Three Seconds

First off, I think it's time I start coming up with more original titles for my posts.  So, yay!

Now about my workout for today...

I was up way too late last night to get up at 5:15 for my strength session, so I went back to bed instead.  I did, however make it to the time trial tonight as planned.  On the way, I told myself that I would be happy if I did anything better than my 31:00 from last week.  Unfortunately, I came in at 31:03 tonight.  Boo...  Three seconds doesn't sound like much, but it sure is disappointing to see the time go up rather than down.  I was hoping that cleaning my bike would help a little, but no such luck.  I'm going to try an aero helmet next week to see if that'll give me a little edge, but in reality I know the problem is that I need to lose weight.  Yep.  So...  We'll see how that goes.

Since I missed my first strength session tonight, I'm going to have to rearrange my workouts the rest of the week now.  Not sure how I'm going to fix things, but I know I still want to lift twice, swim 2 more times, run on Friday, and bike on Saturday.  The problem is trying to leave at least 48 hours between strength sessions, and a day between swimming...  So, we'll see.  I'll come up with something!

O.k., gotta go shower and head to bed!

Week 3, Swim 2

So, yeah, I swam tonight, but I'm counting it for last week.  Is that allowed?  ;)

Like my run this morning, I just felt really slow and tired throughout my workout.  I was SO excited to finally get to swim outside, and the sun did feel great after being cooped up all day.  But the water was pretty murky, and I just couldn't seem to get any speed.  I did the full 2 miles (though I contemplated cutting it short a few times), but it took closer to 1:30 than my usual 1:15.  I swam slower (I think - there isn't a pace clock outside) and took more and longer breaks.  Just wasn't feeling it!  But again, proud of myself for finishing and glad I got it done.  Here's my workout (and the changes I made):

Warm-up
1 x 600  Free - loosen
1 x 500  Pull - breathe every 5
1 x 400  Kick - free w/fins, no board, work streamline (I did a combination of free and back - had a lot of trouble breathing doing free w/o a board!)

Main set
3 x 100  Free - pace, check time after each (couldn't check the time w/o a pace clock or watch)
1 x 400  Free - drill: catchup/fingertip drag/fist/regular x 100 (I used fins and did 2 x 200 with each x 50 instead)
1 x 300  Stroke (I did back, w/fins again)
1 x 200  Free - build x 50  (I did 2 x 100 build x 25 instead)
3 x 100  Free - pace

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

Week 4, Run 1

Today was speed work, specifically pick-ups.  I did a 2-and-1 run/walk around the lake, with the first 30 seconds of the second minute of the run faster.  I felt really tired and slow, but I pushed myself as much as I could and ended up doing the 2.6-mile loop in a about 29:30.  Not TOO bad, but not as good I did last week.  Trying to figure out why...  Was it eating poorly over the weekend?  Not getting enough sleep?  The warmer temperature?  Ah, well.  Guess I'll have good and bad days.  And I'm still just really proud of myself for getting up early to get 'er done. :-)

Week 3 Reflection

I'm pretty disappointed in my week.  I got all my runs in and biked a bit more than I was scheduled to, but I only swam once and lifted once.  So my total workout time was only 9:40 instead of the 11:15 I was supposed to do.  (But I'm going to swim tomorrow and count that for this week, which will make it 10:55.)  I guess it's not TOO bad, but I'm disappointed with myself because I had all the time in the world and yet I wasted this awesome opportunity to work out like - well, like an Ironman.  So I'm actually looking forward to my coming busy busy week because I know how much better I manage my time when I don't have as much of it.  Next week is a rest week, too, so it shouldn't be too hard to get everything done.  Here's what's on my agenda:

• Monday: 45-min run
• Tuesday: 1:15 lifting (though I think I'll try a strength class at the gym just to mix things up), and I'll probably go do the time trial again if it doesn't rain
• Wednesday: 1-hour swim
• Thursday: 1:15 lifting
• Friday: 45-min run and 1-hour swim
• Saturday: supposed to be a 1-hour bike, but that'll actually be more like 2 hours since I'm leading my cycle club ride
• Sunday: Rest!

Week 2, Bike 3

So, I didn't swim yesterday after work because we had no food in the house and I needed to go to a couple grocery stores and do some food prep for the rest of the weekend and next week.  Today was supposed to be super hot, so I figured a swim would feel great after my bike ride.  I wasn't really excited to ride in the heat by myself, but I wanted to try out the route I'm going to use for my ride next weekend, plus I was just so looking forward to the swim afterward, especially since the outdoor pool at the gym just opened. :-)

It took me awhile after church to make some food for our dinner barbecue and write out my route and swim workout, so I didn't get to the gym to start the ride till a little after 4:00.  It took me 2 hours to ride the 28 miles, which is sad.  It was a bit windy, and not quite as flat as I was thinking it would be, but mostly I think I was just hot and tired.  But I still had a cool swim to look forward to.

Except...  When I got back to the gym, I noticed that there wasn't anyone out by the pool anymore...  I went in and discovered that the outdoor pool had closed at 6:00. :-(  I seriously wanted to cry!  I had been looking forward to that swim since yesterday!  I walked down to the locker room and contemplated swimming inside, but it just wouldn't be the same.  So I just decided to just go home and maybe swim tomorrow after work instead.  So bummed.  But at least we had some yummy hamburgers and macaroni salad and cole slaw for dinner.

Week 2, Run 3

I was pretty lazy most of the day, but finally made it out for my long run at 7:00 p.m. tonight.  Which was fine since it was the PERFECT running weather: overcast and maybe 65 degrees.  I did 4-and-1s for my first lap, which took me 28:02, 3-and-1s for my second lap, which took 29:02, and then met up with the Hubs for the last lap, doing 2-and-1s, which took 32:09.  We were obviously going much slower at that point, but it felt good at that point, and speed isn't really the point of the long run anyway.  I ended up with about 8.7 miles in 1:40ish.  Not too shabby, and I feel good!  I wish we could have this weather ALL the time...

Week 2, Bike 2 and Swim 1

Today's bike was supposed to include some "spin step-ups" of increased cadences from 100-120+ rpm.  I went to a spin class, pretty much just to get me out the door and to the gym on time, but ignored the instructor's hill workout in favor of my own.  After a brief warm-up, I started my speed work.  Since I didn't have a cadence counter on the spin bike, I just went by feeling and RPE instead of actual cadence rates, but I think it worked.  I did two sets of 1:30 at 80%, 1:00 at 90%, and 0:30 at 100%, then increased the times to 2:00, 1:30, 0:45, then 3:00, 2:00, 1:00, each for two sets again.  I finished up with the shortest times but standing.  All in all, a great workout, and fun to boot!

After spinning, I headed down to the pool.  Halfway through my warm-up, they made us get out of the water AGAIN, but I had a nutrition bar and sat in the sauna for a few minutes talking to a nice Russian lady and then they let us back in the pool.  Here's what I did:

W/U
1 x 300  Free loosen
2 x 300  Pull - B-3, 4, 5 x 100
2 x 200  Kick - Choice w/fins

MS
1 x 500  Free - Pace
1 x 100  Free/no free x 25
1 x 500  Free - Pace
1 x 100  Free/no free x 25
1 x 500  Free - Pace

C/D
1 x 200  Easy

So glad to FINALLY finish a swim workout, and to get everything done early in the day so I could just relax tonight!  I should really do that more often...

GRRRRR!!!

So, JUST as I got to the gym, they were having everyone get out of the pool because of storms, apparently.  But it wasn't raining, the clouds weren't that dark, and I never even heard any thunder.  I'm SO frustrated right now!  I'm ticked at Mother Nature for getting in the way of my workouts, and I'm ticked at the gym for closing the pool for apparently no reason.  But even more than that, I'm ticked at myself for putting off my swim until it was too late.  Now I'm trying to rearrange my workouts for the rest of the week to try to fit everything in.  Planning on spinning and then swimming tomorrow morning, running and lifting on Friday, hopefully swimming on Saturday, and biking on Sunday.  But with the terrible luck I've had so far this week, we'll see how that goes!  You know, I'm actually looking forward to working next week, because having less time seems to make it easier for me to get more done. :-)

Week 3, Run 2

Today's schedule called for a short (30-minute), easy (E1) run.  I kept it slow, but it was still a little uncomfortable since I waited until the afternoon and it was really warm (80s) by the time I got out there.  I also ran/walked more like 45 minutes, just because I wanted to do a full lap around the lake rather than turning around to head back.

Anyway, still need to get my first swim for the week in.  Heading out in 5 minutes...

Week 3, Bike 1

So, yeah.  I was planning to get my swim in early so I could rest up a bit before the time trial tonight.  Only it looked like it would be storming again by ride time, so I figured I could just swim whenever and skip the TT.  But then the hourly forecast started looking better and better, and I decided I really wanted to ride tonight, especially since I have to swim again tomorrow and I don't want to overdo it with my shoulder issues. So, I replaced my first swim with a bike ride this week.  I think I prefer biking 3 times a week and only swimming twice to 3 swims and only 2 bike workouts anyway, so I don't feel bad about switching those out.

Anyway...  I rode the 10.25-mile TT in exactly 31 minutes, which is an average speed of just under 20 mph.  Not too terrible when you look at it that way, but I don't like that I was 31st out of 36 riders tonight.  Or that I got beat by a 14-year-old kid.  Or that I was nearly 2 full minutes slower than my PR on the course.  Ah, well.  A humbling beginning, but at least it leaves me plenty of room to improve this season!  Now I'm more motivated than ever to keep this a weekly ride on my training schedule.

One other thought from tonight: I REALLY want a new bike!  And some nice Zipp wheels.  And an aero helmet.  Oh, yeah, and to lose these 30 pounds, which are the real reason I'm not able to keep up with my former self or all the other riders out there.  Yup, definitely got my work cut out for me, trying to lose weight while training for an Ironman...

Week 3, Strength 1

Well, I was supposed to swim today, which I should have done this afternoon at 3:00 or 4:00.  But instead, I put it off till evening, and on my way to the gym, a crazy strong storm blew in, bringing tornado warnings with it.  I assumed the pool would be closed, so I planned ahead and wore clothes I could lift in just in case.  Which was a good plan, as it turns out!  So I did my first strength session today and will swim tomorrow instead.

I think this'll work out well anyway, since it's looking like it'll be raining again for the time trial, and this way at least I'll get one good long cardio workout in tomorrow.  If I were only lifting, I'd feel the need to take a spin class too, but if I'm already swimming, I won't mind missing the time trial.  My only concern is swimming two days in a row (Tuesday and Wednesday) since my shoulder already tends to hurt whenever I swim, but we'll see.  I could always rearrange the rest of my week accordingly...

Week 3, Run 1

I had a 45-minute run on my schedule this morning, which was supposed to include some speed pick-ups.  I got out about 10:00 a.m., after the rain stopped but before it got too warm.  Perfect!  I used my regular 3:1 run/walk pattern, but added a 30-second pick-up during the second minute of each run interval.  It was hard, and I felt like I was running really slowly for the time remaining after each pick-up, but I still managed to shave about 2 minutes off my 2.6-mile loop time from last week (28:30 vs. 30:34 or 30:37).  Not too shabby!  I wonder if I could go even faster with a shorter run interval but still adding the pick-ups?  Maybe I'll try that next Monday and see what happens.

Week 2 Reflection

Well, I never got that third swim in this week, and I even skipped my second strength session and bonus yoga/pilates class that I was planning on taking today.  I did quite a bit more biking than was on my schedule, though, so I still ended up within 5 minutes of the total workout time I was supposed to do this week.  Not too shabby!

Here are a few lessons I've learned this week:

• Having a plan is SO helpful!  I don't have to guess what to do or waste valuable time trying to figure things out for myself, plus it motivates me announce what's on the schedule and try to stick to it as closely as possible.
• This is intense.  None of the workouts this week were particularly long or strenuous, but with multiple workouts on some days and trying to do something every day, it was kind of exhausting!  But it's a good exhausting
• Sleep is critical!  I know I've "learned" this lesson many times in the past, but here we are again.  I won't be able to work out or work out well if I'm too tired.  I need to be more diligent about going to bed at a reasonable hour.
• I need a day off.  The training plan I'm following doesn't really have any rest days scheduled in, but I think I need to rearrange a few things to give myself a Sabbath each week.  That's a bit harder when I'm also trying to add an extra bike and a yoga class or two, but I think I can do it.
• This is fun!  I like training.  I like having a goal and a plan.  I like feeling like a real athlete. :-)

Week 2, Bike 3

I was only supposed to ride for an hour and 15 minutes today, but I had to lead a ride for my gym's cycle club again.  I had planned a 40-mile route, which ended up taking about 2 hours and 40 minutes.  Only two other guys showed up, but they're both really nice and fun.  We had a great ride with perfect weather, too; today was the only sunny day in about a 2-week period.  It was nice to be out, even though I was up much too late at the drive-in last night and was not at all ready for the alarm to go off at 7:30 this morning...  So, yes, I still need more sleep!  So here I go, off to bed.

Week 2, Run 3

I was supposed to run AND swim today, but the swim didn't happen.  Still, I had a good "long" run in the morning.  It was only 6.2 miles, but all I was scheduled for at an hour and 15 minutes.  I also got to begin my interval experiment, which was interesting.  I did my normal 3 and 1 run/walk interval on the first lap around the lake in 30:34.  I tried a 2 and 1 interval on the second lap, which took 30:37.  So, not much difference!  I should probably try switching the order next time, and testing other intervals as well.  For example, I felt better with the shorter 2-minute run, but I don't mind the 3:1 ratio, so I might try a 1:30 run/0:30 walk pattern, too.  We'll see!  Fun times, though, with good weather (albeit a little warm for my taste) and good tunes.

Week 2, Bike 2 & Run 2

Well, the early morning run didn't happen - surprise, surprise.  And I never really felt like going out for a ride because it was chilly and dreary most of the day.  But I did go to the gym for a spin class tonight, followed by the run I never did yesterday.  I was supposed to do some single leg drills on today's ride, and I did add a few, but mostly I followed what the spinning teacher did.  I really like this particular class because the instructor is a cyclist and a triathlete.  Today we did a lot of speed work and spent some time focusing on form.  It was good!  He also mentioned the possibility of adding a run after this class sometimes if people were interested in brick workouts.  That'll work if we run on treadmills, but he's much too fast for me otherwise.  So we'll see where that leads.  But it was a lot of fun, and I feel good!  Tomorrow is a long run and an hour swim.  Not sure if I'll try to do both in the morning or split them up, but I have time and options since I'm off all day. :-)

Week 2, Swim 2

Yeah, I was supposed to run again this morning, but I decided to sleep more instead.  I considered going out during my lunch break since I only had an easy 30-minute run on the schedule, but I tend to keep working through lunch.  I thought about squeezing it in before heading to the gym for my swim, but, yeah, that didn't happen either.  Since it's such a short, easy run, I figured I could easily do it tomorrow morning, or even after my bike ride.  Planning at this point to get up and run with the hubby in the a.m. :-)

But I did get a good swim workout in tonight!  An hour and 15 minutes, 3200 meters/2 miles.  Speed work was on the schedule, which I did and enjoyed.  Here's the workout:

Warm-up
1 x 600  Swim/kick/pull x 200
4 x 400  Kick, choice, w/fins
Main set
8 x 100  Free-pace
8 x 75    Free-bld x 25 to full speed w/fins
8 x 50    Sprint through turn, easy back
Warm-down
8 x 25    Free catch-up drill w/fins
1 x 200  Easy

Week 2, Strength 1 + Bonus Bike

• Good idea:  Skip the time trial.  Too cold and wet for my taste.  Plus, I had time to get to the gym for both a spin class AND the strength training workout I missed this morning!
• Good idea:  Don't push yourself too hard in a spin class when you're not really scheduled to ride at all.
• Bad idea:  Spin BEFORE your priority strength training session.  Yep, a little too tired at that point to do it as well as I could/should have.
• Bad idea:  Ignore your core.  I rarely lift, and I haven't made ab-work a priority in a long time.  I realized tonight just how out of shape my core is!

Anyway, glad I got my workouts in, and even gladder that all I have to do now before bed is take a nice hot shower.  Or should I make that a bath...?

Need... More... Sleep...

Yeah, no way I was getting up at 5:45 to hit the gym this morning after the crazy long day I had yesterday.  And I'm still super tired!  So now I'm trying to decide if I should try to lift tonight after the time trial (assuming the weather cooperates and I actually go out to ride it), add a strength session on Thursday to make up for today, or just skip it altogether...  We'll see how tonight goes I guess, then decide.

Week 2, Swim 1

After a quick warm-up (300 swim, 200 pull, 200 kick), I started my main set of 8x200.  This was supposed to be an endurance workout with a controlled intensity, keeping my RPE (rate of perceived exertion) in Zones 1 to 2 (E2 is the code they use for this type of workout).  The example they gave was to follow a 3:20 interval, holding a 1:30-1:35 pace per 100 and taking less than 20 seconds between repetitions.  I thought I was a decent swimmer, but there's no way I can swim at that pace, especially if I want to keep my heart rate in zones 1 to 2!  I typically swim 1 lap (50m) per minute, so my 200s each took about 4 minutes.  Even though I felt like I was getting more tired and therefore slower the longer I swam, I actually managed to take a few seconds off each 200, so that I did the last one in 3:48.  I felt great about that, though I was definitely swimming harder than I think I was supposed to for an E2 workout.  Oh, well.  Got it done, and it felt good!  2600m total in 59 minutes.  My shoulder does hurt a lot right now, though, which is not at all uncommon for me after a swim but still annoying.  *sigh*

Week 2, Run 1

• LOVE that I had time for my morning run in between seeing Derek off and starting my shift.
• LOVE that I can just run out my front door and be in one of the city's most beautiful parks within minutes.
• HATE that I forgot to take water with me today...
• LOVE my new capri running pants, which were perfect for this perfect chilly spring morning.
• LOVE my new Timex Ironman watch with it's fancy interval timers and many other features I have yet to figure out.
• HATE that I accidentally set my run interval to 3 hours instead of 3 minutes so that I couldn't time my loop around the lake for the interval research I was hoping to get started on today.  D'oh!
• LOVE how good it feels to have a goal and stick to it. :-)

Here I Go!

So, I happened to open up my Training Plans for Multisport Athletes book today, and found a 26-week plan to an ironman.  Perfect!  Only I looked at a calendar and I only have 25 weeks till my race...  So tomorrow I start with week 2 of the plan.  I'm changing the days that I do the workout based on when I have various rides planned, but I'm going to try to stick to it as closely as possible.  This week's plan looks like this:

Monday - Run 45 minutes, swim 1 hour
Tuesday - Lift an hour and 15 minutes, and ride the time trial if it's not raining (I added this part)
Wednesday - Run 30 minutes, swim an hour and 15 minutes
Thursday - Ride 1 hour
Friday - Swim an hour, run an hour and a half
Saturday - Ride an hour and 15 minutes (this will be more like two to two and a half hours with my Lifetime peeps, if it's not raining)
Sunday - Lift an hour and 15 minutes, and maybe a yoga/pilates class while I'm at the gym (my idea, too)

I still have to figure out what all the intensity codes and things mean, but I'm excited!  Let's see how it goes with a real plan in place!

Not So Much Today

Well, I made it to yoga this morning, then ran a bunch of errands before coming home.  By then it was after noon, and close to 80 degrees out!  I didn't feel much like running, so I turned the A/C on and started getting the office ready to paint instead.  I told myself I could go swim later if it was too warm to run, but the house stuff ended up being my only other workout today.  Boo...  But I REALLY want to get this last room done so I can cross it off my list, and put all the painting supplies away, and get the dining room and kitchen back in working order (they are currently being used as a paint prep area).  So, I've decided that THAT will be my priority this week.  I'm still hoping to get a good swim in tomorrow, maybe between the two coats of paint, but I won't beat myself up if it doesn't happen.  The forecast is predicting lots of rain, so I'm not sure if another outdoor ride will happen this week, but maybe I can at least spin on Friday.  And I really do need to get at least one run in this week, though I have to work all weekend...  So, we'll see how this all plays out!

Long Ride

I rode on the bike trail today, which is flat, but I was able to get a good 50 miles in in just about 3 hours.  I averaged 16.4 mph on the way out and ended up at 16.7, so I averaged 17 mph on the second half.  Not bad!  I was working hard, and my legs (and tushy!) were really sore by the end, but I decided I should hop off the bike and run briefly, too, just to start getting used to that feeling of transition again.  I ran/walked 1.5 miles, and by the end of that, my legs actually felt better!  AND... I'm starting to feel like a real triathlete again. :-)

My plan for the coming weeks is to keep increasing my long rides by 10 miles, till I get up to a century.  I'll also try to ride 2 other times each week.  I want to run 3 times a week as well, and swim twice.  If I have time, I'd like to get some yoga and lifting in, but that might not happen every week.  I also want to get back to reading my Racing Weight and Going Long books to really nail down a training plan.

Eating-wise, I did great today, too!  Kind of hard to go wrong when you burn 3000+ calories during your workout, but still.  I weighed and measured everything, wrote everything down, and stuck to my goals.  I have a new nutrition and fitness tracker book, and I'm really excited to get my eating on track.  Hubby's helping me with accountability for that, too, so hopefully I'll have better luck checking in with him every night.  Wish me luck!

Perfect!

This morning, I had to lead a ride for the Cycle Club at my gym.  I had planned a 33/34-mile loop with quite a few hills (which I think I may have mentioned when I test-rode it a week or two ago), though I made a couple of changes to the route based on the recommendation of another member of the club.  Well, five other riders showed up - all guys!  I felt a little weird "leading" this ride with more experienced and stronger riders and as the only female, but we all had a good time I think.  The revised route was much better, the hills weren't as bad as I remembered, and we managed a 16-mph average speed as compared to the 14 mph I averaged on my own last time.  Not bad!  And what's more, we got back to the parking lot just as it started sprinkling, though it was warm and sunny nearly the whole time we were riding.  Perfect day. :-)

Excuses...

Stayed up too late last night, so I slept in this morning.
It was a little too chilly out to want to run this morning.
I had a meeting to get to, too, so not a lot of time for the run I was planning.
Had a bit of a headache this afternoon.
Then I was helping Hubby with his last paper of the semester!
Now I'm sleepy and just really craving some quiet time with said Hubby.
Plus I'm riding (and maybe running too?) in the morning, so I want to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Yeah, excuses.  But sometimes they're warranted. :-)

Better Than Nothing!

After I finished helping my hubby proofread his latest English paper, I still had plenty of daylight (and sunshine!) to get out for an afternoon ride. I was planning to try out a 40-mile route I'm hoping to lead later this month.  I got out to the start and onto my bike by 4:15 and headed down the trail for the first few miles.  I was feeling pretty lethargic, which makes sense considering I only got about five hours of sleep last night.  Still, I figured I could do the ride since there was really only one big climb, and because it felt so good to be outside after all the rain we've been getting lately.  When I turned off from the trail, I was riding along a pretty busy, 2-lane, shoulder-less road, and it was approaching rush hour.  I could tell that people were pretty ticked that I was slowing them down, especially since the bike trail was so close to where I was riding.  Usually I don't care what drivers think - cyclists have every right to use the roads, too - but I just wasn't feeling very safe out there today.  So, when the road brought me back to the trail, I decided to just call it quits and head back to my car.  I still got 19 miles in in an hour-and-a-quarter, which isn't a bad workout even though I'd planned to do more.  Ah, well.  I'm realizing, AGAIN, just how important sleep is in the training equation.  And I should be able to get on that now that Hubby is almost finished with his semester!

Jeff Galloway

I spent a little too much time cleaning house today, so I didn't have time for both my swim and running with Jeff Galloway.  I did get the swim workout in, though, and was at least able to hear Jeff give his talk at Fleet Feet tonight.

My workout:
Warm-up
1 x 400     Free loosen
12 x 25     Free, work dist/stroke

Main set
10 x 75     1-5 build x 25; 6, 8, 10 fast; 7, 9 slow
1 x 400     Pull
Repeat

Warm-down
1 x 200     Easy

Total: 3200 m (2 mi) in 1:20

Lessons from Jeff Galloway's talk tonight:

• He's against puking.  And dying.  He knows that one's a losing battle, but he's still against it.
• Many people actually improve their marathon times by adding walk breaks in.  Many also improve their times by taking more frequent walk breaks.
• You really only have to run three times a week.  The long runs are most important; the other two can be only 30-60 minutes.
• Endurance athletes really don't need a lot of muscle, and most never spend much time at all in the gym lifting weights.
• If you're starting to feel pain somewhere, there's a good chance it's primarily due to your reflex brain restricting blood flow to the area because of added stress.  By acknowledging this, you can talk to the area in pain and use your conscious brain to tell you body to send more blood there, and the pain will likely decrease or go away.  (Or something like that...)
• There is no proof that stretching helps prevent injury, and often times people actually get injured from stretching or doing yoga or pilates.  Warming up and cooling down with a short walk is probably a better bet.

Anyway, cool guy!  And now I've got a renewed excitement to get back to my run training.  I was planning to start increasing my run intervals until I was running a full 10K, which was my goal for shorter-distance triathlons.  But now I'm wondering if it might be faster for me to keep some walk breaks...  I think I'll experiment some over the next couple of weeks with my normal 3:1, as well as some higher and lower ratios like 2:1, 1:1, 5:1, and 9:1.  I'll keep you posted!

Tomorrow, Then

So, I slept probably 9 hours Sunday night into Monday, but then I worked all day and helped the hubby with his Shakespeare paper all evening.  We were up till 2 a.m., then got up this morning at 6:30, exhausted of course.  So instead of staying up once I saw him off to work, I went back to sleep.  And didn't get up again till almost 11.  Which was awesome, except that I missed both my spinning and yoga classes.  I was pretty lazy all day after that and just really enjoyed doing nothing.  Late this afternoon, I started cleaning the house, and even though I didn't get the whole thing done, it looks a LOT better than it has in months.  This evening I went to Fleet Feet to celebrate the completion of our race this weekend, but we didn't run like I thought we were going to.  Oh, well, truly a day of rest.  So, TOMORROW I'll get back to the workouts: a swim in the afternoon (have to work in the morning now) and a short run/walk with Jeff Galloway and gang at Fleet Feet in the evening.  Should be fun!

Day O' Rest

I feel fine today: no sore muscles or anything and the chaffing is healing quickly.  But I think I deserve this day of rest, especially since I had to work a full 8.5-hour shift AFTER the race yesterday!  Yeah, I had time to take a quick shower before work, but that was about it.  The shift ended at 8:15, p.m. and I planned to go to bed immediately, though it ended up being more like 10 or 11 o'clock (I really can't remember now).  At least I was able to get a good 9 hours of sleep before waking up for work again today.

Workouts resume tomorrow:
Tuesday - Spin and yoga in the morning, social gathering at Fleet Feet in the evening (assuming it's still raining and I don't go to the first of QCW's time trials)
Wednesday - Swim in the morning, short run with Jeff Galloway @ FF in the evening
Thursday - 30- to 40-mile ride outside since it'll probably be the only nice day this week
Friday - Probably yoga and another swim
Saturday - Supposed to be leading a ride with my LTF cycle club, but we'll see with this soggy forecast...  if not, then maybe I'll spin and run at the gym, or just run, or... who knows?
Sunday - Rest

Flying Pig 2011

Originally, I had planned to run the full Flying Pig Marathon, but I decided to just do the half when I started having some foot and hip pain once we got up to 14 and 16 miles for our long runs.  As soon as I made that decision, I felt immense peace and relief.  I no longer had to worry about injuring myself, plus I had a lot more time and energy to spend on my bike and swim training.

This morning, though, I did feel a little sad that I wasn't running the full marathon.  Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to make that turn when the half-marathoners got to head back down the hill toward the finish line, but I also felt like I was cheating.  A half-marathon no longer seems like a significant accomplishment to me, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't push myself to do the full.  Logically, I know it was the right decision, but emotionally it was tough, since I was able to do the distance two years ago.

I had fun, though.  I've been training with a great group of people, and it was a joy and an honor to meet and run with them, if only for part of the race.  Running and racing with friends is so much better than having to show up at these things alone!  The weather was pretty good, too: even though it was drizzly for awhile, the temperature was perfect and the rain actually felt good.  The only problem was the chaffing that resulted from wet clothes...  But at least I didn't have any other major issues!

I was hoping to finish a little faster than my Heart Mini time of 2:26, so I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to do that (my official time was just over 2:34).  The 2-mile climb through Eden Park was tough, but I think the biggest problem was just how crowded it was, especially for the first few miles.  We were only averaging 12-minute miles in the beginning, and even though we picked up the pace during the second half, it wasn't enough to make up for the lost time at the start.

I realized this morning how much I miss triathlons.  Sure, it's easier to just show up with what you're wearing and run and be done, but the variety and the transitions and all that is so much more exciting.  I also realized that I have a LONG way to go to be ready for IMFL.  I have to run twice that far, AFTER swimming 2.4 miles and biking a century plus?!?  Yeah, maybe it will take me the full 17 hours...  But I'll do everything within my power to get 'er done.  Even if I look like this as I cross the finish line:

(FYI - The first rule for the run portion of the Ironman is actually "No form of locomotion other than running, walking or crawling is allowed."  So, crawling works!  Though hopefully I won't have to resort to that... :-)