Did That Just Happen?!

Welcome, all! I'm back on my triathlon training. But I'm not going from "couch" to triathlon. I've been exercising regularly since last summer, and swimming once or twice every week as well at the local college lap pool. But, it's time to switch the exercise/fitness focus from just maintaining my current level of health, into the challenging work of preparing for a triathlon. I did a sprint triathlon last August, but this year I've got my eye on the longer distance, the Olympic/standard distance which is swim 1.5 km (0.93 mi), bike 40 km (25 mi), then run 10 km (6.2 mi). I've had some bike rides, a handful of mile runs, but it's time to put a solid plan in action. Here's what I've done in the past week or so:

 April 11 Monday - biked 9.9 miles (did 3 loops of a course around my neighborhood, it's 3.3 miles each loop)
April 12 Tuesday - run one mile. I did it in 12:04 minutes, amazing! I don't think I've ever run it that fast. I'm so surprised! Usually a 13:30 mile pace is fast for me. Makes me wonder if I push myself hard enough I can get up to an 11-minute pace. Wouldn't that be amazing for the triathlon race in August?!! Later this day I did a freestyle swim 1 mile, 47 min.
April 13 Wednesday - 45 min of tramp (my JumpSport exercise trampoline), light workout, ramped up the intensity by the end, also did 1 set of 10 pushups, 20 situps, 30 incline/assisted pullups (I stand on a stool under a pullup bar, high enough that I lean back and pull myself forward. It's my goal to work my way toward doing real pullups. The incline/assisted pullups are already too easy, but I still can't do real pullups yet, so I've got to find the next intermediary step. Maybe some kind of stretch band. I've see exercise videos with this. Still need to lose more weight, too!) Also, this is a terrible amount of sets. Usually I do 5 to 10 sets, but it was a bad day for me, and I barely made myself exercise at all.
April 14 Thursday - biked 9.9 miles (3 loops)
April 15 Friday - usually I would swim on Fridays, but I spent so much time on the phone with taxes, that I missed the pool time. Later I did 30 min tramp including 2 sets of 10 pushups, 20 situps, 30 incline/assisted pullups
April 16 Saturday - 10 min tram warmup, 6.6 miles bike followed by 1 mile run. The run was easier than I thought it would be, so it's time to start increasing my speed or distance.
April 17 Sunday - rest
April 18 Monday - 12 min tramp, then a 2-mile run, slower pace, done in 30 min.
April 19 Tuesday - 1.5 mile swim in 61 minutes

 Now, here's the part where I couldn't believe what I just did. I finished my 1.5 mile swim today, looked at the clock and my eyes got big as saucers. What?! No way did I swim 1.5 miles in 60 min. Usually it takes me about 48 to 50 min to swim a mile freestyle. Today I did it in 40 minutes. I thought, "I've miscounted laps, no way am I that fast!" That's almost overnight improvement. I don't have a naturally athletic body, I can't pull off that kind of quick improvement! What?! So, I went over to the side of the pool, grabbed a timing clock (it's a college lap pool, so they've got things geared towards racing), and timed myself on four laps (total of 200 meters). Sure enough, I did it in 4:15. Now, that 4-lap swim was deliberate racing and if I did that pace the whole mile (or 1600m), I would have done it 34:00. So, it's not a stretch to say that I had a 40:00 mile pace today. Good grief! How did I get so fast seemingly overnight? It's weird! Good weird, but weird!

 And I did that 12 min mile a week ago. Dude, what could I accomplish if I seriously start pushing myself? I really like data, and I wish I could justify the expense of a FitBit heart rate monitor. I'd like to put myself in a zone where my heart rate is consistently about 130 bpm, then with short bursts of higher speeds. I think I have a tendency when I exercise to get into a meditative state (about 90 to 110 bpm) where I'm thinking about everything but exercising and focusing on the intensity of my workout. That lower meditative zone is probably good mental health stuff, but it's not going to improve my fitness for race day. Glancing down at a heart rate monitor every so often might help pop me into a higher zone more consistently, keep my training on track. Oh, well. Sometimes you just gotta do what you can with what you've got.

Post-Race

Okay, I know I need to blog the whole race experience, but I don't yet have the pics I want. I still need to track them down. I have a few Dani took after the race, but there were several photographers out there shooting the whole thing, and I particularly want the finish line pic. But I just wanted to log in here before bed and set down a few thoughts. I am admittedly a little bummed today. It was fun and challenging leading up to the race, and exciting the day of the race. But I have post-race letdown today, and I did a little yesterday as well. I'm kind of sad it's over. I understand why people keep moving on to the next race, and the next, and the next. The thrill is in the challenge and that moment of satisfaction of meeting a goal. It can be addicting chasing that feeling. But probably not necessarily a bad addiction, depending on how it messes with your regular life and your health. I keep looking down at my right arm, where they wrote my race number, 331, with a black marker. It's still cool! I'll be sad when it finally fades away. I wish it would always be there. I can see why people get tattoos to commemorate things.

Thanks for your donation!

While my costs have been minimal (thanks, Sue, for the loan of the bike!!), I'd still like to offset the financial impact on our family while we're still trying to recover from Zen being laid off earlier this year.  The entrance fee is $47, and I'd also like to get some extra goodies to help me get through the race on Saturday.  So, if you'd like to donate about $5, it would be much appreciated!  Here's an easy PayPal button, set up with my PayPal account.  Should be easy.  And thanks for donating!!

Two days to go!

Whew!  Where does the time go?  It's just two days to race day, and I'm half antsy/worried and half excited.  Here's the training I did over the past week:

Thur Aug 20 - swim, I probably did about 3/4 mile, maybe some rebounder warmup in the morning
Fri Aug 21 - rode my bike over to the track and did sprints.  I got this idea from a runner story I read in Eric Greitens book, Resilience (excellent, by the way, go get a copy!)  One of the training techniques this famous runner used was to run as fast as he could for a certain distance (1/2 mile, 1 mile?), then walk for a minute, then repeat that a gazillion times.  Okay, I butchered that story.  But it gave me the idea of introducing something new to my training, teaching my body to run faster.  So, I sprinted for 1/2 lap, then walked 1/2 lap.  And you know what?  Sprinting sucks!!!!  No wonder I hate it.  I had some serious mental cussing going on, not sure if I can repent for that yet because it was miserable and I kind of don't regret my cussing.  Gotta work on that.  So, clearly, you know I need to do more sprinting over the coming months so I can get used to it and get faster.  Because I can tell already I'll be doing this crazy tri thing again, only I'll be chasing the Olympic distance for 2016.  Remember, Olympic distance is only double the sprint.  NOT that alien-DNA-triathlon known as the Ironman.
Sat Aug 22 - I'd done the sprint biking and running distance back to back, but I'd only done the running on flat ground.  Thought I'd better do a loop with the actual race course.  So, I did my usual bike loops, 14 miles total, then ran 3.4 miles on the same loop.  I was probably stumbling more than jogging the last mile or so, but I finished it!  It took me 2 hours, 8 minutes.  But I took a potty break between the bike and run, and did a distance slightly more than race day, so I'm pretty sure I can do the bike and run in two hours or less, which is my goal.
Sun Aug 23 - rest
Mon Aug 24 - taking it easy this week to rest up for race day.  I did my rebounder for 45 min, then pushups, situps, and reverse crunches
Tues Aug 25 - rebounder warmup, then swam 1 mile at the college pool, easy.  And this is when my inner crazy chihuahua woke up and told me I should just do the Olympic distance this Saturday.  After all, if I can swim a mile (double the sprint distance), surely I can bike 24 miles then run six, right?  Right?!!  Okay, yeah I had to talk myself down from my crazy.  Took me a few days, but I'm back at sprint distance for Saturday.  I'll just focus on being faster, because I'll have all this extra energy I DIDN'T use on the Olympic distance.  Sigh... I know, I'm a lunatic.  Just something about doing a tri that makes you a little wacky.  I think it's attached to goal-setting, or the part of you that just needs a good dare every now and then.
Wed Aug 26 - maybe 20 min rebounder in the morning because I knew I'd be biking up to the college in the evening.  There was running clinic from 6 to 7pm, and learned some great stuff from Jessie Shaw(? will edit this info later), who grew up in Rock Springs and now lives in Minnesota and he's nearly professional level, does tri's all the time.  He taught us pose running and watched all of us run, to check our form.  Mine looked pretty good, but I'll be reading up more on it and trying to get better over the next year.  Also, took the kids to Lincoln Elementary playground and got a decent workout pushing them around on this teepee-rope merry-go-round contraption.  Hard to push, but did it over and over and over.
Thur Aug 26 - about 25 min rebounder in the morning.  Then this evening there was a bike clinic down at the local bike shop, The Bike and Trike.  Learned some new things.  My seat height was about right.  Yep, definitely gotta start saving up for my own racing bike.  I find myself in spots on the course where I want to go faster, my legs have the strength for it, but I've maxed out the gears and the bike just won't go faster.  And I need to get some efficiency in the strokes with either biking shoes or pedal straps.  Also, I finally got my act together today and got a bike helmet.  Our local police department gives them out for free.  I'm sure there are snazzier/more-athletic helmets, but this is great for my first triathlon.  Save the brains!

You know, I kind of rock

Just trying to get in my hardest/best training this week.  So, today I biked 12 miles (about 3 and 1/3 loops), then ran 3+ (about 12.25 laps at the track, 46+ min).  Dude, I ran a 5K today after biking 12 miles!  That's crazy, crazy good!  And this week, I know I'm ready for the race next week.  Because it was all doable, and my knees and joints aren't killing me.  I feel good.  I'm certainly not an athlete, but you know, I'm in pretty good shape for where I'm at with my weight (183).  I set this big goal for myself, and I feel like I've achieved it.  Next week is just about making it official.  Because my body is already there and ready to go.

Catch Up

Yikes, it's been a week since I blogged!  I'm sketchy on the details of what I did over the last week, but let's see what I can remember:

Thursday - I was probably in the pool, just swimming laps, about 40 min.  Maybe warmed up with the rebounder.
Friday - I'm pretty sure I did three loops on my bike (10.5 miles total) and then ran 2 to 2.5 miles
Saturday - Went to visit Sue in Cokeville.  I did about 45 min rebounder before we left.  While there, Sue and I went biking for 8 miles, and I rode the bike she's loaning me for the race.  It was great to ride a bike that switches gears smoothly!  Although I've got to make some minor adjustments in the seat height for next time.  At the end of our visit, we loaded it into my car.  Thanks, Sue!
Sunday - rest
Monday - This is the week before the race, so I figure I need to do my hardest/longest training.  I ran 3 miles today, and ran all the laps, except for one that I walked for about 1/4 to 1/2 a lap.  I completed it in 43:40, I think that's the fastest I've ever run three miles.
Tuesday - Pool day and testing out my clothing for race day.  I did 1/2 mile, 16 laps, in 24 min (I've really gotten faster at that!  It used to take me 30 min!), then I hurried out of the pool, grabbed my bags of stuff and went into the locker room.  Over my swimsuit, I put on my t-shirt and stretchy pants, then socks and shoes, and headed out to my car where I had my bike stashed.  I rode a mile or so, then back to the college where I put my bike back in my car and did a little running around the campus trails, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile.  My overall goal was to test out my clothing.  On race day, the unspoken fourth race event is transition!  People who are competitive try to get through transition (switching from one event to the other, like swimming to biking) as fast as they can.  There are designated transition areas, and you must go from one event to the other through the correct transition area.  So, I won't be able to run back into the locker room, take off my swimsuit, and put on completely new clothes to bike in.  The pink swimsuit I'd been training in is fine for the pool, but lousy for biking and running in.  I just don't have the dough for an official triathlon suit that you can do all three events in, so I went digging in my drawer at home and pulled out an old swimsuit that is very loose and stretched out.  It turned out to be great for biking and running in!  I'll just add a t-shirt and sweats for the bike and run.  I'm relieved because I didn't know what I was going to do for race day, and I dreaded having to go and fundraise/beg money for something to wear.  Problem solved!

Extra padding, food, and a helmet

Did my bike course today.  First, I warmed up with about 15 min on my rebounder.  Then, with all the construction around the race course, I went back to my regular course, a 3.5 mile loop that I did four times.  For some reason today, I just got really saddle-sore.  So that's what padded biker shorts are for!  Sigh.  Man, I'm still feeling it.  The chafing on the delicate bits started to be a lot more worrisome than my quads.  My quads were fine the second half, or at least overshadowed so much by the soreness where I was sitting that they didn't seem to be screaming for attention like they do the first half.  And I hit spots that just winded me.  I know that part of the problem is that I've got some fine tuning to work out with the gears.  My sister, Sue, has volunteered to loan me a good road racing bike, or at least a bike that is in better shape and design than the one I'm currently riding.  But that means gas money to go retrieve it, and I'm not sure I should do that now.  I'm hoping my eBay sales will be good the next few weeks.  I could also get my current bike in a lot better shape than it is in - just strip it down and lubricate it and do fine adjustments on it.  I found someone in my ward (church) who could help, and I've just been dragging my feet setting up a time, getting over there and getting it done.

Another problem that will take some better planning on my part, is that I need to eat before I go on a bike ride, as it seems to take the most endurance so far.  I don't like exercising after I've eaten, so I never eat anything in the morning until I've exercised.  But sometimes I don't get around to that until 10 or 11.  By that time it's been over 12 hours since I last ate anything, and my blood sugar is low, probably too low for what biking takes out of me.  So, on biking days I need to make sure I eat before I leave.

Totally random, but I passed several people I knew from my ward.  One was with a crew working on the power lines, and one was out walking with her sister and kids.  It's kind of odd riding out on the road, and trying to figure out what is the right thing to do with traffic and pedestrians.  I probably ought to read a rule book, you think?  Plus, I keep forgetting to get myself down to the police station where I hear they give out bike helmets for free, but it might be just for kids.  As I'm racing down the road on a downhill section, I find myself thinking, "Wrecking without a helmet on would be very bad.  Let's get a bike helmet, shall we?"

Just swim

Warmed up on my rebounder today, around 40 min? maybe.  Wasn't keeping track that much.  And it was a light session, none of my high-intensity moves.  Headed to the college pool to do my swim session.  Last time I talked about just swimming and not trying to count laps.  That's what I did today - just swim.  No clocks, no timing.  Swam 40 minutes.  Although, I did try out a 3-stroke rhythm so I could practice breathing on my left.  Usually, I do a two-stroke rhythm and just breath on my right, because it feels natural and I have that down pretty well.  It's breathing on the left that is awkward and I keep getting little bits of water in my mouth when I'm breathing.  I could probably get a lot smoother with that over time, but I don't think I'll be in the pool enough between now and August 29th to accomplish that.  Will be back in the pool on Thursday, and will see how long I can swim, maybe do some more timing.  But that means getting my rear end over there as soon as they open...  Let's not talk about my time management issues.

Getting back in the routine

Got back to my training schedule today.  I warmed up on my rebounder, about 10 to 15 min.  Then did 3 sets of pushups on my rebounder - 25, then 10, then 10.  Situps - 25, then 15, then ten.  Headed out to the junior high track on my bike, then did my walk/run.  I increased my running distance per lap today.  I ran about 2/3 lap and walked 1/3 lap, and did 3 miles.  I could tell my legs are getting stronger.  I'm not really faster yet, but it's not as hard on my joints as it used to be.  I'll push it up to running 3/4 lap and walking 1/4 lap next week.  One thing I did notice, though.  Since I'm at the track, and not having to pay attention to my environment like I would with a street run, I had my ears plugged in to my mp3 player.  I was listening to a podcast with Mark Divine of SEALFit and Captain Bob Shultz about personal ethos.  It was kind of meaty, so I was trying to absorb that and not paying as much attention to my running.  I think I better unplug my ears next time, or at least switch to something that isn't so distracting.

Unchained the Carb Beast

Went on vacation Thursday thru Sunday to the family reunion, which was fabulous!  Thanks, Don and Lora!  and again to Lora, who worked her tail off and stressed buckets!  We had a great time.  Now go hit the spa to recover!

Back to training.  Here's a brief recap of what exercise I did while mostly being a slacker:

Thursday - rebounder about 45 min.  I was packing to get out of town, trying to leave by noon, and didn't have time to make the college pool swim time, which was between 11:30 and 1:00.  Besides, Thursdays are semi-rest days.
Friday - rebounder 30 to 40 min.  Yep, I tied my rebounder to the top of my car and hauled it on vacation.  Totally worth it!  I also did a short 30 min session on one of Don and Lora's treadmills.  It was on an incline, 7%, and I alternated walking and running every 2 minutes.
Saturday -  Don and Lora took us on a hike up the canyon near their house in Mapleton, Utah.  I wasn't counting, or keeping track of time, really, but my guess is that it was somewhere between 1 to 1.5 miles?  Later, it was casual swimming in the pool.  I had thoughts of doing laps, but the pool was stuffed with kids, so I bagged that idea and talked to my sister, instead, while treading water and trying not to get mauled by children.  Happy 40th, sis!
Sunday - rest

Now, I didn't try for one second to follow my nutrition plan this weekend.  I did unchain the beast and ate whatever carbs I wanted to, which wasn't very hard.  Lora kept us stocked up on plenty of goodies, and wonderful meals.  I did appreciate all the fresh fruit she provided and ate plenty of that.  The protein shakes were a great idea, would love to have more of those on a daily basis as I'm training.  I got brave this morning and stepped on the scales.  Suprisingly, I only gained a few pounds. Whew!  Seriously, I ate a gazillion calories over the weekend and I was sure it was going to be five pounds.  I can get rid of two a lot easier.