Today would usually be a bike day for me, but seeing as it's 37 and alternating between rain, sleet, and snow, I'm thinking I'll take my first rest day in ages. Afraid once the front wheel wedge for my bike arrives, it's time to take her to the shop for one final tuneup, buy a trainer wheel, and put her in the living room for the winter. I can always take out Beast for a spin if it's nice.
Of course, I DO have Karate tonight, but it should be pretty low-key since they had sparring on Monday. Hope we get to work sai some more! (Or actually bo - I'm starting to get a little rusty!)
Tomorrow will be a long run, hopefully in better weather. Also helping to teach Thursday kid's class.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wet Run
Headed out for some VERY soggy speedwork today. It was pouring and 50 degrees. Yuck! Got 'er done though. Ten minute warmup at 9:00 pace followed by 4x30 second strides for a total of fifteen minutes. Blah! It was great to get back inside and dry off.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Stride for Pride 5K
First off, I just looked at the lack of posts over the summer and apologize. I definitely need to get back to updating more often. Hopefully now that summer's winding down I'll be better about it.
Yesterday was the Stride for Pride, a local 5K for charity. Last year I took second overall, but was just going to do it as a fun run this year since I haven't been logging many miles on my feet.
It was rainy, cold and overcast. I was actually happy about it because 50 and drizzly is what I run the 5K distance best in. I did my usual warmup - about ten minutes of jogging with striders.
The gun went off and I was careful to pace myself - I have a long history of going out too fast and burning out around mile 2.5. I felt good and in control, so was very surprised when I hit mile 1 at 7:30. My first thought was "Oh crap! I'm going to pay for this in a mile!" I eased off the gas a bit and was actually talking a bit with the guy next to me.
I got close to the turnaround and realized (this is the great thing about a race that's out and back) that I was the second female runner. Crap. Now I was going to have to get serious.
I hit mile two at 14:50 and was incredulous. A negative split going 30 seconds/mile faster than I planned or hoped! I knew that all I had to do was hold on for another 1.1 or so and I would not only come in second, but run a close-to-PR race.
I did start running out of gas, but just kept commanding my legs to go. In the end, it was a good thing because as it turns out IronKid's younger sister was right behind me the entire time.
I crossed the finish line at 23:20. Unbelievable. A 7:30 pace on the dot, assuming a true 5K. (And I've heard rumor it may be closer to 3.2) The other great thing is that I paced almost perfectly the entire time, which has always been an issue for me.
So I was second female overall, first in my age group, beating by only, as in last year, IronKid. (She was hoping to break 20 and was disappointed with this year's 20:55. Poor baby! :-D )
So, I almost PRed after months of running less than ten miles a week. Amazing! Guess all that bike training paid off in ways I didn't see.
On the agenda for today is a nice, easy bike ride during lunch to shake out the legs.
Yesterday was the Stride for Pride, a local 5K for charity. Last year I took second overall, but was just going to do it as a fun run this year since I haven't been logging many miles on my feet.
It was rainy, cold and overcast. I was actually happy about it because 50 and drizzly is what I run the 5K distance best in. I did my usual warmup - about ten minutes of jogging with striders.
The gun went off and I was careful to pace myself - I have a long history of going out too fast and burning out around mile 2.5. I felt good and in control, so was very surprised when I hit mile 1 at 7:30. My first thought was "Oh crap! I'm going to pay for this in a mile!" I eased off the gas a bit and was actually talking a bit with the guy next to me.
I got close to the turnaround and realized (this is the great thing about a race that's out and back) that I was the second female runner. Crap. Now I was going to have to get serious.
I hit mile two at 14:50 and was incredulous. A negative split going 30 seconds/mile faster than I planned or hoped! I knew that all I had to do was hold on for another 1.1 or so and I would not only come in second, but run a close-to-PR race.
I did start running out of gas, but just kept commanding my legs to go. In the end, it was a good thing because as it turns out IronKid's younger sister was right behind me the entire time.
I crossed the finish line at 23:20. Unbelievable. A 7:30 pace on the dot, assuming a true 5K. (And I've heard rumor it may be closer to 3.2) The other great thing is that I paced almost perfectly the entire time, which has always been an issue for me.
So I was second female overall, first in my age group, beating by only, as in last year, IronKid. (She was hoping to break 20 and was disappointed with this year's 20:55. Poor baby! :-D )
So, I almost PRed after months of running less than ten miles a week. Amazing! Guess all that bike training paid off in ways I didn't see.
On the agenda for today is a nice, easy bike ride during lunch to shake out the legs.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Back to Tri
Now that the 90-Miler is over, I've been able to refocus on triathlon training.
I've actually been mostly biking and just getting more comfortable being clipped in. I'm getting much better, really. I had the seat adjusted, which made all the difference. Mr. Z got me a mirror, which is great to have. I actually hit 30.4 MPH going down the hill to River Road, which is cool.
Went running today and did a ten minute warmup run followed by 4x30 second strides. It went pretty well, although it was very short. I have an hour-long run scheduled on Thursday, so I should finally get some time on my feet then.
Found out today that Dr. Z. got me a trainer for my birthday. Yay! The bikes at the gym are very nice, but don't adjust for me well. Plus there's nothing like being on one's own bike. (Not to mention the convenience factor.)
Tomorrow will be a 75 minute bike ride and Karate if I have time to bike during the day.
I've actually been mostly biking and just getting more comfortable being clipped in. I'm getting much better, really. I had the seat adjusted, which made all the difference. Mr. Z got me a mirror, which is great to have. I actually hit 30.4 MPH going down the hill to River Road, which is cool.
Went running today and did a ten minute warmup run followed by 4x30 second strides. It went pretty well, although it was very short. I have an hour-long run scheduled on Thursday, so I should finally get some time on my feet then.
Found out today that Dr. Z. got me a trainer for my birthday. Yay! The bikes at the gym are very nice, but don't adjust for me well. Plus there's nothing like being on one's own bike. (Not to mention the convenience factor.)
Tomorrow will be a 75 minute bike ride and Karate if I have time to bike during the day.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
THIRD PLACE! HOLY CRAP!
So much for burying the lead, right? Seriously though, Dr. Z. and I smashed all expectations, starting with finishing 1.5 hours under our time goal of 18:00 (16:31 finish) and ending with not only JOGGING one of the portages, but TAKING THIRD PLACE.
Day One we were both a bundle of nerves. It was FREEZING COLD that morning and we were shivering while waiting for the paddler's meeting and then the seven waves before us to go off. However, once the gun went off for us we settled into our long-distance pace and ended up surprisingly close to the front of the pack. We knew this would be our toughest day because of all the portaging, but we followed our game plan of alternating between yoking and shoulder carrying the boat. JewishMom rocked the hizzouse as Pit Crew, meeting us at every portage and handing us food that we ate while walking. We finished the day in 7:10 and were quite happy with that.
The morning of Day Two we checked the results and found out we were TWENTY TWO SECONDS away from third place after our worst day (i.e. the one that played against our weakness in the portaging). That's when we realized we had a VERY good chance of placing. Holy crap! Problem was, there was another boat only 2:30 behind us, making it a three-way dogfight for third. CRAP! We stuck to our game plan and just mowed people down on the open water. With only one portage the entire day, we finished the 31 miles in 5:35 and felt sure we had improved our position. Unfortunately we had neglected to note the numbers of the other two boats so we weren't sure.
Day three we were practically frantic to look at the results. We were in third place. Once again, HOLY CRAP! The other two boats were five and seven minutes behind us. Still a dogfight. We all got each other's number during warmup and everyone was going to be bringing their A-game, you could tell. The gun went off and as we expected, the other two boats went flying off in the distance. We planned to do what we had been doing and just wear them down. Unfortunately, they weren't slowing down, so we had to stay at the top end of our speed. We caught one boat before the first portage, but although we ran the portage they still passed us. For the rest of the day, we were chasing the other two boats. We FINALLY passed one of them with only a couple miles left to go, but we didn't know if they were the boat that was 5 or 7 minutes ahead, so we had to keep chasing the other boat hard. Despite a sprint finish, they came in 38 seconds before us. However, it was not enough to beat our cumulative time. (As it turns out, they were the ones that were seven minutes behind us.) I gave a paddle-five to the other woman, and complemented her on their speed that day. She replied that she "felt good [that day]".
So, I am now not only a 90-Miler, I placed third! WOW! And...OW. For anyone who runs, it was basically like doing a marathon two days in a row and then running a half-marathon at your 5K pace.
Day One we were both a bundle of nerves. It was FREEZING COLD that morning and we were shivering while waiting for the paddler's meeting and then the seven waves before us to go off. However, once the gun went off for us we settled into our long-distance pace and ended up surprisingly close to the front of the pack. We knew this would be our toughest day because of all the portaging, but we followed our game plan of alternating between yoking and shoulder carrying the boat. JewishMom rocked the hizzouse as Pit Crew, meeting us at every portage and handing us food that we ate while walking. We finished the day in 7:10 and were quite happy with that.
The morning of Day Two we checked the results and found out we were TWENTY TWO SECONDS away from third place after our worst day (i.e. the one that played against our weakness in the portaging). That's when we realized we had a VERY good chance of placing. Holy crap! Problem was, there was another boat only 2:30 behind us, making it a three-way dogfight for third. CRAP! We stuck to our game plan and just mowed people down on the open water. With only one portage the entire day, we finished the 31 miles in 5:35 and felt sure we had improved our position. Unfortunately we had neglected to note the numbers of the other two boats so we weren't sure.
Day three we were practically frantic to look at the results. We were in third place. Once again, HOLY CRAP! The other two boats were five and seven minutes behind us. Still a dogfight. We all got each other's number during warmup and everyone was going to be bringing their A-game, you could tell. The gun went off and as we expected, the other two boats went flying off in the distance. We planned to do what we had been doing and just wear them down. Unfortunately, they weren't slowing down, so we had to stay at the top end of our speed. We caught one boat before the first portage, but although we ran the portage they still passed us. For the rest of the day, we were chasing the other two boats. We FINALLY passed one of them with only a couple miles left to go, but we didn't know if they were the boat that was 5 or 7 minutes ahead, so we had to keep chasing the other boat hard. Despite a sprint finish, they came in 38 seconds before us. However, it was not enough to beat our cumulative time. (As it turns out, they were the ones that were seven minutes behind us.) I gave a paddle-five to the other woman, and complemented her on their speed that day. She replied that she "felt good [that day]".
So, I am now not only a 90-Miler, I placed third! WOW! And...OW. For anyone who runs, it was basically like doing a marathon two days in a row and then running a half-marathon at your 5K pace.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Just a Quick Note
...to say that I leave for the 90-Miler in 2.5 hours. Yikes! I'm so nervous - I've spent all spring and summer training for this event and it's finally here.
I shall be back on Sunday evening with a full race report.
I shall be back on Sunday evening with a full race report.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Ack! So much going on!
Been tapering for the 90-miler, which starts in THREE DAYS! Yikes! Did the Round the Mountain route (10 miles) at a very slow, easy pace on Saturday. Definitely getting the tapering itch. One lap easy around Mirror Lake tonight and then it's off to the races. Eeep!
Tri training is going great. Did my longest bike ride ever, 15 miles, yesterday. Dr. Z is letting me use his old bike computer, so I now have exact distances, current speed, and average speed. It's awesome. Averaged 16.3 yesterday. Definitely have to work on that to be competitive.
Major breakthrough in swimming. I was getting frustrated with my slow speed that didn't seem to be improving, so I gave up on recording speed/distance and just went by time for a while, also getting used to my wetsuit. My swims FELT let they were finally going well, but still slow. However, yesterday I decided to go back to using the 200m buoy and measuring my speed. To my shock, I did the first 400 in a PR-blasting 11:10 and the second 400 in a second-best 12:18. Yay!
The one downside is that I'm losing my running fitness due to only running a few miles every week lately. My ankle is finally well-rested, but I've paid for it. Will be bumping my running mileage back up in order to be ready for the Stride for Pride race on the 27th. Thank God it's only a 5K!
Tri training is going great. Did my longest bike ride ever, 15 miles, yesterday. Dr. Z is letting me use his old bike computer, so I now have exact distances, current speed, and average speed. It's awesome. Averaged 16.3 yesterday. Definitely have to work on that to be competitive.
Major breakthrough in swimming. I was getting frustrated with my slow speed that didn't seem to be improving, so I gave up on recording speed/distance and just went by time for a while, also getting used to my wetsuit. My swims FELT let they were finally going well, but still slow. However, yesterday I decided to go back to using the 200m buoy and measuring my speed. To my shock, I did the first 400 in a PR-blasting 11:10 and the second 400 in a second-best 12:18. Yay!
The one downside is that I'm losing my running fitness due to only running a few miles every week lately. My ankle is finally well-rested, but I've paid for it. Will be bumping my running mileage back up in order to be ready for the Stride for Pride race on the 27th. Thank God it's only a 5K!
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Too Busy to Blog
Yeah, sorry about that.
Tri:
Still working the 3x Balanced Sprint program. Only missed one day so far - a 20 minute run that I just couldn't work around Sunday's 27 mile paddle. I did do an extra bike on Saturday though, because...
I BOUGHT A ROAD BIKE! I love her and have so far only crashed once while clipped in. Dr. Z had to order his, but bought clipless pedals for his hybrid. I'm still not comfortable taking her full speed, but I'm hoping to do so tomorrow.
I also swam in my new wetsuit for the first time last night. It went great - helped me float AND kept me warm despite the cold air temperature. (In fact, I was a bit overheated while swimming.) The only downside is that I can't zip it up by myself.
Paddling: The last Sundowner went really well - we had a sprint finish and just BARELY beat out this other couple. Didn't hit a PR, but there was a NASTY headwind. As mentioned, Saturday was our last tough workout - 27 mile "group" paddle that ended up just being us by ourselves because we were between groups.
So that's what's going on. Tonight will be a very light, easy paddle. Tomorrow is bike, swim, and Karate.
Tri:
Still working the 3x Balanced Sprint program. Only missed one day so far - a 20 minute run that I just couldn't work around Sunday's 27 mile paddle. I did do an extra bike on Saturday though, because...
I BOUGHT A ROAD BIKE! I love her and have so far only crashed once while clipped in. Dr. Z had to order his, but bought clipless pedals for his hybrid. I'm still not comfortable taking her full speed, but I'm hoping to do so tomorrow.
I also swam in my new wetsuit for the first time last night. It went great - helped me float AND kept me warm despite the cold air temperature. (In fact, I was a bit overheated while swimming.) The only downside is that I can't zip it up by myself.
Paddling: The last Sundowner went really well - we had a sprint finish and just BARELY beat out this other couple. Didn't hit a PR, but there was a NASTY headwind. As mentioned, Saturday was our last tough workout - 27 mile "group" paddle that ended up just being us by ourselves because we were between groups.
So that's what's going on. Tonight will be a very light, easy paddle. Tomorrow is bike, swim, and Karate.
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