My workouts kicked ass this weekend! Specifically, mine!
Friday:
a.m. swim - This was a redemption swim after one of the worst swims EVER on Wednesday
p.m. boot camp class - Lots of intervals, lots of burpees, lots of fun
Saturday:
Long (and I use the word loosely) run of 7.5 slow miles, mostly in the trails where it was cool and lovely
Sunday:
Long bike ride that was supposed to be a shorter bike ride and brick run, but my bike partner and I were having so much fun that we just kept going! We ended up with 38.6 miles and three really significant hills -- one on the way out and two on the way back. Ouch! Keep in mind that my previous weekend rides were all under 20 miles because I was focusing on shorter, more tempo rides to get ready for last weekend's race, so 38.6 (hilly) miles was a HUGE jump. As a result, I skipped the brick run afterward. I probably should have done it because...
I signed up for another race! This weekend! Yes, I'm a nut!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Race Report
I have to admit that it feels good to write a race report! :)
Yesterday was my first triathlon in nearly two years, the last one being the ungodly hot Olympic tri in July of 2011. After that race, I was completely burned out (literally and figuratively, haha), and I took a long break from just about everything triathlon-related. Then last year, I got injured and was forced to take a break. Now that I'm operating at 90%, I was ready to tri again. (HAHAHA, I crack myself up.)
I signed up for a race that all of my friends have done and raved about, even though it meant I would be racing against my training partners -- and losing. They are all much faster than I am, and I find it depressing to always come in last place in our little group. Nonetheless, I sucked it up and registered. The race is held at a boarding school, interestingly the campus where Dead Poets' Society was filmed. Quarter mile pond swim, 16 mile pretty flat bike course, and 5K cross-country run. I figured the whole thing would take me 1:30ish.
I will be the first to admit that I had NO IDEA what a cross-country run entailed. HOLY CRAP! It was mostly a single track trail run with roots and rocks underfoot, or grass that hadn't been mowed in weeks, and HILLS! Short, steep, curvy, twisting hills. I was so not prepared -- mentally or physically -- for that sort of run. But I digress.
SWIM - my mantra was Be Calm
Apparently, I was way too calm. My swim time was 10 minutes! That matches the swim time of my first triathlon ever, back in 2007. Ugh. I have no idea what happened.... Maybe I just took it too easy? I was expecting 8:40ish and hoping for 8:30. 10 minutes was a huge disappointment. Then, the run to transition was a good quarter mile (starting uphill), so my T1 time was way higher than usual. In my head I said, "Get to work. You need to make up 2 minutes on the bike!"
BIKE - my mantra was Be Aggressive
My goal was to hover around 20 mph for as much of the bike as I could. While the course was pretty flat, there were some small rollers that slowed me down to 14-15 mph. Every time I slowed down on an incline, I told myself, "OK, now you have to spend some time at 23-24 mph to make up for this!" I knew I'd be under 55 minutes for the bike but was hoping for around 52 minutes. Bike time = 51:25. Whew! And my T2 was under a minute. They should give out awards for T2. I would win every time. I rock in T2!
RUN - my mantra was Be Strong. It should have been Be Afraid!!
Well, I've already covered the run. I was hoping for 25-26 minutes (closer to 25, if I'm being honest), but I was woefully unprepared for that particular run. If it had been a flat run, or even trail run without so many twists, turns, and hills, I would have smashed that goal. My legs felt good, even if my glute really started to hurt, and I wasn't winded or tired. It was just a hard run. Run time = 26:13.
Total time = 1:32:21. Fourth in my age group (really 6th, but we all got bumped up because the first two women in my age group were also the top two females overall! YEAH! Old ladies rule!!!!!!!!!!). My friends A and D were 1-2 in our age group. Woo hoo!! And my friend M was 2nd in her age group (she's younger than we are). Woo hoo again! AND I got to see a dear friend from high school that I haven't seen in at least 6-7 years. Such a great surprise!!
I'm happy with the race and results. And I'm already looking for another tri or two for this summer. :)
Yesterday was my first triathlon in nearly two years, the last one being the ungodly hot Olympic tri in July of 2011. After that race, I was completely burned out (literally and figuratively, haha), and I took a long break from just about everything triathlon-related. Then last year, I got injured and was forced to take a break. Now that I'm operating at 90%, I was ready to tri again. (HAHAHA, I crack myself up.)
 |
| Me and my friend A at the swim start. She ended up first in our age group. |
I signed up for a race that all of my friends have done and raved about, even though it meant I would be racing against my training partners -- and losing. They are all much faster than I am, and I find it depressing to always come in last place in our little group. Nonetheless, I sucked it up and registered. The race is held at a boarding school, interestingly the campus where Dead Poets' Society was filmed. Quarter mile pond swim, 16 mile pretty flat bike course, and 5K cross-country run. I figured the whole thing would take me 1:30ish.
I will be the first to admit that I had NO IDEA what a cross-country run entailed. HOLY CRAP! It was mostly a single track trail run with roots and rocks underfoot, or grass that hadn't been mowed in weeks, and HILLS! Short, steep, curvy, twisting hills. I was so not prepared -- mentally or physically -- for that sort of run. But I digress.
SWIM - my mantra was Be Calm
Apparently, I was way too calm. My swim time was 10 minutes! That matches the swim time of my first triathlon ever, back in 2007. Ugh. I have no idea what happened.... Maybe I just took it too easy? I was expecting 8:40ish and hoping for 8:30. 10 minutes was a huge disappointment. Then, the run to transition was a good quarter mile (starting uphill), so my T1 time was way higher than usual. In my head I said, "Get to work. You need to make up 2 minutes on the bike!"
 |
| Me coming out of the water. |
BIKE - my mantra was Be Aggressive
My goal was to hover around 20 mph for as much of the bike as I could. While the course was pretty flat, there were some small rollers that slowed me down to 14-15 mph. Every time I slowed down on an incline, I told myself, "OK, now you have to spend some time at 23-24 mph to make up for this!" I knew I'd be under 55 minutes for the bike but was hoping for around 52 minutes. Bike time = 51:25. Whew! And my T2 was under a minute. They should give out awards for T2. I would win every time. I rock in T2!
RUN - my mantra was Be Strong. It should have been Be Afraid!!
Well, I've already covered the run. I was hoping for 25-26 minutes (closer to 25, if I'm being honest), but I was woefully unprepared for that particular run. If it had been a flat run, or even trail run without so many twists, turns, and hills, I would have smashed that goal. My legs felt good, even if my glute really started to hurt, and I wasn't winded or tired. It was just a hard run. Run time = 26:13.
Total time = 1:32:21. Fourth in my age group (really 6th, but we all got bumped up because the first two women in my age group were also the top two females overall! YEAH! Old ladies rule!!!!!!!!!!). My friends A and D were 1-2 in our age group. Woo hoo!! And my friend M was 2nd in her age group (she's younger than we are). Woo hoo again! AND I got to see a dear friend from high school that I haven't seen in at least 6-7 years. Such a great surprise!!
I'm happy with the race and results. And I'm already looking for another tri or two for this summer. :)
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Theia and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad run
Ugly run this morning. Ugly, ugly, ugly. It was almost but not quite the type of run that makes you hate running.
I met four of the Fastholes at the Y at 6 a.m. and we set out on our 4-mile loop. Quickly, two of the Fastholes were in front of the rest of us. Just as quickly, the distance between the groups started to increase. About 1.5 miles into the run, I told the two running with me to just leave me... and they did. I got progressively slower and slower for the rest of the run, watching as the two duos got farther and farther away from me. Despite the humidity (which was significant!), my lungs were not labored. I simply had no speed nor energy in my legs. They were just dead. I tried to do 4-5 pickups toward the end of the run, but they were really not that fast (if I'm being honest) and probably did very little to improve my overall pace.
I am hoping that running is like the theater... Bad dress rehearsal equals a great opening night performance. 5 days 'til race day!
I met four of the Fastholes at the Y at 6 a.m. and we set out on our 4-mile loop. Quickly, two of the Fastholes were in front of the rest of us. Just as quickly, the distance between the groups started to increase. About 1.5 miles into the run, I told the two running with me to just leave me... and they did. I got progressively slower and slower for the rest of the run, watching as the two duos got farther and farther away from me. Despite the humidity (which was significant!), my lungs were not labored. I simply had no speed nor energy in my legs. They were just dead. I tried to do 4-5 pickups toward the end of the run, but they were really not that fast (if I'm being honest) and probably did very little to improve my overall pace.
I am hoping that running is like the theater... Bad dress rehearsal equals a great opening night performance. 5 days 'til race day!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
I get to do my most favoritest workout tonight!
I call this one my Crazy Ass Brick workout because (A) it's crazy, (2) it's a brick, and (d) you feel like ass doing it. I always throw one in about 10-12 days before a race.
Here's how you do it. Set your bike up on a trainer, wherever you usually do your trainer rides. Get dressed for a cycling or brick workout, whatever you typically wear to bike, but put on your running shoes. Place your cycling shoes right next to your bike.
Go run a mile. It doesn't matter where, although outside is preferable to inside on a treadmill. Just run it. HARD.
Come back to your bike, switch your shoes, and bike for 15-20 minutes. Again, hard. The bike is not recovery. You'll recover at the end of the hour (or so).
After 15-20 minutes, switch your shoes again and run another mile. Try to go faster than your first run.
Swap shoes, hop on your bike, and do another 15-20 minute hard trainer workout.
For the last time, change your shoes and head back out for your last mile. Your goal is to do this one the fastest of all of them. It will hurt. It will suck. You will curse me. That means you're doing it right.
Stretch like mad and eat a big meal. You've earned it.
Why is the Crazy Ass Brick so awesome, you ask? I'm glad you asked. Here are all the reasons it's so awesome.
1. You get a killer workout in about an hour.
2. You're basically doing mile repeats, but you get to bike in between them so they don't feel like mile repeats on the track (which, let's admit it, suck ass).
3. Your neighbors will think you're nuts. They will be right.
4. You will practice transitions.
5. You will practice clipping in and out of your bike pedals.
6. You will feel like a total badass.
Here's how you do it. Set your bike up on a trainer, wherever you usually do your trainer rides. Get dressed for a cycling or brick workout, whatever you typically wear to bike, but put on your running shoes. Place your cycling shoes right next to your bike.
Go run a mile. It doesn't matter where, although outside is preferable to inside on a treadmill. Just run it. HARD.
Come back to your bike, switch your shoes, and bike for 15-20 minutes. Again, hard. The bike is not recovery. You'll recover at the end of the hour (or so).
After 15-20 minutes, switch your shoes again and run another mile. Try to go faster than your first run.
Swap shoes, hop on your bike, and do another 15-20 minute hard trainer workout.
For the last time, change your shoes and head back out for your last mile. Your goal is to do this one the fastest of all of them. It will hurt. It will suck. You will curse me. That means you're doing it right.
Stretch like mad and eat a big meal. You've earned it.
Why is the Crazy Ass Brick so awesome, you ask? I'm glad you asked. Here are all the reasons it's so awesome.
1. You get a killer workout in about an hour.
2. You're basically doing mile repeats, but you get to bike in between them so they don't feel like mile repeats on the track (which, let's admit it, suck ass).
3. Your neighbors will think you're nuts. They will be right.
4. You will practice transitions.
5. You will practice clipping in and out of your bike pedals.
6. You will feel like a total badass.
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