Double Swim PR Day

I know my weekly summaries have mentioned that my swimming's been going well despite only two swims a week, but today was especially good.

My warm-up was 200 yards swim. Without trying, I knocked a whole 5 seconds off my PR.

First set was 500 yards. Knocked THIRTEEN SECONDS off my time, and that was with alternating between easy and fast.

I've gone through literally WEEKS of poo-tastic swimming before, so this was a real treat.

Unfortunately payment came due during the last 1000 yards of my workout,but still - I am TOTALLY jazzed.

Now I just need to get similar improvements in my bike.

Week Six

I know...no pictures lately, just quick write-ups of my weeks and the occasional Friday Film. It's funny - it's not that I'm too busy - well, work is crazy but my training volume is still pretty low - I just don't have much to say or pretty pictures to show. I'm hitting the pool, the trainer, and half the time the treadmill this time of year. Not very picturesque. especially with us having a very rare snowless gray and brown winter.

Finished up my last build before CowTown. The good news is my swim and bike went really well. Third time was the charm for the Wednesday Killer Interval Session on the trainer. FINALLY completed it. Swimming's been going, well, swimmingly as well.

But the run. OH the run. As a triathlete, you're always going to go through phases of one discipline or another being "off", but first off, running is my STRENGTH and what moves me up from "straggler" to "back of the pack." Plus, my next race is, you know, a HALF MARATHON. With PR ATTEMPT. I had two key running sessions: a track session with my first 400s in almost three years, and a 13 mile run with tempo intervals. Neither went well. However, both were done on EXTREMELY loaded and fatigued legs.

I just keep telling myself that the reason for this is that I'm just starting my build for swim and bike, so of COURSE I'm seeing gains, while I've been training hard in running all off-season and peaking for Cowtown, so of COURSE my times are falling off. I know this, but it is still hard to watch.

Anyway, now begins my two week taper, with lots of swimming, easy biking, and tapering the run. I know I'll be ready to kick it in two weeks.

Week Five

Yikes, never wrote up my Week Five thoughts.

It was a rough week, I won't kid. Although I wasn't tired or anything (I actually logged into TrainingPeaks on Sunday and was disappointed that this week wouldn't really be any more volume-wise.)

What was rough was that I was having really lackluster training sessions in all three disciplines: My swim times were pretty darn slow with a couple truly awful splits, my cycling was mediocre and I once again couldn't finish Wednesdays Two Hour Hill Simulation Trainer Ride of Pain, and my running, blech all week, culminated in a total meltdown during my 11.6 mile run outside. (First outdoor long run in at least a month.)

Ending on that awful long-run was a definite blow mentally with CowTown only being three weeks (well, now 2.5) weeks away. I considered that my key workout of the week and I just didn't hit it, which leaves me wondering if the treadmill running just doesn't work for me. I have one last 13-miler on Sunday before I start tapering and the weather (Highs in the single digits) is really looking like I'm not going to be able to do it outdoors. (What kills is that it was 34 and sunny with no wind today and I had a freakin' trainer ride.)

So, rough week, but at least I'm handling the volume so far.

SHOES! (And Friday Film #14? I think?)

What girl doesn't love to talk about shoes? Last night I got a call from the local sports store that the Kinvaras they were SUPPOSED to order for me two weeks ago never got ordered because their shoe person (a true guru named Sally) slipped on the ice and broke her hip.

While I like Sally and feel bad, that kinda left me high and dry. I love my Kinvaras, but 225 miles and they were DONE. "Starting to get shin splint-y pains" done. (Not surprising since I blow through "pillow shoes" in only 300. You'd think I was a 6'4" Clydesdale, not a 110 lb girl.)

Anyway, at about 5:00 I ordered from Zappo's Running Site. I even got my Kinvara's on sale! I figured I'd get them Monday or maybe tomorrow if I was lucky, but believe it or not, look what was waiting for me after my 11:00 meeting:

The fun thing about the Kinvara 2's is that they come in like a bazillion colors. I picked pink and black. Aren't they hot?

And from the side:

Oh, and if you're running the Cowtown Half Marathon, this is the only view you'll get:

That's right, smack-talking starts NOW.

Oh, and for anyone who thought I was exaggerating about the weight of my trail runners with YakTrax. They actually weighed 1.8 last time.

Finally, a Friday Film for you. The Rock doing an awesomely spot-on Ahnold impersonation:



(Apologies for the soundtrack being so ridiculously off from the visuals.)