Good Ride

Today was supposed to be a ride with my training buddy down the island to Battery Park, back up to the Lighthouse and home... but it turned out to be a solo endeavor.

His crankarms were all defunct and he has to get his bike fixed...  sad face.

I decided to get my heart rate going and try to get some miles in the saddle.  It was a bit brisk and a little spritzy, but not too bad.  I rode from 70th Street down to the World Financial Center and back up to 125th Street, took a short break and then rode home.  It was a good ride.  My rear end hurts pretty badly, but otherwise, reasonable.

I am out of shape though.  Compared to race-shape, that is.  Slowwwww....

Double Duty

Well, sometimes I just feel like a nuisance. 

I was trying to get information out of my running partner about whether we were going to be able to go out today.  When I was shot down with a response about being "too busy," I assumed that meant that he wasn't coming.  So, trying to take care of myself and not get all emotional and not get all clingy-weird, I went home, got ready, awaited further instruction, got none, and started out on my own.

Of course, just as I was warmed up, I got a message that he was on his way.  So, I cut my run, cooled down (if it's possible to cool down... I was going so slow anyway) and headed back to meet him. 

I thought I had correctly cut the run so that it would appear on two separate workouts, but apparently I didn't.  So, this run has two parts, the first part is me warming up alone, the second part is the actual run, successful.  I'm so glad I got to run with my partner.  I should have done a better job of communicating... but it worked out anyway.

A Better Day

Yesterday was Christmas.  What a crap day.  Today was much better.  I had the day off from work and was able to go for a nice run with a friend.  It was crisp, but not cold.  Though, I'm glad I wore my windbreaker.  This run was better than Friday's, as I kept myself from going too fast.  Still need to work up to a better pace though.

Christmas Eve Eve

This was a nice run.  Went out for a good 4.5 miles.  Easy-ish.  I should probably take it a little slower, but this feels like a good pace.  I wonder, sometimes, if my heart rate is inappropriately affected by my lung capacity.  I can carry a reasonable conversation even when my heart rate says I shouldn't be able to...

Chilly and Breezy

Got a call this morning with an offer to go for an easy run and I took it.  Ran 4.5 miles in 50 minutes.  Nice and easy, bit on the cold side, but the sun was out and the breeze was (usually) easy on us.  Great to get out and move. 

Florida.

Woke up early this morning and got ready for a run.  The temperature was 72 and the sky was filled with high white clouds that resembled waves on the ocean.  I ran north up a path along the highway for two miles and then turned back, strides every five minutes.  I like seeing all the wildlife, birds and turtles mostly, that live in Florida.  I really want to live in a warm climate.

The rest of my day was very fun.  I went to the zoo with my friend and we fed animals and enjoyed the warm weather.  Afterward, we had lunch and went shopping.  A great day to finish off a very nice weekend.  I'm happy to be going home, but I wish it weren't so cold there...

Thanksgiving Run

Thankful for me.

Decided to go for a run around the middle of the park.  Just over 5K.  I ran slowly and kept my breathing regulated.  I forgot to wear my heart rate monitor.

Perfect weather, considering the season.  A great end to my day of personal exploration.


Happy Thanksgiving.

Back to Us

Nice ride today.  I worked really hard, actually.  I am still suffering from an upper respiratory infection, but spinning my legs out really helped move the lactic acid build up from Boot Camp out of my body.  I am in so much pain for days after Boot Camp.  I forgot to wear my heart rate monitor, but I figure I was in Z3/Z4 for the duration.  The park has opened up the drives for the season, so it's crowded on the east side.

Beautiful fall day.  Crisp weather.  Nice ride.  Great company.

Boot camp - 2 of 12

I took a couple weeks off from boot camp because I have been sick.  And, the last boot camp destroyed my legs for a full week.  I really couldn't believe how much pain I was in.

Because of that, I tried to go a little easier this time.  Plus, I'm still not feeling 100% and the weather has gotten chillier.  I will say that I am in love with all of the cold weather fitness gear I acquired last year over the winter.  It will save my buns this season.  Yay!

And then it rained.

I've been pretty sick this week.  Today I decided that I needed to get out of the house and go for a run.  I planned to do 5k in about 30/35 mins.  Nice and easy (9:30/10) around the park.  It was a little chilly today, but I figured I'd dress reasonably and get my lungs working.

Unfortunately, within minutes of hitting the pavement in the park it started to sprinkle a cold rain from the sky.  At this point I was rounding the first turn at the lower loop... so I could either finish the loop and go home, run home now - cutting at least 2 miles off the intended run, or I could try for the full 5k.  I decided to finish the lower loop and ditch.  I made it 2.75 miles.  My ear hurt from the chill in the air, I was fairly soaked, and I felt like a bit of an idiot for even going out.  Plus, instead of running an easy 9:30/10 pace, I picked it up in order to be out for less time... Ran 8:57.

Oh well.  I did it.  There it is.

Boot Camp - 1 of 12

My friend wanted to do a boot camp and asked me to sign up too, so today at 6:30am, we met in Central Park and did dozens of squats.  Ouch.  My legs already hurt and I haven't even slept yet.

The hour of work wasn't really all that difficult, but it definitely did what it was supposed to do.  Squats, lunges, planks, kettle bells, sprints... seems like a pretty well-rounded boot camp to me.

Spinervals 18.0

Rode inside today.  I liked pacing myself within Z2 today.  It took all season for me to learn why to appreciate zone 2 training.  Now it's me and Coach Troy for the "off season" and we are going to learn how to stay in zone 2, dammit. 


Good ride.

Ride to Nyack

Rode up to Nyack today with a friend.  The road was long and hilly and I was concerned that I would bonk on the way back... or worse, on the way there.  Having just finished a race two days ago, it probably wasn't the wisest move to go on such a long ride (my longest ever), but I had already committed and didn't want to cancel on this person again.

Getting up to and across the GWB was not as harrowing as I expected, although I was informed that it is usually very busy.  We rode up and out onto 9W and I was struggling to get myself into the right gear.  My legs felt fatigued and my HR was already too high to sustain.  I spent the majority of the first half hour trying to catch up and then losing ground again almost instantly.  I considered turning around and going home by myself, but I persevered.  I confessed my fatigue and a decision was made that I would draft to save energy.  This made me nervous, but I knew that if I didn't do it, I wouldn't make it.  So, I HTFU and made myself draft for the next ten miles or so. 

When we got to Nyack I felt much better than I anticipated.  We grabbed a coffee and some food at a little coffee shop, chatted and then hopped back on the bikes to head home.  I knew that there would be a lot of hills, but was reassured that it was just a few miles that were hard and then it was mostly downhill.  I appreciated the "forced" drafting throughout the trip.  Every time I was too far back, I would get the signal to get on the wheel.  Good thing too, because my personality is one to defer to the other person and not assume that I'm okay to draft.  I made it up the hills by adhering to the advice "toss it in a low gear and just spin it out" and once we were past the two to three miles of "hard" I hopped back on the wheel and drafted most of the way back.

We made pretty good time coming home and there are a good four miles in there where we were going an average of 21/22 mph solid.  I really liked getting into the zone and just riding the wheel.  My brain went into a total autopilot mode and I felt unaware of my physical fatigue, my speed, everything just locked in and I maintained good form throughout.  Overall, including some stopping (there was a bad accident on 9W heading up) I averaged 16 mph.  I'm pretty happy with this.

It was really fun to just jet down some of those long hills too.  I like to go fast!  Good ride.  I'm going to be sore and tired, but I did it.

Reflection: Nation's Triathlon 2011

Yesterday was a bittersweet day.  On one hand I was devastated by the events of recent days and have a weight of sadness making me heavy and depressed.  Part of me was intent to curl up into a ball on the floor of my hotel room and wait for the attendants to find me weeping, lamenting the loss of my very heart.  On the other hand, I had over a year invested in this race, and others have also invested in me, in this race, in the task ahead of me.  I chose to pursue a positive perspective and put that voice back in my head.  The one that has been cheering me and coaching me for months, the one that loves me.  Unconditionally.  Together, we punched this race in the face.

There was no swim, due to flooding in the area and the high levels of the Potomac.  This made the race much more tangible for me.  I realized at four o'clock in the morning that I would be doing the equivalent of four loops of the park, followed by one loop on foot.  I can totally do that, I told myself.

Indeed, I could and I did.  I began the race in good spirits, ran into the mucky transition area wearing my running shoes and all of my bike gear.  Changed shoes, grabbed the bike and ran out of transition.  I was greeted by a horrible muddy moat, which squished into my shoes through the hole at the cleat - ew.  Got past the blue line and realized that I had (once again!) run with the bike on the wrong side.  Mounted as quickly as possible, rode around the turnaround, passed a lot of women who were just starting out, waved to Evan (thanks for coming!) and dropped down to start the 25 mile workout.

The course was very full.  It would not be an understatement to say that I passed hundreds of people.  I was very grateful for the advice about passing without slowing down.  I know that if I hadn't been given that nugget of information, I would have had a much slower time.  Instead, I passed unapologetically and stayed fast and smooth.  I was in the drops ninety percent of the time, I maintained excellent form, my left leg was pulling as well as pushing and both legs felt fluid and strong.  I am grateful for my experience riding in CP, because I am not afraid of other cyclists.  I am also unfazed by debris on the ground and my bike handling skills are developed well, so when I climbed the ramp that had "rough road" I was able to navigate it with ease, tossing out a joke to the ladies struggling next to me.  We all had a good chuckle as I zoomed past and wished them luck.  The only people who passed me were <24-year-olds on tri bikes, mostly men.  I didn't have anyone pacing with me for long.  A couple of women were nearby for a short time, but I would eventually lose them.  I loved zooming through all of the ladies in my AG only to run out of them and start seeing numbers like "35", "38", "42" on calves.

At the halfway turnaround, I knew I had it in the bag.  I had been pacing around 21/22mph when I looked down at my watch, my HR was in the high 170s.  I kept my cadence relatively high (90s) and powered through, constantly checking my internal systems making sure that I was on target for hydration, nutrition and general well-being.  Ate three shot blocks here, powered home.

Transition was tricky.  I hopped off of my bike efficiently and began jogging into transition, my rack was on the far left, so instead of running through the crowded middle, I ran along the fence.  I got about a quarter of the way into transition and began to get tired running in cleats in the grass after a long ride.  The transition area is huge!  Ended up running past my rack (whoops!) and having to go back to it, rack backwards, change shoes and grab my hat - off I go!

Back through the mud moat, once I hit the road my legs had already run quite a bit, so the lead was already dripping out of them.  Nutrition upon hitting the pavement.  My arms were sore.  Paced around 9/9:30 for the first five minutes, ran up to the first water station, grabbed a cup to hydrate and then picked up the pace a bit for mile 2.  Mile 3 was plagued with cramping.  I tried to pace a little slower, hoping it would go away, breathing deeply and focusing on my form.  Mile 4 was right after the turnaround and I knew I was going to be okay.  I was pacing around 9:00 for each mile and I knew my legs could do it.  At mile 5 I started to smile.  Keep up the pace.  I ran past my parked car and knew how far I had left.  Pick up the pace.  Mile 6 I knew I was there.  I have it!  Run!

I was all smiles as I approached the finish line.  It couldn't have been a better race.  And then it was!  The one person that I wanted to see was there, cheering me on to the finish line.  I couldn't have asked for more.  My heart overflowed and I pushed harder.  I hope he is proud.  I know I am.

Medal, chip, water, orange, stretch, walk.  A sea of people.  I am proud of this race.  The events leading up to and from it leave me sad and unsettled, but I ran the race with love in my heart and pride in my soul.  My expert training and loving support from the most important people in my life are what I keyed into.  I look forward to next year.

Nation's Triathlon 2011 - Official Results

bib number:	5446
age:	27
gender:	F
location:	New York, NY
overall place:	1705 out of 3872
division place:	58 out of 331
gender place:	255 out of 1455
time:	2:10:40
t1:	1:51
bike:	1:12:37  (20.5 mph)
t2:	2:31
run:	53:43  (8:40 / mile)

Trifecta 4 of 4

A lot of bad things have happened this week.  I am trying to just keep moving forward, even though I feel like I'm running through mud up to my waist.  My early train was cancelled, so I had to move my resources over to a rental car.  I had some time this morning as a result of this change, so I took the opportunity to get my trifecta out of the way.  I feel like I did a good job.

Swim:

L1	51.08		R	9.81
L2	55.09		R	12.18
L3	56.17		R	10.83
L4	53.96		R	10.97
L5	53.16		R	13.05
L6	52.62		R	11.47

I swam for five minutes each to warm up and cool down and then did 6x50 on 10".  I am happy with the results here.

Bike:

Warm up in Z2 for 5 mins, follow with 5x 90/30 Z4 intervals, finish in Z3 for 5 minutes.  I did this on the trainer.  I am happy with my effort.  I varied the intervals with big ring effort for 3 intervals and fast legs for 2. 

Run:

Warm up for 5 minutes, follow with 5x 60/60 Z4 intervals.  I feel like this was a good effort too.  I am getting better at reaching my goal and then recovering in between.

Recovery Run

Ran this evening.  Sad that the swim is cancelled.  Sad that this weekend is starting out with a horrible, nauseating sequence of events that just make me feel more worthless than ever before.  I can't seem to do anything right these days.  I was looking forward to proving that all of the effort I've put into my training at least paid off, my entire year wasn't a horrible waste.  But it seems to be quite the opposite.  Even the things I thought were good are coming apart at the seams.  Everything I love, everything I aspire for, every goal I set just fall apart and turn to shit.  Doesn't matter how much effort I put into them, I'm going to fuck it up.  It's just who I am.  I can't follow through with anything.  The things that I want to grow only die and wither under my touch.  I am doomed to be a lonely, unemployed, self-absorbed disgrace.  Even the culmination of this year's training will be left without closure.  No gratification.  No resolution.  No reward.  Just disappointment and sadness.  Just another reminder of how I'm wasting my life.

Trifecta 3 of 4

Today's trifecta went well.  Started with the swim:
 

L1	48.1		L6	51.89		L11	52.63		L16	55.12
L2	60.93		L7	59.2		L12	59.06		L17	60.75
L3	64.31		L8	61.38		L13	59.29		L18	60.81
L4	63		L9	60.83		L14	61.42		L19	63.26
L5	61.94		L10	60.57		L15	61.77		L20	59.66
R	57.31		R	44.43		R	31.25

 

I felt a little sluggish and fatigued as I swam, but I just focused on my form, making sure to keep my reach long and my catch strong.  Head in good position, high elbows, straight legs.  As long as I keep to good form, it seems I will be fine.  Average lap was 59.30.  Good stuff.

Ran on the treadmill because it was raining all day, so I only have HR data.  The data looks exactly right though, so I feel there was great success here.  I set the 'mill to roughly 10'35", 9'30", and 8'15".  The last one may have been a little too fast.


Biked this evening.  I feel like I did a good job here too.  I tried to do fast spinning for the last set, but didn't get quite the "oomph" out of the last 4 minutes that I wanted, so my HR is a little low.  Otherwise, three reasonable sets.  I was pretty tired by this point though.

Race Plan : Nation's Triathlon 2011

*** Race plan subject to change/update***

Wednesday, August 30: Take bike to LBS to get tune-up.  (DONE)

Tuesday, September 6: Go to bike shop to get box. Box bike as soon as possible. You don't need it again until Saturday. (DONE)

Thursday, September 8: Rent wet suit. Practice putting the wetsuit on and practice a transition set up at home. Get the suit wet and try to take it off.

Friday, September 9: Pack overnight bag (all must fit in backpack): Swim cap, goggles, swim clip, bathing suit, flip flops, hair ties/clips, helmet, sunglasses, trisuit, glide, socks (x3), gloves, bike shoes, bike shorts, running shoes, running shorts, sports bra, hat, race belt, RoadID, HR monitor, Garmin watch, SportCount, street clothes (x2), wet suit, plastic bags, towel (x2), GU, water bottle (x3), add'l nutrition, sweat shirt, transition bag, bike kit, sunscreen, ID, registration info, train tix.

Saturday, September 10: Wake up at 4am. Shower, dress, double check all bags. Leave house by 5:30am, check bike box with Amtrak at 6:00am. Take 7:05am train to Washington, DC. Arrive at 10:25am. Take train to hotel, try to check in early, assemble bike, pick up race packet at expo. Ride bike to transition area, check bike with on-site mechanics, make sure you are in small ring/15 to start. Get timing chip (if applicable), body marking. Change into swim gear, swim half the course (if possible). Take overnight bag to hotel (if not already there), check out the expo. Head for your room. Assemble transition bag as you want it to be. Go for a short run. Eat a good dinner. Enjoy being in DC. In bed by 9pm.

Sunday, September 11: Wake up at 4:30am. Shower, fix hair, eat breakfast, double check room for personal items, take shuttle bus at 5:30am to transition area. Check bike (ABC), set up transition items, hydrate. Use restroom, put on wetsuit/swim cap, double check transition area, pat yourself on the back - you made it!

Eat a GU 15 mins before race wave start.

Swim: Enter the water near the edge of "humanity", swim strong to get a good position, then recover in the water, pacing around 2' per 100y. Focus on your rhythm. You swim all the time, this is no different, you're just swimming. Once you get back to the start line, try to pick up the pace again to finish strong. Long, lean strokes. Focus on reach and glide, high elbows and strong pull.

T1: Take off cap/goggles/swim clip. Peel wetsuit down to waist as you run. Transition smoothly into the bike - helmet, sunglasses, watch, nutrition, race belt, socks, shoes, GO! Unrack & run with bike on your LEFT.

Bike: Use the first five minutes (just over a mile) to get yourself in the zone. This is your strong sport, you are a good cyclist. Eat some nutrition in this first 5 minutes, drink some water. Now go! Power up hills and recover down. Pass smoothly and with purpose, don't slow down to pass - drive through. Stay down in the drops as much as possible, keep your body aerodynamic. Hydrate throughout - every 15 minutes take a drink, this is important - remember how dehydrated you felt running the CP Sprint. Eat again 45-55 mins in. Finish strong.

T2: You know this one. Fast and smooth. Helmet, hat, shoes, GO!  Don't think.

Run: You are going to be tired. This is the most work you've ever done before running, let your body get into the zone. Eat a GU as you start the first part of your run. This is the last section of the race! You've got it! This is what you've trained for! Let your legs loosen up for the first 10 minutes. It's okay, you've still got 50 more to be fast. After 10 minutes, go a little harder. Try to aim for a 9 minute mile and try to stay consistent at that pace for the remainder of the run. When you get halfway through, see how you feel, if you can give it more - do it. The last mile is all you - this is the last part of the race, you can give it all you've got. Stay focused, keep good form, finish strong and leave nothing in the tank. You deserve to cross the finish line feeling proud of all you've done. Great job!

Post race: Bask in the glory! You've just accomplished a great feat for yourself. This is a great day. Take your medal and get some food!

Goals:
Swim - 35 minutes (2'07 per 100y)
Bike - 1 hour, 25 minutes (18mph)
Run - 58 minutes (9'21" mile)
TOTAL: 175 minutes (2 hrs, 58 minutes plus transition)

Sunday afternoon - take bike back to the shop to be broken down.  Get on late Amtrak train (boo!) 10:00pm.  Sleep on the train, if you can.  Arrive in NYC at 1:49am, take yourself home!  Great job.

Spinervals 8.0

Recovery ride.  I hadn't realized how weak my legs are, specifically my left leg.  This workout has two separate sets of one-legged drills and a lot of superspins.  The one-legged drills are interesting to look at because we start with the left leg, obviously my weaker limb, and alternate for five sets then three sets.  You can see my intensity drop as I struggle to muscle through, but my heart rate also drops, alluding to the fact that it's not that I'm going too hard, it's that I'm not strong enough.  During the off-season I want to do more weight training.

Z2 with strides

Ran in the park on the dirt for most of the workout.  Up the equestrian trail to the upper part of the Reservoir, then looped around once more before heading home.  I saw an owl perched on a nearby tree, we watched each other as I ran by, it was an adrenaline pumping experience.  Beautiful bird.  Strides were nice, I felt strong as I stretched out my gait and took more land under my feet.  Sometimes I found myself going a little fast in between strides, but I tried to curb that as soon as I discovered it.

Trifecta 2 of 4

Ran early today on the treadmill.  This is seen on the second half of the recorded set here (minutes 15:30 thru 30:30), the first part is yesterday's run.  I haven't explored my watch enough to really know all the tricks and hang-ups, so sometimes I get funky data.  Or, as the case has been lately, no data.  :(

This was a nice set, I like intervals.  I ran at 10:45 for warmup/recovery and at 8:41 for the interval.  Five by 60/60 felt good.  Nice and sweaty afterward.

This afternoon I had to go down to my office, so I rode my bike.  Unfortunately, the tune-up I received on Wednesday resulted in a rear brake that was too tight and a front derailleur that wouldn't give me the big ring.  So, I made the workout work in my favor anyway and did small ring work with high cadence.  The data looks pretty with my 90/30 intervals.  However, I kind of ran out of functional road at the end, so my finish was too low (supposed to be Z3).  Downtown is a mess!

After I finished at the office I went back to my LBS to rework the bike.  The new mechanic, who had serviced my bike previously, took a look at it and fixed my brake.  But when I left the shop, the derailleur was still defunct, so I ended up turning around and going back.  Fortunately Jose, the shop's awesomely fast and precise bike mechanic, not only fixed the problem, but I swear my gears are smoother than they've ever been.  He's so spot-on, he even noticed a loose part when he test drove the bike to ensure it's functionality.  Yay, Jose!

I am hoping to make it into the pool tonight, but when I went on Tuesday, I discovered that the payment for the month hadn't gone through... If I am unable to trouble shoot that I may have to call this a "bi-fecta" or a "du-fecta" or perhaps just call it "de-fecta"... 'cause that's what I feel like. 

A nice run by the river

These tiny bursts of running are interesting.  I find that because they are zone based and they are so short, I have a hard time keeping my HR low enough.  This run was okay though.  I ran for five minutes in Z2, five in Z4, and finished in Z2.  My watch had no clue where I was, so there really isn't any data that is reliable beyond the HR data.  Looks good though!  And ignore minutes 15:30-30:30... that's tomorrow's run.  Doh!

Take the bike to the bike shop

Today's ride probably needed a little more oomph. I found that once I was going, my HR would drop because I was riding on the flat and I couldn't maintain the necessary work without going a million miles an hour. I tried to vary the workout, some hard stuff mixed with some high cadence pedaling... this helped. I wore my watch because I wanted to drop the bike off at the shop and I was nervous that I would forget my Garmin on the handlebars, so it was difficult to track exactly what was going on. For example... I didn't realize that my cadence monitor was not working until the ride was almost over. Whoops. I also ended up riding through town for part of the ride, which explains the stop and go at the beginning and end, but also, once I got downtown I was faced with a ton of construction and quite a few people out with small children whose favorite place to stand around was right in the middle of the bike lane. WTF?

Based on the fact that this was an "optional" recovery ride, I didn't sweat the small stuff too much. I know that I'm not supposed to over-work during this period, so I gave it what I was able to and then let the rest be what it was. Other things that I worked on: pedaling through the triangle with my left leg, passing people without pausing or slowing down, bike handling, getting on the bike in one smooth motion from the left instead of two motions from the right, and I threw in a few good accelerations.

Baby's at the bike shop now, getting a tune up. There's a rattling noise coming from the gear set, which they said they'd fix. Next week I pack it up and take it on the train.

Trifecta 1 of 4

I began today's trifecta with a bike in Central Park. I tried to make sure to keep my HR within the appropriate zone. I think I did a good job, though I may have popped out of Z4.

Followed the bike with the swim. Great effort here.

L1	54.94		L6	59.6		L11	55.55		L16	61.71
L2	59.44		L7	59.15		L12	60.98		L17	60.62
L3	61.77		L8	64.42		L13	59.12		L18	60.83
L4	58.15		L9	56.14		L14	58.74		L19	58.4
L5	58.23		L10	55.84		L15	54.38		L20	55.59
R	62.69		R	71.1		R	64.7

Average lap time is 58.68. I'll take that, for sure. Lap 8 experienced a swim clip slip, and I stood up to fix it. "R" equals rest time. I find that my first lap of a set always seems faster than the effort.

Finished up with the run late this evening. It was funny running for such a short time, when I've been doing long sets recently. I tried to keep my pacing at Z2 (around 10:00 mile) for 3 minutes, Z3 (at 8:45-9:00 mile) for 3 minutes, and Z4 (around 8:00 mile) for 4 minutes. Flipping through the data on my way home, I hit this target in the second set, but went over in the first set. I actually went too fast in Z4... max pace was 7:12, average 7:37, which took my HR too high.

How to train in a Hurricane...

You just do.

Ran yesterday in the pouring rain, ran today in the ultra wind. Today's brick was successful, meaning I did what I was told. I feel like that's where I'm at these days... because of the nature of the workouts, not because of anything else. These workouts are totally reasonable, they are absolutely within the parameters of my ability, and though they can be long, they are not impossibly difficult. Because of that, the challenge lies in actually DOING the workout, motivating to get out and get it done, but not as much in the actual work. At least, that's what I'm feeling.

Anyway, ladder in the saddle. Five minutes each Z2-Z4, repeated 4x. This was good. I worked on my own (without a video) indoors and varied the workout as needed to keep the HR within zone. The first and third sets, I worked easier gears with higher cadence. Second and fourth sets were lower cadence with bigger gears. I was most successful during the second set.

As I was riding, I lost my mind and forgot I had the watch on AutoSport, so the first 5mins of my workout is here.

After a clean transition and a walk down the stairs, I ran for 30 minutes. A few things caught me up during this run, but I feel that (despite the odd data) I achieved my goal. First, my watch takes a while (usually 10+ minutes) to sync with satellites, so the first section of my run is without pacing info. Second, as I hit the first mile of my run I began to cramp up. This is the third run in a row with mega abdominal cramping. I run through it, but it sucks. Finally, as I turned around at the halfway point, I was met with a significant headwind, which had previously pushed me along from behind. You can see this starkly reflected in my HR data. In order to achieve the same speed, I had to work harder. At the end of the 20 minute <9' set, I decided to book it up the hill and max out. Felt good.

Inclement Weather

In spite of the pre-storm rain, I went out into the park and ran a long Z2 (mostly) lap around the park. Paced really well for the first twenty minutes in Z2, then picked up the pace and averaged a nice 9'00 mile for the next twenty minutes (prescribed at race pace), followed by 37 minutes in Z2. Strict instructions not to "overdo it" played in my head throughout the run. I was grateful for this run because I have been thinking about the 10k distance and realized the other day that I haven't run that far in a while. I've run 5+ miles, but not quite 10k. I like to feel it in my body so that I'm not concerned about my abilities.

Good day.

Straight Swim

Drills to warm up (are you surprised?), 300y finger drag, 3T, one-arm freestyle, 3T, catch up.

Forty-five minute straight swim. The first 36 mins, 15 seconds comprised the first 33 laps. This is roughly the distance of the swim in the tri. I was not going at a race pace, but was focusing instead on my breathing. This means, as far as I can tell, that my "slowest" pace at the tri would be around this time... provided, of course, that I don't completely freak out, switch strokes, go off course, go into shock, have an asthma attack, stop, or drown.

Overall, my average lap was 1'05. I pushed the pace to 1'00 for the final lap, finishing 41 laps in 45'07.53. Here are my splits:

L1	65.75		L11	60.19		L21	67.13		L31	68.4
L2	67.58		L12	62.23		L22	67.01		L32	65.5
L3	64.72		L13	64.55		L23	70.92		L33	66.48
L4	64.81		L14	66.51		L24	68.13		L34	68.5
L5	64.27		L15	65.36		L25	66.17		L35	67.69
L6	65.06		L16	66.7		L26	64.63		L36	67.25
L7	65.18		L17	63.87		L27	67.43		L37	64.47
L8	65.78		L18	66.38		L28	67.09		L38	66.09
L9	62.89		L19	64.18		L29	68.27		L39	68.22
L10	67.36		L20	67.55		L30	65.85		L40	70.85
									L41	60.53

Finished with 300y mixed stroke. Total yards: 2650

Long ride

I mentally prepared for this ride all day. The important thing is to make sure to sustain the proper effort for the right amount of time. In this case, my set was 15 mins in Z2, 15 in Z4, 45 in Z3, 15 in Z4, another 45 in Z3 and 15 in Z2. If you got lost, that's 2.5 hrs on the bike, two hours at or above race pace.

I think I did a pretty good job. I felt really sore when I started the final cool down and that last 45 minutes at Z3 seemed to go on forever. My feet were the worst. Quads and knees were pretty stiff too, and don't even ask me about my ... saddle area.

Sweaty. Gross. Sore. But I did it.

Race Pace

Lots of running, biking, swimming at race pace these days. Today, I ran five minutes to warm up, thirty-five minutes at race pace, and five minutes to cool down. I feel like I effectively reached my goal, averaging 9 mins per mile. As I approached the cutoff and Lasker Hill, I saw some people on the shoulder who were petitioning for more bike paths. I (very quickly) stopped to sign the petition, hence the tiny hitch in my HR. I was grateful for the brief respite though, as I had been running very uncomfortably through bad cramps for the last mile or so. There are two other speed dips right around that HR dip, those were both due to a brief pause to try to work out the cramp. After I hit the west side of the park, things eased up and I finished well. Ouchy.

Day off

Today I spent my day working on an edit and happily enjoying my no-workout agenda. There was an earthquake, which was a little thrilling considering I felt it quite well from my 14th floor room. Good food, good down-time, good company, good work, minor natural disaster, generally a good day.

Oh. My. God. So. Tired.

Flight got in late, so I didn't get home until 2:30am. I slept until 8:45am, got some things together, put on my bathing suit and went to the pool. I have a long day ahead of me.

Swim was great. Ate granola and yogurt before leaving for the pool, brought a food bar with me for after, swam 200y to warm up and then set right into 15x 100y on 10". I am very pleased with the results of this swim. Specific data to come, but my slowest lap (50y) was 1'03. I really tried to get my body to work at a race pace the whole time. I am doing much better on my reach and pull, keeping my elbows bent and my hand in a strong position. Trying to focus on my left side, especially at the end of the pull. I tend to flip the hand out and relax prematurely, wasting the last bit of water.

Ate my food bar and went to the office to pick up some materials for my week (and give myself a little break between workouts). When I left I grabbed two hot dogs at Mike's Papaya, which I ate on the train. Upon arriving at home, I ate some leftover turkey meatballs with couscous and green beans. Hopped on the bike to ride for 90 minutes. Tuned into two episodes of Doctor Who and rode about 10 minutes to warm up, 80 minutes at a race-style pace (mostly monitoring my heart rate, kept between 155 and 175 throughout) varying the style of ride. I would pick a gear and a cadence and ride in that zone for 10 minutes straight, then spin fast for a minute 3x, then go back to a long ride with race cadence, "climb" a few hills, keep it interesting. Fed myself a GU after the first episode (about 45 mins in). Drank two bottles of water. I sweat a lot in the house. Yuck.

Transitioned quickly into running gear and bolted out the door, but didn't anticipate how tricky the stairs would be. My quads were not interested in "down". I had to hold the rail to make it down without buckling. Once I got outside, I hit lap on the Garmin and started an easy warm up run. My legs were really heavy. I ate a pack of Chomps right before I got off the bike, but realize that the effects were probably lost on the run, as I didn't have a long set. Once I got into the park, which took about five minutes, I ran one lap around the lower loop, trying to increase my pace as I went. This worked until I got to the hill that crosses back over at 72nd street. Getting up to the top was tiring and I found myself focusing on the cadence of my feet and really pulling myself along with my elbows. I haven't looked at the data for this set, but I don't think I have much at the beginning for pace, since it took the watch a while to find me.

When I got back to the house, I was tired. I took the stairs at a snail's pace and drank my milk as soon as I got upstairs. Hopped in the shower and threw my overnight bag together. I wanted to make the 4:03 train, but it didn't happen. Ended up just making it to the 4:42. Passed out on the train for about an hour. Thank goodness for an off day tomorrow.

Sunday in the tiny pool

Got up early and swam for about 45 minutes in the hotel pool. Did 16 laps of drills, which translates roughly to 400y. After that, I swam around the perimeter for a while, since no one else was up and out in the pool. This was interesting, because I didn't have to turn around, so as long as I stayed close enough to the long walls and paid attention, I could swim almost continuously. I tried to swim smoothly and consistently, but I definitely was not going fast.

Morning Run

I woke up at 3am Pacific time today (6am EST) and told myself to try to sleep more, as I would need the rest for the day. At 6am I got up and went to the sport center to run on the treadmill. I only have heart rate data for the day, as I don't have a foot pod anymore.

Ran 10 minutes to warm up. I set the treadmill at 5.5mph, which translates to nearly 11 minute miles. Once I was finished with the warm up, I had a 40 minute race-pace set, which I ran at 6.9mph, or 8:41. My heart rate climbed gently, but consistently to a max of about 173. I will upload the data as soon as I get back to my equipment. Here's a photo of the data from the 'mill though.



This evening I got in the tiny pool again. Swam a few drills, only about 15 minutes worth. When I got out, I noticed that the kids, who were enjoying late night pool time with me, were actually watching me swim and were mimicking me. It made me smile.

Travel day

Today I flew to Los Angeles. I slept for a little over an hour last night and barely nodded during the flight, which left Newark at 5am. I have a ton of work to do and a big training weekend, plus the shoot in LA. I am worried that I won't make it.

After a long day, I finally got an hour to nap. After that, I hopped in the (hotel-sized) pool and swam drills and laps. It was difficult to gauge how far I went, as I forgot my SportCount at home and the pool was much shorter. I would guess it was 13 yards, based on stroke count. I was in the pool for 45 minutes.

Spinervals 27.0 plus a bonus swim!

I'm unexpectedly traveling this weekend, and so have had to make a few amendments to my workout schedule. I was supposed to swim 1100y tomorrow, but may not be able to so I swam it today. Warm up with 100y drills and then swim a straight 1000y.

1		59.82		11		1'07.97
2		1'04.97		12		1'07.26
3		1'06.46		13		1'04.62
4		1'06.21		14		1'07.04
5		1'11.69		15		1'05.54
6		1'05.63		16		1'07.76
7		1'07.09		17		1'06.06
8		1'05.06		18		1'06.56
9		1'05.22		19		1'04.20
10		1'06.53		20		1'01.19

TOTAL: 21'56.88
Average lap: 1'05.84

Spinervals 27.0 was a good effort. I was asked to do a similar effort earlier this week and I miscalculated my LT by 10bpm. Unfortunately (and uncharacteristically), I estimated too low and didn't work hard enough. Today, I listened to Coach Troy and achieved better results.

Run

I think someone spilled clove oil all over the road at the 72nd Street park entrance. Seriously.

Ran a couple of times around the lower loop this evening, I set out to do 5x 5mins at race pace with 1.5 mins recovery... well, I guess that's what I did do, but I felt slow.

I've been feeling kind of slow lately. In all sports. I am hoping that it is just a cyclical thing and that I will be on the upswing again very soon. The type of training that I'm doing is different too though, so perhaps that has something to do with it. Regardless, I'm trying to do my best to stick to the program, whatever it is.

Long time in the Pool

Two hundred yards of drills followed by 40 minutes straight swim:
L1- 57.68
L2- 1'08.00 (goggle issue)
L3- 1'08.31 (lane miscommunication)
L4- 1'04.14
L5- 1'05.93
L6- 1'03.96
L7- 1'04.63
L8- 1'04.67
L9- 1'03.71
L10- 1'04.97
L11- 1'05.51
L12- 1'03.89
L13- 1'05.69
L14- 1'06.89
L15- 1'05.98
L16- 1'06.31
L17- 1'06.80
L18- 1'04.24
L19- 1'05.34
L20- 1'04.13
L21- 1'06.23
L22- 1'06.41
L23- 1'07.47
L24- 1'07.73
L25- 1'09.78
L26- 1'05.88
L27- 1'07.37
L28- 1'04.50
L29-1'05.13
L30- 1'05.05
L31- 1'05.94
L32- 1'08.30
L33- 1'05.43
L34- 1'09.60
L35- 1'05.95
L36- 1'07.63
L37- 1'04.91
TOTAL: 40'26.40
Average lap: 1'05.58

Followed by 15x50y on 15" alternating easy, hard.
L1- 1'08.30 R: 18.43
L2- 53.10 R: 13.44
L3- 1'08.30 R: 15.67
L4- 51.41 R: 14.27
L5- 1'08.35 R: 16.37
L6- 49.35 R: 15.43
L7- 1'06.72 R: 20.27
L8- 50.09 R: 18.18
L9- 1'06.93 R: 13.00
L10- 50.72 R: 13.81
L11- 1'06.38 R: 13.33
L12- 51.01 R: 15.27
L13- 1'04.00 R: 8.79
L14- 51.50 R: 15.30
L15- 1'04.14

One hundred yard cool down - breast stroke.


Total yards: 2,900

No fun, no sun.

My outdoor ride was cancelled today due to inclement weather. I was supposed to work on bike handling, mounting, dismount and passing today. Instead I hauled out the trainer and put in some time indoors. I watched a couple episodes of Doctor Who and rode 10 mins to warm up, 20 mins at LT (which is always a bit tricky for me to do on my own on the trainer) and 15 mins to cool down.

Made dinner right away. I have been eating all day. Feels like I can't get enough food in me.

Feeling a little achy in the knees again today, just mentioning it in case I need a point of reference in the future. I can't afford to get an injury. Literally. I can't afford it.

Rainy Day Race Simulation

Thirty-five minute straight swim today. I really focused on how I felt swimming and how to get into a rhythm. I took my time - or at least I mentally took my time - for the first 300y and then I checked in with my body. All systems were go, so I thought about picking up the pace a bit. I found as I was going that if I altered a piece of my workout, (ie: focusing on bent arms rather than glide) I would start to windmill. So, I would refocus on the task at hand. The idea of "reach" isn't in my blood yet, it's still a conscious effort. I also made sure to turn around as "gently" as possible. I barely touched the wall, this way I had a better idea of the actual amount of effort required to swim for this long.

400y of drills (alternating regular fs) to warm up:
finger drag, catch up, 3T, underwater switch, right arm freestyle, left arm freestyle, 3T, zipper

35 minute set:
L1- 1'02.06
L2- 1'05.13
L3- 1'04.37
L4- 1'07.12
L5- 1'05.16
L6- 1'06.37
L7- 1'02.62
L8- 1'00.86
L9- 1'03.00
L10- 1'05.21
L11- 1'06.66
L12- 1'03.79
L13- 1'06.43
L14- 1'03.41
L15- 1'06.05
L16- 1'04.22
L17- 1'07.47
L18- 1'00.01
L19- 1'05.71
L20- 1'02.63
L21- 1'01.50
L22- 1'04.09
L23- 1'04.17
L24- 1'04.76
L25- 1'03.68
L26- 1'05.14
L27- 1'04.26
L28- 1'05.87
L29- 1'00.59
L30- 1'05.09
L31- 1'06.12
L32- 1'01.37
L33- 1'02.57
L34- 1'00.38
TOTAL TIME: 36'17.87
Average lap: 1'04.06

Drills: 100y cool down.

Total yards for the swim: 2,200

Training at 10K race pace

Today was another interval set, this one longer than Wednesday's. I had a feeling that I went out too hard on Wednesday and that my idea of "race pace" was incorrect. I was training with the pace that I would race that distance (20 minutes) in mind. In fact, I should be training with a 10K in mind. Today, I achieved that zone.

I looked pretty running too. :)

Good job, Speer

Spinervals 17.0

This was a good workout. I kept my heart rate down, which is usually a big problem for me, and I kept my cadence within the range that was being requested, which meant that I often was in an easier gear. But I am happy with the result. As you can see from my data, I was pretty consistent and maintained the correct steady effort that was requested. I am happy with this.

I am a day late, but yesterday was a long one for me. I started working at around 8:30 and didn't get home until nearly 8:30 that evening. In addition, I have been struggling with a bit of depression that has been difficult to shake. Financial woes are really beating me down and it affects my day to day. I am looking forward to the days of steady work, a nice paycheck and the ability to focus my energy on the things that I enjoy. I'm not quite there yet.

Too fast at the start

I think I began the first race pace set too fast.

I also was a bit concerned about my breathing. Though it was steady, I felt tight today.

Bumped the "start" key on my watch when I plugged it in, so Garmin recorded odd spacing for my data.

Shallow End

A good swim in a tiny pool. Weird to hop in and have the water only come up to your crotch.

Four hundred yards (in theory, the pool may have only been 24y) of drills, each 50 was half drill, half regular; finger drag (2x), catch up (2x), 3T (2x), underwater switch, one arm freestyle (25y each). Added a lap to count strokes & try to minimize the number; 12 strokes forward, 13 strokes back.

Three sets of 400y with 1'30" rest in between. I tried to focus on maintaining a long glide and a strong catch. I was lucky enough to get some pointers as I went along and will incorporate them into my future swims. I try to think about different drills that will help me to focus on the specific improvement that I want to make.

Times:
S1 - ................S2- ..................S3-
L1: 56.81 .......L1: 57.61 .........L1: 54.92
L2: 59.34 ......L2: 57.92 ........L2: 59.43
L3: 1'03.37 ....L3: 1'00.86 .....L3: 59.26
L4: 1'01.13 .....L4: 59.92 .......L4: 1'00.70
L5: 1'02.80 ....L5: 1'02.27 .....L5: 59.71
L6: 1'04.39 ....L6: 1'01.93 ......L6: 1'00.51
L7: 1'01.50 .....L7: 1'02.58 .....L7: 1'01.34
L8: 1'02.03 ....L8: 1'00.49 .....L8: 1'02.34

All things considered, good swim. The pool tasted like people, which was really gross, but the frickin' gym was called "Sweat Fitness," I mean really? What did I expect?

Bike on the Trainer

Well... I couldn't seem to muster the full energy necessary to haul the bike downstairs, complete with gear and dress, but I managed to put it on the trainer, top off with some shorts and a sports bra, try a ride with no socks (not just being lazy here, this is actually for training) and ride my 4 sets while watching Doctor Who.

I tried to keep my cadence consistent for some sets, shake it up for others. Stood up twice, shifted gears as necessary and tried to keep the HR in the 140-150 range. Probably a little low, but my legs weren't responding well to being pushed. I don't like feeling like this was a throw-away. I have a tiny voice in my head saying, "If you're not going to push hard and do it right, you might as well have skipped it."

But I know if I skip it, it will start a pattern for the week.

Just like clockwork

I am so tired. What the hell.

It's as if I had a timer set that said "every fourth week, you will lose all motivation, all inspiration, the ability to function and, just to be ironic, you'll be completely fatigued as if you were working non-stop." That's me today. Great. Welcome to recovery week... sigh.

My goal this week: just do the workouts. Just DO them!

So far today, I have accomplished a swim. Two laps of drills (25 drill/25 reg) and one 1000y TT. Right goggle eye decided to allow water in the whole time, so my eye is red and irritated and the swim was uncomfortable. Swim clip kept slipping and I had to fix it multiple times. I cannot afford to have equipment malfunctions like this during the race, I'm barely functional as a swimmer as it is. Bah.

Here are my laps for the TT:

L1: 55.15
L2: 1'01.47
L3: 1'07.44 (swim clip)
L4: 56.63
L5: 59.61
L6: 1'02.74
L7: 1'01.21
L8: 1'02.54
L9: 58.97
L10: 1'01.31
L11: 1'00.95
L12: 1'03.58
L13: 1'02.99
L14: 1'03.25
L15: 1'05.12 (swim clip)
L16: 1'03.08
L17: 1'01.72
L18: 1'03.74
L19: 1'08.29 (swim clip)
L20: 1'02.55
Total: 20'37.34
Avg: 1'01.867 per 50 yards

I altered my usual turnaround tactic, so I used the wall much less and had almost no "glide" time before I began my stroke. Toward the second half of the swim, I was actually doing the open turn with my arm poised to enter the water for a catch as soon as I straightened out. I feel like I have been relying on the wall too much to lower my stroke count and give me a lot of rest time. I won't have any walls in the Potomac.

I watched the NYC Tri swim today. I was fairly overcome with a mix of emotions and states of mind as I watched the swimmers make their way down the Hudson. Feelings of terror and exhaustion; putting myself into a mindset where I thought about "just swimming, no matter what, for 30 minutes"; thoughts that it was going to take me much longer than that; feeling stupid for feeling anything negative as I watched paratriathletes swim with missing limbs; back to feeling panic, realizing that the Hudson was flowing with the swimmers and the Potomac won't be; wondering whether I'll be able to swim with a wetsuit, since I don't own one yet and don't know how I'll get one; memories of the 450y sprint swim I just experienced and the level of stress and anxiety I was under for less than a third the distance of the Olympic swim...

I have to go ride my bike now.

Humid, but not too hot

I feel like I have more trouble with my asthma when I pace slower. I'm not sure whether this is psychosomatic or coincidental... it was also humid as all-get-out today, so that may have played a role. I seem to be much more conscious of my heart rate monitor (ie: it feels too tight and constricting) when my asthma is acting up. I didn't need to take any meds today, but I definitely felt "tight". Oddly, I felt the most constriction when my HR was in the 135-145 range and less when I was 145+. Again, may be psychosomatic.

So the run was good. I ran the big hill at the north side of the park, it felt good to run up at that point, my arms and back wanted to change position. Good excuse to do so.

I ran backwards at the bottom of the museum mile. This was the first time I had ever done that, and I was by myself, which made it a little tricky. I ran along the white line so that I wasn't veering into anyone's space. When I turned back around, my heart rate had soared into the 160s, which I wasn't expecting. I did sideways drills (grapevine) at around 87th Street on the west side for 30s each side... this also raised my heart rate unexpectedly. Finally, after a short cut across the top of the Sheep Meadow and back, I skipped for two minutes to end my 77 minute run. I was expecting this to cool me down, as it was at the end of the run, but it actually brought my HR to the peak of the entire workout. I will have to consider these drills and their effects... I'm not sure yet how to digest the data.

Anyway, I felt generally good about this workout. I was thinking a lot about triathlon while I ran, as this is just a little under a mile more than the distance of the last leg of an Oly tri. I tried to think about what it felt like to run for that long and what it would feel like to run that distance after a half hour plus in the water and nearly two hours on the bike. I think that if I let myself find my legs (re: warm up) into the run and then gradually increase my pace to a sub 10' mile I'll be happy with the run. I can definitely do that. That will be my goal.

I'm getting up bright and early to volunteer for the New York Tri tomorrow. Got my shirt and credentials today. Hoping the shirt doesn't dye my skin smurf blue after standing in the rain for six hours. Why do I insist on volunteering for rainy triathlons?

Ride and Stride - Spinervals 10.0

Sweaty sweaty sweaty. Oh my goodness, I am SO looking forward to my day off tomorrow. I'm going on two weeks without a break. Although the week heading into the sprint was an easy week, I'm still tired.

Today's bike ride was pretty good. First time in a while that I've gotten up raring and ready to go. I feel like I could have done a little better had I been less fatigued, but all things considered the effort was there. The cadence data is nice and neat.

A good solid effort these last two weeks. I'm glad too - I feel I made up for the crap that was happening before that.

Rainy Run

I was intending to capitalize on the pre-rain temperature drop, but fell asleep instead. I need to stock up on things that I can eat at home. Right now, I am making decisions that will affect my training if I don't rectify them soon. Hoping that this job comes in and I can take a deep breath before diving right back into the search.

So, I missed my window and had to do it in the rain. I was actually alright with that factor, considering that it was not terribly windy and the rain wasn't too cold. There were quite a few runners in the park still, most of them belong to a road runner club or tri club, I could tell by their chatter.

I feel like my run today was very successful, not only because of the pace and heart rate during the intervals (5 minutes at race pace) but more so because I have really keyed into slowing down on the "off" portion (1 minute recovery) and am working on my HR recovery speed.

All my life people have told me certain things about their perception of me, but until I see the proof, I push and push and push beyond my limits. It's not that I don't believe them, rather it is that I don't want to prove them wrong. I don't want to sabotage the opportunity to see what they see by doing "good enough". I want to push and strive and be more so that when I am able to see what they see, I can be 100% proud of myself. I want to prove to them that I am truly as good as they see. That I don't give up. That coasting at "good enough" isn't good enough.

Now that I have seen that I am fast and have done the work to get to that point, I want to go deeper. The next few weeks leading up to the Nation's Triathlon will be about keying into the specifics of each workout. Today, it was about training in spite of the rain, running the loop instead of the reservoir, monitoring and maintaining my speed and, most importantly, using the recovery.

Oh, my aching... everything!

Oof. Today was NOT a recovery swim.

First, swim 500y of alternating drills/freestyle. Focus on glide and reach. I did a really good job with this. Finger drag, catch up, 3T, zipper, etc. Repeat until satisfied.

Now on to the main set, 10x100y alternating hard/easy effort every 15"-20".
(H) S1- 59.93/1'00.29 20" rest
(E) S2- 1'07.25/1'08.69 15" rest
(H) S3- 1'02.09/1'04.87 20" rest
(E) S4- 1'04.89/1'07.52 18" rest
(H) S5- 1'03.31/1'01.47 20" rest
(E) S6- 1'07.00/1'04.36 18" rest
(H) S7- 57.99/1'02.20 25" rest
(E) S8- 1'00.43/1'03.82 15" rest
(H) S9- 1'02.26/1'00.93 20" rest
(E) S10- 1'05.22/1'04.88

Kick drills: 200y, no kickboard. Each 25y add 2 strokes, begin with zero. This was actually much more beneficial and much less difficult than I expected. I really got to focus on the flutter kick and keeping my legs straight, knees together. I became really efficient at breathing in this position too. By the time I was allowed 10+ strokes, I didn't even use all of them, which I probably should have, but I have never done this drill before and didn't time very well. I like this. I will do it more.

One thousand yard straight swim. I counted 100s:
100: 2'06.50
200: 2'12.88
300: 2'14.02
400: 2'13.07
500: 2'12.80
600: 2'16.66
700: 2'17.84
800: 2'01.51
900: 2'12.67
1000: 2'15.13

Three hundred yards cool down. I just split this between freestyle, breast stroke and back stroke.

Tired after. And very hungry.

Recovery Run

A nice easy run today. I actually kept it nice and easy... aren't you proud of me?

Recovery Ride

Nice and easy. Felt great to spin my legs out a little. All around goodness.

Central Park Sprint Triathlon 2011

Very proud of myself.

Here's the breakdown:

Race morning- slept poorly, kept waking up and was unable to get back to sleep. Finally dozed off at 5am and my alarm (set for 5:35am) didn't go off because it is an iPhone alarm and I had it set for every day EXCEPT Sunday. Thank god my friend was staying over and woke up at 6. Packed up and rode my bike up to the park. Race prep went well, I set my things out and bought a race belt, everything felt good to go.

Swim- I was in the first heat, which means I was with the fast people. Heat 1 consists of numbers 1-75. I was bib 70. My lane figured out who was "fastest" before we started and then we were off. The pool was 75 yards across with a wall on only one side, so it mimicked the conditions of an open water swim better than a 25/50y pool would have. I felt laggy and slow and couldn't figure out why. The girl that was swimming behind me kept touching my feet. I realized (after the race was over) that she drafted off of me for 5 out of 6 lengths and that was why I felt so slow, regardless of the effort. That last length, once I broke away from her, was nice and smooth. Swim finished sub 8:30, I believe. Not too bad.

T1- slow. First, a woman hopped out of the pool right in front me and took her sweet time getting out of the way. Second, I decided to wear socks, which stuck to my feet. Third, my bike was close to the wall, but that didn't really get in my way too much, since I didn't have many people around to grapple with.

Bike- I feel like I rocked the bike. My average pace for two laps was 19.5mph and I seemed to achieve 30+ miles per hour several times throughout. I stayed down in the drops for most of the ride and really felt sharp on the course. I suppose I had better, I was riding in my own back yard! The last time up the hill by the Boat House left a little to be desired, but I was starting to feel tired at that moment. It felt really great to zoom past people in my heat, and was really cool to start passing people fresh out of the swim in the second loop.

T2- I feel like this transition was good. I might have been a smidge faster if I hadn't paused to reconsider whether I had everything. Compared to the effort required to transition swim to bike, the transition bike to run felt too easy and I didn't want to forget something.

Run- Wow. Thank goodness for all of the brick training. I got off of the bike and began my haul up hill to the tune of around 9 minutes/mile feeling like lead and considering whether or not to feed myself the GU that I had neglected on the second loop of the bike. I decided "now or never" and ate it. The first long descent was actually the more painful of the beginning run experiences. Increasing my cadence was really difficult because my legs didn't want to move and I was making them use the hill to get the extra time. Ouch. As I ran the first half of the 5K all I wanted was water. My mouth felt sticky and thirsty and my body was begging me.

Turnaround- I went ahead and grabbed two cups of water, one I "drank" immediately, pouring much of it down my front as I ran. I trashed that cup and started to sip into the second cup, getting more liquid out of that one. I carried the cup with me back to the top of the Great Hill because I didn't want to litter in the park. As soon as I hydrated, my legs woke up. I turned on the engine and gave the last mile and a half everything I had. I really felt great when the runners (racers and otherwise) that were coming at me began cheering me on. "Great job, 70!" I zoomed down the Great Hill. Glancing briefly at my watch revealed sub-7 minute pacing. Faster! Faster! The finish felt great. I saw my coach ready to cheer me through the gate and it made me pick up the pace for the last teeny leg, I wanted to finish strong, finish pretty and show him how much the work we have done has paid off. I wanted him to be proud, though I knew he already was. I heard him yelling my name every step of the way. It was a tremendous boost.

Arms high, head up! Great photo finish, somewhere around 1hr 15mins.

What could possibly make such a great race day better? I finished second in my age group. That's what. BAM!

The only issue I had with the race was that the run start was poorly marshalled. I had to call out to get information about where I needed to be going, no one seemed to be paying attention to the runners. At least not in the first heat. When I came back down the hill, I had to call out again for guidance and the marshall (who was on his telephone, wtf?) didn't offer help, but the photog did. Other than that, a good race. I will do it again next year.

Race Prep

Tomorrow is the big day. I have two mini workouts today, a 20 minute bike and a 15 minute run.

Ride: 5mins easy, 10mins at race pace, 5mins easy
Run: 5mins easy, 5mins race pace, 5mins easy

I decided that, since I live up a five-story walk-up, I should just pop the bike on the trainer for the ride... which turned out to be harder than expected, since there is not respite on the trainer. You ride. Keeping my heart rate up wasn't hard, it was keeping my effort up that I found difficult.

I set up all of my gear so that I could do a relatively quick transition into the run and head right out the door once I finished my ride. I would have begun right away, but Garmin's satellites are never quite sure where I am. I ran up the equestrian trail to warm up and back down the road on the flat for the race pace section, then cooled down around my favorite park area, the Sheep Meadow. Decent data. I'm ready for tomorrow!

Race Plan : Central Park Sprint Triathlon 2011

Night before:
In bed by 10:30pm, all of my race equipment packed and ready to go, fluids and nutrition packed.

Sunday morning:
Awake at 5:30am
Shower/dress - remember HR monitor
Eat pb&j and coffee with skim
Leave the house by 6:15
Ride bike to transition area, check in, pick up race packet
Prep transition area
Prep watch

15 mins before start - eat a gel
Stretch/warm up

Swim:
Glide! Focus on smooth, easy stroke. Go fast, but don't windmill
One minute or better per lap
Smooth transition

Bike:
Helmet, glasses, shoes, watch (gloves? socks?)
Good form, attack the hills, keep your cadence up, ride well - you know this course. It's home.
2nd loop - eat a gel if you need, hydrate
20 minutes or less per lap.

Run:
Shoes, hat
Start easy, feel your legs before going harder. It's three miles, try for negative splits: 9:15, 9:00, 8:45. Run pretty, breathe steadily, finish strong. Don't leave anything in the tank.

Post race:
Yay! You did it! Pat on the back and enjoy the feeling of finishing a triathlon. This is a preview of what will come in September. You did it. You can do it.
Pack up, meet friends, have brunch. Celebrate a job well done.

Race evening: recovery run

Goals: sub 1hr 30m race. Fast, smooth transitions. Good form throughout. Strong finish.

Friday Time in the Saddle

Today's ride was all about going easy. I rode for about 15 minutes in Z2 and then did a 7 minute set at race pace (basically the entire west side of the park), then about 10 minutes off followed by another 7 minutes at race pace. One thing I really focused on for this ride, though it was generally easy, was the topography of the park's road so that I was consciously aware of the way I need to ride on Sunday to be the most efficient (and fast!) I can be.

One major note: the hill coming up from the flat stretch near the lake on the west side is longer and steeper than it appears - stand up!

Switcheroo

Long day. I started the morning at 6:30 at the office today and did a lot of running around throughout the day. This evening I still needed to do a bike ride, but I have been a little skittish about biking/running too late sometimes. I live in a very safe neighborhood, but I still don't like thumbing my nose at the possibility. Better safe than sorry?

Swam instead. Did 20 minutes of drills followed by 400y at race pace. The drills seemed to take a lot out of me and though I was swimming one length of drills followed by one length of freestyle, I still managed to get pretty tired.

Drills tonight: catch up (lots), 3T (lots), finger drag, one arm freestyle, one arm freestyle with arm at side, kick drill, underwater switch.

Race pace set: 400y
L1: 56.18
L2: 1'00.38
L3: 1'01.62
L4: 1'02.34 (swim clip slip)
L5: 1'01.54
L6: 1'00.58
L7: 59.68
L8: 56.95
Total: 7'59.27
Avg: 59.91

Keep it low

Today's run was a solid Z2 run. Actually, I suspect that it was a Z1 3/4, but that's better than Z3+ for a day like today.

I warmed up gradually and then kept my HR between 148 and 156 throughout the 25min main set. Strides every 5 minutes livened up the effort and put me up to 165bpm, but at least I was doing them correctly. Right before the first set of strides I had to stop at a traffic light, lest I become road pizza beneath the buses at the Waterway Pier. Hence, the odd drop in HR before a spike.

Cool down was also good, I actually "cooled". Afterward I walked to the Houston St subway station and went to the office to take care of some more work stuff. I have been working a lot these days. It reminds me of the person I was before all of the muck in my life. I like it.

Tonight is going to be a late one. I have a couple of proposals and estimates to get out for new work. Also, I have a screen test tomorrow and have to prepare a video demo for that tonight as well. I'm almost done, so it shouldn't be more than another hour or so.

Great Lessons

Today was a great day for me. I was finally able to get some pool time with my "coach". I believe this will prove to be an invaluable lesson in form and will provide me with a great deal of stability and (hopefully!) speed.

Today, I learned one mega lesson - slow down to speed up! This was taught to me through the other lessons I learned, namely that I am not a windmill. And even if I were a windmill, there is very little wind IN the water.

I began the swim (a good 200y fs set, just to assess my current form) with plenty of nerves sloshing through the water. I wanted to make a good impression, not tilt my hips, high elbows, good arm entry, good head position, good breathing... I neglected to think about the actual motion of my arms. I also, apparently, am not as good in the legs as I suspected.

We proceeded to work some drill sets and focused mainly on my glide, using "catch up" to illustrate the point. A few times I became overwhelmed with the amount of information I was trying to process and it really showed in my body. Hard to hide bad form in the pool.

Fortunately, my coach is very patient and took great care trying to get the message through my (unusually) thick skull. We worked on a 3T drill, which was very beneficial regardless of how exhausting it is. I will be doing a lot more of that in the coming weeks, I think.

A workset of 6x50y on 1:10 proved fairly fruitful and I was happy with the results, three laps at :56, two at :55 and one at :54, not too bad. I found myself windmilling a few times and tried to regain my focus as quickly as possible.

I felt that the whole experience was very much needed. I am grateful for the opportunity and wish I had had it earlier in the season, but I intend to capitalize on the insight as much as possible over the coming weeks.

For Sunday, I will just try to think long instead of short and smooth instead of choppy. Four heats of 75ppl at a time in Lasker Pool should be very interesting. I hope I am able to finish well and I hope that my transitions, nutrition and hydration are all managed well. Even though it's only a sprint, I should still put together my race plan soon.