Finally!

Yay!  I finally had a plan and stuck to it today, and I got two workouts in for the first time in ages!

First of all, though, a report on my foot:  After I got home last night, my heel was killing me.  I actually started crying a little in the shower when I had to stand on my bad foot to shave the other leg.  This morning, it was still pretty bad.  If I owned a pair of crutches, I would have used them.  But as the day went on, it started feeling a bit better, though still not great.

Now that my Thursday evening ride is over, I was looking forward to taking a spin class instead, mostly because it's shorter and easier not to have to lug my bike around.  Plus, I really liked the Thursday teacher when I took his class before, and I was looking forward to talking triathlon with him again.  So I was bummed to see that a different teacher has replaced him.  And my bum was NOT liking the spin bike seats!  Made me so thankful to have found my ISM saddle. :-)  Actually, riding inside was pretty painful, and not just because of the saddle.  It's just so boring!  I'll have to get creative to get as many of my remaining training rides done outside as possible.  Made me wish I had a trainer I could use instead, too...  I couldn't really stand when instructed to do so because it hurt my foot, so instead I did some drills which I usually ignore when I ride outside.  I did single leg drills, 3 x 30 seconds each leg, then 3 x 45 seconds, then 3 x 60 seconds.

Anyway, after that, I headed down to the pool for two miles:

Warm-up
4 x 250  Swim/pull/kick/drill x 250

Main set
6 x 100  Free - Pull-B-3, 4, 5, 6 x 25
3 x 200  Kick - Choice, w/fins
6 x 100  Free - Pace

Cool-down
1 x 200  Free - Sighting drill
1 x 200  Easy

I don't think I'll get a workout in tomorrow since we're going to see that new Courageous movie with some friends from church, and I don't think I'll do anything on Saturday besides walk around the Renaissance Festival.  Well, maybe I'll ride my bike over to the park from the lodge to sign up for the race...  Getting excited for it again.  I was really looking forward to it till the pain from my run, but now that it's feeling better, so am I!  It will be chilly, though: low of 35 Saturday night, 39 by race start (water's supposed to be 68, though), 44 when I get (wet) on the bike, high in the upper 50s by the time I finish.  Yikes!  I'll have to figure out how to dress for this one...

Runnin'

So, I planned to run for 30 or 45 minutes, then swim a couple miles.  But I felt pretty good on the treadmill, and I didn't feel like getting home as late as I would if I swam, too, so I just kept running for an hour.  I tried something a little different, too: consciously thinking about using more power as I brought my leg down to the ground rather than relying solely on my feet and toes to push off at the tail end of the stroke (can you call it a stroke with running like you do biking and swimming?).  It felt good, and I was running a little faster that way, but I wasn't sure if it would help the foot pain any.  Guess we'll find out tomorrow!

One Second!

So, I was supposed to do a long ride - five hours - on Saturday.  But... I slept in instead.  Which was awesome.  But then, even though I didn't really feel like it, I loaded up my bike to go out for a 2- or 3-hour ride at least (that's all the time I had before we were supposed to head up to Columbus for a Crew-Galaxy game).  But... it was kind of chilly and a little rainy.  So I just ran a few errands with my bike on the roof of the car, then came home to be lazy.  Sunday we spent the entire day driving to St. Louis, watching a Rams game, then driving home, so that was another workout-less day.  Felt pretty guilty about that, but what can you do?  After that crazy weekend of driving and getting home at about 3 a.m., I was also exhausted yesterday, so I opted for going to bed early instead of swimming after work.  Much needed!

Today, finally, I got back on schedule.  Inertia was taking its toll, and I really didn't want to drive out to Cleves for my time trial, but I knew I needed to since it was the last one for the year and I had that 28-minute goal to try for one last time.  I didn't get there in time to do much of a warm-up, so my legs felt heavy and tired as I started out (and really, throughout).  My tummy was also feeling a little funny, and I was having a bit of trouble breathing because the air was so much cooler than I'm used to.  Basically, I didn't think I was riding very well.  I passed three (albeit very slow) riders, and was passed by only two, which surprised me.  When I glanced down at my watch toward the end, I thought there was no way I was going to reach my goal, but I figured I'd be happy as long as I was in the 28s.  When they read off the times, I learned that I finished in 28:14, one second faster than my previous PR from last week.  Not the 27:59 I was hoping for, but still a PR!  I'm not sure what the record for my age group was this year, but I'm pretty sure I have a long way to go before I can really "compete" with the other women who do this.  Ah, well, a goal for next year!

A Walk in the Park

I wasn't feeling particularly motivated to work out today, but I did really want to try speed-walking to see how my foot would feel afterward.  So I dragged the Hubby out for a brisk stroll around the lake at Sharon Woods.

In theory, I thought it would be possible to walk about 4 mph, which would be a 15 min/mi pace.  So, I reasoned, we should definitely be able to do the 3.5 miles in 1 hour.  We started off a little slower but picked up our pace as we went along, and we finished in about 1:04 I believe.  Not too shabby!

I didn't feel like it was a great workout, but it served a purpose and was better than nothing.  (Mostly, I just enjoyed walking with my favorite teammate and coach. :-)  And I really don't WANT to just walk, for my race or in training.  Now, too, it seems like my plantar fasciitis IS aggravated with walking as well as running, though maybe not as much.  Eh - guess I'll just stick to the run/walking I've been doing!

Last Thursday Ride

Well, as much as I've enjoyed leading rides for Lifetime's Cycle Club, I'm kind of glad to be done with those responsibilities for the season.  We had a perfect night for our last Thursday evening ride, and I was thrilled to see two regulars waiting when I arrived (so I could ride outside instead of taking that spinning class).  We got back just before the sun went down, though, so I think it's good we're done with these night rides till next summer.

Tomorrow I plan to swim after work, but I also really want to take a brisk walk soon to see how quickly I can make it around the lake and if my foot hurts after walking like it does after running.  Realistically, I know that won't happen tomorrow morning, and I doubt I'll have time tomorrow night if I'm also swimming.  That would leave Saturday, but I'm supposed to do a five-hour ride then.  Though will I really do that if it's raining, like it's forecast to be?  Hmm... So many questions!

Just Keep Swimmin'...

Well, my foot was still hurting today, so I didn't even wanna try a power walk.  I did, however, finally get back in the pool, even though I didn't feel like going out after a long, boring shift.  But I went!  I had planned to do my usual two miles, but I ended up just doing 1.75 because it was getting late and I was tired and I wanted to get home for Criminal Minds. :-)

Here's what I did, a variation of an old standby:

Warm-up
3 x 200  Swim/pull/kick x 200

Main set
1 x 400  Free - pace
2 x 300  Free - pace
2 x 200  Free - pace
2 x 100  Free - pace

Cool-down
1 x 200  Sighting drill
1 x 200  Easy

Tomorrow's the last night for our LTF evening rides, but I wonder if anyone will show up...  If not, I'll probably take the spin class instead and maybe lift afterward.

Another PR!

Tonight at the time trial, I managed to beat my old PR by almost 30 seconds!  I'm down to 28:15, and I'm kinda hoping I can take 16 more seconds off next week to come in just under 28 minutes.  Not sure if it's possible, but I'll give it a shot!

In other news...  I read a few interesting articles today:

• This one on plantar fasciitis explains why traditional treatment is ineffective and how we should deal with it instead.
• This one describes an interesting experiment in which deception enabled cyclists to out-perform their previous best efforts.
• And this one talks about how athletes can find peace with food.

Good stuff!

Run Date

Tonight after work, the Hubby and I headed out for a run together.  I can't remember the last time we ran together, so it was pretty exciting!  Actually, without him, I probably would have been completely unmotivated, so I'm really thankful he was up for it.  I'm also thankful that the rain we had most of the day stopped before he got home.  It was a cool, comfortable evening, if still quite humid.  My legs felt heavy - perhaps because of the century ride this weekend? - but we made it.  Of course, my foot is killing me now...  And I just couldn't bring myself to drive to the gym for the swim I was supposed to do, too.  Guess the run'll have to be enough today.

Super Fun Century!

So, I offered to lead this century ride for my gym's Cycle Club.  We did it last year, and it was a lot of fun, but I was mostly looking forward to recruiting some company for one of my long training rides. :-)  There were five of us from Lifetime, along with six other cyclists who heard about the ride from the Cincinnati Cycle Club ride line.

It was a fun group, and having so many people to interact with along the way really made the time pass quickly!  We rode up the bike trail from Loveland to Yellow Springs and back, for a total of 104 miles.  We averaged 15.7 mph, but the ride took a full eight hours with all the stops and our lunch break.  I felt so much better than I did after last year's century, though, including my seat.  So I'm super excited about my new bike and saddle!

Another Run

Again, I planned to run and swim this morning before my afternoon work shift, but I only got the run done.  I was pleased with my time, 28:42ish per 2.6-mile lap, but my foot hurts pretty bad now.  Again, frustrated with my body, and ticked that I wasted another chance for a good workout.  But at least I ran.

Back In the Saddle

So, after the tri last Sunday, my foot hurt a little, but knee was crazy sore.  It was swollen so that it hurt to bend it a lot, and I couldn't straighten it all the way either.  So obviously I needed to take a few days off.  It started feeling o.k. a little before today, but I was lazy...  I was pretty ticked at my body for not cooperating, and just at myself for wasting a valuable week off, but... yeah.  I failed.

Anyway, tonight was the first time I got back to my workouts.  I had to lead the Cycle Club ride, which was 26.5 miles.  I had planned to swim afterward, too, but it was pretty cold out, and I just couldn't bring myself to get in a cold pool when I was already shivering from the ride.  So, yeah.  At least I rode, though!

Not Quite Last...

I was a little worried about the weather when I signed up for this race, but the forecast improved before I left this morning.  It did rain briefly on my way up (and the way back, actually), but it was clear and sunny the rest of the day!

It was still dark when I arrived at Hueston Woods, and I could barely find my way to the transition area or check-in tent.  It seemed a little disorganized, as they were still "training" the volunteers what to do 30 minutes after check-in was supposed to have begun, but I got my "packet" quickly.  I was surprised to find that I only received a wristband for me and my bike, no number for my helmet or race belt or anything, and there were no assigned racks in transition.  Ah, well.  I found a good place near the bike exit/entrance and set up my stuff.

Rumor had it that the water was pretty warm, and some people had decided not to wear their wetsuits.  As long as they were legal, though, I was going to wear mine, since that was one of the main reasons I signed up for this "race."  I met a nice girl named Mary while we waited for the race to begin and talked a few other athletes about their Ironman experiences.  I was glad to not be rushed, but ready to get started.

They had a minute of silence to remember 9/11, and a girl sang the National Anthem.  Then we headed to the duathlon start for a quick prayer.  They were off, and all the triathletes made their way to the water.

The sprint waves started first, and the Olympic women began at 8:31.  I was breathing hard as soon as we ran out into the water, but I made myself slow down and relax.  By the time I rounded the first buoy, everyone had spread out and I could kind of do my own thing.  I think I sighted well, and I really liked the feel of my new sleeveless wetsuit, but I wasn't feeling particularly fast, especially when I found myself alone out there.  I'll be curious to see my time when the results are posted...  Though the swim split will also include the "run" up the beach and through the grass to transition, so that won't help anything.

Anyway, the bike course started with a nice steep climb out of the park, and I was crawling.  My legs felt heavy and sore from my ride yesterday, and my knee was still hurting.  A lot of the sprint-distance racers were also finishing their bike as I was heading out, which was a little depressing.  The 24 miles were pretty hilly, and I was just slow.  I just kept thinking "HOW did I average 21+ mph at my half when I can't even get to 15 today?!?"  I never actually looked at my average speed, but I know I was NOT passing people like I did in Michigan.  Again, pretty lonely out there, and I was seriously considering skipping the run and just heading home.  But I've never DNFed, and I didn't really feel like starting today.

So, back in transition, I got ready for my run.  We had to start running through the grass, which is NOT my favorite.  I was worried the whole run would be off-road like that, and I was still thinking that I might quit.  But I got to the pavement soon, and just decided to see what I could do.  I was surprised that my foot wasn't hurting too bad, not like in Steelhead, and my knee even seemed o.k.  So I kept going.  I did my normal three-and-one run/walk, and kept that up the whole way.  The course was weird, back and forth through the parking lot of the park's marina, but it was easy enough.  There were still quite a few people out there on my first lap, but I was almost alone again on the second!  There were at least four people behind, one of whom was speed-walking the whole thing, but that was about it!  Still, I pushed through the pain, stuck to my plan, and finished the race.  Whew!


I was thinking the 1500-meter swim would take 30 minutes, then an hour 15 each for the bike and run.  But...  Yeah.  I'm not sure how everything actually took, but I'm pretty sure the swim and bike were slower than I expected, even though the run was close.  Overall, I'm NOT feeling very confident about the Ironman now, and I'm not sure whether I should try Deer Creek in a few weeks, Olympic or half.  We'll see.

Fortunately, my foot doesn't seem too bad, and I'm assuming my knee will go back to normal with a little rest.  Fingers crossed anyway!  This is supposed to be an intense training week...

Excellent Ride

After all the rain we've had this week, I was thrilled with the cool, dry morning I woke up to today.  Perfect morning for a ride!  Only two other members of the Cycle Club showed up, but we rode 35 miles on some of my favorite roads out of Loveland, to Morrow, and back through South Lebanon.  My right knee started hurting on some of the long hills, but it seems o.k. now.  We climbed 810 feet today; tomorrow's bike course has only 650.  But fewer miles, too, so it might be comparable, though I think they are mostly shorter hills, hopefully rollers.  We shall see!

Now to clean my bike and pack up for tomorrow...  Then out for Chinese for dinner. :9

Longer Run

Can't really call it a LONG run, but it's longer than I've been running!  Did two laps around the lake today.  The first took 30:22, the second 31:08.  With my warm-up and cool-down, I got just about a 10K in in 1:15.  Not great, but I'll take it.

My foot seems to be hurting a bit worse than after my shorter runs, but I guess that's to be expected.  We'll see how it holds up for the Olympic-distance tri I just signed up for on Sunday!

I had planned on swimming today as well, but my upper body is CRAZY sore after yoga yesterday!  I'll just rest up for the race this weekend.

Morning Workouts!

Usually on Thursday nights, I do a ride with my gym's Cycle Club.  But the forecast didn't look very good for today, plus there was a Queen City Wheels board meeting I was hoping to attend tonight, so I decided to get my workouts done before my four-hour shift this afternoon.  First, I took a spin class, then I went to yoga.  I thought the yoga would be good to help stretch out my hamstrings, calves, and plantar fascia, but I also figured it could count as a strength session since I usually get pretty sore afterward.  I'm not sure if the stretching will help my foot at all, but I can already tell I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!

The teacher was trying to help prepare people for a special 90-minute, 108-sun salutation yoga class later this month, so we did about 35 sun salutations today.  Not the easiest first yoga class back after six or eight months off, especially after that long, hard swim last night!  Yikes...  Some of the warrior and balancing poses were tricky, too, with my sore heel, but in general I did fee a bit looser and more relaxed after the class was over.  Mostly notably, the pain I'd felt in my lower back and right hip since yesterday's run were basically gone.  I'll take it!  I finished up with my eight-minute abs routine, then headed home.

It's always so nice to get my workouts done early.  Why don't I do that more often?!?

Coach's Encouragement

I was glad to have a dental appointment scheduled this morning, because it forced me to get out early for my run.  Even though it was rainy...  Still better than 90-degree temperatures and scorching sun, though!  It was actually nice, if a little wet.  And I did the 2.6-mile loop around the lake at Sharon Woods in 29:15.  Not too bad for only my second run in a few weeks!  Though I am a little worried about the distances I have to cover in the next two months...

So, after my appointment, I ran some more errands and did some work around the house.  I kept putting off my swim (mostly because it was so cold and dreary out that I really didn't feel like hopping in a cold pool), and before I knew it, the Hubby was home.  I tried to convince him to go out to dinner with me, but he (a.k.a. Coach) insisted that I go swim since I am, after all, an Ironman-in-training.  Thanks, Coach... I guess. ;)  But it ended up being a really good swim.  I was supposed to do an hour-and-a-half, so I planned a 3800-meter (2.4-mile) workout.  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
1 x 1 x 400  Free - loosen
1 x 1 x 300  Choice - drill/swim x 25
1 x 1 x 200  Choice - swim/kick x 25
1 x 4 x 25    Sprints @ 0:45

Main set
3 x 1 x 200  Choice - full speed w/fins
3 x 1 x 200  Recovery w/above
1 x 10 x 50  Choice - work distance/stroke
4 x 1 x 25    Choice - sprint through turn
4 x 1 x 125  Recover w/above

Cool-down
1 x 1 x 300  Sighting drill
1 x 1 x 200  Easy

Afterward, I soaked in the hot tub for a few minutes before getting cleaned up, stopping by Kroger, and heading home.  It was after 10:00 by then, so we just went to bed after a quick bite to eat.

No Excuse

I was really looking forward to this and next week because I'm not working much, so I had no excuse to not get all my workouts in.  I picked up a shift today, but there was very little work left, so we actually got done at about 10 a.m.  Yay!  All the time in the world to get to the gym to lift and/or swim and still have time to rest before the time trial!  Or...  I could just lie around the house and do nothing.  Yeah, that's right.  Even after a long holiday weekend, I was still super tired and needed a day of doing nothing.  And it was wonderful, even though I felt guilty for wasting a perfectly good workout day.  Ah, well, there's always tomorrow.

Orthotics

Today, Labor Day, we did NOT labor.  We slept in.  And it was wonderful!  Everything I imagined it could be and more. :-)  We had originally talked about heading back to Cincinnati at 10 or 11 in the morning, but we didn't even wake up till then!

We did still head out for a quick run shortly after noon, though.  It was SO cool and comfortable!  I only wanted to run two miles, just to try out the new orthotics, so that's all we did: a quick and out back.  My foot felt o.k., though not perfect, as we ran.  I'm not really sure I could feel the difference between these and the old inserts I used for years, but hopefully my feet will be able to tell the difference.

Later in the day, my foot was really sore.  Like, even though we drove to Youngstown and planned on checking out the Canfield Fair, I wasn't sure I wanted to go because it would require a lot of walking.  I'm sure being cooped up in the car for hours didn't help either.  Curious to see how it feels tomorrow...

Adventure!

So, I was REALLY looking forward to camping with the Hubby this weekend at Mammoth Cave, KY.  And I was even planning to take my bike so I could get a long ride in.  I found a loop around the park that I could do twice, and I was actually looking forward to the little adventure.  But then... We decided not to go camping because it was supposed to be 100 DEGREES!  Trying to sleep outside in that, without A/C?  No, thank you!  So we figured we'd just go home to visit family instead.

Yesterday was crazy busy with work, packing, and driving to Akron, so I didn't get any workouts in.  And then we didn't get there till after midnight but still spent a little time visiting when we arrived, so we went to bed really late.  Needless to say, I didn't get up as early as I'd hoped.  But even though it was in the 90s, I still headed out for a long ride.  I had planned a 60-mile trip out and around the Portage Lakes, part of which was the bike course for the Portage Lakes Triathlon that happens every September.

It was hot.  And hilly.  And I was really glad I didn't agree to do that tri with a couple of friends like we had talked about.  I was so tired...  And dehydrated.  I decided to skip the second loop of the tri course, and I had to stop at a gas station for more water, but I made it home o.k.  I only ended up with 47.5 miles, which took 3 hours, but it was still a pretty good effort considering the conditions!

Double Dose

There was only one other rider at my Cycle Club ride tonight, but it was fun.  Hotter than it has been, but not too bad on a bike.  Actually, I appreciated the heat for one reason: it motivated me to hop in the pool for a quick swim after the ride!  At first I was thinking I'd get my full two miles in, then I thought maybe I wouldn't swim at all since I had to get food for our camping trip this weekend.  But then it was hot, and I thought it would feel good...  And it did!

I only swam for 35 minutes, one mile.  It wasn't much, but better than nothing, I reasoned!  I have a tendency to think that such a short workout isn't worth it, but it's still something.  Proud of myself for making that happen tonight!