For some reason I cannot put my finger on, I have decided to do a 5k charity swim for Veterans -- around Veteran's Day -- in New York -- at Brighton Beach. Anticipated water temp?? ~52 degrees. Actually, I know exactly why I decided to do it - my grandpa, my dad, my father-in-law, and a whole bunch of other friends and family are veterans. Besides them are many other friends and family, and family of friends, and friends of family who are currently serving in the military. No one is untouched by the sacrifice these men and women have made or are making. The least I can do is raise a little money and awareness by jumping in the cold water and swimming 3.2 miles. The sacrifice to my comfort is so small in comparison.
To me, the funniest part about this swim is that there are two divisions - the wetsuit division and the non-wetsuit division. Seriously, you ask? Yes, seriously. Clearly, I am opting for the wetsuit division. No question about it. The last time I swam in water that was that cold I wanted to vomit for the first 300 yards and the total length of the swim was only about a mile, but it felt like 5 miles! I was woefully unprepared and uninitiated in the ways of cold water swim preparation. On top of that, I had just returned from a 10 day trip to South America where the temperatures hovered around 110 degrees and my blood thinned out quite nicely, thank you very much. When I got out of the water my exposed skin was red as a lobster - apropos considering the race was the "Lobsterman Triathlon".
So I have been reading a bit about cold water swim preparation and I have a lot more to read to really prepare. However, to start with I have committed to taking only cool or cold showers and baths between now and the swim in November. A warm shower is a luxury I cannot afford. On the plus side, I am burning a whole lot less oil and helping to green the environment in the process. In addition, I will need to purchase some additional neoprene coverage for my head, hands, and feet. Continue to watch this blog as I learn more and more about the preparations for long distance cold water swim events and to see if I can actually raise enough money to register for the swim before the event closes. The countdown begins!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Goals and the Preparation Thereof
What a training week this has been! After a teaching riding with Chuck on Monday, I did a swim/run brick on Tuesday, a 17 mile ride on Wednesday, rested on Thursday, a bike/run brick on Friday, a 10K run on Saturday, and a challenging 23.5 mile ride today. Then tomorrow starts a whole new tri training week all over again.
After Monday's ride I felt exhilarated and couldn't wait to ride again. Tuesday was a lazy swim, followed by two 1.5 mile runs -- both of which felt quite good. Then on Wednesday I was back on the bike for a 17 mile loop where I was able to try out many of the things that Chuck had taught me. One of the biggest struggles that I had was my breathing - also true in my running. Having asthma as a triathlete adds a little bit of an extra challenge, but I have pushed through that with the help of my doctor and I rarely, if ever, struggle with an attack. However I still wanted to maintain my breathing without sounding like an obscene phone caller. What I have learned was that I was expending too much energy using the strength in my lengths which was making me oxygen deprived. When I lightened up on the gears that I was using I spun a lot faster, but didn't expend the same amount of energy and I was able to take the big hills with more energy and less heavy breathing.
By the time Thursday rolled around I had planned to run a 10K, but there were thunderstorms -- always a great excuse for a rest day! Then on Friday I was back at it with a 9.5 hilly ride followed by a 2.5 mile jog. The bike was good, but oddly enough I felt better on the run. I didn't use the MotionTraxx training podcasts that day, but I have used them enough now to help me establish a good pace for myself where I am not breathing too heavy or starting out too fast in a speed that I cannot maintain. I don't know that I will ever be a fast runner, but I am feeling pretty solid at an 11-12 minute/mile pace. I would love to get below a 10 minute pace someday and I will continue to target that as a goal. I know that I can sustain it for one mile, but after that I'm punked.
Saturday morning was supposed to be a rest day, but I needed to make up for my missed 10K from Thursday so I headed out with my MotionTraxx and finished in 1:12 which was about as perfect of a pace as I could get. My legs are now starting to give out *before* my breathing which I believe is a sign of progress for this girl! I rested in a cool bath (more on that in another blog post) for about an hour and then pushed to rehydrate as much as I could in preparation for today's ride.
Today was supposed to be a 26 mile ride, not too overly challenging, with a break in the middle for snack/lunch. Obi-wan had other plans for me - and the 5 other people on the ride besides us. He knows that I am training for this tri coming up in three weeks and wanted to help me to prepare better. This guy has been at this for years -- who am I to argue? So off we went on a shorter (23.5 mile) ride, which was far more challenging with a lot of hills and gradual inclines that seemed to go on forever. At first I thought he was trying to kill me, but as the ride went on I saw the wisdom and genius of his plan (thus the nickname Obi-wan). He worked with me a bit on pacing up the hills and maintaining a certain heart rate so that, in the race, I would have something left over for the run. After the ride I felt great and he talked with me a lot about strategy for THE HILL that is at mile six in my race.
The race is exactly three weeks from today. I am actually feeling pretty good about my chances to make it across the finish line. I am even resigned to the fact that I might be the last person across the finish line - after all, the last place finisher always gets the loudest cheers, do they not? :-) I am confident that I can complete each of the events individually. The question is, how will my body react when I string them all together? For the record - it's a .93 mile swim, 24.8 bike, and 6.2 mile run. Thus the crazy preparations over the last week, which will continue for the next two weeks at which time I will taper the training to give this poor old body a rest before race day.
After Monday's ride I felt exhilarated and couldn't wait to ride again. Tuesday was a lazy swim, followed by two 1.5 mile runs -- both of which felt quite good. Then on Wednesday I was back on the bike for a 17 mile loop where I was able to try out many of the things that Chuck had taught me. One of the biggest struggles that I had was my breathing - also true in my running. Having asthma as a triathlete adds a little bit of an extra challenge, but I have pushed through that with the help of my doctor and I rarely, if ever, struggle with an attack. However I still wanted to maintain my breathing without sounding like an obscene phone caller. What I have learned was that I was expending too much energy using the strength in my lengths which was making me oxygen deprived. When I lightened up on the gears that I was using I spun a lot faster, but didn't expend the same amount of energy and I was able to take the big hills with more energy and less heavy breathing.
By the time Thursday rolled around I had planned to run a 10K, but there were thunderstorms -- always a great excuse for a rest day! Then on Friday I was back at it with a 9.5 hilly ride followed by a 2.5 mile jog. The bike was good, but oddly enough I felt better on the run. I didn't use the MotionTraxx training podcasts that day, but I have used them enough now to help me establish a good pace for myself where I am not breathing too heavy or starting out too fast in a speed that I cannot maintain. I don't know that I will ever be a fast runner, but I am feeling pretty solid at an 11-12 minute/mile pace. I would love to get below a 10 minute pace someday and I will continue to target that as a goal. I know that I can sustain it for one mile, but after that I'm punked.
Saturday morning was supposed to be a rest day, but I needed to make up for my missed 10K from Thursday so I headed out with my MotionTraxx and finished in 1:12 which was about as perfect of a pace as I could get. My legs are now starting to give out *before* my breathing which I believe is a sign of progress for this girl! I rested in a cool bath (more on that in another blog post) for about an hour and then pushed to rehydrate as much as I could in preparation for today's ride.
Today was supposed to be a 26 mile ride, not too overly challenging, with a break in the middle for snack/lunch. Obi-wan had other plans for me - and the 5 other people on the ride besides us. He knows that I am training for this tri coming up in three weeks and wanted to help me to prepare better. This guy has been at this for years -- who am I to argue? So off we went on a shorter (23.5 mile) ride, which was far more challenging with a lot of hills and gradual inclines that seemed to go on forever. At first I thought he was trying to kill me, but as the ride went on I saw the wisdom and genius of his plan (thus the nickname Obi-wan). He worked with me a bit on pacing up the hills and maintaining a certain heart rate so that, in the race, I would have something left over for the run. After the ride I felt great and he talked with me a lot about strategy for THE HILL that is at mile six in my race.
The race is exactly three weeks from today. I am actually feeling pretty good about my chances to make it across the finish line. I am even resigned to the fact that I might be the last person across the finish line - after all, the last place finisher always gets the loudest cheers, do they not? :-) I am confident that I can complete each of the events individually. The question is, how will my body react when I string them all together? For the record - it's a .93 mile swim, 24.8 bike, and 6.2 mile run. Thus the crazy preparations over the last week, which will continue for the next two weeks at which time I will taper the training to give this poor old body a rest before race day.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Importance of Being Earnest
Tonight I went for a ride with one of my training partners - Chuck. Chuck has been letting me teach him a thing or two about swimming. It was a rewarding experience for me and he is now a good swimmer, with good technique. (I assume that means it was a rewarding experience for him too.) With swimming, technique comes first then strength comes later. But I digress...tonight he repaid the favor and taught me a thing or two about biking.
I am an "okay" biker and have come a long way from last year. But I have plateaued and was in need of some TLC and some real technique. My strength cannot get me any further. I want to improve and I am unable to do it on my own. So tonight I became a biking sponge -- an earnest learner. And Chuck complied as a willing trainer and filled my brain with tip after tip. Cadence, shifting, gear strategy, butt-on-the-seat position, body position, hand placement, hill climbing techniques, when to spin, when not to spin, planning for the hills, when to push on the pedals and when to pull and how to combine that with butt-on-the-seat-position, and so much more that I may not even remember.
We worked on standing while pedaling -- which I finally got through by using Chuck's tip of applying my core muscles and pulling up on the handlebars. Then we worked on standing high and standing low and powering up a hill and the timing of when to stand. For the record, standing while pedaling makes me really, really nervous - especially combined with the forward leaning position. I kind of felt like I should be wearing a mouth guard. I tried hard not to envision myself with no front teeth. I swallowed my fear and squashed the negative self talk -- both of which have nooo place in tri training and, in fact, have no place in life.
I have a lot to practice before my next race and I left Chuck and Patty's with a great feeling about my future as a biker and looking forward to my next ride -- in earnest. Ultimately what I learned is that, as with swimming, bike technique is extremely important and should come before strength. Thanks Chuck for a great training session. I am looking forward to the next one to reinforce all the stuff swimming around in my brain!
I am an "okay" biker and have come a long way from last year. But I have plateaued and was in need of some TLC and some real technique. My strength cannot get me any further. I want to improve and I am unable to do it on my own. So tonight I became a biking sponge -- an earnest learner. And Chuck complied as a willing trainer and filled my brain with tip after tip. Cadence, shifting, gear strategy, butt-on-the-seat position, body position, hand placement, hill climbing techniques, when to spin, when not to spin, planning for the hills, when to push on the pedals and when to pull and how to combine that with butt-on-the-seat-position, and so much more that I may not even remember.
We worked on standing while pedaling -- which I finally got through by using Chuck's tip of applying my core muscles and pulling up on the handlebars. Then we worked on standing high and standing low and powering up a hill and the timing of when to stand. For the record, standing while pedaling makes me really, really nervous - especially combined with the forward leaning position. I kind of felt like I should be wearing a mouth guard. I tried hard not to envision myself with no front teeth. I swallowed my fear and squashed the negative self talk -- both of which have nooo place in tri training and, in fact, have no place in life.
I have a lot to practice before my next race and I left Chuck and Patty's with a great feeling about my future as a biker and looking forward to my next ride -- in earnest. Ultimately what I learned is that, as with swimming, bike technique is extremely important and should come before strength. Thanks Chuck for a great training session. I am looking forward to the next one to reinforce all the stuff swimming around in my brain!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
An Angel's Perspective
Last Sunday I had the enormous pleasure of being a swim angel in the SheRox woman's triathlon. I have never been a swim angel before, but my focus lately has been on encouraging and helping other triathletes with the swim leg. I also wanted to give something back to the sport that has given so much to me.
So what is a swim angel? My job was to swim along side other women who might not feel very confident in the water and in their ability to complete the .5 mile swim. While I was swimming with them I was to offer words of encouragement and, if necessary, a noodle. I swam the course three times with three different groups of women hoping to give something to them to spur them on to the swim finish line. It turned out to be so much more than that. I made connections with women and heard their stories.
I hope that I was able to give something to them, however in reality they gave more back to me than I could ever have imagined or hoped for. I swam with women of all ages and all abilities. A few needed a noodle and a few did not. Regardless of their ability, their commitment to reaching the finish line and to completing the goal that they set out for themselves was inspiring. Each woman I met had a story - about why she tri-ed. One young woman (who happens to be one of my instructors from dance camp) set a powerful goal for herself and reached high and achieved it. One woman was swimming for her son who had been diagnosed with cancer, another swam for her very young son who suffers from Muscular Dystrophy and is not expected to live. Another woman had just recovered from having a brain tumor removed and, in an interesting coincidence, we were connected to each other through my son and her husband. Out of 2100 women in the race we were paired up to swim together. How amazing is that?
I have a very strong faith and I do not believe in coincidence. I do believe that God brings other people into our lives for a reason and that these women were brought into my life and into each others lives to see that we all share difficult stories and success stories and that we can come together as women to shore each other up and see each other through. I am going to be a swim angel again this weekend on Saturday and then swim with my relay team on Sunday. I will come to each with a whole new, humbled angel's perspective.
So what is a swim angel? My job was to swim along side other women who might not feel very confident in the water and in their ability to complete the .5 mile swim. While I was swimming with them I was to offer words of encouragement and, if necessary, a noodle. I swam the course three times with three different groups of women hoping to give something to them to spur them on to the swim finish line. It turned out to be so much more than that. I made connections with women and heard their stories.
I hope that I was able to give something to them, however in reality they gave more back to me than I could ever have imagined or hoped for. I swam with women of all ages and all abilities. A few needed a noodle and a few did not. Regardless of their ability, their commitment to reaching the finish line and to completing the goal that they set out for themselves was inspiring. Each woman I met had a story - about why she tri-ed. One young woman (who happens to be one of my instructors from dance camp) set a powerful goal for herself and reached high and achieved it. One woman was swimming for her son who had been diagnosed with cancer, another swam for her very young son who suffers from Muscular Dystrophy and is not expected to live. Another woman had just recovered from having a brain tumor removed and, in an interesting coincidence, we were connected to each other through my son and her husband. Out of 2100 women in the race we were paired up to swim together. How amazing is that?
I have a very strong faith and I do not believe in coincidence. I do believe that God brings other people into our lives for a reason and that these women were brought into my life and into each others lives to see that we all share difficult stories and success stories and that we can come together as women to shore each other up and see each other through. I am going to be a swim angel again this weekend on Saturday and then swim with my relay team on Sunday. I will come to each with a whole new, humbled angel's perspective.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Running Tool
Yesterday was an amazing training day for me. I hit a new personal best with my run (aka jog/speed walk). How? My training buddy Obi-wan introduced me to Motion Traxx. These are podcasts that are geared toward helping your cadence while you run. Some of them are available free through iTunes or on their website http://www.motiontraxx.com
These are workouts that are set to music. The music isn't all that great and is highly repetitive however the beat of the music is customized for various workouts. For example, I began using the run 1 minute / walk 1 minute 5k workout. This was a great way to get me back into the groove of running. There is an increasing intensity to the 1 minute runs so that you are constantly building until near the end of the run when there is a cool down.
For the last two runs, I used the 150-160 beats per minute ~5 mile workout. This workout helps you to average between 10-12 minute miles. The first time I used it I averaged closer to the 12 minute mark and ran 4 miles before I just had to pack it in due to the heat and an earlier bike ride. Yesterday was a completely different story. I ran just over 5 miles at a little over an 11 minute pace. I have asthma which usually is a big challenge for me with running. But my breathing was regulated because I keep a consistent pace. I worried less about the speed and more about the distance and the metronome that the music offered for my cadence. Loved it! I highly recommend Motion Traxx podcasts.
I ended the night's training with jazz class. This was my last night of dance camp and I am sad to see the week end. However, Miss Kristen was wonderful and the class was a lot of fun. My body can move like a jazz dancer - so now I just need to work on moving it at the right time and in the right direction. I am sooooo excited that I will be able to take tap and jazz in the fall. These two classes were by far my favorite of the week. :-)
Do you have a workout tool that you use successfully? I would love to hear about it!
These are workouts that are set to music. The music isn't all that great and is highly repetitive however the beat of the music is customized for various workouts. For example, I began using the run 1 minute / walk 1 minute 5k workout. This was a great way to get me back into the groove of running. There is an increasing intensity to the 1 minute runs so that you are constantly building until near the end of the run when there is a cool down.
For the last two runs, I used the 150-160 beats per minute ~5 mile workout. This workout helps you to average between 10-12 minute miles. The first time I used it I averaged closer to the 12 minute mark and ran 4 miles before I just had to pack it in due to the heat and an earlier bike ride. Yesterday was a completely different story. I ran just over 5 miles at a little over an 11 minute pace. I have asthma which usually is a big challenge for me with running. But my breathing was regulated because I keep a consistent pace. I worried less about the speed and more about the distance and the metronome that the music offered for my cadence. Loved it! I highly recommend Motion Traxx podcasts.
I ended the night's training with jazz class. This was my last night of dance camp and I am sad to see the week end. However, Miss Kristen was wonderful and the class was a lot of fun. My body can move like a jazz dancer - so now I just need to work on moving it at the right time and in the right direction. I am sooooo excited that I will be able to take tap and jazz in the fall. These two classes were by far my favorite of the week. :-)
Do you have a workout tool that you use successfully? I would love to hear about it!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Bike, Run, Swim, Ballet
Yesterday was quite the workout day. I began with a morning bike ride with my friend and fellow tri girl Cori. We rode a respectable 17 miles with a couple of hills, but nothing crazy. We even hit one super sweet downhill along the ride. I spent a lot of the ride marveling at the progress that I have made on the bike during this season alone. Some of the small rolling hills that we rode yesterday were ones that I used to think were painful and which I previously had ridden in "granny gear". Yesterday I rode them in a higher gear than I ever thought sane or reasonable. I thank my friend and fellow tri girl+1 Chuck for encouraging me to shoot for what I thought was an unattainable goal. One of the great things about having others to train with is the encouragement and tips that we can give to each other along the way. I have lucked into a great group of tri girls and a couple of very patient tri guys, for which I am extremely thankful.
I got off the bike and convinced myself that I needed to go for a run. At least one mile... So I walked/jogged a little over a mile. I am simply not a runner. I was the girl who failed the 10 minute mile in high school - 4 - years - in - a - row! Running and I, well we just don't really speak to each other. In my twenties I sustained an injury that, for many many years prevented me from running (poor me!). Once I finally recovered from the injury I was motivated by my desire to do a tri. I can't say that I am a runner. I am definitely more of a jogger/speed walker. But I persevere.
In the early evening I headed to the lake for a swim with two of my tri girls - Allyson and Michelle. Truth be told, I didn't train all that hard in the water. I did a leisurely quarter mile warm up and then tried to hit the last quarter mile hard. The accumulation of the workouts over the last three days hit back. I was exhausted trying to push myself in the water. I ended up dogging the last eighth of a mile with the shore seeming farther and farther away with each breath rather than closer. I got out of the water and was starving, light headed, and in serious need of some sugar. I raced home and wolfed down some G2 and a Vitamuffin Corn Muffin before heading out to ballet class.
I arrived at the dance studio to find my friend and fellow tri girl Lisa finishing up the cardio class. She was quickly convinced to stay for ballet (yay!) and we started with a warmup at the barre which was not too intimidating. All went well until...the grand plié. Not only did I snap, crackle, and pop but each of those 17 miles on the bike came back to haunt me. Oy vey! I soldiered along and didn't embarrass myself too much considering it has been 20+ years. But then the lovely Miss Kristen started talking about leaps...and then she demonstrated what she wanted us to do. Clearly if I had any hope of succeeding at this maneuver I would required both harness and trampoline. I gave it the old college try and had some great laughs. Lisa and I didn't collide into each other once during the whole hour, either!
I enjoyed the class and I still marvel at how much fun one can have when we push ourselves outside our comfort zone. I encourage you to pick one thing new to try - go for it, and then let me know how it went!
I got off the bike and convinced myself that I needed to go for a run. At least one mile... So I walked/jogged a little over a mile. I am simply not a runner. I was the girl who failed the 10 minute mile in high school - 4 - years - in - a - row! Running and I, well we just don't really speak to each other. In my twenties I sustained an injury that, for many many years prevented me from running (poor me!). Once I finally recovered from the injury I was motivated by my desire to do a tri. I can't say that I am a runner. I am definitely more of a jogger/speed walker. But I persevere.
In the early evening I headed to the lake for a swim with two of my tri girls - Allyson and Michelle. Truth be told, I didn't train all that hard in the water. I did a leisurely quarter mile warm up and then tried to hit the last quarter mile hard. The accumulation of the workouts over the last three days hit back. I was exhausted trying to push myself in the water. I ended up dogging the last eighth of a mile with the shore seeming farther and farther away with each breath rather than closer. I got out of the water and was starving, light headed, and in serious need of some sugar. I raced home and wolfed down some G2 and a Vitamuffin Corn Muffin before heading out to ballet class.
I arrived at the dance studio to find my friend and fellow tri girl Lisa finishing up the cardio class. She was quickly convinced to stay for ballet (yay!) and we started with a warmup at the barre which was not too intimidating. All went well until...the grand plié. Not only did I snap, crackle, and pop but each of those 17 miles on the bike came back to haunt me. Oy vey! I soldiered along and didn't embarrass myself too much considering it has been 20+ years. But then the lovely Miss Kristen started talking about leaps...and then she demonstrated what she wanted us to do. Clearly if I had any hope of succeeding at this maneuver I would required both harness and trampoline. I gave it the old college try and had some great laughs. Lisa and I didn't collide into each other once during the whole hour, either!
I enjoyed the class and I still marvel at how much fun one can have when we push ourselves outside our comfort zone. I encourage you to pick one thing new to try - go for it, and then let me know how it went!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Bike, Run, Dance...huh?
Today I threw a new sport into the triathlon cross training mix - dance. I woke up this morning and rode 10 very hilly miles with my friend Wonder Woman. We convinced each other to run two miles after we got off the bikes. We started jogging and quickly decided to power walk the two miles... so pathetic. But as we loosened up, we decided to push ourselves to 4 miles and to alternate power walking and jogging. Granted, we did walk more than jog but it was forward momentum and I was glad we did as much as we did. I ran four slow miles last night, so I convinced myself to take it even slower today. Besides - I had to save something for DANCE CAMP!!!
That's right, I am taking a week of dance classes this week. I'm calling it dance camp because it makes me feel a little less old. I haven't danced in any serious way for over 20 years. Tonight's class was a contemporary class. This is a style that I have never done before. I have seen it on So You Think You Can Dance and have always loved watching it and the way the body moves in this style of dance. Today my body was not quite moving with the rhythm of the rises and falls, but I learned a lot and had so much fun. There were only three of us in the class and I was, by far, the oldest. We did some moves where we had to roll onto our knees (ouch) on the hard wood floor (double ouch) so there might be a bruise or two tomorrow. But oh my! What fun!
My work out plans tomorrow include an early morning bike/run and an early evening swim followed by dance camp again. Tomorrow I will hit the floor for ballet - a little closer to home, but I am quite rusty and rickety in that style. At least my body might remember some of what it did 20 years ago, Stay tuned!
That's right, I am taking a week of dance classes this week. I'm calling it dance camp because it makes me feel a little less old. I haven't danced in any serious way for over 20 years. Tonight's class was a contemporary class. This is a style that I have never done before. I have seen it on So You Think You Can Dance and have always loved watching it and the way the body moves in this style of dance. Today my body was not quite moving with the rhythm of the rises and falls, but I learned a lot and had so much fun. There were only three of us in the class and I was, by far, the oldest. We did some moves where we had to roll onto our knees (ouch) on the hard wood floor (double ouch) so there might be a bruise or two tomorrow. But oh my! What fun!
My work out plans tomorrow include an early morning bike/run and an early evening swim followed by dance camp again. Tomorrow I will hit the floor for ballet - a little closer to home, but I am quite rusty and rickety in that style. At least my body might remember some of what it did 20 years ago, Stay tuned!
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