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March 31, 2007

75 Miles Later...

Love the new bike. LOVE IT! Holy cats! It's amazing and wonderful and better than I could have imagined. I don't even know enough about cycling and bike components to tell you WHAT the difference is, but there is a difference. Big difference. That baby flys! And I feel like I have such a powerful pedal stroke on it. It felt great to be on a tri bike again too, down in the aerobars and wondering how I could possibly be going 25 MPH without even pedaling that hard? Aerodynamics are a thing of wonder...

I rode for a little over 4 hours which was a little under 75 miles. Steady ride, not too hard, not too easy and of course there were prescribed HR numbers that I was not to surpass. I felt awesome for about 2.5 hours, hit my low point from 2:55-3:15 and then felt strong again finishing up the last 45 minutes. I drank my fluids, I took my nutrition. It was about 45 degrees when I started so I was dressed pretty warmly meaning by the time I finished (after 1 pm even though I started at 9!) and it was more like 60 degrees, I was pretty toasty.

My position on the bike felt great although of course my shoulders, back and neck are now killing me from staying down in the aerobars for so long. I gotta get used to that again! Towards the end of the ride I wasn't sure my neck was going to be able to hold my head up at all. Let's just say I did a lot of staring down at the road those last 20 miles...

Pictures of my new beauty and of course of Roxy (she seems to make it in every picture we take!). Now I just need a name for her...

Posted by beth at 7:17 PM | Comments (8)

March 30, 2007

New Bike in Hand!

Once O gets home and has some time to take some pics of my new bike I will post them - but I FINALLY have it in hand and tomorrow we shall embark on it's maiden voyage! Incredible! It still needs a little work (the fitting process is apparently never-ending) and the computer on it right now is but a loaner (until the computer I really want for it comes in) but all in all she has what she needs - wheels, a frame, brakes, shifters, a seat, pedals and of course, water bottle cages. Yipppeeeee! I have a 4 hour ride tomorrow and I'm thinking it may not be smart to just jump in and ride the whole 4 hours in a totally new (and somewhat uncomfortable position) but what I may do is a 2 hour loop which will give me the option of switching out for my road bike if my neck and back hurt so bad I can no longer take it. I guess I'll take it as it comes. But I'm pretty much beside myself with excitement.

As for today's workout - I did a swim and a lift and let me tell you - I was NOT excited about either. I was soooo tired when my alarm went off this morning, swimming just did not seem like a something I wanted to do. Pulling the covers over my head however - now that seemed like a much better idea! But I went anyway.

3000 yds total @YMCA
wu: 200 easy, 20x25 w/20 sec rest (alternate breast, free, back)
ms: 20x100 w/2 on 10 sec rest, 1 on 45 sec rest - 1:20, 1:22, 1:20, 1:19, 1:19, 1:19, 1:18, 1:19, 1:19, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:18, 1:18, 1:17, 1:18, 1:17, 1:16, 1:16
cd: 300 easy

After the first 3 100s I was ready to throw in the towel. I felt like pooh. But I eventually started to warm up and loosen up and then the real turning point came when I decided I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. You all might be amazed at the pep talks I have to give myself sometimes. :) The workout ended up just fine.

I picked my bike up after work and did some more fitting on it, shopping in the bike store, etc... which resulted in me getting stuck in some nasty traffic which means I didn't get to the YMCA to lift until 6 pm at which point I was (1) cranky, (2) hungry, (3) very tired and (4) would have rather poked my eyes out with dull sticks than lift. Again the little talk about feeling sorry for myself and to the weight room I went! I was definitely glad to get through it all, come home and eat dinner.

Now excuse me while I go look at my bike. I haven't done so for about 20 minutes. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by beth at 7:45 PM | Comments (3)

March 29, 2007

Now I KNOW I Died and Went to Heaven

Seriously - weather does not get better than this. I feel like the past couple days has made up for the majority of the crap we dealt with all winter long. Oh how quickly we forget! At least O can breathe easy. I probably won't want to move to Austin again until next November. :)

Anyway, this afternoon I came home from work and had an awesome 2:15 ride. Amazing weather - just amazing! It was sunny, not too windy, warm, I felt good. What more could you ask for? I'm relatively certain I had a smile on my face the whole way. A little over 40 miles and pleased with the effort. I even tried out my new fluid replacement and am happy to report that while it doesn't taste good per se, it also doesn't taste bad and I'm about 99% sure I'll be able to get full bottles of it down when I race. It kind of tastes salty I guess. No major GI upset though and that's the most important thing. 217 calories in just 20 oz of fluid is pretty awesome too. Two bottles of that, some Shot Bloks and maybe a gel too and I'll be good to go for my half IM. Assuming of course that I can keep that all down, not only on the bike but on that pesky little half marathon afterwards... :)

I also did a track workout this morning! That seems like so long ago I'm thinking it was yesterday - but indeed, this morning around 5:15 am I was sprinting around a track.

Now - as awesome as the weather was this afternoon, it was definitely a little on the chilly side this morning - in the mid 30s, windy and because it was still dark, no sun. That made for a cold workout but I survived just fine.

I warmed up over to the track. I was pretty pumped to be doing some speedwork again on the run!

15 min warmup, 4x100 pickups w/100 jog recovery, 400 easy jog, 8x400 w/a rest of 1/2 the time taken to run the interval, 2 min easy jog, 4x100 on infield FAST w/10 sec rest, 12:40 cooldown

After speaking with my coach I decided I would aim for 90s on the 400 so I would get 45 sec rest. So 90s is what I set out to do and that's exactly what I did on the first one, but none thereafter. Instead I was sort of all over the place - :89, :85, :86, :85, :82, :85, :83, :82. The first one actually felt hard so on the 2nd one I let up the effort a little but ran 4 seconds faster anyway. I hovered in around the :85 mark for a while and thought that would be where I stayed until I popped the :82 but then promptly went back up to an :85. For someone who prides themself on superior pacing, I was all over the place this morning! I chalk my inconsistency up to several things. For one it was extremely windy on the backstretch, so much so that I could actually feel it pushing me on the homestretch! (that NEVER happens) And so I would put all kind of effort into running against the wind and then have a hard time gauging my effort on the opposite straight. This is also my first workout back on the track in about 3-4 months so my pacing meter is rusty. I really haven't done any hard running for quite some time. Finally, it was pitch dark and I get really annoyed trying to push my light on on my watch so I wasn't able to track every 100 meters and base my pacing off that.

Regardless, I was happy with the workout. It felt great to work hard again on the track. I was surprised to be able to run in that :82-:86 range with relatively short rests (:41-:43 seconds) and be just fine with it. I do this workout again in a couple weeks so it will be good to have something a little more defined to base my goal pace off of.

And that's that! Tomorrow is Friday already which is the day I pick up my new bike which makes me very happy! Very good deal indeed!

Posted by beth at 7:47 PM | Comments (2)

March 28, 2007

Monster Swim

I gotta admit it. When I woke up this morning I wasn't really looking too forward to the swim workout that awaited. It was 4000 yds total with a main set of 3200 yds and although I've definitely done that much before something about this particular set of intervals scared me. But I survived just fine. In fact the workout went pretty well!

4000 yds total @YMCA
wu: 300 yds easy, 200 yd kick, 4x50 w/30 sec rest
ms: 1x1000 w/2 min rest (14:01), 5x200 w/30 sec rest (2:43, 2:43, 2:41, 2:41, 2:39), 10x100 w/alternating rests of 30 sec/15 sec (all 1:17-1:20), 200 kick (3:04)
cd: 100 easy

I think it was the 1000 that gave me the creeps. But I focused on "steady" and strong not all out and crazy and it was over before I knew it!

This afternoon I did an easy 30 minute run and then headed back to the YMCA to lift. Nothing special or exciting other than our weather is absolutely perfect right now - 65 and sunny with a nice breeze!

Tomorrow I have a track workout! Very exciting. I'm going to do it as my first workout so I'll be out there in the dark at 5 am but I don't want to squander the possibility of doing my 2:15 ride outside in the afternoon sun. Choices, choices!

Good night everyone!

PS Bike fitting went very well yesterday - LOVE the new machine! They are making some more adjustments and then I'll pick it up and take it home Friday. Just in time for my 4 hour ride on Saturday... :)

Posted by beth at 7:29 PM | Comments (2)

March 27, 2007

I Think I've Died and Gone to Heaven

Let me start this entry off by saying that I went to the pool this morning in shorts. SHORTS! What is up with that?! I am soooooo happy for the warmer weather. So happy. So amazingly happy!

AM swim workout:

2500 yds total
wu: 100 easy, 200 kick, 6x100 w/20 sec rest descending by 2s
ms: 5x300 w/30 sec rest w/the last 100 of each being the fastest (4:05, 4:04, 4:00, 3:59, 3:58)
cd: 100 easy

I really focused on long, steady strokes for the first 200 of each 300 and then picking up the pace for the last 100. I didn't worry about the overall time of each interval so much. I think I did pretty well with that. Plus, I didn't want to kill myself this morning in the pool because I looked ahead to tomorrow's workout and let me just say - it ain't pretty. It's long. It's hard. One day at a time.

I got home from the pool, ate some breakfast, tooled around some and then when I couldn't wait any longer I got my bike ready to go for my first speedwork of the year! YIPPEEEEE!!!! I was really looking forward to this workout - first because I would get to ride hard and second because I would get to ride hard OUTSIDE! It was in the mid 60s when I left at 8:50 am!

The workout: 15 min easy warmup, 4x15 sec pickups w/10 sec rest, 2 min easy, 15x1 min hard w/30 sec rest (to be done as 3 sets of 5 with each interval in each set getting progressively harder), 15 min easy cooldown.

Hot dog! I was rearing to go when I set out. Not a lot of traffic because people were already at work by this point (work? who does that anyway? :). The best part of this whole deal was that on speed days there are no HR restrictions. Wonderful. No slowing down today baby!

And the workout did not disappoint. It felt SO GOOD to ride hard. So good. And ride hard I did! I didn't want it to be over. But now that the speedwork has started, I won't have to wait long until I get some more. :)

Since I've started with Mark Allen my training is much different than anything I've ever done before. I always thought I followed the hard/easy approach with running but I never truly did. What I termed "easy" wasn't really - in fact it was probably much beyond my aerobic ability. And I won't lie. This new training has been hard to get used to. I sometimes feel like I'm a slave to my HR monitor and I'm always having to slow myself down. At times I've been very frustrated. Patience is not one of my virtues. But I can't tell you how excited I am for the outcome. Because the "going slow" stuff is going to pay off. First of all, it's allowed me to handle much more volume (without getting injured!) than I would have been able to handle otherwise. And I know I'm much stronger for that. Second, it has forced me to build my aerobic engine so that I can stay aerobic for a lot longer (at faster paces) and not have to dip into my anaerobic resources as early in races. Third, as I start speedwork - I'll be able to make it count that much more - be rested and ready for it and able to really punch it out. I'm a believer and I haven't even raced yet. Who can argue with a 6 time Ironman World Champion anyway? ;)

Nonetheless, I'm babbling! The day is yet young! I am up for a shower and good stretch now, some lunch and then off to the bike store to start my fitting! Then - I still get to run outside later today and enjoy more of this wonderful weather! Just an easy 55 minute run tonight. I do have a dentist appointment but not even that can get me down. (I hate going to the dentist).

Enjoy your day everyone!

Posted by beth at 10:08 AM | Comments (3)

March 26, 2007

Christmas in March

Yes, I know...Christmas is much more than just about the gifts. And as Easter approaches that's all the more apparent. But this blog entry is about gifts people - big, fat, fun gifts!

Gift #1 - the weather - holy cow is it awesome! I know it will go away again but for right now I can't even tell you what 60 and 70 degree temps do for me. I want to cry for joy. I only wore one coat to work - that's all I have to say. And riding and running in shorts? Medicine for my soul no doubt.

Gift #2 - my Shot Bloks came today! - okay, if I ordered them and paid for them, they aren't really a gift but I've been anxiously awaiting their arrival nonetheless. I love these little guys. They make taking nutrition while training (and racing) somewhat bearable.

Gift #3 - another unexpected package arrived! - remember how I said sometimes things just sort of show up on the doorstep as part of my triathlon team's sponsorship? Well I kind of knew I would eventually get today's gift - I just didn't know when. Mark Allen Fluid Energizer (drink mix) and running hat! This stuff is going to be my fluid replacement this season - made by Infinit Nutrition, it is a fluid/electrolyte/energy replacement drink. Kind of like Gatorade only with lots more calories, protein and a different blend of electrolytes. I have to accept that as I delve deeper and deeper into long course triathlon, I need to focus more on the 4th discipline of triathlon - nutrition (swim, bike, run being the first 3 disciplines of course). Looking forward to trying my new drink this week in training.

Gift #4 - Descente is also a sponsor of our triathlon team and as members we get a discount on any gear we want. Well I order a pair of cycling shorts and a jersey as my cycling apparel includes about 3 items total (vs about 5 drawer fulls of running crap). I think we pay wholesale (about 50% off) but when the nice Descente lady emails me back my fee I learn that we really get 40% off of wholesale! Holy cats! You mean to tell me that pair of $90 cycling shorts is really only $27?!?! Is it too late to order 5 pairs of those??? :)

Gift #5 - MY TT BIKE FRAME IS FINALLY IN!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!! After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, I thought I was going to fall over when the bike shop called and said that bad boy was in and they were building the bike as we spoke and could I come in tomorrow to start the fitting process?! Thank God. That's all I have to say. And how about this one...I actually have tomorrow off work so I'm heading over to there tomorrow afternoon to finally see and get on my long awaited machine.

Other gifts? Life in general, not being injured, Roxy, my family, my husband who puts up with me way more than he should. Geez!!!

After lots and lots of training, that makes me really tired, by myself, in cold, nasty, awful weather, with no races in the near future. I finally feel like I'm turning the corner, there is light down there at the end of the tunnel. Speedwork is on the horizon. Warm weather is on the horizon. Racing is on the horizon. AHHHH!!!!!

Posted by beth at 7:22 PM | Comments (4)

March 25, 2007

My Kind of Weather

Halleluia - 70 degrees and sunny!

6:50 am - 2 hour run on the trail; 40 degrees, foggy and chilly but had a good run with me, myself and my iPod

2:20 pm - YMCA for a swim:
3000 yds total
wu: 400 easy, 4x100 w/20 sec rest as 50 stroke/50 free
ms: 500 w/50 sec rest (6:55), 400 w/40 sec rest (5:25), 350 w/30 sec rest (4:40), 3x200 w/20 sec rest (2:39, 2:40, 2:38), 3x100 w/10 sec rest (1:18, 1:18, 1:17)
cd: 100 easy

And yes, in case you are wondering that 350 was really supposed to be a 300 but I can't count.

3:40 pm - 1 hour easy ride outside!

6:25 pm - 20 minute walk to Dairy Queen with O and the pooch and then 20 minutes back home - perfect way to end a very nice day

Week summary:

Monday - off
Tuesday - 1:15 run in am, 2500 yd swim and 1:15 ride in pm, 2x25 pushups/2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 30 min run and weights in am, 4000 yd swim in pm
Thursday - 50 min run in am, 2 hour ride in pm
Friday - 3000 yd swim and weights in am
Saturday - 3:30 ride/30 min run brick in am, core/feet exercises
Sunday - 2 hour run in am, 3000 yd swim and 1 hour ride in pm

That was a lot this week - about 18 hours, almost 40 miles of running, 12500 yds of swimming and probably about 130 miles of riding. Whew! This upcoming week - speedwork - hooray for that!

Posted by beth at 7:42 PM | Comments (3)

March 24, 2007

Take a Chill Pill

Training for the day: 4 hour brick w/3:30 on the bike followed by 30 minute run.

The big dilemma for the day was ride inside or outside? This was an easier decision when there was 5 inches of snow on the ground and 20 degrees outside. Today it was in the 40s and raining off and on. I opted for the inside route.

So on the trainer I went for 3 hours and 30 minutes. Holy cow. Once I'm done I think "wow - that wasn't so bad, it actually went pretty fast!" but when I'm actually on the bike and I look at my watch and I've already been going for 90 minutes and I still have 2 hours to go? Yeah - doesn't feel like it's going that fast at that point.

I was actually pretty grumpy that I was on the trainer too if I'm going to be truthful about it. I'm just SO ANXIOUS to get outside and ride in "real" conditions. And it's finally warm enough but the rain isn't cooperating. And I think I get grumpy about it because I feel guilty that I'm not out there and anxious that I'm going to be doing my first race and only have ridden outside two or three times. But when I was in the shower after my run I told myself I needed to take a chill pill. I WILL GET TO RIDE OUTSIDE!! I just need to be patient and remember, it's only March. At this point last year I didn't even have a bike. In fact the only riding I did was 1 or 2 spinning classes a week (which lasted about 60 minutes each). And furthermore, it's (hopefully) going to be a long season. If all goes well my last race will be in November. November for goodness sakes! So I can't be getting all wigged out because I didn't get to ride outside in the middle of March. Geez...sometimes I have to just relax... :)

Anyway the run part of the brick went well. I was just about ready to leave when O got home from track practice so he and Roxy and I all went together. Warm enough to wear shorts so that was good. I had "bike legs" for about 5 minutes. It's hard to sit on a bike for 3.5 hours and then get off and run. Who would have thunk it? Oh...what's that? When I do a full Ironman I'm going to be on a bike for 6 hours? Oh and then I have to run how far? A marathon? It's times like this morning when the thought of the full IM distance overwhelms me.

The rest of the day thus far has been delightful. O and I took a 2 hour nap for recovery which is my absolute favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon when all my training is complete. Haven't been able to do it for a while so it was extra special today. And now it's time for dinner. Also a favorite activity of mine... :)

Posted by beth at 5:43 PM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2007

Speed, Relatively Speaking

I feel like I live the majority of life in fast-forward. I'm sure you all feel the same way. I work about 30 hours a week and I train about 15-20 hours a week. That doesn't include about 8 hours of commuting per week or driving to and from the pool and weight room. It doesn't include getting my bike ready to ride, setting up the trainer or pumping the tires. It doesn't include all the stretching or showering or massaging. That doesn't include packing that dang bag every night for the next day's endevours. I hate packing that bag.

Add to all that general life stuff - laundry, cleaning the house (or at least thinking about cleaning the house), paying the bills, worrying about paying the bills, packing lunches and going grocery shopping (okay, I can't claim that because O goes to the grocery store each week). How about washing the cars or taking them to get maintenanced? Cooking (hey - putting something in the microwave still takes time!), ironing, feeding the dog.

And let us not forget about sleeping and blogging! :)

So it's no wonder that I'm always thinking about the next thing to do, and trying to do 5 things at one time. I move quickly, I don't mess around and I still struggle to get it all in sometimes.

God forbid if you have children. For that you should earn some sort of medal.

And I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. I assume the majority of Americans are right with me on this one.

But today was very different for me. Because today I am moving in serious slow motion. I hadn't really planned it that way but I have the day off work and I don't HAVE to be anywhere in particular until 2 pm. And that's a thing of beauty.

I kicked my slow motion day off by turning off my alarm when it went off at 6:45 am. It was still dark and so I just laid there and listened to the rain hitting our roof. I laid there until 7:15. I just can't even remember the last time I laid in bed longer than 2 seconds after my alarm started blaring.

I moved about slowing gathering my stuff for the pool and eating something small. I finally got my suit on and drove over to the YMCA and slowly immersed myself in the freezing cold water (the YMCA pool is finally back in business but they had to refill all the water and let me tell you - it was not warm water that they refilled it with!). I didn't even start my swim workout until 8 am. After 3000 yds of swimming (that wasn't that slow I guess :) I took my grand old time changing and getting over to the weight room. I lifted and then drove home. I ate breakfast and showered and stretched and somehow, already it's 11:30.

Living life in the slow lane really isn't so bad after all. In fact, I'm quite enjoying it for today! I'm sure I'll be back to traveling at 1000 MPH tomorrow but for today, a rainy, gloomy, cold day here in Pittsburgh, PA, I'm pretty pleased to be going at a snail's pace. I suggest you all try it some time.

Happy weekend everyone!

Posted by beth at 11:20 AM | Comments (2)

March 22, 2007

So You Wanna be a Triathlete 'Eh?

What. The. Heck? I think today I experienced the most miserable ride I've ever experienced. Seriously people - it really stunk!

First let me explain. It was 60 degrees today! I ran this morning (50 minutes) in shorts and a long sleeve and I was hot. It was wonderful. But by the time I got home from work the rain was rolling in.

I debated my whole drive home whether I should ride outside or not. I had a 2 hour ride on tap and I knew it would rain during that span and I knew it was going to be really windy but it was 60 degrees and sooner or later I'm going to have to ride outside regardless of the conditions. What if it rained and was really windy during one of my races? So by the time I reached home I had myself convinced that I was riding outside.

Then I got changed and was getting my bike ready when it started to pour - I mean really come down and I thought "no way - that's just crazy." So out came the trainer. Booo.

10 minutes into my trainer ride and it's looking nice outside. The rain had stopped and I knew it was warm and well...I just couldn't stand being on the trainer any more. I rode until 30 minutes inside and it still hadn't started raining again so off with the t-shirt, on with a long sleeve, on with my helmet and outside I went for the remaining 1:30 of my ride!

Happy day! It was very warm and it felt really nice to be outside riding and even though the wind was brutal I was loving life. And then the rain started again. Easy at first but then about 40 minutes into the ride, really, really hard. And this is about the time when things really started to suck. Suck really bad.

The wind is crazy in my face making it really impossible to move forward let alone with any speed let alone in the correct HR range. And it's really raining hard, pelting me in the face. And big trucks and cars keep blowing past. And now I'm soaked and getting cold. And now it's a crosswind and I'm doing everything I can to lean into it so I don't get blown over. More than once I yelled out to nobody in particular "you have got to be &*(&Y86786%^&% kidding me!"

When I finally turned around to go back towards home things got marginally better because I now had a tailwind and instead of struggling along at 16 MPH I was pedaling smooth and easy and going 26 MPH. Gotta love that wind. But in all honesty I was still pretty miserable. Cold, wet, majorly gritty from the road grit/salt/wet. And I was about 13 miles from home. Bugger.

Anyway, I did make it home and I survived just fine and although I was a majorly unhappy camper during the ride I'm glad I did it now (after a hot shower, a hot dinner and my bike already being cleaned - the worst part of riding outside!). Because the fact of the matter is I will eventually have to race in all those conditions. And if I always choose to ride inside when it's anything less than perfect than I'm not doing myself a favor. I'm used to running outside in nastiness but riding is a whole different story. Wind, rain and cold are much worse when you're cycling. Whose idea was it to do this triathlon thing anyway? :)

Posted by beth at 9:14 PM | Comments (2)

March 21, 2007

Bike Drama - Take 2

Per Meghan's request I'm going to try again with my post about my bike drama. I think I'm sufficiently over erasing the last post on this topic - enough at least to attempt it again.

Lately it seems like everyone at work is having all sorts of family/friend drama. Countless lunch time hours over the past several months have been spent figuring out how to get back at, make up with, get even with, repair and break relationships with mother in laws, sisters, ex-best friends, cousins, neighbors and uncles. It's a bit much really. Luckily I don't have any family drama though. I get along with everyone in my family and in O's family. Nobody hates anyone else. At the very least tolerance has always been plentiful in my relationships.

I, on the other hand, have bike drama. Drama of the most serious kind.

First a little background. When I left Trizilla in early January I needed a new time trial/triathlon bike. I only left the team with a road bike which is not appropriate for my triathlon races. So O and I went immediately to my new bike shop (everyone needs a bike shop of course!) and ordered one of these (at a significantly reduced price thanks to Big Bang). I was really excited. Cervelo is like the Nike of cycling and their bikes are beautiful, very aero, very light, very wonderful. The bike shop guys weren't exactly sure when the frame would be in but the fact that it was early January had me hopeful that I would be fitted and feeling comfortable on the bike by the end of January or early February.

And then 3 months passed. And no bike ever came. And I got real anxious.

First it was problems with ordering the bike and then shipping and then the frame got held up in customs and then the lastest problem was a supposed Candian rail strike that left my frame stranded in Western Canada. I kid you not.

I was patient at first because that was really the bike I wanted but when Big Bang called me early last week and told me it would be at least another 2 weeks panic set in. Seriously people! It's not the bike shops fault at all. I'm sure they wished the bike would be in just as much as me seeing as how they stand to make some $$$ off the deal.

When the latest call came I really started to worry that in 2 weeks I would get a call saying it would really be 2 more weeks and then another 2 weeks and so on and so forth until it was August and I still wasn't on my tri bike. Disaster my friends - disaster! So Big Bang started looking into other options for me - that being my 2nd choice. Turns out Scott only had 3 more frames in my size of choice #2 meaning I had to make my decision ASAP or I risked not being able to get choice #2 either. High pressure I tell you - very high pressure!

A lot went into the decision - piece by piece comparison of the 2 bikes, cost, geometry...poor Matt at the bike store never heard so many questions about so minut of details. And in the end, I chose to go with option #2. Not my first choice no, but still an amazing bike and one that has already been shipped and should be here tomorrow. I'm a risk taker in races and in training but not in stuff like this. Now I know I'll be riding a tri bike for even my first race and by my A races in June I should be good and comfortable on it. As you may know, tri bikes are worlds apart from road bikes in terms of position and I need to get reaquainted ASAP!

So there you have it - crisis averted. I'm hoping my new bike will be built and I can start the fitting process this weekend!

As for today - YMCA pool still closed. Seriously people - do I have to go over there and fix the pump myself!?!

So it was a run (30 minutes very easy) this morning followed by a lifting session followed by work followed by a very long walk to one of Pitt's pools followed by this 4000 yd workout that really did a number on me:

wu: 300 easy, 200 pull, 100 kick, 6x50 w/20 sec rest alternating breast and back

ms: 4x600 w/45 sec rest - 1x600 straight (no time), 1x600 broken @300 for 30 sec (4:00, 4:00), 1x600 broken @200s for 15 sec (2:38, 2:38, 2:39), 1x600 broken @100s for 5 sec (1:18, 1:20, 1:19, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18), 8x50 kick w/15 sec rest (:43-:45)

cd: 300 alternating strokes

I felt awesome on the first straight 600 and couldn't wait to see my time only to find out I hadn't properly started my watch. ATWE$OITFHENWR&#!!!#!@# Geez - the one time I really do want to know my time.... Anyway the workout was good otherwise but my walk back up to my car was brutal! I don't know what my problem was but I was just really dragging. I thought I'd never make it. I felt like dumping my 2 heavy bags and driving down to retrieve them when I finally reached my car. Luckily I had snacks waiting for me that perked me up no problem. Nothing a little food couldn't cure.

And now the laundry is calling my name (and I highly suspect the pooch is up to no good as she has been quiet for way too long...)

Posted by beth at 8:18 PM | Comments (2)

March 20, 2007

Just the Basics

5:10 am - 1:15 run

3:10 pm - 2500 yd swim:
wu: 600 easy
ms: 600 pull (9:48), 30 sec rest, 600 mod taking (as close to as possible) one breath on last lap of each 100 (8:20), 30 sec rest, 6x100 kick w/20 sec rest (1:34, 1:32, 1:31, 1:30, 1:29, 1:29)
cd: 100 easy

5:30 pm - 1:15 trainer ride - very hard time getting and then keeping my HR up

The YMCA pool is still closed and it's really throwing me off my groove. But on a posititive note, I guess a change of pace isn't so bad. I just wish the pool at Pitt wasn't a 25 minute walk from where I park my car for work. Ugh.

Happy 1st day of spring!

Posted by beth at 9:05 PM | Comments (2)

March 19, 2007

Bike and Blog Drama

I just typed up a beautiful blog entry telling (in quite some detail) all about my recent bike drama involving high pressured decisions, unruly customs agents and Canadian rail strikes. It really was a good read.

And then I promptly deleted the whole thing without saving it by clicking exit on my web browser. What. The. Heck?

In the end though, the only important take-home fact was that I will soon be riding this. And although it wasn't my first choice it will be mine and my new bike shop will make it fit me just ever so perfectly. And there's not much more that I could ask for.

Posted by beth at 7:41 PM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2007

Summary for the Week

Monday - off
Tuesday - 2500 yd swim in am, 1 hour ride, 1:10 run in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 4000 yd swim in am, 30 min run and weights in pm
Thursday - 50 min run in am, 1:45 ride in pm
Friday - 3000 yd swim in am, weights in pm
Saturday - 3 hour ride/30 min run brick in am, core/feet exercises
Sunday - 1:55 run in am, 1 hour ride, 3000 yd swim in pm

Posted by beth at 8:25 PM | Comments (0)

I am Sleepy

I am soooooo watching basketball with my eyes closed once I'm finished writing my blog. Even if I have to fight Roxy for the couch I will win! (although she always wiggles her way in somehow... :)

This morning started off nice and early with a little 1:55 run. It was cold (19 degrees w/11 windchill) but it was a beautiful morning. O and Roxy joined me for the first hour and we got to see the sun rise and a beautiful blue sky bloom. Now, I will say that same scenario with the temperatures about 40 or 50 degrees warmer would be even better but I guess we can't always get what we want. :)

The run went well. I took my Fuel Belt so I had all my nutrition and fluid with me although my water froze! It was mostly liquid but with little ice chunks floating around by the time I was ready to take some. Now is that a reason to move south or is that a reason to move south?! Anyway, after the run I was about halfway done with my training for the day.

Next up church. Good stuff. O was supposed to sing in church but got the dates confused. He will sing NEXT week in church. :)

When we got home I got my bike all set up and hopped on for an hour easy ride. My legs protested at first but I felt fine once I got going. All small chain. All spinning.

And then all that was left was my swim. The YMCA pool still isn't open because of a broken pump so that meant I had to drive down to Pitt to get my swim in. I'm very thankful that I have this as an option because otherwise I'm not sure what I would have done, but it's a little frustrating to have to drive 35 minutes (one way) when the YMCA is only about 3 minutes from our house!

The whole situation was made much better by the fact that O came with me and graded papers while I swam and then afterwards we went to Panera for dinner followed by Dairy Queen (despite the fact that I was really cold and it's cold outside) for dessert. I also have to say that it was a nice change of pace to swim in a different pool, especially one so nice. But holy cats (to steal a phrase from Barb) was that pool cold! I had forgotten how ice-like the water there is compared to my YMCA since I haven't swam at Pitt for over 3 months.

Regardless, here was the workout:

3000 yds total
wu: 600 easy, 4x75 w/30 sec rest build
ms: 2x(3x300 w/30 sec rest, 3x50 w/5 sec rest) - 4:02, 4:03, 4:02, 4:00, 4:00, 4:00 for the 300s, all 50s in :38-:40

I'll have to admit that I was pretty fatigued for this one. I usually get my Sunday swims in before my cycling for the day but this workout came after 3 hours of training already. And I am used to swimming fresh. Swimming is definitely the luckiest sport of the 3 in triathlon - you are always feeling good during it at least! :)

And now onto that nap I spoke of...

Posted by beth at 7:07 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2007

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Definitely on the trainer again this morning with our roads still covered with snow and some ice too! I'm actually starting to get used to the long rides on the trainer though. Scary to say but my 3 hour ride didn't even seem that long today. What is this world coming to? Regardless I told myself (again) this morning that this really is the last long ride I'm going to have to do on the trainer - honestly - promise - for real. :)

The 3 hour ride probably went by pretty quickly because I had some good movies to watch. Today I hit up the free movies on On Demand. I scoped out the options last night and saw that Say Anything and Into Thin Air were both available. Score! Say Anything is just about my favorite movie and although I've seen it about a million times it never gets old. Who doesn't love a movie from the 1980s with John Cusack in it? :) Into Thin Air is the movie based on the book of the same name about a group's attempt to summit Mt. Everest. Pretty intense that one. Either way before I knew it, 3 hours had passed it was time to get some running gear on!

It was cold this morning - 25 degrees with a 15 degree windchill and although that doesn't seem that bad I really bundled up because my hair and HR monitor strap was soaking wet from the ride. By the time I got back from my run both were just about frozen. :) Anyway, it was a 30 minute run right off the bike and it went well besides the weather. I had to slow myself down several times because I felt good and just wanted to RUN. But it's not time for that yet. I can't tell you how much I WISH it was time for that, but it's not.

So that's that! 3.5 more hours in the books. And now we are off to the bike store to check things out! I have much bike drama going on right now (a whole blog entry in and of itself) but I think it's all finally resolved. Should be a good afternoon though - the bike store is always a fun place to be... :)

Posted by beth at 1:40 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2007

More Snow

So we are in the midst of getting even more snow. I'm guessing 4 inches already and it's still coming down. I thought it was going to be just an inch. Urghhh. I guess I will be back on my trainer tomorrow morning for my long ride!

This morning I went to the pool despite every cell of my being begging me to sleep in. Oh my was I tired this morning (still am actually). But I got up and went regardless and good thing too because when I went back to the YMCA this afternoon to lift I saw the pool had closed mid-morning due to the pump being broken. Boy would I have been angry with myself for putting off my swim and then not being able to!

Anyway, my swim workout went just fine:
3000 yds total @YMCA

wu: 300 easy, 400 pull, 300 kick
ms: 4x(3x100 w/5 sec rest, 1x50 w/1 min rest) - 1:20, 1:21, 1:20, :39, 1:18, 1:19, 1:19, :39, 1:18, 1:19, 1:19, :39, 1:17, 1:18, 1:18, :38 then 400 pull (6:26)
cd: 200 easy

I think I was half asleep all day at work. I was definitely glad that it was Friday and I have the weekend to sleep a little more! After work, a lifting session and that's it for the day. Tonight? Seeing how long I can lay on the couch without moving. :)

Have a great start to your weekend everyone! And Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Posted by beth at 5:04 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2007

Snow

Yep, that's right, it snowed here today. After being in the 70s on Tuesday - riding in shorts, running in a sports bra... Ahh...all very short lived. But I won't complain because I know the snow only seems bad since Tuesday was so nice. Otherwise it would have been your run of the mill March snow. Must. Get. To. May.

This morning I ran in hopes of getting to ride outside after work (there was an off chance that it was still going to be in the 40s and dry around 4 pm). I usually do the riding in the morning on Thursdays. Anyway, it was 50 degrees when I got up but raining. Roxy and O joined me this morning. It was a 50 minute run, not raining too hard when we started but absolutely pouring by the time I was done. The temps were falling too. 50 when I got up, down to 40 just 90 minutes later when I left for work.

Unfortunately it was down even further by the time I left work - to the point where it was snowing instead of raining. Darn. The roads were quite wet too so I decided to do my 1:45 ride inside on the trainer. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

For both my ride and run I had trouble keeping my HR up! Actually, let me rephrase that - for the ride I had trouble keeping my HR up. I never have trouble getting my HR up during a run, but I found myself continually having to speed myself up which rarely happens. I think that's a good sign. Faster paces at lower HR. Either that or I'm just really fatigued and the same result seems to require much more effort. Take your pick. :)

Alas it's time for laundry...and ironing...and making my lunch for tomorrow...and...tell me, does this viscious cycle ever end? :) Good night all!

Posted by beth at 8:18 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2007

A Whole Mess of 100s

This morning I headed to the pool and did a whole mess of 100 repeats. 30 of them to be exact. And while it was a taxing workout no doubt, the biggest challenge was keeping track of how many I had done and how many I had to go. My mind plays mean tricks on me when I try to count above about 12 or 13.

AM swim workout
4000 yds total @YMCA
wu: 200 yds easy, 4x50 yds w/30 sec rest
ms: 30x100 on 1:35, 300 kick (4:44)
cd: 300 easy

The workout was written as 30x100 steady w/15 seconds rest which I figured was the same as 30x100 on 1:35 for me. I swim just about everything (whether it be 50s or 500s) at that 1:20/100 yd pace so I figured for sake of keeping track of things, doing the 100s on a time interval would be easiest.

And thank God I did it that way because I lost count of which one I was on soooo many times! I was always able to figure it out though because I could do the math with my culmuative time. Crazy swim workouts. Who likes to think that much when you are trying to work hard! I did break the session down into sets of 5 but I still had trouble (was that #2 or #3 and for that matter am I on the 3rd set or the 4th set?!?!).

Anyway, it was a good workout. I probably could have kept going for some time but I was definitely glad to reach 30. My arms started to feel it around #24 or so.

After work I came home and did a nice and easy 30 minute run. Really easy. It's still warm here although raining now. I'll take 60 degrees and raining over 20 degrees and snowing any day. After the run I headed to the YMCA for a lifting session.

And now I must go track down Roxy because I'm about 99.9% sure that she has one of my socks and is currently chewing it to shreds.... :) Good night everyone!

Posted by beth at 8:44 PM | Comments (1)

March 13, 2007

Now THAT is What I'm Talkin' About!

Holy man - it was 71 degrees here today! I can't even believe it. I never want this day to end. I want it to be 71 degrees every day, no more, no less. What. The. Heck?! I was nearly in tears when I left work - tears of joy that is - I was sooooooooo excited to be outside in warm weather! Love it. Love it. Love it!

So when I got home I couldn't get my cycling shorts on fast enough. No messing around (I left work early too) - I had some riding and running to do! I had already prepared my bike last night to ride outside. And oh boy - it was better than I could have expected. I wore shorts and long sleeves and I didn't even need the long sleeves! I even needed sunglasses with actual dark lenses (vs the clear lenses I usually use for eye protection only)!! And I'm just telling you now, this blog entry is going to have more exclamation points than any other blog entry ever!!!!!

My only complaint about my ride was that it wasn't nearly long enough. I went out and back on one of my favorite roads and I was so, so sad when I had to turn around. Only an hour on the bike today. But the good news was, I still had a 1:10 run to do!

Once home, off with the cycling shorts and on with the running shorts and sports bra - that's it! No t-shirt even needed! Let us remember that the last time I ran (Sunday) it was 21 degrees. Today? Yeah - 50 degrees warmer.

I had to keep myself in check today, slowing down several times so that my HR would stay where it needed to be. But it was such a great run. After snow and ice and cold and more cold and even more cold this warm weather is like my dream come true. It just feels so dang good.

Anyway, in all the excitement about being outside I forgot to mention that I did indeed go to the pool this morning as well.

AM swim workout:
2500 yds total (and I even did the workout just like I was supposed to!)
wu: 300 easy, 8x25 w/10 sec rest
ms: 3x100 w/10 sec rest (1:21, 1:21, 1:21), 2x600 pull w/1 min rest (10:09, 9:55), 3x100 w/10 sec rest (1:20, 1:20, 1:19)
cd: 200 easy

When I was swimming this morning I determined that there are 4 possible scenarios when doing a swim workout: (in order of preference of course)
1) feel fast and swim fast
2) feel slow but actually swim fast
3) feel fast but actually swim slow and...you guessed it...
4) feel slow and swim slow

Today I was a #3. I felt really smooth and good in the water but wasn't really moving very fast at all. My pulls weren't too bad but my 100s were questionable. Oh well, it's not as if I was a #4. There's nothing worse than feeling terrible and performing terrible too.

So that's that. It's supposed to be warm(ish) again tomorrow but rain and by the end of the week be snowing again but hey, I had my one day of glory so I can't complain. I keep telling myself - not too awful much longer and there will be more days like this and far fewer days where I wear two coats to work and two sweatshirts to bed. Ahh...here's hoping you all got to run in shorts outside today too... :)

Posted by beth at 7:28 PM | Comments (1)

March 11, 2007

Fuel Belt Report and More...

I feel like I have so much to write about today!

First, my run. My alarm went off at 6:30 am and although this was the latest I've slept in for the past 3 weeks, I still just did not want to get up. It didn't help that it was still dark as night because of the time change and it was cold and Roxy and I were so comfy in bed. (lest you wonder, O was still in Chicago at this point) I got up anyway but as I fed Roxy and ate my PowerBar I was scheming ways to go back to bed and still get in my run, ride and swim without missing church. There was no way it all added up so I stretched, got dressed, got my gear and took off in the car to the trail.

Yes - that's right - the trail! I haven't run on it since November because of our snow and ice and all that jazz but I figured after a couple relatively warm days it had to be clear by now...right? As I was starting off I was beside myself with joy. I had my tunes on my iPod. I had my Fuel Belt. I was running on the trail again. And although it was only in the low 20s at the time I could tell it was going to be a beautiful morning and day. And thus it went for about 2 miles.

Then within 2 or 3 minutes things got ugly. First, I started to hit long stretches on the trail that were totally covered in ice. The kind of ice that is scary and I couldn't get around it either. I gingerly ran over it but almost wiped out several times. I wondered what lay up ahead. Would I be dealing with this the whole run? Next my Fuel Belt started to annoy me. It kept turning so the bottles were ending up front. Urgh. Then finally, to top it all off, my iPod died. Yes, 20 minutes into my 1:35 run my tunes were gone. Double urgh.

About 3 minutes later I had successfully turned myself around and adjusted my bad attitude. Yes, the ice was bad but it wasn't everywhere and there I was finlly getting to run on the trail again! The longest stretch of ice was about 1/2 mile but otherwise I had a relatively clear path. And I didn't fall once. As for the Fuel Belt, once I got that thing strapped on tightly enough it didn't budge an inch. And I really like it. I honestly couldn't feel it at all, the trick was just making sure it stay put. I fear it might be a little too big once I don't have 5 layers of clothes on but we'll worry about that later. The Fuel Belt definitely gets two thumbs up for me! Mine only has two bottles for fluid so it doesn't carry much but definitely enough to get one or two gels down. Good deal. And lastly without my music I just had more time to think to myself. I've had a lot of that lately. That can be dangerous!

Overall the run was great. 1:35 total - about 11.5 miles. I felt good which seems to always be the case but what can you expect when you are always running 8 minute pace or slower? I'll get tired soon enough once the speed work starts. :)

This afternoon I coaxed myself to the pool where distraction and chaos were the words of the day. And I got my workout all messed up too. What. The. Heck?

Here's what I was supposed to do:

3000 yds total
wu: 200 easy, 300 pull, 300 kick, 4x50 w/20 sec rest
ms: 175/25/150/25/125/25/100/25/75/25, 8x50, 6x100 kick (everything thus far w/15 sec rest), 10x25 w/20 sec rest

Now, if you add all that up it doesn't equal 3000 yds anyway (I think - or does it? - who knows, I can't do that kind of high powered math!)

But it didn't really matter because I screwed things up anyway. Here is what I did:

2550 yds total (I think)
wu: 200 easy, 300 kick, 4x50 w/20 sec rest
ms: 175 (2:19), 25, 150 (1:59), 25, 125 (1:39), 25, 75 (:58), 25, 25, 100 (1:18), 9x50 (38-39) all w/15 sec rest, 6x100 kick w/15 sec rest (1:33, 1:36, 1:36, 1:35, 1:35, 1:36), 10x25 w/20 sec rest (all 25s were in 18-19)

First problem, I totally skipped the 300 pull in the warmup. I don't have the little sheet of paper that I wrote the workout down on but I'm pretty sure I forgot to write that 300 pull on there. Next problem - I forgot the 100 in the whole first sequence. I started to notice after the 75 that I wasn't ending up at the right end of the pool. My first inkling that I had done something wrong. So I swam an extra 25 to get to the right end only to realize it was because I had skipped the 100 that I was off track. I did that and then started into the 50s where I promptly forgot which number I was on. Did I only do 3 or did I already do 4? Argh. Once I got home and looked through my splits I realized I did do an extra one there. I think I got the rest of it right but who knows. At least I got some hard swimming in there and some amount of yardage. In my defense there was utter chaos in the form of little girls randomly swimming in the lap lanes (one who kicked me in the face), random people trying to talk with me (I only have 15 seconds of rest buddy!) and very random balls/rings/other assorted floaty type things that migrated into my lane. Oh well, I guess you're not going to get it right every time.

Finally I came home, crawled up on my bike and rode for an easy hour, spinning in my small chain ring. Once I climbed off I felt that Sunday Satisfaction - having completed what I think is my hardest day of the week.

Whew - what a day! The good news is O is home again! I don't know how people deal with spouses who have jobs where they travel often. I don't like being home alone. Roxy only has one person to badger when O isn't around - that person being me!

Summary for the week:

Monday - off
Tuesday - 2500 yd swim in am, 60 min run and 1:15 ride in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 3500 yd swim in am, 30 min run and lifting session in pm
Thursday - 2 hour ride and 50 min run in am, core/feet exercises and awesome massage in pm
Friday - 3000 yd swim in am, lifting session in pm
Saturday - 3:30 ride in am
Sunday - 1:35 run in am, 2550(?) swim and 1 hour ride in pm

Seems as if another week has been completed! I'm hanging in there around 15-17 hours per week, still mostly easy stuff. But I cheated and looked ahead a little. The speed work starts soon - by the end of the month - yippeeeee!!!

Posted by beth at 7:22 PM | Comments (2)

March 10, 2007

3:30 and Counting

So all last night I hemmed and hawed (are those words?) about whether I should ride inside or outside this morning. It was supposed to be warm, but maybe rain. And my one huge confounding factor was a baby shower that I needed to leave the house for at 10:45 am. Dumb baby shower! Who likes babies anyway? :)

I knew I needed to do the ride before the shower so that meant if I rode outside I was going to have to start riding in the dark (by just a little). It was supposed to be warm enough but again, the possibility of rain. I just couldn't decide. What finally pushed me over the edge of staying in versus going out was that I saw that the wind was supposed to be really bad in the morning (my least favorite training condition of all).

So I hopped on my bike at 5:30 this morning and rode for 3:30. Yep, 3:30 on the trainer. It's much like I imagine death to be.

Actually, it's wasn't so bad. I watched The Departed (the movie that won all those awards) and then when that was over and I still had about an hour to go so I watched ESPN and MTV. Roxy laid on the couch and watched me. It really was a fun time. :)

I felt strong throughout. Around 2:45 or so my legs started to feel it and I had a rough patch mentally but I just concentrated on turning the pedals over and I was fine. I thought about how simple our sport really is. One stroke after another, one turn of the pedals after another and one foot in front of another. I actually thought about a lot during those 3.5 hours. If you're ever looking for some time to yourself and your thoughts, the trainer is an excellent place to be.

The shower was fine as far as showers go. It was a high school friend and so there were a collection of people there that I went to high school with (including my 11th grade trig teacher) and so that always makes you reflect on that time period and where everyone is at now in their lives. I will say that I was probably the first of the group to get married but will be the last to have children. I always have been on my own time schedule. :) This particular shower was bigger than my wedding (there were close to 100 people there!) so I definitely slipped out before all the gift unwrapping was over. They still may be there for all I know...

And now I must clean the house. I promised to have it done before O got back from Chicago. I thought I would start Thursday night but that got pushed back to Friday which got pushed back to today. I can't push it back anymore. O is home tomorrow and before he gets back I'll have a long run, swim and bike to get in. I can definitely see how people could make a full time job out of triathlon!

AND we lose an hour of sleep tonight! Ah! Must get cracking! :)

Posted by beth at 6:07 PM | Comments (2)

March 9, 2007

There IS Hope!

The song is true - the sun will come out tomorrow! :) Today it was 50 degrees and sunny here in old Pittsburgh, PA! And it made me soooooooo happy. I didn't even get to run or ride in it but just to feel the sun on my face when I was walking to my car or walking Roxy after work - ah...what a wonderful thing! After what feels like the worst winter ever (although I know it's hasn't been), this day was much needed. I'm sure it won't stay this warm or nice but this will at least hold me over for another week or two. Must. Get. To. April! :)

This morning I swam:
3000 yds total @YMCA
wu: 250 easy, 6x75 w/15 sec rest (50 easy/25 fast)
ms: 8x150 w/30 sec rest as 100 mod/50 fast (2:04, 2:04, 2:03, 2:01, 2:01, 2:00, 2:00, 1:59), 3x200 pull w/30 sec rest as easy/mod/fast (3:22, 3:12, 3:07), 10x50 alternating rest of 5 sec/30 sec (all in :38-:39)

I was so excited to not have to swim anything over 200 yds - I needed a break from those long repeats! Although much like doing 200s on the track after doing mile repeats or 1000s, the 150s were still very challenging given the fact that I was "sprinting" that last 50 of each. Regardless I felt pretty good. And I received a little piece of encouragement from one of the other YMCA "regulars". He's a very good swimmer and as I was getting out of the water he was asking me about upcoming races, etc... He asked how my training was going and I told him about the running and riding, etc... And then he told me he thought I looked very good in the water. I'm sure he doesn't know the difference (just like the old lady in the street telling you as you run by that you're as fast as a cheetah!) but it was just what I needed to hear. Funny how a little encouragement at the right time by the right person can go a long way. :)

Anyway, after work I headed back to the YMCA for a lifting session and then home to Roxy for a walk. That dog is wild without exercise! It was so nice outside though that I didn't care one bit about trotting around with her for 30 minutes.

In other news I received a Fuel Belt in the mail today! As part of the Mark Allen triathlon team we get some "support" in the form of equipment. We mostly get very nice discounts (wholesale prices) from the sponsors (which I am very thankful for too - you wouldn't believe how much less expensive wholesale prices are!) but occasionally something will show up in the mail that you didn't order. Today was a Fuel Belt! I've never used one of these before but I had been considering it (most especially if and when I ever move up to the full Ironman distance). I'm going to try it on my long run on Sunday. They look annoying to wear but when I was trotting around the house with it you can't really feel it that much at all. We shall see!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by beth at 6:43 PM | Comments (5)

March 8, 2007

A Tale of Two Sports

Okay, I'll admit, I'm getting a little desperate for blog titles... :)

This morning I woke up and saw O off to Chicago. He'll be away at a conference for the next few days so it's me and the pooch. This means I'll be on 100% dog duty. I'm usually the feeder and the one who lets Roxy in and out but O is the dog walker. This will now be my job and let me just tell you - I fear for my limbs. If I stop reporting on swim workouts you'll know why: Roxy has gone and ripped my arm right out of it's socket.

I had hoped to ride outside today (like last Thursday) but it was a no go. Sunny and beautiful yes, but warm a big NO. It was 7 degrees when I woke up! So I rode inside on the trainer - 2 hours total. I watched the movie Cheaper by the Dozen and that made the ride go by faster.

After my ride I changed and stretched some, ate a PowerBar and then headed out for my run. By the time I ran it was more like 21 degrees with a 12 degree windchill but the sun really made a difference. It didn't feel too bad. My run was 50 minutes long. I felt fine. I know I keep saying this but I feel like I'm slowly making progress in terms of pace while still remaining in my target HR range. I can definitely move on the downhills and I'm progressing on the flats. I still have to slow markedly on uphills but I'm assuming that might ALWAYS happen. :)

So that's my training for today! Soon I will be leaving for a massage. I'm hoping to get one a month over the next couple months as I start to race, etc... We shall see!

Posted by beth at 1:44 PM | Comments (1)

March 7, 2007

Miscellany

Random point #1 - Ever think something you do is totally normal only to realize that you are somewhat freakish and it's totally NOT normal? Um yeah - people apparently don't usually wear 4-5 layers of clothes to bed. I casually mentioned my double sweatshirt wearing ways at work and I got a lot of funny looks. What. The. Heck? Don't you people ever get cold?!?!

Random point #2 - O came home from the grocery store with a new toy for Roxy. It was a circular rope type deal with a middle cloth part that had a squeaker in the middle. Within 10 minutes the middle part was destroyed and she was ripping out the squeaker. O cut that part out and gave her the circular rope. Within 15 minutes she had that untwisted and all chewed apart. I think Roxy is half goat.

Posted by beth at 9:38 PM | Comments (1)

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Well it's still cold and it did snow a good bit but I have to give Mother Nature some props - it was at least very sunny today and the roads are already clear! The track isn't so clear...but I guess we can't have everything we want... :)

This morning I went to the pool (I feel like a broken record...)

AM swim workout:

3500 yds total @YMCA
wu: 200 easy, 12x50 w/20 sec rest (4 each of back, breast, free)
ms: 5x500 w/45 sec rest as 2 straight (6:49, 6:43), 2 pull (8:18, 8:18), and 1 broken at 100s for 10 sec (1:21, 1:20, 1:19, 1:19, 1:18)
cd: 200 easy

Oh my...500s...need I say more? :) With Tuesday being a relatively big day (all three sports) I'm finding Wednesday morning long swims very challenging! But I survived just fine.

When I got home from work I ran for a very easy 30 minutes and then went back to the YMCA for a lifting session.

I have tomorrow off work and for that I am very thankful! I have some biking and running to do and then in the afternoon a massage, which I have been very much looking forward to!

Have a great night everyone!

Posted by beth at 8:22 PM | Comments (1)

March 6, 2007

The Writing is on the Wall

First my dad informs me that he is going to Austin for a conference. Then my co-worker (who didn't know of my Austin scheme) tells me her and her husband are going to Austin for a trip. Next I wake up and discover that it's 12 degrees with a -2 windchill and we are supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow tonight. Quite frankly, only one conclusion can be drawn. Roxy and O - pack your bags - Austin here we come!

I seriously can't talk or think about our weather anymore though. It only causes heartache and pain for everyone involved... :)

Anyway, this morning I went to the pool. Surprisingly I didn't want to get into the freezing cold water (note the sarcasm). But then I reminded myself of how cold that water (wetsuit or not) was going to feel in May in a lake in Columbia, MD. And I got my butt in gear. I seriously need a kick in the pants sometimes.

AM swim workout:
2500 yds total @YMCA
wu: 300 easy, 12x25 w/15 sec rest descending
ms: 100 w/15 sec rest (1:20), 200 w/30 sec rest (2:42), 300 w/45 sec rest (4:03), 600 w/1:30 rest (8:02), 3x50 w/30 sec rest (40, 40, 39), 3x50 w/20 sec rest (38, 38, 38), 3x50 w/10 sec rest (37, 37, 36)
cd: 250 easy

After work I scooted on home for a run and ride. I opted to run first because it was still very cold and the thought of going out to run after I'm all sweaty from riding inside does not appeal to me. The run was 60 minutes. I did a pace check on the track - 8 min pace today. I can definitely tell my pace is getting faster at my new lower HR ranges.

I especially noticed this HR phenomenon on the bike today. Holy cow did I have to work a lot harder than usual to keep my HR up! Part of it, I'm sure, is from being a little fatigued but I also think I'm finally starting to see the effect of getting fitter. My coach said this would happen but I'm just incredibly impatient and don't like to wait around for stuff like aerobic development. I think in the long run I'm going to be really glad it was forced on me. Anyway, my ride was 1:15 today. 3 hours total today.

I'd like to note that I've taken to wearing 2 sweatshirts to bed. I usually wear a short sleeve, long sleeve and then 1 sweatshirt but by adding the 2nd sweatshirt (that is hooded no less) I've been able to maintain some semblence of warmth. This in addition to my fleece pants, wooly socks, about 8 blankets and then finally Roxy curled at my feet of course... I'm thinking of wearing my winter hat tonight too. Do those of you who live in cold climates ever forget what it feels like to be warm? If I try with all my might I just can't recall what it feels like to walk outside and be hot. Clearly I need a trip to Hawaii!

Posted by beth at 8:45 PM | Comments (7)

March 4, 2007

Making it Through

I always feel a sense of accomplishment on Sundays when I clip out of my pedals after finishing my ride which would indicate that I also finished my long run and swim for the day and all that after a 3-4 hour traning stint on Saturday. And Monday is my day off training. And I'm not even training for a full IM event this summer. I shudder to think what that's like...

This morning O and I started off bright and early to get our 1:55 run in before church. I was dismayed to wake up to more snow and a windchill of 15 but I keep telling myself that it's almost over. Spring will come soon. And if I have to grin and bear it until then, well I guess that's just what I'm going to have to do.

We took Roxy on our run for the first hour or so and then stopped by the house to drop her off and take a Gu. And then we continued on our merry way to finish the last hour of the run. I actually felt pretty good. I feel like I'm finally starting to notice a difference in my pace (read, I can run at a more decent clip) while still maintaining my HR in the desired zone. I'm not always slowing myself down and that's a good feeling!

After the run and church I came home and took a nap. Sleep is quite possibly my favorite thing to do although eating is up there too. :)

I hit up the pool next:

3000 yds total @YMCA
wu: 600 easy, 8x75 w/30 sec rest as 50 free/25 stroke
ms: 1x400 w/1 min rest (5:22), 4x100 w/15 sec rest (1:18, 1:19, 1:18, 1:18), 1x300 w/45 sec rest (4:00), 3x100 w/15 sec rest (1:19, 1:19, 1:18), 1x200 w/30 sec rest (2:38), 2x100 w/15 sec rest (1:17, 1:18)

I always think I'm going to feel worse than I do on these Sunday swims. Swimming must just use totally different muscles than running, that's all I have to say. It's also possible that I am completely dragging my legs and my arms are doing 100% of the work which is essentially what happens in a wetsuit legal triathlon anyway. :) Regardless, I was pleased with this workout. 1:20/100 yds for the longer stuff is feeling just peachy.

Finally I came home, parked my trainer and bike in front of the tv and rode easy (spinning in small chain ring only) for 60 minutes. When I first started my legs were not happy with me but they adjusted (they had no choice in the matter really) and I survived.

And that's that! Another 4 hours of training in the books. About 17 hours total this week. I will sleep well tonight!

Week summary:
Monday - off
Tuesday - 2500 yd swim in am, 70 min run and 60 min tempo bike in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 3500 yd swim in am, 30 min run and lifting session in pm
Thursday - 50 min run and 1:55 bike in am, core/feet exercises
Friday - 3000 yd swim in am, lifting session in pm
Saturday - 3 hour ride/30 min run brick in am
Sunday - 1:55 run in am, 3000 yd swim and 60 min easy bike in pm

Posted by beth at 6:46 PM | Comments (0)

March 3, 2007

Getting My Fill

By 9:30 AM this morning I had ridden my bike for 3 hours and ran for 30 minutes. I had watched one movie, two episodes of My Sweet Sixteen on MTV and about 20 minutes of SportsCenter. I had consumed one bowl of cereal with a banana, 40 oz of Gatorade, 32 oz of water and 1 PowerGel. I got my fill of training!

I started bright and early this morning (around 5:15) since we are going to visit my friend today. If I had waited to ride until the afternoon I probably could have done it outside but because I needed to get my training in early I stuck with the trainer - 3 hours worth! Better than just sitting on the couch and watching tv for 3 hours I guess. :) I actually felt pretty good on my ride though and truth be told, it really went by kind of fast. By the time O and Roxy woke up I was already half way through.

After my ride I hopped off, changed clothes and the whole family (O, Roxy and I) went for a 30 minute run. Technically it's my first brick of this new training plan although I end up doing a lot of inadvertant bricks on other days just to get all the training in (ie: on Tuesdays when I swim in the AM but then ride and run in the PM after work). Regardless, I was surprised that my legs felt relatively good on the run. I didn't have that heavy legged feeling like one normally does off the bike but then again I was just running easy. Either way - 3.5 more hours in the books, a good training day for sure!

And now we are off to central Pennsylvania! :)

Posted by beth at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)

March 2, 2007

Swim, Lift, Blog

So very glad that it's Friday! I am looking forward to tomorrow too because Oscar and I are going to visit my girlfriend (who lives near Penn State) for her and her (1 year old!) daughter's birthday! How cool that her daughter was born on her birthday. That will be an easy one to remember!

Regardless, today I went swimming in the morning.

3000 yds total @YMCA
wu: 200 easy, 20x25 w/20 sec rest (alternate breast, free, back)
ms: 20x100 w/2 on rest of 10 sec, 1 on rest of 45 sec (1:20.3, 1:20.4, 1:19.9, 1:17.5, 1:18.7, 1:18.4, 1:17.7, 1:18.3, 1:17.6, 1:17.2, 1:17.3, 1:17.8, 1:16.0, 1:17.5, 1:17.1, 1:16.2, 1:17.4, 1:16.6, 1:17.0, 1:16.6)
cd: 300 easy

After doing the first 3 100s I was thinking to myself "this is going to be a real longgggg workout" as based on how I was feeling and how much effort I was exerting to swim 1:20s! But then I started to get rolling and although it was still challenging I was at least performing a little better!

After work I headed over to the YMCA to lift. I like it in there on Fridays because it's not busy at all and I can get all the stuff I need.

In other news I've been rearranging and adjusting my summer racing schedule some after talking with my coach. I am very excited that my first tri is only 6 weeks away!

1) Angel Triathlon (sprint) - April 15
2) Columbia Triathlon (olympic) - May 20
3) Eagleman Triathlon (half IM) - June 10
4) Age Group Nationals (olympic) - June 30
5) Pittsburgh Triathlon (olympic) - July 15
6) NYC Triathlon (olympic) - July 22

And the rest is TBD as based on how the first part of the season goes! The big changes were the addition of the sprint tri in April and the deletion of the half marathon at the end of March and the Philly Tri in mid June. I get so excited when I think about racing! And I'm sure it will be here before I know it...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by beth at 6:25 PM | Comments (0)

March 1, 2007

The Bod Pod

Wanna hear something really funny? The Bod Pod makes a body composition machine for children (small size of course) that's called...wait for it...The Pea Pod! That is hilarious!

Bod Pod results - my % body fat is 13.3%

I really didn't know what to expect nor did I really care that much but I was glad to get it because it's kind of neat to know. I was curious how it compared to previous measurements (as both an athlete and nutrition/exercise physiology student at Penn State I had ample opportunity do do stuff like the Bod Pod, underwater weighing, etc...) so when I got home I checked it out.

The last time I was in the Bod Pod was during my senior year in 2001. I got my body fat checked that spring during my final track season and it was 14.9%. After college I was involved in a study out of Stanford that required me to get DEXA scans once a year. Although the study was not looking at body fat % (it was a study about bone mineral density in female runners) the results always showed body fat % as well. The last DEXA I got was in the summer of 2003 and my body fat % was 17.3%.

I certainly don't follow an incredibly strict diet (ie: I eat chocolate and pizza and french fries and cookies and cake) so my conclusion is that if you want to lower your body fat % all you have to do is become a triathlete!

Posted by beth at 7:48 PM | Comments (1)

I RODE MY BIKE OUTSIDE!

Life is good my friends! I wouldn't call it warm per se but it's warmer and the birds are chirping and when I ran this morning it felt and smelled like early outdoor track season. March is my favorite month so far this year! (yes - that is saying sooooo much! :)

I have today off work which is a wonderful, wonderful thing because not only did I get 8 wonderful hours of sleep but I both ran and rode outside today in (kind of) warm weather and managed to escape the rain that is coming (actually, already here) as I type this.

I started the morning off with my run in order to let it warm up a little for my ride. It was 50 minutes, nothing too special or exciting but I did feel pretty good and my hamstrings cooperated. I think The Stick beat them into submission last night.

After my run I came home, ate some cereal and tooled around a bit before starting the process of getting ready for my ride. I had prepared my bike last night (pumped tires, located my saddle bag and helmet that I haven't needed for centuries, exchanged out the skewers, etc...) but it was quite an ordeal to get all my cycling clothing on. It was in the high 30s when I left for my ride so that meant I still needed quite a few layers. But OH THE JOY to ride outside again! I felt like I was riding a bike for the very first time for the first mile or so. But then I just really enjoyed myself. I can't tell you how much this ride did for my pyche. Even if I need to ride on the trainer again now until mid or the end of March I think I will be able to survive. I just needed one ride where I could feel the wind and go up and down hills and make turns and feel fast. Thank God!

I rode for 1:54 (supposed to be 1:45 but when I turned around after going out for 53 minutes and the wind hit me smack in the face I knew it was going to take me a lot longer to get back). I rode on a relatively flat course because I knew it would take some adjusting to keep my HR in line. It's obviously a lot easier to keep the HR in check when you are on the trainer! I rode along the river (which still has big ice chunks in it!) and thought about how in 4 months time I would be swimming in there! There is hope - spring is on the way!

And that basically sums up my morning. I am now headed downtown to get my body fat tested in the Bod Pod. I'm helping a co-worker and classmate with one of her school projects. I am her subject in a semester long thing where an "athlete" (if that's what you want to call me) has their diet, body composition, training regimen, etc... analyzed and all that jazz. My body composition has been tested numerous times before (even by the Bod Pod - Penn State had one too!) but I haven't had it done for probably 3 or 4 years. I will be interested to see what I'm made of. :) Incidentally my diet was already analyzed and not surprisingly I eat well over 3000 kcals/day. That's a lot, yes, but even more so when you consider that I'm 50 kg and therefore eating over 60 kcal/kg/day. As a means of reference, in the hospital we feed patients about 25 kcal/kg/day. I am an eating machine! :)

Posted by beth at 1:45 PM | Comments (0)