Get Ready, 'Cause Here I Come!

One of my last posts in what was a very long and difficult year.  I have gone through a lot and am finding that as I wrap out 2012, my ability to expect the right amount from myself is improving.

A few things have happened:

I upped my training from last year
I had a job that was wonderful and met wonderful people there
I had to lower my training because I was too tired, overworked and depressed
I was elected treasurer of the choir I love
I continued to train and try to just muscle through the sadness
I visited my best friend and her family, who I love and miss
I trained in Florida doing an open-water "lap" in salt water for the first time
I performed Bach's B Minor Mass with the choir that I love, this was also the first piece I sang with the group
I stood my ground and defended what I knew to be right
I was kicked out of the choir I love
I did my first aquathlon and didn't die
I applied what I learned and trained, but a little less than before
I left my job and my career to pursue something else and try to pay bills
I lost my desire to succeed
In spite of that, I did my first FULL Olympic triathlon and PUNCHED IT IN THE FACE!
I struggled, stumbled, fell, bled, was injured, was heart broken, was lost and I got up again 
I did my second full Olympic triathlon and learned what it meant not to train well enough
I asked for help and found it in a friend who helped me set limits
I lost my ability to love myself, and so I made some changes to get better
I joined a new choir
I visited my dad, who I love and miss
I asked for help and found it in a friend and yoga
I worked through a super storm with my company and felt strong and smart and capable
I tried to get into the NYC Tri, but didn't make it through the lottery, I will volunteer instead
I took time off with myself, thanks to a friend who lent me her space
I moved and all of my friends helped, and I was grateful
My mom visited, I love and miss her
I made Thanksgiving dinner with my dearest friend and had a wonderful time entertaining people I love
I asked for help and found it in friends and family and doctors who care
I had a wonderful concert and a lovely time with my new choir friends singing carols and being merry
I lean on my friends and they let me, I am so grateful
I continue to feel better, though I also still feel pain
I went to my first pro-sporting event, a Nets game - double OT with a hail-Mary win at the finish!
I sang Christmas carols at the White House
I registered for the Nation's Triathlon
I am looking forward to training
I have started to get ready

I have lost so much this year, but I am hoping to gain twice as much next year.  It's a lucky year for me.  Thirteen is my number.

Hamptons weekend

Went to the Hamptons on my company's fall retreat.  It was awesome.  Perfect weather.  Great food.  Gorgeous house.  I ran in the morning and then swam in the afternoon.  The run was 3.5 miles through the country, but it was on the sidewalk.  My HR was a bit high, but I was less concerned about the HR and more about making it out and back.  I wanted to go to Amagansett and get a coffee, but I worried that if I ran more than 4 miles I'd be too tired to make it all the way back.  I'm not in the shape I was before.

After a trip to the ocean, I walked back to the house and used the empty pool to swim.  I figure (based on time) that I did about half a mile.  It was nice to swim outside, yet in a pool.  The weather was perfect and the pool was just a little chilly.  I warmed up pretty quickly.  Good on me.

Taking care

Got on my bike tonight.  I was originally planning to get up this morning and go through everything, but I felt horrible.  Massive headache.  I had a doctor appointment today and she put me on an easy over the counter remedy but also talked to me about my current emotional and mental state as well as my stress level.  It was really nice to talk to a medical professional about how I'm doing.  She says I'm doing everything right.  That was really helpful to hear.

So tonight, instead of doing something that someone else wanted, I cancelled and did what I needed.  I ate a good dinner and got onto my bike and did my workout for today.  I'm on an easy fitness routine and a simple calorie-based diet.  I warmed up for 5 minutes on my bike and then did some core workouts.  After that, I warmed up and then did two minutes in big ring, one minute recovery, two minutes high cadence, one minute recovery and a final two minutes in big ring with a recovery and a cool down.  I was sweating pretty hard by the end of it.  I'm looking forward to getting myself back into a strong cycling position for next year.  Baby steps.

Back on the wagon

Went to the gym today.  I'm feeling pretty sick, but I'm not sick enough to allow myself to sit on my butt all day.  I have started a new routine.  I will go to the gym at least three times a week and am going to do ab workouts three days a week.  I did the first of these on Sunday.  Today I did 25 mins of running and some upper body weights.  I have also picked up my fitness app again so I can keep track of my calories.  I weigh about 15 lbs more than I want to and 10 lbs more than is acceptable.  My pants don't fit anymore and my lungs are not doing well.  Doesn't help that I'm sick.  Hoping to feel much better soon.  Bleh.

Here's my run (HR only).

Helloooooo fatass!

I've been sick this week.  Lungs are pretty bad.  Mostly, I've been fantasizing about exercising.  Sounds stupid, I know.  But I fantasize especially vigorously when I try to put on a pair of jeans.  They mostly don't fit any more. 

The depression has taken a toll and the general sadness makes it very difficult to motivate.  Plus, when I am exercising, it makes me think of all the things I wanted my life to be, but now it most definitely is not. 

Everything is changing and I'm trying to be okay with it.  I need, most of all, to find the part of me that is proud of being strong and fit.  My lungs are really suffering.  And if I don't start really exercising again, regularly and soon, this winter might be one of my worst yet in NYC.

Today, my body feels tired and sick and I've had a painful headache all day.

Run/Walk for Five Miles

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226122701

Five K

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226034875

Crisp Fall Morning

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/224732142

Start Running Again

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/224732157

Nation's Triathlon

Crazy swim info:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/224546027
Transition 1: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/224546046
Bike: (watch) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/224546079
(bike computer) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/222862839
Transition 2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/224546103
Run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/224546134

Night Rider

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/216283100

Run Home

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/212427017

Ride to K Font

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/209263185

Hill Repeats

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/208086016

Long ride

Rode around town randomly today.  There was a lot of traffic and a lot of tourists.  I made it out of Manhattan pretty successfully, if slowly.  On the way back, it was a different story.  Too many people everywhere.  However, I did make some pretty awesome time on the bridge on the way back, but I didn't have my Garmin engaged.  Sad face.  I was going 30mph down the west side of the bridge.  Oh well.

I did a loop around the park for good measure.  There were a ton of people around the lower loop.  Too many pedestrians in the road.  Saw another cyclist accident.  No good. 

We'll call this a recreational ride...  I like riding.  I want to do it more often, just regular.  Without having to train. 

Friday Morning Swim

Two hundred yards of warm-up plus a thousand yard ladder with a hundred yard cool down.  It was really nice to be in "my" pool at "my" gym again.  I felt great there.  And swimming a full 25y before turning around was a great treat.

Ladder	50y	100y
400y	56.64	63.42
	63.51	64.38
	63.62	63.08
	61.25	61
Rest		74.98
300y	56.05	60.22
	63.28	62.92
	63.21	62.21
Rest		37.91
200y	57.75	60.34
	62.25	62.19
Rest		63.44
100y	54.6	56.7

Make Up Run

I set out to run this morning, but decided to stop by the Starbucks (where I lost my bag yesterday... along with about $500 worth of mostly new equipment) to see if anyone from the morning shift knew anything.  Turns out, they did!  The NYPD had my bag.  I got on the phone and walked up to the precinct, signed for my stuff and headed home.  Very good way to start the day.

When I got home I only had a half an hour before I had to leave for work, so I shortened my plan and did 2x 5t,2r instead of 4x 3t, 2r.  Barely made it in time to leave for work.  Turns out it didn't matter and I ended up working from home, but...

Swim outside with Katie

Went to the outdoor pool tonight with Katie from work.  She brought toys!  We did 200y to warm up, 200y with paddles and then 400y of drills: 100y pull, 100y finger drag, 100y one arm, 100y 3T.  After that, we started a 200y ladder, but only made it through 200y, 175y and the first 25y of 150y.  Total yards today (laps, really... the pool is short): 1200y

I like swimming outside in the big pool.  It's like open water practice.  Lots of chop.  A bit of current.  Good stuff.

Four Fantastic Park Loops

Work up this morning and headed out to the park.  It was a bit muggier than I expected.  I was able to keep a pretty good average with the HR.  A little high for an easy ride, but I was trying to take some of the hills with a strong, steady effort.  I did alright.  Great company.  Rode with Randy and Debbie.  Debbie's a bit on the ill side and Randy is sore from a race. 

Spinervals 18.0

Put the bike on the trainer and did an hour with Coach Troy.  I need to do at least two of these each week at this point.  I really want to strengthen my legs for the bike.  And I need to just do it.  If I don't train, I can't expect September to be any better than July.  It is going to take more discipline than I've been exhibiting.  Instead of doing this for me, I've been purposely NOT doing it just to wallow.  No one is suffering from my behavior but me.

Lunch Run

Ran down the Hudson River with Randy and his friend from work.  Four miles at a reasonable pace; right around 9 minutes per mile.  I get pretty tired after about three miles at this pace.  It was hot, but there was a breeze.  A lot of what I think about on runs like this is keeping up and maintaining good form.  It gets very difficult.

My GPS didn't catch up to me until about half a mile out.  The middle three miles are accurate, the first and last are weird.  Either way, hard run.  Good job.

Speed Work

Got up and went for an early run with Randy today.  It was nice to run in relatively cool weather.  I was definitely hurting by the end of this one.  I didn't realize that I was succeeding in 7 minute miles for most of it.  Good job.

Seriously Hot - lunch run

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/204471045

Long, Hot Run... Training part II begins

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/199671715

Recovery Ride with Friends

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/199673958

NYC Triathlon - Race Recap

NYC Triathlon recap

Woke up at 4am and got ready, I had packed my bag and stashed my bike the night before.  At 4:20 I left the house and walked to transition.  Set up my area and checked my bike, it had rained heavily the night before, so I dried my components off and checked that the seat and handlebars were also dry.  I felt really good about how I had set up my area and also felt good about my nutrition plan.  I was feeling a little tight, so I took my inhaler before heading to swim start.

Walked at a leisurely pace to swim start, stashed my bag in the truck and went to find my starting corral.  I put my wetsuit on about 5 minutes before the starting gun and ate my first GU before entering my starting area.  Put on my cap and goggles, had two swim clips with me and stepped into the zone.

When I got to the river showers, I made sure to get water down my wetsuit and on my face.  I made sure to position myself as far out into the water as possible.  I didn't sit down, but jumped from standing.  I held my goggles and swim clip with one hand and pressed start on my watch (thanks for the borrow, YJ!) at the whistle.

The swim start was fine.  I started swimming at an even pace, just trying to find my breath and my rhythm.  My swim clip kept slipping up my nose, so I turned onto my back to adjust it and then resumed swimming.  The two turns were effortless and didn't take much time, but the fact that my clip was slipping was annoying.  Finally, I just decided to grin and bear it, took my swim clip off and swam without.  It took two breaths for me to get myself into a rhythm and from there to the 1200m mark, it was smooth sailing.

I felt a little fatigued at first, but I knew that was normal and just worked on finding my sightlines and breathing regularly.  Once I got to the 600m mark, I realized that I was doing well and I just put myself in the zone.  When I got to 1200m, I decided to start picking up the pace.  The end became very choppy and it was difficult to gauge how far I was from the pier, but I made it without much fuss and let the guys pull me up out of the water.  I took my wetsuit down, switched my watch to "transition" and jogged to Yellow.

I took a cup of water before entering transition and ran to my rack.  I actually missed my rack by one, which sucked because I had actually done that when I practiced the night before and made a mental note...  Oh well.  Then I quickly stripped off my wetsuit, put on socks and shoes, helmet and gloves and grabbed my nutrition and bike.  Away we go!  Well, almost... slow pokes with bikes walking to the exit were jamming up the lane, but I finally made it to the road and I was off.

I took three shot blocks upon entering the bike course and I tried to remember to take it easy for the first five miles.  I didn't hammer it until after I got to the first real hill, then I started to pour it on.  I had forgotten to get my bike computer because I was wearing the watch and it didn't occur to me to use the bike computer for speed data.  Would have been a great help.

I tried to make sure to check the effort of cyclists coming back down the course.  If the hill was formidable and athletes were having a hard time, I made sure to note it.  I feel like the effort I put out was very good.  I don't think that I had an ounce of bike-gas left in me once I finished the course.  I wish I had had a little more power coming up the hill at 57th Street, but I'll know now for next year.  I borrowed race wheels for this race.  They were AWESOME!

I felt so great coming into my final transition.  I knew that most of the race was over.  I knew that I had done a great job in the swim and the bike.  I knew that all I had to do was finish the run in an hour and I'd make my goal.  I knew I could run the 10K in an hour.

When I "ran" up the hill onto 72nd Street, I felt like I was running on cinder blocks. My legs were stiff and sore.  But I've experienced that before.  I know it goes away.  I know I'll loosen up.  I spent the first few blocks getting my legs back.  My goal was to have a good stride by the time I hit Columbus Avenue and I did.  After I got into the park, it was just like running for training.  My back yard.  My neighborhood.  My park.




When my watch buzzed the first mile at me, I knew I had the race in the bag - 9:39.  All I had to do was maintain that pace and I'd finish in less than 3 hours.  The best thing was, I knew I could run faster.  I paced myself well, but I made sure to hit negative splits then entire race.  The only mile I missed was the big one at the end with the long hill.  I'll take it.  I finished strong, though incredibly tired, and I had given it everything I had.

Fantastic effort.  Top 10% in the bike, top third in the swim and run.  I took home 38th place in my division (top 13%) and top 38% overall.  Definitely a great first triathlon.  The next one will be better.

Last Run Before the Race

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/199671723

Treadmill Run

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196432226

Tuesday Morning Ride

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196431165

Three Miles plus Strides with Carlos

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196432236

Long and Strong

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/193601696

Tuesday Morning Park Loops

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/192983405

A Pretty Painful Fartlek

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/192983022

Speed work: 12 x 45/30

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/190924845

Morning Park Ride

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/190930865

RACE! Stars and Stripes Aquathlon

Swim: 1500m took about 45mins - swim clip broke, first 500m were spent acclimating to new swim technique.

Run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/190924850

Speed work: 15x30/30

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/188564142

A Nice Long Run

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/188564155

One Loop - too crazy

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/187260962

5 x 2t,1r

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/187263754

Office Running Club

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/187263773

Indoor bike, no video

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/186161134

30 in Z2

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/185092863

Unexpected Bike Ride

Had the pleasant opportunity to go for a park ride today with a great friend.  The weather was a touch on the windy side, but mostly cloudy conditions were nice for hard work.  Very little direct sun = no sunburn!

Felt good about this ride.  I kept my HR in Z3/4, which works for me.  I started to get pretty tired after lap 3, but was able to keep up for the most part.  It was nice to get outside.

HR Too High

This one was weird.

My HR was too high for my target (Z2) but my RPE was way too easy.  I don't understand.  Does not compute.  I guess it's a good thing I was wearing my HR monitor, or I would have blasted this one out of the park.

Notice that I ran 40 mins today?  Mwahaha... no foot pain!  (Well, a little at first, but none after.)

Spinervals 8.0

Low HR for this one...  I felt like I was maintaining good form and focus during the ride though.  I did feel a little on the tired side.  Probably should have started earlier, but I didn't.  A goodish ride.

Morning Speed Set

Get up and get out!

I wanted to get a good 20 minutes in before work today.  I was successful.  Not quite as fast as the last set, but still in range.  Some of the data is a bit wonky this time... Oh well.

Yay!

Pool Certification

One mile swim: 35mins, 50sec

One Mile	92y	184y	276y	368y	460y
Straight Swim	44.78	51.8	55.49	54.04	55.54
one lap = 23y	50.59	53.8	53.71	54.04	55.61
	552y	644y	736y	828y	920y
Total time:	54.78	52.83	54.29	55.17	56.62
35'50" 90	54.46	57.83	56.5	55.67	56.62
	1012y	1104y	1196y	1288y	1380y
Average per	59.92	56.15	54.25	55.28	56.99
50y:	56.3	55.33	54.87	55.33	55.5
1'05" 18	1472y	1564y	1656y	1748y	1794y
	58.36	59.34	57.15	56.25	54.22
1650y time:	56.53	56.84	52.84	55.28
(approx)
33minutes

Spinervals 4.0

Oh yeah... I forgot about 4s/4s sprints.  Ouch.

I went to PT today and told my therapist about my races coming up.  I asked her about increasing my volume and taping while I run.  She had the other PT guy come and give a tape tutorial. 

I have to do my 1650y straight swim tomorrow.  Plus I have a ton of work to do all day and into the evening... yipes!  Wish me luck!

Brick

I woke up this morning and just got on the bike.  I did Spinervals 10.0 (Ride and Stride) and then followed the sweat-filled ride up with a 15 minute effort in the park.  I ran as if I were doing a (very short) race.  HR was up in the 170 range.

Better

That'll teach me to run slow.  Today I did some speed work.  I figure if I have to run 20 minutes or less, I'm going to get faster.  No point in whining.  Just do it.

Twenty Mins

This is one of those times where I'm not sure that I did myself any favors by going out for a run.  I felt like I was working hard.  But when I see these numbers I don't know why I bother. 

Spinervals 18.0

My feet fell asleep within the first mile and I had an odd pain in the back of my right knee near where my hamstring meets my calf.  Then my 305 died. 

I grabbed my watch and didn't miss too much time.  Four long aerobic sets: 20min, 15min, 10min, 5min.  I did what I was supposed to do.

I felt fat and bloated on the bike today.  When I went to shower I hopped on the scale.  I'm ten pounds over what I should be right now.  It's really no wonder.  My stress level is through the roof and I'm eating crap and sit on my ass for work all day.  More lunch hour running for me.  Even twenty minutes.  I have to do it.  Fat ass.  You suck.

I really need to stay away from reading certain blogs.  I hate myself.

Lunch Run

Went for a short treadmill run today.  I'm relegated to 20 minutes or less until my PT tells me otherwise.  I was very disappointed in my first PT session... I really didn't like hearing how weak my muscles and joints are.  When she had me stand on the balance ball and I couldn't pull myself together, I felt like crying.  I didn't cry, but I felt like it.  I hate being bad at something.  As stupid as that sounds, it's true.

I really didn't like PT.  But I got some exercises and I'll do my work to get myself in better shape.  Boo.

Regardless, I went to the gym and ran on the no-fuss treadmill.  Did 5 minutes to warm up, 10 minutes at high Z2 and 5 minutes to cool down.  HR shouldn't have gone above 165.  Will upload data tonight.
 
Data.

Lots of Drills

I swam 25 minutes worth of drills including finger drag, 3T, underwater switch, and a new "plunge" drill to work on momentum.

After drills I swam "400y" at race pace.  I did an extra lap by accident.  Plus, the pool is only 23y long, so some additional calculations were involved.  Average 50y pace:  57sec.  Time for 400y: 7min 38sec.

400y at Race Pace
46y	46.34
92y	52.72
138y	53.92
184y	52.88
230y	51.01
276y	55
322y	55.55
368y	53.4
414y	54.22
437y	23.15
Total time:	8min 18sec
Avg time per 50y:	57sec
Total time for 400y:	7min 38sec

Spinervals 6.0

My muscles are tired.  I ate some sausage ravioli and peas about 30 minutes before getting on the bike.  I felt okay, but generally a little sore in my quads.  I tried to give this workout everything I had left for the day.  I feel like I accomplished that, especially with the sprint sets at the end.  No slacking there.  Ouch.

My DVD reader isn't picking up data on some of my Spinervals discs... I may have to look into that.  Boo.

Hot Run

Had the opportunity to run with my favorite person today.  It was nice to get out and do a loop on the bridle path.  I opted to stop after 45 minutes because I don't want to wreck my feet, but I felt good during the run.  Only mild irritation after.  The new insoles that I bought are working well.  YJ says I only have about 50 miles left on my racing flats.  I intend to run every last one of them.

My HR is high again.  It was hot today and I don't think I did a very good job of feeding myself before running, but I'll get better at that.  I'm out and on the trail.  Go me.

Bike to the Shop

I rode my bike down to the bike shop today.  Needed to get a tune up and fix the front derailleur, which (to my dismay) was actually busto.  Put me back a hundred bucks... but whatcha gonna do?  I have to have that piece if I'm going to do any Spinervals videos.

Easy ride down in traffic and an easy ride up on the west side.  Spinny spin.

Twenty minutes a day

I'm going to run for at least 20 minutes every day until my feet get back in shape.  I need to get my HR back down again.  I've been letting myself sit around and mope for far too long.  I'm healthy and my Sport Med doc gave me the go-ahead to run.  I'm going to run.

Eight weeks to kick ass.  No more wasting time.


Here's my data for today.

Beautiful Pool

Today I had the opportunity to get some quality solo-lane time in.  My head position was great during this swim, mostly (I assume) because I wasn't trying to "look" for people in front of me.  The facility was beautiful.  Salt water pool.  Great swim.

I did 250y worth of drills to start followed by a 400y ladder.  Great swim, good effort, nice form.  Thanks for the opportunity, YJ.

Ladder	50y	100y
400y	55.75	54.51
	57.72	59.45
	59.51	60.89
	60.55	58.93
Rest		20.72
350y	55.4	58.63
	58.94	59.34
	58.94	60.31
	55.26
Rest		30.8
300y	53.88	57.43
	59.63	59.34
	59.68	59.39
Rest		30.42
250y	54.59	58.41
	58.46	58.83
	56.67
Rest		37.85
200y	49.95	57.71
	58.51	59.85
Rest		50.96
150y	53.88	60.15
	59.34
Rest		45.06
100y	51.25	53.22
Rest		41.64
50y	46.79

First Run in Weeks

This morning I got out of the house in my running shoes!!  Hooray!

I want to keep myself motivated.  I need a higher power or something.  I want to do this.  I want to succeed.

I feel strong and I know how to push myself.  I am having a hard time putting my self (and my training) into my schedule.

Just do it.

Spinervals...? Not Quite

I am grateful for people who care.  I was tired after gardening today, but I had no excuse for sleeping and doing nothing.  I was moping and feeling sorry for myself and feeling like I should get on my bike, but not feeling like I could even get up.

And then he called.  From the bike.  And I had to.

I am grateful.


Here's 45 minutes.

20 Minute Straight Swim

Straight	100y	200y	300y	400y	500y	600y
Swim	49.48	55.16	55.46	59.18	58.77	58.79
	53.05	56.13	57.18	58.71	58.25	62.38
	700y	800y	900y	1000y	1100y
	55.18	59.94	57.17	56.9	61.6
	61.84	58	56.92	57.89	54.04

Two by 500y... sort of

Got into the pool today.  Swam a hundred yards to warm up and then swam two sets of 500y.  Unfortunately, I deleted the data from my sport count... but I average around 52s per 46y for these.  (Note: I'm in a 23y pool these days)

5 Boro Bike Tour

Now this was fun.  I was able to go out in front of nearly 30,000 other cyclists and ride hard.  I had two buddies along for the ride.  The let me pace the whole way.  There was only one point (toward the end) when I dropped behind, but I ate a couple of blocks, hydrated and switched muscle groups and caught up shortly after.  It was great.  I was great.  Go me.

Trying out the foot

I had the offer to run this afternoon and I leapt at it.  My foot is still in a questionable state.  My other foot hurts too, though I don't know quite what to do about it.  Nevertheless, given the opportunity to go for a run, especially with this friend, I couldn't pass it up.


Short and sweet.

Short pool = 23y

Swim: 2000
WU: 300 drills (work on arm entry, head position)
MS:  8 x 50 on 12" total 400. rest 30". 400, 300, 200, 100 on 20". Get faster as you descend.
CD: 300 mixed


Shorty pool  :)

8 x 50y	Lap 1	Lap 2	Lap 3	Lap 4
Swim	49.34	47.32	48.49	49.62
Rest	27.02	13.25	13.42	15.59
	Lap 5	Lap 6	Lap 7	Lap 8
Swim	50.51	50.72	50.87	51.58
Rest	14.09	14.6	15.25

Ladder	50y	100y
400y	52.33	54.59
	55.75	60.17
	58.71	59.72
	60.33	60.92
Rest		28.95
300y	53.13	57.67
	59.18	59.67
	58.9	59.8
Rest		48
200y	50.91	55.42
	57.51	53.97
Rest		41.45
100y	48.62	52.47

A Truely Fantastic Ride

I needed to get on the bike and it was a lovely day.  I decided to do two quick laps of the park, and that's exactly what I did.  The first lap was in big ring and the second lap was mostly in small ring.  I rode so hard and it was awesome.

Get in the Pool

A quick set:

5x100 on 2:15	100y	200y	300y	400y	500y
Lap 1	58.37	59.47	60.78	60.27	58.04
Lap 2	62.59	61.38	60.12	61.37	61.96
Rest	15.18	12.32	14.75	13.76
REST	60.38
5x50 on 1:05	Lap 1	Lap 2	Lap 3	Lap 4	Lap 5
	54.82	56.21	58	59.97	59.37
Rest	10.05	8.93	6.51	5.05

Hard Run

This run was hard, but I liked it.  I ran two hard sets of 15 minutes.  The plan was to run 3, but I ended up with a busto foot after the second set.  Ouch.  Serious ouch.  I'm going to have to get it looked at.  Thank god for health insurance.

Sore foot, great friend, good run

Saturday's run busted my foot.  Actually, I think the walk afterward is what did it.  Bleh. 

Today's run was good.  The best part was the company.

Great Run

Five sets of 5t, 2r.  Ouch!  Felt great to get on the road.

Spinervals 6.0

A good effort on the bike today. 

Speed Set

Thirty minutes of speed stuff.

Riding

I got my bike out with the intention of riding a lap or two around the park followed by a ride to my office, work for a bit then ride home.  However, when I got to the park, the Women's Half Marathon was going on - hundreds of women running the full loop...  the park was still open to cyclists, but the conditions were less than optimal.  I decided to ride high-cadence and push it on the big hills.  I rode downtown, worked, rode back and climbed the stairs.  Now it's more work and a gala.  Then more work.

I need to start scheduling the minutes of my day.  And stick to it.  This is getting ridiculous.

Easy Pace with K Font

My friend Kristin is running a race in Central Park in two weeks and she asked if I would show her the race route.  The two of us did an easy paced run around the center loop of the park and had a nice time chatting and looking at the new spring foliage.  A nice run. 

My satellite feed didn't pick up until we were about a mile or so into the run, so my data is off.

I need to get on my bike tomorrow.  It's been too long.  I also need to adjust my training schedule.  I'm too stressed and have been missing too many days.  I don't like feeling constantly disappointed in myself.

Long Morning Run

Today was perfect for a long run.  The weather was just cloudy enough to keep the sun from burning, but warm enough to run in shorts and a tank top.  I took a picture of the sun streaming through the clouds.  It was a pretty sight.

I ran north along A1A until the sidewalk ended.  There was literally a sign stating "Sidewalk Ends".  I then turned south and ran for another 30 minutes.  My body suddenly began cold sweats and I had to stop for a minute before walking briefly.  GI issues.  Finally, I felt alright to run again and finished my 70min run.  Nice and easy.

I am looking forward to being home.  I miss my park and my pool and my bed.  And my fish.

Open Water Test

Amber took me to Sebastian Inlet today to let me try my hand at swimming in the wild.  Ha  :)

The Inlet was a good idea.  The swim area is a wide bay that isn't very deep.  There wasn't a current, but there were a lot of people in the water.  I used beach umbrellas for sighting.  Even as I waded out into the water I was freaking out.  I don't like swimming in places I don't know.  Finally, my foot touched a weed or something on the bottom and I just about jumped out of my skin, diving into the water and refusing to touch the bottom.  Yeuch.

But then I just reverted to my training, once I put my face in the water, saw that I couldn't see anything and just started swimming, I was fine.

I figure the swimable portion of the inlet was about 50y across.  I swam several laps and tried to just stay in line with my sight object, keep my body in good form.  I could probably have gone back and forth all afternoon, but the salt was really getting to me.

I feel better about swimming in the open water now.  We'll see how I do in a race.

A Swim Brick

Went to the local gym to get a swim workout in.  Did a really good set (will upload data later).  Felt strong in the water.  I am getting much faster without kicking my legs.

Swam a 200y warmup followed by a 400y ladder (400, 350, 300, etc.)  My times were very satisfactory.  I swam most of my laps in just about 59s.  I am very happy about that.  Final lap was 51s.  Good on me.

I then put my shorts and shoes on and ran back to Amber's house, a good 3.45mi run.  I didn't remember to wear my Garmin for the trip, so I only received data from my Nike+.  Average pace was 9'23".  I'll take it.

I feel confident that I can do the Aquathlon in under an hour.

Hot.

Ran a little late this morning.  Should have started earlier, but I wanted to eat first.  Ran 3.5 miles up and down South Patrick Drive.  I like S Patrick because there are canals and drainage ditches all along the walkway and there is always a neat assortment of wildlife to be seen.  It was nice to run in shorts, but I overheated a little and ended up chafing my arm where my phone case sits and also split my skin on the backs of my ankles, bleeding into my shoes.  Yuck.  And ouch.  I'll run/bike during cooler temperatures from here on.

Soggy Run

Wanted to run this morning, but it was rainy.  I ran anyway, but I probably should have stuck to the pavement.  Instead I ran up to the Reservoir and ran through the puddles.  It was okay, but a dryer run might have been nice.  Feet were soggy by the time I got home.

Swim

Got in the pool and swam two straight ten minute sets.  I'm coming in at around 65 seconds per lap.  But I'm not kicking.  As I focus more on my pull and my body position I am feeling myself get a little faster.  Smoother.  Keep it up.

Yay me.

I actually got up and got on the bike today.  Go me.

Spinervals 1.0 sounded good today and I just decided to get up and get crackin'.  Break the bad habits.

And work hard on hard days.

Nine Miler

I ran nine miles with my friend Randy today.  He's training for his first HIM, so his distances are much farther than mine and his effort is different.  Sometimes he gets a workout that (sort of) functions in my plan and I like to have company for the long runs when I can. 

This run was hard.  Running it at 9:45 average was a task in and of itself.  I hyperventilated a bit at one point, but I was able to recover and keep going.  I hate it when my body stops me.  It makes me want to push it and say, "No! Don't make an ass out of me, body! Do your job!"

But I made it.  And so did Randy.  He makes it all look so easy.  One day, maybe I'll look speedy and smooth like him. 

Running with Julia

My friend and I ran a nice three miles this morning.  It is always nice to run with friends for the easy stuff. 

One More Lap

I skipped too many workouts this week.  I am getting into the habit of talking myself out of them.  Actually, that's inaccurate.  What I actually do is think about the workout that I have to do, consider how much time it will take, think about the effort it will require, think about the nutrition I should eat/should have eaten, think about what I have to do later, think about how cold it is outside, think about laundry, think about my workout, think about how much time it will take, reconsider what time it is, think about the effort it will require and then start the process from the beginning until I succeed in sitting on my couch or laying in bed through the duration of the feasible workout time required to complete the task and then I talk myself out of it.  Switching almost instantly to berating myself for doing it again.

Today I planned to run six miles and goddammit, I ran six fucking miles.  So there.

This was a good ride

I know that I had been slacking this week, which is why I felt so strong and fresh for this ride. 

If this was a recovery week, that would be one thing... but this is the week after recovery and I just have no excuse.  Being stupid. 

The ride was good though.  I killed the hill a couple times and really tried to power through and make it count.  Wish I felt more motivated to be awesome.  I just feel lame and unawesome.

Early Run in the Fog

I need to update my blog daily again.  I've been disenchanted with my workouts.  I feel uninspired and lonely when I work out most of the time.  I need to tap into something that will bring out the excitement again.  I just don't know what that is.

All I remember about this run is that the thick cloud cover made my data wonky.

A swim set

WU: 200 mixed, 200 drills, 200 kicks (50 left, 50 right, 50 forward and 50 on your back) - total 600
MS: 5 x 100 on 2:15, rest 1-2mins, 5 x 50 on 1:05 - total 750
CD: 400 easy swimming and drills
Total 1750

5x100
Lap 1	58.37	59.47	60.78	60.27	58.04
Lap 2	62.59	61.38	60.12	61.37	61.96
Recover	15.18	12.32	14.75	13.76	60.38
-on 2:15
5x50
Lap 1	54.82	56.21	58	59.97	59.37
Recover	10.05	8.93	6.51	5.05
-on 1:05

New Hat!

I went for a quick swim this evening, barely finished my set before the pool closed (whoops! cut it kind of close...)

I am trying to swim without kicking.  This was my first attempt at a main set and it was... okay.  My feet really want to kick to help me stay afloat.  I really had to focus on telling them to stay still and focus on maintaining balance in the water.  I am not really sure whether or not I liked this, but we'll see what I can learn from it.

Here is my set:

2x (5x100y)	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5
Lap 1	58.79	56.19	62.27	61.29	60.24
Lap 2	58.56	62.39	66.09	64.8	65.54
R	35.97	21.62	29.4	16.54	49.59
Lap 1	57.5	59.53	58.95	59.77	57.21
Lap 2	65.6	64.09	59.72	65.68	58.75
R	12.75	25.87	15.43	18.93

Two things:  First, I really wasn't kicking.  I was so focused on not kicking, it was all I was thinking about.  Second, I'm really surprised that my times are still around a minute per lap (generally).  I really thought I was going to be in the 70sec+ range.  That is good.

I think I could have probably gone harder, but I was trying to focus so much on my legs that the rest of the body was kind of on auto pilot.  I would try to think about speed or form or how much my head was turning, but then my legs would try to kick... so I had to focus on them.

I did, however, get right into the pool without incident thanks to my handy dandy new neoprene cap.  I put the neoprene cap on over my regular cap and goggles.  I'm sure I looked like a 'tard, but whatever.  I felt good.  I felt warm (thank god) and the bonus feature of no water in the ears was great!  I did have some goggle malfunction at first, but once I fixed it I was fine.

The Flowers are Blooming

I had a nice ride around the park today in the warm, sunny weather.  I did three full loops in 65 minutes, average pace of around 16.7mph.  It was my intention to finish the ride with some bike handling drills around the small fountain, but the parks department is refurbishing it and it is closed.  Booo...

During my three laps I focused on a nice warmup for the first 10 minutes, keeping my cadence up and my bike in small ring/15(ish) then I switched to big ring for the upper half of the park.  I decided this was a good method (small ring below 79th Street, big ring above 79th Street) and kept at it.  It was good to focus on the work my legs were doing and feel the power that I was creating.  I felt really strong today.  I think I benefit greatly from paying attention to my own efforts instead of comparing my efforts to those of the people around me.  I feel more proud of myself for my personal accomplishments when I focus like that.  Nice ride.  Beautiful day.

Good Morning

Once I got out of the house and onto the trail, I felt great.  I ran the Reservoir track because it is the most consistent (flat) area to run and I wanted to put out a consistent effort today.  Nailed it. 

Ran recovery at around 10:00 and tempo right about 8:30/8:40.  Felt good.  Main set was 4 x (4t, 2r).

Spinervals 8.0

This was a good ride.  I felt refreshed enough to put a good effort in, but was thoughtful enough not to over exert myself.  The super spins and one-leg drills really worked well and I felt strong and focused during each set.  Good effort.

I guess you could call that swimming.

Yuck.

Well, my swim consisted of 200y warm up followed by half an hour of being a jackass followed by 200y cool down.

Allow me to explain.  I am trying to make a smaller hole in the water to swim through.  This can only be done by making my body more horizontal and less bendy in the water.  When I saw my legs in the video last week, I finally understood what I was doing.  I seriously bend my knees.  It's as if my lower body is on a bicycle.  Bad.

So, the advice was, "Don't kick."  Great.

What happens when I don't kick?  Well, generally I feel like I'm sinking, drowning, or otherwise not accomplishing the task of swimming.  I tried to do drills without my legs:  during finger drag, my go-to drill, I noticed my knees bending.  My legs were together, yet my knees were bending, bringing my feet closer to my butt.  This caused me to feel like I was dropping my hips (probably because I was) and that made me feel like I was sinking.  So I tried to use the pull buoy while doing my drills.  The main problem here is that when I use pull buoy, I cross my ankles.  When I don't use pull buoy, my legs struggle to stay together and then I bend my knees.

Bleh.

I tried to do a drill that was recommended to another swimmer who scissor kicks.  The drill involves a kickboard between the thighs.  I found I couldn't keep the kickboard in place without crossing my feet.  Again, a problem.

Finally, I decided to just be slow and awkward and swim without kicking.  I found that my legs would try to kick if I felt off balance or sinky.  I also found that my arms were dropping instead of reaching.  My whole body was basically scrunching involuntarily because that's the motion it's used to.  I am a caterpillar in the water.  No wonder I'm not getting any faster.

Better luck next time, I suppose.

Thank God for Recovery Week!

Recovery treadmill.  Ran 4 sets of 5 minutes alternating easy/tempo.  I set the 'mill so that "easy" was 10:45 and tempo was 8:30.  I accomplished my goal.

Early Morning Bike Ride

Bleh.  I think my body is tired.


This ride was okay.  The weather was nice and it was nice to have company, but my body just wasn't giving it to me.  I felt slow and ... slow.  There were a couple of sections that I found the effort inside of me, but for the most part I felt sluggish. 

Brisk Park Run

Ran this one while listening to music.  Kept the pacing at around 9:30 for the majority of the effort.  This run was needed for decompression and psychological cool down.  Feeling emotional today.

Swim Clinic

Got into my suit at 7:50am today.  The pool seemed warm at first, but after treading water and doing easy drills for an hour, my body temperature dropped pretty significantly.  Brr...

We focused on the idea that our bodies are not "swimmer" bodies; namely that we are built to be vertical, move in opposition and we won't sink (or at least most of us won't) but we fear we will.

The drills were helpful, but what I found to be extra helpful was the video recording session.  We each swam a length and were recorded for half of it.  Afterward, we sat around and listened to critique and suggestions.  I really got a lot out of this.  I was told that my overall form was good, my arm position and stroke are strong, but that I kick like a biker/runner and I turn too far when I breathe.

I will try to correct the kick issue.  I have been told not to kick at all... interesting.

Spinervals 5.0

I am disappointed with this ride, mostly because I went into it with one thought in mind - that I was going to be going hard.  However, this is not a "going hard" DVD.  My brain and my calendar and the DVD and my bike and I were all miscommunicating.  I ended up with an hour in the saddle at a moderate effort.  Had I been keyed into the right channel in my head, I would have easily completed the full 1.5hr video, but I wasn't.  Better luck next time!