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December 31, 2006

Oh Yeah, I Rode Today Too

Getting all excited about next season, forgot to include about my ride this morning!

So yeah - not too many people showed up and then of the ones that did, they didn't all want to go very far. Bums. But I did get my 50 miles in (okay, it was really just 48.5) and I did have some company.

Of course that company happened to be the best cyclist on our team. Ouch. But he had just returned from the UK (where he is from) and so he was jetlagged. I had that going for me. :) Still, our strongest cyclist who can climb like a madman (he's just a small little guy). I knew I was in for a ride.

It worked out well though. I had to ride pretty hard to keep up but he didn't try and kill me either. What he didn't allow (at least all the time) was me to just draft off him. We rode side by side for the majority of the ride (except when I was really tired I would take a break behind him :) and I'll have to say I felt pretty dang strong! My quads are tired now doubt but on the flats I was able to consistently keep up with his 20-24 MPH tempo and on the hills, well - he just had to wait for me at the top. :) We finished up the ride in 2.5 hours. And I'll have to say it was a great way to end the year.

Best part of all was, he and I had lots of good coversation (when I wasn't gasping for air) - anything ranging from the Queen Mum (he is a Brit after all) to carbon frames to the differences between the standard of living in the US vs England. He asked me my goals for the season and I laid it on him. And then he said some of the most encouraging stuff to me I've heard in a long time. I certainly appreciate ANY encouragement from anyone, but sometimes when it comes from certain people, it means so much more. Coming from him, it meant a lot. He's such an accomplished athlete himself. And I appreciated his comments from the bottom of my heart. He also gave me some advice - keep your life simple, keep yourself happy and always keep your enthusiasm (that he says I have a lot of but I sometimes beg to differ... :). And as we finished the ride along the river I felt very blessed to be in the situation I'm in. I am so lucky to have the teammates I have and the support system that envelopes me. Just so very, very, very lucky...

Posted by beth at 5:33 PM | Comments (0)

And So Goes Another Year

I'm sitting here at my computer and I think just now realizing that 2007 is here upon us. Maybe it's always like this and I just forget, but it seems like this year has gone by so fast - in a flash - like I don't even remember what all happened. But it is what it is and because in several hours it will be a new year, this blog entry MUST (yes must!) at least reflect a little about the past year.

As always (as in previous years) my highs and lows for the year 2006:

Low - I really only had one major low, the passing of my high school cross country coach. Heartbreaking to say the least. The day of his funeral ranks as one of the worst days of my life, ever. But the good news is, his memory lives on. It lives on in all the people he taught and coached, and most obviously in his 3 young children.

High - This is a pretty obvious one - I found a new sport! What started out as just "something to do" until I could run again like I wanted to, has turned into quite an amazing ride. I haven't felt this excited or passionate about anything for a while and that makes me so happy! Along with the high of finding this sport is the realization that O and I could rearrange our lives some, my work schedule some, etc... to really give it a go next season and see what happens.

All in all a pretty good year. But that makes sense because all in all I've been blessed with such a wonderful life and such wonderful people in my life. I'm thankful beyond words.

And so with the reflection of last year complete, that means it's all systems go on 2007. Foward motion now baby!

About 2 weeks ago I sat down and wrote all my goals out for the 2007 tri season (and for the whole year really). I generally don't like to tell other people my goals, except for some obvious ones like my coach and O who need to know such things. But Meghan's comment on my blog yesterday made me think - perhaps I should be a little more sharing of what I'm setting out to do? I definitely feel like not wanting to share my goals shows a lack of belief in myself that I can actually accomplish them. You know - "if I don't tell people what I really wanted to do it's okay if I don't achieve the goal because then I really won't have failed" - type thinking. But you see I can't afford that type of thinking and that lack of belief. It's time to put those fears behind me. If I really want to accomplish my goals, I have to believe I can accomplish them. Sounds pretty basic but it's probably the biggest barrier I have to overcome.

So first, a list of races that I will be doing:

1) Columbia Triathlon May 20 (Oly distance)
2) Eagleman Triathlon June 10 (1/2 IM distance)
3) Philadelphia Triathlon June 24 (Oly distance)
4) Age Group Nationals June 30 (Oly distance)
5) Pittsburgh Triathlon July 15 (Oly distance)
6) NYC Triathlon July 22 (Oly distance)

Those will take care of the early season, June and July at which point we will evaluate where we're at. At Age Group Nationals I can qualify for the USAT World meet which is in Germany in September. At the Pittsburgh Tri I can qualify for an event called Best of the US which is in October in Florida and at Eagleman I can qualify for Kona or for the World 1/2 IM Championships in Florida in November.

So my goals for these races? Here goes - for Columbia, Philadelphia and NYC I want to win the amateur elite divisions. These races all have pro fields. For Pittsburgh and Age Group Nationals (no pro fields) I want to win the races out right. And for Eagleman, my only longer event of the season, I aim to win my age group. Winning my age group would send me to Kona, placing within the top 3 of my age group would send me to Florida for the 1/2 IM World Champs.

Other goals? Go 2:08 in an Oly distance tri. Go 4:40 at Eagleman. Run 37:30 in one of my 10Ks. Win the local crit series for women. And if I do all the above, I will have achieved the qualifying standards to turn pro the following season (2008).

Whew. I'm tired just reading all those goals. :) And I have to admit - I really want to delete this post right now and never tell anyone ever again what my goals are! But I'm not gonna. I'm just not gonna.

There are days when I wake up and I think without a doubt that I have all the ability, training and mental toughness I will need to get every single one of the above goals and more. And there are also days when I wake up and I wonder if I'll even be able to swim the 3000 yd workout I have planned that morning. let alone win a race. But I think it's natural - to have ups and downs - and I imagine even the best athletes in the world suffer from bouts of self doubt. Perhaps my biggest and toughest goal of the whole season will be attack each race AND EACH DAY with confidence and the belief that there is no reason why it can't be me.

I'm so excited about it all. Really, really excited. I'm motivated and passionate and just ready to get out there and start racing! And so over the next several months I expect there to be some ups and downs here in this blog. It should be an interesting ride for sure...

Posted by beth at 4:53 PM | Comments (2)

December 30, 2006

It IS All About the Bike

This morning I had an easier, shorter ride on my schedule but since I went on the team ride (which are neither short nor easy) I actually went a little longer and harder than was planned. That's okay though. If there's one area where I've not been feeling too strong, it's on the bike. I need all the help I can get.

With lots of my teammates away still with the holidays and people usually not from around here (visiting for the holidays) my coach and I were the only two on the ride that knew where we were going and are "regulars" and so that meant I did a fair amount of pulling. Funny how much harder it is to lead on a bike than sit back in the pack (and hardly even have to pedal). I know the pulling makes me a lot stronger though. Riding on the front in the crits last summer really made a huge difference in my cycling strength for my tris - so I need to get back into it - as hard as it may be.

Now tomorrow I won't be doing much pulling at all on my ride - in fact I will more likely be hanging on for dear life. I somehow got talked into going on the 50 mile Sunday ride with all the really good guys on the team. Sunday is usually my day off but coach thought it would be good to go with those guys tomorrow and take Monday off instead. Quite frankly I'm scared of those guys though. They are very good cyclists and their "taking it easy" is my "riding as hard as I can and hoping like heck not to get dropped off the back". Again though, I know it's the only way to get stronger. I was thinking about a quote I read from Desiree Ficker (my favorite triathlete of all time) in an article I recently read. She was talking about how in Kona this year (where she placed 2nd) she really had to make a decision with 6 miles left in the marathon - fight for 2nd place and take herself to the next level or, retreat back into her comfort zone and settle for 3rd or 4th. She said: "At that point, I thought about all the times in my workouts in Austin, training with men, that I have been dropped and struggled to hold on for dear life. Having gone through those moments of pain in training made it easier to deal with." Desiree and I aren't at the same level, no - not even close - but I think of the same thing when I'm racing, all those long hours and pushing yourself hard, trying desperately to keep up with the guys on the team and in the mean time, getting a whole lot stronger (mentally and physically) for it. Tomorrow might just be one of those days I look back on...

Week summary:

Sunday - off
Monday - 25 mile ride w/3 mile TT, core/feet exercises
Tuesday - 2100 yd swim w/1000 yd TT (13:28) in am, plyometric session in am, 41 minute run in pm w/5x20 second striders, 1 hour pilates class in pm
Wednesday - 3200 yd swim w/10x50, 4x500 in am, weight session in am, 1:25 on trainer in pm w/ILT
Thursday - 3200 yd swim w/lots of hard 100s in am, 40 minute run in pm w/1600 meter TT (5:37), 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Friday - 2000 yd swim w/7x100, 200 kick in am, weight session in pm
Saturday - 35 mile ride in am (about 1:50)

Definitely a lighter week time wise - about 12.75 hours total. I did have a little more quality than usual. I was very pleased with my swim TT and my running TT result is starting to grow on me some too. I will be excited to see what next week holds!

Posted by beth at 8:19 PM | Comments (2)

December 29, 2006

Quick and (Relatively) Painless

Guess where I was this morning?! Yes - that's right - the pool! (you never would have guessed it, I'm sure)...

AM swim workout:

Not too bad this morning. In fact, it wasn't too bad at all.
2000 yds total at YMCA (600 yds warmup, 500 yds cooldown)

5x100 w/20 sec rest descending:
(1:21.2, 1:19.7, 1:18.7, 1:16.2, 1:14.0)
and then 1 minute rest before 2x100 (with 20 seconds rest) at pace of last 100: (1:13.7, 1:13.2)

200 moderate kick (3:10)

It was so short I didn't even realize it was over when it was over! I did get lots of flip turn practice on my warmup and cooldown though. Very exciting. Less water up the nose but I hit a few bad ones where I turned funny and ended up more in the lane line than in the lane. Opps. :)

This afternoon I have a weight lifting session and then that's it! Cutback weeks are wonderful! I can already feel my legs recovering and feeling fresher - I'm sure only to be punished more next week. That's okay though - punishing workouts now make the races seem easier. Sometimes. :)

Hope everyone has a great start to their long(er) weekends!

Posted by beth at 2:33 PM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2006

5:37 for 1600 Meters and Flip Turns to Boot

I gotta just tell you straight - I was NOT feelin' it when I woke up this morning. Not at all. I was tired and really grumpy that I had to go back to work today (working at the shop didn't count yesterday because that's fun) and I was cold too. And Roxy tripped me when I was going down the steps to feed her. Humpf. But the day turned out to be quite a good one. Just goes to show - you have to give something a little time before you totally write it off. :)

AM swim workout:

Part of my grumpiness this morning could also have been due to the fact that I knew what I was in for with my swim workout. I knew it was going to be a killer.

3300 yds total @YMCA (250 yds warmup, 300 yds cooldown)

400 on 6
4x100 on 1:30 all done in under 1:18
300 on 4:30
3x100 on 1:30 all done in under 1:17
200 on 3
3x100 on 1:30 all done in under 1:16
100 on 1:30
1x100 done in under 1:12

10x75 kick w/fins on 1:20

Now, this is the most evil kind of workout for me because my weakness is swimming fast. Just like my running weakness. This was essentially like asking me to run quarters at :70-:75 pace. Evil. Pure evil. And even though the 400, 300, 200 and 100 in between the fast stuff was supposed to be "easy", those were all on a 1:30/100 yd base which isn't totally lollygagging if I wanted any sort of rest. But I of course know the benefit of it and of course I was going to give it my best. I gotta tell you - I wasn't too confident going into it though.

For the first set of hard 100s I just swam as hard as I could and much to my surprise I did them all in 1:16-1:17. Hmm. Okay, next set of hard 100s and somehow I was doing 1:15s! And then for the 2x100 hard 1:14s! What. The. Heck?! After that I was like "yeah baby - I'm gettin' er done this morning!". I knew doing the last 100 under 1:12 was going to be painful and given the fact that my fastest 100 EVER was a 1:10, I wasn't too sure it was doable. But I swam as hard as I could from the time I pushed off the wall and alas - 1:12.4. Not under 1:12 no, but gosh darnit, good enough!

After all that I thought I was going to have a heart attack. To say I was breathing hard is quite the understatement. Workout aside though, the highlight of the morning was doing my first flip turn of my life! My coach just basically told me I had to start doing them, no room for discussion. I've been dragging my feet about it because I don't see why it matters. All of my races this season will be in open water - no pool walls in sight! But when I protested he provided a list of reasons why I needed to learn how to do flip turns and that was the end of that. This morning I started by just swimming free down, getting as close to the wall as I could stand, doing a somersault in the water, pushing off the wall and then doing backstroke back (not worrying about completing the flip turn and actually turning around in the water). And surprisingly it went pretty well! My nose burned for about an hour afterwards with all the water I got up it but otherwise I was fine. And I even did a few real flip turns where I turned back onto my belly. I won't be trying them any time soon in an actual workout but I will keep practicing with them during my warmups and cooldowns and maybe, just maybe, I'll get it down.

Next up? Work. I wasn't looking forward to going back after having nearly a whole week off. But it turned out to be a surprisingly nice day - not too much work but not too little either. Perfect! And I even got home a little on the early side so that I actually got to do my whole entire run in the light!

PM run workout:

Luckily I had O to join me for this one. And boy would I need him. On tap was a 1 mile (1600 meter actually) time trial. I was actually looking forward to it but I knew it was going to be P.A.I.N.F.U.L. given the fact that I haven't run anything harder than striders for the past 2 months AND I probably haven't broken 7 minute pace for at least that long. Luckily I don't think my body knew what the heck I hit it with. In fact I still think it's in a state of denial and shock. :)

My goal was 5:50. Seriously - I didn't know what in the world to expect. So after a 20 minute warmup we set off at 5:50 pace. We went through the 400 in :86 and then the 800 in 2:51. At this point I thought 5:45 was possible. Through the 1200 in 4:15 and I was feeling okay so I decided to pick it up as hard as I could. With about 200 to go things started to get ugly. You know when your form starts to break down because your musculature just isn't ready for what you've lobbed at it? Um yeah - that was me. But I held it together and O and I finished in 5:37 (a paltry :82 last lap :). At first I was pretty excited about a 5:37. But then I started to think that's really pretty pathetic. Seriously - 5:37? But after further thought I decided that I really was pleased with it considering I haven't done any speedwork whatsoever, I was never that fast to begin with AND this past September I did a 1.5 mile time trial wherein I ran as hard as I could and ended up with about 5:58 pace. Shortly after that I ran under 39 minutes for a 10K in my last triathlon of the season. I know I couldn't have run 2 more laps today at the same pace but still...it was encouraging. One of my goals for the upcoming season is to run 10K in one of my tris in 37:30 (6 minute pace) so I think I just need to make 5:37 feel a little more comfortable and then it will be doable. We shall see.

Anyway, after the hard mile O and I jogged another 15 minutes home at which point I determined that I'm going to be very sore tomorrow. :)

And now I've written quite possibly the longest (and the most boring?) blog entry in quite some time. Yet, I'm still not done!

Get this!!! I got my new Triathlete Magazine in the mail today and there is another awesome TYR ad on the back, similar to the ad I ranted and raved about a couple weeks ago, but with a slightly different saying. This time it's professional triathlete Chris Hauth and he says:

"WHY DO YOU DO IT? IT'S PERSONAL. It's a constant question. Why put yourself through the pain, the agony, the physical and mental exhaustion. You try to explain. It's for the rush, the nerves, touching the sand, speeding through your transition, the camaraderie, the finish. But a simple explanation can never suffice. You do it for yourself, for the pain, the agony, the exhaustion, the finish."

Nuff said.

Posted by beth at 6:56 PM | Comments (5)

December 27, 2006

Back to the Pool

This morning I was back in the pool (surprise, surprise!) - this time with O, who for some unknown reason gets up at very early hours of the morning to go to the YMCA with me even when he has the day off work. The kid is weird, I do know that much. And I also know I didn't make the bed this morning because I'm relatively certain him and Roxy might end up back in there to catch up on the missed zzz's from this morning. :)

AM swim workout:

3200 yds total @ YMCA (500 yds warmup, 200 yds cooldown)
10x50 on :50
4x500 on 7:30 descending 1-4 (7:01, 6:46, 6:42, 6:37)

I was pleased with the workout - especially the last 500. That bugger was rough. I was swimming as hard as I could that last 100! Regardless, I know I just need to keep chopping wood.

After the swim O and I engaged in a 50 minute lifting session. Lifting after swimming is tough but I'm glad to have it done. Today I work at the shop until 7. I hope to get my riding done sometime during that span although if not, I'll do my 1:30 on the trainer (yes, it's very cold outside!) after I'm done working.

And that is my story for the day! Hope everyone has a great one!

Posted by beth at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2006

A Different Kind of Week

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday (thus far)! I know mine was great. Lots of relaxing and good food and of course time with family. Very nice indeed. It comes and goes so fast but luckily this week and into early next week should be pretty relaxing with New Years and lots of time off work. (insert sigh of relief...) I've already gotten much more sleep than usual over the past couple days and for that, I am VERY thankful.

Going along with the theme of relaxation, my training this week isn't very high volume! I'm scheduled for a 10.5 hour week which used to be a lot for me but which now seems like nothing coming off an 18-19 hour week. Funny how that works. The week seems to be a recovery week but also inserted in there are some harder efforts, of which I haven't been partaking in recently.

I started things off yesterday with a Christmas morning ride. It was wonderful - I think I saw about 5 cars on my route, usually a very busy road. It was cold and I wasn't sure my hands (and then feet) were going to make it home with me in one piece, but otherwise it was great. I also got to ride the bike that I think I'm going to ride this summer in the crits. It's a step up from the BMC I usually ride. It felt great - but it also felt very "small". It also has a different gear ratio than the BMC which doesn't mean that much to me (seeing as how I'm a cycling dummy) other than the fact that I can tell a difference when I want to climb. Different gears needed. I'm sure I'll get used to it. :)

Anyway, I rode for close to 26 miles, 1:25 or so. After riding about 7 miles I did a 1.5 mile out and back (3 miles total) hard tempo type effort and averaged about 20.6 MPH.

This morning I started things off with a swim. On tap was a 1000 yd time trial. Ugh. I'm not a huge fan of time trials. We used to have an 800 yd time trial at the start of every outdoor track season in high school and a time trial on our home XC course at the start of every cross country season. I think I used to get more nervous for those "races" than for actual races with real competition!

Anyway, my last 1000 yd time trial in the pool was on October 25th wherein I swam 13:51 (1:23/100 yd pace). I remember right after that effort my coach emailed me and said my next goal would be 13:30. So 13:30 it was for this morning!

AM swim workout:
2100 yds total (500 yds warmup, 600 yds cooldown)
1000 yd time trial - 13:28 (1:20.8/100 yd pace)

Yippppeeeee! I was really swimming hard towards the end - I'm talking taking a breath every stroke and sprinting like nobody's business. And I'll have to admit I was thrilled when I saw I had actually achieved the 13:30. I had let the thought of swimming 1:21 pace for 1000 yds straight daunt me so it was great to actually do it and see the improvement in my swimming over the last 2 months. 23 seconds might not seem like a lot but it's taken quite a lot of work to get there. And of course I got an email from coach this morning that said "next time under 13 minutes!". He is relentless! But that's what I love about him. He knows my goals for this upcoming season and so therefore he HAS to be relentless, or I'll never get there...

After the pool I did a 45 minutes plyometric session. This afternoon I have an easy 40 minute run with striders and then tonight I have my pilates class.

The very exciting news of my day is that my parents and grandparents got me (and O) a very wonderful Christmas gift - a trip to Portland, Oregon next June for the USAT Age Group Nationals! I had wanted to do the race but the cost of traveling out there would have been too much for O and I alone. Alas - my family to the rescue! I'm very excited for it. It will be an awesome race and I've never been to Oregon (or anywhere near the west coast for that matter). Yipppeeeeee!

Posted by beth at 1:28 PM | Comments (1)

December 25, 2006

Christmas Ride

Roxy and I and my new ride (that isn't really mine but I get to ride it anyway) - a Felt F2- after my Christmas morning ride.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Posted by beth at 10:26 AM | Comments (1)

December 23, 2006

And That Was That!

Nice ride this morning. It wasn't too cold and although we had a small group it was a good group. We rode for 2:35, about 45 miles and climbed some massive hills. I could have definitely been talked into riding a nice, flat course but we did what we did and I survived! 8.5 hours of sleep last night helped me feel better for this morning but my legs were definitely feeling this past week's training. Day off tomorrow should do the trick - I'll be all recovered to start over again Monday! :)

Week Summary:

Sunday - off
Monday - 4100 yd swim in am, 45 minute plyometric session in am, 2:15 on the CompuTrainer - ride #3 in pm
Tuesday - 50 minute lifting session in afternoon, 1 hour pilates in pm,
Wednesday - 3800 yd swim in am, 1:30 run in pm, 1:55 w/ILT on trainer in pm
Thursday - 4100 yd swim in am, 45 minute weight session in am, 45 minute run w/striders in pm
Friday - 4100 yd swim in am, 1:30 run in pm, core/feet exercises
Saturday - 2:35 ride (45 miles) in am, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Sunday - off(!)

18 hours 45 minutes, 16,100 yds swimming, 29.5 miles running, 116.5 miles riding and I seriously can't imagine what training for an Ironman is like! :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Enjoy!

Posted by beth at 2:52 PM | Comments (1)

December 22, 2006

Friday Musings

In case anyone was wondering, I currently have a nasty taste in my mouth - a combo of onions, lime and M&Ms. That's what you get when you eat the type of things I do for dinner... :)

Anyway, when I woke up this morning I felt sort of like someone had beaten me with a large stick (and when I looked in the mirror I LOOKED like someone had beaten me with a large stick). And truthfully, it could have happened and I never would have woken up. Yep, I was tired last night. So when my alarm went off I was about 99.9% convinced that something was NOT going to happen today - whether that was not going to work or not going to swim or not running or what have you. But before I knew it I was halfway through my main swim set, and then I was halfway through the work day and then I was half way through my run. So it all got done. But I still feel like someone beat me with a stick. Funny how that happens.

AM swim workout:
I'm officially a swim nerd - I now have fins! I guess I won't really be a swim nerd until I have paddles, my own kickboard and a little TYR mesh bag to carry it all in, but I felt like a nerd today showing up with all my swim gear. The reason for the fins? I noted that my workout called for them today so I bought some. I tried them on last night and nearly killed myself walking around. And Roxy is afraid of them. I think my next Halloween costume might involve fins. :)

4100 yds total at YMCA (1000 yds warmup, 500 yds cooldown)

5x100 on 1:30 - 1 min rest
5x100 on 1:25 - 1 min rest
5x100 on 1:20 w/fins
200 yds easy
3 sets of (1x100 on 1:30, 1x100 on 1:25, 1x100 on 1:20 no fins)

No lies, those last 9 100s were rough. I was a hurtin' puppy. I started off feeling great but I did the first 100 on 1:20, got about 3 seconds rest after swimming really hard and then realized that I had lots more to do. It wasn't pretty but I'm proud to admit I made all the intervals! And the fins? Um yeah - those things are freaking awesome! I felt like I was FLYING and my arms weren't doing any work. I now understand why God made the animals of the sea have big flippers. Those bad boys work.

I fell asleep at work today. It's not the first time. I was sitting at a computer and was SOOOO tired and I thought to myself..."I'll just rest my eyes for 2 seconds"...famous last words...

When I got home from work I was so beat I thought I was going to fall over. I got the mail, let Roxy out, fed Roxy, watched the rain come down and decided I needed to take a nap first. So I got my pjs on and slept like a rock for 45 minutes. When I got up it was still pouring outside and now it was pitch dark because it was about 5:30. And I was still tired. And still feeling like someone beat me with a large stick.

So you can only guess how much I wanted to run 12 miles. My goodness. But I changed and got my shoes on and out I went. And I won't lie - I was miserable. It was windy and pouring down rain and I was soaked and tired and unhappy. I knew I wasn't going to survive the whole run with such a bad attitude though so I told myself I could be miserable for 30 minutes tops and then I had to shape up. And that's exactly what I did. When my 30 minutes was up I stopped feeling sorry for myself and the last hour wasn't so bad. I had two majorly positive things going on - 1) it was raining hard and windy but it was in the 50s - how much worse would it have been had it be about 38 degrees and the same conditions? and 2) nothing hurt, included my feet - sore and tired yes, but nothing injured. I would have been even more miserable had I been injured and in the pool running or at home sitting on the couch! So I got my 90 minutes in and then a hot shower and then some dinner.

And now life is good! I have a 2:30 ride tomorrow and my first week over 18 hours will be complete. My parents are here and I will soon see them! Christmas is only 3 days away! I don't go back to my hospital job until next Thursday (although I'll probably work at the shop at least 1 or 2 days in between there). Lots of good eats and treats and Santa to boot!

Excuse me while I go pass out in my bed for about 12 hours...

Posted by beth at 8:38 PM | Comments (2)

December 21, 2006

I'm Glad I Don't Live in Denver

I'm just not a fan of blizzards, although if it meant you were FORCED to stay inside all day, not go to work, watch tv and curl up on the couch...well...that might not be so bad. :)

AM swim workout:

4100 yds total (1200 yds warmup, 1100 yds cooldown)

4x50 on :45
3x100 on 1:30
2x150 on 2:15
1x200 on 3
2x150 on 2:15
5x100 on 1:25

I really liked this workout. It was over before I knew it because there wasn't much rest to be found anywhere! I made the 5x100s on 1:25 although I'll have to say I was relatively glad I only had 5 of them to do instead of...say...20. :)

After the swim I lifted. It was a 45 minute session. I'll have to say, lifting at 6:30 in the morning at the YMCA isn't such a bad thing. I had the whole weight room to myself!

I worked at the shop today instead of my real job so I didn't start until 10 am. That the good part. The hard part is the shop is open until 8 pm! But luckily Coach (owner of the shop) let me go out and do my run around 4 pm (instead of having to wait until 8 pm when I really wouldn't have wanted to do it!). Very nice of him.

PM run workout
45 minutes total, not including 7x20 second striders (skipping back)

I felt better than I thought I was going to for this, but my legs are a little on the sore/tired side, likely from yesterday's effort. I just took it easy though and the striders were probably good for me to get things loosened up.

And now I'm really tired and want to go to bed. AH - brilliant idea! :) Good night all!

Posted by beth at 9:36 PM | Comments (1)

December 20, 2006

PS

My foot didn't hurt on the run! Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeee! New shoes that feel good rock!!!!!!!!! Old shoes that make your foot hurt are evil!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by beth at 10:02 PM | Comments (1)

More Wood Chopped

So I survived my big training day and it really wasn't so bad. I probably overestimated how difficult it was going to be but underestimated how hard TOMORROW'S workouts are going to be. Felt good going into today's training, might not feel so good going into tomorrows if you catch my drift. :)

AM swim workout:

3800 yds total (1200 yds warmup, 1100 yds cooldown including various drills)
12x100 on 1:30
6x50 kick on 1 minute

Nothing too special or difficult. Although I did lose track of which 100 I was on about 10 times. :)

PM run workout:
So technically I should have rode first and then ran but I knew I'd be riding inside and if I ran first I would get warmer weather AND daylight. So I ran first and then rode. I'm sneaky like that.

Anyway I ran for 1:30, about 12 miles. I ran from the shop which kind of limits me because I don't know my way around that area as well as I know home. Still, I do know of a little park that I ran to that has a nice little 3/4 of a mile limestone trail around it. I felt pretty good. It was warm enough to wear shorts (in December!) so I can't complain! I started off at about 7:45 pace and finished around 7 minute pace (there is a 1.5 mile stretch that I know is that precise distance).

PM cycling workout:
I had about 45 minutes between run and ride to stretch and eat something. Then I set up the bike on the trainer and hopped on. 1:55 total. Funny thing is, when I saw that I was supposed to do 1:55 I was like - that's weird - I'll just do a full 2 hours. Um yeah - when I got to that 1:55 I was so ready to get off that bike 1:55 didn't seem so weird anymore! :) Either way, most of the cycling was high cadence spinning in my small chain ring but I also had 10 minutes/leg of isolated leg training in there. And my legs were definitely feeling the 12 mile run I had just done. But that's kind of the point.

At some time during the night I realized that the 1/2 IM that I'm doing this summer is farther than what I did today. I swam farther than the 1/2 IM distance this morning but I didn't run as much and I didn't cycle nearly enough. That scares me. That scares me a lot! :)

Must go to bed soon...for it will all start over again tomorrow...

Posted by beth at 9:36 PM | Comments (0)

One of the Many Reasons Why I Love My Husband

Note O left for me this morning knowing I was a little anxious about the big training day today (I leave for the pool before he gets up and he leaves for work before I get back from the pool):

"I hope all your training goes well today. Keep chopping wood!"
Kona '07
I love you!

Perhaps more than anyone else, he knows exactly what to say to me. And I sometimes wonder what in the world I did to deserve him...

Posted by beth at 7:50 AM | Comments (2)

December 19, 2006

Light Day

Not too much training today! At lunch time I lifted. Still doing the same heavy weight, low reps stuff. Nothing too exciting.

Tonight I have pilates. And that, my friends, is it! Very light day which I assume is in preparation for tomorrow which will include a 4000 yd swim, 12 mile run and 2 hours on the bike. That (for me) is quite the opposite of a light day!

And now I have to work on the book chapter that I was supposed to be writing since about September that is now (of course) due December 31. I swear I didn't use to be a procrastinator... :)

Posted by beth at 3:04 PM | Comments (1)

December 18, 2006

Just Like a Fish

I felt like a million bucks in the pool this morning! I felt strong and good and although I didn't swim any faster than usual, it was awesome to feel awesome. I try to savor times like these because I know by the end of the week my arms are going to feel like they are ready to fall off. :)

AM swim workout:

4100 yds total at YMCA (1000 yds warmup, 1000 yds cooldown - both including some various drills)

100 (1:23) 15 sec rest,
200 (2:41) 20 sec rest,
300 (4:09) 40 sec rest,
400 (5:17) 60 sec rest,
300 (4:05) 40 sec rest,
200 (2:34) 20 sec rest,
100 (1:20)

10x50 kick on 1 minute

As with the other times I've done this workout, my goal was to swim the odd repeats on a 1:25 pace and the even repeats on a 1:20 pace.

After the pool I did a 45 minute (including warmup and cooldown) plyometric session that involved jumping around and looking weird. The people at the YMCA undoubtedly think I'm a rather strange bird. Regardless, I cooled down with 10 minutes of easy jogging in the gym to try out my new shoes/foot. All felt good. YIPPPEEEEEE!

I have today as my day off work so this afternoon I need to get a haircut and then I have a doctor's appointment and then I'll be heading down to the shop to do CompuTrainer ride #4 (total of 2:15 on the bike). Looking forward to the ride this afternoon - the proflie looks like a nice flat stretch that you can hammer.

And thus begins my big training week! When I look at my workouts on Sunday afternoon I sometimes get overwhelmed - wondering how in the world I'm going to fit it all in. But I have to say, once I get my first swim of the week under my belt on Monday morning it feels that much more manageable. I love this guys. I really do. I love the challenge of the training and I love to keep pushing to see how far I can go. I love how I can feel my body getting stronger. And I think what I'll love even more is racing this upcoming season!

Have a great day everyone!

Posted by beth at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)

December 17, 2006

I May Be As Dumb As You Think

Okay - the foot thing. So everyone is telling me I need to look into getting other shoes. And I have to say, the thought crossed my mind more than once, especially since my foot pain started relatively soon after starting a new pair of shoes. But I didn't really believe that it could be just the shoes given the fact that they are the same brand and all that.

Well, turns out you guys were right and I was wayyyy wrong! I think it may have been the shoes!

O and I went to the mall on Friday night with the intention of me just trying on some different models of the same brand (Asics) and seeing how they felt. It was like the difference between night and day! I couldn't believe how much better my foot felt in a slightly different shoe. I guess it's the size of the toe box or just the way the lacing system works but we bought me a new pair and they feel so much better. You guys are brilliant! I could kick myself in the head (if only my leg could reach up that far) for not trying different shoes sooner.

Not that I'm 100% cured though. My foot is still a little sore and I'll definitely have to be careful. But I think I removed the primary cause of pain. Now my foot just has to get un-mad at me for the torture I put it through. Problem solved - hopefully!

And what a time for my problem to be solved - I just got my workouts for the week and they are looking...um...shall we say challenging? Close to 18 hours for the week and that's not including pilates! AH! I'm wayyyyyy excited though to see if I can get through them. It looks like maybe about 30 miles of running, maybe 110 miles of cycling and about 15,000 yds of swimming again. Add in some weights, plyos and pilates and I think I will be one tired (but stronger!) puppy by the end of the week.

Posted by beth at 11:30 AM | Comments (1)

December 16, 2006

Great Ride

Great ride this morning! It was sunny and although a little on the cold side (mid 30s), I was warm the whole time. Crazy! Must be the new coat I got. It makes a big difference in how you feel when you are miserable and freezing vs nice and toasty warm.

We rode for a little under 2:40 and did about 48-49 miles. We again rode in the crazy hills. I felt strong climbing today though. This one crazy, nasty, long-as-all-get-out hill that always kills me felt smooth today. I didn't stand up once. Money!

And that's it for the day. 16 hours and 30 minutes for this week! I am slowly but surely climbing my way up. Who knows where it will stop! I've got to say though, I've been feeling good, both this week and last week. I think my body is getting used to the training load. Now, if I add in some serious intensity - that will put the hurtin' on me.

Summary for the week:

Sunday - off
Monday - 3800 yd swim in am w/8x300, 1:45 ride in pm on computrainer, core/feet exercises
Tuesday - 45 minute run w/striders in am, plyometric session in afternoon, 1 hour pilates in pm
Wednesday - 3800 yd swim in am w/100,200,300,400,300,200,100, lifting session in afternoon, 1:30 ride on trainer in pm w/ILT
Thursday - 3800 yd swim in am w/30x75, 1:30 run in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Friday - 4000 yd swim in am w/20x100, weight session in pm
Saturday - 2:40 ride
Sunday - off

Off to my aunt's wedding!

Posted by beth at 12:56 PM | Comments (1)

December 15, 2006

20x100 on 1:30

So I have today off work and let me tell you, that is a very delightful thing! The most delightful thing about it is the sleep factor. 8 hours last night. That, my friends, is money!

Once I got my lazy butt out of bed I made my way to the YMCA for my swim workout this morning. I love the YMCA people. They all know each other and I know them all from their different habits. There's the guy that always asks me how many laps I've swam (seriously dude, I have no freaking idea!); the woman that always wants the outside lane so she can float on her back and hold her hand on the wall; the guy that refuses to share a lane with anyone; the woman that mostly just does pull-ups on the starting blocks in the deep end. I could go on forever! They're great though. Fancy gyms are nice because they have lots of good equipment but you really can't beat the good old YMCA.

Anyway, I digress...

AM swim workout:

4000 yds total at YMCA (1000 yds warmup, 1000 yds cooldown)
20x100 on 1:30

Simple as that! I have to admit, the workout wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I just kept clicking them off - all in about 1:18-1:20 so I had at least 10 seconds rest. The challenging part was really mentally thinking "oh man...I still have 12 to go?" but physically I was fine. That's encouraging. I've come a far way for sure. It wasn't long ago that I was doing my 100s on 2 minutes.

That said, I have a long way yet to go! I still want to be able to do 20x100 on 1:20 and doing today's workout showed me, I am not ready for that! I could maybe squeak out 20x100 on 1:25 with some company in Pitt's pool, but on 1:20? That's rough. I'm just going to keep chopping wood though, keep working at it and then one day I will be there.

Regardless, I got my 15,000 yds in for the week, 15,400 yds to be exact! It was a good goal for me this week - kept me motivated in the water. Not sure what I'll aim for next week. Maybe I'll focus on cycling instead.

In other news, the lifeguard that was on this morning is the one that always listens to Christmas songs on the radio. Normally I tune them out but when I was cooling down I heard The Chipmunk Christmas Song for the first time in about 10 years. That song is MONEY! I remember having the record of that song when I was little. That's right - I said RECORD! My favorite part is when one of them says "me, I want a hula hoop!" Gotta love those chipmunks.

Anyway, I still need to lift today. I briefly considered just staying at the YMCA and lifting right after I swam but breakfast sounded like a much better option. Plus, my arms need a rest. I'll just go back later today and get 'er done. And that will be my workouts for the day. Unless you include cleaning the house as a workout. Given the relatively dirtiness of our house at this point in time, I might just include it in my training hours this week. :)

Have a great day everyone and a great start to your weekends!

Posted by beth at 9:24 AM | Comments (1)

December 14, 2006

I Kid You Not...

...it's 57 degrees here! That is crazy. Who says global warming is a bad thing?!?! (that was a joke of course - I'm not really for global warming...)

Anyway, I swam this morning at masters practice.

3800 yds total (900 yds warmup, 150 yds cooldown)
30x75 yds as:
5x75 on 1:25
5x75 on 1:15
5x75 on 1:20
5x75 on 1:10
5x75 on 1:15
5x75 on 1:05

10x50 kick on 1 minute

More impressive than anything is the fact that I kept track of all 30 repeats. Okay, I had some help from my lane buddies. Okay, I really lost track on the first 5. Okay, at one point I thought we had only done 10 and we had really done 15 because I somehow forgot a whole set we had already completed. I never said doing math was my strong point. :)

Anyway, the workout wasn't that killer of a workout but that's a good thing because tomorrow's will be. 20x100 on 1:30 by myself in the warm YMCA pool. It will take everything I have to get that done. Especially becase my arms are tired! But after tomorrow's workout I will (hopefully) have over 15,000 yds for the week which was my goal. Cool.

At work today I did a special project instead of seeing patients like I usually do. This special project kept me sitting at my desk all day on the computer and I got a taste for what it's like to have a desk job. It didn't taste too good! Yuck. I had to get up like every 15 minutes to move around. I don't know how people do that their whole lives.

After work I walked up to my car and it felt like track practice - like April, not like Christmas is in 1.5 weeks. AHHHH!!!! I love warm weather.

It was at that point that I knew I was going running this afternoon, regardless of what my foot thought about the matter. So when O got home from work around 5 pm we set off on our 12 miler. Yes, 12 miler. Honestly, it might not have been the best thing in the world to do given my foot situation but it was so nice outside and I felt sooooooo good running otherwise. And my foot hurt but it wasn't debilitating and I wasn't limping and after a while the pain became kind of dull. What's really frustrating about this injury is that it honestly only hurts with my running shoes on. I could wear any other shoes, or go barefoot and be absolutely fine! After the run it was sore but now, serveral hours later, I can press on it and it's fine. It's so strange. And I'm really at a loss as to what to do. Push through it? I only run 2-3 days/week anyway, I can probably survive through this and it will be fine. Or stop running altogether? I know that's probably the better option but of course that's not what I want to hear. Once a runner, always a runner. And a stubborn runner at that. Regardless, at this point in time I don't have any running on the schedule for at least the next 3 days so I'm not going to worry about it. I got my 12 miles in, I iced, massaged and Advil-ed. Come Monday morning I'll worry about it again. :)

In other news something prompted me to look through my high school yearbook just now. What a hoot! I was reading all the little things people wrote in my book and was getting quite the laugh about it. All these little jokes we had that I do NOT remember at all now but oh how funny they were at the time! I suggest you all get your senior yearbooks now and take a trip down memory lane. You'll get at least one good laugh. My 10 year high school reunion will be this summer (yes, I'm getting old, but not as old as O - the other day at the YMCA a bunch of kids called him "sir"!!!!!!) and I really hope I get to go. I know a lot of people didn't like high school but I'm not one of those people. I loved it. In fact, I think I would go back no problem. :)

Posted by beth at 9:13 PM | Comments (4)

December 13, 2006

Swim, Lift, Bike

Did a triple today...

AM swim workout:
3800 yds total w/900 yds warmup, 800 yds cooldown
100,200,300,400,300,200,100 w/varying rests - same workout as last Wednesday and in about the same times

For some reason I don't feel like giving all the details of my workouts today even though I'm usually all into that. Regardless, I'm still on pace to swim my 15,000 yds this week.

Around 2:30 I took a break from my work and went to lift at Pitt. Nothing too exciting there.

Then it was movie night! I rode for 1:30 with some isolated leg training thrown in there. Tomorrow a swim and (hopefully) a run.

Is this about the worst post ever? :)

Posted by beth at 9:54 PM | Comments (1)

100 Things About Me

It's Audrey's fault for giving me the idea to write this post. So blame her when you are really bored and can't read on anymore... :)

1. I don't know how to start this list.
2. I am a clinical dietitian - there, I started.
3. I wanted to be a dietitian since I was in about 10th grade.
4. I work with patients that are in the ICU and need tube feeding.
4. I like my job because it gives me a lot of perspective in life.
5. Even though I'm a dietitian I don't know how to cook. At all. Just ask my husband.
6. I really like to eat though.
7. If I could only eat 3 foods for the rest of my life they would be cereal, pizza and Clif Bars.
8. I have also been a lifeguard, cashier, research assistant and I've worked on an ostrich farm. Ostriches are mean birds.
9. I started my PhD but only lasted one semester.
10. Research isn't for me.
11. I am getting my masters now but it will take me forever.
12. Luckily, persistance is one of my best qualities.
13. I am also an intensely competitive person.
14. Sometimes my competitiveness gets in the way of living a normal life.
15. My sister and I have gotten into more than one fight over board games.
16. I consider my impatience with life one of my worst features.
17. I have one sister.
18. I have one mom.
19. I have one dad.
20. I consider myself one of the luckiest people around when it comes to family.
21. My family has always loved and supported me no matter what. They are a blessing for sure.
22. When I was 23 years old (and 26 days) I married the love of my life and my best friend, O.
23. O inspires me to be a better person because he is so kind and selfless.
24. I ran my first race when I was in 7th grade.
25. I've run hundreds of races since.
26. I've started 3 marathons.
27. I've finished 2.
28. The one I didn't finish was the only race I've ever dropped out of.
29. I did my first triathlon when I was 27 years old.
30. I want to be a professional triathlete, even though that doesn't mean anything more than the fact that I'll have a "pro card".
31. I love to run.
32. I love to ride my bike.
33. I love to swim.
34. I love the fact that there is a sport that combines the three.
35. When I was growing up I wanted to run for Villanova.
36. I used to picture myself running in their uniforms when I was racing in high school.
37. Instead I went to Penn State.
38. And loved every minute of it.
39. If I could do it all over again, I'd still go to Penn State.
40. I met O at Penn State.
41. We used to eat dinner together every Sunday night in the dining halls.
42. My roommates from college are still my best friends.
43. They were all my teammates too.
44. Running for a D1 school was one of the best experiences of my life, even if I never was an all-star.
45. I failed the written part of my driver's exam twice.
46. I failed the actual driving part of my driver's exam once.
47. I finally passed everything when I was 17 years old.
48. I'm still not a very good driver.
49. I don't know how to parallel park.
50. The only reason I passed the driving part of my exam the 2nd time was because the state trooper told me when to turn my wheel so I could get the parallel parking part down.
51. I drive a stick shift.
52. O taught me how to drive a stick.
53. The only reason why I learned was because when we first got married we only had one car and...you guessed it...it was a stick.
54. We still have that car.
55. I didn't totally kill the transmission.
56. I love animals.
57. O and I have a dog.
58. I rode horses growing up.
59. I sometimes think I missed my calling in life - I should have been a zookeeper!
60. I don't cry very often.
61. Movies and weddings don't make me cry.
62. When my coach passed away and we went to his funeral, I cried all day long.
63. That was one of the worst days of my life.
64. I don't like to shop.
65. Except if it's at Trizilla.
66. My favorite piece of clothing is my hooded brown sweatshirt.
67. I really like to wear jeans too.
68. I don't wear make-up.
69. I don't carry a purse.
70. I have a lot of dreams in life.
71. I am VERY goal oriented.
72. If someone tells me I can't do something I want more than anything to do it.
73. If I can't find the motivation to do something I challenge myself in some way - and then it gets done.
74. I don't embarrass easily.
75. But I do get embarrassed for other people a lot.
76. I listen to music really loud.
77. Especially in the car.
78. I can't sing.
79. That doesn't stop me from trying.
80. Same goes for dancing.
81. I believe in God.
82. I believe that Jesus died for my sins.
83. I'm sometimes overwhelmed at God's love for me, even when I mess up time and time again.
84. I've always been a morning person.
85. I get about 6 hours of sleep a night.
86. I feel like I could sleep about 10 hours/night.
87. I am very neat.
88. But as I get older and am married to O longer, I've become less neat.
89. I want to have children one day.
90. But the prospect of having children scares me to death.
91. I'm not scared of heights or spiders or scary movies or death or public speaking or any of that.
92. I am scared that I will die with regrets for either things I haven't done or for things I have done.
93. I try to live my life so that I don't have regrets.
94. One of my pet peeves is when people try to get on an elevator without first letting the people who want off, off.
95. I also get annoyed with people who talk about themselves all the time.
96. Turns out this list is one big long post of me talking about myself - as is my whole blog - how annoying!
97. I am always cold.
98. But I don't think I ever want to move to a warmer place.
99. Home to me is Pittsburgh.
100. I am really impressed I could think of 100 things to write!

Posted by beth at 8:58 PM | Comments (4)

December 12, 2006

The Jury is Still Out

So I ran this morning and let me tell you - it felt great! But the jury is still out on my foot. It felt about 90% when I was running and then sort of felt funny off and on throughout the day. All in all it could have been much, much worse, but it also could have felt a little better too. The real test will be to see how it feels tomorrow and how it responds when I try to run again.

O ran with me this morning. It was a pretty nice morning to be out too. Not too cold, calm and clear. We ran 45 minutes total and did some striders on the track. Like I said, my foot didn't hurt, no pain, but I could still feel pressure in the area where it did hurt. Time shall tell!

Other than the run this morning I did a 50 minute plyometric session this afternoon after work and then went to pilates. The plyos were great. It's just so hard to jump up and down - you wouldn't believe it! And pilates was good too. Lots of good core stuff. My lower back has been bothering me some so I'm sure pilates will be good for strengthening those muscles and stretching them out some too.

And that was today. Tomorrow more of the same - swimming, biking and some weights. Have a great night everyone!

Posted by beth at 8:52 PM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2006

Kona

So I watched my tape of Kona last night (and again today while I was cycling) and I am ALL PUMPED UP! It doesn't take much to pump me up, but still. The human interest stories are touching and all and I really am impressed by what some normal, every day, real people are able to accomplish in such a challenging race. But really, I love watching the pros compete and just hammer. Absolutely hammer! It's ridculous! How do those top women run under 3 hours in the marathon in the Hawaiian heat after swimming 2.4 miles and cycling 112? Love it. Just love it!

ANYWAY - today was a pretty standard Monday. I swam with the masters team in the am and did a cycling course on the CompuTrainer in the pm.

AM swim workout:
3800 yds total at Pitt (800 yds warmup, 100 yds cooldown)
8x300 w/the odd repeats all on 5 minutes and the even repeats on 4:45, 4:30, 4:15 and then 4 minutes. I followed all that with 10x50 kick on 1 minute.

It was a good workout. I was able to make the 4 minute last 300 (which is a 1:20 base) which I was pleased with. The pool was absolutely filled to the brim with swimmers this morning, 3 and 4 people in each of the many, many lanes there are (the Pitt swimmers were there too) and so I felt like I was swimming in open water! I swear there were waves!

Work was work. Lots of sick people. I definitely feel like I've typed that same line before in this blog.

After work I headed to the shop to do the next CompuTrainer ride in the series of rides that we are all doing. This one was very rolling, lots of shifting of the gears. It was a 27 km course and the whole idea was to keep your HR in zone 2. Problem was, on the CompuTrainer you have the ability to "race" other people and so today I raced my coach (who did the same course yesterday). And the competitiveness in me just would not allow myself to lose. Of course he did it the right way and stayed in HR zone 2. I beat him yes, but my average HR was in my zone 4. Oops! No more racing other people if my goal is really to stay in the right HR zone. Seriously people - I have to get my kicks somehow! :) Regardless, I was on the bike for a total of 1:45 including warmup and cooldown.

And that was that. Now somehow it's already 9 pm! AH! The good news is, my foot has been feeling on the up and up so I'm going to attempt a run tomorrow morning. I just want to see where I'm at. I haven't run for 9 days now, have been icing religiously, have been taking my anti-inflammatories, etc... Hopefully all will be well!

Have a great night everyone!

Posted by beth at 8:54 PM | Comments (1)

December 10, 2006

Words to Live By

"Wasting that opportunity because 'it doesn't matter' makes me wonder if when you're old and tired and winding down will you wonder what if? What if I had let it matter? What was I afraid of? Was I afraid that if I let it matter I'd risk failing?"

I don't know who said it, but it couldn't be more true. Because the truth is, "it" does matter to me. It couldn't matter more.

Posted by beth at 4:20 PM | Comments (2)

December 9, 2006

She Hasn't Eaten the Tree Just Yet

Posted by beth at 10:03 PM | Comments (6)

Maybe I Won't Have To Move Afterall

It's supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow and through mid-week! Pure happiness was when I made that discovery this morning. But alas, the warm weather begins tomorrow, not today. So when I drove into the shop this morning for the team ride I wasn't sure what exactly we'd be doing - riding in or out - because it was only 22 degrees.

After some hemming and hawing and then some more hemming, we decided on riding inside. There are (+) and (-) to both so I really didn't care. Either way, I rode for 2:30 total, starting with 40 minutes easy and then 20 harder in my big chain ring, 15 easy, 25 harder in the big chain ring, 15 easy, 30 harder in the big chain ring and then an easy 5 minutes to finish it off. I wanted to make sure I elevated my heart rate some at least!

After the riding I showered, ate some lunch, hung around for a while and then headed to the Pitt pool for some more water running. No swim or diving practice to keep me entertained today but they had some good music playing which helped matters immensely. Music makes everything better doesn't it? Imagine if you had to ride in a car (for any length of time really) without the radio? Or when you are cleaning the house or running easy or writing your blog? O and I always have music on. It's good stuff.

Anyway, I pool ran for 1:15 w/4x8 minutes hard w/3 minutes rest in there to pass the time more quickly. And time actually did pass rather quickly, not something that usually happens when pool running.

And now I'm back home and it's time to decorate for Christmas! O and I actually have a tree this year and stockings too and although I'm relatively certain Roxy is going to wreck it all once we have it up, we are putting it up anyway. So there! :)

In other news the Ironman World Champs were on tv today and since I knew I would miss the beginning of them I taped the whole thing so I could sit down and watch it later. I CANNOT WAIT! Watching Kona on tv many eons ago (when I was in high school) is what made me want to do a triathlon in the first place. Huh - go figure. :)

Week summary:

Monday - 3800 yds total w/600,500,400,300,200,100, plyometric workout
Tuesday - 45 min pool run in am, 1:45 on CompuTrainer in pm, 1 hour pilates class
Wednesday - 3000 yds total w/100,200,300,400,300,200,100 in am, mid day lifting session, 1:35 w/ILT in pm
Thursday - 3500 meter total in am w/4x(8x50, 2x100) in am, 1:15 pool run in pm, 2x25 pushups/2x100 crunchers
Friday - 2500 yds total in am w/12x100,6x50 kick, lifting session in pm
Saturday - 2:30 on trainer in am, 1:15 pool run in pm, core/feet exercises

My biggest week yet - 16:25 total hours although I feel like I cheated since all my running was in the water. I don't feel "beat up" enough! :) Or maybe, just maybe, I'm adapting to the training some!

Posted by beth at 5:51 PM | Comments (1)

December 8, 2006

Seriously!

What. The. Heck? I've seriously been cold for about 5 days straight now. And no, I'm not going to stop complaining about the cold until (a) I move to San Diego or (b) it's June. I do apologize. But really - the only time I feel warm, like really warm, is when I get in the car and turn the heat up so high it melts the plastic on the dashboard. It's time like these that I wonder why I didn't grow up in Phoenix instead of Pittsburgh.

Anyway, I survived my water running last night as you might have suspected. Didn't want to go, no. But I did and it was fine and actually pretty entertaining! The divers kept me intrigued for quite some time. And then the swim practice. And then the fact that there were a bunch of little kids running around with their big bags of swim gear and I wondered what it would have been like to grow up as a swimmer - always water logged, always smelling like chlorine, always in a bathing suit - even in the winter. One thing about swimming - they start young!

Anyway, I did my 1:15 w/5x5 minutes hard to keep myself working somewhat hard. And in a way it was good because by the time I left the Steeler game had started and the traffic was very light on the way home. And the roads were already salted. And O made me a grilled cheese sandwich when I got back. See, life isn't so bad afterall!

When I woke up this morning the only thing I knew for sure was that I didn't know where I was, who I was, or what it was I was supposed to be doing. Pretty deep sleep I guess. But I managed to get out of bed and to get my swimsuit on and to get to the YMCA.

There's something about getting in a cold pool of water when it's 15 degrees outside with a windchill of 1. It's not an easy thing to do. But it's good that way - I like the challenge of forcing my way in, even when my body wants to run the opposite route.

AM swim workout:

2500 yds total at YMCA
wu: 700 yds including 6x50 of 25 swim, 25 kick and 6x50 of counting strokes + time (lowest score = 75)

12x100 on 1:30
6x50 kick on 1

cd: 300 yds total including 200 yds of alternating 50 swim, 50 pull

Nothing special this morning. I feel like I could swim 100s on 1:30 all day (although I know I can't) because that 1:20-1:22 pace doesn't feel too bad for 100 at a time. Make me swim a 1;18 though and there is trouble! Regardless, today's swim put me up over 13,000 yds for the week which is a new PR and I was excited about. Until I asked my teammate (who was a swimmer) how much real swimmers swim/week and he said perhaps 30,000-40,000 yds in high school. Oh. :)

Anyway, I went to work and did my thing there and only fell asleep once. I think only once.

Then after work I went to the Pitt gym and did my lifting routine. Very simple and easy. Just how I like it. And that was that for the day. Very nice to come home and just relax this evening. Pretty soon I hope to go to bed and sleep for about 12 hours straight.

I did stop at the shop on the way home though to buy a heavier cycling coat/jacket. It's supposed to be about 20 degrees when we ride tomorrow morning. I'm really not sure if we will go out or not. In addition to the cold the roads might be a little yucky from our recent snow. I guess I will see tomorrow morning. Either way, I got a very nice warm coat that I'm wearing right now and might wear to bed depending on how cold I am. We did add a 4th blanket to our bed last night though, so I might be okay.... ;)

Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

Posted by beth at 8:20 PM | Comments (1)

December 7, 2006

School's Out!

I just finished my last class of this semester. And I couldn't be more happy. Thank God for getting me through it. I'm taking next semester off. I WILL finish this masters but I've already conceded the fact that it's not going to be pretty from here on out... :)

So now I'm back in my office (short class tonight) at work waiting for the pool to reopen so I can go run in the water for 1 hour and 15 minutes. And let me tell you how much I DO NOT want to go. It's freezing cold outside, snowing, dark and it will be 8:30 or 9 by the time I get home. I'm tired. It's been a long day and going home to curl up on the couch and eat a nice meal sounds like such a better option. But I'm going to the pool anyway because in my mind, skipping this workout here and now when I most want to skip it, is a concession that I'm not willing to make. It's one thing to skip a workout when your body physically needs a break. But it's quite another thing to skip a workout because that workout is inconvienent or I just don't feel like it. Will I gain a huge fitness benefit from my 1 hour and 15 minutes of pool running in COLD water tonight? Probably not. Indeed, going home and going to bed early might actually be better for me! But the fact of the matter is, it's times like these that I gain huge mental benefits. Because when I race and I know that I haven't given in one little inch in my training, I am much better able to handle the mental fatigue that I know I will face. I'm less willing to give in during that race too. We all know it's a mental game in endurance sports. And this, apparently, is how I play the game.

On another note, this morning I had another good swim workout that even netted me a compliment from my coach, a man that just does not freely compliment people. I guess that just makes his compliments mean that much more.

3500 meters total (900 meters warmup, 200 meters cooldown) - surprisingly the pool was long course today

4 sets of:
2x50 on 1:05
2x50 on 1
2x50 on :55
2x50 on :50
easy 100
all out 100

My all out 100s were 1:22, 1:20, 1:20 and...1:20. I was trying desperately to break 1:20 on the last all out 100 but I couldn't make it to that dang wall fast enough! Regardless, I'm pretty sure I've not ever swam a 100 in 1:20 so I'm not complaining too much! I've been excited about my swimming this week. I felt for a couple weeks like I wasn't making any progress in the pool but than all of a sudden I've felt great in the water! Now if only my foot would behave and I could do a little running... I suppose the life of a triathlete is always wishing one of the sports was doing better than it actually was! :)

And so it goes. I'm about to leave for the pool now. Have a great night all...

Posted by beth at 5:55 PM | Comments (3)

December 6, 2006

Run = Bad, Swim = Good

Well, my foot is still hurting and I'm kind of bummed about that. But on the other hand, my swimming is coming along quite nicely. This morning I had a good workout. I was pretty excited about it.

3000 yds total @YMCA (600 yds warmup including 4x100 of 25 kick, 25 right arm only, 25 left arm only, 25 swim and 800 yds cooldown)

My goal was to swim the odd repeats on a 1:25 pace and the even repeats on a 1:20 pace.

100 (1:24) 15 sec rest,
200 (2:40) 20 sec rest,
300 (4:15) 40 sec rest,
400 (5:17) 60 sec rest,
300 (4:04) 40 sec rest,
200 (2:33) 20 sec rest,
100 (1:21)

I was more than thrilled to swim my 400 in just a bit under the 1:20 goal pace and I was also happy about the fact that swimming 1:25 pace isn't too awful bad. I'm not just floating along, but it's getting more comfortable and I'm more relaxed doing it. My secret goal (which I guess is no longer secret) is to be able to do 20x100 on 1:20. Now that's like crazy fast for me and right now I couldn't do it. At all. But today was the first day that I believed I will be able to do that workout. And if I can do that workout, I should be able to get out of the water with the lead pack (of amateurs that is) at the races that I am doing this summer. Maybe not the lead swimmer (there's always one or two in the group that blow everyone away) but the lead pack.

In the afternoon (around 2:30) I snuck out of work and headed to the gym to lift. New phase of lifting now too. We are now in the muscular strength phase which doesn't mean too much to me other than the fact that instead of doing 3 sets of 30 I now do 4 sets of 6. Big difference! But of course I actually have to lift some real weights now - not just real light stuff. Either or, it was a good mid afternoon workout.

Finally, movie nite which really turned into watching tv nite which turned into a basketball game. Nobody wanted to watch Everybody Loves Raymond with me so I got out voted. :) Anyway, on tap for the ride was 1:35 total w/10 minutes per leg of ILT. Nothing excited but I got 'er done.

Anyway, as I mentioned my foot is still bothering me so I will swim in the morning and then return to the pool in the evening (after my LAST class) for some pool running. I'm not happy with my foot at all but I'm also trying not to dwell on it. I have a lot of other training to keep me busy right now. I will start worrying about my foot if it's still hurting in a couple weeks.

You wouldn't even believe how sleepy I am - so to bed I go. Good night!

Posted by beth at 9:47 PM | Comments (1)

December 5, 2006

Almost Forgot

In my state of sleepiness I almost forgot to tell you about my "little thing" for the day. This "little thing" brightens up most of my winter days - and heats them up too - it's hot chocolate!

How much happiness is a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter day?!?! Seeing as how I'm in a constant state of cold until about May, hot chocolate is my drink of choice November-April. And boy is it good. I do drink coffee but only when I'm on a coffee kick and Diet Pepsi (my other drink of choice) just does not warm up the insides if you know what I mean.

Hot chocolate though - that stuff is money! And guess what I got in the mail today? None other than a tin of hot chocolate mix from my mom. Boy does she know me. How cool is that...

Posted by beth at 9:54 PM | Comments (0)

Foot Vibes Indeed

You guys are the best. My foot had sooooo many foot vibes it had no choice but to listen! And the sucker actually feels a little better! HA! It didn't know what hit him! Regardless, thanks for your comments and show of support. You guys rock.

This morning I was supposed to run but had already decided I was going to run in the water instead. And so run in the water I did. I haven't done that in a while but I have to say, it's like riding a bike. You don't really forget how.

I was only supposed to run for 45 minutes so that's all I did in the water this morning although I threw in 5x3 minutes hard w/2 minutes rest to pass the time and in an attempt to get my heart rate up some. I think I could do intervals every time I pool run and it would be okay - just like swimming. So that was that, workout one and easy on the foot.

After work I rushed over to the shop in an attempt to get my 2 hour ride in before pilates. I rode inside on the CompuTrainer - the 2nd ride in the CompuTrainer Challenge series that I'm in. This was a 25K ride that was supposed to be done in zone 2. I rode the course the first time through as a warmup and then did the actual ride in 47:58. My HR average was in my zone 2 so that was good. All around a good ride. I was working but I wasn't killing myself. Anyway, all that added up to about 1:45 of riding, not quite the 2 hours I was supposed to do, but good enough since I had to hurry off to pilates.

Pilates today was all about the abs and back (aka the core) and boy was I feeling it! That's good though. That's where I need the most help.

And now I'm super sleepy and about ready to fall asleep on my computer. Good sign that it's time to go to bed! :) Tomorrow I have a swim/lifting/ride planned. Thursday is the next time I am supposed to run so I'll wait until then to decide how my foot feels. In the mean time...those foot vibes are doing some magic!

Posted by beth at 9:42 PM | Comments (3)

December 4, 2006

Derailed

So my foot has been hurting and I think I'm finally ready to accept the fact that indeed, it hurts. Not my PF - that has been feeling great, but rather the tendon that runs on top of my foot from the big toe back. Bah.

For the past couple weeks my feet have been giving me troubles - little aches here and there that never really turned into anything but that annoyed me. This new tendon thing however, is not something I want to mess with. I had a nasty case of tendonitis in that same area in college that took forever to go away. I have been feeling it a little here and there but after my run on Saturday it was pretty sore. And then again yesterday. And then again today. Doesn't hurt to walk around without shoes but if I put on my running shoes - ouch.

I haven't decided the best course of action to take just yet although it might involve substituting my actual runs outside with pool running for a bit. Just what I need - more chlorine. :) We'll see though. I didn't have a run planned for today so it wasn't a big deal but tomorrow morning I was going to run. For now, I'll just take it a day at a time. I knew it was inevitable that something would start to act up - I just need to take care of it and do the right thing and hopefully all will be well again in the world of Beth.

Moving along, I have the day off work (my real job that is) but decided to go down to the masters swim anyway. I really like swimming with that group and in that pool.

AM swim workout:
3800 yds total w/1000 yds warmup, 200 yds cooldown

600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 all w/1 minute rest swam at a descending pace. I was having trouble keeping track of my times for everything but I know the 300 was 4:03, the 200 was 2:38 and the 100 was 1:15. Good workout. I like distance days.

After that main set was done my lane buddy talked me into doing a kicking set (or whatever they call it) so we did 10x50 kick on 1 minute.

After the pool I went over to the weight room and did about 35 minutes (including warmup and cooldown) of plyometrics - jumping rope, 2 legged hopping, skips, etc...

And that's it for the day! It's another 15 hour week this week but spread over 6 days and with more bike volume (which seems to be the easiest way to add volume) so it doesn't seem as tough as last week.

Now I'm headed to the shop where I will work for the day since someone else that works there needed to be off. Working at the shop really isn't like working though so I don't mind a bit.

But before I go - I ask you all one favor: GOOD FOOT VIBES! Heal foot, heal! Which brings me to my "little thing" for the day that I would like to recognize. How nice are the little comments you get on your blog? Don't they just make you smile (or laugh) and think how neat it is that even though you don't know "these people" that read your blog and comment, you sort of feel like you do know them. And they are all very nice people that you just know you would be friends with had you met in person. Pretty cool this "little" community of bloggers. Pretty darn cool.

Posted by beth at 10:33 AM | Comments (8)

December 3, 2006

It's the Little Things in Life

I decided some time ago (perhaps college?) that part of finding happiness in this world is to recognize and then savor the little things that bring us joy. It's hard (at least for me) to be happy if I'm only looking for the mountaintop experiences - the extreme highs - because we all know those are few and far between...and...fleeting.

Nonetheless, I'm babbling.

I've recently been trying to focus on identifying those little joys in my day that make me smile and the other morning I decided that I had found a major one - one that I enjoy most every day (sometimes 2 and 3 times a day) - that is...are you ready...OUR SHOWER!

Yes, our shower. Quite frankly our shower is da bomb and you'd have a very hard time trying to convince me otherwise. Nothing fancy about it but the fact is the water pressure is strong and best of all the water is always HOT and I mean really HOT, like HOTTER than I can even take which means that it can always be HOTTER - a very comforting feeling when you wake up and you are freezing cold. Or you come back from a run and you are freezing cold. Or when you were just swimming in very cold water and you are freezing cold. Our shower, my friends, is just one of those little things in my life that makes me sooo happy. Think how sad if you only had lukewarm water to shower in? That just ruins a whole day.

And so it goes. I'm going to keep my eyes open for a "little thing" that makes me happy (something that is often overlooked) each day and keep you updated. I know you are all sitting on the edges of your seat. :) But I challenge you do so the same. It will make you smile when you realize how some of the things we take for granted are so freaking awesome you would just die without them! Good luck!

Posted by beth at 5:47 PM | Comments (6)

December 2, 2006

Um...Still Cold

So I knew the day would come when I would have to ride my bike outside in 20 degree temps. Can't say I was so much looking forward to that day, but I knew it would arrive. And it did. Today. The team ride this morning was lightly attended but on nonetheless so out we went in the windchill of 22.

I basically put on all the clothes I thought I could and still be able to pedal. And I'll tell you - it wasn't that bad. I was cold, yes, but we climbed just about every hill in Pittsburgh and that got me pretty warm - so warm, in fact, that I was actually sweating! Now going down the other side of these hills wasn't often the warmest thing in the world (at one point I thought my teeth were going to fall out they were so cold) but I survived and now I know I can ride outside when it's really cold and it will all be okay.

Good deal. Moving on - we only did about 33 miles this morning but it took 1:55 or so. (refer to the comment on climbing every hill in Pittsburgh and you may understand why) My hip flexors and quads were none to pleased with me. And they weren't happy regardless of if I climbed sitting or standing. But I know hill work is good for me. Not only for the fact that when I race on a hilly course I'll be good to go, but also because they make us stronger. Darn things. :)

When I got home from the ride I laid down in bed and that was that. Nap time. I was feeling the effects of the ride, a hard week of training, and the cold (which makes my nice warm bed that much more enticing).

When I woke up it was time to run. And I can't say that I was jumping for joy. It hadn't gotten any warmer and my stomach was hurting. But then I discovered this video, watched it about 10 times, got really pumped up to race, changed into running clothes and O and I were off to the trail to put in a 12 miler.

The run started off a little rough. First mile? A stellar 8:20. But once I got in a groove I was fine and we were able to run 7:40-8 minute pace. And the 12 miles (done in 1:33:55) was just dandy. We finished just as it was getting dark. And although it was cold (like I've now mentioned about 100 times) it was a clear day and a pretty sunset.

And thus ends my 15 hour week completed in 5 days. Tomorrow is a much needed day off. And on Monday we start again. Keep chopping wood O tells me. Boy is he ever right.

Week summary:

Monday - off
Tuesday - 2500 yd swim w/5x200,5x100 in AM, lifting session at lunch, 1:17 ride in pm (25.7 miles), 1 hour pilates class in pm
Wednesday - 2600 yd swim w/10x100, 300 kick in am, 45 min run w/5x20 sec striders in pm, 1:25 riding on trainer w/ILT in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Thursday - 3500 yd swim w/8x25,8x50,8x75,8x100 in am, lifting session at lunch
Friday - 2600 yd swim w/2x500, 400 kick in am, 60 minute LT test on bike in pm, 50 min run w/5x20 second striders in pm
Saturday - 33 mile ride in am, 12 mile run in pm, core/feet exercises
Sunday - off

A little over 15 hours total, a little over 100 miles riding, only 25 miles running and 11200 yds swimming.

Posted by beth at 9:04 PM | Comments (2)

December 1, 2006

December Indeed

So the first day of December brought winter like weather. Bummer. I was totally loving our 60 degree temps in late November. And it was still in the 60s this morning when I woke up and headed out to the pool. I thought to myself - "I should be doing my run now", knowing full well that this afternoon/evening when I did do my run it would be considerably colder. And indeed it was in the upper 30s with a windchill in the 20s by 5 pm. But I've resigned myself to the fact that winter is here and the snow is coming and the colder temps are staying and that's just that. Get used to it. As O would say "it is what it is."

I completed the trifecta today:

AM swim workout:
2600 yds total @YMCA (900 yds warmup, 300 yds cooldown)
2x500 yds (6:48, 6:47)
1x400 yds moderate kick (6:25)
everything had a 1 minute rest

After swimming faster, shorter stuff all week those 500s felt like an eternity. But I did them and it was all good.

PM cycling workout:
I headed to the shop after work and did a lactate threshold test on the CompuTrainer. There is actually a CompuTrainer challenge of sorts wherein you download different rides and a group of people that signed up to do the challenge all ride these different rides and then your results are posted and there is a "winner" for each ride, etc... Kind of hard to explain but a pretty neat idea that will help with cycling motivation. Running on a treadmill is worse, but cycling on a trainer is not far behind.

ANYWAY, I warmed up for 25 minutes and then did this 11.19 mile course as a lactate threshold test. That took me 31:20 of (somewhat) hard riding. I wasn't going all out crazy but my heart rate was definitely higher than if I had just been spinning easy. I cooled down for a couple minutes to make the whole workout 60 minutes.

Then I headed home for my PM run workout:
It felt positively frigid outside by the time I got home. And I wasn't entirely thrilled about doing my run since it was cold, it was extremely windy, I was hungry, I was tired and sitting on the couch seemed like such a better option. But O was nice enough to join me and so I changed clothes and we got on our way. It was an easy 50 minute run with 5x20 second striders thrown in. The wind was crazy bad but it wasn't really that cold (given the correct apparel). We survived. I felt pretty good. It ended a nice day of training.

Tomorrow is Saturday! That makes me so happy. Our ride tomorrow is going to be brutal - it's supposed to be in the 20s tomorrow morning. But in a weird sort of way I'm looking forward to it. We'll see what I'm saying tomorrow when I can't feel my body. :)

Posted by beth at 9:37 PM | Comments (1)