it turns out that it was right on point with my schedule.

Run: 13 miles

Sunday was the big bike ride but Mother Nature had other plans. The rain wasn't supposed to come through until noon but at 8:45 a.m. it was already drizzling at our house. I had been looking forward to the ride all week and couldn't bear the idea of 3 hours on the trainer. The cancelled bike ride ended up being a blessing in disguise, though. I was so worn out on Sunday. I wasn't sure if I was coming down with something or had just hit a "wall" but I spent as much time in bed as I could. I think my hectic schedule just caught up with me and I'm glad I listened to my body and rested. So much for my race distance weekend! Guess I'll have to try it another time.

Week #6 Review

Swim: 4950 yards
Bike: 0 (what is wrong with me?!)
Run: 25 miles

Really? ZERO bike time?! Pathetic.

Swim = Sleep

2010-03-19T09:29:00.003-04:00

I don't know about everyone else but swimming makes me more tired and more hungry than biking and running combined. Last night's swim kicked my butt and put an end to my sleep problems. Yay! I was dead to the world and it even took me a few minutes to figure out what day it was when my alarm went off this morning. Waking up disoriented with no alcohol involved - now that's some solid sleep!

Once I realized it was indeed Friday, I quickly put my swimsuit back on (it was still damp - ick) for another round in the pool. My brother-in-law, Chris, and I had planned a 70.3 race distance weekend to complete all three events in 3 days - starting with a swim this morning. I was feeling slightly fatigued from last night's swim so I decided to just swim easy and not at race pace like I had originally planned. Chris had a watch and clocked me at 45 minutes which is what I was expecting my race pace to be. So that time plus a few minutes for all the race day elements, less any time I shave off with two more months of training and 45 minutes looks pretty attainable.

Swim: 2340
200 warm up
2150 main set

That puts me at 4950 yards in 10 hours LOL

zzzzzzzzz...

2010-03-18T09:19:00.007-04:00

Another sleepless night. Nothing puts me in a bad mood faster than when my sleep is disturbed. How I made it through all those months of sleeping in 3 hour increments when my children were newborns is beyond me. Anyway, I managed to get up and to the gym about 10 minutes later than I had planed. Today's schedule called for a 7 mile run with 4 tempo miles. Good stuff. The first mile I was so grumpy I just wanted to scrap the whole run but I knew there was no other time to make it up. Besides, I was already up and on the damn treadmill - why stop now?! Thankfully, my pissy mood gave way to these rational thoughts and I was able to finish the run. The tempo pace was fine and didn't turn out to be the monster I had imagined. The second set was harder and mile 6 was a mental battle but that's what tempos are for :) Those cool down miles always seem to drag on so I couldn't resist speeding up just get it over with faster.

Run: 7 miles
1 mile easy @ 10:00
2 miles tempo @ 8:49
1 mile easy @ 10:00
2 miles tempo @ 8:49
1 mile easy @ 9:22

Nice swim tonight. Cold as a mo fo but what else is new, right? I wasn't feeling so well the first 10 minutes - I was having tummy issues and I felt like I just couldn't get enough air. Soon enough both problems subsided and I finished out a strong swim.

Swim: 2600
2 x 200 warm up
5 x 100 drills
Ladder
25 sprint/50/75 drill/100/200/300/200/100/75 drill/50/25 sprint
10 x 25 sprint/25 recovery

I would like my hour back please.

2010-03-17T09:42:00.003-04:00

I am having a really hard time with this time change and it doesn't make any sense. I get up between 4:30 and 5:00 every morning so the later sunrise shouldn't have any effect on me. I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights so maybe that's the problem. Whatever, the reason, hopefully, I'll feel better in the next day or two.

Hubs was busy with work the last couple days so I was on duty for all the kids activities. Monday's activities were crazy but last night's were at the Y so it worked in my favor - I had one kid volunteering, one at basketball practice and the little one in the play gym. I Love the Y! I didn't have enough time for swim class so I did my interval run for the week.

Run: 5 miles
1 mile warm up
6 x 400 @ 7:53; 1:30 RI
2:30 RI
6 x 400 @ 7:47; 1:30 RI
1 mile cool down

Like I've mentioned before, I am using the "Run Less, Run Faster" book for my running training. It consists of the FIRST program which bases your training schedule on your best 5k time. When I started my training, I knew I was a little faster that my most recent time of 27:38 from October so I guesstimated a 26:40 base time. Since I did most of the scheduled runs at a faster pace than prescribed, I decided I should switch my base numbers to the Armadillo 5k results of 25:43. Normally, I don't think it's a good idea to change things in the middle of training but it was probably a little too easy before. This interval run was my first go of it at the new pace and it felt really good. I was definitely struggling for each step of the last two 400s but I was able to run easy through the RI's instead of stopping or walking. That to me is a good indication that it's not too fast for me. Thursday's tempo is going to be the real test with a much faster pace.

Give away goodies

2010-03-16T12:51:00.004-04:00

One unexpected little issue with new bike is that my sunglasses interfere with my line of sight now that my position is a little more aggressive. So in addition to a new bike computer (I'm only using G-unit right now), I have to get new sunglasses. So color me excited when KC at 140 point 6 miles announced a Ryder sunglasses giveaway! Click HERE for more details and enter to win!

Week #5 Review

2010-03-15T10:08:00.004-04:00

Swim: 2300
Class #2 and make-up swim cancelled due to weather

Bike: 3.5 hours
Dammit! I still missed my 4 hour goal.

Run: 11 miles
Prescribed rest for interval and tempo runs for the week.

This is the third week in a row that I haven't met my goals and I'm really starting to panic. I can practically hear the clock ticking for the 70.3. The run and swim issues really annoy me because I had no control over them. Ugh.

Bike ride... OUTSIDE!

2010-03-14T14:02:00.008-04:00

Great ride today! This was my first solo ride outdoors in a very long time. Normally, I love having company but this two hour excursion alone was wonderfully peaceful. It was nice to get away from the noise and needs of everything and everyone - like a new version of a Calgon moment :)

It was one of the more eventful rides I've had. For starters, it was my longest ride to date - 36 miles. This milestone is actually more concerning than exciting considering the 70.3 is less than 2 months away. I also had my first fall. Well, more like a topple. I came to an intersection, un-clipped my left foot and slowed my roll. A semi was the only vehicle I was waiting on so I didn't plan to stop completely. I continued to roll, looked at the ground ahead of me and at the same time "Mr. Funny Guy Truck Driver" thought it was a good idea to honk as he drove under the overpass. Semi horns are loud enough as is but the added echo from the overpass startled me and I shifted my weight to my right side - still clipped - and over I went. It was so stupid I actually laughed out loud - that was the only moment I wished I had company to laugh with. I smacked my knee on the pavement but what really hurt was my girlie part hitting the frame. It's a good thing I'm done having kids because I'm pretty sure it's broken. Thankfully, no harm done to my bike, though, and that's all that really matters. The final noteworthy event happened just 20 yards after the "fall" when I noticed 2 pit bulls, unleashed and unsupervised, on the trail. Very bad images came to my mind as I got closer but hall-e-freaking-lujah they didn't even so much as look my way.

It was a nice steady ride and I enjoyed the new scenery. There was a hellacious crosswind the whole ride and it wasn't until the turn around to head south that I realized it was a northeast wind. My average speed was 18.9 mph but that also included 3 intersections, two photo ops and one water refill. So my guess is that I rode at around 19.5 which is an improvement for me, especially considering the distance. I'm amazed at the difference a proper fit makes for comfort and efficiency. My legs felt really good after the ride now that I am working less and getting greater output. No more buyer's remorse fo sho! The only issue I had was the last 3 miles where my neck/upper back started to bother me. I'm still not used to the more aggressive position yet but that will just take some time. I will post the photos from my ride later in the week, I am currently having computer issues.

Bike: 36 miles (1:55:23)

I got home and finished up all my Cinderella chores (laundry, changing sheets/making beds, grocery shopping and making dinner) then headed out for my scheduled long run for the week. And yes, I realize the chiro told me to take a week off from running but I just interpreted it as "business week" to fit my purposes. The first mile was uncomfortable and I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish the scheduled 8 but soon after I found my rhythm. It certainly wasn't a fast run and again the wind was irritating but I was glad to put the miles in.

Run: 8 @ 9:22

ARMADILLO RUN 5K RACE REPORT

2010-03-13T11:08:00.008-05:00

Leland & I after the race

Kristine & I with our hardware

What a great way to start my weekend! Gorgeous weather, beautiful course, wonderful friends, lots of smiling faces and a PR to boot! After two miserable days of rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes and more rain we were treated to glorious blue skies and perfect 70 degree weather. My boot camp buddie, Kristine, joined Leland and I for the race. She swears she's not a runner but after only 4 months of running she crushed today's race with a 25:3x time and took 1st in our age group. It was her second 5k race ever. Um, yeah... you ARE a runner now. Leland had a rough go of it this morning by his standards but clocking a 26 minute 5k with NO training in over a month isn't too shabby. He also missed the 5k turn around and went almost a quarter mile extra.

Today's 5k was my first 5k only race since October of 2009 in which I ran a 27:38. I was excited for this race because I knew a PR was within reach but I wasn't sure what pace to aim for. I decided that 8:20 seemed like a reasonable "comfortably hard" pace to maintain for 3 miles. It turns out that was a pretty conservative guess.

Splits according to G-unit:

1 - 8:09

2 - 8:13

3 - 8:09

3.17 in 25:56

I'm not sure what my official chip time was but I think I read 25:43 on the clock.

Here we go again...

2010-03-12T10:54:00.005-05:00

Thursday's swim was cancelled due to thunderstorms. This is where an indoor pool would really come in handy. Swimming outside in the cold weather is unpleasant but at least I can still swim. The real issue is the Florida thunderstorms - the slightest indication of lightning and the pool is closed. I'm grateful that I got a full month of swims in before the first weather cancellation, though. Once summer is in full swing and our "afternoon showers" are back, it's really a struggle to stay on schedule. I planned to make up the swim this morning but guess what... more rain. I'm hoping that the rain will let up enough for an evening swim because there won't be a chance to make it up this weekend. *fingers crossed*

On a happier note, I just realized that I PR'd the Princess HM. I shaved 16 minutes off my first HM race that was just four months ago! Loving the FIRST program!

I feel like the Tinman

2010-03-10T20:56:00.009-05:00

Monday I got the girl back and she was looking all sexy with in her new Dura Ace ensemble. I couldn't very well ignore her so I hopped on for an easy hour ride. My legs were ridiculously sore after the Princess HM. I think being stiff from standing around in the cold as well as the "off roading" I did really did a number on me. I've never been this sore after any of our Saturday long runs. In addition to muscle fatigue, my left hip and right knee were in pain. Thankfully, this can be traced back to my hips being out of alignment (again!). The chiro gave me a small lift to put in my right shoe to help even everything out so as I strengthen the necessary muscles they will keep the bones in the right place. They are so used to being in the wrong place they just slip right back. He also noticed some swelling in my right knee and suggested that I take the week off of running all together. I wasn't very happy with the prescribed rest but better safe than sorry.

Bike: 60 minutes

Tuesday I incorporated some lower body strength training (finally) and I don't think I could run after that if I had to. I was very lazy about the strength training during my first month of training despite knowing it's importance for remaining injury free. *tsk, tsk* Swim class went well. It took me longer than usual to find my rythm but it was still a good swim. My 11 year old joined us in the pool and did a great job keeping up. He completed his first 500 set and was pretty stoked. I think this tri season will be so much better for him now that he's more comfortable in the water.

Swim: 2300

500 warm up

5 x 100 drills

Ladder (500)

10 x 25 sprint/25 RI

Favorite 50s x 6

Week #4 Review

2010-03-10T20:49:00.004-05:00

This week started off strong but went downhill rather quickly.

Swim - 3000

Missed a swim class because the pool heater was broke

Bike - 2.25 hours

The girl was in the shop for her Dura Ace makeover

Run - 20.1

Life got in the way and the tempo run was sacrificed

I'm very disappointed.

PRINCESS HALF MARATHON RACE REPORT

2010-03-09T13:15:00.016-05:00

2010 Finishers!

The family made a surprise appearance! Thanks Hubs

Princess Avery wore her costume to the race.

Only 10 more years until she and I can do it together

I haven't really wanted to post about the HM because I was pretty disappointed in it. This is actually my second attempt at blogging about it since the first attempt was too long and too negative - I sounded like a little brat stomping my feet and making a pouty face. So here are the highlights and low downs in a short and sweet summary...

The good

1. The medal
2. More than enough port-o-pottys
3. Great entertainment at every mile
4. Nice weather once we actually started running
5. No lines at packet pick up

The not-so-good:
1. The bib was not personalized with "Princess Teresa" or the princess of my choice -even though I signed up in time.

2. The expo was a crowded mess.

3. The official merchandise was by Champion, 100% cotton and the designs were lame. The shirt's were awful, there were no hats, and the only other merch was a coffee mug or some tiny martini glass. Really? Not a single product that you might actually use for running.

4. They had nothing for the 5k runners. I'm ashamed that I didn't notice this but some of my friends that did the 5K pointed out that every product said "half marathon" on it. No shirts or merchandise for the 5K, not even a shirt that said "Princess Weekend."

5. The "value" resort. Just shoot me next time. Spring breakers yelling from balcony to balcony
and running up and down the halls. I only got two hours of sleep.

6. The corrals. I know for a fact that some of the people in Corral A should not have been there because I was passing them and I started almost 30 minutes after them. I was actually assigned Corral A but Christy and Dana were put in the last group in Corral E. I'm assuming since we all entered the same finish time during registration that they just registered too late. My intention for this whole race was to run it together and have fun so staying in Corral A was not an option for me. Back to E we went and froze our asses off for the next 90 minutes. I will be the first to admit that I love running in this cold weather but standing in those temps for that long was painful. It was not a manageable cold either. My muscles were stiff, my hands and feet were numb and shivering was expending precious energy and calories. Once we finally got started, I didn't have feeling in my feet until mile 3 but after that the weather felt perfect.

7. Walkers. Walkers have just as much right to be in that race as the 6 minute mile runners. However, there is no excuse for walking 4 across and taking up the entire course. Walkers should ALWAYS be in the last corrals. I ran at least 6 miles of the run in the grass on the side of the course. There was a moment that I realized the entire course was walkers and runners were in the grass on both sides of the course trying to run. Since we started last and had over 10,000 runners ahead of us, the run did not thin out until mile 10. Just in time for the three overpasses so I didn't get to pick up as much speed as I hoped.

8. "It's just around the corner!" Actually, no it wasn't. The last mile seemed endless. Everyone kept yelling that the finish was just around the corner so I would push hard, round the corner and see more course. I counted 6 corners before I actually saw the finish.

Overview:
It was another run with my girls which is always a plus and I'm glad I experienced it. If you asked me the day of the race if I would do it again, you would've gotten a resounding "no!" Today, I'm not sure. I would like to try it again under better circumstances - better hotel for sure and another early registration to guarantee Corral A. I think it would have been a completely different experience from Corral A. I loved the entertainment at every mile and running through the castle which is unique only to Disney. I have some time before I have to decide so we'll see...

Results:
Time - 2:08:42 (Garmin time which I stopped for the potty break - 2:06:28)
Overall Place - 1,791 out of 10,905
Age place - 350 out of 1,895

Splits: clearly we had a hard time keeping a steady pace)
1- 10:35 (these first two miles were so frustrating)

2- 10:11

3- 9:19

4- 9:23

5- 9:19

6- 10:04 (we all took a potty break)

7- 9:16

8- 9:37

9- 9:12

10- 9:24

11- 9:25

12- 9:19

13- 9:13

Oops! I forgot to tag people...

2010-03-09T10:08:00.002-05:00

Will the following bloggers please stand up...

Shannon's Running
Tri Training with Christy
Running with Jenny
Run Momma Run
Speed Vegan
Amber on the Run
Caratunk Girl

You, my friends, have been selected to share 10 random things about yourself! Now get to gettin :)

All my other fav blogs were already tagged so check out the "Blogs I follow" on my profile for their great posts.

Randoms!

2010-03-04T20:28:00.016-05:00

Last week I was tagged to post 10 random things about myself by KC at 140 point 6 miles These are always fun posts to read on other blogs so I quickly started to think of 10 randoms about me.

1. I hate coffee. I can't stand the smell and have never had a sip.

2. I became a certified S.C.U.B.A. diver at 12 years old which is ironic considering I am terrified of the ocean today. I grew up in San Diego (I know, be jealous) and dove a lot of great spots in the area, including the kelp beds, with my dad who was a Dive Master. Once we moved to Florida, we dove in the Keys only twice and that was was it. It's a good thing I did this when I was young and naive because the thought of the kelp beds now sends shivers up my spine and brings the Jaws music to my mind. Diving soon gave way to fishing which inadvertently led to my complete and utter fear of the water. I know the exact moment that changed it all - Tarpon fishing in the Boca Grande pass... in a flats boat. A flats boat in that deep, dark water felt like we were in a canoe and the the sight of countless Tarpon rolling within arms reach and knowing there were hammerheads bigger than our boat waiting to feast on these beauties sealed the deal.

3. My greatest memory of my childhood is Glamis. For those of you who know, enough said. For those who don't, words will never do it justice. There is so much to share and I could literally write about this for hours but to save us both the time, click here for more information and don't skip the intro...

4. I got my motorcycle license at 17. Probably not a surprise after the previous post.

5. I've never been to Europe.

6. I have never been athletic. I did not play sports growing up - sports that involve a ball put me at risk for hurting myself or those around me, I once fought an exercise ball in a narrow hallway and lost, team sports are a nightmare for me and it took me 10 years and several failed attempts to become the mid pack runner I am today.

7. I'm terrified of the Skyway Bridge. It combines my mild fear of heights with my paralyzing fear of deep water. I've been over it once in the 19 years I've lived here and just thinking about it makes my hands sweat.

8. I didn't realize I have been in Florida for 19 years until that last comment. I'm not sure what's worse, the fact that I have been in Florida longer than I was in San Diego or that I can reference my life in 20 year increments.

9. I love being alone. Don't get me wrong, I love being with my friends and family but I also love complete silence. I love being in the car by myself and my thoughts. I love having the house to myself with no TVs on and the phone ringer off. I could go all day and never speak a word.

10. I thought Triathlons would cure my fear of the ocean. You know, that whole "face your fears" gimmick. Turns out it doesn't work.

Has it really been a week since my last post?!

2010-03-04T10:18:00.005-05:00

I have so much blogging to catch up on! Wednesday I finally got some much needed time on my bike - yay! I did the Spinerval 5.0, a 90 minute workout full of tempos, sprints, squats (yes, squats) and more tempos. Great workout and I finished it off with a 1 mile run just to shake my legs out.

Bike: 1.5 hours
Run: 1 mile

I woke up Thursday morning with some pretty sore legs so I decided to move my tempo to the evening workout and hit Sunrise yoga to start my day. I was SO HAPPY that the music was changed. No more Dave Matthews Band - it was all soothing yoga music to my ears!

My evening workout ended up being a disaster. Taking kids to activities cut out time for my tempo. Not to panic, I figured since my long run for the weekend was Sunday for the Princess HM, I could still do the tempo Friday sometime. Disaster #1 averted. I headed to the pool only to find two people swimming - one in a full wetsuit. Seeing the confusion on my face, the lifeguard told me the pool heater broke earlier in the week but was now fixed. Unfortunately, the water hadn't warmed up all that much yet and was only 70 degrees. 70 degree pool water + 48 degree outside temperature + no sunshine = a HELL TO THE NO on the swim. Crap. That was the first swim I have missed since I started training. True to my OCD nature, I was having a terrible time accepting the tarnished record. I realize I could have gotten into the water because technically it was "safe" to swim in those conditions but it just had bad idea written all over it. It was not worth the risk of getting sick.

Yoga: 1 hour
Swim: missed

Friday morning I wasn't feeling so well so the tempo got pushed back once again to the evening workout. Unfortunately, Friday night I had to work late so no tempo for me. My bike went to the St. Pete Bicycle and Fitness for her Dura Ace makeover which meant no more rides for the week. Funny how my training was so strong the beginning of the week and then just fell apart by the end. Ugh.

I think Mother Nature hates us...

2010-03-02T20:43:00.008-05:00

This weather needs to make up it's damn mind. I still haven't gotten my new bike outside yet! So it was another trainer ride Monday with a short, easy ride. Nothing special, just spinning the legs after the race.

Bike: 45 minutes

Even though the 15k was faster pace than my schedule called for, it was right on point with my mileage for the Saturday long run. The same can be said for this weekend's Princess HM - the races are not the goal, just a stepping stone to the 70.3. Thankfully, my hip pain from Gasparilla was gone by Monday and I could keep my runs this week right on schedule. Today's interval run seemed especially daunting but I managed to complete it. I'm just glad it's over and that I only have a short tempo to deal with on Thursday. After that, I'll be able to focus on enjoying my girls trip to Disney to conquer my second HM race. And I do mean conquer!

Run: 6 miles
1 mile warm up
6 x 800 @ 4:00
1 mile cool down

Pretty stiff pace for these and I was holding steady for the first 4. Thankfully, I had company at intervals 5 and 6 and the distraction made them much easier.

Tonight's swim was another ridiculously cold swim but this time we were treated to gale force winds. It was so cold that halfway through class we were down to only 5 people from the 10 that started and the instructor cut the class 15 minutes short. Since my son was still at basketball practice, I continued to swim after everyone left. I'm sure the poor lifeguard bundled up in the parka was praying I would cramp up and get out ☺ The decision to keep swimming paid off and I completed my first 3000 swim! Woohoo! It feels like I get my groove around 1800 and then I pick up the pace and feel like I could swim forever.

500 warm up
5 x 100 drills
900 ladder (100/200/200/200/100)
10 x 50 (25 fast/25 easy)
600 steady

Only 45 minutes on the bike so far, not really a dent in my 4 hour goal. Plus I will be at Disney this weekend which eliminates another opportunity for a long ride. Crap. Looks like tomorrow and Friday have to be long trainer workouts. Good times.

2 months until 70.3

2010-03-02T11:28:00.006-05:00

February in review:

February Goals:
1. Two 12 mile runs - DONE!
2. PR at Gasparilla 15K - DONE!
3. 5K at 8:40 pace - didn't find a 5k to do but have signed up for the Armadillo 5k on 3/13
4. Follow my schedule - DONE! I feel like I have followed my schedule to the best of my ability. I missed one swim class for my son's birthday dinner, made all my runs, and did what I could on the bike with the issues I was having.

Strengths:
1. Feeling much better during and after the long runs - not nearly as sore or tired.
2. Running consistency is paying off and I am slowly chipping away at my pace.
3. Completed my first race distance swim and had energy left for more.

Weaknesses:
1. Bike - I need to put in more time on the bike!
2. Strength training - I've been lazy with this

March Goals:
1. One 14 mile run
2. PR at the Princess HM
3. 5K at 8:40 pace
4. Increase my bike time to 4 hours per week.

Week #3 Review

2010-03-02T11:04:00.005-05:00

Another great week but I still need to get my biking on track. I am way under where my training should be at this point and I'm running out of time. I feel like I have made headway with running and swimming which is great but most of the race is spent on the bike! It's time to make some goals for the bike; that seems to be what keeps me on track...

Week's totals:
Swim - 4950
Bike - 1:45
Run - 22.3

GASPARILLA DISTANCE CLASSIC 15K RACE REPORT

2010-02-27T14:52:00.013-05:00

The Gasparilla 15K is my favorite race of the year! It was my first race (2008) and it's always the kick-off race to my season! I highly recommend the Gasparilla Distance Classic to everyone - it is incredibly organized, the courses are great, the expo is awesome, the sponsors are top notch and the "booty bags" are the best by far!

My favorites of the day:
-National Anthem, gets me every time
-Watching the wheelchair athletes barrel past us on their return
-Seeing the seeded runners absolutely tear it up, the first guy was on his way back just as I hit mile THREE. Ridiculous.
-The turnaround, it always brings me a renewed energy
-The pacer, I accidentally fell into a pace group and it worked out really well!
-The weather! Overcast so no sun in my face, perfect 45* running temp, no rain and minimal wind
- Mr. Bayshore homeowner for bringing out his stereo with great music, thank you!
-LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MY FIRST FRIENDLY FACES OF THE RACE, DAVID (STRIDER KING) AND DOUGIE CHEERING FOR ME AT THE FINISH... how was that David?

Race deets:
Just as I was about to leave the house to get Christy, she texted me saying she couldn't go because her daughter was too sick. I completely understood but it took me a second to digest the fact that I would be totally alone for the race. I don't mind racing solo, I've done it many times before but she's been my running/race partner for so many months now it was a little strange to go without her.

Everything from that moment on went as smoothly as I could have ever hoped, though. I got to the Tampa Convention Center in great time, didn't get lost (which I tend to do downtown), waited briefly to park in the parking garage and got a space right up front. I escaped all my logistical nightmares. After a quick potty break, I headed to the start to stretch and warm up. It was 6:40 by this time so I had 25 minutes to hang out. I ended up positioning myself way too close to the start and by the time I realized I was out of place with the fast folks, it was too late. Before I knew it, we were off!

As usual, I had trouble finding my pace the first mile. I was hoping that I could pull off a 9:20 pace, maybe even a 9:15 if I was feeling really good. I kept going too fast too soon and my legs were just not cooperating with me. I continued to struggle finding my pace through mile 2 and then the 9:00 MM pacer came up behind me (yeah, BIG indication I was too close to the start line). I've never run with a pacer but decided it couldn't hurt me since I was having such a hard time settling in. I figured at least she would slow me down and as long as I kept her in sight, I would be in the 9:15-9:20 range.

We hit the turnaround and I was feeling really good. I debated on whether I wanted to deal with fueling and came to the conclusion that a lot can happen in 3 miles so I better prepare for the ugly. I was able to hold onto the pacer, thanks to Mr. Hottie Stetson Law grad in front of me providing the view (sorry Hubs but desperate times...). He dropped off at mile 7 and I pulled ahead of the pacer. Everything was awesome until mile 8.5. I was definitely feeling the faster pace and fatigue was starting to weigh down on me. Out of nowhere, my left hip starting bothering me. It kind of pissed me off. I mean, seriously, I have never had an issue with my left hip and now it starts acting up? No, not happening. The wind started to pick up a bit around that point but I held my pace the best I could. I saw the finish and barely had enough oomph to pick up the last 200 meters. That's when I knew I had run my hardest. I picked up my fabulous medal and walked to the "bridge of booty" for water, chocolate milk, bananas, apples, smoothies and all the other post race goodies provided. After I stretched, I checked G-Unit and almost fell over when I realized I squeaked by with a sub-9:00 pace! I realize this is nothing impressive in the grand scheme of the running world but it's a big deal to me.

Last year's time was 1:31:28. My goal this year was to finish in 1:28:xx so I was totally stoked to shave 7:40 minutes off my PR for a 1:23:44 finish. One second slower and I would've finished with 12345! I am very happy with my performance and proud to know that my consistent training is really starting to pay off. It should also be said that without any of my girls with me, it was the quietest I have ever been on a run. I literally spoke two words the entire race ("Oops, sorry" when another girl and I merged into each other) so my pace may be directly linked to how much I run my mouth. Interesting.

Run: 9.3 @ 8:58
1 - 8:51
2 - 9:05
3 - 9:07
4 - 9:10
5 - 8:54
6 - 8:59
7 - 8:45
8 - 8:45
9 - 8:56

After looking at the splits, it's hard not to regret slowing down the first half. I just need to remind myself that it was what I thought was best at the time.

2010-02-26T09:33:00.004-05:00

Just an FYI to all my friends in Bloggerland - while I was trying my best not to work while at work I stumbled upon an awesome give away at The Happy Runner Giveaways & Reviews blog. I don't know about you but I could live off of eggs! They are quick and easy to prepare and packed full of all the goodies my body needs. Eggland's Best happens to be my favorite brands and thanks to the The Happy Runner, we have the chance to win a 3 month supply of these little yummies! Click here to read all about the superior quality of Eggland's Best and find out how to enter to win this eggcellent giveaway. And if you win, feel free to throw an egg at me for actually using "eggcellent." Good luck!

f-f-f-reezing swim

2010-02-26T07:05:00.008-05:00

Another frigid swim. The pool is heated to 85 (so they say) but the outside temperature was 48 so unless the pool is 90, it's a cold ass swim in my opinion. I was so cold that I didn't think I was going to make it through the whole class. During my warm up my teeth were chattering and my body was so tense my shoulders felt like they were in my ears. Since it was so cold, the instructor told us just to swim as far as we could until the end of class. My brother-in-law (who did the Florida 70.3 last year and is doing it again this year and has become my training partner/friendly competition) suggested we do 40 laps steady. So off we went. It was the longest continuous swim I've done and it was a great test of my focus. Around lap 15 I was getting bored and slowed down a bit. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish all 40 but by lap 25, a switch suddenly flipped. I was energized and tore through the rest of the workout - I even sped up significantly the last 5 laps. I felt great at the end and we finished off another 3 laps to complete the race distance. I was pleased (and surprised) by my endurance and the swim gave me new found confidence for race day. Now I know that if I had to race tomorrow, I could not only finish the swim but do pretty well.

Swim: 2450

Oh and the best part is that when I got home at 8:30 last night, all the kids were taking showers so there was no hot water left for me. Now I know why some animals eat their young.

Introducing...

2010-02-24T05:55:00.018-05:00

MY ORBEA ORDU!

*cue the angel's singing*

Thanks to Mark and all the folks at St. Pete Bicycle and Fitness for their top notch service! They have an awesome shop on 4th Street that is open 7 days a week - if you're in the area, be sure to check them out.

Bike deets:

Frame: Orbea Ordu

Fork: Orbea Ordu

Crank: Shimano Dura-Ace 53x39

Headset: 1-1/8 Integrated

Handlebar: Cobra Wing T2+ Cobra

Stem: Zeus C3 Carbon

Shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace Barend

Brake Levers: Shimano BL-TT78

Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace

Rear Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace

Front Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace

Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace

Wheels: Reynolds Assault

Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace 12-25

Tires: Vittoria Rubino Pro

Seatpost: Orbea Ordu 74/76 Degree

Seat: ISM Adamo Gel Road

I know I'm a little biased but isn't it gorgeous?! The picture doesn't do the matte carbon finish any justice - it's very stealth looking in person. I opted out of the Reynold's Strike wheels mainly because I'm a wuss. Mark said that any crosswinds would be pretty noticeable with the Strikes so I figured I have enough to get used to with the lighter, stiffer frame, new aero position and more aggressive positioning - no need to push my luck. Besides, that's an easy upgrade once I get more comfortable. Now for the really important issues: aesthetics! I'm torn because I really love it completely blacked out but part of me wants to add some tri-a-licious flare - pink brake cables, pink wheel stripe and maybe some pink grip tape to match my helmet pictured below. I just don't want it to look tacky. I'm taking it in next week for the Dura Ace makeover so I need to figure out what I want. Decisions, decisions...

A hit and a miss...

2010-02-23T14:38:00.016-05:00

Tuesday's interval run was a definite miss in my book. The bike ride the night before completely took the snap out of my legs for this run and they felt heavy and stiff. I managed to complete the workout but my times were off.

Run: 6 miles
1 mile warm up
2 x 1200 2 RI @ 6:11
-6:13
-6:08
4 x 800 2 RI @ 4:02
-4:10
-4:01
-4:14
-4:18
1 mile cool down

The weather warmed up and it was a beautiful 70 degrees right up until I needed to swim. Then the temperature seemed to drop about 20 degrees within an hour. Real funny, Mother Nature. I got there a few minutes early hoping to add some distance to my swim and get closer to 3000. Since I can't quite figure out how to add an additional swim to my already jam packed training week, I might as well make my existing swims longer.

Swim: 2500
700 warm up
5 x 100
500 ladder
200/100 easy/200
200 - 50 favorites

The class was crowded and I ended up having to share the lane with 2 other folks which is fine if those folks don't happen to be a chick from the swim team and a man with 20 years of swimming under his belt. It took everything I had not to get lapped and my form started to suffer. I was too tense and rushed so next time I'll just move my happy ass to the slow lane where I belong.

Wednesday was a short easy ride, nothing exciting. I was just trying to keep moving without my legs falling off.

Bike: 45 minutes

I hit my pace on today's tempo run right on the money. Yes, it was a tedious 7 mile tempo on the dreadmill but I did exactly the pace my schedule instructed. Even the easy pace which was mind-numbing.I didn't think the last mile would ever end.

Run: 7 miles
1 mile easy @ 10:30
2 miles @ 9:05
1 mile easy @ 10:30
2 miles @ 9:05
1 mile easy @ 10:30

Swim later tonight...

Inaugural ride

2010-02-23T14:09:00.005-05:00

It was on the trainer but in my mind, it still counts. I did a 60 minute Spinerval DVD that included a 20 minute timed trial. Yowza! Any buyer's remorse I was having about the new bike went ride out the door after this workout! I don't have any computers set up on the bike yet but I know for a fact that I rode stronger. It's amazing how different everything is when you have the proper set up on the bike. I felt much more powerful from start to finish. After the ride, I jumped on the mill and it was "Hello Legs! Where did you come from?!" There was still a bit of gumby legs going on but nothing like I usually experience. The greatest gift for me, however, came this morning. Normally after a ride, I wake up the next morning with a stiff, achy neck and shoulder area but this morning... nothing! *sigh of relief* I am so happy with my new bike and I can't wait to get her outside!

Bike: 1 hour

At the end of the DVD, Coach Troy mentions that the next day should be a rest day due to the difficulty of this workout. This should make tomorrow's interval run pretty interesting.

Week #2 Review

2010-02-20T10:42:00.010-05:00

AMAZING run on Saturday! Thank goodness, too, because I needed to start noticing some progress. The first couple miles had me concerned because they had just done a controlled burn in the park and the smoldering ashes and smoke were affecting my sinuses. Thankfully, it didn't last much further than 2 miles. For the entire first half of the run, I had to keep reigning us in on the pace as we kept speeding up. Once we hit the turnaround point, I just let us run whatever as long as it wasn't too slow. That was certainly not a problem! By the last 2 miles we were running sub-9s and I was questioning my scheduled pace. The schedule calls for 10:05 pace for my long runs so I'm already running them much faster than I should. That burst the last two miles was a good indication that I should be able to speed up the overall pace. Feeling good about a PR for Gasparilla!

Run: 12 miles @ 9:18
1 - 9:29
2 - 9:32
3 - 9:24
4 - 9:26
5 - 9:24
6 - 9:25
7 - 9:19
8 - 9:16
9 - 9:12
10- 9:21
11- 8:59
12- 8:46

Overall, it was just an odd training week. I had to juggle things around a lot and I didn't get to train as much as I had planned. Those weeks are going to happen every now and then but the key is recover quickly. My runs were solid, my swim and bike suffered but I am confident I will be back on track for week #3.

Swim: 1800
Bike: 1 hr
Run: 25 miles

Bike drama

2010-02-20T10:42:00.009-05:00

I've had my Trek Equinox since summer 2008 and she's been like another baby to me. I'm not sure if all triathletes feel this way about their bikes (based on the investment cost, I suspect they do) but I am pretty emotionally attached to mine. Which made my first experience back on the bike for this season so disheartening. I was incredibly uncomfortable with my current set up and it didn't even feel like my bike anymore. After visiting a couple bike shops and spending hours trying to adjust my bike accordingly, it became very clear that my precious Trek was too big for me.

I am 5'11" and it's a 58 which seemed like a good match. It was a gift so I wasn't there for the purchase to try it out not that it would've made much of a difference anyway. At the time, I really didn't know much about riding tri bikes, or riding in general, so the ill-fitting set up wouldn't have been noticeable to me. My expertise on the subject hasn't improved all that much but at least now I know how I'm comfortable and how to get the most out of the bike. It was a bittersweet moment when I realized I needed to buy a new bike. On one hand, I was very excited for a shiny new toy but on the other hand, I felt incredibly guilty. I told my husband it was like the Trek was my starter wife and I traded her in for a younger, hotter model! Way hotter. The purchase has been made so there's no turning back now. Deets and photos to follow...

Any guesses on the new ride?

I need a wife

2010-02-18T09:49:00.005-05:00

Seriously, I do. And I say that with the utmost respect. Up until, April 2009, I was a housewife for my entire adult life and it was a role I relished. It was incredibly fullfilling and rewarding and I look forward to a time when I can return to my former life. But back to my point... I need a wife to handle all my chores so I can find some time for my poor neglected blog. I started this blog to keep track of my training but once a week posts are not cutting it. Here's my week so far:

MONDAY
Bike: 1 hr
Run: 1 mile

TUESDAY
Did not feel well so I opted out of the interval run and then ended up missing the swim in order to celebrate a birthday dinner for my son.

WEDNESDAY
Made up the interval run and then some. Schedule called for 3 x 1600 @ 8:22 but I added an extra 1600. I am getting so sick of being slow, not just slow, but the only slow one. I am always the weak link of the group and I'm over it.

Run: 6 miles
1 mile warm up @ 10:00
4 x 1600 @ 8:19; 2 min RI
1 mile cool down @ 9:13

This was a toughy but it's funny how easy it made the 9:13 feel.

THURSDAY
Schedule has longer tempo runs for the next few weeks which I can't squeeze in before my evening swims. For these instances, I will replace Sunrise Yoga with the tempo and be sure to make yoga after the Saturday long runs. I decided that making yoga a regular post-long run occurrence wasn't really working for me. I'd rather make it an option. In the end, it will work out to one yoga class per week which I feel is sufficient.

Run: 6 miles
6 miles @ 9:22

Swim: 1800
Not a stellar swim. I was late to class and couldn't make up enough time to fit the set of 500. I just wasn't feeling this class. It was cold and I never felt warmed up. Plus my lane sucked and it's one thing to be arm to arm with other swimmers when you are going the same direction, it's an entirely different experience when they are coming at you. That's what I get for being late

2x200 warm up
3 x 200 build
500 drills
favorite 50s (350)

FRIDAY
rest

The bike is pitiful this week but that's a whole different post :(

Weather woes?

2010-02-13T10:34:00.015-05:00

Great long run on Saturday. It was a chilly morning, mid 30s, but by mile 3, I was down to a t-shirt, capri pants, ear covers and mittens. I know the folks north of us are sick of the snow and I feel for you but in all honesty, I am grateful for the snow. Soon enough you all will have wonderful spring weather and comfortable summer heat - two things which do not exist in Florida. With each new snowstorm comes the knowledge that we will have one more week of perfect running weather. I absolutely love running in these temps and just thinking about the impending summer heat and humidity is enough to make me cry. If we could ease into it that would be bearable but the humidity is always an overnight transition. One day you wake up and there it is... 90% humidity weighing you down and making the air too thick to breathe. I just hope it holds off until after the Princess Half.

I was glad to have another 12 miler under my belt and very relieved that it was a strong run. There is only one more long run before my back to back race weekends - the Gasparilla 15K 2/27 and Princess HM 3/6 - so a good run was key for me mentally. I'm was hoping that my pace would be a little faster at this point but we hit the 15k mark of the run at 128:09 which would still give me a PR.
The improvement is small but I'll take what I can get. I've decided not to put any expectations on the Princess HM. The Women's Running HM was a miserable race for me so I'm just hoping not to struggle as much this time around. Although my training is focused solely on the 70.3, I hope that the HM training I have completed to this point has better prepared me than the last HM.

I opted out of yoga after the run due to some nasty blisters. That's what I get for choosing my socks in the dark - lesson learned. I also needed the extra time to prepare the house for my son's Black Belt promotion party!

Run: 12 miles @ 9:31
1 - 9:38
2 - 9:18
3 - 9:21
4 - 9:23
5 - 9:32 fueled
6 - 9:33
7 - 9:32
8 - 9:35
9 - 9:30
10- 9:34
11- 9:36
12- 9:44

I am very pleased with how consistent we ran. I knew the first few miles were too fast and next weekend I will be sure to pay more attention. Clearly, I was losing steam at the end but I didn't slow as much as it felt like I had.

A threesome, music and memory loss.

2010-02-11T13:27:00.016-05:00

This morning's sunrise; starting my day early and seeing this always make me feel like I get to open a gift before everyone else.

It's "Threesome Thursday" again (yoga, tempo run, swim) and that means my favorite training day of the week has arrived! Sunrise yoga this morning didn't get off on a high note but all was well in the end. For starters, I was excited to use my brand new, CLEAN, yoga mat only to have a Y member enter the room and WALK ACROSS MY MAT WITH HER SHOES ON! Oh no, you di'int! Seriously, who does that?! I don't care how old you are or how early in the morning it is, you can clearly see a hot pink rectangle on a white floor. The next assault on my nerves was the soundtrack... don't get me wrong, I really like the instructor and she does a truly, wonderful job. Her music choice, however, leaves something to be desired. I don't really care for the Dave Matthews Band. In fact, I can't stand their music. At all. Whining and mumbling are not singing to me. Take it one step further and make it a live soundtrack with an audience applauding and yelling every two and half minutes and it's not exactly conducive to a calm and peaceful yoga environment. Thankfully, I only have to suffer for about 20 minutes before there are better songs. I realize you can't please everyone all of the time but it has been the same soundtrack 4 times in a row now. I will gladly pay for a new CD. Namaste.

Rushed home after work and got to the Y just in time to fit in my tempo run. After mile 1, it occurred to me that my bathing suit was still hanging up in the bathroom - forgotten item #1. Yeah, that complicates the swim. Thankfully, it was Hubs to the rescue! That wonderful man loaded up three kiddos to bring me my suit ♥ My focus went back to my tempo run and the realization that I didn't refill my water - forgotten item #2. D'oh. I was supposed to do 3 @ 8:55 but the Y mills always feel easier than the one I have at home so I increased my speed to 8:41 and held it through the cool down mile.

Run: 5 miles
1 mile warm up @ 10:15
4 miles @ 8:44

The swim was good, I don't think I pushed as much as I normally do. There were a lot of little things that deterred my "A" game - it was unusually cold, I was sooooo hungry and towards the end my toes and calf kept cramping. I still completed the whole workout and now have another successful swim in the bag. Getting out of the pool last night brought cold to a whole new level but forgetting my flip flops (#3!) and walking barefoot through the locker room was definitely worse. I feel like I need one more, longer swim per week. It's time to tweak the schedule...

Swim: 2000
2 x 200 warm up
500 drills
500 build
10 x 25 easy/25 fast
50 new drills
-25 dolphin to the deep end, breast stroke to the wall
-25 lifeguard
50 cool down

Loving my two-a-days

2010-02-09T08:50:00.012-05:00

Good morning intervals! I did these on the mill and had a little trouble determining my pace but I think I managed okay. Good thing it went well because I was looking through my schedule and this is the easiest interval run for a while...

Run: 6 miles

2 mile warm up
Distance @ Actual Pace (Target Pace)
1200 @ 5:45 (6:11)
1000 @ 4:51 (5:06)
800 @ 4:03 (4:03)
600 @ 3:10 (3:01)
400 @ 1:49 (2:00)
200 @ Sprint (Sprint)
1 mile cool down

After hours of gloomy skies and a lot of rain during the day, the clouds parted and the sun came out to play just in time for my swim - thank you Mother Nature! And thanks to all that rain, the pool water was a little cooler than normal. It didn't take long to get warmed up, though. Another great class and each time I'm excited to see what new exercise the instructor will pull out of her bag of tricks. Tonight, we added push ups and triceps dips on the side of the pool. After the weightlessness of the water, each set was like being smacked in the face by gravity. My arms were feeling it!

Swim: 2175
300 warm up
3 x 100 build
3 x 100 drills
-push/pull
-fists
-single arm
3 x 200 build
100 easy
10 x 25 easy/25 fast (85% effort) + 5 push ups or triceps dips
50 hands only drill on our backs
50 arms only swim
50 legs only
2 min treading water
75 cool down

Week #1 Review

2010-02-06T18:40:00.006-05:00

Not the start I had anticipated but I'm ending my first official week of training back on track. I finished up a 12 mile run today. My leg was feeling about 90% better and thankfully it wasn't much of an issue. My tummy, however, was very disagreeable this morning and the last 2 miles were flat out painful. But it's done and I have another 12 miler under my belt. Up until the last two miles, I averaged a 9:45 pace. After a quick trip home to change and grab a snack, I was off to the gym for yoga. This, however, was a much better idea on paper. The stretch and stress release of the class were great but my poor legs were quivering so much I could hardly balance.

Run: 12 miles

Totals for the week:
Bike-2.5 hours (3 rides)
Run- 16 miles (2 runs)
Swim- 4,175 m (2 swims)

Clearly my run miles are a little short since I missed by scheduled runs. I also realize that using the Spinervals workouts gives me quality workouts in a short period of time but I am going to need to add some longer rides.

Holy tight hamstring, Batman!

2010-02-04T14:04:00.009-05:00

Monday:
I was super stoked to start my first official week of training for the 70.3. I started with a great 45 minute interval bike ride on the trainer. I had decided that as part of my training, I would follow every bike ride with a short run. I jumped off the bike and hopped on the mill only to have my right hamstring completely lock up on me about 10 steps in. I stretched, walked and tried again but to no avail. My hammy was out of commission. I stretched throughout my day and attempted Tuesday's interval run but again, no luck. It's pretty darn painful. I feel like if I move it another inch it will snap.

Bike: 45 min. interval

Tuesday:
Still no run but I had my second swim. It was even better than the first! I'm slower than I would like but my focus right now is on form and efficiency. It was a great class and I was definitely worn out by then end.

Swim: 2400
400 warm up
600 drills
-100 sighting
-100 touch ups
-100 fist
-100 finger drag
-100 pull/push
900 build
100/200/300/200/100 We were supposed to take a 10 second break between each but I decided to do it as needed and ended up never needing it :)
10 x 50 timed : 10-15 RI I managed 45 - 50 seconds for each 50 (yes, I'm a slow runner AND a slow swimmer)

Wednesday:

Bike - 45 minute easy, technique focused Spinerval

Thursday:

Sunrise Yoga to start my day. It's so nice that they offer it at 5:45. I was getting very annoyed that there are no good early classes. I appreciate the yoga and would LOVE a 5:30 a.m. Body Flex or Conditioning.

I ended my day with a short and very easy run in the mill. My hamstring is still not 100% but I wanted to test it out and attempt another run. I started off very easy and slowly increased my pace. I held steady at a 10:00MM pace just hoping to get in some miles rather than speed. The pain was definitely much better and I'm crossing my fingers that I can put in at least 8 miles on Saturday.

Run: 4.5 miles
.5 warm up
4 @ 10:00

Swim: 1775
200 warm up
500 drills
-100 pull/push
-100 fist/sighting
-100 touch ups/finger drag
-100 pull/push
-100 touch ups
500 set
25 sprint
50 different stroke
75 drills
100 steady (75% effort)
100 steady (75% effort)
75 drills
50 different stroke
25 sprint
10 x 50 timed : 10-15 RI (same times as Tuesday)
50 hands only drill
2 min treading water
25 cool down

I actually don't know how to swim any other stroke (unless the doggy paddle counts) so the 50 in the main set were a little difficult. I attempted the breaststroke but realized that it takes way too much coordination and timing. No matter what I did, I just could not make any forward motion. I probably looked like a bobber. I was introduced to the hand only drills. The first 25 was feet first and it took some trial and error to figure out what hand motion worked best. The return 25 was head first and those were much easier to figure out. It was a great drill and really burned out my shoulders and triceps. As far as the treading water, let's just hope I don't ever go over board without a life vest.

Friday:
I opted out of my bike ride this morning to rest my legs for tomorrow's run.

3 months until 70.3

2010-02-04T09:44:00.007-05:00

January in Review:

January Goals:
1. Two 12 mile runs this month - only one
2. Two bike workouts per week - DONE
3. 5k at 8:40 pace - pushed to Feb.

Strengths:
1. Feeling more comfortable in the long runs.
2. Added more speed work and steadily increasing my pace.
3. Increased core strength

Weaknesses:
1. No swimming

February Goals:
1. Two 12 mile runs
2. PR at Gasparilla 15K
3. 5K at 8:40 pace
4. Follow my schedule!

Monday - Strength/Interval Bike
Tuesday - Core/Interval Run, Swim (p.m.)
Wednesday - Strength/Bike
Thursday - Core/Yoga, Tempo Run/Swim (p.m.)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Long Run/Yoga
Sunday - Long Bike or swim. Maybe both :)

Not so super Saturday

2010-01-30T09:48:00.001-05:00

Meh. I had hoped for my second 12 miler of the month in order to meet my January goal but hoping was about as far as I got. Not that the day was a complete wash. I had an excellent 8 mile run - felt strong and steady. My hip was okay but my knee started to twinge towards the end so I listened to my body and stopped at 8.

Run: 8 miles
Average pace – 9:30 exactly according to Christy's Garmin.
G-unit was dead (still) so I don't have my splits.

I think 8 has become my comfort mileage. I don't get achy or tired while running and I finish feeling energized for the rest of my day. Hopefully by the end of February, 10 will be my new 8.

What is this "pool" you speak of?

2010-01-30T09:47:00.002-05:00

First swim of the year! I am ashamed that I let myself take such a long break from swimming but since I was a mediocre swimmer to begin with, I really didn’t lose much from the hiatus. I was pretty anxious about this first swim for several reasons; it was cold (still in the 50’s), I wasn’t sure what kind of shape I would be in and it was my first time taking the Masters Class so I didn’t know what to expect. To my complete shock, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! The water felt great and immediately I realized how much I had missed swimming. No really, I did! I missed the silence and the complete sense of solitude it brings despite being in a pool full of fellow swimmers. I missed how effortless it seemed in comparison to the months I have struggled with running. I missed feeling the power of my body without any equipment or gadgets measuring it. I did not, however, miss the water in my ears.
I loved the Masters class and am so grateful my family schedule allows me to participate. I really feel like this class will challenge me and prepare me both mentally and physically for the 70.3. After just one class, I already feel more confident in my swimming skills. It was also nice to have the instructor watch my technique and offer suggestions which is something I’ve never had anyone do.

Swim: ~1200
I lost count but 1200 is a conservative guess.

Whoops, I almost forgot the other part of my work out... Since my running program is based on my fastest 5K time, I thought it would be best to use a more recent time. I decided to replace my short tempo run with a 5K. Unfortunately, my legs were fatigued from Wednesday and Thursday Boot Camps and the 7 mile interval run the night before. I hit the halfway point and decided just to scrap the run. I was starting to get a pain in my right knee and hip and realized that pushing through was not going to be worth jeopardizing my long run on Saturday. Although, it makes me nuts to quit like that, the pain in my hip the next morning let me know I had made the right decision. I took Friday off and was feeling about 70% better for Saturday’s run. The pain was the result of a reoccurring problem I have with my hips. Most of the time, they are out of alignment which causes my body to twist and makes my right leg shorter. For the most part, my body compensates for the discrepancy but with these longer runs, I am starting to notice more issues. I go to the chiropractor but that’s always just a temporary fix. I think it’s time to really address the problem.

Make it a double

2010-01-27T20:08:00.004-05:00

Kick started my morning with another butt busting Boot Camp. Today wasn't as intense as most days but I am definitely feeling some of the new exercises from this morning. I was introduced to "fire hydrants" and if you haven't already guessed, this exercise puts us on all fours lifting our leg in all kinds of ways that made my hamstrings hate me. Add some scissors, 6 inches, mountain climbers, planks and side planks and you've got yourself a real workout. We then headed outside for a run. Apparently, it's important to make sure G-Unit is properly plugged into the charger because after sitting on the charger all night, it was dead this morning. Garmin's are funny like that I guess. So no stats. We did 2 loops - easy out, sprint back - plus one easy loop.

Finished my day with a 7 mile interval run at the Y. I was hoping to use the high school track to make things easier but there was a soccer game in the field the track surrounds. And just to drive home the fact that I am completely immersed in training, I actually considered running it anyway. What a sight that would've been. With the sun setting, the only reasonable option was the mill at the Y. Thankfully, Christy met me and we hammered out a very daunting interval run.

Run: 7.00 miles
1.5 mile warm up
12 x 400 @ 8:00 (1:50) :90-ish second RI
Quick cool down and stretch.

Bad Boot Camper

2010-01-26T09:19:00.009-05:00

This session of Boot Camp hasn't worked out quite the way I had anticipated. I knew I would miss some days with the Hubs traveling but I had no idea I would miss this many. Today was my first day back after missing all of last week and 2 of 4 days the previous week. Luckily, I made it back just in time for our end of session PT test - 1 minute timed sit up challenge, push up challenge and 1 mile timed run. Although I've been running and biking in lieu of Boot Camp, I was a little nervous about the test today.

PT Test #1 Results:
Push ups - 27
Sit ups - 30
1 mile run - 7:46
(I missed this portion of the test this session so I'm using my results from last session)

PT Test #2 Results:
Push ups - 33
Sit ups - 30
1 Mile run - 7:42

Yes, I am happy that my results were at or better than just 4 weeks ago BUT (here it comes) I'm disappointed with the run time and sit ups. I felt like I really cranked out those sit ups this time so 30 doesn't make me happy. I know we were only given 60 seconds and there are only so many sit ups a person can squeeze in but just a few more would've been nice. The push ups always surprise me and truthfully anything more than two is a success in my book. The run was a good in the sense that I ran it well with a consistent pace and good form. I'm just disappointed with the time. I was really hoping to break 7:40. Overall, I felt very strong today in all the exercises so that is improvement in itself. Since I won't be attending Boot Camp until after the 70.3 in May, I would like to incorporate my own PT test once a month. Blogging those results will motivate me to continue all those exercises I don't like to do.

Two birds, One Stone

2010-01-24T16:55:00.004-05:00

This past week I felt slightly off kilter for some reason. Besides the bout with vertigo, I just wasn't feeling right. I attempted my tempo run Thursday and again on Friday but just couldn't get past the second mile. So today's run had me a little anxious. My plan was to incorporate the tempo and add extra warm-up and cool down miles to make it a long run as well. I also hoped this would be the first of the two 12-miler runs I wanted to run this month. Pretty ambitious for such a blah week. Since I was running by myself and wasn't sure how I was going to feel, I didnt want to be stranded 6 miles away from my car. I decided to go out and back 4, then out and back 2 for a total of 12.

I warmed up for two miles then began the tempo - 2 x 2 miles @ 9:08, 1 mile easy. I couldn't stick to a 9:00 minute pace if my life depended on it this morning. The first tempo set of two miles I was either at 8:40s or 9:10s. EVERY time I checked my watch (which seemed like every 10 steps), I was off. After that set, I quickly grabbed a drink and spent the easy 1 mile trying to figure out how to make the second set more consistent. I decided just to run in that "comfortably-hard" zone and see what happens. It worked like a charm and I came in under my goal pace. Plus I enjoyed it a lot more than the first set. I think I need to jump up a few notches in the Run Less, Run Faster book. I don't think the suggested pace pushed me hard enough. For this week's runs, I'm going to try a faster pace.

Mile 8 got me back to the start and finished up the tempo. I started to head out again but had major cramps in my calves. I also forgot to start my watch and didn't notice until half a mile in. Ack! At that point, I was ready just to throw in the towel but I knew if I didn't get 12 today, I wouldn't meet my goal for the month. So I trudged along, stopping to stretch when needed. I got back to the start and thanks (again!) to my inability to manage basic mathematics while I run, I was half a mile short. Crap. After getting through the last miserable 3.5 miles I was not going to fall short of my goal over a mere half a mile. So once again, I headed back out and picked up the last of the mileage.

I completed my tempo, my long run and my 12 miler - Holla!

Once home I stretched really well and hit the foam roller. I totally have a love/hate relationship with that thing - it hurts like a mo fo but the pain is worth it. After a bit, the kids and I headed outside to enjoy the weather. The munchkins played and I hopped on the trainer for an hour while Leland ran 4 miles to get ready for his final Black Belt test this weekend. At 11, he's a triathlete, 7:00/mile runner and Black Belt. When I was that age, all I cared about was dressing like Madonna. LOL

Run: 12 miles
1-9:49
2-9:37
3-9:00
4-8:51
5-9:48
6-8:56
7-8:49
8-10:18
9-11:50
10-11:40
11-9:50
12-9:58

Seconds and squats

2010-01-21T10:59:00.009-05:00

Another 45 minute Spinerval workout for the week. Today's torture was aptly named "Muscle Breakdown." There are two interesting items to mention about this workout. The first is that midway through the workout, we were instructed to get off our bikes and hold an isometric squat with our hands behind our heads for one minute. Easy enough, right? Yeah, now add cycling shoes to the mix. We repeated this 3 times and each time it got more awkward. The other part worth mentioning was an acceleration drill - 4 seconds @ 100% effort, 4 seconds RI. Not so bad the first minute, much tougher the second minute, by the third minute I was dying but we continued for five minutes. F-I-V-E. Then repeated it. Muscle breakdown indeed.

I had just enough time for a couple 1 minute planks.

It's only Tuesday?

2010-01-19T15:42:00.008-05:00

Sheesh. It feels like it should be Thursday already. Ugh. The next 8 days are going to be crazy... good crazy... but crazy none-the-less. Hubs is busy being all successful and stuff so that leaves all the house chores, errands, kids activities, dinners and endless grown up duties in my hands in addition to my pre-dawn workouts and increasingly demanding job. Good times. Thank goodness the kids are all on the same wave length this week. This is a rare occasion because most of the time, at least one kiddo is tired, cranky, moody or all of the above. So far so good, though. Besides the hectic schedule (which I will not b*tch about anymore), I've been feeling a little "off." Yesterday, I was in a funk and it showed in my workout.

Monday:
3 miles. This is what happens when I head to my training area without purpose. I end up with a weak excuse for a workout. blah.

Today was just plain bizarre. I opened my eyes this morning and the room was spinning like crazy. It was like someone stole my equilibrium while I slept. I got up and was having major vertigo issues. Something I have never experienced before in my life. I literally kept leaning to the right. As long as I kept my eyes straight ahead, I was okay. Thankfully, I got through my interval run and actually had a great little run. But as soon as I got off the mill and bent over to stretch... tim-ber! I attempted push ups but just fell over. It was probably a pretty funny sight. By lunch, my bout with vertigo was replaced by a massive headache. The same headache I've had for two weeks. I'm pretty confident my tummy sleeping tendencies are the culprit. I need to get to the chiropractor (or as my kids call him, the "chiro-cracktor") and fix my jacked up neck.

Tuesday
Run: 5 miles
1 mile warm up
6 x 800 @ 8:19, 400 RI