Roo's Home!

Hello Everyone!

Yes, I disappeared again. Sorry about that. Work and training have me seriously nose-to-the-grindstone.

Finally got Roo home on Thursday night. She had been cabled up last weekend, but I want pink bar tape and they were trying to find some. (They don't have as many supplies in the off-season.) Anyway, they finally just threw some black tape on her for now and said they'd replace it free of charge when the pink comes in. That with a pink bottle cage and pink bento box will be a very cool look.

So today was supposed to be my first ride on her, but thanks to a lovely cold/asthma type thingie that's just shredded my lungs, I'm taking a "wait and see" approach. I'd take a "talk to coach" approach, but (as luck would have it) she's doing an adventure race today. Sigh. I'm hoping I can at least spin lightly this afternoon/evening.

In positive news, my swims this week were bumped up to 2200 yards each - 1.25 miles exactly, as it happens, make them the second-longest swims I've ever done. (Longest being a 1.5 mile open water swim when I was peaking for the Vermont Half last summer.) I am going to be SO much better prepared for the Tinman swim this year. Hurrah! That's the nice thing about picking up a new sport (I've only been swimming for a year and a half): there's a very steep rate of improvement.

Next week the schedule is really shaken up since I'm departing for my annual Canoe Camping Marathon Paddling trip with the hunny on Friday. My first swim/run bricks ever - how fun!

My New Bike (and Bike FIT)

Being 4'10" has many challenges, but none so frustrating as of late as trying to find a bike that fits. My first bike (which I still have and use) was a mountain bike. It fits because it's a children's frame.

Then I got serious about triathlons. Unfortunately, they don't MAKE serious road or tri bikes in kid's sizes, so I settled on a 43 cm. Trek 2.1. She worked great as a road bike, but once I added aerobars I ran into nothing but trouble. And back pain. Great back pain that caused me to ride half the Vermont Half with one hand on the horn and the other on my lower back.

So with no end to my tri infatuation in sight, I started looking at Gurus last year. They made (at the time) a custom aluminum bike for around $3000. Unfortunately, they stopped making the aluminums and now only make carbon frames, which is WAY out of my price range.

Luckily, Brian at High Peaks Cyclery NEVER gave up and found me a potential bike. I came in, got on her, and it looked like she would not only work, but be a vast improvement.

So without further ado, everyone, meet Roo.



And for fun, here's a quick little picture I made to compare the fit on my old road bike to the fit on my new tri bike. Needless to say, I'm much more comfortable.



(Sorry for the blurriness - it was a quick phone pic.)

She should be ready to come home tomorrow. I can't wait!

"Recovery" Week

Well, it has arrived: My first recovery week. I thought it would free up time to catch up on work and household stuff before I dive in for another three weeks (including the annual canoe camping trip with Dr. Z.), but as it turns out, I'm busy as ever with tri stuff:

Monday: Short swim - only 1200 yards, but any time saved was more than lost with my rest week chiropractor visit. (As it turns out, my upper back was screwed up and I really needed it.)

Tuesday: Short bike, but once again, any time saved was taken up by stopping at the tri shop to see about my new bike.

Wednesday: Regular distance run, so no time saved at all.

Thursday: VERY short swim. This will be the one day I save time.

Friday: My first full DAY OFF since training started. Time saved? HA! I have my bike fitting in the morning (Probably a couple hours), followed by a one hour sports massage in the afternoon.

Saturday: Shortened bike ride, but there's an extra Karate class. Not tri stuff, but still - BUSY.

Sunday: Short run. Okay, I'll save time here. Unless the new bike is ready, then I'll be busy fussing with her and getting her on the trianer.

So, yay for rest weeks? I guess? LOL!

Killer Swim Set

Yesterday was the first (and only in these first two weeks) tough, non-Zone 2 session I had. I had been dreading it ever since receiving my schedule from Coach Karen. (Actually, it felt good to actually bust it out a bit. Zone 2 is essential for early-season HIM/IM, I know it, but it still gets BOOOOOORING for this former miler/5Ker/go-balls-to-the-wall-all-the-time girl.)

So it was 50's, but on less rest than I had ever done hard 50s on. The first two came in at 1:05, not bad for being sore from shoveling and not having anyone pulling me along. (I have trouble going fast in the water without a rabbit in the next lane.) Unfortunately, the times went quickly downhill from there.

I took my pulse using the lap clock right after finishing (before going into my cooldown) and my heartrate was about 180. WOW! Any other discipline, Coach Karen would have my head. Because it was swimming, she was doing the online equivalent of cackling evilly:

YAWN!

Don't know if it's the craziness at work, adapting to being in training again, or the weather which just keeps dumping more and more snow which needs to be shoveled, but I am POOPED!

Luckily,

1.) My workouts have all gone really well except for Monday's swim, which was affected by spending all weekend shoveling out from the Snowpocalypse. So far my coach's biggest value has been as someone I'm accountable to. It has really helped me to get in the workouts knowing she's looking over my shoulder.

2.) My team won the Superbowl. GO PACK!

So I'm too tired to write up a REAL post. In the meantime, here's a totally random commercial that cracks me up EVERY. TIME. I lose it when he says, "Bang."

100 in 2:11! Woohoo!

I know, I know...I haven't posted since Monday. Between still catching up on work after being gone for a week and instituting Coach Karen's Plan of Pain, I've been busy.

(I kid, I kid. She really is easing my out-of-shape ass into the swing of things.)

Anyhoodle...

Tuesday - First official session on the trainer. Nothing hard, just Z2 right now, but BOY do I need to harden my ass back up. Even with bicycling (as opposed to tr) shorts I was squirming around. The lady-parts were NOT happy. (And nobody likes unhappy ladyparts.)

Wednesday - Hit the roads. That's right, a light jog in SNOWPOCALYPSE. Who am i kidding? I freakin' LOVE running in the snow! Will be buying YakTrax however - all that sliding around got me out of Z2 even at a ridiculously easy (i.e. Turtles were passing me) pace.

Today - SWIMMY SWIM SWIM! After I warmed up, I hit my first 100 in an insane 2:11! Crazy! Unfortunately, I paid for that (and the FIVE TIMES I shoveled during SNOWPOCALYPSE) and my times went steeply downhill from there. Still, not a bad workout at all considering.

Tomorrow is another run - it's been sunny and low 20s all day and supposed to be more of the same for tomorrow, so the streets should be much clearer. Hooray for radiant melting!

Here We Go!

So...today started my official training for Tinman. 21 weeks to go. What better way to kick things of than hit the pool? Now, ever since returning after the holidays, my swim sessions have been like this:

(via Steve in a Speedo)

Sp I was pleasantly surprised when all of my sets (it was a 1500 yd form workout) were under 2:30? My first 100 was even 2:20. Not where I was in October, but a definite improvement. I felt really good in the water aside from a rough 200 where I lost my form a bit and started "attacking" in the water.

All in all, a great start to training. Tonight is Karate and tomorrow it'll be bike time. I'm actually really looking forward to Wednesday - run in a snowstorm. No, I'm not being facetious. I LOVE running in snow! Expect pictures.

First Schedule! Woohoo!

I had a nice surprise last night after work - Coach Karen sent my my first two weeks of training a few days early. Needless to say, I printed it out immediately and pretty much have it memorized already. It starts off fairly easy, a little over six hours next week and a little over seven the week after, but that's a good thing since I'm so out of shape. I have a little under six months to go and want to stay injury-free, so a slow ramp-up works for me.

Hoping to go for a swim today, but we'll see how work goes. I have a couple projects due before the weekend so might be relegated to the dreaded trainer just to save time. Anyone want to buy me an endless pool for the basement? ;-D

Will hopefully get out for some snow-filled fun tomorrow before it's all S/B/R.

Ready to Ramp Up

Not much new going on here. I start with my new coach, Coach Karen on Monday and I can't wait. I've never worked with a coach before, so I am SO excited to tear into the schedule I will be receiving sometime Sunday. You can bet that I'm going to print that bad boy out and read it over and over again. I'm really interested to see what she has in store for me!

I'm also a bit nervous. Having to call an early end to the season last year means that I am severely detrained and out of shape. Starting next week though, that will be no more!

In the meantime, I need to get back to work and clear my virtual inbox to get ready for the season.

Buckle your seatbelts, here we go!

It's never too cold to run!

Really busy day today, but just thought I'd share this fun photo from yesterday:



12 degrees. One crazy runner. This is how we do it in the L.P., bitches.

Bike LT Test

On Tuesday I had my first-ever lactate threshold test, a Christmas gift from Dr. Z. (Who says all girls want diamonds? ;-D ) I opted for the bike test as I have enough experience running to feel pretty good about knowing my zones.

So, we packed up the bike and brought her to the Fit for Life center in Saranac Lake. I got changed while the physiologist hooked her up to the Computrainer.

I got ten minutes of warming up and then the fun began. What struck me immediately is that the Computrainer was set way differently than my trainer at home. I had to warmup in the granny gear. Time to adjust the resistance at home!

So every four minutes he took a finger prick blood sample and then I had to go into the next gear. We repeated this three times before I maxed out completely. I will fully admit to being disappointed by the condition I'm in. I couldn't even reach the 220-age number for my heart rate. It was a big wake up call.

So here's the results:

Graph:



And here's my new (wimpy) zones:

Zone 1 119 (Recovery Rides)
Zone 2 119-131 (Endurance Events)
Zone 3 133-146 (Tempo Work)
Zone 4 153-164 (Lactate Threshold / Time Trialing)
Zone 5 166-183 (Sprints and Anaerobic Training)

Here's to time in the saddle getting those numbers up!

5 Day Swim Streak! DONE!

As everyone knows, the swim is BY FAR my weakest event. So what better to work on in the very early season than swimmy swim swim. The biggest limiter was my back and arms. I would have loved to have swam 2.5K a day, but a couple days all I could handle was 1K before my form fell apart.

So...3.5 miles in 5 sessions. NICE! The pool is only open four days next week, but my goal will be 4 miles in 4 sessions.

Also, I am officially registered for Tinman. Check it:



(Click to see full-size. Stupid Blogspot.)

Oh, and exciting new news to be announced. I'm holding off until I can get pictures.

First Two-a-Day of the Year!

Man, it's only Tuesday and I can tell that I'm going to be TIRED after this week of training. Makes me wonder how I did 12-14 hour training weeks for Tinman last year. Thank God it's only January - gives me time to get back up to that fitness level!

Anyway, last night's Karate class was pretty good. We started off with the black belts working bo kata, which rocked. I hadn't picked up my bo in ages and it was a nice surprise that I really wasn't too rusty. Impressive considering I really have to work hard at that weapon. (I'm a sai kind of girl.)

This morning I did another quick, easy 2.5 mile run on the treadmill at a 9:30 pace. STILL no IT band pain, so I'm hoping to up it to a full three miles next week.

At noon I did an equally short, easy session at the pool. I was still embarrassingly, ridiculously slow even for me, but I upped my long sets to 400 (10:27 and 10:34 - YOUCH!)and did a couple sub-2:25 100's. A total of 1200 yards in the same amount of time (35 minutes) as I did 1000 yesterday, so an improvement. I just pray I can get back to the swim form I was in back in October. My swimming just never recovered from that trip to Phoenix last November.

So...first two-a-day of 2011 has been completed. They were both short and easy, but it's a start.

Outdoor Bike! Pool! Running! AWESOME!

Oops...already lost a couple days of updating. In all fairness, it's been CRAZY. I have been training though.

Saturday Dr. Z. and I did indeed get outside for another (for me) seven miler on our mountain bikes. It was a blast. I would have taken mud pictures, but we just didn't get as messy as I did the day before. AWESOME!

Sunday, after a long day of shopping up in Plattsburgh it was time to hit the treadmill. I upped it to a 9:31 pace, which I was able to hold for 2.5 miles with absolutely no IT band pain. AWESOME!

The pool re-opened from semester break so I hit it as soon as they opened today. I expected to be even slower than usual (a.k.a. Bricks and snails go flying past me in the next lane. My 300 yard warmup took 7:50. Yep, almost a 2:40 pace. Admittedly I was warming up and nowhere near trying hard, but damn.

Speaking of warming up, the water was cold. I mean "Take five minutes to even get in and then have your breath taken away when you put your face in cold." Once again, DAMN!

I spent the rest of the time doing 300 pull buoy/100 drill to try to get my feel for the water back. After I had completed 1000 yards, Dr. Z. said he was done. (He had wanted to go longer but wasn't feeling well and exhausted.) He was willing to wait for me, but stopping made me realize I was already sore. Can we say out of shape? At least I wasn't fatigued. AWESOME!

Tonight Karate starts back up after being closed all last week for the holidays. AWESOME! I'm also hoping to hop on the trainer for about a half-hour...not so awesome.

Back in 2011!

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope it was good. I know I really neglected my blog last year, so am hoping to do better this year.

To kick things off, I have some great mud photos. We're experiencing a winter thaw, so Beast has been dusted off and taken outside.

Front View:



I think I have mud in my teeth.

Even more impressive, the back view (and not just because of my fine Cuban ass...hahahaha...)



I literally had mud in my hair. Took forever to wash out.

Well, it's warm again today, so another bike ride might be called for. If I get out there, it'll mean that I made it through January without missing a month of outdoor riding, a true accomplishment up here in the tundra.

Back from Phoenix

I did manage to get a couple bike machine workouts and even a short hike in while in Phoenix, but am glad to be able to get back to regular training. Pity that didn't happen. Heh. Beautiful 60 degree weather (a true rarity up here this time of year) meant that all indoor training had to be scrapped for outdoor activity.

Friday was a total throwaway - I left my hotel room at 5:45 am MT and arrived home at 8 p.m. ET. A truly long day, especially since I barely slept the night before.

Saturday Dr. Z and I went for a hike. Well, more like a walk in the woods - we walked to the base of Scarface Mountain and back - a total of about 3.4 miles.

Sunday it was time to try out mountain biking again. We did a slightly harder route, and I did fairly well considering it was only my second time ever. I even jumped my first log!

Pictures of the weekend will be coming soon. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of me hugging a ginormous cactus while on my hike on Thursday.

ANOTHER swim breakthrough!

Today's swim workout was a nice long warmup followed by a 1000 yard time trial. I've been having some serious breakthroughs lately so I was psyched to see how I stacked up.

I started with a nice easy 300 yards to warm up. I felt stiff and sore from yesterday's strength training, but kept it easy. Was shocked to hit the wall in 7:13.

Next was 6 x 50 hard with 15 second recovery. The slowest was 1:07. And this is was with no one to pull me along, which is always a problem for me.

So, after 600 yards and then a full minute recovery, it was go time.

I decided to bust for all I was worth. At one point I wasn't sure if I was at 300 or 350 yards so I checked my watch. 6:50, which could only be 300 yards. Holy shit. I was fully in the hurt locker, but tried to hold on. Wanted to quit so badly, not being used to pushing myself on the swim for that long, but kept at it and finished in...are you ready for it?

23:50. Holy FUCK. 2:22/100 pace.

Now, any swimmer or even triathlete would laugh at that, I know, but that is a HUGE breakthrough for me. Just a month ago 25:00 would have been a breakthrough. I even double-checked to see what the pace would have been for 950 yards in case I missed a lap, but that would have been 2:30/100 even and I was definitely hauling faster than that.

I was supposed to do 3 x 200 at that new T-pace afterwards, but I was SO shot that the first one was 5:00. That (and having to leave for a meeting) told me it was time to go. However, I was more than happy to have left it all out there for the time trial. I'll take that over being able to do the post-work any time!

First Mountain Bike Ride! FUN!

I thought that my previous spin with Beauty before putting her on the trainer was going to be the last outdoor ride of the year, and I was grateful even for that - October rides are rare up here in the Far North.

However, the weather gods smiled upon the Northeast and it was 70 and sunny. Both Dr. Z and I wanted to ride bikes tomorrow, but Dr. Z was stubbornly adamant about off-roading instead of a nice ride on River Road (my first choice). I do own a mountain bike (Beast), who was never seen dirt while I've owned him, so I grudgingly agreed to try out off-roading if we kept to EASY PEASY PUSSY trails.

Well. Not only did Dr. Z keep his word, leading us down wide grass paths and glorified dirt roads, I actually had a BLAST and didn't fall off my bike once! If you had told me I would be able to do even an easy mountain bike ride back in June when I was worried about hydration during Tinman because I COULDN'T EVEN GET MY WATER BOTTLE FROM THE CAGE, I would have thought you were insane.

So, I'm not giving up my half-century rides on wide highway shoulders anytime soon, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed mountain biking.

Coach Wanted

Okay, I'm putting this out there. After this disaster of a season, I am seriously considering hiring a coach. I'd prefer someone local that I can work with in person, but am willing to work with something remotely if they're the right fit.

Any recommendations are most welcome.

Thanks!

Broke 2:30/100 for long swim!

YES! After trying for a year to get to sub-2:30/100 for my long swims (i.e. Any set over 500), I FINALLY did it yesterday with 1100 yards in 27:15. Sweet! I actually thought I had gone sub-2:20/100, but idiot here double-hit her watch twice, making it appear I had done two laps more than I really did.

I'm still really happy though, especially since:

1.) That was my first time using my lap button to keep track during a long swim and I KNOW it slowed down my turns at the wall

2.) I'm pretty sure I could have kept a sub-2:30 pace going for longer.

In other great news, despite my last entry saying it was the last outdoor bike ride of the year, tomorrow is going to be in the 60's, so it looks like my trusty mountain bike Beast is going to get a late-season spin. It actually ended up in the 60's today, but idiot here already got on the trainer this morning not realizing how warm it was going to be.

Last Outdoor Ride of the Year

It was an unseasonal 55 and sunny today, so I took Beauty out for one last ride before hooking her up to the trainer. It was a beautiful ride, but the purple of my toes when I got back convinced me that it was the end, especially since it's going to be 40's and cloudy after today.

My pace was ridiculously slow - couldn't even hold a 15 average I'm ashamed to say. It was a combination of many things - being out of shape (I've barely been riding because of the weather), the nasty wind, and my windsail-like bike jacket. (I really DO need to find one that's closer-cut.)

Slowness aside, it was great to get out there one last time. I'd complain, but I had the trainer set up about three weeks earlier last year, so not bad at all.

Now...is it Spring yet? ;-D

Dating a Triathlete

Read this on Beginner Triathlete this morning and just HAD to share. Poor Dr. Z! The ones about food are especially true.

---------------------

Dating a triathlete...

"I am an outdoors type of person." Really means: I train in any type of weather. If it's raining, snowing, 90 degrees w/100 percent humidity, or winds gusting at 30 mph. I don't want to hear any complaints because I will still train in it and you're just a big wuss for complaining about it.

"I enjoy riding my bike." Really means: with or w/o aero bars, alone or in a peleton, I don't care. If you can't do a spur of the moment 30 miler then you're not my type. I will let you draft, but if you can't hang and I drop you - I will see you later. I am a capable mechanic, but don't expect me to change your flats or tune your bike. You need to learn that on your own.

"I enjoy jogging." Really means: Let's run hills until we puke. I have just as many shoes as you only mine are better because they are functional and all look the same.

"I enjoy dining out." Really means: I enjoy eating out, in or anywhere else I can find food. Don't be shy because with the amount of food I eat, you can have that main entree instead of a salad and you will still look as though you eat like a rabbit in comparison. Don't get your limbs too close though as I may take a bite out of you. Most importantly don't expect any taste off my plate unless you can bring omething to the party like more food. Eventually though if your not burning 4,000 calories a day your going to plump up and have a terrible complex due to watching me eat deserts and not gain any weight. Friends and family will eventually decide not to dine with us anymore due to my horrid table manners. Oh, and don't ask me any questions during breakfast, Mid Morning Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon lunch, dinner or Recovery Dinner as it does not lend to efficient food intake.

"I enjoy quiet walks on the beach." Really means: Walks on the beach warming up into an 8 mile run and then plunging myself in the ocean for a 2 miler. If you get in my way you're going to find out what mass start is and let me assure you that you don't want to find out.

"I find fulfillment in charitable work." Really means: If I am not racing, I am volunteering and I expect you to be there along side me as I stand out in 90 degree weather for 8 hours handing out sports drink to cyclists going 20 mph. Just stick the ol' arm out there and hope it doesn't get taken off.

"I enjoy sharing quiet moments together." Really means: It's taper time. Just back off because I am strategizing and in a pissy mood because I am worried about my "A" race and can't workout.

"I am an active person." Really means: Aside from my 40 hour job, and the 8 mandatory hours of sleep a night. 10 hours a week are devoted to me during the off-season and 20 during race season leaving us 4 hours. 2 of which are spent inhaling food and you not talking to me, so let's make the best of the 2 hours we will spend together on average each day. If you are a licensed message therapist or doctor this would make the most optimal use of our time together. Nutritionist is also acceptable, but I probably already know just as much as you.

"I enjoy road trips and leisurely drives." Really means: You have your choice of Wisconsin, Idaho, Florida, California, Arizona, and Canada, but don't expect to do much site seeing. If I get enough support from you we might be able to include Hawaii in there.

"I enjoy site seeing." Really means: Lets grab a mountain bike and get our HR's up to 90%. There's plenty of time to look around on the descent as trees and bushes whiz by you at 40 mph.

"I like stimulating conversation." Really means: while we are running, we can talk about food. Then we can talk about how we decided what to wear on this run based on the temperature at start time versus the temperature at the time we expect to finish, how horribly out of shape we are, how many miles we did last week, and how many we will do this week and next week. Then we can talk about food.

"I enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub." Really Means: I'm going to stop on the way home and buy two bags of ice, throw them in the tub with some water, and sit in this torture chamber for 30 minutes.

"I'm interested in photography" Really Means: My camera is permanently perched a tripod in front of my trainer. I obsess over taking photos of my bike position and analyzing them to get the perfect setup.

"I'm into in technology" Really Means: My HRM and bike computer are my best friends. Until you can give me some hard data that can improve my training, don't bother trying to buddy up to me. You could one day break into the top three if I find you as entertaining on long runs and rides as my mp3 player.

Exploring the NCCC Weight Room

Hit the pool today. Unfortunately my lack of swimming over the past week and a half showed - my splits weren't HORRIBLE, but they weren't that great. Did hit one 1:06 50 yard sprint with the help of Dr. Z. Like I said, nothing great. Actually ended the workout early to spend a good 15 minutes on technique drills.

After that, I went to the NCCC weight room for the first time now that I've canceled my membership at the gym. (Sad, but it had to happen - they lost their partnership with the pool.) It was small but had everything I needed except a pulley machine for rows. Luckily they had a weight machine that was very close. It should work out just fine for my routine.

Now it's FINALLY cleared up and warmed up. So tempting to try to get out for a quick bike ride. Sigh. After the long time at NCCC I must work instead.

I *RAN*!

I've been fighting this IT band injury for weeks now, which is why I dropped out of the marathon, but yesterday...I RAN!

Okay, it was two miles on a treadmill with no incline at a 12:00/mile pace, but I did it and it didn't hurt! YAY!

Also, Dr. Z and I just got back from "hiking" Mount Baker. It's really a little bump compared to some of the mountains around here, but it was our first time in a year, so we wanted to start small. It was PERFECT weather for it too - sunny and 50. A beautiful fall day.

Tomorrow is still up in the air training-wise. I still haven't decided between swim, bike, run, or a combination. Depends on how my knee feels. I also have Karate class tomorrow - gotta get there since I missed Wednesday.

Friday Follows and Fun!

First of all, LOVE this UnderArmor ad because it pumps you up and it actually features female athletes without being all "Girl Power!" In fact, they could have used male athletes and it would have worked just as well.



Now for some follows:

Just stumbled upon Kara Goucher's blog. Head over and congratulate her on her new son Colt.

Next, head over to Sonja's blog. She's an AGer heading down to Kona and just beat the Elites to win her "tune-up" 70.3 a couple weeks ago. Woman is SICK fast, yo.

And finally, if you're not following Steve in a Speedo's Twitter feed, you're a moron.

Was Sick, Now Better

Hey All,

Spent yesterday sick. Blech. Stomach was hurting so bad I didn't even work. (And that takes a lot when one works from home.) Needless to say, no training was done.

Finally felt better today. Skipped the morning swim, but got out there for the Fun Run. The course of the week was "No Name," a course that has always boded bad luck for me. I finally did decent on it - no GI issues, no bonking, nothing. I finished the 4.28 miles in 35.37. Not a speed record by any means, but not bad. I really want to get back to doing sub-8's though. I hate having lost my speed. I just have to keep telling myself that I've made huge improvements in my endurance.

In other news, Lake Placid is absolutely crawling with Ironman competitors. Awesome!

Anyway, tomorrow will be a 20 mile bike and swimming the Ironman course. First 1.2 mile open water swim ever! I'm nervous, but I know I can do this. (Actually, physically, I can. Put me in a pool and it'd be no problem. It's totally the mental aspect of being out in the middle of the lake that gets to me.)

...and back!

I've been up since 5:30 and Dr. Z. took his camera home anyway, so I'll make this short for now. I did indeed get my sorry ass out the door yesterday and run 10 miles in a surprising 1:32:30. Pretty freakin' sweet! Now I just need to get back on my damn bike. I haven't ridden in over a WEEK! (I was hoping to get out there this afternoon but was just WAY too tired between the lack of sleep and the three hour drive home.)

Anyway, Dr. Z's XTerra sprint tri started off strongly - he survived the swim. He was back of the back, but putting in pretty damn good times for him and was far from the last one out of the water.

He looked good leaving T1, but unfortunately completely twisted and wrecked his chain about halfway through the bike. Frustrating because he had just finished the real technical part of the course. He was understandably upset and not just DNFing, but also having to throw yet more money into his hybrid.

Anyway, more details to come with pictures, but now I must SLEEP.

Quick Note

Going out of town soon to sherpa Dr. Z through his first official triathlon - the Sky High XTerra down outside of Albany. It's a sprint-distance offroad triathlon - a bit too crazy for my tastes. (My bike handling skills are Teh Suck - no way I'd survive.)

Anyway, I'll be back Sunday night or Monday morning with pictures. In the meantime, I'm hoping to get in a quick ten miles before we leave today and fifty miles on the bike tomorrow after we get back. (That's the plan anyway. We'll see if it actually happens.)

Evening Swim

Had to cancel my bike ride today thanks to torrential rains all day long. I think I'm going to remove the slicks from my mountain bike Beast, put the knobbies back on, and use him for bad weather. I haven't ridden in a week and I'm NOT happy about it. (Admittedly the other missed workouts were my fault - I've been dealing with insomnia all week and it's affected my training.)

Anyway, had a nice evening swim with Dr. Z after work. Went out to the first orange buoy after the yellow ones in ten minutes. Had a panic attack when I went to cross over to the other lane to head back and ended up fighting the wind-driven current. I switched to breaststroke and managed to get to the other line without completely losing it. Once I was on the line again, I was fine. Something about the buoys soothes me even though I'm not tall enough to stand on the line. It's like I feel connected to land and civilization as long as I can just watch the line under me. Got back REAL fast though - 18:30 when I hit the last buoy. Since it was so early in the workout, I went back out four buoys and this time DIDN'T freak out crossing over. Still finished early at 28:00, but just wasn't feeling it today. Will hit it again on Tuesday. I do get nervous heading out much further without an escort boat though. Don't know how other triathletes do it.

Fun Run #2 and When to Throw Out Your Shorts

Well, I just got back from Fun Run #2 of the year. It was hot...AGAIN. I bonked and ended up walking parts of it...AGAIN. I finished in 34 minutes even, which is 4 minutes off my PR for the Hillyman course. Sigh. I was hoping the extra Gatorade and adding salt to it would help. I'm starting to run out of ideas.

On a positive note, my pace was almost 15 seconds faster than last week (8:57 vs. 9:09) despite it being a MUCH tougher course, so I guess that's something. (Last week was Flatlander.) I know it wasn't totally the heat - I haven't been doing my hill work.

Oh, and I guess it's time to retire these shorts. It looks like my ass has been attacked by a wildcat.

New Record For Me

Yes indeed. No posts since freakin' FEBRUARY? Sheesh. So much has happened that I'm not even going to try to catch up. I'm just going to post today's workout as if nothing's happened.

Went for a swim in Mirror Lake this morning. I'm really starting to love the early morning swims. I just wish I could zip myself into my wetsuit - it's always a pain to find someone to do it for me. The downside of liking a tight fit.

I swam out to the second yellow buoy. I had been hoping to go further but started feeling wheezy and the water is NO place to mess with an oncoming asthma attack, so I turned around. Luckily, by the time I got back to the start buoy it had passed so I went back out and swam the first four buoys again. I'm really hoping to finally do the whole line tomorrow night and prove to myself that I can swim 1.2 in open water. In the meantime, I'm upping my Pulmicort (steroid inhaler) back to twice a day instead of just once. My doctor told me to try bringing it down to just once a day but it's not working, at least in this heat. I'll also use my rescue inhaler before going in.

Tonight will be another hot Fun Run. Argh. Plan for not bonking like last week is full Gatorade (already slurped down half a liter) instead of diluted, the Heed Endurolytes I got at the criterium, and tucking in behind IronDad for the first three miles. He's SO much better at pacing than I! (I should have known not to pass him in the first half mile last week, but the pace felt too easy - needless to say, I blew up and he ended up passing and finishing way before me.)

Let's see if we can iron out these issues!

My Butt Hurts

Yep.

Three hours. On the trainer. Longest bike ride EVER.

Man, the sore legs weren't too bad. The trainer wasn't even too bad - I put in Fellowship of the Ring and geeked out. My butt, on the other hand, was KILLING me. I was wearing bike shorts but I'm just not quite conditioned yet.

Otherwise it went really well. Next up is tomorrow's 1:45 run. Hopefully my legs will feel at least somewhat fresh in the morning.

GOOD Swim! Yay!

Had to take yesterday off due to feeling like crap. Mother Nature stopped by for her monthly visit, the bitch, and left me feeling totally drained.

However, after a solid two weeks of frustration in the pool, I had a breakthrough today. Still don't have a lot of stamina, but something clicked about halfway through my workout and I was hitting well under a 2:30/100 pace. I even did one 50 yard lap in 1:10. Yay! (Keep in mind, this is without doing flip-turns, which I have no idea how to do.)

So, I'm still a lousy swimmer, but I'm LESS lousy. I also e-mailed my coach to schedule another lesson at the end of next week. (I'm going for one lesson every two weeks for the forseeable future.) Hopefully I'll get even better!

Long Run, Long Bike, and More Bad Swimming

Friday's 2.5 hour bike went really well. I had two back-to-back "Listen-Only" type meetings so I actually did it during work. Kept my heartrate around 140.

Saturday was a 90 minute long run. Did it on a treadmill and started at a nice easy 9:31 with no incline. Want to go slow after last week's blowup during the long run. Increased it to 9:03 for the last half hour. Once again, felt great! Plus I had an excuse to put on my compression socks and hang out on the couch watching the Olympics the rest of the day.

This is a light week, so not much happening. I've been working the swim. Good news is I can breathe every OTHER stroke now, but bad news I can only do it for 50 yards at a time and at a 2:50 pace. Sigh.

Tempting to skip today's bike - just got my period and am REALLY dragging. We'll see.

Swim Lesson

The one part of my training that hasn't been going well lately is swimming. Well today I finally got in touch with my awesome swim coach. Turns out she was heading to the pool at the same time I was, so she spent nearly an hour walking back forth alonside the pool shouting corrections while I did laps.

Because of my out of control kick, I got to use a pull buoy. It felt very weird to have a large bouyant thing between my legs.

(Did I get a spit-take on that one? Hee.)

Anyway, I got so much good stuff today, it's a shame the pool is closed over the weekend for the final basketball games. Boo. (Actually, it's a good thing because I'm not supposed to swim again until Tuesday and otherwise I'd be ignoring my plan and doing extra swimming.)

Yay!

First Week of Training Complete

It was tough. I'm sore. My knee is a bit achy. I'm behind in work. But I completed the first week of HIM training without missing a workout. YAY!

It culminated in Saturday's brick. I woke up at 5 to take my meds, dozed until six, and then got up, had breakfast and coffee, and was on my bike by 7:00. Two hours later, I hopped off, used the bathroom, threw on about three more layers of clothing, and then headed out for a 45 minute run in 5 degree F weather. BRRRR!!! My skin was so cold that I didn't realize that my Fuel belt was bouncing around and scraping me until afterwards.

All in all it went great! I felt tired but not worn out after the bike, hit my 9:00 race pace on the first mile, and while miles three and four were tough, got a nice shot of endorphins to finish strong!

Thank God, because yesterday's swim was a real goggle-thrower. Grrr. My speed is going DOWN, if that's even possible without actually sinking.

First Week of HIM Training and POOL IS OPEN!!!

First week of HIM training has begun. It started on Superbowl Sunday - managed to get the hour on the trainer in before the party without a problem.

The volume is incredible. This plan brings up the volume early and then focuses on speed the rest of the time, so keeping up has been a challenge. I'm desperately training to complete the volume so that I don't have to drop down to the beginner plan. The real test for this week will be Friday's 2 hour bike/45 minute run brick. (Yeah, you heard me. Five months out, this is what they want.)

Today's run was the hardest I've done in a long time. I did 10 minutes at a 9:13 pace, then did a 40 minute tempo run at 8:27. Cooldown was 5 minutes at 9:22 and 5 minutes at 10:00. I was a wuss and didn't incline the treadmill although you're supposed to. It was 7 miles even, total.

The pool opened just in time for my training plan. (Literally - it opened Monday, the day of my first pool workout.) I took it easy on Monday - 50 yard warmup, 4x100, then 100 yard cooldown. Hit two sub-2:30 splits, so I haven't gotten any slower. I was a bit sore on Tuesday though, so it's good I kept it short. Figured it was a good idea since I hadn't swam in two months.

I'm going to do 100 WU, 6x100, 100 CD this afternoon - I'll get back up to the long workouts they want soon enough.

Last Week of Off-Season

Well, this is officially my last week of the off-season. My half IronMan plan starts on Superbowl Sunday. AAAAAHHHH!!!

The pool is STILL closed (it's been almost two months now), but FINALLY got an update saying that they at long last got the pump running and now are just waiting for the temperature to come up. I'm ready to show up TODAY with my wetsuit - 70 degrees is perfectly fine with a wetsuit.

I did 40 minutes on the trainer today. It was one-leg drills, which was really tough. My left leg rides nice and smooth but I have a big "dead space" at the top of my stroke with my right foot. It was enlightening.

Tonight is Karate - I missed all last week so definitely have to drag my ass over there no matter how tired I am. (That's what usually gets me - class doesn't even START until 6:30, by which time I'm starting to crash, especially in the winter when it's already dark out.)

Skiing!

We've had such an amazing winter this year! (So far anyway.) Both Saturday and Sunday were warm and sunny, so cross-country skiing was in order. The snow was PERFECT! It was actually TOO fast for a beginner like me. I did alright on Saturday, but fell half a dozen times on Sunday. My skis just kept getting away from me on the downhills. Those long, skinny skis just have no control. I torqued my knee pretty bad and pulled a ligament. I spent a lot of yesterday afternoon watching the football and icing.

The knee felt a lot better this morning. Still not a hundred percent, but much improved. I did LT training on the bike for 50 minutes, which went really well. My plan also called for weight work on the legs, but I'm skipping it because of the knee. I look at weight training as icing on the cake anyway.

Tonight is Karate. I've barely attended the past couple months for a variety of reasons, but am looking forward to getting back into it.

In other news, although it was supposed to open this week, I've still heard no word on the pool. I'm REALLY getting nervous here - I want to start back up with tomorrow's swim workout that is planned.

A MONTH?!? Crap!

Hey All!

Between the craziness of the holiday season, starting a new job, and being sick there's just not been time for training, forget blogging.

I'm just starting to feel better. I've been easing into exercise. I did half an hour easy on the trainer yesterday - didn't even wear my HR monitor. Just spun comfortably.

Today I did 45 minutes of yoga. Didn't realize how tense and "locked" I was. Wow! Definitely have to keep yoga in the rotation even after I'm well enough to fully S/B/R.

Back from Business Trip

*dusts off blog*

Hello? *tap* *tap*

Anybody still around?

Seriously though, I can't believe I haven't updated in two weeks. I spent the second week of December in L.A. on a business trip, where the only workout I managed to get in was a 1.5 hour ride on a recumbent bike. (The only bike the hotel "gym" had.)

I've managed to get right back into the swing of things though, so yay! I've been missing the swim workouts because of the pool being closed, but am hitting all of the bike and run sessions.

Yesterday was an hour easy on the bike. The plan said to find rolling hills, so I simulated that on my trainer by putting it into a higher gear for a few minutes every so often.

Last night Dr. Z and I went out and helped with the children's class. It was SUPER easy - no one-on-one training at all. Spent most of the time just kinda standing around. We got a half hour of private training afterwords as our reward. Well worth it!

Today was one of the toughest run workouts I've ever done: 20 minutes easy at 8:57 pace, then seven sets of 3 minutes at an 8:00 pace followed by a two minute recovery at 9:05. Finish that off with another 20 minutes easy, this time at 9:05 because I was TIRED. Total workout: 8.54 miles in 1:15. WOW!

Tomorrow is a well-deserved day off. (There's supposed to be an easy swim workout, but...POOL CLOSED.) I'll do some walking to loosen up the legs but that's it.

Swim and Run

Yesterday's swim workout went fairly well. I did 3x400 for my main set and hit 10:03 in the middle one. ALMOST a 2:30 pace. I'm looking forward to taking another swim lesson when I get back from L.A. I don't expect to ever be a fish, but I do need to get my long-distance speed down to 2:00-2:15/100, which I think is a perfectly reasonable goal.

Today was long run day. I did seven miles again. It took me longer than last week on the treadmill, but there's some nasty hills, a strong headwind, AND my hamstrings were killing me. I did keep it at my goal 9:00 pace with a time of 1:02:42.

Anyway, tomorrow will be hitting the pool and a short stint on the bike trainer. Sunday is my day off, which works out well since I'll be spending most of it travelling.

Let's see if I get up early Monday morning to do a long bike before meeting my client. At least I have the time zone change working in my favor!

Officially Signed Up! AAAAHHH!!!

It's official. I'm signed up for the Tinman 70.6 in June. Bib number 67. I've added a countdown at the top of the blog. AAAAAHHH!!!

Anyway, been a few frustrations lately. I cut yesterday's long swim short after not being able to crack a 2:45 pace. Dr. Z. keeps going on about how at least I'm not exhausted at the end and can go forever, but I've been looking at even MOP people's paces and that just won't cut it. I was hoping to see much more improvement between all the time I'm putting in and the lesson I took, but no luck. I'll definitely be scheduling another lesson after next week's trip. That brings up another annoyance with swimming: The pool will be closed for the holidays when I return. It's a college and everything closes down for winter break. ARGH!

On top of that, I had to bring the bike to the shop today. Turns out that I had the trainer drum too close to the wheel and have prematurely worn out my tire - to the canvas in one part! Now I have to go online and try to find a trainer wheel in a 650 size - they only had 700s.

So anyway, much frustration. Many technical and form issues to work out before my swim and bike are on par with my running.

Swam over a MILE!

You read that right. After an awesome 4.5 mile run this morning, I swam 2000 meters in 55:12. That's 1.14 MILES. How cool is that?

TrainerChick was there after teaching a water aerobics class, and unbidden gave me a tip on how to rotate to breathe without using my kick, so yet another form issue solved.

My average was 2:46/100, which sound pathetic, but I was still working out form issues in the first 500, hit my peak of 13:16 in the second 500, did the third 500 in 13:51 and had to fight both fatigue and a nasty foot cramp in the last 500, coming in at 14:05. So, I know I can do even better next time. I'll start with hitting under 55:00 and go from there.

YAY!

Training Back on Track

Training for the Tinman is finally back on track...for now. A second business trip, this time to L.A., may very well derail it, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

Saturday I swam for 1250 yards, doing a 200 yard warmup, 10x100, and then 50 yards to cool down. I left my watch home again, but stayed ahead of the woman next to me, which made me feel good.

That evening I did another speed workout, this timeon the trainer. 45 minutes of awesome pain.

Sunday was a much-needed day off.

Today I did my long bike - 90 minutes at a heartrate of around 140. My legs were all wobbly when I got off!

Tomorrow is a long swim (2000 YARDS!) and a run. After that, failure may come again as the stupid pool is closed Wednesday - Sunday for the holiday. Suckage.

First Swim Lesson, Great Long Run

Tuesday's swim lesson went really well. It was held in the endless pool, so TrainerChick was able to stand next to me and correct my form as I swam. Turns out I have good body position, but it goes to hell when I breathe, so I worked on rolling my entire body and tucking my chin in to breathe. Also, I was forcing the kick, so I worked on that as well. (TrainerChick: "Think mermaid!")

I ran on the treadmill right after since I was at the gym and boy was that a mistake. Had a terrible run. I do seem to remember that the treadmill I used is set a bit fast, so that might have been the issue.

Wednesday I got on the trainer for an hour easy. Kept the heart rate in the 130s. I find the monitor keeps me honest on the trainer since I can't measure distance. I was supposed to run after, but was SO exhausted from staying up late the night before that I bagged both that and Karate.

Yesterday was back to the pool to put what I had learned on Tuesday to practice. Unfortunately I was actually SLOWER than before. I know that I have to slow down to make corrections, but it was still very frustrating. Dr. Z suggested that I leave the watch at home for now and I'm going to use that advice. My plan goes by distance for swimming anyway. I'll start timing myself when the changes have been incorporated smoothly.

Today's long run went much better, which was nice. (Hey, I may not be much on the bike or swim yet, but dammit I can run.) I ran 6:75 miles in an hour despite a cold rain and a nasty headwind on the way back. It was definitely a "mental toughness" day, but I was rewarded by my fastest hour-long run in ages.

Tomorrow is a speed session at the pool and 45 minutes of intervals on the bike trainer. Sunday will be a much-deserved rest day with much watching of the football.

Back to Work(ing Out)

Lost of last week due to illness WHILE being at a work conference. Blech!

Anyway, finally getting back into it. I did 45 minutes easy on the trainer last night, which went well. Followed that up with 3.5 miles at an 8:43 pace this morning. I'm hoping to do another hour easy on the trainer after work, but am losing steam fast.

Tomorrow is my first swim lesson. I am so excited! Hopefully I can start to fix all my form issues and because if not fast, at least efficient in the water. Yay! Also will be running 3.5 miles easy again.

Great Wintery Run

Yesterday Dr. Z and I hit the pool again. I did 3x400 and came up with my usual ten minute-ish times. At the end, one of the local trainers who was leading a water aerobics class said, "You guys were working hard. I could make you so much more efficient. I'll bring a card to Karate." (Her kid takes classes.) It was like we were painful for her to watch, LOL. Dr. Z got there too late to grab her before the end of the kid's class, but I'm hoping to stop by the gym and pick up a card - I'd love to take lessons from her.

Last night's Karate class was pretty good. It was a TINY class - the flu is just rampaging through town right now. Half the people there were black belts. We worked sai for a while, then did conditioning drills, tae sabak drills, and a little bunkai. No sparring, but I think it was because the class was too small.

Today was my long run. It was AWESOME! 35 and no wind - perfect running weather for me. I covered almost 6.75 miles in an hour. Yay! I don't even feel wiped from it.

It's weird only doing one workout today, but no teaching Kid's Class because of Business After Hours. Must network!

Tomorrow is swimming, biking, and Karate.

New Tri Plan

My new Half-Ironman training program is going well so far. Did a long swim yesterday. I'm still slow, but getting better.

Last night's Karate class was wonderfully low-key, which I needed after a hard run and a hard swim. We did some sai, conditioning drills, and self-defense.

Ran again this morning - First time I've run two days in a row in a long time. It was a slow, easy run though - 3.2 miles in 30 minutes. Will be doing 45 minutes easy on the bike later today.

Tomorrow is a swim and Karate class. Easy!

Good Run

Did a 40 minute Z3 run this morning. Zone 3 unfortunately is just under a 9:00 pace nowadays, but I know that I'll get my speed back now that I'm running regularly again. I went about 4.53 miles. It felt great - I love running in the cold!

Looking forward to swimming during lunch. Have a 1500 yd set scheduled. It'll be the first time I've ever swam anywhere near that far without stopping, so it should be interesting.

Tonight is Karate. Really looking forward to that as well after missing last week completely.

Yep, that's three workouts today. Phew!

Unscheduled Day Off and New Plan

Ended up taking yesterday off, not even going to Karate. The car was in the shop all day and my period had just started, leaving me wiped. Thanks Mother Nature! (NOT!)

On a positive note, I'm starting a new training plan that's geared for Half Ironman. That's right, I'm doing Tinman in June! Haven't signed up yet because of money, but will soon. It's actually slightly more than a half IM, at 70.7 miles instead of 70.3. (The run is long, according to the website.) I think I'll be truly excited and nervous once I actually sign up...yikes!

Hitting the pool after work...can't wait! (Assuming it's not crowded...downside of going after work instead of during lunch.)

Tri Training Goes On

Not much new...been swimming and biking. Finally started to ease back into running on the treadmill, which my foot hasn't complained about so far. Getting a new pair of trainers didn't hurt.

Pool is going well. I can do 50 yards in 1:06, which is an improvement but I can't hold the pace for long. I've been going with Dr. Z., who can speed right by me in the next lane. My only solace is the fact that he burns out fast.

Biking is still about the same. I keep forgetting to pump up my tire a bit. It's way too soft - to the point where the resistance on the trainer is being affected.

Hoping to hit the gym today for a short run on the treadmill and some weight work. That is, if I can get my car back from the garage. (If only it were a bit warmer - I'd just bike over.)

Splashing Around in the Pool

Yesterday's pool workout went great! No wait for a lane; in fact, at one point I had the entire pool to myself.

The main part of my workout was 10x100 @3:00. I shocked myself and hit a couple 2:35'a. INSANE! (At least for me. I know a decent triathlete goes at sub-1:45 or at least sub-2:00) I had to stop at eight, but still. Between that, warmup, and cooldown I swam a total of 1600 yards. That's right - a mile! Sweet!

Did 75 minutes on the trainer this morning. Kept it fairly light since it was an endurance workout. It felt good, although that long on a trainer is mind-numbing, even with HGTV on.

Hoping to hit the gym later for weights and core.

Tomorrow: MORE swimming! And Karate!

No Running (For Now)

Went hiking up Big Slide on Saturday with Dr. Z. It ended up KILLING my foot, especially when I had to supinate to stay on the rocks. After the hike, my foot was really swollen and discolored and hurt like a sonofabitch.

I decided to ice it and give it overnight to feel better before going to Urgent Care. It hurt just as much in the morning, so it was off to the doctor's. The good news is that it's a pulled ligament, not a broken metatarsal. The bad news is that running is out, and as I found out at last night's class, is Karate. Sigh.

Biking doesn't seem to bother it - I did an hour on the trainer yesterday without problem. I even did a weight circuit.

I'm off to the pool shortly - we'll see how the foot handles swimming.

First Swim in Weeks

Got my shiny new gym membership yesterday, which...yay! That meant today I could hit the pool for the first time ever.

Although it's out in Saranac Lake, it took me less than fifteen minutes to get there, which, can't complain. I was worried about it being crowded, which seemed a well-founded concern at first with all the lanes full, but then a.) The lifeguard said it's "never this busy" and b.) a lane (occupied by none other than the awesome P.) opened up within 30 seconds. Sweet!

The 2000 meter workout my plan called for DID seem a stretch after not swimming for a month, and it was. I did a 300 meter warmup, 6x50 meters, then 7x100 meters at a 3:00 pace. Cooled down with 100 meters. So, not as ambitious as I hoped, but my arms were tired and I was running out of time anyway. (Whoever gave the time estimates for these swims were evidently using Phelp's pace.)

It just felt SO GREAT to be back in the water. If I have to be in a pool, at least it's a clean, close, and empty one. Can't wait to go again!

First Race Win EVER! YAY!

Saturday's Pumpkin Run 5K went better than I could ever imagine.

At first I wasn't confident of a decent time because it was FREEZING cold, gray and windy. Even during my warmup, I just wasn't "feeling fast." I started thinking, well what the hell, it's a nice little local race for charity. After Stride for Pride's great time, I can't get to upset at a slow time.

We all lined up. It was a small race - about two dozen people or so, a lot of teenagers. The gun went off and although my legs weren't tired per se, they did not feel speedy at all.

Somehow I still managed to find myself in third place overall, with one girl and one guy ahead of me. The guy was the same kid who dropped me in the last mile at Stride for Pride, but more on that later.

I didn't see any mile markers, so didn't check my watch the entire time. The first half was down Mt. Pisgah and all I kept thinking was, "Oh man, the second half back up the mountain is going to SUCK."

Hit the turnaround and the lead girl started flagging the minute we hit the uphills. I managed to catch her around mile 2.5 or so. There was an extra loop on the way back to make it a 5K, so I lost my feel for where I was on the course, and didn't realize I was near the finish line until I was on top of it. I only had 200 meters or so to open up and sprint. If I had known the course better I might have been able to shave a few seconds off my time AND catch the lead guy.

Anyway, I finished first woman, second runner in. Usually not a big deal since it was such a small race. The important number is my time, which was a season best 23:17.

It was a great way to end the season - a season best AND my first win.

Now, back to triathlon training and hopefully getting my endurance up in time to do Tinman next season. Getting my pool/gym membership today.

Last Taper Before Last Race

Did two miles easy this morning - 17:53 total. Tomorrow is the Pumpkin Run (I'm doing the 5K) and the last race of the season.

Last year at this time I was feeling beat up and actually cancelled my last race, but I've recovered from the 90-Miler and am kind of sad at the season ending. I guess I just have to look at it as time to build a decent endurance base and get ready for next season.

Anyway, hopefully I will do as surprisingly well as I did at the Stride for Pride, but we'll see. It'll be fun just getting out there and racing.

Long Run

Did an hour of running this morning in the snow. Made it even further than last week - 6.7 miles and stayed just under a nine minute pace. Yay! Once my running muscles come back I'll be able to go even longer.

Last night's Karate class was pretty much as expected - taught kata and bo, but did get some work with kama with Sensei.

Yawn...the constant cold, overcast weather is really zapping my energy. Hard to think about tomorrow, but will try to get on the bike, either outdoors or by finally getting the new trainer set up. (Need to bring the bike in for a tuneup and a trainer tire first.)

Rest Day...Mostly

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Final Prep for the 90-Miler and New Tri Plan

Saturday was our second-to-last long paddle before the 90-Miler. We did Day Three, just over 20 miles, in 4:06. So far it looks like we can adjust our original goal of 20 hours to closer to 18 hours. Yay!

Sunday we volunteered at XTerra. It had rained all night, making the bike and run course extra muddy for the competitors. It was a ton of fun - we were both pointers, and then I manned a run aid station while Dr. Z continued pointing. Dr. Z wants to do it someday, but I'm more of an on-road girl, at least when it comes to bike.

Monday I started Beginner Triathlete's "20 Week 3x Balanced Sprint" program as a start to increasing my endurance for tri. The first month is ridiculously easy on the bike and run (for me, anyway), which is perfect. It allows lots of extra energy to focus on paddling while allowing me to get my swim up to par.

So the first day called for a 24 minute bike (which was easy for me, like I said) in which I managed to cover six miles. I then did an afternoon "short" swim of 12 minutes. I'm getting more comfortable in the water, but not any faster. Managed 350 meters in that time.

Last night Sensei wasn't at Karate, so of course Sensei Sixpack had sparring. I sparred two rounds with Dr. Z and one round with one of the SkaterTwins. I am VERY unhappy with my sparring skills - must work that with Dr. Z at Friday night class.

Today's only workout called for a 12 minute run. Once again, easy. I upped the difficulty by aiming for an eight minute pace. I managed a 7:53 pace, so I was very happy with that. I haven't hit under eight much this season.

Tonight will be the last Sundowner (boo!), which with Fun Runs and Mini Tris already over signals the end of summer. Oh well. I'm kinda ready for the break, but kinda already can't wait for next season!

Tomorrow is a 32 minute bike in the morning with my longest swim ever (16 minutes) in the afternoon. Here's hoping I don't drown! LOL

In the evening is Karate, as always. We should be working Kata.

Last Fun Run of the Year

Last night was the last Fun Run of the year. Boo! It's always so sad - Fun Runs, Sundowners and Mini-Tris all end within a week of each other, so it's like saying goodbye to summer. Usually everyone disperses right after the fun runs, but there was a lot of loitering last night - I think everyone feels like I do.

Last night we did the Kiwassa out and back route. I elected to do the three-mile option instead of four because I really wasn't feeling well. As it turned out I made the right choice - it was also very humid and my legs were sore from biking on Wednesday.

With the Mini-Tri done and over with, it's time to focus on paddling. Tonight will be three or so laps around Mirror Lake, and tomorrow we'll be doing Day Three of the 90-Miler, which is about 20 miles or so.

Also today - Friday night Karate and (maybe) swimming.

Tri Report

Okay, here goes. Warning: Looooooong post ahead. Get yourself a cup of coffee and a comfortable chair.

I was nervous all freakin' day. I could barely work or do anything. Never pick an evening tri as your first one, that's for sure.

FINALLY it was 5:30 and time to go. After rechecking my bag, we headed up to the lake. I registered and got marked and my swimcap. Dr. Z of course just had to take pictures of my numbers. I arranged and rearranged my transition area a million times, and even remembered to put my bike in the gear I wanted to start in.

Got in the water after the pre-race meeting and did a few quick strokes just to warm up the arms a bit. I also ate some Chomps and hydrated well since it was in the mid-eighties.

I placed myself in the back of the pack since I'm a ridiculously slow swimmer, and the horn sounded. I felt strong and fast...for two or three minutes. Then I couldn't catch my breath. I had gone out way too fast. I panicked and finally ended up holding on to the sweeper kayak for a few minutes. Even when I started swimming again my form was completely gone. The 400 meters took me a redonkulous 15 minutes and also cost me a lot of energy. Amazingly enough I was only the SECOND to last person out of the water.

T1 went fairly well...found out later that it took almost 3 minutes...way too slow. A lot of that was having to tie and double-knot my running shoes. Bike shoes will make that go faster next time.

Bike was pretty good, although not as fast as I hoped - 52 minutes and change. That's when I had to let my original goal of a sub-1:30 finish go. I did, however, pass four people on road bikes while on my heavy-duty mountain bike, some while going UPHILL. Can I mash or what?

T2 went REALLY fast since I didn't have to change shoes - just drop off my bike and helmet.

I was hoping to run an 8:00-8:15 pace, but it was not to be. My legs still had plenty of juice, but my only long training has been paddling and I had no endurance left. My stomach was getting that "Nay, nay not today" feeling it got at mile 12 of the half-marathon last year. I kept it to a 9:00 minute easy pace and just focused on not stopping. I managed to pass another four or five people nonetheless, which was cool.

When I was coming down the homestretch, IronKid (who had finished literally almost half an hour earlier) cheered me on from the lake. I finished in 1:35 and change with a huge grin on my face. That was the most fun I've ever had competiting!

Anyway, I've been fully bitten by the tri bug and can't wait to do it again!

Tri Tonight!

Olga Run was amazingly well - it was blistering hot and humid, yet I ran the three miles in 24:10 at a pretty easy RPE to win my AG. I can't believe it! I've had to haul ass to hit that pace this season and Saturday it didn't feel that hard even in the heat.

Yesterday I took it easy - 400m swim and practice getting on and off my bike quickly. Amazing the little details you have to think about in tri!

Anyway, I'm super nervous but also super excited for tonight's Mini-Tri. T-4 hours and counting!

Gearing Up to Tri

Tuesday night's Sundowner went really well. We were only 12 seconds off our PR time despite a nasty headwinds (magically) both ways.

Wednesday I did my first brick ever. 10 mile bike followed by 1 mile run. Wow. Tough. My legs could barely move the first half mile. I was all proud of myself until Dr. Z mentioned his daughter (also just starting tri but currently a pro runner and gifted swimmer) doing a 18 mile bike/5 mile run brick. Sigh.

Wednesday night's Karate class was pretty good. We did a lot of self defense and also Kata.

Thursday I swam the mini-tri course again, doing the 400 meters in 13:44, a big improvement over last week. Last night's Fun Run was good - I did the 4.1 mile course in an easy 37:24. (Well, it WOULD have been easy if it hadn't been so hot and humid out.)

This morning's swim went even better - I did the course in 13:31, shaving another 13 seconds off my time.

Tonight will be an easy lap around the lake in the canoe, followed by a low-key Karate class.

Tomorrow is the Olga Run, which I will be running easy (hey, it's for charity) in order to rest up for the MiniTri.

Scoping out the Tri pt. 2

Went to the mini-tri again last night. There were a ton of beginners there - made me wish I had done it. I actually would probably have not been the last person in. Made me decide to do next week's, which is the last of the year.

Saturday I explored the bike course of the tri, and today I decided to check out the run course. Luckily they gave out good enough directions last night that I was able to follow it this morning. I completed it in 24:24, which is doing good whether it's 3 miles or 5K.

I'm hoping to do an easy swim this afternoon, but that might be unrealistic with the Sundowner canoe time trial tonight. We'll see.

Tomorrow starts my taper for Saturday's 5K. I'll definitely be swimming and going to Karate. Bike work remains to be seen. If I do it, I'll be going easy.

Busy Busy Busy!

Thursday night's swim was a bit of a disaster. It was the first time wearing my wetsuit (more on that later), which instead of making me faster like I thought it would, slowed me down. Mainly I wasn't used to wearing something so constricting while swimming and felt like I couldn't breathe. However, my suit was holding WAY too much water - we ended up going back to High Peaks Cyclery and exchanging it for an extra small. (Which took about 20 minutes for me to get into.) I'm a little leery of wetsuiting it up again - swimming's hard enough just in the swimsuit.

We ended up skipping the canoe lap around the lake since the swim and wetsuit exchange took so long.

Friday's 30.9 mile paddle was INTENSE. Only one carry at least. We did it in 6:37 despite getting completely lost at one point and having to spend a good while just sitting there trying to figure out where we were. We also had a NASTY crosswind all the way down Long Lake, which slowed us down.

Saturday we took it easy. We checked out the sprint tri bike route, which is 12.2 miles. It's tough though - a fun downhill bomb the first few miles, then rolling hills, and then a nasty climb back up to regain all that altitude. I also learned how to change my tires, as we put on my new slicks and thinner tubes.

Sunday was the St. Regis canoe race. We did good except for crapping out on the carry and came in first in our class. We were the third boat in out of 5 mixed stock boats.

Today's bike ride with the new tires went well - I managed a 47:50 time despite being sore and tired and there being a nasty wind.

Haven't decided on whether to swim today or not, but will definitely be spectating and cheering at the mini-tri tonight. There's only two left!

Tough Day

Tuesday totally kicked my ass. After the run and the swim, Dr. Z and I put in 8.5 miles of paddling hard. I slept like an absolute rock and woke up the next morning not sore, but worn out.

On a postive note, before the paddle, I bought my first ever wetsuit at High Peaks Cyclery. It took me over 15 minutes to get the damn thing on, but it fit great. They were having a 25% off sale on all wetsuits, so I was able to get a much higher quality suit than planned for only about $25 more than I was originally planning on spending.

I did my usual 12.2 mile bike ride in the morning. I was tired and there was a nasty wind, but I managed to keep it over a 15 mph pace at a time of 48:30. I was supposed to go swimming while Dr. Z was at Hapkido, but was waaaaay too beat. I listened to my body and rested until Karate.

Karate was a low-key class, which I expected. I spent the first 45 minutes teaching kata and then doing some review of my own. Sensei then spent most of the rest of the class talking about his trip to Okinawa. We also learned that we had all been tying our belts incorrectly. Poor Dr. Z. nearly blew a fuse trying to figure it out.

Today was another tempo run since there's no way I can do speedwork yet on this ankle. Did three miles in 24:31 again, but paced much better this time, running negative splits. Tonight will be swimming with my new wetsuit with Dr. Z. and then an easy lap around Mirror Lake in the canoe.

Tomorrow? A 30 mile paddle down Long Lake, doing the second day of the 90-miler. HELP!

Great Swim, Okay Tempo Run

Yesterday's swim went great - 300 meters in 9:15. It was a nice break after a not-so-good bike earlier in the day. I'm hoping to get out to the sprint tri buoy for 400 meters later today. That's the one thing holding me back from trying a sprint.

Speaking of which, Dr. Z. and I skipped Karate to watch the mini-tri last night. It was tons of fun - EltonJohn, IronDad and IronKid all competed and did great. IronMom is still trying to build up enough base to get back into it.

This morning's tempo run went pretty well considering that my ankle started bothering me again and I've barely run the past month. Three miles in 24:30. It's way off my times last year, but what the hell. I definitely won't be PRing again in Olga this year.

Anyway, I'm going to try for 400 meters of swimming this afternoon, and then it's a long paddle with Dr. Z. this evening since there's no Sundowner this week.

Tomorrow will be bike, swim, and Karate. Sensei will be freshly back from Okinawa, which should make class interesting.

Major Catch-Up Time and a Big Announcement

Hey All!

I'm going to do a quick overview recap since it's been three weeks.

Track meet went great. Blasted through my goal by doing a true mile in 6:37. There were three of us in the over-18 division and I came in second.

Saranac Flatwater Challenge was last weekend. We didn't do that great, but okay. Not too many people showed up but at least the weather was absolutely beautiful - warm and sunny.

IronMan was absolutely awesome, which brings me to my big announcement:

I'm doing IronMan in 2012.

God help me.

No More Sicky!

Well, the past two days ended up being a complete washout thanks to a bug I've been fighting off which left me completely drained of energy. I skipped Karate on Wednesday in favor of crashing on the couch, missing a good sparring class. Thursday I felt a bit better but decided to stay away from the Fun Run (which I was going to do as an easy run anyway) and take another day to heal up for the track meet. At least I didn't miss any quality workouts. (Aside from the sparring, which I really DO need to work on but wouldn't have taken part of anyway with a race this weekend.)

Today I'm back up to about 80 or 90% so I decided to go ahead with an easy three in my racers to prep for tomorrow. I did a couple slow laps on the track just to get a feel for it in my racers. I felt kinda silly because there was this hardcore there (spikes and all) getting ready to do some serious speedwork.

I was very happy because I was able to do it all without socks without getting a blister, which means that much less weight on my feet tomorrow.

Anyway, an easy lap or two around the lake tonight followed by some kata review in Karate. Tomorrow's my first track meet ever. Yikes!

Final Time Trial

Last night's Karate class was very low-key. We ran the kyu belts through basics and then broke them off for kata. It was Sensei's last class before leaving for Okinawa for two weeks.

This morning I did my last hard workout before the track meet - a 1600 meter time trial at the track. IronKid was supposed to join me to rabbit me to a 6:45-6:50 time, but was out late and overslept. (For which she was extremely apologetic.) Despite no pacer and a very nasty, strong wind on the backstretch I managed a 6:56. Missed my goal, but what the hell. It's nine seconds better than just two weeks ago.

Tonight is a Sundowner series.

Tomorrow, thank God, is a rest day.

Slight Injury

Thursday's Fun Run didn't go quite as planned. The route of the day was HillyMan. I came in at 32:27 (I think), which was okay-not-great. My PR on that course is under 31:00. It was the hills that got me - I managed to keep up with IronDad most of the way but he pulled away on the climbs and was too far ahead to chase down by the time we got back to the last half mile, which is flat. IronKid of course finished in under 27:00, but there's something wrong with her. LOL.

Unfortunately I twisted my ankle at the beginning (HillyMan starts off on the grassy park), so I couldn't run on Friday. Luckily it was only suppposed to be an easy four, so no big deal.

Saturday was the Northeast Open. My first event was empty-hand kata. I was going against a blue belt (surprising, but like me he had three years of training), and a brown belt (much closer to my rank). I took first by a hair. Coming in a close second, surprisingly, was the blue belt.

Weapons held an even bigger surprise. The only other person competing was a green belt who got bumped up to my division. I did the best Toye No Sai in my life, but she won. I was a bit shocked, to say, the least, but they must have scored us on a steep grade. After taking first in my last event I wasn't going to complain.

My last event was sparring, which didn't go nearly so well. They basically threw ALL of the over-18 females together. My first round fight was against the girl who ended up beating the second-place girl 5-1 in the final bout. I literally didn't score a single point on her. She was so good (not to mention a foot taller than me) that even Dr. Z. was like, "I don't know what to tell you except that she was a phenomenal fighter."

Sunday was 400-meter repeats at the track. I could only do four before my ankle gave out (I wanted to do five), but they went well - 1:34, 1:35, 1:37, and back down to 1:36. That's right - a negative split on the FOURTH. Sweet.

Dr. Z and I then did four laps around Mirror Lake later in the day. It took about 1:35 or so, but went very well.

Today's easy run was great. The double track workouts are really paying off because I ran four miles in 34:37 and it felt easier than ever.

Well, that's about it. Tonight is Karate - probably kata since Wednesday was sparring. Tomorrow will be tough - a 1600 meter time trial at the track followed by a Sundowner in the evening. Phew! Good thing I have Wednesdays off!

Updates, Getch'er Updates Here!

Here goes. *deep breath*

Thursday I skipped my pre-flight tempo run because my knee was really, really bothering me. I did, however, do a couple laps around Mirror Lake with Dr. Z so it wasn't a totally lazy day.

Friday I did a three mile walk-run in the heat with MomTook. Not the original plan, but some MORON had attempted to grease the squeaking treadmill, leaving OIL ALL OVER THE BELT. SO dangerous. Anyway, we headed out into the 95 degree, 95% humidity of the Gulf Coast summer and got it done.

Saturday we spent two freakin' hours looking for a damned track. We finally found ONE, but it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I ended up using the Pinellas Trail to do my speedwork. Much less exact, but what the hell. (And yes, the two-hour delay meant I didn't get started until after ten, which meant being in the heat AGAIN.)

Sunday was a day off. Left Florida, boohoo.

Monday was an easy four miles followed by Karate class. (In this case, LITERALLY followed by Karate class since I didn't have time to run during my lunchbreak.) We did Kata, which was awesome.

Tuesday was another 1600 meter time trail. I fell apart due to going out too fast - did the first lap in 1:37. What the hell. Made up for it by setting a new PR around Mirror Lake that night - broke 23:00! We then did two more laps, because we are awesome. Or insane.

Yesterday was a day off.

Tonight is a Fun Run. I shall post results later.

Tough Tuesday

Two grueling workouts yesterday. Glad I have today off to recover! (Of course, on Monday Sensei said we'd have sparring tonight, so it may not be much of a break after all.)

Started with my track workout. I did a 1600 meter time trial to see where I was at. Finished in 7:05. I'm ambivalent about that result - on the one hand, it's actually a 4 second faster pace than my 1500 last week, so yay. On the other hand, that is still not a great time, plus I know I have more speed than that. (I've run faster miles than that on the road during a 5K.)

Last night we had the third Sundowner of the year. Despite a strong headwind the entire way out, Dr. Z and I smashed our PR, coming in at an even 52 minutes. Yay!

So now I'm trying to recover and enjoying getting ready for a long weekend away in Florida. (Where yes, I will be doing my regular Saturday track workout at the school down the street from my mother. In the heat and humidity. Joy.)