Post Race Blues

It's been over a week since the Tri and I'm still bummed it's over. I've made it out running and swimming a few times this week but have to get back on the bike this week if I'm going to ride in a race a month from now. I've been reading Triathlon Magazines and Runner's World to keep excited about training. I just ordered a running, shock absorbing, hands free dog leash so that Boomer can run with me and I can escape the blisters I get from his pulling shenanigans. I'm looking forward to having a running partner.

I scrolled through my magazines searching for events to train for, I'll need to stack up next year better than I did this summer. So far there is a sprint distance Tri in the Outer Banks that looks fun, an all women's Tri in Philadelphia and a few more around here that might be fun. Maybe even a half marathon, which given my intense love for running makes perfect sense. Or maybe I'll stick with triathlons and bike races :o)

Guess we'll see!

Mission Accomplished

So we made it to the finish line.

Race morning I woke up heavily doubting my participation in another event like the Iron Girl. 4:30 comes a bit too early for my liking. After I shook the sleep off I forced down some breakfast, taking the advice from the Iron Girl site I started the day off with half a banana and half a bagel with peanut butter. So off I went to Oneida shores to set up my transition. I shakily organized everything I thought I'd need and had my number written all over me with permanent black marker and nervously looked around for Angela. Elyssa being the newbie pro that she is, was all set up and ready to go before I even pulled in. Angela on the other hand rolled in with 10 minutes left til transition closed :o) Luckily I found her and ran her to where she needed to go, plus we got a little warm up on the jog over. Finally everyone was set up and ready to go. From shore the swim looked a bit longer than I remember from the 2 practices, but I attributed it to race day jitters. As we lined up to get organized for the swim we all got good luck wishes and pats on the back. And then it was game time.



I felt sort of sick as we plunged into the water and even when it was clear that I could swim I remained walking to try and calm myself down... it didn't work. I was panicking worse than the first time. Lucky for me I could walk almost the whole thing. I just felt like a jack ass. However at some point I did try to swim, and must have most of the way back in, but believe me I did not swim anywhere near 600m. As I dragged myself out of the water I could hardly breathe but I realized I was generally expected to run to transition and get on a bike. It might have been at that point I had mentally written off ever doing something this crazy again. But low and behold I made it back to my bike and clumsily tried to pull my heaving self back together. I did take my time getting prepped, I was afraid I'd forget something. As soon as I was on the bike I sighed a small sigh of relief... at least for the time being I was still alive.

Once out on the bike course I decided it was better to just conserve energy and not push myself too hard. I was only averaging about 17 mph and I knew I could go faster but I couldn't find that fire I had a few weeks earlier. I did push past a few people now and then but I wasn't going as fast as I knew I was capable of. The bike seemed to go by sort of fast. I ate a whole package of shot bloks and guzzled down as much water as I could swallow. I was waiting to turn on the speed til I knew we didn't have too much further to go but as the end came in sight I realized I waited too long. Back in transition I dismounted my bike and traded my helmet in for a hair band and took off with my sport beans. Once I made it past all of the spectators I knew I could walk without feeling like a jerk. I made it to the mile marker and had just caught up with Angela when I finally gave in. It was sort of a disaster after that as far as "running" goes. I had a hard time running for any length of time after that. I needed way more water than they could provide at the two hydrating stations. When the finish line came into view and I knew there could only be 3/4 of a mile left I decided to run for real and took off. The last half mile was actually not too bad, I think because there were people cheering and yelling out my name and really getting into it. I can't tell you how much all the cheering and moral support meant to me during the race, it certainly kept me in a happy, positive place when physically I was starting to fade. I sprinted across the finish line as they called out my name and someone put a finisher medal around my neck, someone else handed me a much appreciated water bottle and a cold wet sponge. I wanted to hug everyone in sight I was so happy to be done.

I found Elyssa and shortly after Angela, and then friends and family descended, congratulating and hugging and high fiving us. We were in our glory, just glad to be done.

















I met my goal of coming in under two hours at 1:52:25.

Angela and I were staggered by 5 minutes so we didn't ride our bikes together but our times were only 5 seconds apart. I thought that fitting since we were biking buddies all summer. I just wish I could have caught up to her and rode with her too. My bike time was 1:05:25 Angela was 5 seconds later.

I "ran" a 10:13 mile which is disappointing looking back, but I really didn't expect much in the run.

All in all we all did very well for our first Triathlon. Elyssa came in 246 overall and 6th in her age group finishing at 1:46:36. I finished 371 and 23rd in my age group, and Angela finished 515 and 70th in her age group (one of the fastest, largest groups) with a time of 2:00:35. Most importantly we all finished. 900 girls started out Saturday morning and only 730 finished. I give credit to all those who attempted and all those who succeeded, it was no easy task.



Kristy's rockin sign she made for me! :o)

I have to thank Elyssa for getting me into this endeavor and Angela for being my constant work out buddy and everyone who listened to me obsess over triathlons and training and drowning and scary fish and pain in the ass pool schedules and general legit pains everywhere for the last 7 months or so. It's been a crazy summer and crossing that finish line was pretty awesome. I only wish we didn't have to wait a whole year to do it again. It's been weird since finishing, I don't know what to do with myself. Despite being incredibly sore I really want to jump back into training so that next year I really can swim the whole 600m and run farther than a 5k if I want to. The next goal is an upcoming bike race for Angela and I. Elyssa will most likely be training for another half marathon. But there's no doubt in my mind that all three of us (plus everyone we've since convinced to jump on the Tri train) will be signing up for next years race!

Listening to: My Life Would Suck Without You/ Kelly Clarkson

Beat

I'm too tired to write a real post tonight but I will just say that all three of us had an awesome time and finished in good time, and of course we can't wait for the next one!

I'll do a full run down tomorrow.

The Swim














Transition




















My Spot

Night Before Craziness

Elyssa's Bike













Angela's Bike













My Bike


The bikes are racked, our wrists have been banded and we're carbo loaded to the max. In less than 12 hours I will sleepily be meandering around Oneida Shores setting up my transition stations and fighting back the urge to vomit. I'm pretty nervous, as is Angela and I'm sure Elyssa too.

I somehow scored the best possible bike racking area... I should be among the first to get to my bike but the last one out for the run... still I shouldn't have any trouble finding my bike amongst the 800-1000 that will be there. Even Elyssa and Angela's bikes are only a few racks away from mine... it's as if they knew we were all together.

I'm nervous I'm going to forget something, or get foot cramps during the swim, or leg cramps when I run, or it'll be so windy I get over tired, or someone will kick me in the face during the swim, or swim over me, or worst of all I really don't want to get a flat tire.

I hope I get some sleep tonight, I haven't been doing very good the last week or so. I think the fact that I have no chance in hell at being competitive in this race is helping me to hold on to the remaining shreds of calmness just as long as I keep reminding myself that my goal is to finish, not get some ridiculous time.

I think it's going to be fun tomorrow, awesome weather, couldn't have asked for better... 76 and sunny. Might be a little chilly in the morning but I'd take cold over hot any day.

This day has gotten away from me.
I hope a chocolate snickers flurry is a good race night meal :o)


Wish me luck!!!!


Listening to: Dare you to Move / Switchfoot

I feel like Jabba

The last few days I've been eating too much and exercising too little. I think I may have missed the point of tapering and "carbo loading." Mostly because my usual workouts are what most athletes would consider thier tapering and I most likely already eat more than enough carbohydrates. When mixed with 90 degree weather and unrelenting humidity the result of eating way too many carbs and participating in very little physical activity is a very uncomfortable, lazy, stressed out version of my former self. I want to swim so badly but I'm too uncomfortable to go to a different YMCA. I should mention I am currently house sitting/ dog sitting about 45 minutes away from home. It's been nice to be so close to work, and on Saturday the race, but my normal routine is now in shambles. I miss swimming more than I thought possible. I'm either forcing myself to go to the local Y tomorrow or driving home to swim on Friday. I feel like I will drown if I don't. As for everything else I've ran barely a mile and biked a whopping 5 today. That's it for this week so far, it's no wonder I feel like a slob... that and I have a strange addiction to Jax cheese puffs which I would normally never buy, but I can always count on my best friend's husband to have them in the cupboards when I watch the house. They could be my undoing this week... I will try to muster up some will power and just say no for the next 3 days... I fear the damage has already been done though.

Thank God the humidity is supposed to break tomorrow, I can't stand this weather!!!

One Week

Wednesday I strategically contorted my bike into the back of my parents convertible just in case the threatening thunderstorms held off long enough to practice the swim to bike transition during the Wednesday night CNY Tri club practice tri. As I trudged into murky Oneida Lake for the second time, Elyssa was braving the sludgy slimy weedy water in her first attempt. We made it out 14 minutes later (two minutes less than last week) with cut up feet and seaweed clinging to us very much against our will. I took my time transitioning (it's really difficult to pull bike shorts on over a bathing suit... and sneakers for that matter. Luckily my tri suit came the other day and I won't have to worry about any of that in the actual tri. Once on our bikes, Angela joined in for the 14 mile bike course (we had planned on doing half but missed our turn). Elyssa took off, and not wanting to be left behind Angela and I chased after. Thus ensued an unending 14 mile cycling sprint at an average speed of about 22 mph. I don't know how we managed but knowing riding like that is even possible makes me really excited about race day. As we glided back to transition I was more than ready to throw in the towel but Elyssa wanted to run. So off we went for one very uncomfortable mile. As hard as it was I think it was a good prep for the race. I at least feel like it's a good possibility I will be able to finish in one piece.

Last night I ran about a mile and this morning I did a little less than my normal swim. I think tapering may be harder than I thought it would be. It sounds easy to take it easy for a week but I feel a little like I'm being lazy and I don't know what to do with all of this extra free time. I watched a few videos of transition and how to change a bike tire... my stomach is starting to turn with looming race day jitters. Game day is in the 10 day forecast and it looks promising so far, 85 and sunny. With no wet suit I have a feeling I might freeze in the morning but maybe the adrenaline will have a warming effect. Lets hope so.

life goes on

Over the last few days I've been grateful for my involvement with this triathlon as it's given me something to distract me from my recent sorrows. Without it I might still be curled up in bed watching movies I've seen hundreds of times. Lucky for me after the initial crappy coming back from the wallowing depths of my own self pity workouts I got back on track yesterday.

Angela, me and road bike rookie Amanda went out for a ride. Aside from getting a gear stuck and almost falling off my bike and actually falling off the road while trying to ride uphill with no hands it was a good ride. I think I scraped up my pedal when I went off the road though... at least I didn't scape up me. After I went for a run, which initially was going to be a 1 mile jog but turned into what I think must have been at least two. I was pretty proud of myself when I got back to my car... that was my longest brick so far. It helped that it was breezy and much less humid than it has been lately.

As I started to drive away I noticed a business card under my wiper. I stopped and pulled it off and read the following "I saw your Trek that shits hot yea!! -Lee," I'm glad my Trek is so impressive that Lee felt the need to leave me a note and express his sentiments... I'm also a little glad I put the lock on the bike rack that night. No offense to Lee whoever he may be.

Tonight I was planning on swimming but I had to bike back from the mechanics after dropping my car off. It wasn't far but the brick from last night is catching up with me today so I took tonight off to recover. Tomorrow is another open water swim, I'm already nervous but as long as it doesn't rain maybe I'll be able to take a minute or two off my time by eliminating the whole doggy paddling thing. My goal is to get it over with as soon as possible!

I ordered a Tri suit the other day so hopefully it will come tomorrow or the next day and with any luck it will fit... can't wait to try it out!

in Memoriam

To say that today was awful would be an understatement, it was a day I wished would never come. Today I had to say goodbye to my first and favorite workout buddy. My sister and I had to make the decision to have our horse Misty put down today due to a fluke infection that ultimately damaged the nerves which are necessary for horses to swallow.

Of all the sports I've ever played none have ever been as exciting or as fulfilling as horseback riding. Riding is typically thought of to be an "individual sport." I know better though, there's not an equestrian anywhere that would find success without their horse. And mine was the best. I never rode a horse I liked riding as much as Misty, it was as if we were meant to find each other.

It was the sport that sparked the spirit of competition in me. With every success I was on top of the world and on the days that didn't go so well I always had a furry shoulder to cry on. She was forgiving when I made mistakes, tested my limits when I wanted to give up and was always there with a nudge to encourage and comfort me. She taught me patience, courage, how to win and lose, the value of hard work and determination and a million other things over the 15 years I was lucky enough to spend with her. She was a best friend and loyal partner who will hold a place in my heart forever.

My favorite memory of her was on a day when I let her run as fast as she could across a grassy field, the excitement and pure joy of being on a running horse is hard to beat and I think she liked running in the open best too. There are many other quiet memories I remember, sitting in her stall while she sleepily licked the salt off my hands, when she would nuzzle my pockets looking for carrots, the way she'd come running when I opened a package of graham crackers and the way she put her head up in the air when you itched her favorite spot. It's never easy to say goodbye to someone who meant so much to you and sadly this day came too soon for everyone who knew and loved Misty. She was a wonderful horse, more than any two little girls could have ever asked for. She will be missed.

Panic! At the Lake Front

So today was the day of my very first open water swim. 600m same as the tri.

We arrived at the practice late and just had enough time to sign in and head over to the start where swimmers were already entering the water. I should mention I did not want to go in at all, I was ready to throw in the towel before I even got wet, thankfully Angela convinced me that we could do it. A fellow triathlete filled us in on the course as I tried to keep down my sport beans.

The first few steps into the water were sandy but very shortly after my feet met rock and weeds. At this point I glanced back longingly at the shore and told myself that if the lady who looked like she might be close to 3 times my age can do it, I should buck up and swim. As soon as I put my face in the water I realized that this would be mostly a blind swim as I could see absolutely nothing. The first buoy looked like it was a mile away. I broke out the doggie paddle and couldn't bring myself to actually swim for at least 150 yards. I finally decided that if I wanted to get anywhere I had to swim like a real swimmer and once I started the front crawl it was much easier going. But I was terrified most of the swim. Every time I thought I might be over my head I wished I had a pair of floaties. Every time the weeds touched me I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. Slowly but surely I started passing people and getting closer and closer to shore... it was mostly scary after that last turn towards home... I think it's over my head almost the whole way back. I finished well though and wasn't too out of breath. I think my time was about 16:20. Considering the panic attack, the fact that we were that last people in the water and the one or two times I walked in the shallow water I thought that was pretty good for a first try. Angela did well too, despite not ever wanting to do it again and cutting her knee on a rock I think she'll be back for more. It would be nice to get another under our belts before the Tri, maybe next week.

I have two things to work on, not practically swimming circles around people to get by and sighting so I don't swim to the right so bad.

I've had a very bad week of sleep and more stress and worry than I can handle. Emotional stress is as debilitating as physical stress if not more. I'm going to try and at least get a good nights sleep and hopefully I'll have some time to run and bike tomorrow.

Over that Hurdle

I finally hit my stride in the pool, or maybe I should say stroke... a few days ago I had a pretty good swim workout. My competitive spirit showed up after a long leave of absence when I found myself in the lane next to a fellow swimmer and lagging a bit behind. I slowly began to lengthen the glide portion of my stroke and have also been trying not to breathe on every stoke. It wasn't long before I caught up to him and passed him by... of course he might still have been able to kick my newly confident butt in any sort of distance race.

Today I was supposed to go Sailing, which I consider a workout on certain days. The wind proved too much for us however and thanks to a low battery on my brother's motor I at least got a little upper body workout in while I paddled his 28 foot sailboat back to the dock. After my nautical plans for the day had sunk, I decided to take my bike out for a quick ride before lap swim tonight. After a 30 min ride I had a mental fight with myself over swimming tonight and the motivated side won. So off to the pool I went with one knee feeling like it had been hit with a hammer and my now typical feeling of exhaustion. After losing count of my laps multiple times I figured in 15 minutes I must have at least come close to the Tri distance, so I waited, caught my breath and then swam 6 full laps (12 lengths) without so much as touching the side of the pool. Up until now I seriously wondered A) if all the swimming I have been doing is actually making me any better and B) if I'd ever be able to swim 600m consecutively without a hungry shark on my tail. As slow as I may have been I was hardly winded... There's hope for me yet!

Listening to: Closer to Fine/ Indigo Girls

Up a creek with no pool

Ok I'm starting to worry. After a pretty pathetic week of "training" I figured this morning would be a good time to get back to the grindstone. Too bad the YMCA closed the pool again. Why can't they coordinate with my lack of motivation days? I've hardly been in a pool over the last two weeks and I still can't swim more than 4 lengths without gasping for air. With just under 4 weeks to go I see this as being a problem. If I ever do another Tri I'm going to follow an actual training schedule... it's too easy to say I'd rather bike today or 25 minutes of swimming is enough for one day.

I ran again this morning... I still think about 20 minutes is my limit, hopefully adrenaline trumps exhaustion when I'm actually in the race. Biking tomorrow, I'm hoping for a nice day and am looking forward to Angela's return so I have my cycling buddy back... it's much more fun with someone else.

Onieda Lake Sea Monsters

The weather is sapping away every ounce of what little energy I once had. I am not a fan of the thermostat when it goes above 85 degrees. And even less so when I have some sort of evil sinus infection/virus that refuses to vacate my head. I should be swimming right now but after my tuesday night swim I'm embarrassed to show my face at the YMCA. Seconds after clicking my lock down on my locker I realized I no longer had the combination to reopen my locker. Thankfully I had the pool all to myself as I gasped and heaved myself through a measly 15 laps. Afterward, upon my return to my hopelessly locked locker I stood in the Y's lobby dripping wet while I reluctantly asked the volunteer to chop off my padlock so I could then drive myself home. All for 25 minutes of swimming. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for it.

My interest was sparked the other day when Angela and I came across a skeleton by the lake that we thought might have belonged to some type of eel. I looked up fish of the great lakes to see what kind of fish might be swimming along below me, or hopefully, way the eff away from me. I have a love hate relationship with the internet and this is one of the times I hate it...





These fish are in Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake...
I may have nightmares for the rest of my life.
I wish I would have come across this when I first signed up...
I would be blogging about scrap booking right now.
All I can say is that I hope they are scared of slow moving swimmers
or maybe just have an aversion to human food sources.

Maybe my next tri should have a pool swim.


I ran in 90 degree weather for 20 minutes yesterday before I thought the threat of fainting was imminent and decided to stop. I'll be glad when the heat wave is gone.

New Rides

I keep forgetting to snap a picture or our new road bikes but I finally decided it was past time to show them off. Angela's is on the left and mine is on the right. They certainly make our bike routes much easier and a whole lot faster. We conquered the massive hill again this morning despite the 82 degree weather around 10 Am. I'll be glad the Tri is early if it's going to be any where near as hot as it was today today. After our 12 mile ride we treated ourselves to a frozen banana and some ice cream. And then put our backs into sailing for two hours in the mid day heat. With all the running around we did today I felt like I sweat a few buckets... it was gross, with the humidity I probably could have swam through the air today. I'm looking forward to getting back into the pool, hopefully tomorrow.

For once my knees didn't hurt today. I'm not sure what triggers the pain I just know sometimes it's killer and then sometimes it's non existent... I'm planning on a run tomorrow hopefully it's not unbearable to be outside and the knees don't protest.

The three day weekend was nice but felt like a regular one, I'm glad the week will be a short one already looking forward to my next day off :o)

Top Ten

This morning I dragged myself out of bed, made it to the YMCA by 7:45 and after walking in the door was promptly told the pool is closed til at least Tuesday. I'm on a schedule here people... I can't afford to take a break at this point. I'm tossing around the idea of an open water swim in Lake Ontario on Monday. That would be a big step for me, and I'm not sure I'm ready yet.

So after my failed attempt at swimming this morning I took the bike out and rode for about an hour. It was a beautiful day and since I was trekking it alone today I had plenty of time to compose this list of my top ten favorite things about biking and the top ten least favorite things...

Top Ten Favorite Things:

1. Noticing things I wouldn't have in a car
2. Riding down big hills
3. Friendly cyclists
4. Scenery
5. Shot Bloks and Sport Beans
6. Turning for home
7. Wildlife sightings
8. Being outside in the country on nice days
9. Going 30 mph
10. Riding a road bike instead of a hybrid


Top Ten Least Favorite Things:

1. Wind
2. Potholes
3. Crazy drivers
4. Climbing gigantic hills
5. Road kill, skunks and frogs in particular
6. Gravel
7. Railroad tracks
8. Bugs
9. Sewer grates
10. Being chased by dogs

Tomorrow is looking like an early morning running day, anything above 75 degrees really hurts my motivation to work out. Best to get it done and over, especially when referring to running.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Back on Track

Went for my first real run in almost two weeks tonight. And by real run I mean my 11 minute mile pace for all of 2.5 miles. My 17 year old self would be hanging her head in shame. I didn't stop though, and my glass half full perspective of this whole thing is telling me that I will at least be able to finish this race.

Tomorrow morning I'm hoping to get in the pool and be able to ignore the violent protests my legs are sure to give. Walking up stairs after running and biking has become more of a challenge than I ever expected to encounter before the age of 60.

Speaking of protests, I think my lovely dog has found his own way of showing his displeasure in my frequent absences. I plan on making it up to him this weekend and trying to incorporate him into the work outs more often. If he won't accept my apology we may need to find an alternative place of residency. Hopefully it's nothing a trip to the dog park and a bag of puperoni can't fix.

The second round of antibiotics is now gone, my fingers are crossed that the sinus infection is too. We'll see...

Listening to: Good Life / OneRepublic

Slacking Off

Five weeks to go!

Crap.

Thank God for 3 day weekends, I'm really looking forward to getting three or four decent workouts in during the next few days. I've been really slacking with my running lately and haven't been much better with swimming. It's starting to feel like I forgot to study for a major test that I have to take tomorrow. I had my first triathlon nightmare where I skipped my brothers wedding to go biking and rode by the ceremony and realized my mistake. Then I realized I was supposed to be the photographer and had something resembling an anxiety attack all within my dream state. It'll be a miracle if I sleep at all in the weeks leading up to the big day.

Angela and I tried to keep up with the pros on Tuesday... thanks to a stop light and some straggling slow starters we kept the group of jacked up cyclists in view for all of 7 minutes. After that we resumed our usual pace and route. It might be nice to work up to a group ride that we can actually partake in someday... I think that will be my next mini goal.

Someone told me today to train with hand paddles when I swim... along with the Zoomers I'm going to look like an otter... I only wish I could use the swim aids when I'm out in the middle of Oneida lake trying not to drown.

For now I need sleep, I'm not sure how pro triathletes fit it into their schedules it's definitely been hard to come by lately.

Nice night for a Brick

Tonight Angela and I went out for a 9 mile bike, 1 mile run brick. One of my finest moments of training so far came today when I finally conquered the massive hill on our usual bike ride. Every time I see that hill I think I swear in my head. It felt good to actually ride my bike up it for once.

I've been in the pool a few times this week and came close to 6 consecutive lengths. That's HUGE for me. Still wish I could swim the tri with an inner tube but there's another 6 weeks to go.

I have another sinus infection. Or I guess it's the same one that just won't give up. Hopefully the stronger antibiotics get rid of it and I can get on with training... work outs wear me out enough, I don't need anything holding me back at this point.

I was in pain I was so hungry today. This phenomenon was not due to an empty stomach either, I could have won a competitive eating championship today. I think its the swimming that's doing it. I might as well start packing a cooler for work.

Listening to: Gonna Fly Now/ Theme from Rocky

Next Gen

If my nephew Alex is around I usually can't take my bike out without giving him a ride... the kid seriously needs a tricycle!



Getting some "help" with my hydration.

Nutrition Update

Cliff Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars are actually pretty good, they've got nothing on my favorite candy bar Take 5 though.... I know it's not really a fair comparison but I was hoping for a closer resemblance.

Time to step it up

Saturday Angela, Elyssa and I went to watch our first Tri at Green Lake's State Park. It was well worth the hour drive as we got to see what an 800m tri swim looks like in open water. It looks like utter chaos. I'm thanking my lucky stars our swim was shortened to 600m after seeing everything I'll have to contend with. I'm not exactly sure how anyone breathes actual air in that mess. The splashing and waves from all the swimmers was creating a visible water halo over the lake. It's going to take a lot of practice to get used to swimming around other people in open water.





We watched a few people transition and take off flying on the bike portion, they were going much faster than I generally go even when I'm flying down a hill at my fastest. Watching the finish line I noticed that most people seemed winded but there wasn't many with red faces keeling over after they finished the race. I will most likely be the red faced, gasping sort. Although I have a feeling if I can finish I won't care.



Transition Area

Watching the Tri was really helpful. I think it got all of us revved up for our Iron Girl and it was a major eye opener. Seven weeks til we're up!

After the race we went for a ride along the Erie canal, back down into Green Lakes for a mile run and then rode back the way we came. The run was hard, 90 degree weather is not runner friendly. I felt pretty self conscious riding up hill in the road as the Triathletes were leaving the park (I really hope they weren't laughing). Although the narrow escape from the hissing Canadian geese was pretty tense too.

This morning Angela and I went for a swim and I finally finished 4 lengths without gasping for air. I've found that if I breath out slower underwater I don't need to take a breath every stroke and pacing myself is helping a lot too. I think the Zoomers are really going to help me strengthen my legs. I still wish I had a few more weeks than we do but it just might be manageable to get my endurance up enough to make it through the swim.

Note to Self

Eating stuffing before swimming is not a good idea...

Tomorrow I'll be trying my Cliff MoJo peanut butter pretzel bar instead.
I'll report back on whether or not it's better than the Cliff bar fudge Brownie... because someone needs to call them on their false advertising, it was most certainly not a brownie.

My Zoomers came in the mail today. They make swimming more fun but my weak little ankles couldn't put up with them for long. Not to mention my weak little arms were taking a bit of a vacation while my fins were cranking up the leg power. I'll have to work on finding a better balance.

Listening to Horchata/ Vampire Weekend

Swim Bike Run

This past weekend I did a circle swim at the YMCA with a bunch of fellow triathletes. They schooled me. I realized the open water swim will probably terrify me if sharing half a pool with 3 other swimmers was nerve racking. I'm going to look into child sized goggles. No matter what I do I've always got water sloshing around in mine and I'd prefer to keep my contacts in for the whole competition.

Sunday Angela and I did the Tri bike course. 17.5 miles in an hour and 30 minutes... that's roughly the time it takes the pros to finish the entire Tri. Go us! I know progress is slow in coming but I hope it does actually come. I keep reminding myself that it's more about finishing than competing at this point. My competitive nature wants to rear it's ugly head and make my current, "just for fun" attitude do push ups. Maybe the two can reach a compromise.

Today Elyssa and I ran a little. Luckily she was breaking in her new running shoes and had already done a morning workout so it wasn't that bad when I could barely keep up with her. I think I hit two miles though... with one "shoe lace" stop, I use quotes because it was more like a "my lungs are collapsing" stop, which I artfully masked with a quick re-tying of my shoe laces. I'm not sure Elyssa bought it. I walk/ran the last mile with a short sprint towards the end. It's good for me to run with experienced runners, I go a lot further that left to my own "just for fun" ways.

I've been icing my knees everyday and I also have knee bands shipping for my self diagnosed patella tendinitis. I may climb the stairs like an 80 year old woman who needs a knee replacement but at least I can still run and bike. Right now that's more important than climbing stairs like a normal person.

Listening to: Better Together/ Jack Johnson

Life gets in the Way

The thing about training for a Tri is that it takes up soooo much time. I've had a few days lately where I've either been too physically exhausted or just had too many things going on to get in a good work out. Swimming schedules are especially a pain. I got up at 5:30 Monday morning and got in 30 minutes worth of laps. Once a week is about all I can manage with the early workouts, they catch up with me around 10:30 when I want to crawl back in bed. It's harder to leave swimming to the end of the night though. The YMCA only has 30 minutes of lap swim at night and it's at 8:00 PM. I try to be in bed by 9:30-10 these days so it messes with my sleep when I swim at night.

Anyways, Monday night I finally gave running another try and I did a mile and three quarters without stopping... way to go me. Tuesday I did a short bike ride attempting to go fast. 37 minutes for 6.5 miles is kinda crappy, but I'll plead my case by saying it was sort of windy and there was a big long hill involved.

This week my family's little dog had some major health issues and between all the upsetting news and worry I skipped tonight's workout... sometimes regular life, outside of personal fitness goals, has to take center stage. I still feel a little guilty about not swimming but sitting next to my recuperating pup was a much better use of my time tonight.

There's always tomorrow.



my old work out partner, Chloe


Listening to Free/ Zac Brown Band

Foot cramps, Fatigue and Family Swim Fridays

Wednesday night I had to go to the YMCA to be trained on the weight machines... I did a few reps at each station and over the next two days paid for it dearly. The trainer showing me the ropes told me that for a young person I have very little upper body strength... One night of lifting may have robbed me of what little I did have because today I almost dropped the water cooler refill jug on my foot. I caught it in a bear hug type grip saving me from making an idiot of myself right in front of the office safety bulletin board.

After lifting I gave swimming another try. The pool closed early so I only had about 30 minutes. I think I'm slowly... very slowly, improving every time. I'm having a hell of a time with foot cramps though, every single lap. I looked at some stretches you can try to prevent them from happening that I will experiment with tomorrow.

Thursday and tonight I decided to take off after feeling very run down and fatigued. I did however go to family swim with my mom and nephew for the whole 20 minutes we were able to hold his attention. It was actually a lot of fun to be in the pool for once and to see how happy Alex was jumping in and splashing in the water. Maybe I'll try to channel his excitement tomorrow morning when I attempt to get back into the swing of things.

Good news today, the Tri swim has been shortened from 800m to 600m. Since 1 down and back lap is still somewhat of a challenge for me I'm thrilled they're knocking 4 off. I also read today that the life guards in boats along the swim will allow you to grab on to the side and rest if necessary. I'm going to try like hell not to wuss out but it's nice to know that my hopes of completing the Tri won't be lost when I start hyperventilating in the first event!

Memorial Day Weekend

All weekends should be 3 day weekends. I feel like I had a fairly productive 3 days off. I probably should have ran yesterday but instead I went Sailing with my brother for the second day in a row and it kicked my butt. I just counted and I have 10 bumps and bruises on my left knee alone. I'm literally beating myself up. All the activity between Friday night and now has left me looking forward to my pillow tonight.

So here's what we did before I fall asleep and forget to catalog it. Saturday morning after rolling out of bed at around 10:00, and feeling like I could have slept til 2:00, I ran about a mile/ mile and half... running in hot weather is going to be difficult, I'll have to get an earlier start from now on. I'm going to have to start pushing myself to run longer distances or I'll never make it to a 5K.

Sunday I was a bump on a log after sailing again but I did finally sign up at a gym with a pool so at least I'll get swimming again.

This morning Angela and I did 14.5 mile bike ride up and over 500 hills. Or at least it felt like 500 hills. My knees and thighs hurt so bad I actually had to reconsider how many times I had to climb the stairs in my house. I'm still glad we seem to be making progress on the biking. We both decided that if we survive the Tri maybe we'll give a bike race a try someday. I think it's both of our favorites out of the three sports.



Finally got my bike rack!!! and then a bird crapped all over it before I even used it.



I need to remember sunblock every time I go out from now on... I've had one too many sunburns already this year!

Angela in Action

not bad for holding the camera behind my back!

Biker Chicks

Angela on her Mountain Bike

Beaver Fever

My week started out with a fever, a sinus infection and a really crappy run. By Thursday I finally decided I wasn't going blind, the antibiotics started to kick in and aside from a sore throat I'd say I'm closer to 100% than I have been for awhile.

On to today's bike ride... according to my odometer Angela and I did 16.2 miles today! Hilly miles I might add.

We extended our normal route and wound up further out than we expected. The ride wasn't too bad, although a few of those hills took some time to recover from. Oh and I almost rode into a ditch and came about 3 feet from running over someone's house cat. Turns out no matter how many bugs are pelting you in the face you should always look where you're going. It was a big ditch too.

Ok on to exciting news... on our way back we stopped along the roadside to give a look out for our beaver/ possible otter friend... and sure enough... it was a Beaver, only a few feet away splashing his tail around probably warning us not to get too close. It's not every day you get to see a beaver in it's natural habitat... I was pretty happy I finally remembered my camera!

Cyclists are People too

Today I did a 14.5 mile bike trek over the generally quiet country back roads in rural Oswego. I had a few moments in which I would have liked to come face to face with more than one idiot motorist. As a driver I know I have the responsibility of looking out for everyone who shares the road ways. Apparently not everyone is aware that just because cars are bigger they haven't earned the right for a free for all. As I was climbing a giant hill towards the end of my ride today I was completely on the shoulder of the road, not even swerving and some jack ass comes flying by and lays on his horn... I just about fell off my bike I jumped so bad. After swearing in my head for the next mile or so I tried to let it go, hoping the jerk would get a flat tire and I could ride by and laugh. Once I got back into the city I got beeped at a few more times despite obeying the rules of the road... The world is just full of too many mean people.

I tried Shot Bloks today... they weren't bad, I might get a camel pak to carry more water... one water bottle is not enough for a hot day!

Just Keep Swimming

I finally made it to the pool this week.
It was a rude awakening.
I haven't been in a pool since my high school track practices 10 years ago. I have 11 weeks to turn my ability to swim one half lap into an 800m swim (or roughly 32 times the length I can do now).

The life guard laughed at me today.
He asked me if I was ok... I think he was under the impression that I was about to drown in a pool that is 4 and a half feet deep. That's how pathetic I am.
I haven't lost all hope yet, during my second swim today I think I improved on my breathing technique a bit. If I can keep up with swimming at least 3 times a week I think I will start to see improvements... I better or else I hope they have a good life guard on duty the day of the Tri.

In other training news, my running has been improving while my knees are slowly but surely crying out in protest. Angela and I rode our 9 mile massive-hill-Lake route and ran a little bit after. Another successful brick. We also saw an otter I believe. Wildlife sightings are always a bonus for me as is the chocolate covered frozen banana I got directly afterward. Overall a very good week for Tri training.

Listening to: Just Keep Swimming/ Dory the fish from Finding Nemo

Brick

This morning Angela and I went for a 9 mile hilly bike ride directly followed by about 30 minutes of run/walking. It was another chilly windy day, with what seemed like an almost constant head wind. I feel like a sail on my bike trying to move against the wind. Hopefully the day of the Tri will be a bit warmer and a lot less windy.

We hit 30 mph today, maybe not that impressive to most cyclists, but considering 20 mph scared me a few weeks ago I felt pretty good about hitting 30.

All that exercise takes a lot out of me, I came home and fell asleep for three hours. Normally I'm a serious napper, I could fall asleep at any given hour of the day, but a good workout almost guarantees a long afternoon nap. I might go into a coma after the actual race.

I'm not sure if it's the wind, diet, allergies, dehydration or over training that is holding me back from improving but the last two bike rides have been really hard. I'm going to start measuring my water intake and just started allergy meds yesterday, so hopefully I'll see some improvements.

For our first Brick workout I thought it went well. My knees hurt a bit and my legs felt like jello for the first few minutes. It was nice to know I still had some energy in reserve after biking... who knows what it'll be like after swimming... guess I'll get a better idea after Monday morning, my first swim work out, I finally found a gym!

Listening to The Getaway/Athlete

Not my Favorite Thing

Went for a run today, it was rough as usual... running is not my favorite thing, I very rarely enjoy it. Today was no exception. In an effort to entice myself to do it sometimes I convince myself that running with my dog will help. Inevitably he drags me, trips me and just generally makes me look like an idiot and a completely inept pack leader. At least the hoodlum teenage boys are less likely to make a snide comment when I run with my wild hyena of a dog. Boomer gets a few bonus points there.

I'd guess I did about a mile all together today, I feel pathetic really. I'm thinking my negative attitude is mostly to blame for my poor running skills. I never expected this to be easy but I had hoped I would be making progress by now. I'm having trouble with working my way up gradually. I want to be able to run a 5K yesterday and at the rate I'm going it feels like possibly early next year would be a more likely goal.

I wrote down a few quotes that when I first started I thought might be helpful to keep in mind...

Man imposes his own limitations, don't set any -Anthony Bailey

Cowards die many times before their deaths,
the valiant never taste death but once - Julius Caesar

All it takes is all you got - Marc Davis

and my favorite...

Little by little one travels far -JRRT

So for now I'm going to try and channel my inner hobbit and see where it gets me.

Listening to : One/ U2

First Tri

Today is 13 weeks until I compete in, or maybe I should say, hopefully complete my first triathlon. This whole thing started in January when a friend from work, Elyssa said we should sign up for the Iron Girl Triathlon that was taking place August 7th of this year. I believe my initial reaction was hell no, a sentiment I sometimes wish I would have stuck with. After about a month of deliberation I decided that the race being far off in the future, would be a good fitness goal and I'd have plenty of time to work up to the level of physical prowess I would need to accomplish my goal. I signed up and managed to talk my friend Angela in to singing away almost six months of leisure time as well. Fast forward to today, 13 weeks out and Elyssa, Angela and I seem to be in for one hell of a summer, training, learning and a whole lot of tri-ing.

I decided to start this blog to chronicle our triumphs and setbacks, record our progress and keep a record of the biggest physical challenge I've ever taken on.