RUN: 9.5 miles in 1:30.
First 3 miles with LC, then LC and MK on the big loop. Awesome running group! I love running with strong people, their energy carries me through rough patches.
Last night after my run I was doing a systems diagnostic to better understand the fatigue. It just seems too early for over-training, and too light of a training load to be over-worked. So what gives? I think a lot of it is mental. And to add to that, the DH thinks I'm not quite over the doggie yet. More excuses. But I'm going to start tracking water and iron levels to start.
Some research on the Garmin HRM tells me that this strap is prone to this problem, and that I need to go back to the old strap. Wonder if I still have it?
My energy levels were better this morning, even after only 6hrs of sleep. I really need to catch up on that.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Hump-D-Dump Day. Stress on the DUMP.
SWIM: 35 mins and 11oom
RUN: 40 mins and 4 miles
So after feeling relatively good last night, Weds was a reversal of good feeling. I actually managed to get up on time for the swim after only 5 or so hours of sleep. I almost didn't swim, when it came time to leave for the pool I drug my feet. I wanted to go, but didn't want to swim.
What was I thinking? Go for the social aspect and hang out on the deck?
So I went. Got there late. And told myself That Was OK because I only wanted to swim 40 mins anyway. Just another justification. I started after everyone else had warmed up, not that it mattered really since I didn't really do any of their sets anyway. Well I did one--the 4x200m but all I finished was a 3x200. I was doing 100m in 2:20-2:30. It was frustrating! I even tried paddles for one 100, it was tiring but I don't think I'm using them right. I'll have to go back to that post earlier this spring and see what CHG said about the paddles.
And after practice I talked to CHG about a 1-on-1. I'm missing something. I just don't know what.
Then a long day at work, with not much to do. Days like this destroy my motivation. I hate sitting like that. And I didn't bring enough to keep my tummy full for the day. So when it came time to go home and run, my motivation and hunger were ruining my mood. And once again, I wanted to run but didn't want to go. I had just enough time. GO!
Early in the run I wondered if I wanted to run only because I'd feel guilty if I didn't. And who was I going to let down if I didn't run? I don't know.
Not much later than that in the run, I realized this was not going my way. I wanted to walk, stop, sleep, crawl--anything but run. I felt miserable. And my HR was screaming high [more on this later]. The HRM kept reporting 175+ numbers and I was barely moving. I was pausing to walk, catch my breath, and manually check the HR. No way was it 190+ like the Garmin said. No freakin' way. WTH?
But I made it to my 2 mile turnaround, by this time giving up on drills and just working to finish. The drills just drove up my HR and my fatigue, ironically they are efficiency drills. I was happy to reach the turn around, even though I didn't really want to be there. What a conflict. A stupid conflict.
Then my left foot started to hurt (in the Kinvaras). Then I was sweating buckets. Then I was thirsty. Oh geez did I have a long line of waaaahhhhhhhhhhh for this run.
Regarding the HRM-I don't think it's working. So no HR data here.
RUN: 40 mins and 4 miles
So after feeling relatively good last night, Weds was a reversal of good feeling. I actually managed to get up on time for the swim after only 5 or so hours of sleep. I almost didn't swim, when it came time to leave for the pool I drug my feet. I wanted to go, but didn't want to swim.
What was I thinking? Go for the social aspect and hang out on the deck?
So I went. Got there late. And told myself That Was OK because I only wanted to swim 40 mins anyway. Just another justification. I started after everyone else had warmed up, not that it mattered really since I didn't really do any of their sets anyway. Well I did one--the 4x200m but all I finished was a 3x200. I was doing 100m in 2:20-2:30. It was frustrating! I even tried paddles for one 100, it was tiring but I don't think I'm using them right. I'll have to go back to that post earlier this spring and see what CHG said about the paddles.
And after practice I talked to CHG about a 1-on-1. I'm missing something. I just don't know what.
Then a long day at work, with not much to do. Days like this destroy my motivation. I hate sitting like that. And I didn't bring enough to keep my tummy full for the day. So when it came time to go home and run, my motivation and hunger were ruining my mood. And once again, I wanted to run but didn't want to go. I had just enough time. GO!
Early in the run I wondered if I wanted to run only because I'd feel guilty if I didn't. And who was I going to let down if I didn't run? I don't know.
Not much later than that in the run, I realized this was not going my way. I wanted to walk, stop, sleep, crawl--anything but run. I felt miserable. And my HR was screaming high [more on this later]. The HRM kept reporting 175+ numbers and I was barely moving. I was pausing to walk, catch my breath, and manually check the HR. No way was it 190+ like the Garmin said. No freakin' way. WTH?
But I made it to my 2 mile turnaround, by this time giving up on drills and just working to finish. The drills just drove up my HR and my fatigue, ironically they are efficiency drills. I was happy to reach the turn around, even though I didn't really want to be there. What a conflict. A stupid conflict.
Then my left foot started to hurt (in the Kinvaras). Then I was sweating buckets. Then I was thirsty. Oh geez did I have a long line of waaaahhhhhhhhhhh for this run.
Regarding the HRM-I don't think it's working. So no HR data here.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Request to make athlete account coached
BIKE: 18.1 miles in 63 mins
RUN: 4 miles in 33 mins
Rec'd the email today linking my training peaks account to a coach! I'm looking forward to seeing the workouts :)
My sched was off today with family and a dental appt (more on that later) so I skipped the morning workout and replaced it with CP's Tuesday brick. In the end, this worked for me (aside from getting to bed LATE.
The dental was late in the day, a repair of a chipped filling and a repair of a nearby one. The right side of my mouth was numb, so I had some trouble drinking water. I looked like a fountain if I didn't hold my mouth together with my hand! As expected, the dental was miserable but the entire time I was telling myself that I've done an Ironman so I can handle a little drilling. That I can hold my breath for a long time so I can do that to avoid breathing the spray from the drilling. That I have lots of self control so I won't gack on all the spit accumulating in the back of my throat. Even dental appts have become a challenge. But I did have a smile at seeing how my heartbeat was enough to lightly bump the lights and attachments to the chair.
The ride started off rough for me. I think that stupid possessed break of Frea's was dragging, even after I opened it up all the way. About 25 mins in, I was warmed up. Most of the WU was spent telling myself to shutup with the excuses about "I can't workout as well in the afternoon" and "I do better in the morning". Excuses, excuses; All you got is 'cuses. Sung to tune of it's raining, it's pouring. The only thing raining then was Excuses.
But the cloud cleared and I felt so much better on the inbound. The ride paused a lot, and at first I was frustrated with it. I though I could ride more steady on my own and do my own intervals. Then I realized that these could be intervals, and the pause was a rest! Duh. Either way, it was a 20-mile drive and I didn't get home until after 8:30pm, which didn't get me to bed until after 10pm so I'm not sure how often I can do this late evening workout.
The run felt great. I was surprised to be doing 8:20-8:30m/m intervals. The other surprise was that I maintained CP's running form suggestions. Lately I've been just falling off it a few mins into the run. Helps to have him behind me! I run good to avoid being called out! :) Another coaching benefit.
Overall, I'm still tired and unfocused. I had to start my folded-paper to-do list again. I'm just paralyzed sometimes with all the crap I have to do. I just feel like my life is out of whack right now, and I'm going to make a concerted effort to get it re-focused.
RUN: 4 miles in 33 mins
Rec'd the email today linking my training peaks account to a coach! I'm looking forward to seeing the workouts :)
My sched was off today with family and a dental appt (more on that later) so I skipped the morning workout and replaced it with CP's Tuesday brick. In the end, this worked for me (aside from getting to bed LATE.
The dental was late in the day, a repair of a chipped filling and a repair of a nearby one. The right side of my mouth was numb, so I had some trouble drinking water. I looked like a fountain if I didn't hold my mouth together with my hand! As expected, the dental was miserable but the entire time I was telling myself that I've done an Ironman so I can handle a little drilling. That I can hold my breath for a long time so I can do that to avoid breathing the spray from the drilling. That I have lots of self control so I won't gack on all the spit accumulating in the back of my throat. Even dental appts have become a challenge. But I did have a smile at seeing how my heartbeat was enough to lightly bump the lights and attachments to the chair.
The ride started off rough for me. I think that stupid possessed break of Frea's was dragging, even after I opened it up all the way. About 25 mins in, I was warmed up. Most of the WU was spent telling myself to shutup with the excuses about "I can't workout as well in the afternoon" and "I do better in the morning". Excuses, excuses; All you got is 'cuses. Sung to tune of it's raining, it's pouring. The only thing raining then was Excuses.
But the cloud cleared and I felt so much better on the inbound. The ride paused a lot, and at first I was frustrated with it. I though I could ride more steady on my own and do my own intervals. Then I realized that these could be intervals, and the pause was a rest! Duh. Either way, it was a 20-mile drive and I didn't get home until after 8:30pm, which didn't get me to bed until after 10pm so I'm not sure how often I can do this late evening workout.
The run felt great. I was surprised to be doing 8:20-8:30m/m intervals. The other surprise was that I maintained CP's running form suggestions. Lately I've been just falling off it a few mins into the run. Helps to have him behind me! I run good to avoid being called out! :) Another coaching benefit.
Overall, I'm still tired and unfocused. I had to start my folded-paper to-do list again. I'm just paralyzed sometimes with all the crap I have to do. I just feel like my life is out of whack right now, and I'm going to make a concerted effort to get it re-focused.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Time to re-group
SWIM: ?!?
RUN: hopefully later.
Sort of an early post. I usually log after I train, I want to get this one in before.
I missed the swim, at least the Master's version. When the alarm sounded at 4:10am my body was not ready to move. Not sore, just very tired. Something about biking 110 miles over the weekend maybe... Luckily it was also raining and t-storming. Sort of gives me an "out" for the swim.
One of the first things I did this morning was check my email for anything from CP. I'm very excited about this! I have no idea of what to expect so it's like receiving a present. OK, sure I paid for it and I kinda know that it will have SBR and intervals and such. But it's how the SBR comes together, and how I've never seen this plan before. Finally I'm leaving the EN plan behind and moving on. Feels like a graduation of sorts.
And speaking of moving on, it's time I get my life in order. Yesterday I put the $$ down for this endeavor indicating a serious commitment on my part. And CP is committed, I don't want to waste his time by not giving back my full efforts. But there are multiple areas of distraction right now in my life. I'm pulled in 10 different directions it seems. I need to learn to put the effort into the Here and Now. If I'm at work, I should be thinking about work. If I'm running, I should be thinking about running. Not my over-extended to-do list. Not my other current mental distraction. Not things that may or may not be. Not those mental run-throughs I get stuck in. The Here and Now.
It won't happen over night. But can it start to happen? I keep telling myself it will. I've been knocking lots of to-do's off the list lately, making progress and feeling good about it.
So get to it, dammit! Time to re-group, get things in order,
RUN: hopefully later.
Sort of an early post. I usually log after I train, I want to get this one in before.
I missed the swim, at least the Master's version. When the alarm sounded at 4:10am my body was not ready to move. Not sore, just very tired. Something about biking 110 miles over the weekend maybe... Luckily it was also raining and t-storming. Sort of gives me an "out" for the swim.
One of the first things I did this morning was check my email for anything from CP. I'm very excited about this! I have no idea of what to expect so it's like receiving a present. OK, sure I paid for it and I kinda know that it will have SBR and intervals and such. But it's how the SBR comes together, and how I've never seen this plan before. Finally I'm leaving the EN plan behind and moving on. Feels like a graduation of sorts.
And speaking of moving on, it's time I get my life in order. Yesterday I put the $$ down for this endeavor indicating a serious commitment on my part. And CP is committed, I don't want to waste his time by not giving back my full efforts. But there are multiple areas of distraction right now in my life. I'm pulled in 10 different directions it seems. I need to learn to put the effort into the Here and Now. If I'm at work, I should be thinking about work. If I'm running, I should be thinking about running. Not my over-extended to-do list. Not my other current mental distraction. Not things that may or may not be. Not those mental run-throughs I get stuck in. The Here and Now.
It won't happen over night. But can it start to happen? I keep telling myself it will. I've been knocking lots of to-do's off the list lately, making progress and feeling good about it.
So get to it, dammit! Time to re-group, get things in order,
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Long group ride
BIKE: 3hrs 38 mins. 60 miles. This includes a few goofy loops to get to 60 miles from 59.2 miles.
Unlike yesterday's ride this was with a group. And a good group too, varied abilities and styles, but all looking for challenge. I'd like to be able to surround myself by people like this more. And hey--working with CP I'll have just that opportunity!
CP said each session needs to have a focus. Not that such a rule is news to me, it's just that I'm not acting on it. So today's goals:
1. Solid nutrition.
2. Steady, even effort on hills
3. Enjoy my new bike fit, new sunglasses, and 2 new water bottles!
OK, so that last goal was a bit of a stretch. But I like things in 3's.
Funny thing here--I can remember riding a very similar route 1 or 2 years ago the day after QMax. The ride left Columbia under light rain. This ended soon enough. None of the expected heat, making it an easier than expected ride. I successfully consumed 1 24-0z bottle of my Perform (280 cals) per 1.5 hrs. This is still a little low by itself, but over all the nutrition was OK:
280 cals x 2 in liquids
one 220 cal powerbar
one 100-ish cal gel
one 20-oz bottle water
=900-1000 calories over 3.5 hours, or 271 cals/hr.
= Good.
The effort on the hills was even. No attacks or sprints. Same goes on the return trip on the flats. I pushed the pace more but tried to stay even. Usually I shoot for intervals or put in some "how fast can I go" sets. Just not today. Also worked on a light fast cadence. I watched other fast riders with a similar cadence, tried it, and liked it. Although I still love the burn of the big ring :)
Final goal--new gear. The fit is great--CP thinks maybe raise the seat a squidge. Worth trying out. The new sunglasses fixed the motion sickness problem and provided an much much clearer view. And the new bottles are Awesome! Love the "jet" feeling they have and the no-leak design.
NUMERICS of a recovery, un-coached week: 9hrs 38 mins
SWIM: 800 meters in 0.5 hr
BIKE: 130 miles in 7.67 hrs
RUN: 9.66 miles in 1.67 hrs
I was burned out on swimming and biking after CE. Wasn't I just talking about my imbalances?!? I also slacked a bit knowing that the next few weeks would straighten things out. Sort of like a last binge before the diet?
Unlike yesterday's ride this was with a group. And a good group too, varied abilities and styles, but all looking for challenge. I'd like to be able to surround myself by people like this more. And hey--working with CP I'll have just that opportunity!
CP said each session needs to have a focus. Not that such a rule is news to me, it's just that I'm not acting on it. So today's goals:
1. Solid nutrition.
2. Steady, even effort on hills
3. Enjoy my new bike fit, new sunglasses, and 2 new water bottles!
OK, so that last goal was a bit of a stretch. But I like things in 3's.
Funny thing here--I can remember riding a very similar route 1 or 2 years ago the day after QMax. The ride left Columbia under light rain. This ended soon enough. None of the expected heat, making it an easier than expected ride. I successfully consumed 1 24-0z bottle of my Perform (280 cals) per 1.5 hrs. This is still a little low by itself, but over all the nutrition was OK:
280 cals x 2 in liquids
one 220 cal powerbar
one 100-ish cal gel
one 20-oz bottle water
=900-1000 calories over 3.5 hours, or 271 cals/hr.
= Good.
The effort on the hills was even. No attacks or sprints. Same goes on the return trip on the flats. I pushed the pace more but tried to stay even. Usually I shoot for intervals or put in some "how fast can I go" sets. Just not today. Also worked on a light fast cadence. I watched other fast riders with a similar cadence, tried it, and liked it. Although I still love the burn of the big ring :)
Final goal--new gear. The fit is great--CP thinks maybe raise the seat a squidge. Worth trying out. The new sunglasses fixed the motion sickness problem and provided an much much clearer view. And the new bottles are Awesome! Love the "jet" feeling they have and the no-leak design.
NUMERICS of a recovery, un-coached week: 9hrs 38 mins
SWIM: 800 meters in 0.5 hr
BIKE: 130 miles in 7.67 hrs
RUN: 9.66 miles in 1.67 hrs
I was burned out on swimming and biking after CE. Wasn't I just talking about my imbalances?!? I also slacked a bit knowing that the next few weeks would straighten things out. Sort of like a last binge before the diet?
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Long solo ride
BIKE: 3hrs 1 min. 54 miles on the MCT.
My weekend schedule was up in the air with some family coming in. I left it open so when I realized I had a morning to myself I took it. The club had another event under control so I planned a weekend to make up for the one I lost at IMKS. Biking, all biking.
As excited as I was about biking, I wasn't excited about riding along some road alone. I had in my head a 2-lane highway for some reason instead of the quiet rural roads we usually ride on. Why I was focused on that, don't know. But maybe because I was thinking of the bike highway conditions of the MCT? I really wanted to ride there!
I also wanted to swim. CP had some tips I wanted to try, so I got my butt out of bed in time for Saturday Master's, drove over to Brentwood, and then drove right back home. I had forgotten about the meet at the pool! Master's was canceled. I knew this! But I didn't pay attention! Arg!
So quick turnaround at home and off to IL. By this time I was less hyped about riding, but I knew it would come back to me. One focus for today was nutrition--CP said "force feeding" was needed. So I had 700-800 liquid calories, powerbar, and gels. I have to say, that although I don't expect liquid calories to work or be satisfying--they seem to be!
The final goal--test the new bike fit. I was pleasantly surprised! What I thought would be an aggressive stance is actually the crouch I was trying to achieve in my "time trial" position. It was so nice in fact that I took the visor off my helmet--it was in the way.
The MCT trails are flat and boring. But I enjoyed it, saying Good Morning to everyone and soaking in the cool shade. This was a great mental break from the stress recently and gave me lots of Think Time. The song of the day was Mean (again) and by the end up the ride I was humming it out loud. Luckily no one was around to hear me.
There's so much more to say here, including a mention of the turtle, deer, rabbits, ducks, turkey, and other wildlife on the trail, but time is short and this post is already late and unfocused. Kinda like me lately--scatted and unfocused.
My weekend schedule was up in the air with some family coming in. I left it open so when I realized I had a morning to myself I took it. The club had another event under control so I planned a weekend to make up for the one I lost at IMKS. Biking, all biking.
As excited as I was about biking, I wasn't excited about riding along some road alone. I had in my head a 2-lane highway for some reason instead of the quiet rural roads we usually ride on. Why I was focused on that, don't know. But maybe because I was thinking of the bike highway conditions of the MCT? I really wanted to ride there!
I also wanted to swim. CP had some tips I wanted to try, so I got my butt out of bed in time for Saturday Master's, drove over to Brentwood, and then drove right back home. I had forgotten about the meet at the pool! Master's was canceled. I knew this! But I didn't pay attention! Arg!
So quick turnaround at home and off to IL. By this time I was less hyped about riding, but I knew it would come back to me. One focus for today was nutrition--CP said "force feeding" was needed. So I had 700-800 liquid calories, powerbar, and gels. I have to say, that although I don't expect liquid calories to work or be satisfying--they seem to be!
The final goal--test the new bike fit. I was pleasantly surprised! What I thought would be an aggressive stance is actually the crouch I was trying to achieve in my "time trial" position. It was so nice in fact that I took the visor off my helmet--it was in the way.
The MCT trails are flat and boring. But I enjoyed it, saying Good Morning to everyone and soaking in the cool shade. This was a great mental break from the stress recently and gave me lots of Think Time. The song of the day was Mean (again) and by the end up the ride I was humming it out loud. Luckily no one was around to hear me.
There's so much more to say here, including a mention of the turtle, deer, rabbits, ducks, turkey, and other wildlife on the trail, but time is short and this post is already late and unfocused. Kinda like me lately--scatted and unfocused.
Friday, June 24, 2011
I am now a coached athlete
DAY OFF.
I did it. I've been thinking about it and talking about it and mulling it over. I talked to PS (hereafter known as CP) and joined the IB group. I like the peeps there, so I'm pretty excited to be joining them.
A few things from our discussion, and these are things I knew already for the most part even if I was ignoring them:
1. My training is the same and the same and the same. CP doesn't know this in detail, but I've been on this training plan for 2008 and 2009 already. It was awesome for getting me started in 70.3's. But he pointed out and immediately saw that it isn't specific enough for ME. It doesn't address my strengths and weaknesses.
2. My training hours are mostly endurance. I have one quality run and one quality bike. He's putting in 2 of each.
3. I'm trying to be everything to everybody and it doesn't work well that way. I need to change how I manage this, he had some great suggestions. Lead by example and make time for myself.
Overall, there's so much to say about this but I'm going to let the training do the talking here and see what happens!!!
I did it. I've been thinking about it and talking about it and mulling it over. I talked to PS (hereafter known as CP) and joined the IB group. I like the peeps there, so I'm pretty excited to be joining them.
A few things from our discussion, and these are things I knew already for the most part even if I was ignoring them:
1. My training is the same and the same and the same. CP doesn't know this in detail, but I've been on this training plan for 2008 and 2009 already. It was awesome for getting me started in 70.3's. But he pointed out and immediately saw that it isn't specific enough for ME. It doesn't address my strengths and weaknesses.
2. My training hours are mostly endurance. I have one quality run and one quality bike. He's putting in 2 of each.
3. I'm trying to be everything to everybody and it doesn't work well that way. I need to change how I manage this, he had some great suggestions. Lead by example and make time for myself.
Overall, there's so much to say about this but I'm going to let the training do the talking here and see what happens!!!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday run, recovery ending
RUN: 6.6 miles in 58 mins.
This run had all the pep and energy CE didn't. Felt really good, and surprisingly my feet didn't hurt like I expected. Something from the bike shoes that bothered me so fast in CE?
Speaking of the bike, it was re-fit today. The cleats did move which is the likely reason behind the IT pain. And the stem was flipped over, leaving me with a pretty flat front end. Give it a try this weekend and see. I'm a bit nervous about it being too aggressive.
This run had all the pep and energy CE didn't. Felt really good, and surprisingly my feet didn't hurt like I expected. Something from the bike shoes that bothered me so fast in CE?
Speaking of the bike, it was re-fit today. The cleats did move which is the likely reason behind the IT pain. And the stem was flipped over, leaving me with a pretty flat front end. Give it a try this weekend and see. I'm a bit nervous about it being too aggressive.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Cutting Edge race wrap-up
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 1hr on trainer, easy
Weds: 30 min Master's 800m, 30 min run 3.2 miles
Recovery week continues, and that's recovery for physical, mental, and "spiritual" aspects. Physically, I'm tired but not sure or pained. Mentally I've over the disappointment and have identified the problems. Spiritually, which to my non-religious definition means my faith in myself and faith in my beliefs, is just starting to come around.
I felt better by Tuesday, enough to hop on the trainer and spin the legs a bit. Today's short run was tired but had more of the mental energy I missed in the race. I've come to terms with what happened and can summarize it here:
1. I was undertrained.
2. My expectations were too high.
3. I wasn't specifically trained for a half-iron race.
All 3 combine together to make for a rough race. I'd spend so much time preparing for the Chubbie (Dec to April) that I missed a lot of time on the bike. Last year by this time I was just over 2000 miles, this years I'm just over 1300 miles. That is a substantial difference, and no doubt accounts for this discomfort and lack of focus on the bike. In the past few weeks since the Chubbie, my run mileage dropped substantially. I think I hoped that my Chubbie running would hold out and let me rest on that training. But in reality Chubbie training isn't half-mary training! Long and slow and easy vs long and fast and hard. All the Chubbie training would do for me in an HIM race is let me finish, not let me finish fast.
And as I said, I'm mostly over it. While CE had a few tones of Redman (rain, fatigue, no edge) in the end those few tones were muted. On Monday I was disappointed, on Tuesday I has things in better perspective:
1. It was still a top 3rd finish in the females
2. I exposed the chinks in the armor as was the original goal of this race
3. I never gave up, as badly as I wanted to I kept going
In summary, I overshot. Sure, I wanted to podium but that was as a measure of being competitive. I rarely race competitive. It's just not my usual style. So putting that extra pressure on myself made it hard, and since I plan to do that at Piggie I need to start training for it now. It was not easy pushing to chase people down, it was mentally distracting and took the focus off of me. I need to learn to balance those goals.
Tuesday: 1hr on trainer, easy
Weds: 30 min Master's 800m, 30 min run 3.2 miles
Recovery week continues, and that's recovery for physical, mental, and "spiritual" aspects. Physically, I'm tired but not sure or pained. Mentally I've over the disappointment and have identified the problems. Spiritually, which to my non-religious definition means my faith in myself and faith in my beliefs, is just starting to come around.
I felt better by Tuesday, enough to hop on the trainer and spin the legs a bit. Today's short run was tired but had more of the mental energy I missed in the race. I've come to terms with what happened and can summarize it here:
1. I was undertrained.
2. My expectations were too high.
3. I wasn't specifically trained for a half-iron race.
All 3 combine together to make for a rough race. I'd spend so much time preparing for the Chubbie (Dec to April) that I missed a lot of time on the bike. Last year by this time I was just over 2000 miles, this years I'm just over 1300 miles. That is a substantial difference, and no doubt accounts for this discomfort and lack of focus on the bike. In the past few weeks since the Chubbie, my run mileage dropped substantially. I think I hoped that my Chubbie running would hold out and let me rest on that training. But in reality Chubbie training isn't half-mary training! Long and slow and easy vs long and fast and hard. All the Chubbie training would do for me in an HIM race is let me finish, not let me finish fast.
And as I said, I'm mostly over it. While CE had a few tones of Redman (rain, fatigue, no edge) in the end those few tones were muted. On Monday I was disappointed, on Tuesday I has things in better perspective:
1. It was still a top 3rd finish in the females
2. I exposed the chinks in the armor as was the original goal of this race
3. I never gave up, as badly as I wanted to I kept going
In summary, I overshot. Sure, I wanted to podium but that was as a measure of being competitive. I rarely race competitive. It's just not my usual style. So putting that extra pressure on myself made it hard, and since I plan to do that at Piggie I need to start training for it now. It was not easy pushing to chase people down, it was mentally distracting and took the focus off of me. I need to learn to balance those goals.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Cutting Edge Race Report
Overall Time: 5:53:16 4th/8 in AG, 9th/29 gender, and a 2nd place trophy.
Overall summary: disappointment
Since JM and I decided to drive to the site that morning, I got up at 2:25am after about 5-6 hrs of sleep. This is becoming an issue for me: getting enough sleep. But that's another story. Got up, coffee, at a banana and a slice of cheese. While that breakfast seems crappy, at the time it made sense. I wasn't racing for 5 more hours! In retrospect I think I could have done better. It was hard to find the balance of safe to eat very early (that alone upsets my tummy), safe to eat before a race, and good enough to get me through the day. The disappointment here was the lack of "bathroom" duties. This stressed me, as my mind envisioned either an uncomfortable 2hr car ride or a porta-potty filled 2hr run. I was already packed so I headed out the door. Then realized I forgot all water bottles in the fridge. The first delay.
The second delay was I-64. It's slickery in the rain. I planned to be at JM's between 3:45 and 4am, didn't get there til a few mins after 4am. More disappointment. We pack up and head out, calculating the drive time, TA setup time, and how much time was on the clock. This added some tension, but I couldn't get myself worried about it. I just shrugged. Still not feeling the razor's edge for this race, but it was early and I was tired so I didn't worry.
The last few miles of the drive were on the course, and as JM put it "we'd be biking with the ducks". The roads were flooded in some areas! Arriving on site to rain and thunder, we started to hurriedly unpack and setup, but there was a 45 min delay. TA never closed, so we had more than enough time. During the delay I consumed a mini Lara, a Powerbar, and a bottle of water, with some Infinit--breakfast! And I found a Porta-potty--breakfast was over :) Took those 2 worries off my mind. At one point JM and I went for some sunscreen, another worry gone. The delay turned into a 1.5hr delay, we got in the water around 8:30am or so.
SWIM: 1.2 miles in 46 mins. 6th in AG. 2-loop clockwise swim, time includes a very short run up the beach. The water was 78F, the PERFECT temperature it seems. I could have skipped the wetsuit, but I was also fine with it. We had a few mins to WU, test the goggles, etc before the gun. Everyone was talking, laughing, and happy that the rain had tapered off enough for a race. I may have been unexcited, but I still wanted a race. But at the same time, I felt equally happy if the swim would have been cut. It was a knee-deep mass water start, and I positioned myself towards the middle/back of the small pack of only 130 or so. The first 20y or so we could walk/run so I did, using my arms to paddle me forward. This might have been a mistake, cuz my left shoulder had a sharp pain for the first 30y of swimming or so. The buoys were orange, but so were the men's swim caps, so I had to double-check a few times while siting to be sure I was seeing buoy and not cap. The caps were brighter orange I realized soon enough. Another worry gone. I had a quiet enough start, the kicks and bumps don't bother me much anymore. I settled in and just went buoy-hunting. Siting was great, swam straight, even effort, good breathing (aside from a few mouthfuls of diesel), and OK focus. But my arms were getting tired, not a great sign.
I had some trouble siting into the turnaround on the beach. I kept swimming along the beach instead. But that couldn't have added that much time. Run up the beach, yell out name/number, check the watch--22:50!!! What?!? OK so I had a slower first lap, we get to do it again. I took off, more mindful of not paddling so much while running. What took so LONG?!?! I felt better than 23 mins!!!??? I decided that without other swimmers around me and a good knowledge of the course that the 2nd lap would improve. It didn't, almost exact split times. The 46 mins includes a brief run up the beach to TA so the 2nd lap was about 44-45 mins. So I improved, but not that much. My calculations give me about 2:20/100m. Doesn't matter now, just get to the bike.
T1: 2:50 3rd in AG. Peeled off the top of the wetsuit and ran to the bike. Sat down to get the lower part of the suit off and CRAMP in the left calf. It was from pulling on the suit and my leg. I just sat a few seconds--maybe 30?--and waited it out. It relaxed and didn't bother me again. Put on the aero helmet, sunglasses, shoes, started the Garmin and tucked it into my back pocket, and took off. No shoes on the bike because TA was muddy and I didn't want mud in my shoes.
BIKE: 56 miles in 2:50:03. 19.8mph and 3rd in AG. 2 out-n-back course in a T-shape. Flat, good roads that were still a little wet. A small amount of rain, nothing substantial. Still cloudy but sun working it's way out.
I took off on the bike with the plan of hunting down my AG. I knew there were 8 registered, so I put myself in 8th place and started looking. I passed one soon enough, 6 more to go. The theme music from the You Will Do This video started in my head. It was a fast cadence song, with energy and intensity. Maybe not the best theme music for right now, as it made me push a bit. Why did I leave the Garmin in my back? I had my overall time on the watch but no speed to gauge the ride. It was good and bad to have done this, in the end it wouldn't have made me faster. But I just kept wondering about it. Distraction!
I kept on my hunt. At one point I saw a tabby cat sneaking around a grass field. That was me--stealth hunter out looking for prey. With an IM theme song in my head. OK, not so much like a slow, quiet kitty. More like a fast, light, speedy cyclist. At least that's what I told myself. I wasn't quite feeling it, but my mind was looking for any inspiration. Grasping, in fact.
First lap in at 1:23, not sure if it was exactly 28 miles though. But it was encouraging--I was hoping for a solid sub-3hr and I was on my way there. I'd passed 2 in my AG in the first lap, meaning I had 5 more to go. I assumed they were ahead of me on the swim and not behind. 5 more.
The second lap drug on a bit. Around mile 35 I emptied the aero bottle of Infinit and moved plain water up from the frame bottle. I'd already consumed half a Powerbar. So around mile 40 I had a gel. All of 400 calories for a 3hr bike ride?!?!? What that really my plan? Did I think this through? NO!
At some points I wanted to sit up, but I stayed in aero. Another problem was motion sickness! It wasn't until mile 40 that I figured this out--I'm trying to hold my head different with the aero helmet. So I'd be looking over my sunglasses half the time and through the sunglasses the other half. And since they are prescription sunglasses...my eyes couldn't take the strain.
My mind kept wandering, and I had to keep refocusing it. Should I paint my aero helmet with a honey bee? RIDE! Were my feet going to hurt on the run? RIDE! What was the B&W cat doing in the ditch? RIDE! Look at all that flood water in the ditch. RIDE! To further the distraction, my arms were tired, my right IT band area hurt, and the seat was hitting me uncomfortably. The arms from the swim, the IT band from the new cleats?, and the seat from not spending enough time in the saddle yet this year.
I was also overfocusing on those 5 riders ahead of me. Around mile 30, a 30-yo woman passed me. Around mile 45 she was looking uncomfortable-moving around out of aero, clumsy turn arounds. SlowZebra. Passed her, and this boosted me a bit. This was getting out of hand--all this chasing. I could see the other women in the race ahead of me after the turnarounds, and try as I did there was no catching them. I gave up on this around mile 45 and just settled in to finish the ride.
T2: 1:22 2nd in AG. In and out. Put on socks, grabbed a hat and a gel. Go Go Go.
RUN: 13.1 miles in 2:12. 4th in AG. Pace just over 10m/m. This is where it all came apart. 2 out-n-back run, mostly paved with some gravel, slow easy hills, some shade. Sunny, no wind.
Loop 1. 1hr. I immediately knew I had problems, but I tried to talk myself out of them. I told myself that the 1st mile always sucks and that if I just wait my body will settle in to the run. The first mile went by and I sure as heck wasn't settled in. I had realized at the end of the bike that something was up with the run course--I was seeing runners heading towards the finish and I knew that couldn't be finishing the race in sub 4. I asked and found it was changed to a 2 out-n-back instead of one. Why this mattered, I don't know. But it did. I ate my caffeinated gel and waited for that to kick in.
Two miles in and I still wasnt feeling it. By now I was on a rocky section of the course, and my feet started to HURT fast. To the point I just wanted to walk. Soon enough off the gravel and back to paved, and again I tried to convince myself to relax. No dice. My HR was through the roof! I could run, but it was so damned exhausting. So I kept slowing myself down with no success on bringing the HR down. At the first turn-around I grabbed a sponge and still tried to settle in. I was taking water at every stop and absorbing it. So hydration was going good at least.
At mile 4 the 30-yo woman passed me. I told her she looked strong, she said I killed on the bike. Back on the gravel, I though I could cry. Why did both feet hurt so damned bad??!! The orthotics weren't this bad in training! This just ramped me up. The fact that I couldn't run just crushed me. I wanted to quit. I wanted to just throw it in and walk away. I wanted to cry. And I kept looking behind me for the next woman to pass me. But I wouldn't quit. I'll never quit. That's one of my problems. Death Before DNF.
Loop 2. 1hr 12 mins. Dizzy stop at a porta-potty (good hydration!) and part of an orange at the 6mi station. Amazingly enough, I perked up after this! I made myself run at least to the next aid station before I'd let myself walk. At the 7mi aid station I had a gel. By the 8mi aid station I was struggling again. My feet felt much better for some reason (they still hurt, just less so) and I was more relaxed. I might have been going slower too. By the turnaround, I had buddied up with a guy on the course that I was leapfrogging. Chaz. I tried to stay with him, and him with me. By the mile 9.9 turnaround, there were 3 of us in a loose group. I learned at mile 10 that the 3rd guy processed drug samples from my county back home in IL. Needless to say, this was the best part of the run.
By mile 11.5 my friend and I had parted ways. He was feeling stronger and was ready to finish his first ever HIM! I was not so strong. I was looking for JM, I knew he was ahead of me somewhere. This buoyed me a bit, I'd been seeing other club members all during the run but so far 2 of them were looking pretty sick (additionally the 30-yo woman was looking sick last I saw her too). Add me to the list. I found JM around mile 12. By this time, I had an awful diaphragm cramp, I started holding my breath. I came up behind JM and wanted to pace with him, but I couldnt catch him!!! I could only stare at his back while he moved away from me. I HTFU'd and worked to catch him. I tried to talk but it just wasnt there. I had to finish this NOW. I blocked it all out, the pain and discomfort, and headed for the finish.
FINISH: At the finish, they took one look and grabbed me. As with Redman, 2 volunteers holding my up by the upper arms. They took me to a shade tree and handed me water. I was fine, but dizzy and sick. And surprisingly cold. I drank the water and then wished I hadn't. It just sat in my tummy, and now I wanted to vomit. I trudged back to the TA, and just wanted to die. I suppose there's 2 ways I can look at this. 1) I left it all out on the course; or 2) I'm going to kill myself someday. I'm going with option 1.
Overall, I was the 9th woman out of 27 or so. Compared to that, I had a good race, a top 3rd percentile finish aint too bad. So why am I disappointed? I had hoped for better. I'd hoped for a sub 5:40 race. I'd hoped for a strong run, maybe even a PR run.
But in all reality, I wasn't trained properly for such a race. I just finished base training, meaning that I'm trained to go 5.5-6 hrs at a reasonable pace. Not 5.5 hrs at race pace. The delays, weather, and days leading up to the race added up and took a toll on me.
Excuses. HTFU!
I went into this race with no edge, so I had no edge for the race. I wasn't trained for a fast half, so I didn't run one. I didn't eat enough. I didn't have my orthotics fixed. I don't have my swim fixed. Face the reality. This was a tuneup race, a check of systems, a chance to expose these flaws and FIX them BEFORE Pigman! In that, it was a good race.
But that 2nd place AG trophy I won (because 2 women in my AG won OA's) feels hollow.
Overall summary: disappointment
Since JM and I decided to drive to the site that morning, I got up at 2:25am after about 5-6 hrs of sleep. This is becoming an issue for me: getting enough sleep. But that's another story. Got up, coffee, at a banana and a slice of cheese. While that breakfast seems crappy, at the time it made sense. I wasn't racing for 5 more hours! In retrospect I think I could have done better. It was hard to find the balance of safe to eat very early (that alone upsets my tummy), safe to eat before a race, and good enough to get me through the day. The disappointment here was the lack of "bathroom" duties. This stressed me, as my mind envisioned either an uncomfortable 2hr car ride or a porta-potty filled 2hr run. I was already packed so I headed out the door. Then realized I forgot all water bottles in the fridge. The first delay.
The second delay was I-64. It's slickery in the rain. I planned to be at JM's between 3:45 and 4am, didn't get there til a few mins after 4am. More disappointment. We pack up and head out, calculating the drive time, TA setup time, and how much time was on the clock. This added some tension, but I couldn't get myself worried about it. I just shrugged. Still not feeling the razor's edge for this race, but it was early and I was tired so I didn't worry.
The last few miles of the drive were on the course, and as JM put it "we'd be biking with the ducks". The roads were flooded in some areas! Arriving on site to rain and thunder, we started to hurriedly unpack and setup, but there was a 45 min delay. TA never closed, so we had more than enough time. During the delay I consumed a mini Lara, a Powerbar, and a bottle of water, with some Infinit--breakfast! And I found a Porta-potty--breakfast was over :) Took those 2 worries off my mind. At one point JM and I went for some sunscreen, another worry gone. The delay turned into a 1.5hr delay, we got in the water around 8:30am or so.
SWIM: 1.2 miles in 46 mins. 6th in AG. 2-loop clockwise swim, time includes a very short run up the beach. The water was 78F, the PERFECT temperature it seems. I could have skipped the wetsuit, but I was also fine with it. We had a few mins to WU, test the goggles, etc before the gun. Everyone was talking, laughing, and happy that the rain had tapered off enough for a race. I may have been unexcited, but I still wanted a race. But at the same time, I felt equally happy if the swim would have been cut. It was a knee-deep mass water start, and I positioned myself towards the middle/back of the small pack of only 130 or so. The first 20y or so we could walk/run so I did, using my arms to paddle me forward. This might have been a mistake, cuz my left shoulder had a sharp pain for the first 30y of swimming or so. The buoys were orange, but so were the men's swim caps, so I had to double-check a few times while siting to be sure I was seeing buoy and not cap. The caps were brighter orange I realized soon enough. Another worry gone. I had a quiet enough start, the kicks and bumps don't bother me much anymore. I settled in and just went buoy-hunting. Siting was great, swam straight, even effort, good breathing (aside from a few mouthfuls of diesel), and OK focus. But my arms were getting tired, not a great sign.
I had some trouble siting into the turnaround on the beach. I kept swimming along the beach instead. But that couldn't have added that much time. Run up the beach, yell out name/number, check the watch--22:50!!! What?!? OK so I had a slower first lap, we get to do it again. I took off, more mindful of not paddling so much while running. What took so LONG?!?! I felt better than 23 mins!!!??? I decided that without other swimmers around me and a good knowledge of the course that the 2nd lap would improve. It didn't, almost exact split times. The 46 mins includes a brief run up the beach to TA so the 2nd lap was about 44-45 mins. So I improved, but not that much. My calculations give me about 2:20/100m. Doesn't matter now, just get to the bike.
T1: 2:50 3rd in AG. Peeled off the top of the wetsuit and ran to the bike. Sat down to get the lower part of the suit off and CRAMP in the left calf. It was from pulling on the suit and my leg. I just sat a few seconds--maybe 30?--and waited it out. It relaxed and didn't bother me again. Put on the aero helmet, sunglasses, shoes, started the Garmin and tucked it into my back pocket, and took off. No shoes on the bike because TA was muddy and I didn't want mud in my shoes.
BIKE: 56 miles in 2:50:03. 19.8mph and 3rd in AG. 2 out-n-back course in a T-shape. Flat, good roads that were still a little wet. A small amount of rain, nothing substantial. Still cloudy but sun working it's way out.
I took off on the bike with the plan of hunting down my AG. I knew there were 8 registered, so I put myself in 8th place and started looking. I passed one soon enough, 6 more to go. The theme music from the You Will Do This video started in my head. It was a fast cadence song, with energy and intensity. Maybe not the best theme music for right now, as it made me push a bit. Why did I leave the Garmin in my back? I had my overall time on the watch but no speed to gauge the ride. It was good and bad to have done this, in the end it wouldn't have made me faster. But I just kept wondering about it. Distraction!
I kept on my hunt. At one point I saw a tabby cat sneaking around a grass field. That was me--stealth hunter out looking for prey. With an IM theme song in my head. OK, not so much like a slow, quiet kitty. More like a fast, light, speedy cyclist. At least that's what I told myself. I wasn't quite feeling it, but my mind was looking for any inspiration. Grasping, in fact.
First lap in at 1:23, not sure if it was exactly 28 miles though. But it was encouraging--I was hoping for a solid sub-3hr and I was on my way there. I'd passed 2 in my AG in the first lap, meaning I had 5 more to go. I assumed they were ahead of me on the swim and not behind. 5 more.
The second lap drug on a bit. Around mile 35 I emptied the aero bottle of Infinit and moved plain water up from the frame bottle. I'd already consumed half a Powerbar. So around mile 40 I had a gel. All of 400 calories for a 3hr bike ride?!?!? What that really my plan? Did I think this through? NO!
At some points I wanted to sit up, but I stayed in aero. Another problem was motion sickness! It wasn't until mile 40 that I figured this out--I'm trying to hold my head different with the aero helmet. So I'd be looking over my sunglasses half the time and through the sunglasses the other half. And since they are prescription sunglasses...my eyes couldn't take the strain.
My mind kept wandering, and I had to keep refocusing it. Should I paint my aero helmet with a honey bee? RIDE! Were my feet going to hurt on the run? RIDE! What was the B&W cat doing in the ditch? RIDE! Look at all that flood water in the ditch. RIDE! To further the distraction, my arms were tired, my right IT band area hurt, and the seat was hitting me uncomfortably. The arms from the swim, the IT band from the new cleats?, and the seat from not spending enough time in the saddle yet this year.
I was also overfocusing on those 5 riders ahead of me. Around mile 30, a 30-yo woman passed me. Around mile 45 she was looking uncomfortable-moving around out of aero, clumsy turn arounds. SlowZebra. Passed her, and this boosted me a bit. This was getting out of hand--all this chasing. I could see the other women in the race ahead of me after the turnarounds, and try as I did there was no catching them. I gave up on this around mile 45 and just settled in to finish the ride.
T2: 1:22 2nd in AG. In and out. Put on socks, grabbed a hat and a gel. Go Go Go.
RUN: 13.1 miles in 2:12. 4th in AG. Pace just over 10m/m. This is where it all came apart. 2 out-n-back run, mostly paved with some gravel, slow easy hills, some shade. Sunny, no wind.
Loop 1. 1hr. I immediately knew I had problems, but I tried to talk myself out of them. I told myself that the 1st mile always sucks and that if I just wait my body will settle in to the run. The first mile went by and I sure as heck wasn't settled in. I had realized at the end of the bike that something was up with the run course--I was seeing runners heading towards the finish and I knew that couldn't be finishing the race in sub 4. I asked and found it was changed to a 2 out-n-back instead of one. Why this mattered, I don't know. But it did. I ate my caffeinated gel and waited for that to kick in.
Two miles in and I still wasnt feeling it. By now I was on a rocky section of the course, and my feet started to HURT fast. To the point I just wanted to walk. Soon enough off the gravel and back to paved, and again I tried to convince myself to relax. No dice. My HR was through the roof! I could run, but it was so damned exhausting. So I kept slowing myself down with no success on bringing the HR down. At the first turn-around I grabbed a sponge and still tried to settle in. I was taking water at every stop and absorbing it. So hydration was going good at least.
At mile 4 the 30-yo woman passed me. I told her she looked strong, she said I killed on the bike. Back on the gravel, I though I could cry. Why did both feet hurt so damned bad??!! The orthotics weren't this bad in training! This just ramped me up. The fact that I couldn't run just crushed me. I wanted to quit. I wanted to just throw it in and walk away. I wanted to cry. And I kept looking behind me for the next woman to pass me. But I wouldn't quit. I'll never quit. That's one of my problems. Death Before DNF.
Loop 2. 1hr 12 mins. Dizzy stop at a porta-potty (good hydration!) and part of an orange at the 6mi station. Amazingly enough, I perked up after this! I made myself run at least to the next aid station before I'd let myself walk. At the 7mi aid station I had a gel. By the 8mi aid station I was struggling again. My feet felt much better for some reason (they still hurt, just less so) and I was more relaxed. I might have been going slower too. By the turnaround, I had buddied up with a guy on the course that I was leapfrogging. Chaz. I tried to stay with him, and him with me. By the mile 9.9 turnaround, there were 3 of us in a loose group. I learned at mile 10 that the 3rd guy processed drug samples from my county back home in IL. Needless to say, this was the best part of the run.
By mile 11.5 my friend and I had parted ways. He was feeling stronger and was ready to finish his first ever HIM! I was not so strong. I was looking for JM, I knew he was ahead of me somewhere. This buoyed me a bit, I'd been seeing other club members all during the run but so far 2 of them were looking pretty sick (additionally the 30-yo woman was looking sick last I saw her too). Add me to the list. I found JM around mile 12. By this time, I had an awful diaphragm cramp, I started holding my breath. I came up behind JM and wanted to pace with him, but I couldnt catch him!!! I could only stare at his back while he moved away from me. I HTFU'd and worked to catch him. I tried to talk but it just wasnt there. I had to finish this NOW. I blocked it all out, the pain and discomfort, and headed for the finish.
FINISH: At the finish, they took one look and grabbed me. As with Redman, 2 volunteers holding my up by the upper arms. They took me to a shade tree and handed me water. I was fine, but dizzy and sick. And surprisingly cold. I drank the water and then wished I hadn't. It just sat in my tummy, and now I wanted to vomit. I trudged back to the TA, and just wanted to die. I suppose there's 2 ways I can look at this. 1) I left it all out on the course; or 2) I'm going to kill myself someday. I'm going with option 1.
Overall, I was the 9th woman out of 27 or so. Compared to that, I had a good race, a top 3rd percentile finish aint too bad. So why am I disappointed? I had hoped for better. I'd hoped for a sub 5:40 race. I'd hoped for a strong run, maybe even a PR run.
But in all reality, I wasn't trained properly for such a race. I just finished base training, meaning that I'm trained to go 5.5-6 hrs at a reasonable pace. Not 5.5 hrs at race pace. The delays, weather, and days leading up to the race added up and took a toll on me.
Excuses. HTFU!
I went into this race with no edge, so I had no edge for the race. I wasn't trained for a fast half, so I didn't run one. I didn't eat enough. I didn't have my orthotics fixed. I don't have my swim fixed. Face the reality. This was a tuneup race, a check of systems, a chance to expose these flaws and FIX them BEFORE Pigman! In that, it was a good race.
But that 2nd place AG trophy I won (because 2 women in my AG won OA's) feels hollow.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Pre-race days
FRIDAY: Day off
SATURDAY: 1hr bike just to move some blood around.
Tried to keep quiet today, but just felt unfocused and flat. When was I going to get excited about this race?!?
SATURDAY: 1hr bike just to move some blood around.
Tried to keep quiet today, but just felt unfocused and flat. When was I going to get excited about this race?!?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Short Thursday run, then Art Hill climbs
RUN: 1hr 6.6 miles.
XFIT: 20 mins of up/down the center of Art Hill, 10 burpees, 10 v-ups.
Didn't sleep in today. I got up early at 4:10 thinking I'd either leave early for some extra running or get some stuff done around the house. Like fix the orthotic in my left shoe. I chose the latter, much to my happiness. I have lots to get done and it seems no time to do it.
So I met up with the group and chose a slower pace. I know I need to be tapering for Sunday, does this xfit workout I described count as a taper?
My left foot started feeling by 30 mins, but it didn't hurt as much as yesterday. So some improvement, but not fixed. What are my plans now? I'll need to re-adjust and get a 40 min run in Fri or Sat. I wasn't all that peppy on the run, I think the slower pace was about all I could have handled.
Xfit was a workout! I managed 6 climbs of the hill and 50 each of burpees and v-ups. When I stood up for the next climb, I envisioned I was CW: powerful and fast. It sorta kinda worked about halfway up the hill.
And now later in the afternoon after all the sweat-fast described above, I have a headache. Probably dehydrated. And I'm hungry. Not good!
XFIT: 20 mins of up/down the center of Art Hill, 10 burpees, 10 v-ups.
Didn't sleep in today. I got up early at 4:10 thinking I'd either leave early for some extra running or get some stuff done around the house. Like fix the orthotic in my left shoe. I chose the latter, much to my happiness. I have lots to get done and it seems no time to do it.
So I met up with the group and chose a slower pace. I know I need to be tapering for Sunday, does this xfit workout I described count as a taper?
My left foot started feeling by 30 mins, but it didn't hurt as much as yesterday. So some improvement, but not fixed. What are my plans now? I'll need to re-adjust and get a 40 min run in Fri or Sat. I wasn't all that peppy on the run, I think the slower pace was about all I could have handled.
Xfit was a workout! I managed 6 climbs of the hill and 50 each of burpees and v-ups. When I stood up for the next climb, I envisioned I was CW: powerful and fast. It sorta kinda worked about halfway up the hill.
And now later in the afternoon after all the sweat-fast described above, I have a headache. Probably dehydrated. And I'm hungry. Not good!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday WAAAaaambulance
BIKE: 1hr 26 mins, 26 miles? 3x15 min intervals at mod-hard pace
RUN: 55 mins 6 miles. No intervals.
I slept in. Again, dammit. I won't count Monday's sleep in as bad. But these last two days are bad. It's a loss on my part! I miss the training that I want and need!
So I did a bike ride instead. I was feeling more energetic today, but still wanted intervals. And since intervals are hard to do in-town, and since I slept in and didn't have time to drive anywhere, I did these indoors. Dammit.
This all went great. The run later, not so much. It was 5pm before I hit the road. It wasn't particularly hot, but I was particularly tired and hungry and probably dehydrated. So the run had no fizz, no energy. I ran into a total of 3 club members (BG, DS, and TH!). It was this last one at ~4-4.5 miles that got me moving. She said essentially to HTFU cuz Savageman was going to be much tougher than a jog around the park. Oh damn, she's right. And those last 1.5-2 miles were the best of the day.
My left orthothic still not quite right, and like clockwork 35 mins it I could feel it.
The club meeting was about running and the workouts recommended to hit the PR's. I'm not currently doing the mentioned workouts! And I need to be! I'm not getting any faster dammit!
Waaaaah waaaaaah waaaah.
The upcoming race this Sunday has me under some performance pressure. I'm shooting for a podium, my first on the HIM stage. And why doubt it? So far this year, The Year of Speed, I've podiumed a first half-mary (on trails) and an olympic, both for the first time. I count 8 chicas in my AG for Sunday. 8. I can keep ahead of at least 5, right?
This type of thinking can be stressful, it puts an extra layer of psych on the race prep. I quit thinking about what I'm doing DURING and instead focus on the END of the race. I'm not at the end of the race yet. So why do I focus on it? This is defeating, and causes anxiety. What if I don't reach that goal? Oh Hell, it's just a podium. It's not the best judge of race performance! What if I PR the HIM time? What if I have the best 13.1 miles ever? What if I beat everyone else out of the water? Wow, let's not get carried away here.
I need to remember to let this podium goal go. Keep it at bay until the last 6 miles of the run. Then let it all out.
RUN: 55 mins 6 miles. No intervals.
I slept in. Again, dammit. I won't count Monday's sleep in as bad. But these last two days are bad. It's a loss on my part! I miss the training that I want and need!
So I did a bike ride instead. I was feeling more energetic today, but still wanted intervals. And since intervals are hard to do in-town, and since I slept in and didn't have time to drive anywhere, I did these indoors. Dammit.
This all went great. The run later, not so much. It was 5pm before I hit the road. It wasn't particularly hot, but I was particularly tired and hungry and probably dehydrated. So the run had no fizz, no energy. I ran into a total of 3 club members (BG, DS, and TH!). It was this last one at ~4-4.5 miles that got me moving. She said essentially to HTFU cuz Savageman was going to be much tougher than a jog around the park. Oh damn, she's right. And those last 1.5-2 miles were the best of the day.
My left orthothic still not quite right, and like clockwork 35 mins it I could feel it.
The club meeting was about running and the workouts recommended to hit the PR's. I'm not currently doing the mentioned workouts! And I need to be! I'm not getting any faster dammit!
Waaaaah waaaaaah waaaah.
The upcoming race this Sunday has me under some performance pressure. I'm shooting for a podium, my first on the HIM stage. And why doubt it? So far this year, The Year of Speed, I've podiumed a first half-mary (on trails) and an olympic, both for the first time. I count 8 chicas in my AG for Sunday. 8. I can keep ahead of at least 5, right?
This type of thinking can be stressful, it puts an extra layer of psych on the race prep. I quit thinking about what I'm doing DURING and instead focus on the END of the race. I'm not at the end of the race yet. So why do I focus on it? This is defeating, and causes anxiety. What if I don't reach that goal? Oh Hell, it's just a podium. It's not the best judge of race performance! What if I PR the HIM time? What if I have the best 13.1 miles ever? What if I beat everyone else out of the water? Wow, let's not get carried away here.
I need to remember to let this podium goal go. Keep it at bay until the last 6 miles of the run. Then let it all out.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Bike, Interrupted
BIKE: 28 mins, oh maybe 8 miles?
I slept in. Again. So I got a late start on the bike.
Then I wasn't all that motivated.
Then the contractors showed up to work on the house, and they were right outside the window next to the trainer.
I felt silly, in just a sports bra and shorts sweating away on a bike. So I quit. I wanted to come back to it later, but I was stuck with a newsletter deadline.
I slept in. Again. So I got a late start on the bike.
Then I wasn't all that motivated.
Then the contractors showed up to work on the house, and they were right outside the window next to the trainer.
I felt silly, in just a sports bra and shorts sweating away on a bike. So I quit. I wanted to come back to it later, but I was stuck with a newsletter deadline.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Recovering from Sherpa'ing
Since we got in so late from IMKS (didn't see a bed until 11pm) I skipped Master's. I'm anxious to start training again, I've been off now 3 days!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
IMKS Tent Sherpa
Spent the weekend sherpa'ing at IMKS. What a great experience, seeing the stress of the race from the other side. It's also got me psyched up for my race this coming Sunday. I realize that I'm not as prepared as I was at this time last year for a half distance race, but that's OK.
And I got to see my pro hero CW. I want to be like her--competitive yet having FUN.
And I got to see my pro hero CW. I want to be like her--competitive yet having FUN.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Am I overtrained? HTFU!
RUN: 9.4 miles in 1:26; 9:04 ave pace
STRENGTH: 16 or so mins of xfit: 10, 9, 8, ... pullups, jumping squats, pushups, side lunges.
Woke up extremely fatigued but ready to run. Is fatigue in my head? Do I just think I feel tired? Cuz extremely fatigued people don't run 9.4 miles at 9:04m/m. So I'm being a drama queen! HTFU!!
HTFU is my new motto :) Harden the F up, yo!
Anyway, I got my early start, 30 mins and about 3 miles ahead of the main pack. I'd wanted to slow down, but I got into a comfy pace with IT and just kept it going. I was worried that my feet would hurt from last night but it wasn't too bad. And I wore the new Brooks, so even though the left orthotic needs some adjusting the pain was OK. HTFU!!
Xfit wasn't as hard a workout as last week's. Not sure it it was because it was just 2 of us, and we talked for parts of it or because we were so tired? Either way, while it wasn't easy it didn't wipe us out either. Although I had trouble picking things up with my arms later in the day...
The fatigue is building! Long hours at work, stress at work, and little down time is adding up. But hey, get over it and HTFU! :D
STRENGTH: 16 or so mins of xfit: 10, 9, 8, ... pullups, jumping squats, pushups, side lunges.
Woke up extremely fatigued but ready to run. Is fatigue in my head? Do I just think I feel tired? Cuz extremely fatigued people don't run 9.4 miles at 9:04m/m. So I'm being a drama queen! HTFU!!
HTFU is my new motto :) Harden the F up, yo!
Anyway, I got my early start, 30 mins and about 3 miles ahead of the main pack. I'd wanted to slow down, but I got into a comfy pace with IT and just kept it going. I was worried that my feet would hurt from last night but it wasn't too bad. And I wore the new Brooks, so even though the left orthotic needs some adjusting the pain was OK. HTFU!!
Xfit wasn't as hard a workout as last week's. Not sure it it was because it was just 2 of us, and we talked for parts of it or because we were so tired? Either way, while it wasn't easy it didn't wipe us out either. Although I had trouble picking things up with my arms later in the day...
The fatigue is building! Long hours at work, stress at work, and little down time is adding up. But hey, get over it and HTFU! :D
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tired Hump Day
SWIM: 2000m in 1hr. Backstroke day, but I mixed in lots of freestyle.
RUN: 6 miles in 1hr. 4 loops of Art Hill. HOT and humid.
There were cicadas all over the pool. CHG warned us at the beginning to not breathe in a cicada. ICK!
I was once again very tired, but had better focus than I did Monday. And I'd set a goal of reaching at least 20 laps today, after my disappointment of only doing 1700m 2 days ago. We had 6x50 sets at the end in which we had to count strokes. I had 30 right arm strokes on the outbound, and 32 on the inbound?!? What, is the pool uphill in one direction?? I squeezed in the last lap right as the little kids started to take over the pool at 6:30. When I finished and climbed out onto the deck, I was too tired to get up. I just sat there. It took a few minutes to recover! On the plus side, my calf didn't cramp up today.
Did the run later in the evening. It was supposed to be a tempo run of 3x7' mod-hard, but it just wasn't in me. So I opted for hills--the same from WB's Tuesday workouts from 2006! Haven't done that workout in years. By climb 7 or so (of 8) I thought I could throw up. Cool! My Sauc's were a poor fit for this workout, my feet were hurting by the end. So getting to 6 miles or 1hr was a slugfest. Ended up back at the VC and waited for ment group to come back. Made for a long night. Didn't get to bed until 10:15, my HR still high in the low 60's, and I didn't fall asleep until 11pm or so. Only 5hrs sleep!!
RUN: 6 miles in 1hr. 4 loops of Art Hill. HOT and humid.
There were cicadas all over the pool. CHG warned us at the beginning to not breathe in a cicada. ICK!
I was once again very tired, but had better focus than I did Monday. And I'd set a goal of reaching at least 20 laps today, after my disappointment of only doing 1700m 2 days ago. We had 6x50 sets at the end in which we had to count strokes. I had 30 right arm strokes on the outbound, and 32 on the inbound?!? What, is the pool uphill in one direction?? I squeezed in the last lap right as the little kids started to take over the pool at 6:30. When I finished and climbed out onto the deck, I was too tired to get up. I just sat there. It took a few minutes to recover! On the plus side, my calf didn't cramp up today.
Did the run later in the evening. It was supposed to be a tempo run of 3x7' mod-hard, but it just wasn't in me. So I opted for hills--the same from WB's Tuesday workouts from 2006! Haven't done that workout in years. By climb 7 or so (of 8) I thought I could throw up. Cool! My Sauc's were a poor fit for this workout, my feet were hurting by the end. So getting to 6 miles or 1hr was a slugfest. Ended up back at the VC and waited for ment group to come back. Made for a long night. Didn't get to bed until 10:15, my HR still high in the low 60's, and I didn't fall asleep until 11pm or so. Only 5hrs sleep!!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday brick
BIKE: abt 18 miles in 1hr, indoors, 2x15 hard
RUN: brick, 3.4 miles in 30 mins, Kinvaras
If it wasn't for the long intervals I wouldn't have done this indoors. But it's hard to get 15 mins uninterrupted in town. And it's hard to drive somewhere on a weekday to get an uninterrupted space to ride.
So indoors it was. Still very tired, but put in what felt like a good effort. The run was good too, I found myself changing the cadence of the run instead of leaning forward when I was trying to speed up. Something to keep in mind.
Once again, I went to bed so tired I was sick. Ever get so tired you can't even get yourself to bed? I had almost 8hrs sleep last night, but then worked a 10hr day and got home kinda late. I clocked my HR at 63 bpm, even after being in bed a few minutes!!
RUN: brick, 3.4 miles in 30 mins, Kinvaras
If it wasn't for the long intervals I wouldn't have done this indoors. But it's hard to get 15 mins uninterrupted in town. And it's hard to drive somewhere on a weekday to get an uninterrupted space to ride.
So indoors it was. Still very tired, but put in what felt like a good effort. The run was good too, I found myself changing the cadence of the run instead of leaning forward when I was trying to speed up. Something to keep in mind.
Once again, I went to bed so tired I was sick. Ever get so tired you can't even get yourself to bed? I had almost 8hrs sleep last night, but then worked a 10hr day and got home kinda late. I clocked my HR at 63 bpm, even after being in bed a few minutes!!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday Masters, outdoors
SWIM: 1700m in 1hr.
Amazingly tired this morning. It just seemed as if my hands couldn't grab any water at all. But I kept plugging away, slower then ever it seemed.
I was disappointed to get back and count up only 17 laps. Granted it's 1700 meters which is really something like 188o yards, but that's still slow!
I went to bed that night so tired I couldn't even think. My HR was high, around 62bpm even though I had been laying down for a few minutes.
Amazingly tired this morning. It just seemed as if my hands couldn't grab any water at all. But I kept plugging away, slower then ever it seemed.
I was disappointed to get back and count up only 17 laps. Granted it's 1700 meters which is really something like 188o yards, but that's still slow!
I went to bed that night so tired I couldn't even think. My HR was high, around 62bpm even though I had been laying down for a few minutes.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Heat Advisory Weekend, Sunday
BIKE: 3.5hrs 63 miles
RUN: 27 mins 3 miles
After a good night's sleep, here I go again. My legs are fatigued, my throat sore, and my mental clarity fuzzy. My hydration status is likely still low. Here I go again.
This ride was the Trailnet Bridge Ride. I did this ride 2 years ago, I think not last year. Anyway. There were some clouds today, so while it's still hot it wasn't as intense. We had a big group of about 20 club riders, and most in the club jerseys. Made for a cool team-feel in the ride. We headed out on the MRT that all routes followed at first. It was a bit hazardous, slower riders, road obstacles, and sand at one point! I was anxious to find the trails I knew were coming up.
We did the first 17 miles in about an hour, at which point a rider near our group went down due to a bad pass by another rider. We stopped to help her out, a bit of a rest. Off again, and onto the IL bike trails. And here the real hammerfest began. Right around 23 miles into the ride, we barely came below 20mph while we stayed on the trail.
A paceline is very effective, especially on a flat trail along trees that blunts most of the wind. Fast fast fast. We passed everyone. In fact, other unattached riders latched onto our group for the ride. We ended up with a total of 13 in our line, about 8-9 club members. We were the fast group on this ride, and many times I was feeling it again--The Bliss. The jerseys, the strength of the group, and the way we smoothly communicated. Bliss on a Bike.
Again, the Infinit worked great--only that, a Powerbar, and one gel at the end to get me home. I drank and drank water, it seemed I should just burst but I was losing it somewhere.
At the end, I got in my brick run--over the bridge, a little extra, and back over the bridge. I still haven't fixed the orthotic in my left shoe of the new Brooks--so it HURT. Hurt So Good.
We wrapped up with Ted Drewes and lots of cold water. Great weekend!
NUMERICS: goal was 12.5hr week. Ended up with 15.25 hours!!!!!!
SWIM: 3062y in 1.22hrs (monday's swim in Sunday of last week)
BIKE: 187 miles in 11.15 hours (Sunday's ride of last week in this Monday)
BIKE: 187 miles in 11.15 hours (Sunday's ride of last week in this Monday)
RUN: 18 miles in 2.7 hrs. Run suffered for all the biking.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Heat Advisory Weekend, Saturday
SWIM: 1000m in 23 mins. No wetsuit.
BIKE: 50 miles in 3:15ish. No Garmin.
My final weekend at New Town this season. And it was a hot one! No clouds, full sun, full humidity, and something like 95F with a 101F heat index. We burned through 80lbs of ice for the GE stuff!
The water was something like 80F, 80.1 I think I heard somewhere. I didn't even bring my wetsuit, I was determined to get an OWS in without one. CE and Piggie might be too warm! And I had no problems. In fact, aside from the relatively slow time, this might be one of my best swims ever. I didn't sight much at all, I didn't swim crooked, I didn't inhale water, and I barely stopped even at turns. I focused on not letting my shoulder drop, a nice hand entry, extending the hand after entry, and a feel of the water. Two loops would have been nice, but I had a late start.
The bike started off with maybe 15-20 riders! Unlike last week, the tailwind followed us to PdS meaning that a harsh headwind would slow our return. But that's for later. Now we have a tailwind. We held a quick pace out to PdS, I held on and enjoyed the ride. The HOT ride.
At PdS the group splintered a bit, but we still had about 10 people on the 50-mile route out to MTC and back. Two guys from last weekend found us again, and I rode again with one of them to be sure he knew the route. It didn't take long before the water tasted awful, warm and flat. Luckily the PdS store had cold water, but it didn't stay cold long. It was at this stop that I realized how much more effective the Zoot arm covers are when wet. WOW. Like A/C for the arms! Off into the headwind.
One problem I've had in the past is mashing into headwinds. I seem to think that if I just push harder I'll go as fast as I'd go without the headwind. This doesn't really get me any speed, it just wears me out and hurts my feet. I'm working on this to avoid the foot pain. Today was a good time as any. Big circles, throw the knees over the bars, light on the feet. It was doing good, but I was wearing down fast. Hot. Hot water. Hot skin. Hot wind.
And a tire with low air. I noticed something odd on the turn off the airport road onto P Union. Nuts. Wasn't until later I was sure, it had air but was just low. The group was ahead of me and I didn't yell up, the wind and my laryngitis wasn't helping any. I pumped it up with the hand pump and decided to test it. Luckily I ran into BH at this point and I rode with him. We saw the 3 girls going for the 4hr ride--they had another hr to go!
Sure enough, a few miles later I felt the low pressure again. Again I didn't yell up, but stopped to swap the tube out. A few mins lost, then back on the road. Oh man was it hot.
Finally I made it back to the truck, still feeling strong but overheated. The Infinit worked great today, I like it on the bike. All I ate was 500 calories of Inf and a Powerbar! And although I drank what seemed a LOT of water, I went 9hrs without a bathroom stop. And by the time I got home at 530pm I was naseaus, sick, hungry, dehydrated, and cooked. Yowza. No brick run for me.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Fah-Tigue!!
RUN: 90 mins 10 miles
XFIT: 12 mins of 10-9-8-7-etc... burpees, crunches, box jumps
I slept in! I missed my alarm at 4:10am and didn't hear it until 4:15! OMG! haha As I woke up and went downstairs, I comforted myself with the reminder that tomorrow I get to sleep in. Tomorrow is my Day Off! So that made it all easier.
The roughness in my voice is much worse today. What was a hoarse voice last night is now a quiet whisper. My throat is sore, but that's it. Infectious? Or a result of the coffee burn? We'll see. Either way, I'm tired. I hurt. And I love it.
My right calf still hurts from the cramps yesterday, so I briefly considered keeping this as a short run. No success. I did 31 mins 3.4 miles ahead of the group, focusing on the new running form. Love that too. It's not so easy at first to go slow z1/z2 with that method but I think the reason for that is because it just takes more focus. Then I did the main FP loop with JP, who is a strong runner herself and today I noticed her high cadence. I tried to match it. Some success.
The new running form fell off as the run progressed. Right around 1hr 10 mins my left foot started to hurt. Apparently I don't have the orthotic properly aligned in the new Brooks. So PAIN. I tried distracting myself with other pain, like rubbing the raw skin from a scrape on the side of my hand into some salt on my face. No success. Suck it up, finish the run. Cuz I knew that once I quit running it would quit hurting.
JP and I kept a good pace, we finished with 6.6 miles in 59 mins or so. I've been concerned about running the half mary in CE in 2 weeks, but I think this shows my base is doing OK. Just need to find a pace I can hold.
The Xfit sounded worse that it was. Granted 10 burpees in a row aint easy, but it was only 12 mins. If I had eaten anything more than a gel beforehand, I might have tossed it after this! I've never puked after a workout, I'm still waiting on that one.
I recovered OK from the session, I'm off until Saturday morning now. And I think I could sleep for most of that time!
XFIT: 12 mins of 10-9-8-7-etc... burpees, crunches, box jumps
I slept in! I missed my alarm at 4:10am and didn't hear it until 4:15! OMG! haha As I woke up and went downstairs, I comforted myself with the reminder that tomorrow I get to sleep in. Tomorrow is my Day Off! So that made it all easier.
The roughness in my voice is much worse today. What was a hoarse voice last night is now a quiet whisper. My throat is sore, but that's it. Infectious? Or a result of the coffee burn? We'll see. Either way, I'm tired. I hurt. And I love it.
My right calf still hurts from the cramps yesterday, so I briefly considered keeping this as a short run. No success. I did 31 mins 3.4 miles ahead of the group, focusing on the new running form. Love that too. It's not so easy at first to go slow z1/z2 with that method but I think the reason for that is because it just takes more focus. Then I did the main FP loop with JP, who is a strong runner herself and today I noticed her high cadence. I tried to match it. Some success.
The new running form fell off as the run progressed. Right around 1hr 10 mins my left foot started to hurt. Apparently I don't have the orthotic properly aligned in the new Brooks. So PAIN. I tried distracting myself with other pain, like rubbing the raw skin from a scrape on the side of my hand into some salt on my face. No success. Suck it up, finish the run. Cuz I knew that once I quit running it would quit hurting.
JP and I kept a good pace, we finished with 6.6 miles in 59 mins or so. I've been concerned about running the half mary in CE in 2 weeks, but I think this shows my base is doing OK. Just need to find a pace I can hold.
The Xfit sounded worse that it was. Granted 10 burpees in a row aint easy, but it was only 12 mins. If I had eaten anything more than a gel beforehand, I might have tossed it after this! I've never puked after a workout, I'm still waiting on that one.
I recovered OK from the session, I'm off until Saturday morning now. And I think I could sleep for most of that time!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
50m swim and an afternoon bike
SWIM: 1800m in 45 mins
BIKE: 21 miles about 75 mins
The first swim in the CSP 50m outdoor! It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be, but it wasn't warm either. It was juuuuuust right. As long as you were moving.
I awoke twice last night with calf cramps. It would happen after I'd stretch and point my toes. Now why I'm pointing my toes in my sleep, I don't know. Maybe because I feel something in my leg and I stretch it, then the cramp wakes me up? Regardless, Grrrrrrr. Cuz I knew this would impact the swim.
The swim in the 50m takes some adjusting. I get used to hitting a wall some many strokes in. But wasn't I just saying that swimming OWS was great for my form? Why doesn't this translate here? Why do I get sloppy towards the end of the lap? The sets were 5x100 this or that and I was OK until the fins went on. Then I could feel the twinges in my hamstrings and calfs. I skipped a 100m kick set knowing what would happen. All was well until I tried to remove the fins--CRAMP! Right calf, again, for the 3rd week in a row!
I had to get out of the pool, the cool water and lack of movement was chilling me. So up on the deck, embarrassed a bit, upset that I was missing a 4x200 set that closed the session. I stretched a bit, drank some Nuun water, then got back in for another 300m. Twinge and threat of another still there, but I just let the leg drag behind me. Needless to say, my form was awful.
But overall, I focused on the long feeling of TI and the patient catch and the high shoulder. When I got it right, it felt good.
The bike was a short ride with the mentoring group. I love hearing how they got started in triathlon!
BIKE: 21 miles about 75 mins
The first swim in the CSP 50m outdoor! It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be, but it wasn't warm either. It was juuuuuust right. As long as you were moving.
I awoke twice last night with calf cramps. It would happen after I'd stretch and point my toes. Now why I'm pointing my toes in my sleep, I don't know. Maybe because I feel something in my leg and I stretch it, then the cramp wakes me up? Regardless, Grrrrrrr. Cuz I knew this would impact the swim.
The swim in the 50m takes some adjusting. I get used to hitting a wall some many strokes in. But wasn't I just saying that swimming OWS was great for my form? Why doesn't this translate here? Why do I get sloppy towards the end of the lap? The sets were 5x100 this or that and I was OK until the fins went on. Then I could feel the twinges in my hamstrings and calfs. I skipped a 100m kick set knowing what would happen. All was well until I tried to remove the fins--CRAMP! Right calf, again, for the 3rd week in a row!
I had to get out of the pool, the cool water and lack of movement was chilling me. So up on the deck, embarrassed a bit, upset that I was missing a 4x200 set that closed the session. I stretched a bit, drank some Nuun water, then got back in for another 300m. Twinge and threat of another still there, but I just let the leg drag behind me. Needless to say, my form was awful.
But overall, I focused on the long feeling of TI and the patient catch and the high shoulder. When I got it right, it felt good.
The bike was a short ride with the mentoring group. I love hearing how they got started in triathlon!
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