Week 1 (of legitimate training and less aimless floundering)

First week completed with Coach T. Followed the week's plan to the letter, but made a slight addition to the weekend. Here's how it went down:

Monday: swim 2300y.
300S/200P/100K. 4 x 100, :20 RI (25 drill, 50 free, 25 drill). 3 x 200, :30 RI (pull buoy, did this strong, pushed somewhat). 4 x 150, :15 RI (50K on back, 100S). 100 CD. 40 min total.
this seemed too easy, thats why I was pushing the 200's. it was the only place to really increase the intensity a bit. i just felt like i wasn't swimming enough/trying hard enough to make the distance/time in the pool worthwhile.

Tuesday: track workout.
1 mile WU. 1600 x 2, 800 x 2, 400 x 1 (ran out of time), 1 mile CD.
This was FUN. I'm not a big fan of running fast (I think I'm better at long distances), but on the track is different. plus, its not sprinting per say. Though our first 400 of the first 1600 was under 1:30, thats quick for me. Coach T definitely had us to slow down after that first lap!
1600 - 7:10
1600 - 7:15 (I think? didn't stop the watch apparently)
800 - 3:32
800 - 3:28
400 - 1:36 (we were NOT supposed to run this faster than the 800s... so we chatted and ran)
I didn't feel like we were going all that fast, which I guess is a good sign. It was funny because after the first mile, she said something along the lines of, "usually I don't want you guys to talk during workouts, but I'll let it go because its the only thing thats going to slow you guys down." I have no concept of my pace, I can only sort of figure out the pace I can handle maintaining for a given length of time purely based on how I feel... Its obvious I have a long way to go in terms of training.

Wednesday: 1:15 trainer
20 min WU, 4 x (5' hard effort in aero, 5' easy spin recovery), steady spin until 1:15 time frame. 23.4 miles.
it was tough, but i pushed it pretty good. i *think* i can feel myself getting a bit stronger as the last couple months have passed. hopefully. lord knows this is where i need to improve.

Thursday: tempo run, 6 miles, 50 min
15 min EZ, 20 min STEADY pace (that you can hold for an hour and not much more), 15 min CD. maintained 7:40 pace for the middle 20 min.
weather was beautiful, set out at 5:30am when it was still pitch black outside and found myself enjoying the early morning quite a bit. looking back, i think i could have gone faster and still been able to hold that for an hour, but it was a good run. came home and took jazz out for another 2 mile easy run.

Friday: rest day

Saturday: not planned: 1:20 min spin (9 hammers sufferfest vid) in the morning. planned: 9 mile run in the afternoon.
bike: this is where i made a slight addition to "the plan". they've been doing this off-season-spin class for the past 2-3 months and I was curious to see what it was like. someone asked me if i wanted to go, I wasn't totally keen on it since I wanted to be fresh to run later, but curiosity won. it was tough, no doubt. legs were jello-like after spinning. went directly into a 20 minute run (like 2.6ish miles, garmin was unhappy at that point). easy run, felt good. then brunch. because really, food is just as important. and that crab eggs benedict and chai latte with soy milk were dynamite.

run: 5 mile EZ, 3 mile half-marathon pace, 1 mile EZ.
I debated on changing the distance because of the morning spin, I wasn't feeling 100%, felt a little tired overall, so I voted to do a 4 mile loop, stop for water and decide how much to do after. the 4 miles were cake and my legs weren't exhausted so I decided to go ahead with what I was supposed to do. we ran another easy mile and then picked it up for the next 3 miles. i had every intention of maintaining 7:45/mile pace (slightly faster than my PR half pace), but we played around with the time to try to make me figure out how fast i was running without staring at my watch. it was very helpful and time flew by. first 2 miles were 7:28 and pretty hilly. i was guessing i was doing 7:35-7:45, so i was definitely off. last one was 7:10, mostly downhill. 1 mile easy.
I have trouble with "easy". its something i know i need to learn to do. i just get out there and want to GO GO GO. and logically, i know thats not going to be helpful in the long run (quite literally). its an active thought process of "SLOW THE FUCK DOWN" (but i get distracted and speed up) combined with an occasionally helpful pull on my hood to physically SLOW DOWN.
the run really did fly by time-wise - it felt relaxed and comfortable - no complaints other than the brief gusts of wind. and hills. oh you damn hills. but again... its good for you.

Sunday: 2:20 spin at EL, 20 min run
the EL is fun... group of 8-9 girls, let by coach T. they're a funny group, i like them - its a new concept, training with people. i like it.
30 min steady spin warm up. 15 min progressive increase to strong race pace. 10 x :30 sprints, :30 sec EZ spin. 5 min EZ spin. russian ladder - 1/5, 2/4, 3/3, 4/2, 5/1, 4/2, 3/3, 2/4, 1/5. 1 min strong race pace, 5 EZ spin with high cadence - and so on - obviously the middle part sucks the most. 10 min progressive increase to strong race pace, last min balls to the wall. (there may have been something else in there, i can't remember).
it was a good workout, worked hard, sweat my ass off. got off the bike and threw warm clothes on and were off and running within 5 minutes of getting off the bike. 20 minute run through arlington, down to the Mount Vernon trail and back.

By noon on sunday when I left arlington, I myself was basically finished. I'd finally hit a spot where my legs said "no more for the rest of the day, we just can't do it anymore". its been a long time since i felt like that and IT. WAS. GOOD. i came home and even foam rolled and stretched (YEP, learning...). I took an incredibly amazing shower and popped a few ibuprofen and just SAT. okay, grocery shopped and THEN sat my ass on the floor for a couple hours and it was glorious.

It was a good week, I'm pretty satisfied with how I felt throughout. Hard to believe Monticelloman is in just under 5 weeks, pumped to race again! Excited to get a baseline idea of where I'm at right now.

Today is a rest day and a half work day. obviously im catching up on the legendary fast and furious movies (all 6 of them) before 7 comes out on friday...

Hello East Coast, I love you. Oh, and I'm still training I swear.

I'm a Virginian virgin - its my VERY FIRST TIME living anywhere east of Illinois. It still doesn't feel real...

But can I just be brutally honest? I love it. Without a shadow of a doubt, I love it here. I adore my apartment (plus the fact that I have heat... and storage space... and a cute little loft/pain cave...). I'm still living like Zoe in House of Cards - in fact, I'm sitting on the floor with my laptop surrounded by magazines and books... but who cares?

My neighborhood is cute - anything I want or need is at my fingertips, I can even walk to the store if I'm feeling motivated. The pet store is exactly 1 mile away, Jazz and I walked there a couple days ago - she picked out a handful of treats while helping herself to the milkbones on the bottom shelf. What can I say? We're a couple of food motivated gals.

One of the things I am most excited about is I found a tri coach. One of the girls I met here introduced us and I met with her last week. I knew as soon as we started talking that we could be a good fit. Her mindset and philosophy is similar to mine and its quite refreshing. Regarding technology - we all know I don't understand how to use my 910 except to hit start/stop. HR what? Something about power meters? Upload data how? I was nervous that she would tell me I need to learn heart rate training from scratch and that I need a power meter asap. She understands that I know nothing and don't possess a strong inclination to incorporate more gadgets in my life - at least at this point. I'm still learning how to be a triathlete, I have exactly 1 year of real experience - theres so many other things I can start to improve on - then MAYBE I'll start to use the fun toys that everyone's talking about. I mean, come on, I just upgraded my iphone 4 to the 6 - and hell, its still beyond my capabilities.

Training is going well so far. Haven't gotten into anything really heavy or difficult, but I'm definitely ahead of where I was at this time last year. Example - last week, I was doing the weekly debate in my head about what I wanted to swim. I know I need to start doing some speed or tempo work consistently, but I don't love doing it. I decided on a long warm-up, some pulling, nothing exciting. Main set was 10x100s on 1:30 (granted, I'm swimming yards, don't be too impressed). I held all of them between 1:23-1:26/100 - didn't feel like I was killing myself, just trying to be consistent. But I finished and was pretty damn proud of myself, I haven't tried to do that since college. A few days ago, I did some alternating sets of 4x100s, including some pull. one of the sets of 4x100s I was supposed to go on 1:50 and push the pace some. 1:50 is cake, so I came in on 1:15 for all of them. again, pleased with myself. I realize I won't be dropping large amounts of time in the swim, which is why I'm not swimming more than 1-2x a week, but I'm feeling more comfortable in the water and that's important.

Running has felt good too. I've run with a friend a couple of times and its felt really awesome to run outside - bonus, I've been able to run faster than how I feel. Does that make sense? I'm surprised sometimes by the pace I'm running - I don't feel like I should be running that speed and still feel relatively comfortable.

There's these walls I put up in my head in regards to times - I set these stupid limits because I don't feel I'm capable of better/faster. But I look at how far I've come in the past few years, in terms of running, and its eye-opening to think about. My first half in 2009 was at a 9 minute pace, 1:57. IT. WAS. HARD. In fact, it sucked to run that distance and I was sore for a few days. I've gradually gone 1:52, 1:46, 1:44, 1:42 over time (some other times thrown in there too) - and the 1:42 was pretty steady, I wasn't really trying for a PR because thats the race I ran with MEB so I hung on his heels for 10 miles until I decided to finish that race at my own speed - plus, I passed MEB, who else can say that? So what if he was basically walking that 1:45 pace group?

My point is that you aren't helping anyone by imposing limits or restrictions on yourself. I have these big dreams and if I'm constantly thinking theres no way I can run that half faster or get that bike speed to 20+ miles an hour - then whats the point in wanting these goals if I'm already telling myself I can't do it? I feign confidence, but secretly I'm scared of failing - who isn't? Honestly though - what happens if I fail? Nothing except a bruised ego.

Heres to knocking down barriers and coming out on top - I'm going to kill these races this year. First one is in 5 weeks!

Neglectful

I've definitely been neglecting this poor blog... I apologize to my negative three readers.  In short, a CRAP TON has happened - and is happening.  I accepted a position in Virginia, I gave work 4 weeks notice, and now I am moving in just under 1 week.  

It happened really fast.  But I wouldn't have it any other way - I'm ready to start over.  I feel like I've been living in limbo for the past 3 years.  Perhaps that is a terrible thing to say since that entire period of time includes my marriage.  But I think he would agree... I never felt like this was "home".  I wasn't excited about our house and our property, I didn't envision living there for the rest of my life - I stared into a blank space when I thought about the future.  We'd talking about having kids, but it was more a far-off idea rather than something I realistically considered.  I was unhappy for the majority of the past few years - broken even.  I withdrew from my family and friends, even losing friends along the way.  But I couldn't (honestly, refused) to accept the inevitable and it took me time to understand what was coming next.  I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff deciding my fate - would I jump and fall into the abyss?  Or would I jump and magically find wings?  

In the end, it didn't matter.  Either way I was planning on jumping.  

So, I took that proverbial leap of faith.  And one year later, I am whole again.  I found some hidden inner strength that I never knew I possessed and ran with it - literally.  I've become a better version of myself, mentally and physically healthier.  

Aaaaaand I'm taking that leap again.  I'm moving halfway across the country on a whim.  I feel like I threw a dart at a map and thats where I'm headed.  This is the biggest change I've ever made in my life and I'm doing it completely on my own.  I don't have a husband or boyfriend or best friend to do this with.  I have little Jazz though - my trusty and loyal underwear-eating sidekick.  

Am I terrified?  You bet your ass I am.  

But oh dear God - I am excited.  Cheers to new beginnings and new adventures!

(I'll get back to the heart of what this blog is "supposed" to be about in due time... until then, keep your fingers crossed for me, my negative three readers).  I will eventually keep up with writing.  Really.  I think.  

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I'm looking for a new job.  It's time.  Honestly, it's been time for awhile but it seems things are falling into place now - and quickly.  I have many reservations about moving out of the state - away from my family, best friends, and my comfortable little life that I've created.  As much as I adore my little house, I've known all along it was going to be temporary - I feel like I've been existing in this current life, knowing that it wasn't permanent, but more of a limbo situation.

Truth time.  I'm scared shitless.  After the divorce and moving out on my own and on my own terms was incredibly scary.  At the same time, it was a little bit exhilarating too.  I'm supporting myself and Jazz, figuring it out as I go.  I know I complain sometimes about this adorable house, but the quirks are why I love it.  I like that the heat doesn't work right.  I like that I the water pressure is finicky and that there is an exact science to balancing the hot/cold water in the shower (it works perfectly everywhere else).  I'm 30 years old, living alone for the first time in my life and this house is mine (albeit temporarily) - in 10 years I'll back and laugh about all the problems I've had with this house, but you know what?  I figured it all out myself.  And  what I couldn't fix, I found ways of managing it.  

Its the same way with triathlon.  I feel like I've made most of it up as i've gone along but its worked for me so far.  When the bike trainer broke, I fixed it.  WITH TOOLS.  BY MYSELF.  It makes me sad to think about parting with it this year but it really does need an upgrade.  Training was out of a book that I tweaked (as if I know what I'm doing to change the training plan to meet my "needs" - uh, needs? right...).   

Regardless, 2014 was all about changes.  EVERYTHING changed.  And I'm a happier, stronger, more confident person because of it.  2015 will bring more changes... but maybe this is the start to a more permanent life.  It's emotional to think about, this so-called ice princess here just might be tearing up a bit thinking about how far I've come in 1 year.  

The job situation is promising though... I had interviews this week, they seemed to go well.  I'm excited for the possibiities... and I'm pumped to move and join a tri team - I plan on killing it out there this year.  

But I know I will miss where I'm at now, especially the handful of people I love with all my heart.  Love you "Mom" and "Dad".  You know I'll miss you more than anything.  Especially my "Mom" - you truly saved me this year.  And I am forever grateful.  

Upward and onward.    

Race Recap: Lifetime Indoor Triathlon

I came across this race on facebook a few weeks ago - it happened to fall on the day my brother would be flying back to Utah after staying at the parents' house for two weeks; I also was going to be visiting them that weekend so why not do a short race to start off the year?

Around the country, many of the Lifetime Fitness centers hold this indoor triathlon on the same day.  You race for distance, not time.   The races consists of a 10 minute swim, 10 minute T1, 30 minute bike, 5 minute T2, and 20 minute run.  

Weirdly, I tossed and turned a lot the previous night.  I woke up feeling a little nervous (what there was to be honestly nervous about, i don't know) but ate the usual Thomas blueberry bagel and peanut butter.  My ever-supportive family came with me to watch.  There were literally 3 other people watching, so my family comprised 50% of the total spectators, making me one lucky girl.  

After watching the 8th heat of the swim, all 10 of us in the heat (2 to a lane) jumped in and warmed up for a few minutes.  Turns out, the woman next to me had done 5 ironmans - including Louisville - so we chatted for a few minutes.  If the weather is decent in October, it sounds like it could be a great race for me.  

Ready, set, go.  Started swimming - hauled ass for the first few minutes, then got a little tired.  My body doesn't remember how to swim fast.  In my head, I felt like I was flying, but I was a little concerned that to the rest of the world, I resembled a sea slug.  Finished in 625m.  I was a little disappointed - I feel like I should be able to swim faster than that.  

Momma P followed me into the locker room and proceeded with a photo shoot which I'm sure the other patrons appreciated.  I secretly enjoyed it.  My parents are SO supportive in everything I do but not overbearing about it.  I appreciated their enthusiasm for this little tri that I was just doing on a whim.    Changed from swim suit to SOAS gear (I seriously LOVE the retro kit) to go onto the bike.  Kind of dilly-dallied in the locker room with mom.  10 minute T1?  Hell, that's the average length of my transitions normally... ha, you think I'm kidding...

The bike was on spin bikes set up in the corner of one of the gyms.  Ready, set, go #2.  Shoes were super loose in the clips (the women next to me was quite displeased with the situation) but what are you gonna do?  Started pedaling, started to tire quickly.  It seemed no matter what I did, I was barely maintaining 19 mph.  Good GOD I don't think I have pedaled that hard or fast in any race whatsoever.  That probably explains my inability to do sprint tris well.  Seriously, one-speed-wonder.  I really need to work on that this year.   I digress.  

Sweated my ass off for 30 minutes only to "travel" 9.6 miles.  In my head, I was convinced that I would win this race... however, after seeing that number, I figured I better run my little heart out if I was going to have a chance of winning.

5 min T2.  Took my time putting on socks and running shoes only to walk through the doors to the sounds of a fire alarm.  Drill?  Judging by the quick pace of the people walking toward the door and the smokey smell in the air, my first thought was "DAMN IT, ARE YOU SERIOUS?"  

It was not only the race interference that ticked me off, but also the fact that it was snowing and I was wearing a sweaty tri kit.  Things took a turn for the exciting when four fire trucks pulled up and a handful of attractive fire fighters came in to save the day, but by then I was too cold to care, though I may have watched them for a minute or two... The lifetime crew couldn't decide where they wanted us to stand, so we transitioned between the lobby, vestibule, and outdoors until I said screw it, I'm sitting in the car.  

After 30 odd minutes or so, the firemen filed out, so we returned inside to see if we were going to finish the race.  Sure enough, after a few minutes, we were on the treadmills about to hit start. 

Ready, set, go #3.  This was odd to me since you have to manually set the pace.  I wasn't entirely sure how fast I could go, but I estimated maybe 7:15 min/mi?  I started out at 7:18 and worked my way to 6:58 after a short while.  I held that pace through the end, though I started to get a little light headed and my legs felt slightly ataxic but I willed them to keep running and finish the time.  It was weird because I know I can do that outside, but I've never run that fast on a treadmill before for a sustained period of time, so maybe that had something to do with it?  I have no idea.  

FInished the 20 min run in 2.82, which figures to be 7:05 average.  Not terrible, but wasn't convinced that would make up for the subpar bike distance.  After a few minutes off the treadmill, I felt back to normal and was ready to keep running for awhile but family insisted on leaving, obviously.  

Overall, it was a fun experience, but it definitely does not play on my strengths as an athlete.  I know I'm cut out for long, endurance-type races - conveniently, I have fallen in love with races that take well over 3+ hours.  I would say the longer the better, but some of these ultra races just seem insane.  Many, many cheers to those who complete them, but not sure they interest me all that much.  Its a little funny because I was looking up the USAT rankings (something I don't altogether understand, but someone was talking about them so I looked it up) - my ranking in short races was in the low 80's but throw the full and half IMs in the mix and the scores jump up to 87 and even 94 for wisconsin.  

I'm SO excited to be doing two IMs this year, Im ready to try to race one now!  Last year was more an experiment to see what I was capable of doing - I definintely took my time on the bike because I was scared I would have no legs to run on.  Later, I felt awesome running but again, I was scared to push it because I wasn't sure how long the legs would last.  Apparently they lasted until the end and I finished with energy to spare - obviously I need to change many things in future races. 

I.E. learning to ride a bike better.  and to stop taking naps in transition.  I can't figure out what takes me so long when I'm not even changing!

Results were posted a couple days later - I beat all the women which was my goal - not a bad way to start the year!  Makes me excited to start training for real and start racing again.  Can't WAIT to sport the new SOAS gear and meet some of the ladies on the team also - its going to be a lovely 2015!

Making a Difference

Its been a cancer-ridden month at work.  Two lymphoma diagnoses in as many days - one of which was in for her annual exam and vaccines.  As soon as I kneeled down and said my usual "Hello beautiful" to the dog, I KNEW.  I could see the enlarged lymph nodes before I even touched her.  My heart sank immediately.   

I took an aspirate, confirmed my suspicions, and discussed the diagnosis with the owner.  These are truly difficult, heart-wrenching talks.  This particular chat was difficult for more reasons than the obvious and I could feel myself getting teary-eyed.  We decided on pursuing treatment within our animal hospital instead of a referral to the oncologist.  

I've seen her every other week for over a month for rechecks and bloodwork.  I've changed her doses based on bloodwork, trying to reach that happy medium between treating her disease and not altering her internal organ function too much.  I think, THINK, we've reached a good point... as good as good can be I suppose given her disease.   I told her owner to keep up the good work and that I was really pleased with how she was doing and her owner responded with "its all thanks to you".  

I was speechless for a moment.  She may not know how much that small sentence meant, but it definitely stuck with me.  Its great to feel appreciated, but even better to feel like I am making a difference in hers and her pets life.  I asked her if it was okay to write about her girl in my blog and she let me share this picture: 

Please keep this girl (and her owner) in your thoughts and prayers.  She's a little sweetheart, isn't she?

Streaking

But not fun naked streaking... Running streaking! Today marks day 15 of the 36 day running streak - Thanksgiving to New Years. Its not a super impressive streak - compared to 5 years or more from some that I've heard. But I personally have never run 15 days in a row. Nor did I ever have the desire to run 15 consecutive days... but its a goal that I want to complete nonetheless. We have a facebook group that we've been posting in and shit-talking encouraging each other, which has kept us accountable.

The only issue with the 2+ week streak so far is this nagging sickness that I've been battling. It hasn't been lots of fun to run these past two weeks with this alternating thick congestion and faucet-like crap coming out of my nose. AWESOME. I haven't quite decided how I feel about exercising while feeling like junk, but I'm strong enough to be able to run without collapsing, so I figure I'm good - though maybe it is lingering because I haven't been resting enough? Last night I was attempting valiantly to order my brother something online - it needed to be done by 1 am because thats when the sale ended - I FELL ASLEEP TYPING. I woke up half sleeping on my laptop with an imprint of my phone on my face.

Oh... to be an adult.

Despite the gross flu/cold deal, running hasn't been too bad. Averaging anywhere from 1 to 8 miles so far daily - this weekend I want to do at least 10 on saturday or sunday, the weather is supposed to be a little more mild. I've even run AT NIGHT. OUTSIDE. I NEVER do that, but its been fun, though maybe not the safest choice - so I took Jazz with me and it was good for both of us.

Almost halfway through the streak and my legs are still holding up. This is a bigger deal to me because I never run more than 3 days a week - my knee has never been able to handle running consecutive days. No pain, feeling decently good - bodes well for next year!