Mohawk-Hudson Half Marathon Race Report

Yes it was over a month ago. Shut up.

ANYWAY, since there was no packet pick-up on race day (kind of dumb, but that's a rant for a different time), Dr. Z. and I headed down to Albany on Saturday afternoon. I wasn't in too much of a rush since judging by the website the expo was going to be really small (which it was). I basically got there just in time before pick-up ended.

Afterwards, it was dinner at P.F. Chang's, which I love way more than I should for a chain restaurant. Their lettuce wraps and Mongolian beef are like crack to me. This is a decision I would regret.

After dinner, it was time to tuck in at the hotel. It was so weird - I hadn't done a running race in a couple years and compared to a triathlon there just isn't much to prepare. I laid out my outfit . my Garmin, and my running belt and was kinda, "Ummm...am I forgetting something?"

Unfortunately I did NOT sleep well. It wasn't nerves - running is my comfort zone, I'd done a half-marathon before, and I wasn't even going for a PR. It was HEARTBURN. For reals. Like I'm 60 or something. Not sure what caused it - I've eaten at P.F. Chang's before without a problem. Anyway, slept fitfully and reminded myself that not sleeping well the next before a race wouldn't have that much of an effect.

RACE DAY - PRERACE

Grabbed my usual coffee, bagel (instead of toast) and Gatorade from Dunkin Donuts. (America LITERALLY runs on Dunkin!)

Got dropped off at the start since I missed the bus, and hung around FOREVER waiting. Boyfriend drove back to finish line to park and get on his bike. It was my first point-to-point race and the logistics are definitely more complicated.

Ate an apple about half an hour before the start. I decided not to warm up since the first four miles were going to be my "warm up" and I wanted to keep my core temperature down as long as possible.

RACE TIME!

I had been laughing at my ridiculously high HR during the pre-race meeting and waiting for the gun to go off, but quickly realized it was no laughing matter once we got going.

It would NOT stay in Z2. When I saw that my HR was 170 while going DOWNHILL at a 10 minute pace, I knew I had to adapt the game plan. Decided to go by the paces +15 seconds or so (to play it safe) that I'd usually hit at each zone.

First four miles (Z2): Stuck to a SLOW pace - hit the 4.4 minute timing mat at 44:04 - 10 minute pace. Literally got passed by hundreds of people and only passed one walker. Felt ridiculously easy. My boyfriend met up with me on his bike at around mile four.

Miles 4-10 (Z3) Stuck to around a 9:30 pace, which would usually be Z2 on this course. STILL felt strong and was holding myself way back, even at the end. Started passing people, which was fine. I was all smiles and not even working that hard despite my still-elevated heartrate. It was really heating up at this point but a cup of cold water on the head at every aid station kept me comfortable.

At one point I had tucked in behind this really tall dude. When I passed my boyfriend I told him I had found me a "Pacer stud." I then passed said stud, at which point my boyfriend said "and now he has pace booty!' LOL!

And this is where my boyfriend took tons of photos of me in my hot weather "Pace Booty" outfit. It was literally a record high 82 degrees so I wore as little as I could without getting arrested:







Miles 10-11.5 or so (Z4): Brought it up to a 9 minute pace - closer to a Z3 pace. Still felt great, believe it or not. REALLY started passing people at this point. It's funny - I'd get up to the next person, settle in behind them, and half the time I'd have to pass them because although they had shot way ahead of me in the beginning of the race, they were going at about 10:30 pace or so now. Kept having to pass more and more folks.



Still feeling good at mile 11.

11.5-13.1 (Afterburner time): This was the first time it really began to hurt, believe it or not. My engine, endurance, and even the pace felt fine. What was giving out were my quads, just like during Tinman. Was tempting to walk at several points, but was determined to make it 13.1 without walking for the first time. Got to the finish chute and saw that the clock said 2:04 and change. I REALLY wanted that sub-2:05, so somehow found another gear and FLEW through the finish line. My Garmin says I hit a top speed of 5:02! Holy crap!



Quads were FRIED! DONE.

Right after I came down the finish chute I had half a dozen ask me if I was okay. Why? Because this is what a 5:02 pace after 13.1 feels like for me:



I really WAS happy with my performance though:



Post-Race Thoughts:

I was way off my 1:55:45 half-marathon PR, but this was literally the first time I've ever run 13.1 without any walk breaks. I finished very strong (aside from that final sprint) and am happy with going from NO running at ALL in February to a 2:04:16 half marathon where I didn't start hurting until mile 11.5.

As I've been continuing to build my run back up I am positive that I can PR at Cowtown in February. Going from zero running for five months to a half marathon PR in a year would be AMAZING and a nice celebration of recovering from my IT Band injury.

Equipment Changes

As everyone knows, we triathletes LOVE our gear. Whether it's a power meter, the latest compression wear, or a new Garmin, it all makes us hot. Although I've always been a minimalist runner (shoes, cotton shorts and old race t-shirt, wristwatch, done.), there's been a few equipment changes around here over the past few months:

1.) New Road Bike Seat

I had been riding mostly my tri bike all season, but my stupid spill in T2 at one of the Mini-Tris (fell because my shoe clipped back in during my dismount, causing me to take the bike with me when I tried to step off the pedal), necessitated a long time in the shop for poor little Roo. I rediscovered Beauty and fell in love with her all over again.

Unfortunately, my love was returned with a nasty saddle sore. After a long talk with the bike shop guys, I brought in BOTH bikes for comparison and they found the root of the problem:



A nasty wrinkle had developed in the side of my otherwise lovely Terry Butterfly. I replaced her with the same saddle on my tri bike, a Terry FalconX . The old saddle was literally coming apart underneath anyway, with the glue coming away, which surprised me since it was only two years old, but the problem was solved.

2.) New Shoes!

Usually new running shoes wouldn't exactly be something to write about, but I made a pretty drastic change. After years in the most cushiony, pillowy shoes I could find (Saucony Progrid Rides for the past 3 or so years), I switched it up. After none of the local shops had my ProGrid Rides, one of them suggested I give the Kinvara a try. I got on the treadmill and ran them hard and liked them. After gradually upping the distance in them, they DEFINITELY agree with me. Who thought I could get by with this minimalist a shoe? They look freaking sweet too. Check it:



No, I don't wear them outside of running. But I *could.* Look how great they look with jeans!

3.) And this is a big one...NEW BIKE!

YES! CARBON FRAME!

Isn't she a beaut? Madone 4.7. I had been drooling over her all summer long, but at over $2600, she was out of the budget. However, end of the season brings end-of-season sales. She was marked down to $2300 and I talked the guy down to $2200. Between that, being able to strip everything (saddle, pedals, etc.) off of Beauty and not having to buy any add-ons, and (once Spring comes) selling Beauty, I could totally make it work. I do believe I have found my IMLP bike. Now I just have to ride her lots and become worthy of her.



Side View



Front View



Components. Yes, they're Shimano 105s. Feel free to buy me SRAM Red. ;-D

So yes, it's been exciting around here.

Friday Film #12

Here's a commercial that always makes me smile. The tune is just so darn catchy.



Have a great weekend everyone!

End of Season Body Comp

(This is one of several posts I've been meaning to write but never got around to it.)

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

Taking inspiration from Sonja's annual body comp blog entry I decided to do one of my own.

I usually go by how I feel, how my clothes fit, and what I see in the mirror, but once in a while I get on my trusty Tanita body comp scale to get some actual numbers. Now, the impedence method of body fat analysis isn't accurate, but it's accurate within itself, i.e. if you always use the same scale at the same time of day it will tell you if you're up or down. At least that's my understanding.

Anyway, when I first started training in February I was coming off a long time off of biking and running due to some serious IT band issues. I had been swimming FREQUENTLY, almost every day, but never for more than an hour, so I really wasn't in shape. At my starting point I was 111 pounds and 26% body fat. Ouch.

So many months of training later and a Half-Ironman behind me, I decided to weigh myself right before the Lake George Triathlon. 108 pounds and more importantly down to 23% bodyfat. (For perspective, I'm 4'10" and the short, compact, muscle-y type that actually looks unhealthy under 20%. That's just how my body rolls.) I looked lean and mean and just plain FELT better than I did at the beginning of the season.

I weighed again right before the half-marathon, but everything has pretty much stayed the same. My goal is to maintain my weight through the off-season (more time to cook healthy now!) and toe the line at IMLP at 103-105 pounds and 20-21% bodyfat. There. I've put it out there.

And speaking of putting it out there, here's some pics. Should be fun to compare again at the end of NEXT season.



Front shot. No six-pack yet.



Another one.



Have to mug a little bit. GRRRR!!



And the back.

So I would love to hear your thoughts about weight/body comp and performance, especially for a super hilly course like Ironman. My usual attitude is to eat mostly right, splurge sometimes, train hard, and let the weight fall where it will.

Thoughts?

And Now For Something Completely Different

For the past two years I've dedicated all of my physical energy to swimbikerun. Last off-season I was injured so I didn't really get to do anything different. However, with the Mohawk-Hudson half marathon over I am officially in the off-season and only doing base/maintenance work.

So with it being extremely windy, Dr. Z and I decided to do something we haven't' done in at least a year and hike - one of few outdoor activities NOT affected by the wind. We targeted Owl's Head, a bump of a hill against the backdrop of the REAL Adirondack mountains but perfect for two out-of-hiking-shape mountain bums. It was kind of strange packing nearly nothing after being accustomed to all-day hikes. Just some water and rain jackets since the weather was iffy.


On the way up the trail.




Some views on the way up. Notice that all of the "real" mountains we usually hike are towering over us.


Me at the top. I'm leaning because the wind is blowing me over. This picture would have literally been impossible if the wind was blowing the other way - it would have been too dangerous. We didn't linger on the top because of the gusts.




Some views from the top. Unfortunately peak foliage is long past, so the colors aren't very vibrant. Still a gorgeous view though!


Heading back down the trail.

The rain came in just as we got to the truck, so our timing was perfect.

As for S/B/R? I did get in a quick spin session on the trainer late in the afternoon. You can never quite shut up the inner triathlete.

Friday Film #11

Sorry for the neglected blog. Work has been CRAZY. Coming back next week with a backlog of entries I've had planned for a while, including a race report from last Sunday's half marathon.

In the meantime, here's a very short but very cute Friday Film for you all:

Friday Film #10

Helloooooo everyone!

It's time for our weekly dose of video fun. This is one of my favorites. (Yes, I'm a Whovian. I'm a total GeekJock.)



Have a great weekend everybody!

Lake George Triathlon Race Report

Here it is, only one day late. Hey, I took Sunday and Monday as a much needed "Mini-Vacation" from everything - work, training, computers, etc.

Pre-Race:

Got up at the ass-crack of dawn. 3:50 to be precise. My lovely boyfriend drove the 1.5 hours to Lake George while I drank my coffee and had my usual pre-race breakfast of toast and Gatorade. Parked, went to take Roo off the truck, and found that the front tire was completely flat. Went to fly through registration/marking/chipping while my boyfriend (did I mention how lovely he is?) changed the tube for me.

After I set up transition, opting to put Roo in rear wheel-first despite the fact the rear derailleur was bumping the "Wheel slot" rack (more on this later) for a faster transition, I got in the water.


Post-warmup, doing my mental preparations. Superhero pose completely coincidental.

Took my Gu and it was off to the corral.


Waiting for the gun to go off.

The Swim:

So the gun goes off, and blam - I get a full lungful of water. Not just a "little bit, spit it out, and keep going" mouthful, but a "Deep in the lungs, hacking, choking" mouthful. It takes me over a minute to get over my panic and by then I've lost my wave and the hope of having any feet to follow. I swam my best the rest of the way, but without feet I couldn't post a really good time. I also had the lovely experience of being dunked and swam over by someone, who quickly received an elbow. That just pissed me off. It's poor sportsmanship even at the front of the pack, but at this point the only people left in the water were those of us who were just hoping to SURVIVE the swim. Lady, you ain't racing for any podium spots. Calm the fuck down and swim around me. I later found FINGERNAIL MARKS on my hand. Not cool



So I kind of stumble to transition, all original plans of sprinting the relatively long distance and using my footspeed to my advantage out the window, and it's all Keystone Cops. First my wetsuit sticks, then the earpiece of my sunglasses gets caught on my hair - just a mess. I'm finally out of there and in a pissy mood.



The Bike


Heading out, not happy at all.

So at this point I'm already 2 minutes behind where I wanted to be between the swim start issues and my lousy transition, and I settle into my bike only to look straight up at a STEEP climb. On my tri bike. Shit. Shifting into granny gear...okay, granny gear keeps skipping...derailleur must have gotten knocked by the rack....DOUBLE SHIT. Mentally I was in a bad place for the majority of the ride. My speed sensor was also out of alignment so while I had cadence info, I didn't have any idea how fast I was going. Since I was constantly climbing or descending, I didn't have high hopes though, especially since I was getting passed like no tomorrow and I really didn't think there had been many people behind me in the water. In fact, when I FINALLY got off the bike, I purposefully hit the "Lap" button without looking because I didn't want to know what my bike split was. I figured it was best to just mentally move on to the run.


Coming in, in a better mood and happy to be heading for the run.

The Run

I'm including T2 here since most of it took place outside the timing mat. Sigh. So I rack my bike, and first off the backs of my running shoes fold in so I have to fix that. I grab my race belt and Garmin to run out, only to realize that I really REALLY need water. (It was hot and humid.) So I stop right at the transition aid station, fumble with my belt trying to clip it in back before I do what EVERYONE ELSE does and clipped it in the front and then moved it to the back, then put on my Garmin, THEN got a drink, THEN FINALLY STARTED RUNNING. Craziness. I'm going to test wearing the belt under my wetsuit to see if I can save myself a step. That and drink right before getting off the bike so I can wait until the first running aid station. Lessons learned.

I felt good on the run itself, and I was with a surprising amount of company out there. It was REALLY nice - I'm JUST getting past the point of being a straggler, so I really appreciate the camaraderie. It's lonely being a straggler. It was two loops and the plan was to negative split them, which I think I did. It was really hot and humid by this point, but an ice-cold cup of water over the head every mile did the trick. The only downside was losing a pgtail braid about halfway through. I looked pretty ridiculous.


Running and feeling good.

When I turned the corner and saw the finish, I got a huge grin on my face and just kept saying "I did it! I did it!" I am such a ridiculous DORK.

Post-Race



Got my medal, and immediately got on the phone with Coach Karen to go over everything. Powerbar-ed and Compression-ed up, had my bloody hand cleaned, and got some grub. Ate while listening in awe to the times posted by the podium-ers. I got grandma'd by a 61 year old, y'all, and I think that's AWESOME.



Wrap-Up

I was hoping to hit 3:15, but was happy with sub-3:20 considering everything that went wrong and how much hillier the bike and run courses were than I expected. I have absolutely fallen head-over-heels in love with this distance. I knew that sprints were too short for me, and was assuming I'd stay with the other distance I've done, HIM, but nope. I'm still super-psyched to do Ironman next year, but after that I'm going back to Olympics. I have found my niche in the tri world and I know I'll knock a ton of time off the next time I do it.

Friday Film #9

Yay! Just in time for this week's Friday Film, it's a new episode of "Simon's Cat."



I work from home, own two cats, and this is pretty much every work day for me.

Back on Sunday or Monday with a report from tomorrow's race.

Hurricane Irene

Wow. Just...wow. Although Dr. Z and I hunkered down and rode out the storm with no more damage than a nasty case of cabin fever and a downed scrub tree:



...the damage in my stomping grounds in Vermont was much worse:



Many people I personally know have been affected. Stay safe everyone!

As for half-marathon training, if you think Irene kept me from getting my long run in...



...Honey Badger don't give a damn and puts in 8 in the wind and rain.

Race Cancelled

It's official. Due to this little bitch showing up, the race director has called the Branbury Classic:



The good news is, I was able to get into this nifty race only a week later. It's kind of the "last hurrah" for triathlons up here:



It means a not-as-nice swim, a 3:30 wake-up time, and a less-than-ideal taper because I have to start half-marathon training, but it's better than not racing at all.

I may even leave the watch at home and go really low-key with it.

Two Months? ...Crap

I can't believe I haven't updateded since the Friday before Tinman. I think I just needed a break from blogging.

To catch you up:

1.) Finished Tinman. YAY! Took 7:34, but I got 'er done.

2.) SIGNED UP FOR IRONMAN LAKE PLACID NEXT YEAR! AHHHHHH!!!!

3.) PR'ed the Mini-Tri by over 30 seconds while doing it at HARD TEMPO pace in a COLD WINDY RAIN on FRIED LEGS. Insane!

4.) Now in taper for my Oly on Sunday. Hooray! Last tri of the season - BOO!

Back tomorrow with a post on how I've been staying injury-free this season.

Friday Film #8

(Writing this up on Thursday and scheduling it to post on Friday since I might be really busy.)



This is footage of Sister Madonna's Kona finish five years ago. (For those who don't watch Kona every year, she's a nun who does Ironman every year and the reason they had to open a 74-79 and now 80+ age group.) She was the last finisher, making the midnight deadline by less than a minute. Fire dancers, a special song queued up just for her, an interview with Mike Reilly, and a crazily cheering crowd were all waiting for her.

This is to remind me to not worry about my time or placement on Saturday and that even if I AM last (actually probably won't be, but close) oftentimes in a triathlon, the last finisher gets the biggest rock star finish of all.

See you on the other side.

Most Amazing Search Result Ever

It's always interesting to see how people find my blog. Some come from a link I have at a local website, a bunch come from Beginner Triathlete, and I get some from Google searches. Most of these are from years ago when I was a "House" fangirl and had a lot of "House"-related entries, but one from yesterday REALLY caught my eye. I clicked on the link that had brought a German reader here from Google, and this is what I got:



You'll need to click on it to get the full-size, but basically this reader found my blog while searching for pictures of triathlon women pissing. (The result was my profile picture.)

...sorry to disappoint dude. I know I'm all wet and glistening in that photo, but it's from a post-race jump in a fountain. No pissing here.

Taper Brain

...I SHOULD be writing up a nice, coherent entry about my tune-up sprint race on Monday night. I SHOULD be paying attention to the teleconference I'm currently listening in on for work.

I have complete and utter taper brain. I've had butterflies in my stomach since MONDAY.

It's going to be a LOOOOOONG 2.5 days until the gun goes off.

Friday Film #7

One week from today I will be heading out to Tupper Lake to pick up my race packet...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! In all seriousness, I feel way more prepared than last year.

This week's video: Jokes for nerds. Everything from Harry Potter to Physics - he's got you covered.

COLD

Had a freezing bike ride this morning - it was 50, overcast, and WINDY. Froze my ass off because I refuse to wear UnderArmour in freakin' JUNE. Luckily it was a short ride.

An OWS is on tap for after work. It is all the way up to a scorching 60 degrees, and the wind is still guaranteeing some "fun" chop. The water itself will be comfortable enough in a wetsuit, this is what it's going to look like getting in and especially out of my wetsuit:



The killer part? Tomorrow is going to be almost 80 and sunny and all I have is a short jog. Sigh.

Gotta love the Adirondacks!

Friday Film #6

I didn't have anything in particular lined up for this week's Friday Film, but thanks to my friend Fran, who shared this on Facebook, I am SET.



I don't usually find "Crazy person completely melts down" videos funny, but this girl crying just THINKING about cats had me in tears I was laughing so hard.

Ironically enough, I have to post this so I can take one of my cats to the vet. Shut up.

Peaking on the Bike

...That's PEAKing, not PEEing. We clear? Cool. ;-D

On Saturday I had one last hard, long ride to do before tapering. 70 miles, and NOT at an easy pace - high Zone 3/low Zone 4. Ouch. Because I am very slow on the bike, I was going to be out there a while.

How long?



This long. That's five hours' worth of hydration and nutrition. Since this was from my last 70-miler, which was a brick, you also see some fuel for the run (the two Fuel Belt bottles and the Hammer Gel), but you get the idea.

When I got up, the weather was perfect and I was feeling good, so I decided to hurt myself a bit out there. It was two loops down to Wilmington and back with a final loop of the IMLP run course. I was willing to risk having to granny gear the last loop - I wanted to see what I could do.



Ready to rock.

The first loop was easy, of course. I finished with a 14.8 average (yes, almost a MPH faster than two weeks ago), and still plenty in the tank. Dr. Z. hopped aboard for the second loop and I could tell right away he was feeling strong. Because I wanted to push it, I decided that as long as my HR didn't skyrocket I would put on my big-girl panties, loosen my bra, and go with him as long as I could. I was beat by the end of the descent into Wilmington, but I stayed at his well. (And that was with him trying to pull away for the way back since I'm a better climber.) Second ascent back to Lake Placid was taken a bit easier since his back started bothering him, but I still had a 14.8 going.

The last little loop was mine. Only some small rollers aside from Big Nasty and I felt good and mentally strong as well knowing I only had ten left. I cruised it good and even with the climb up Big Nasty actually INCREASED my average to 14.9. The best part? When I logged everything later, I realized that my HR was about the same.

That's right. In two weeks on the same course with similar conditions, I upped my speed by nearly a MPH without really working any harder. My 56 mile time was 8.5 minutes FASTER. Does my coach rule all or WHAT?

So, now feeling great about the bike going into taper. Yay!

Friday Film #5

I have a special treat for you fine readers this week - not one, but TWO Friday Films, both awesome.

Film #1 - Credit for this goes to Steve in a Speedo (Link on the right), who tweeted it yesterday and posted it on his own blog today.



Film #2 - The alternate video for "The Lazy Song." I have no words except to say that Leonard Nimoy rocks my world.



3K swim tonight followed by my last long bike and long run this weekend before I start tapering. Gulp!

First OWS Swim of the Season! YAY!

Yep, Dr. Z. and I had heard rumor of people swimming in Mirror Lake despite the fact that at this time last year the water was still in the 40's due to an unusually cold spring, but we were leery of getting our hopes up too much until we tried it ourselves. Our original plan of going after work Thursday was trashed when a nasty thunderstorm rolled in. (In fact we've had thunderstorms every afternoon/evening for three days now, which is VERY unusual around here.)

Yesterday was more of the same - like I said, weird with the thunderstorms around here, but today we finally got to test it out BEFORE the afternoon thunderstorms arrived (and they did).

First of all, there is nothing sadder than a Northern triathlete trying to get on her wetsuit after almost nine months of pool swimming. Even with liberal application of BodyGlide it took me FOREVER. The fact that I'm still five pounds over race weight didn't help.

So...it was time to jump in. I was pleasantly surprised by how RELATIVELY warm it was (we're still talking in the 50's). My hands had me worried at first and I had to do a lot of "putting the face in the water and blowing bubbles" to get used to it, but once I started actually swimming - no problem at all. We swam out to the Mini-Tri buoy and back, which was 400 meters. At first I had to take a lot of breaks because as a "touch-turner" in the pool I'm used to a millisecond break every 25 yds. We came back to shore and after shooting the breeze with some other triathletes decided to do one more round. This time I made it the entire way back without any rest. Not only that, I didn't have the usual clausterphobic feeling I get when I start using a wetsuit again. All in all, I was EXTREMELY happy with how smoothly the transition to open water went. Yay!



Post-swim grin and proof I wasn't the only one crazy enough to get in the water.

Friday Film #4

This always makes me smile. Of course, I love "Improv Everywhere" and would totally be an Agent if I lived in the City.



Lunch The Musical

Breakdown

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." - T.S. Eliot

Well, it happened. I started training in Tinman on February 1st and have been slowly adding milage and adding time and putting a ton of training in the bank. Two weeks ago and originally this week were over 16 hours of training, a level of training I had never done before, not even for the two HIMs I did last year.

I was holding up fairly well until the end of two weeks ago. That Saturday had been my first ever 70 mile ride and it was followed by a two mile jog. I actually felt pretty good after it. The next day, however, it was very cold, windy, and rainy so I was forced to do two hours of running on the treadmill to avoid getting sick. It sucked, but I got through it by reminding myself that recovery week started the next day.

Now, usually on recovery weeks, I start getting antsy about halfway through. This time, I wasn't myself until Saturday, day six of recovery week. This gave me two days of feeling normal again before another 16 hour week started.

And "start" it did with my first flat of the season. A flat in which both CO2 cartridges were used up before I realized that I had put the punctured tube right back on my bike and had to call for a pickup. (Lesson learned: Never put the two tubes next to each other when changing a flat.) I was already extremely cranky about the condition of Route 86 BEFORE the flat and this did not add to my mood.

The next day, my run went well but I completely and utterly blew up on the swim, which was 3500 of speed work. I usually find short, fast sets a fun, quick way to blast through lots of yardage, but I had to get out of the pool halfway through. That's two out of three workouts only partially completed.

Wednesday? ANOTHER flat, this time on my front tire. I did manage to change it successfully and finish my ride, but STILL. No breaks this week.

And yesterday - carnage. I dragged myself through a run that should have been easy but felt hard. Then I hauled myself to the pool for a workout I didn't feel like doing. I did complete it, but my times were 10 secs/100 off what they should have been. I spewed a lot of negative thinking in my logs. (Which, by the way, is a most excellent way to ensure a call from your coach.)

In retrospect, I should have communicated my exhaustion to my coach earlier in the week. LIke I said, stubbornness and that never-ending quest to get a "gold star" and do everything perfectly got in the way of listening to what my body needed.

Luckily, today is a rest day and tomorrow's brick has been knocked down to a shorter (but still pretty long) bike ride. My coach and I will see how I feel on Sunday afternoon and go from there. I'm hoping I'm mentally and physically ready for what she originally had planned, but I need to let go and be okay with her taking it down a notch if that's what I need.

And now for something lighter - stay tuned for this week's Friday Film.

Friday Film #3

Now that Blogger is back up (Although Twitter is now DOWN - it's like they actually expect me to WORK or something!), I can post this week's Friday Film.

It's a non-triathlon goodie that never ceases to amuse. Funny cute guy singing about his kitten = Pip in love forever.



Enjoy and have a great weekend! Will be back on Monday with tales of Saturday's 70 mile ride/2 mile run brick and Sunday's 10.5 mile run and 4K swim. If I survive.

Toughest Bike Ride Ever

Saturday's long run went uneventfully, which is more than I can say for the epicness that was Sunday's brick.

First off, despite forecasts to the contrary (which is WHY I switched my run and brick days IN THE FIRST PLACE), the weather SUCKED. It was cold, windy and dark overcast. Not exactly "Let's get out there and hammer on the bike all day" weather. Lance himself would have said "Fuck this shit" and gone back to bed.

So, Dr. Z and I drag ourselves out to Tupper Lake to ride the course yet again. We're almost 6 miles in and going down the screaming descent that is Heartbreak Hill on the way back when I feel a "thunk" in the back and my bike drops. I have absolutely NO control and am on the ground before I know it. On the ground, thanks to the swerving out-of-control bike, in the middle of Route 3, a country highway with a posted speed limit of 55 and an unposted speed of about 65-70.

Amazingly enough:

1.) There weren't any cars behind me.
2.) I only suffered a scraped knee despite the fact I was going 27 MPH.
3.) Dr. Z was still with me (he was going to turn back in another 4 miles and I was going to be unsupported the rest of the ride).

I got myself out of the road and found the problem. My rear wheel had come the FUCK OFF MY FRAME. Detached. The only reason it hadn't gone flying into the other lane is because the chain held it to the bike.

So we eased back up Heartbreak Hill after re-attaching the wheel and I drove directly to the bike shop. The guy looked at it for almost an hour and he's still not sure why that happened. I will say that from now on checking the skewers will be part of my pre-ride routine. Damn.

So anyway, I still have 45 miles to put in, so since it's already 2 p.m. and I'm SLOOOOOOW on the bike, I don't have time to go back out to Tupper. I decide to do one loop down to Wilmington and back and a second shorter loop long enough to get the rest of the milage. I get out there and I'm already out of sorts because my knee hurts and I hate having my plans go awry. Then the wind picks up and it's one of those crosswinds that feel like a headwind no matter which direction you're biking in. My legs hurt so much and I just can't keep my HR down. Some tears were indeed shed.

I finish up the bike and hand it off to my dear sweet boyfriend for cleaning while I put the 1.5 mile run cherry on top. I get back and he says "Did you know your brake cable needs to be loosened? The rear brake has been rubbing in the "closed" position."

Unbelievable. Nasty fall, nasty crosswind, and nasty rubbing brakes. At least I'll be ready for whatever Tinman day throws at me.

Friday Film #2

Sorry I missed last week's Friday Film, but I've been replaying this clip constantly for three weeks now. If you don't immediately feel happy after watching it, you are dead inside.



Stephen Colbert singing "Friday" on Jimmy Fallon.

First 4K Swim Ever

Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been training like an animal while trying to actually keep my job and it's just been CRAZY. Coach has me doing a bike block, which I need, but I just rode four days in a row and the legs are SHOT. (It doesn't help that we've had absolutely HORRIBLE weather - 40's and pouring - all week so I've had to do half of the rides on the dreaded trainer. Why oh why couldn't it be a swim block?)

Anyway, with the college pool about to close (yes, the only pool in Lake Placid, a town of swimmers and triathletes, closes for several weeks TWICE A YEAR, but that's a rant for another time.) I had a 4K swim. (I will be doing one 4K swim a week until the pool reopens at the end of the month.) I was a bit nervous going into it, but excited too. Nothing like a new challenge, especially in the pool.

Luckily the actual sets were pretty easy - some 600's thrown in there, but mostly 100's with plenty of rest. Helped keep the new distance manageable. I kept all my paces mostly around 2:25 until the last 600 at the very end. Although my "engine" felt fine, my back and shoulders were just shot. I could tell I was going at a snail's pace and my watch confirmed it: 16:00 or a 2:40 pace. Ouch. However, the rest of my splits were not groundbreaking but good. Considering that 1.) I've only swam once a week the past 2 out of 3 weeks and 2.) It was a 33% increase over my previous longest swim, I can't complain at all.

Now back to hitting the bike hard until the pool resumes normal hours (or the lake warms up out of the 30's).

Friday Film

I've been a fan of Simon's Cat since the first cartoon - "Cat Man Do." Releases of new cartoons are few and far between (usually 2-3 a year), and the latest was just released yesterday. It's more "Awwwwww" than the usual "funny," but enjoy:



Happy Easter Everyone!

Team Triple Threat Tough

Got back from running errands to find a welcome package from my team on my doorstep. Hooray!



TRIPLE THREAT TOUGH BABY! GRRRRRRR!!!

If you want to join Team Triple Threat Tough, go to their website, hire Coach Karen, and tell 'em I sent you.

Rest Week...Thank GOD!

My last rest week was a week early thanks to my canoeing vacation. (Not only that, I spent said rest week paddling HARD - 128 miles in 4.5 days in a fully loaded camping canoe.) After that and then four build weeks, I NEED a rest.

However, the FINAL icing on the "take me out 'cause I'm DONE" cake was the weather this weekend. I had my long bike and long run before I got my rest and I intended to go out strong. Unfortunately MOTHER NATURE intended to beat me the hell up. (Yes, I'm taking the weather personally now.)

I watched all week as the forecast for the weekend just got worse and worse. Saturday morning we were under a high wind warning with gale-force gusts expected. I decided the earlier I got out there the better and stuck to the IMLP run loop - not as tough training as doing the Tinman route but a hell of a lot safer and would allow me to bail out if necessary.

The first loop (each is about 12 miles) was okay - I was still getting my bike legs under me. It was windy, cloudy, and cold but nothing I couldn't handle. (Aside from not being able to feel my feet.) I started my second loop, hoping to get into my groove, and was feeling good when shortly after the turnaround to head back to the start, it began to HAIL. For REAL. Stinging your face hail. I was really hoping it would pass through, but when it showed no signs of stopping six miles later when I got close to home, I gave up and headed indoors for the rest of my ride. I was NOT pleased. Grrr.

The next day, it was eight miles on my feet of more of the same. I can run in worse weather than I can bike in, so I stayed outdoors, but once again it was in the 30s with hail and even worse wind than the day before.

So yeah, not feeling guilty about the sub-six hour training week I have. (And anyway, it goes right back up to more volume than ever next week.)

Yet Another Swim PR!

Wow. Just wow. I don't know where these numbers keep coming from, but today's swim was a relatively light one - 100 WU, 2x900 Steady, 100 CD.

On the way to the pool I figured out that anything between 21:00 and 22:30 (2:21/100-2:20/100 pace) was reasonable and anything outside that range probably meant that I miscounted.

So I got in the water and did my warm up. I had that slow, clumsy "swimming in syrup" feeling the entire time. It was reflected in my time of 2:30. I wasn't too upset - I've had such amazing swim sessions lately that one bad one wasn't going to upset me too much.

I took my rest interval, too a deep breath, and dove in for my longest set since October. I went into what I call my "cruise speed." I wasn't even breathing hard until the end. When I finally touched the wall, my watch read 20:49 (2:18 pace). What. The. FUCK?!? I quickly debated whether that meant I missed a 50 and should leap back in. I finally decided that I had been swimming faster than THAT and that I'd take a "wait and see" on what my next 900 said. I REALLY didn't feel that I had lost count anyway.

So, rest interval over, I dove in for some more punishment. More than I signed up for, actually. Shortly after I started a bunch of little kids got into the pool and started splashing around, make waves. I tried to look at it as mass swim practice AND incentive to finish the hell up as quickly as I could. I really started to hurt at about 600 yards in when a "swim angel" appeared in the lane next to me going the perfect pace to keep me honest. I latched on and tried to hold on, which I did successfully until the final 50 when he kicked it and dropped me like a bad habit. Once again, I touched the wall at an astounding 21:27 (2:22 pace). To me, this confirmed my time for the first set.

I cooled down a bit quicker than I should have, but I was sick of being pummeled around by waves AND my goggles had started leaking.

So...unless I had a really bad day AND miscounted BOTH sets, I just killed it in the pool. Holy CRAP.

Now I just have to get my bike up to this level.

Oops!

*dusts off blog*

*dusts off anyone who actually is still reading this poor neglected thing*

What can I say? It's been a crazy busy month. Shortly after the last entry Dr. Z and I went on our annual canoe camping trip down the Buffalo. It was awesome - 126 miles in 4.5 days AND I kept up my run training. (Since I have from February to June to go from zero running to HIM (all with a very conservative increase in mileage), Coach Karen decided I couldn't afford to take the week off.

Since we've gotten back, it's just been shear craziness. Work has been INSANELY busy and as promised, Coach Karen REALLY ramped up the training in April. All this means that my house is currently a disaster area.

So, here's a summary of how my training in the three disciplines is going:

Swim: This is what I've been working the hardest (especially since it will be hard to find a place to swim next month, but that is a different entry altogether), and it shows. Before I was busting ass to try to stay sub-2:30/100 on anything longer than 100 yds, and now after a bunch of 3K workouts my new "cruising speed" seems to be 2:21/100, even for 600 yd sets. (Haven't done anything longer yet.) I also set three PRs last week, including an insane (for me) 58.22 50 yard.

Bike: This is currently my weakest area (says a lot about how much my swim has improved that I'm saying this!). What little time I spent in the saddle over the past few months was too easy, as I found out once I got off the trainer. I definitely don't have the engine I had at this time last year. Even Roo can't give me speed out on the road right now. It's all good though - Coach Karen assures me that as much as this is Swim Month, next month is Bike Month. If she can do for my riding what she's done for my swim, I will be more than ready to go for Tinman.

Run: This goes. I'm back up to 10:30 miles (the fastest I'm currently allowed to run) and my heart rate averages have slowly been dropping. In other words, I may have to keep the running easy, but I AM getting my run fitness back. I'm still run-walking my long runs though.

So that's the past month in a nutshell. Hopefully I can be a bit better about updating.

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.