Week 26 Wrap-up

Last week was a good one for several reasons...the fun 15K through the mud on Saturday, the first outdoor ride of my season on Sunday, and, most importantly, my first ever massage on Tuesday night. Dear Lord, I'm glad I didn't know what I was missing before...because I'm pretty sure I'm addicted at this point and will most definitely be headed back for more. Jen spent a ton of time working out knots in my shoulders (which then hurt for the next two days but now feel awesome) and also spent a lot of time on my left leg, which I had thought had a tight hamstring but, as it turns out, just had some more IT band fun going on. All in all--wonderful experience and I now just need to be patient and wait for my next visit sometime next month...

From a training perspective, things went pretty well--my swims felt a little rougher than they have up to this point, but I still managed to shave some time off my 100 m repeats from the previous time I did them, and my strokes per length continues to hold constant at 17-18 spl. I think I'm attributing the slightly rougher training to a lack of sleep--started with some really crappy thunderstorms in the middle of the night Sunday night (and for those of you who know me, you know I hate t-storms) and ended with a full weekend w/ friends visiting, birthday celebrations, and, of course, training...didn't really do a good job of balancing everything with my sleep needs. I'm attempting to remedy that situation this week...

Here's the roll-up for the week...

Swim: 2:51:00 / 7600 meters
Bike: 4:28:04 / 70.21 miles
Run: 3:23:17 / 20.53
Total: 10:42:21 / 95.49 miles

Some other things to note...Sue went to the doctor yesterday and has a partial tear of her plantar's--way better than she initially thought, and she can bike and swim through her recovery--just no running. Great news on that front, for sure... Also, in the spirit of listening to my body, I consciously skipped a 40-min bike last night--was way too tired from the weekend and felt like sleep was a more solid option at the time. And Sparkle--fear not--I'm not making that one up...could be I'm actually learning how to go with the flow a little...who knows... Finally, I had a loss this week at WW--'bout damn time...but I'm down 2.6 lb from last week, which makes me very happy (especially after having to drag my butt up hills on Sunday, I'm learning that every @#$%! pound counts)...

On the road again...

After the 15K run Saturday, I continued the outdoor fun on Sunday and did my first outdoor ride of the season--the St. Pat's Ride sponsored by the Wheeling Wheelmen (a cycling club that I'm actually joining as soon as I mail in the form). More importantly, it was Tack's first outdoor adventure...and it was AWESOME!!!

Last season, I found that I really enjoyed the cycling component of triathlon, but I had apparently forgotten how much I really really loved biking until about a mile into the ride Sunday. Between training for the marathon and having to cycle indoors, I think I actually convinced myself that I liked running more than cycling...while it's true that I enjoy running a whole lot more than I used to, I proved to myself Sunday that I really really really love to bike. There really is nothing more exhilarating than flying down a hill with the wind hitting you square in the face so that you just know you're going to have windburn...or more satisfying than climbing a hill without having to resort to that last @#$%! granny gear to get up it (although I have to admit I was in the granny gear on one of the hills--I'm not a big fan of early-season hills, apparently).

I was a little worried heading into the ride (which I did with Sue and Michele...Sue, who injured her plantar's on one of her feet during Saturday's trail run, was hobbling around walking but did a fine job cycling) that I would have problems with handling on Tack--with the steeper geometry and aerobars, I wasn't sure how I'd do. Turns out the handling was fine...I had more problems getting used to my new pedals than I did with handling. And, I've discovered that being down on my aerobars makes that downhill rush even better.

My only complaints (such as they are) are that my quads are fried today (probably due to the combination of the trail run, the hills on the run, and the hills on the ride) and that my neck and shoulders have that "early season can't hold my head up that long during the ride" stiffness...but those are minor prices to pay for the awesome time I had on the ride. And, considering there was still snow on the ground in some places, I'm pretty pleased with the fact that I've already hammered out 37.21 miles outside...

I'm really hoping I'm done doing the long rides on my trainer...it's OK for shorter distances, but now that I remember what I'm missing out on the open road, it'll be tough mentally to revert back to indoor training...so hopefully this weekend we can get out and ride again. BRING IT ON!!!!

Slip Sliding Away

Saturday was the latest in the Rock Cut Trail Run series--the 15K version. I missed the 10K in February as I was in Minneapolis that weekend...that weekend, you may recall, was crazy cold, but my insane training partners Sue, Michele, and Jeremy all ran the 10K nonetheless. Having missed that run (and given that I do trail running only slightly faster than I mountain bike), I'm very much out of the running for any sort of series award, which made the 15K (and will make the 20K) just variations on a training run theme.

Last week was sort of odd weather-wise--really bad storms Sunday night, cooler temps through the week, then snow on Thursday...all of which made the trails slightly sloppy on Saturday. It was fairly chilly--35-40-ish--not cold enough to freeze things, but warm enough for plenty of mud along the course. Being the flatlander, non-trail runner that I am, I wasn't really sure how to handle running through the mud, so for the most part, I tried to avoid it at all costs. I did a decent job of that until the creek crossing about 1/4 mile from the finish line...where I had no option but to run through ~6" of water/mud to cross to the other side. I guess I've officially christened my trail shoes--as soon as the blogger cooperates, I'll post a picture of the mud-fest they've become...but it was a blast.

In addition to having a great time (meaning I had fun--my actual time wasn't that great because I ended up getting slightly off-course along with about 5 other runners and we ran an additional ~1/2 mile or so by the time we got back to the course) and getting a little muddy, I also think I finally figured out how to pace myself. I ran my race this time--a novel idea, admittedly, but one I've struggled with. I typically go out too fast and want to shoot myself about half way through a race, but this time I took off at a decent pace and held it pretty well through the whole course. I'm not the most agile person, so I know I slowed up on the single-track parts of the course, but nonetheless, I felt great through the whole run and had just enough left at the end to kick it into the finish (and considering how many little hills there were, that's a victory in and of itself). Even better, I wasn't worried about how everyone else around me was doing--I passed people only when I was ready to, not because I thought I had something to prove, and I didn't let it bother me when I got passed. The fact that I remembered how much fun it can be to be outside and playing in the mud is just an added bonus on top of my little pacing epiphany...

All in all, progress...

Week 27 Wrap-up

This week has been insane—craziness at work coupled with a high-volume week has made me absolutely wiped at this point. I’m definitely feeling the impact of my co-worker being out on maternity leave (she had a baby daughter Thursday night), and the three projects I’m accountable for (either directly or indirectly) all had major milestones and/or hiccups this week. I helped out Erin at a plant trial on Wednesday—I left a little early at midnight in order to get home by ~1 am…and still managed to get in both my swim and run workouts on Thursday, although I was completely dead on my feet. I ended up having to make up my Wednesday bike ride Friday morning, which meant I didn’t have a complete rest day—probably not the best idea, but I managed to get in all of my workouts this week, at least.

It was warm enough Saturday to run outside in shorts—probably should’ve taken Tack out on the open road as well, but I ended up doing my long ride on the trainer again. It was the longest ride I’ve done so far, and my butt can tell—the worst part about riding on a trainer is that you don’t change positions that often, and, even with a great saddle, it’s just a long time to sit on a bike.

I stopped by the Bike Shop Saturday—picked up my set of Zipp 303 wheels and some other necessities, so I think I’m ready to go for the season (although I’m sure I’ll be back in for random items.

My Sunday long run was also pretty decent…until I headed back directly into the headwind that had apparently been carrying my sorry little butt along my merry little way up until that point. Still—decent 12-miler, and considering the higher volume week, I’m feeling pretty good about where things stand.

Happy news—Vardo found a bike—check out her blog for the details (www.imwisconsin.blogspot.com in case you forgot…).

Here’s the roll-up for the week…

Swim: 2:59:00 / 7950 meters
Bike: 5:55:30 / 93.71 miles
Run: 4:14:13 / 26.29 miles
Total: 13:08:43 / 124.94 miles

Goals for the upcoming week…enjoy my first massage (yep—finally caving to what Vardo, Sue, and Michele have been raving about…and hopefully my hamstrings can finally relax a bit), survive the 15K trail run Saturday, and hopefully get Tack out on the open road for the St. Pat’s ride on Sunday. Bring it on….

A Slightly Disgusting Observation…

After my 2:30 bike ride today, I had to change into running clothes to pick up my 40-minute run. As I peeled off my cycling clothes, in particular my jersey, it became painfully evident that I sweat a lot—so much so that I literally get drippy when I’m working out. I hung my clothes up in my bathroom to let them dry a bit…but when I got back from my run and went to take a shower, I found myself walking through a not-so-little puddle that had formed underneath my cycling clothes. Pretty gross to think that I sweat so much that my clothes were dripping a LOT…but it definitely reinforces my need to watch my hydration and electrolyte replenishment as I head into longer workouts. Perhaps more than you all wanted to know about me, but I thought it was blog-worthy…

Also, I finally watched “Super Size Me” tonight—I’d heard about it from a number of people but had yet to take the time to watch it. It was astounding to see the impact of an all-fast-food diet on the guy who made the movie…and also made me very very glad that I now only resort to fast food in moments of extreme desperation, as opposed to my former life when fast food was a pretty big staple of my diet.

Underwater People

For a while now, I’ve thought it would be fun to give a little insight into the cast of characters that I swim with several times a week at the Glen. Now that I’ve been a regular morning attendee, there are definite regulars at definite times—a fact that never fails to amaze me. For example, there are the Kraft folks—Erin, Jeremy and I are there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (although Erin is darn near always out of the water by the time I hit the pool deck—she’s a crazy-early morning person); Joanne (another multisport team member) is typically there several days a week—she’s training for a ½ IM this year; and Pat (my boss) is usually there at least one day while I’m there—it’s a little odd swimming with one’s boss, but I guess I’m over it now—he’s been very supportive of my training, and he’s also training for a ½ IM this year.

There is a distinct difference between those who are at the pool right away at 5:30 am and the rest of us—the 5:30 crowd (at least from what I observed the one time I was actually there at 5:30) consists of a group of Masters swimmers who take up two lanes and a bunch of other very athletic people who apparently enjoy the insanity of being at the pool at the butt-crack of dawn. The 6:30 crowd, however, is much more “normal”—those of us who try to cram in a workout before heading off to work but who refuse to cave to the morning person sickness.

The 6:30 crowd is fairly dependable—I usually recognize the majority of people at the pool, although, with the exception of the Kraft gang, I don’t know any of their names or anything about them. But…here’s a quick description of the people with whom I’ve shared lanes and/or high chlorine content water—these are just my perceptions, but hey—it’s my blog, so welcome to my world…

For starters, there is the groping backstroke man—a very normal-looking middle-aged man with a very unorthodox swim stroke—his arms and hands go very wide upon entering the water, which has, on some unfortunate occasions, led to inadvertent groping of people either in his lane or in the immediately adjancent lanes. Then there are the two water walkers—two women who are either sisters or friends who look a lot alike who have lots of resistance tools (ankle fins, barbell-type objects, and other things that I don’t know how to adequately describe). Lately, there has been sage-and-black Speedo man—the poor guy’s legs are apparently made of lead as his body position is approximately 30° from horizontal when he swims. His buddy, black-and white striped-trunks man, is a wicked lane hog with horrible technique (I’m not one to speak of poor technique as mine is certainly not great, but this guy might as well just thrash knowingly).

There are a few guys who I assume are triathletes—at least they all seem like they follow the “total immersion” school of technique—one guy in the black and green jammers is a bad lane hog as well, but at least I can swim next to him without getting kicked or groped inadvertently. Last, but certainly not least, are the two older gentlemen who regularly show up, get in a lane, and do an interesting walk/swim combo at roughly the speed of a two-toed sloth. One of them reminds me of the man who was the football coach when I was in high school—makes me chuckle every time.

After the 6:30 crowd leaves the pool, the 8:00 water aerobics class takes over two of the lanes. The class is almost exclusively senior citizens and mostly women—there is one man who is probably 80+ years old who participates while sitting on a swim noodle, but the rest of the class is women. The instructor usually comes in about 7:45 to set up—a fact I know because she wears incredible amounts of perfume so I can literally smell her arrival—which is why I try to swim in the lanes farthest from where she teaches. I’m usually in the locker room as the water aerobics women get ready to head out—in general, they seem like a nice group of ladies and are very chatty—one can learn a lot by listening to their conversations.

So, that’s a quick tour into my thrice-weekly trek to the pool—random, yes, but hopefully enjoyable…welcome to my little world, everyone…

Week 28 Wrap-Up

Well, it’s now almost the end of Week 27, and I’m just now getting around to posting my Week 28 stuff—such is the way things have gone lately. All told, week 28 went well—no major complaints, and things were feeling good. My swimming continues to come along well—I took ~2 seconds off my 100 m pace during a workout that repeated one from a few weeks ago, and my strokes per length continues to be consistent at 17-18 spl. It helped that Jeremy and I ended up swimming together for the 12x100 m workout (the one where my pace improved)—we are both fairly competitive, and swimming together seems to make both of us push ourselves harder than what we would do separately. Unfortunately for my ego but great for him, Jeremy’s swimming has improved a LOT since last year…so I’ll add swimming to the areas where I should just know better and not try to keep up with the 25-year old guy—while it was great for my time, I was wiped when we got done.

The weekend workouts were good—Saturday was a beautiful (albeit still ~35 F) day, so my post-ride run was great. I opted to drag my butt out of bed early Sunday morning to get in my long run—not so fun as I got home late Saturday night, but it turned out to be a good thing as it SNOWED Sunday afternoon and I would’ve been fairly bitter had I needed to get my run in during the March snowstorm. Sunday afternoon, I went to a running clinic at the Bike Shop—as with the swim clinic I attended in December, Lauren Jensen led the clinic. We were actually supposed to go outside and do some drill work, but with the weather being like it was (again, SNOW), we just talked through a bunch of stuff. She laid out run training suggestions for the four different tri lengths for both those hoping to finish and those hoping to be competitive. One of the big things I need to keep in mind is how to get hill repeats (or something replicating a hill repeat) into my workouts—I feel like our training plan does a good job of working interval training into things, but it’s probably a good idea to find some hills and start training on them…bummer that I live in a ridiculously flat part of the country, but I’ve heard rumors of some decent hills in the area.

The realization is also sinking in that we’re now under 200 days until race day—not freaking out yet, but still, time is ticking by quickly. The good news—it’s getting closer to spring, which means Tack and I will soon be hitting the open road…

Here’s the roll-up for the week…

Swim: 2:45:00 / 7600 m
Bike: 4:43:14 / 76.06 miles
Run: 3:37:31 / 22.16 miles
Total: 11:05:45 / 102.94 miles