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April 29, 2007
Summary of Day & Week
Today was so beautiful here! O and I enjoyed a nice 1:45 run this morning on the trail under an amazing blue, sunny sky. We didn't take the pooch because we knew all the rain yesterday would make the trail muddy and Roxy always finds a way to the biggest, muddiest, messiest puddles/path possible, making her white feet match the rest of her black body. She did give us a sad look as we left, but she got over it. Just give that dog a Cheez-It and all is well again with the world. :)
After church, lunch and a nap I headed to the pool for a 4000 yd workout.
wu: 300 easy, 4x50 w/20 sec rest
ms: 20x100 on 1:35, 300 kick (4:44), 600 pull (9:40), 8x50 w/20 sec rest alternating easy/fast
cd: 200 easy
Once home I poked around for a while before getting on my bike for an easy 1 hour spin. I didn't ride outside despite the beautiful weather because I find it too hard to ride easy and keep my HR in the right zone on these Sunday rides unless I'm on the trainer. It's just too hilly around here. :)
And somehow it's 8:30 already! Where does the weekend go? I guess there is no choice but to get prepared mentally and physically for the new week to come...
Summary for the week:
Monday - off
Tuesday - 3500 yd swim in am, 61 min ride w/intervals (20 min TT) and 70 min run in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 5000 yd swim and 30 min run in am, lifting session in pm
Thursday - 6.5 mi run in am including 8x400 on the track, 1:45 ride in pm
Friday - 3500 yd swim in am, lifting session in pm
Saturday - 3 hour ride/30 min run brick (including 15 min break for shower :), core/feet exercises
Sunday - 1:45 run in am, 4000 yd swim and 1 hour easy ride in pm
This week was a big swim week - 16,000 yds which is a lot for me. Helps when you have a 5000 yarder in there! Also ~36 miles running and ~125 miles riding. This next week coming up is a run focused week. I'm pretty excited already about my track workout on Thursday - 800s and 1600s! :)
Have a great start to your week everyone!
Posted by beth at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2007
Crazy Cold
As O was leaving this morning for his track meet I (still sleeping) groggily asked if it was raining. "Off and on" he replies. So when I finally got up around 7:30 and got rolling around 8:15 for my ride and it WASN'T raining, I was pretty excited. About 20 minutes into the ride though the "on" came and the rain started. It wasn't bad at first, not raining hard and I didn't feel that wet. But as the ride wore on and the rain continued and the headwind that has prevailed since my Thursday ride didn't slow down, I started to get really cold and really cranky. But I told myself to continue on, the rain would slow, I would get dry again and all would be well with the world.
Famous last words.
I realized about 50 minutes into the ride that 2 hours was going to be my limit in this weather. It was about 50 degrees and by this point I was soaked. And freezing cold. I told myself 2 hours and then I could do the last hour inside on the trainer. So I continued on my loop. With about 15 minutes to go I thought I was going to cry. My hands were so awfully cold I couldn't shift and I couldn't make them work anymore. And then I hit a huge pothole and lost my water bottles. Seriously - what is going on here! :)
When I finally saw our house I was so happy - warmth was right around the corner! I had survived outside for 2:15 right on the nose and had a mere 45 minutes left to go on the trainer. I brought my soggy self and soggy bike inside and then made the decision to take a quick shower.
I occasionally shower before a workout, always shower after but showering in the middle of a workout...now that's a new one for me. :) I just couldn't think of any other way to warm myself up. I literally could not unzip my coat my hands were so cold. I ran them under hot water just to get my coat off! So in the shower I went for a good 5 minutes of just standing under the hot, hot water. When I finally felt some sort of sensation in my fingers and toes, I hopped out, put on dry clothes, set my bike up on the trainer and finished the 45 minutes I had left. Then I threw on my running shoes and did a 30 minute transition run. The run was actually quite delightful. At that point it has stopped raining and the sun was even peaking out. I felt good and was happy to be outside when just a short 1 before I was so miserable I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.
And it's still not raining now. I had basically picked the 2 worst hours of the whole day to ride my bike outside. But now that it's over and I'm dry and fed and my bike is cleaned up, I can honestly say I'm glad I was out there in the misery. I was glad it rained hard and I just kept riding. I was glad that headwind was bearing down on me and I just kept riding. I was glad to see that even when it's miserable, even when I'm miserable, I can indeed, just keep riding.
I've been a runner for a long time - 15 years of racing and training in all sorts of conditions. I can remember races in torturous heat, stiffling humidity, awful wind and teeth chattering windchills. I've trained when it was pouring down rain, hailing, icing, snowing so hard you couldn't see your hand in front of you. I've run through mud and sand and knee deep snow. I feel like I can run in anything that comes at me, because somewhere along the way I've done it before and I know I survived.
But I don't have that kind of background in cycling. And I need to slowly build it up. Last year at this time I wouldn't have even dreamed of riding outside when it was raining. I was scared to death to do it for fear of crashing and of course the misery it brings. Now I know I can handle at least 2:15 of rain in 50 degree temps with a pretty stiff wind. Check that one off the list. Maybe by summer's end I'll be able to say I can survive a 5 hour ride in 90 degree temps with 95% humidity. Who knows. But I'm just going to keep trying to build up the resume so on race day when things are perfect and it's raining and it's 50 degrees I can say - "hmm...that's all you got Mother Nature?! I know I can handle that..." :)
Posted by beth at 2:50 PM | Comments (1)
April 27, 2007
It Helps to Write Down the Correct Workout
Man was I feeling rough this morning when I woke up. I think my whole body hurt. I say think because I was honestly too tired to know for sure. Ouch. But once I got moving and dragged myself to the pool I had a pretty good workout.
AM swim workout:
3500 yds total @YMCA
wu: 600 easy, 6x75 w/20 sec rest as 50 fast/25 easy
ms: 4x(3x100 w/1 min rest, 1x200 w/10 sec rest) (1:17.5, 1:17.3, 1:16.8, 2:41, 1:18.6, 1:16.0, 1:15.6, 2:39, 1:17.2, 1:15.3, 1:16.1, 2:40, 1:17.0, 1:16.0, 1:15.7, 2:39), 1 min rest, 4x100 kick w/20 sec rest (1:29, 1:29, 1:28, 1:28)
cd: 50 easy
This was a really tough workout. Friday's are supposed to be the swim workout days where I kick my HR into high gear. Nothing like hard 100s to do that. Here's the kicker though - those 200s were supposed to be "easy". Um yeah - I failed to write that important piece of info down on my little sheet of paper so I swam them...well...not so easy. Big difference! I was so mad at myself when I saw what I did but what can you do. I would have been more angry with myself if I had done them easy and they were supposed to be hard...
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I'm almost done here at work today at which point I'm headed to the gym to lift and then off to the bike store to pick my TT up from getting his first tune-up. I'm also going to get on the bike at the store for them to work on my fit a little more. Good deal. After all that? Home where I hope to crawl into bed and and fall into a deep, long sleep... :)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Posted by beth at 2:11 PM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2007
Athletics Teach Life Lessons
Lesson learned today? For every headwind there is a tailwind. True on the bike, true on the running track and true in life too. That is unless you are on a point to point course. :)
Anyway, this morning O and I woke up bright and early (okay, we woke up the same time we always do) and headed to the high school track for some 400s.
AM running workout:
15 min wu, 4x100 pickups w/100 jog easy rest, 400 easy, 8x400 w/~40 sec rest (1:25, 1:23, 1:23, 1:22, 1:21, 1:20, 1:19, 1:18), 2 min easy jog, 4x100 on infield grass w/10 sec rest (18, 17, 18, 18), 12 min cd
I did this workout about 3 weeks ago and ran something like 89, 85, 86, 85, 82, 84, 83, 82. So this time I was a little more consistent and a little faster. I was pleased with the workout considering the improvement as well as running around 80 sec pace for the last 4 of them on 40 seconds rest. Let it be known - I'm no speed demon - so just running quarters in under 80 (let alone on little rest) is an achievement for me. Regardless, my performance was helped IMMENSELY by having O with me. It just helps to have someone out there on the track but he also called out splits (while doing the workout with me of course!) and did the usual encouragement, etc... His company was superb! :) And all this after he had to climb the fence to even get onto the track since the gate was locked. Who the heck locked the gate?! Um yeah - we got in anyhow - O via the fence and me via the gap between the fence (I'm just no good at climbing :).
So yeah - good workout this morning! I definitely felt the track work in my legs throughout the day though! Nothing like a few intervals to make the old legs a little woozy!
When I got home from work I started to get my bike ready for the outside ride when I saw there was a tornado warning. Hmm...it was awfully windy and looking pretty ominous outside on my commute home. It was also 60 degrees though so I decided that I would ride outside regardless - if I got wet, well than I got wet.
And wet I got! It was weird though. It would rain really hard for 1-2 minutes and then stop and about 10 minutes later I was totally dry. Then after another 15 minutes or so it would do it again. I thought about turning around once but since it was warm enough I wasn't cold so I just kept on at it. The unfortunate part was the BEASTLY headwind that was reducing me to riding 15 MPH downhill for much of the way out. I don't dare mention my speed uphills! It was to be an easy ride though so I just got in my small chain ring and spun when the wind refused to let up. The fortunate part was when I turned around. Holy. Cow. Talk about 25 MPH on the flats and I wasn't even sure if I was pedaling or not. My heart rate was in the gutter. It was great! I can totally understand why people spend 1000s of dollars on getting a more and more aerodynamic bike. That wind resistance is something. :)
So anyway, my ride was 1:45 total. And now I must rest for tomorrow is a new day! But first a check on the Penn Relays results!
Posted by beth at 9:18 PM | Comments (1)
April 25, 2007
Where Does the Day Go?
I always think I'm going to get so much done on my days off from work and still have time to relax, watch tv, take a nap, etc... Never happens but it doesn't keep me from hoping anyway. :) I did actually get quite a bit done today which helps lighten the load for the rest of the week (when I do have work) so I shouldn't be complaining... :)
I started things off with a big swim workout in the morning at the YMCA.
5000 yds total
wu: 300 swim, 300 pull, 300 kick, 6x50 free w/20 sec rest
ms: 9x300 w/40 sec rest (4:09, 4:06, 4:04, 4:02, 4:03, 4:03, 4:04, 4:05, 4:05), 200 easy, 6x100 kick w/15 sec rest (1:33, 1:31, 1:29, 1:28, 1:27, 1:28)
cd: 300 easy
Um yeah - 5000 yds is A LOT for me, actually the farthest I've ever swam! And boy were my arms feeling it towards the end! I was actually pleased with how the main set went. I didn't go crazy on the 300s so as to be able to make it through the whole workout. Definitely feeling the fatigue by the end though. That last 300 cooldown was S-L-O-W! :)
After the swim I came home and tooled around some before going for an easy 30 minute recovery run. Just as I stepped in the door from my run it started pouring rain and continued to rain (pretty hard at times) the whole day. Very good timing on my part!
I got on with the rest of my day then, getting lots of stuff done like laundry and ironing and random odds and ends. I took my bike to the shop for his first tune-up and I will go back on Friday to pick it up and be re-fit. Now that I've ridden it several hundred miles I have some ideas to make my fit a little bit more comfortable, etc...
Once home from all that I went back to the YMCA for a lift and that finished off my training for the day! Tomorrow morning? A track workout. Now that I only do track workouts once every 2 weeks or something I really like them. Can't say I felt the same back in the day when I did them more like 3x/week. :)
Good night all!
Posted by beth at 8:47 PM | Comments (1)
April 24, 2007
Stop the Presses!
I kid you not - today I turned off the heat in our house AND I opened a window...for the first time in about 6 months. See, life isn't so bad afterall. :) Funny how 65 and sunny can change one's perspective.
I was feeling like my old self, mental outlook wise today, likely helped by the weather, having tomorrow off work, and getting in three solid workouts.
I started things off with a swim workout that was...okay. I kind of felt a little lethargic in the water this morning; as if the effort I was putting in wasn't resulting in the kind of times that should have correlated. It may have been because I had a full day and a half off of workouts and my body was confused and unsure of how to react. :)
AM swim workout:
3500 yds total @YMCA
wu: 300 easy, 600 pull w/30 sec rest at 300, 6x100 w/3 on rest of 30 sec, 3 on rest of 10 sec
ms: 2x300 w/1 min rest (4:06, 4:05), 2x300 w/30 sec rest (4:03, 4:04) and 2x300 w/15 sec rest (4:04, 4:05)
cd: 200 easy
Moving right along, my day at work was fine. I actually thought I had a serious PR going in terms of time taken to get to work since all the construction started but I was stopped dead in my tracks over a bridge that is usually never backed up. The reason? The City of Pittsburgh closed yet another road that I usually take as a shortcut. These people are seriously try to kill me.
When I got home from work I got ready for my bike workout. Even though the weather was gorgeous I decided to do the workout on the trainer. My coach likes us to do some of our cycling workouts inside and some outside. I've determined that longer intervals should be done on the trainer so as not to be interupted with traffic, stop signs, traffic lights, etc... while short intervals should be done outside when those annoyances aren't such a big deal. Riding the trainer is nice because there are no potholes, no wind and no hills but it can also be brutal because there are no downhills, no tailwinds and no coasting. Nonetheless, I digress.
PM cycling workout:
62:30 total on trainer - 15 min easy warmup, 4x15 sec pickups w/10 sec rest, 2 min easy, 1x20 min TT w/2nd half faster (first 10 min=3.4 mi/20.4 MPH ave, second 10 min=3.45 mi/20.7 MPH ave), 3 min easy, 8x30 sec accelerations w/15 sec rest (RPM over 110), 15 min easy cooldown
I loved this workout. I mean I was really working - good, good stuff. Very good stuff. I had made it my goal to ave 20 MPH on the first 10 min and then average 20.5 MPH for the second 10 min as based off a 2x10 min workout I had done about 3 weeks ago. So I was pleased to do slightly better than that, but mostly to just get my HR up in that crazy 180-190 zone for a good 20 minutes. The 8x30 sec accelerations had me feeling like my head was going to explode. :)
After the ride I waited around about an hour to recover and let the Gatorade, Shot Bloks, banana and peanut butter I devoured digest some. Also, if I waited long enough O would get home from track practice and be able to run with me. It all worked out well and I had company for the entire run, O for the first half and then O AND Roxy for the 2nd half. It was an absolute gorgeous evening - 65 and sunny and the sun was just starting to set a little towards the end. We ran 70 minutes easy and then called it a day.
In other news, I think I have a hole in my chest wall. You see I have this one bathing suit in my bathing suit rotation that's polyester. In case you were wondering and didn't already know, polyester suits last much longer than the lyrca ones but they also don't have much give to them (unlike lyrca) and therefore seem to rub me in all the wrong places. Said suit has caused quite a sore/wound on my upper rib area on both sides of my body. This in and of itself wouldn't be too bad but of course my HR monitor strap just happens to lay right over said wounds and make them worse. Today after our run I swear my wounds were bleeding. I show O and ask if there is blood (I have a hard time twisting myself around to see them). He says very matter-of-fact "nope, just looks real raw." Oh, okay than. Raw it is. :) I've actually been quite tempted to ask one of the wound care nurses at work if they could fix me up. Really what I want is for them to give me some of their magic goop that they use on patients to prevent wounds that you just can't find in stores. I thought of raiding one of their little carts when they weren't looking but decided that was stealing. I may just ask one of the nurses on my unit that I know much better to steal me some. Is it still stealing if someone else steals it for you? :)
Good night everyone!
Posted by beth at 9:32 PM | Comments (2)
April 23, 2007
Thinking Can Be Dangerous
At least for me anyway. Or I guess I should say "over-thinking can be dangerous". That's more like it. And that's what I was doing yesterday when mental meltdown occured. :)
I truly appreciate everyone's comments of encouragement. They made me smile and made me think (there I go again with that dangerous thinking stuff :) and of course made me so glad for the community of bloggers, family and friends that we've got going here!
Anyway, my problem is (always has been and likely always will be) getting way too far ahead of myself. "Easy killer" - that's what I have to tell myself sometimes. :) One day at a time, one race at a time, one bill at a time, one stride, one pedal stroke and one swim stroke at a time. Take it as it comes, focus on the task at hand and don't get side tracked by things or people that don't understand the journey you are on - all the things I need to remember - because worrying about what may or may not happen in the future is a big waste of energy that I just don't have.
In the mean time - full speed ahead. My resolve has not weakened to chase down a goal I'm determined to achieve.
Thanks guys - you are the best.
Posted by beth at 5:34 PM | Comments (1)
April 22, 2007
Mental Meltdown
So today I had my first mental meltdown in a while. Well, my first big one in a while anyway. (not a day goes by that I don't have some sort of small meltdown about something... :) I think this meltdown has been brewing for a while but finally came to a head today - and it was fatigue (both mental and physical) that pushed me over the edge.
You see I like to think I'm invinsible but this just isn't the case. And today that became very evident when I just simply became too overwhelmed with it all. Of course poor O got the brunt of it. But I think I'm all better now. At least until my next major meltdown. :)
I guess it's sort of hard to explain - some may understand and some may not. It goes something like this - I have a lot to do and I'm worried about getting all my training in for the day. I'm tired, sometimes tired to my very core, because, quite frankly 18-20 hours of training/week is hard for me. I think maybe I should skip a workout but I'm not so sure because do I want to skip it because I need to or because I'm just being lazy? Then I start to feel the pressure of the situation - the sacrifices that I have made for this dream, but even more so, the sacrifices others (as in my husband) has made for this dream ON BEHALF of me. Then the thinking goes...what if this all doesn't work out - I don't do well and we've spent all this money and all this time and all this sweat and tears and pain...all for naught? What if? As you can imagine, things go downhill from there. :)
It's a unique situation that I'm in and I find that I sometimes can't find people who can totally understand how I feel and that makes me feel even more hopeless/overwhelmed. I get a lot of "oh you are so lucky to be able to do this, work less (that's the big one), train more, etc..." and I think that's where some of the pressure arises. And sometimes I think - it would be easier just to back down a little. Don't train so much or hard, don't worry so much about sleep and stretching and massage, compete locally instead of traveling to bigger races, go back to work full time and lessen the financial burden I've placed upon O.
But that would be giving up my dream I suppose. And I'm not prepared to do that.
O talked me down. Told me that no matter if I never won another race, the fact that we gave it all we had to give was much more important...and I wouldn't have to wonder "what if". He told me that the only thing that would make all of this "not worth it" was if I quit now. He told me to take one day at a time.
I'm making this sound all so very dramatic - as if it's a life or death situation! And that it is not, I know. It was just one of those days when I needed to somehow release all the pressure that had been building. And when I needed a little extra assurance that going after it was the right choice to make.
I took the afternoon off training (meaning I skipped a swim and an easy bike), my first workouts I've not done since I started with my new coach. More than anything I needed to let the mental fatigue subside. I needed to get caught up with my life. I needed to recharge for the upcoming week. Because I'm determined not to give up on this. I'm determined to push ahead and see just what exactly it is I have in me.
Summary for the week:
Monday - 20 min run in am, 1000 yd swim and 45 min ride in pm
Tuesday - 3000 yd swim in am, 61 min bike w/intervals and 60 min run in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 4500 yd swim in am, 30 min run and lifting session in pm
Thursday - 66 min fartlek run and 2:15 ride in am
Friday - 3500 yd swim in am, lifting session in pm
Saturday - 4 hour ride (~72 miles)
Sunday - 1:30 run in am, rest of the day off
Posted by beth at 4:02 PM | Comments (9)
April 20, 2007
Busier Bee
The weather is nice here in Pittsburgh! The sun came out! It's supposed to be in the high 60s/low 70s this weekend! All these exclamation points don't do my excitement justice!! :) My sister and brother-in-law really did bring the nice weather with them from North Carolina. They did have the audacity to suggest that it was "cold" yesterday when it was in the 50s, but I suppose we will forgive them because they were nice enough to share their southern warmth. That is as long as they don't take it back with them when the leave... :)
Yesterday I had two workouts, a fartlek and a moderate ride.
I started things off with the run on my favorite trail. It was 68 minutes total - 10 min warmup, 4x15 sec pickups w/10 sec rest, 2 min easy, 1x12 min w/5 min rest, 1x9 min w/3 min rest, 6x1 min w/30 sec rest, 6x30 sec rest w/15 sec rest, 12 min cooldown.
I started the run off feeling sort of blah. I wouldn't necessarily say fatigued, just kind of...well...blah. By the time I started the first 12 min hard part though I was pretty well warmed up. I was able to time 2 miles (one during the 12 min, one during the 9 min) at 6:26 (slightly uphill) and 6:17 (slightly downhill). I suppose I was pleased with that. I didn't really have goals in mind, I was just trying to run strong and with good form and as hard as I could without my form breaking down. The last 6x30 sec with 15 sec rest was tough! 15 secs goes by pretty quickly - that's for sure.
After I got home I ate some breakfast, got my bike ready and changed clothes for my 2:15 ride. I was very excited to ride outside. I wore tights and my heavier cycling coat because it was still only in the high 40s but by midway I was taking the sleeves off my coat to make it a vest and rolling up my sleeves. That sun makes a difference! The ride was good - about 41 miles and keeping my HR in the right zone (not too hard, not too easy). Every time I get to ride outside I really love my bike more. ;)
After all that I had the rest of the day to enjoy with my sister and bro-in-law. We ate good food, hung out and went to Phipps.
This morning I got up for my swim.
3500 yds total @YMCA
wu: 400 easy, 8x50 w/20 sec rest alt breast/free/back, 4x100 w/20 sec rest descending
ms: 4x(3x100 on 1:25, 1x50 w/1 min rest), 8x50 w/30 sec rest alt easy/fast (37, 37, 36, 35 for the fast ones), 300 pull (4:53) w/30 sec rest, 200 kick (3:13)
The 100s were to be w/5 sec rest so I just made them on a 1:25 interval because that's easier for keeping track of things.
I'm now at work but soon off to the weight room and then meeting up with my sis again. In the 60 degree weather and sun. Oh happy day.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Posted by beth at 2:50 PM | Comments (1)
April 18, 2007
Busy Bee
I have been a busy bee ever since we got back from our trip! Seems like I have lots to do for some reason. Clearly the solution is not going into work for the rest of the week. Oh wait - I already have tomorrow off! :)
The good news is my sister and brother-in-law are coming to visit! Very exciting. They were smart to leave the Pittsburgh weather and move to the south (like my parents) so I don't see them too often. Regardless, I am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow and having them stay for a few days. I did warn them to beware of their socks when they are in our house though - as we own one sock eating beast named Roxy.
Anyway, my workouts for the day...
Started things off with a swim - the long swim of the week - and I'm glad to say it's been my best long swim to date!
4500 yds total @YMCA
wu: 300 easy, 300 kick, 6x50 w/20 sec rest alt back/breast
ms: 3x800 w/1 min rest (11:06, 10:59, 10:59), 6x150 w/20 sec rest as 100 fast/50 moderate (2:02, 2:03, 2:02, 2:02, 2:02, 2:01)
cd: 300 easy
Now I have to admit; the idea of 3x800 did not thrill me. But yesterday when I was running I decided on a good goal pace for them (~11:20 or 1:25/100 yd) and swam with the idea of them being "tempo" instead of all out. I focused on smooth and strong but relaxed and when the first one went by in 11:06 I knew I was going to be okay. I felt good the entire workout which is NOT usually the case on Wednesdays. Not that I was fatigued by the end, but I still felt good. Good sign! It may be because yesterday's swim workout was a little more tame than usual or because I'm finally starting to get used to the longer swims or because I set out on the long intervals with a little more control or (most likely) a combination of all the above. Whatever the reason, I was pleased with the workout!
This afternoon after work I did my usual 30 min easy run and lifting session. When I was running what looked to be about a 10 year old kid yelled out "Run Forest, Run!". I wanted to tell him that that was the most original saying I had ever heard, but kept my mouth shut. He then proceeded to yell "nice legs!" at which point I wanted to tell him that I was about 20 years older than him and could be his mother. Again, I just kept my mouth shut. Kids these days... :)
So now it's really time to get the laundry folded. Big training day tomorrow. Although they all seem big to me sometimes. (I know I've said that before...) Regardless I've decided I'm doing my 40 mile ride OUTSIDE tomorrow regardless of the weather. My tires are pumped and my fluid replacement is made up - there is no backing down now! :)
Posted by beth at 10:09 PM | Comments (2)
April 17, 2007
Back on the Horse
So I was back in action today - back to work and back to regular training. My race this weekend had indeed been a nice little diversion.
AM swim workout:
3000 yds total @YMCA
wu: 300 easy, 8x50 w/20 sec rest alt strokes
ms: 3x(400 easy, 6x50) w/1 min rest after 400, 15 sec rest after 50s (5:44, 38-39, 5:41, 37-38, 5:42, 36-37)
cd: 200 easy
I did a double take when I saw that the 400s were to be "easy". Cool. I can handle that! :) (especially since tomorrow is evil long swim Wednesday... :)
When I got home from work I was sleepy! Man I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I didn't have time today for a 3 hour nap like I did on Sunday after my race. Oh the horror! :)
PM cycling workout:
61 min total on trainer - 15 min wu, 4x15 sec pickups w/10 sec rest, 2 min easy, 2x(3x1 min w/15 sec rest, 1x9 min w/2 min rest), 15 min cd (3.09 mi, 3.00 mi for 9 min intervals)
My legs were a little fatigued for this one which made me all that more determined to get the job done! I wanted to average over 20 MPH on the 9 min intervals which didn't seem like it was going to be too hard but in reality was! I had done 2x10 minutes last week at that pace but this week was a little different - for one I had just raced but more so I think it was the fact that the rests were much shorter in today's workout vs last week. Um yeah...that apparently makes a difference. I got through the first one fine but I was a hurtin' puppy starting the 2nd one. It was a great exercise in mental strength - keep those legs pumping! When I had a minute or so to go I knew I had to kick it into high gear if I really did want to ave 20 MPH so I pedaled like a mad woman! It was at this point that I determined one of three things was going to happen: (1) my chest was going to explode, (2) my head was going to explode or (3) my legs were going to explode. Luckily none of the 3 really did happen and I'm still in one piece AND as the timer rolled over to 9 minutes, the miles ridden rolled over to 3.00 - a 20 MPH average right on! :)
After all that and about a half hour of loafing around, I went for my run - 60 minutes easy. It's still cold here, in the low 40s and very overcast/grey but I deemed it warm enough for shorts. The run was fine - nothing too exciting - but I did enjoy myself.
And now it's time for bed because evil long swim Wednesday morning is almost upon us... :)
Good night everyone!
Posted by beth at 9:26 PM | Comments (1)
April 16, 2007
Catching Up...
As O and I left Virginia today to head back home we were very saddened to hear about the students shot at Virginia Tech. When we first heard about it the reports said 1 student had died. By the time we made it up to the PA stateline the count was up to 30 (and unfortunately continues to grow). I know things like this will never make sense but I have such a burning desire to try to understand "why". Both O and I went to Virginia Tech to start our PhDs and absolutely loved it there. It was an amazing town with amazing people and a wonderful school. We left after just one semester but that had nothing to do with the school, just life decisions that we made. Regardless, our thoughts and prayers to the victims' families and friends, and to all those involved in the situation. There will be so much to sort out...
On a lighter note, O and I made it back up to PA safe and sound around 3:15 this afternoon. Before we left we went on a quick 20 minute run this morning to work out the kinks. I surprisingly didn't feel too bad. My back is a little sore but I think that has more to do with sitting in a car for 6 hours on Saturday and then again today.
Once home I sorted out the mess of bags and bike equipment and then headed to the YMCA for a swim. It was just 1000 yds - again to work out the kinks with a main set of 3x(1x200, 2x25). It was short and sweet and although I really didn't want to go when I got home, I'm glad I did. Once home from the YMCA I jumped on my bike for an easy 45 minute spin to...you guessed it...work out the cycling kinks. Monday is usually my day off but coach thinks it's best to do a little of each sport after a race (especially such a short race) to loosen up. If I was feeling really sore or bad I didn't have to do it all but I felt fine. Tomorrow it's back to real business. I am just really excited now that my racing has started though. My next race is in 5 weeks and then from there they are about every 2-3 weeks - this race this weekend just gave me a bit of a taste of it - now I want the full bite!
The results of the race with splits are now up. Nothing too surprising - I did (just barely) dip under 20 minutes for the 5K. By bike split was actually faster than I expected (~21 MPH average in crappy conditions). My swim split doesn't mean much to me because in addition to the 300 meters I swam that time includes getting myself out of the pool, running down a ramp, up some stairs and down another ramp to the mat that timed the first portion of the race. If you ever look at triathlon results and swim times, just know that the time you see is probably much more than the actual time spent in the water. There are usually all sorts of crazy maneuvers required to get to that timing mat...
As expected my transitions were truly awful. I do take some solance in the fact that everyone's are really slow. Getting extra clothes on and dealing with wet, cold hands made it tough. I think I may have forgotten to mention that in T2 my race belt (with my number on it) broke and before I realized I could just tie the dumb thing around my waist I actually tried to fix it. What in the world was I thinking? :) Always something to learn...
Regardless, I wanted to thank everyone first for their good luck wishes and then for your nice comments of congratulations. I always so appreciate it! Each comment makes me smile and happy to be a part of this community.
Summary for the week (a day late)
Monday - off
Tuesday - 3000 yd swim in am, 1:10 interval workout on bike and 1:15 run in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 4500 yd swim in am, 30 min run and weight session in pm
Thursday - 1000 yd swim and 38 min bike in am, 28 min run in pm, core/feet exercises
Friday - off
Saturday - 45 min bike and 500 yd swim in am, 20 min run in pm
Sunday - Angels Sprint Tri (300m/25K/5K)
Monday - 20 min run in am, 1000 yd swim and 45 min bike in pm
PS Great job to all the Boston Marathon runners today! I'm sure the weather was awful - can't wait to read about it and see how wonderful everyone did toughing it out in rough conditions!
Posted by beth at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)
April 15, 2007
Off to a Good (Albeit Soggy) Start
My 2007 season is off to a good start! This morning I raced in the Angels Race VA in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was a short sprint race and my goal was to wake up those slumbering racing muscles and remind myself how to do a triathlon. Goal accomplished...
So I'm not going to try to sugar-coat the weather. It was awful. It was cold and raining. My least favorite kind of weather. Sometimes the rain was really hard, sometimes not so but I was one cold puppy. I just kept thinking how happy I was that it was just a sprint (a little over and hour of racing) and I kept telling myself that I wouldn't face worse weather all season long. It may be raining in some of my races later on in the summer but it couldn't be this cold and raining. And I'd take sizzling heat over this any day. Of course I say that now but... :) Regardless I have to give the utmost credit to all the volunteers who (due to the format of the race) started out there in the rain at 8 am and weren't done until around 1 pm. Crazy!
The race was a 300 meter swim, 25K bike and 5K run and although the official results with splits aren't up yet I do know my overall time was 1:11:46 and I was 15th overall and the 1st female. Because it was a pool swim it was a time trial start. I was one of the very first ones to start (because there were over 400 people in the race some people didn't even start until after I was finished!), so I was basically out there on my own pushing as hard as I could. I caught one male in front of me on the bike and several males flew past me on the bike but that was the only other human contact I had.
The swim was fine - over so fast I didn't even know what happened. Who knows how fast or slow it was but I guess the splits will tell.
The bike was probably the toughest of the three. It was a rolling course with some short steep climbs. I didn't ride as aggressively as I had hoped for but truthfully it was a little scary with the weather. It was on country roads with lots of turns and with it being so wet I let up a few times in the interest of safety. I really only feared for my life once when I was flying down a hill which then took a turn. I was going over 30 MPH and sat right up out of my aerobars and threw on some brakes! Otherwise I was just really, really cold on the bike. I had thrown on a long sleeve shirt in transition but I was just soaked from the rain, my hands were frozen and ouch...it was a bit painful. But I got through. I'll be interested to see my bike split. The new bike is awesome. Love it!
I started the run with frozen feet. You know that feeling when you feel like you have blocks of ice on the bottoms of your legs and you're just running on stumps from the knee down? Yeah that was me for the first mile or so of the run. It was at this point that I think it started to rain harder! I'm pretty sure I still managed an under 20 minute 5K split though which I would be pleased with. I want to be running under 40 minutes for my 10Ks in my Olympic distance races this year so a nice 18:30 5K would have been great today but I don't think it was in the cards.
When I finished O (my amazing and faithful husband who stood outside in the pouring rain the whole time cheering me on) and I started to walk towards the transition area and all of a sudden I was so cold I almost started to cry. My body just couldn't take it. We quickly got my bike and other things and walked to our hotel where I took the hottest, longest shower I think I've ever taken! I was shaking I was so cold! But after that shower, a good stretch, some food and lots of warm clothes we were both able to head back up to the race course and cheer on the rest of the racers until the awards. And after the awards we treated ourselves to big hamburgers at Outback Steakhouse. :)
So overall the race went well! It might not have been too fast but it was a great wakeup for my body and a reminder both mentally and physically that racing is hard. Really hard. I'm always pleased and thankful for a win too. My transitions were absolutely horrible - almost embarrassingly so - so I know I really have to work on those. I can blame some of it on the cold and wet that made my hands non-functioning but most of it was just sloppiness! Really need to work on those!
I'll be interested to see the splits (I love looking at that stuff and comparing to other racers, etc...). In the mean time I hope everyone is having/had a great weekend!
Posted by beth at 6:17 PM | Comments (8)
April 14, 2007
And Away We Go
The car is packed (kind of). I've done my 500 yd easy swim and my 45 min easy ride this morning. I'll do a quick 20-30 min run once we get there. We've got the directions and maps. We've got munchies. Roxy is settled in at O's parents' house for the weekend. To Lynchburg, VA we go! Will report back after the race is through (and hopefully not cancelled due to thunder and lightening!).
Posted by beth at 8:50 AM | Comments (1)
April 13, 2007
Living the Life of Luxury
First of all, I actually had to look up how to spell "luxury". I don't know why I admit this to you because, quite frankly, that's embarrasing. But I feel like I had to fess up. Spelling never was my strong point. You may have noticed in previous blog entries... :)
So anyway, I got 10 hours of sleep last night. That is like my favorite thing in the world to do. 10 hours?!?! Who is that spoiled? Fell asleep a little before 10 last night and (not fettered by the thought of getting in a swim, bike or run) didn't wake up until a little before 8 this morning. When I did wake up I rolled over, opened my eyes and came face to face with the pooch. She had taken O's place in bed and (I kid you not) had her head on his pillow. When she realized I was awake she jumped up, shook all over, flapped her ears and started to walk all over me. She jumped off the bed, raced around the house some and came back with one of her toys in her mouth. Play time it was!
So anyway, no training today and no work either so I've been doing odds and ends, plotting my packing strategy and listening to the wind whip and the rain/ice come down outside. Still hard to believe I'm going to be racing in 2 days.
My sister emailed and asked if they'd cancel the event for bad weather. It will be a little warmer in Virginia but rain and high winds are still predicted. Interestingly enough the race director emailed the participants this morning saying that in 15 years of holding events he's only canceled one race...due to snow...and since that ain't happenin' the show is still on! At this point I don't really care what the weather is like - I'm going down there and I'm racing hard. This isn't an "A" race where I'm looking for big PRs, I just want to get in that good, hard effort that I can only achieve in a race and remind my body about the task at hand. Hard workouts in training are one thing, racing is a totally separate animal. Now having said all that, I am considering O's suggestion of putting my wetsuit on for the bike instead of the swim... :)
This race is a sprint - 300 meter pool swim (started in time trial fashion), 25K bike and 5K run. My starting time is 8:01:45 AM on Sunday morning. :) We shall see how it goes! Above all, I'm excited to get this racing season started!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Posted by beth at 12:31 PM | Comments (4)
April 12, 2007
Taper Time
Think MC Hammer and skids... :)
Anyway, I got lost again today on the way to work. Turns out third time isn't a charm for me. But I have a theory. A conspiracy theory. I've now convinced myself that the Yahoo Map people are against me and they have made up roads that aren't really there. I swear Michael Road in Deer Lakes, PA does not exist. I swear it. They say it exists to trick me into thinking I can drive on it but it's really not there. O is taking matters into his own hands though. He's going to travel this route tomorrow (I think to prove to me that it's possible). I'll believe it when I see it.
So what the heck - I have a race in 3 days! It's crazy! It's truly been a little hard to believe because our weather has been so poor lately. I find it amazing to think I'll be riding my bike around in a bathing suit soaking wet. I didn't start racing until mid June last year - give me a break. Anyway, because said race is coming up today wasn't the usual moderate ride/speed run. And I gotta tell you, I kind of enjoyed the break from the routine.
First off let me explain the triathlete's racing schedule structure. It seems to me that there are "A" races, "B" races, and "C" races. As a runner I certainly thought of some races more important than others but I didn't necessarily always assign them a letter. Anyway, when I schedule a race in my training schedule I have to say what I want the race to be because that will then dictate what the taper is like. So far my "A" races for the season are Eagleman (half IM) and Age Group Nationals. These will get BIG tapers - as in 10 day tapers. I have several "B" races planned as well - these get 5 day tapers. And then there are races like this weekend - "C" races that only get a 3 day taper and you better be ready to return to action the next day because it's business as usual on Monday.
I'm quite certain at this point that you couldn't possibly be interested in all this. It's a really long way of saying that up until today I did all the "normal" training. Today, the first day of my taper, involved a little of each sport. First this morning - 1000 yds in the pool with a main set of 6x50. Also this morning about a 40 minute ride on the trainer that involved 6x1 min accelerations. Then finally this afternoon a 27 minute run that included 6x30 second pickups. See a trend? :) Let me just say - after doing a 4500 yd swim on Wednesday with a main set of 3600 yds, 1000 yds with a main set of 300 yds is much like a hiccup.
Tomorrow I have totally off. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself other than sleep in and enjoy. I don't work tomorrow which is such a blessing. Good thing though - I feel like it's going to take me all day to round up all the "stuff" I'll need for Sunday's race. Sometimes I miss running - it's so much easier when it comes to equipment.
So anyway, that's the story. Here's hoping for weather in at least the 50s in Virginia on Sunday!
Posted by beth at 7:51 PM | Comments (3)
April 11, 2007
Third Time's a Charm?
So the past two days I've driven to work I've gotten lost. No, I didn't change jobs and no, the hospital didn't move. What did happen however is the evil people at PennDot decided they needed to shut down one lane of the major highway that I take into work. This creates mass chaos. If I swim or train in the morning and don't leave until 7:30 or 8 from my house, the traffic is backed up for miles (and I'm not exaggerating here either) making my commute more like 75 minutes instead of 45 and that doesn't include the 10 minutes I walk from my parking spot to where I actually work. The price you pay for working in the city but not living there. Geez.
ANYWAY - this PennDot project is slated for the next 2 years. I kid you not. They are making said highway 3 lanes each way instead of 2 so in the end it will be better but for the next 2 years it will be bad. Very, very bad. Especially bad if you drive a stick and must repeatedly push in the clutch in stop and go traffic. That makes for some very unhappy calves.
Well of course all the obvious shortcuts get really backed up too because everyone is trying to avoid the main highway. So O and I outsmarted everyone and came up with our own shortcut that's really much longer but all on back, country type roads that nobody would even think to use. It's much farther going our way and truthfully not that much faster but you avoid the bumper to bumper traffic that makes me want to bang my head up against the steering wheel very hard.
Problem is, I keep getting lost.
These back roads don't seem to care much about signage. No road signs and one very bad sense of direction and you have major trouble. I first tried this new route on Tuesday and it ended in utter despair. Let's just say the very first turn I made was wrong and as you may guess, it didn't get better from there. This morning I tried again but with mixed results. I started off better (after some intense studying of maps last night) but missed a turn somewhere along the way and ended up in the wrong place...again. I'm thinking the third time is a charm though. Tomorrow is my day to shine! I'm just hoping to get to work before 10... :)
Anyway, this morning I went to the pool and swam until I couldn't swim anymore...
4500 yds total
wu: 300 easy, 6x50 w/20 sec rest alt back & breast, 6x50 kick w/20 sec rest
ms: 3x(4x200 w/30 sec rest, 1x400 w/15 sec rest) - 2:44, 2:44, 2:41, 2:41, 5:24, 2:40, 2:39, 2:39, 2:40, 5:24, 2:41, 2:41, 2:40, 2:41, 5:25
These long swim workouts just really kill me. I know it has a great deal to do with a big training day Tuesday and then not much recovery before I'm back at it in the pool Wednesday morning but I also think that these workouts are very, very mentally challenging for me. For instance I'll be in the middle of the 2nd set and start thinking...oh dear Lord I have another whole set of this?!?! Plus, I'm just getting used to swimming long main sets like this. It's like when I first started running and I heard my high school coach say "we are doing 12x400 on the track" and I just wanted to cry because that seemed like so much.
Anyway, for all the reasons above is precisely why I love the long swim on Wednesday. Because I tough it out and get through it every time and even though it may not be pretty it shows me that I can do it. A little piece at a time and I can do it.
When I got home from work I went for a 30 minute easy run in 40 degrees and pouring down rain. I was so cold when I was done I couldn't open up my hands to get the door open! In the high 30s or low 40s and rain is just about the worst weather to me. You can't even wear enough clothes because they just get soaked and heavy anyway!
After the run I headed to the YMCA and warmed up with a lifting session. Nothing exciting or new there other than the fact that the weight room was packed!
And now I must fold laundry and study maps... :)
PS Pizza Night made it's triumphant return tonight! Our first Pizza Night since Lent. And boy did that pizza taste good....
Posted by beth at 7:47 PM | Comments (3)
April 10, 2007
A Little Warmer
So it's warmed up to above freezing today - actually, all the way up into the 40s! Watch out now! :)
AM swim workout:
3000 yd total @YMCA
wu: 600 easy, 6x50 w/20 sec rest alt back, breast, free
ms: 600 pull (9:47), 600 swim (8:15), 600 pull (9:36) all w/45 sec rest
cd: 300 easy
I used to hate the pull buoy. Now it's my friend. I really look forward to workouts when I get to do it. Even though it still slows me down, my body requires much less oxygen when I don't use my big oxygen sucking legs and therefore that feeling as if I am drowning from lack of air (like when I usually swim) isn't there. That's always a good thing. :)
PM cycling workout:
1:10 total on trainer - 15 min wu, 4x15 sec pickups w/10 sec rest, 2 min easy, 2x10 min TT w/5 min easy spinning rest (3.45 mi, 3.47 mi), 3x2 min w/15 sec rest accelerating throughout interval (0.69 mi, 0.69 mi, 0.7 mi), 15 min cd
Although it was definitely warm enough to ride outside (in the mid 40s) I decided to ride indoor on the trainer. There are benefits to doing cycling workouts inside and outside so my coach tells me to mix it up. Since I've done my last two speed workouts on the bike outside, I decided today was a good day to do one inside. When you are lazy like me, the trainer is nice. You don't have to pump tires, put on layer upon layer of clothes, change out back skewers, etc... :)
Anyway, I really liked this workout. I felt good and I just love the fact that my new computer can tell me while I'm on my trainer speed, distance, cadence, etc... I really pushed on the workout with my goal being to average above 20 mph on the 2x10 min time trials.
After the ride I did some random things, stretched some, changed clothes and about 30 minutes later went out for my run. This ride and run on Tuesday really isn't supposed to be a brick so I try to leave some time in between. The run was 1:15 - nothing very special about it. I ran easy. After the hard riding I was definitely glad to be done with my run and eat some dinner!
Now it's time to end this very boring blog entry. Sometimes boring is all I've got... :)
Posted by beth at 8:45 PM | Comments (1)
April 9, 2007
Taking Care of Business
I know that taking care of the little things in my life will help with my training/racing. Sleep, nutrition, stretching, recovery in general so that the body can put up with what I ask it to do day in a day out. I try very hard all the time to take care of this stuff. I do the best I can but sometimes it just doesn't work out. I have lots to do and don't get to bed early enough and only get 6 hours of sleep. I'm rushing to an appointment and don't have time to stretch after a run. I eat 9 slices of pizza. You know...life happens.
But today I took care of business! I went to bed last night at 8:15. I get up at 4:45 so that was 8.5 hours of sleep. And it was awesome. Okay - I didn't really plan on going to bed before 9 but I fell asleep watching tv and didn't wake up until my alarm went off this morning. No wait - I think O coaxed me out of bed at some point to brush my teeth, but that was it. And I think I was sleep brushing.
I also got a massage today! I'm trying to get one once a month. I would do them all the time if I could but who has that kind of money? Regardless I had one scheduled after work and it was a good one. She really worked on my aching back. I felt like her elbow was in going to go through me. After a while I determined it wasn't her elbow but rather some sort of wooden, knobby torture device. Either way she was working it. I may be sore tomorrow but it will have been worth it!
And I even ate a salad today at lunch (in addition to many other things of course). You can't stop me!!
Now excuse me while I go make some dinner and watch some tv. Days off training really are quite delightful... :)
Posted by beth at 5:32 PM | Comments (3)
April 8, 2007
Happy Easter!
So when was the last time it snowed on Easter? I'm sure it's happened before but still... I'm so cold right now I can't even think. I need some hot chocolate ASAP!
7:20 am - 1:40 run with Roxy and O. I felt good. It was cold but I survived. Roxy definitely has the most endurance out of the 3 of us. She was ready for more. Funny little pup.
10:30 am - 4:00 pm - church and Easter festivities with O's family
4:40 pm - on my trainer for a hour of easy riding. You gotta be crazy if you think I'm riding outside when it's snowing the the windchill is in the teens... :)
Week summary:
Monday - off
Tuesday - 3000 yd swim in am, 1:15 ride w/hard intervals and 65 min run in pm, 2x25 pushups, 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 4500 yd swim in am, 30 min easy run and weights in pm
Thursday - 1:45 ride in am, 66 min fartlek run in pm
Friday - 3500 yd swim and weights in am, pizza eating in pm :)
Saturday - 3 hour ride/30 min run brick in am, 3500 yd swim in am/pm, core/feet exercises
Sunday - 1:40 run in am, 1 hour easy ride in pm
Posted by beth at 6:46 PM | Comments (1)
April 7, 2007
Piling it on
First of all, I'm happy to report that O survived his pizza coma. He will live to tell about the day he ate 15 slices of pizza. And guess what we ate for dinner tonight? Yep - that's right - pizza! Hey, we really had a lot of making up to do.
Secondly I'd like to note that it's snowing here and when I ran this morning the windchill was 12 degrees. Now I know I don't have any right to complain because (a) I think a big part of the country is under a freeze right now and (b) it was unseasonably WARM just a few days ago but still...I want to complain. My problem is I've really run out of people to complain to. O just won't take it any more. *Sigh*
Today I really piled on the training. It actually wasn't too bad but I did add in a swim today because I can't do it tomorrow since the pool is closed for Easter. Adding a swim on top of a long bike/run brick felt like a bit much but I survived just fine.
Let me start from the top. I woke up early (5:30 - early for a Saturday anyway) so I could get started ASAP and get in my 3 hour ride/30 min run brick and still have ample time to get myself to the pool and get my swim in before it closed at 1:30.
The long ride went relatively well. I rode on the trainer due to the aforementioned weather which is never fun but this morning I was entertained by watching The Good Shepard which just happens to be an almost 3 hour movie. I usually can't tolerate movies that long but they are absolutely wonderful when you just happen to have a 3 hour trainer ride planned. Nonetheless, I digress. I'm still getting used to staying down in the aerobars. It's my back and neck that protest. I will have no problem in my Olympic distance races because the riding will only be a little over a hour for those but I'm concerned for the half IMs - more like 2:30-3 hours of riding. I have time though - just keep on keeping on and I hope my body will eventually adapt.
The 30 min run right after was fine. My running pace continues to progress at the same heart rate. I feel very good getting off the bike and running (even the longer rides) but getting off the bike and running hard is the tricky part. Anyway, Roxy and O ran with me and it was...well...it was cold. But we lived.
When I walked back in the door upon finishing the run I suddenly dreaded the thought of doing my swim. A 3:30 brick is not a piece of cake for me and I had a 3500 yd swim. Blech. But I took a hot shower, ate some food, laid down for about 20 minutes and then felt much better. Off to the pool is was.
The swim workout actually went much better than I thought it would. I told myself not to worry about time - just get through it. My weekend swim is not the most important of the week anyway (Wed long swims and Fri speed swims are the key swim workouts for me) so putting in the yardage was more key than hitting certain times. Surprisingly though I felt strong and smooth in the water.
3500 yds total @YMCA (~65 min)
wu: 700 easy, 6x50 alternating breast/back w/20 sec rest
ms: 100 (1:21), 200 (2:46), 300 (4:04), 400 (5:21) all with 15 sec rest/100, 400 pull (6:26), 300 pull (4:46), 200 pull (3:10), 100 pull (1:33) all w/10 sec rest/100, 16x25 alt breast, free, back w/10 sec rest)
cd: 100 easy
And that was that. I came home to O making lunch for me and cleaning the house! He deserves a medal that husband of mine - not only for putting up with me but also for going way above and beyond.
So now tomorrow I will have a long run and a short recovery ride and much Easter festivities in between. Happy Easter everyone!
Posted by beth at 6:00 PM | Comments (3)
April 6, 2007
Puttin' on the Pizza Hurt
So as you may remember O and I gave up pizza for Lent. I haven't mentioned much about it mostly because I didn't want to remind myself that I couldn't have any pizza. This has been one of the more painful Lent sacrifices I've choosen. It wasn't bad for the first 2-3 weeks but these past 3 weeks have hurt. I wanted pizza so bad sometimes I felt like some sort of junkie. Who am I kidding. I am a junkie. A pizza junkie.
Anyway, O and I decided that today would be our day for pizza! In the past we've waited until actual Easter Sunday to break our "sacrifice" but we both had the day off work today so we decided what better way to celebrate than Pizza Hut lunch buffet. Now don't go turning up your noses at Pizza Hut (as all my co-workers do). Pizza is pizza to me - I don't care where it comes from!
We made the Pizza Hut plan about 1.5 weeks ago and have been counting down the days since. And today was our day. And boy did we bring our "A" game! That pizza never tasted so good! I ate 9 slices myself but O...O really put on a show. 15 slices total for him. Now that's what I call a masterpiece! Granted the lunch buffet slices are much smaller than normal slices but 15 pieces?! You had to see it to believe it!! He's a hurtin' puppy right now - it wasn't but 30 minutes later I thought he was going to go into a pizza coma. But I think he's going to be okay. :)
Before all the pizza festivities I went to the YMCA for my swim workout and lift.
AM swim workout:
3500 yds total
wu:200 easy, 16x25 w/15 sec rest (alt back, free, breast)
ms: 6x(3x50 w/5 sec rest, 150 w/1 min rest) - all 50s in :38-:40, 150s were 2:04, 2:03, 2:03, 2:01, 2:01, 2:01, 8x100 w/30 sec rest for 1-4 and 15 sec rest for 5-8 (1:19, 1:19, 1:19, 1:18, 1:19, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18)
cd: 200 easy
I pretty much felt like sludge in the water today. I was just hurting. I know it's a combo of starting speedwork again on the bike and run, upping the ante a little in the weight room and the fact that this is a big swim week (each swim workout has an additional 500 yds more than normal this week). But I really tried hard to be positive about it and keep working hard. I think I did that. I wasn't swimming the kind of times I wanted but I fought hard to inch my times down throughout the main set. It's times like these that I have to remember that not every workout is going to feel great and that the tough workouts still have to count too. In fact, they may count more.
After the pool O met me in the weight room for my lifting session. Today we "powered up" the bench, squats, bicep curls and triceps and did all the other exercises as the normal 2 sets of 15.
And that's that. Now it may be time for a pizza induced nap. I'm feeling awfully sleepy... :)
Posted by beth at 2:44 PM | Comments (4)
April 5, 2007
TGIT
Thank God it's Thursday of course! You can only say that if you have off work on Friday. :) Either way TGIT was my overwhelming feeling as I left work today. I am just really glad to have the next three days off.
I started this morning off bright eyed and bushy tailed (okay - it was more like closed eyed and grumpy) at 4:30 am with a 1:45 ride. It snowed last night so I opted to do my ride inside in the morning (knowing it would be too cold to ride outside regardless of the time of day). It was pretty uneventful. Thursdays are my "moderate" rides - nothing too hard or too easy. I watched (for about the 100th time) the What it Takes DVD because I've learned that there is absolutely nothing good on on tv at 4:30 am.
I had a chauffeur (O of course!) who dropped me off at work and then picked me up (he had track practice to go to and some other errands while I was working) which was key because I was able to take a nice nap on the ride home. That left me feeling relatively ready to go for my hard workout as soon as I got home.
I drove to the trail for the workout since it was a fartlek. It was cold (windchill 20), snowing and blowing so it was back on with the winter wooleys. Ugh. Must. Get. To. May! Anyway, the workout went something like this:
66 min total on Butler Freeport Trail - 10 min wu, 4x15 sec pickups w/10 sec rest, 2 min easy, 4x3 min w/1 min rest, 2x6 min w/2 min rest, 6x1 min w/30 sec rest, 12 min cd
I felt good about the workout. My legs were a little fatigued, likely from the ride this morning but I know I won't have the luxury of fresh running legs in races so why practice with them? :) I really have no idea what kind of paces I was running but I did have one 1/2 mile timed on the 2nd 6 min section at 3:05. Anyway, I focused on maintaining form and running strong. The hardest part of the workout was the 6x1 min at the end because I really tried to get my legs moving and turnover isn't one of my strong points!
And now I'm listening to a Desiree Ficker podcast interview and it's really good!
Happy Good Friday everyone!
Posted by beth at 7:37 PM | Comments (0)
April 4, 2007
Back to Normal
So Mother Nature apparently came to her senses and realized that it was way to warm for Pittsburgh for early April. This afternoon when I ran it was 41 degrees, windchill of 33 degrees and very fine little ice pellets were hitting me in the face. Now that's the Pittsburgh I know! I keep telling myself though - get through 1 or 2 more weeks of this and then the nicer weather will be here to say. It's a lot easier to have hope and a positive attitude in April vs the middle of February when you just want to cry. Oh wait - that's what I did in February. :)
Anyway, this morning I woke up and O and I both went to the YMCA. He has the whole week off school for spring break so he was able to join me. Makes getting out of bed at 4:45 am much easier.
AM swim workout:
4500 yds total @YMCA
wu: 500 easy, 4x50 w/20 sec rest
ms: 6x600 as 2x600 swim w/1 min rest (8:18, 8:10), 2x600 pull w/30 sec rest (9:40, 9:41), 2x600 w/30 sec rest broken at 150s for 15 sec (2:03, 2:02, 2:00, 2:00, 2:00, 1:59, 1:59, 1:58)
cd: 200 easy
Dear Lord! Farthest I've ever swam at one time and longest main set too. 6x600? UGH! I know real swimmers would get a kick of this seeing as how real swimmers would probably think 4500 yds is an easy morning workout (with a harder and longer evening workout to come). But for this little non-fish runner I was water logged! These long sets where the main set intervals are long are more mentally challenging than anything for me so I just really worked on staying positive and working hard the whole time. One thing is for sure. I do believe those 1500 meter swims in my tris are going to feel short... :) Or not... :)
After work I wanted to crawl up in a ball and sleep for a long time. I actually started to do just that on the floor in our "work" room but Roxy attacked me. Dumb dog. I don't wake her up when she's trying to sleep! So out I went for my 30 minute easy jog and then over to the YMCA for a lifting session. My lifting has changed up a little now too - some of the normal exercises I do are "powered up" meaning I add some weight and cut down on the reps. I better watch out or I might actually get strong. :)
Now I need to take a shower because, well...I stink.
Good night everyone!
Posted by beth at 7:42 PM | Comments (2)
April 3, 2007
Absolute Insanity!
Our weather is crazy nice right now. Crazy nice I tell you! It was 80 degrees and sunny today. SUNNY. SUNNY IN PITTSBURGH! Anyone that's ever lived in Pittsburgh just knows - it's not sunny here very often. I love it. I can't get enough! And the fact that it's supposed to snow on Thursday isn't even making me that sad because I know the warm weather is almost here to stay. Love it!
AM swim workout:
3200 yds total @YMCA
wu: 300 easy, 6x75 w/20 sec rest (50 easy/25 fast)
ms: 400 w/1 min rest (5:30), 3x100 w/10 sec rest (1:19, 1:20, 1:20), 300 w/45 sec rest (4:03), 3x100 w/10 sec rest (1:19, 1:20, 1:19), 600 w/1:30 rest (8:08), 3x100 w/10 sec rest (1:19, 1:19, 1:20), 4x50 kick w/20 sec rest (:44, :43, :43, :44)
cd: 50 easy
Sneaking the 600 in there in the midst of the workout was a dirty trick. I did a double take when I saw that one! I spent most of that 600 trying to figure out if I had written my workout down incorrectly because I kept adding up my yardage and it kept equaling more than the 3000 yds it was supposed to be. Problem was, every time I added it up I came up with a different number leading me to believe that I should never attempt to do any sort of math without a calculator and I should especially avoid any kind of math while swimming hard. In the end I came home and looked at the workout and I had written it down correctly, it just happened to add up to 3200 yds. I think I lost a few brain cells though the whole ordeal... ;)
I went to work and wanted very badly to be outside the whole time instead of inside with all the sick people. I ate my lunch outside, hurried up and finished the rest of my work and then took off to home where O had my bike waiting for me with it's new computer! He was nice enough to take it to the bike shop (he has the whole week off work for spring break) and get the new computer on it along with some other items. New computer rocks. It's a big upgrade from my old computer and (most notably) includes cadence.
There's always so much talk about cadence in training articles, amongst coaches, etc... I always wonder what mine is. I have a sneaking suspicion that mine is much lower than it should be because I have a tendency to try to push really big gears instead of spinning in easier ones. Not smart. But I can't help myself sometimes. Anyway, my ride today confirmed that yes, I like to push big gears in lower cadences but I do quite the opposite when I'm trying to ride hard (which I supposed is a good thing because that's what will happen in races). Anyway, I'm babbling. That's nothing new.
PM bike workout:
15 minutes warmup, 4x15 sec pickups w/10 sec rest, 2 min easy, 4x6 minutes w/2:30 rest, 4x1 min w/15 sec rest, ~16 min cooldown
It was about 25 miles, took me a little under 1:15. I really am enjoying these bike workouts. I have never really done anything like them before because last year my speedwork consisted of doing the crits and that's it. Oh, and did I mention I love my new bike? That thing flys. I mean geez! The only bad part of the workout was crosswinds that nearly had me in the ditch along side the road several times. I hate to say it but I think I would choose a headwind over a crosswind. The crosswind makes me fear for my life and really challenges my non-existent bike handling skills. It doesn't help that me and my bike together weigh about 130 lbs.
Alas, after the bike I still had a run to enjoy in the wonderful weather! O joined me on this one but we didn't take the pooch because we worried it would be too hot for her. It was over 80 degrees and she does have a black fur coat on afterall. We ran 65 minutes, very easy. I had a hard time getting my HR to behave, most likely because of the heat, the fact that I just did a hard ride and I was likely dehydrated. Either way, it was great to get a run in with the sun shining down!
So that was that. Now I'm going to diligently read the little book that came with my bike computer so I actually know how to use it instead of randomly pushing buttons and hoping it does what I want. What I really want is for O to figure out how to use it and then teach me but he appears busy doing work. Geez...how rude! :)
Posted by beth at 8:40 PM | Comments (3)
April 1, 2007
The Hour by Hour
6:40 am - alarm clock goes off
7:25 am - start running at the trail with Roxy and O. Only 1:20 today as my long run takes a dip after reaching a high of 2 hours last week. I run a 7:42 mile in the midst of the 10 mile run, my fastest mile with my HR under 153 since starting my new program. Progress makes me smile.
10:35 am - leave for church
12:30 am - return home from church, read newspaper and eat lunch
1:30 pm - nap-time
3:00 pm - slip into the pool for 3000 yds. I felt good in the water today.
wu: 300 easy, 6x50 w/20 sec rest
ms: 2x300 pull w/30 sec rest (4:49, 4:44), 6x100 w/15 sec rest (1:19, 1:19, 1:19, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18), 18x50 w/20 sec rest for first 6, 15 sec rest for next 6 and 10 sec rest for last 6 (all :37-:38), 300 kick (4:39)
4:15 pm - get on bike on trainer and watch tv while I spin easy for 1 hour. I didn't think I was sore from riding in the aero position for 4 hours yesterday until I got on my bike again today and everything that hurt yesterday still hurts - my neck included. Ouch. I know I'll adapt with time.
5:30 pm - dinner prepared by O while was I was riding my bike. Gotta love it!
6:30 pm - shower, stretch, massage (with The Stick)
7:30 pm - tv and a snack
8:30 pm - blog
I know, you can't even believe the exciting life of fame and fortune I live! :)
Summary for the week:
Monday - off
Tuesday - 2500 yd swim and ~56 min ride including 15x1 min hard in am, 56 min run in pm, 2x25 pushups and 2x100 crunchers
Wednesday - 4000 yd swim in am, 30 min run and lifting in pm
Thursday - 6.5 mi run in am including 8x400 on the track, 2:15 ride in pm
Friday - 3000 yd swim in am, lifting session in pm
Saturday - 4 hour ride in am AND pm, core/feet exercises
Sunday - 1:20 run in am, 3000 yd swim and 1 hour easy ride in pm
Still hanging in there around 17-18 hours/week of training. Down on the running this week but up on the cycling (about 150 miles total). Loving the new bike. April is here my friends - let the racing begin! :)
Posted by beth at 8:28 PM | Comments (3)