Apparently the song "Bicycle Race" by Queen has taken up residence in my head this week.
This past weekend I had another triathlon, but this time it was just a sprint. The swim and the bike were pretty short followed by a nice 5K run. The race was fast and fun. This week I'm finally getting back to my 12+ hours of training per week after two back to back race weeks. Training is always lighter on race weeks. This week my training consists of four hours of swimming, two hours of running, four and half hours of biking, and two hours of strength training. I must say, it feels good to be back to a full training schedule.
After each race I study my results and compare them to the other racers as well as my previous results. It helps me to see where my strengths and weaknesses are. I just learned to swim a few months ago, so I was surprised to see that it tends to be my strength. Since I've been cycling for 3 years my bike should be stronger than it is. I would like to see 18-19+ mph average on my bike. My coach suggested that I might be too relaxed on the bike when I race. I do tend to enjoy that part of the race the most. I'm always looking out for people I know so I can cheer them on, admiring the bikes of the other competitors, and thinking about how much fun I'm having. Perhaps deep down I don't want the fun to end so I don't go as fast as I can. Perhaps not!!
This week I did interval training and hill work on the bike. I was happy to see these on the training schedule this week, even though I wasn't looking forward to doing them. These types of workouts are great for building strength, which I need, so bring them on!
I did the interval training at White Rock Lake. I usually make the trip down there if I have to ride alone, and I'll only go in the morning during the week to avoid the crowds. This week I brought my new tri bike out there. I learned two important lessons that day. #1 - Don't do interval training in your aero bars on your tri bike at White Rock Lake. #2 - If you have new equipment, make sure it's working BEFORE heading out for a training session. WRL is a popular place for runners and cyclist. I warmed on the portion of the trail I would be sharing with runners, and saved the actual intervals for a stretch of road on the west side of the lake. What I didn't think about was how curvy this road it. I think interval training would work better on a straight road next time. I did the best I could, and make a mental note to find another place for this type of workout. When I bought my new bike last week I had a new computer installed that measures cadence since some of my workouts, like intervals, requires me maintain a certain cadence for a given period of time. I hadn't tested this feature before hand, so I didn't know that it wasn't working. I should have checked this out earlier. Lessons learned.
Yesterday morning I got up early and met a fellow triathlete, Sharon, for some good ol' hill repeats on Windhaven Hill. Sharon and I have the same coach, and we just happened to have the same workout. We had 12 hill repeats that were broken up into six sets of two. This type of workout can be a beat down, but having someone doing it with helps. I did notice improvements on this hill workout vs the last one. For a long time I viewed this hill as my enemy, but I am determined to make it my friend. We're getting along a little better than we used to, but our relationship still needs work. To be honest, though, this isn't the hill I'm really interested in having a good relationship with. If I can get Windhaven to quit kicking my butt, then maybe, just maybe, the hills of Austin will have mercy on this 70.3 first timer in October.
"This is not Disneyland, or Hollywood. I'll give you an example: I've read that I flew up the hills and mountains of France. But you don't fly up a hill. You struggle slowly and painfully up a hill, and maybe, if you work very hard, you get to the top ahead of everybody else." -Lance Armstrong
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Disco Olympic
This past weekend I competed in the Olympic distance at Disco. Here's how the day went down.
My alarm was set for 3:30, but I was up and moving by 3:15. I went through the usual pre-race routines. I wrote down the initial of a special baby boy I've been dedicating my races to, my nephew. God called him home before he ever took a breath. He reminds me to live life to the fullest, so he has become a huge source of inspiration throughout this triathlon journey. I had my usual breakfast of coffee (a must on race day for several reason), whole wheat English muffin with almond butter (the fresh kind you grind yourself at Whole Foods)and sliced bananas drizzled with a little Texas honey. Since it was going to be a HOT race day here in north Texas, I went ahead and popped a salt tab too.
The race start time was moved up to 6:30 AM due to the extreme heat, so I had to leave my house around 4:15. Throughout the hour plus drive, I had a sinking feeling that I left something. Is my bike in the car? Did I pack my swim cap? Did I remember to grab my water bottles from the freezer? Are my shoes in my bag?It was all there.
After unloading my bike from the car I noticed a line of racers with bikes in toe walking quietly in a line to transition, so I slipped in. It was still dark, and I couldn't help but notice how quiet it was...the calm before the storm. Everyone was either deep in though about their race plan or scared to death. I think I was the latter. I got my body marking and set up my transition area. I had socks and my Sweat Gutr packed, but I wasn't sure if would use them. I went ahead and placed them on my transition mat (old towel). I made small talk with a few other racers who were setting up next to me. They seemed a little more relaxed than I. I grabbed my timing chip and ran into some of my NTM friends. Seeing them did help me to ease my nerves a little, even though one of them mention that I looked pretty nervous. He was right, but if they weren't there I'm not sure I could have started the race. After squeezing a packet of Gu into my mouth I made my way down to the beach.
I stood with my feet in the warm sand looking out over the lake. Boy, were those turn buoys FAR. My stomach was doing flips, and I was praying I wouldn't throw up before hitting the water. It was finally go time! A guy with an big wild wig, disco pattern polyester bell bottoms, and chunky white high heel shoes gave us the swim direction. He looked very official! The horn blew for my wave and we were off. I positioned myself toward the back of the pack since I'm not a particularly fast swimmer. This wasn't my first open water swim, but I was still scared to death. The first few hundred meters felt like swimming in a washing machine. Luckily I didn't get pushed under water, but there sure was a lot of contact. Arms, legs, heads, and other unidentifiable body parts grazed and grabbed my body. I wanted out of the water! 1500 meters seemed too long. Why did I sign up for this? Why was I thinking when I signed up for the half-Ironman? I had to relax and remind myself of the hours of training I put into this race. Did I really want to quit? Did I really want to to admit to people that I couldn't finish the swim? Absolutely not. But my biggest reason for continuing was the initials written on my ankle. This was HIS race! I couldn't quit, so I just kept swimming. A few minutes into the swim I got a welcomed break. We hit a sand bar which gave me a few seconds to stand up and take a few good breaths and try to find my turn buoy. It was hard to see, so I followed the yellow swim caps. By the time I made that first turn I was feeling better. I tried to think of everything my swim coaches told me, but I could only focus on good form a few stroke at a time. The pack was thinning out and I was trying to image how long I had been in the water. My concept of time was gone, while the after taste of my morning Gu and organic vitamins were not. Finally, the second turn buoy came into view, but it felt like I was swimming in place. It just didn't seem to be getting any closer. At this point my right shoulder was beginning to feel fatigued, but I knew I could make it. I finally made the last turn and knew the end was near. The excitement began to build. I thought, "We made it baby boy!" I swam until my hand hit the bottom. I was grinning from ear to ear when I emerged from the water. I saw lots of red NTM shirts and they were shouting my name. It was a wonderful moment.
I began making my way to T1, which was a nice little hike up a hill. Volunteers were stationed along the way spraying down our sandy feet. Rather than running, I opted to walk, quickly of course, to try to get my heart rate down. It was in the 180s when I got to my bike. I decided to throw on my Sweat Gutr, and I'm glad I did. I felt great throughout the bike. I couldn't get my heart rate down, but my perceived exertion wasn't that high so I didn't worry about it. I got passed a lot, and I did my share of passing on the bike. My friends and I cheered each other on throughout the ride. I was feeling good and having fun. I savored the moment. At this point, the rough swim start was a distant memory. Before I knew I was at mile 18. "We did it baby boy," I called out. I knew that sweet baby boy was with me and that he was proud. There was one big climb (by Texas standards anyway) in the last few miles. I dropped to the lowest gear I could and tried to keep my heart rate down. I finished up my last few miles and made it back to T2.
I quickly racked my bike and prepared for the 6.2 mile run. My socks were sitting on my pink running shoes so I grabbed them and put them on my feet. No doubt, this was the best decision I made all day. I have to thank my friend Lorenzo for this one. A few months ago he didn't put socks on for the run portion of his half Ironman, and it turned out to be a huge mistake. His feet got wet and were bloodied and blistered by the end. Lesson learned! Wear socks! I made my way out of T2 grabbing as much water as I could. My pace was fast and my heart rate was high. I slowed things down a bit, but I couldn't get my heart rate down. My legs were feeling good, but aerobically I was struggling a bit. I found myself walking for 10 to 20 seconds every few minutes. I was beginning to feel the heat, but it still wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting. There was a fair amount of shade on the course, and my salty sweat was staying out of my eyes thanks to the less than fashionable Sweat Gutr hiding hiding under my visor. I had my own cheering section on the course. My friends were volunteering at the aide station I passed through 4 times on the run. Their voices and encouraging words kept me going. They even poured cups of cold water on my head as I ran through. There's nothing like VIP treatment at the aide station. I pushed as hard as I could on the last mile. As I approached the finish line I became a little emotional thinking about the little angle I was racing for. I felt him with me the entire race. He got me through it, and I know he was proud. This was, after all, his race.
My overall time was 3:07:33...35:31 on the swim, 1:21:36 on the bike, and 1:05:13 on the run. I was hoping for under three hours, but that may have been a lofty goal for my first Olympic distance. I took home a cool finishers medal and a third place trophy for my age group. At the end of the day I'm happy with my performance and was able to fix the nutrition issues I had during my previous race. Being able to overcome a stressful swim start was a victory in itself. This race reminded me just how big of a challenge my upcoming half Ironman will be. As much as it scares the hell out of me, I'm looking forward it.
"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." Newt Gingrich
My alarm was set for 3:30, but I was up and moving by 3:15. I went through the usual pre-race routines. I wrote down the initial of a special baby boy I've been dedicating my races to, my nephew. God called him home before he ever took a breath. He reminds me to live life to the fullest, so he has become a huge source of inspiration throughout this triathlon journey. I had my usual breakfast of coffee (a must on race day for several reason), whole wheat English muffin with almond butter (the fresh kind you grind yourself at Whole Foods)and sliced bananas drizzled with a little Texas honey. Since it was going to be a HOT race day here in north Texas, I went ahead and popped a salt tab too.
The race start time was moved up to 6:30 AM due to the extreme heat, so I had to leave my house around 4:15. Throughout the hour plus drive, I had a sinking feeling that I left something. Is my bike in the car? Did I pack my swim cap? Did I remember to grab my water bottles from the freezer? Are my shoes in my bag?It was all there.
After unloading my bike from the car I noticed a line of racers with bikes in toe walking quietly in a line to transition, so I slipped in. It was still dark, and I couldn't help but notice how quiet it was...the calm before the storm. Everyone was either deep in though about their race plan or scared to death. I think I was the latter. I got my body marking and set up my transition area. I had socks and my Sweat Gutr packed, but I wasn't sure if would use them. I went ahead and placed them on my transition mat (old towel). I made small talk with a few other racers who were setting up next to me. They seemed a little more relaxed than I. I grabbed my timing chip and ran into some of my NTM friends. Seeing them did help me to ease my nerves a little, even though one of them mention that I looked pretty nervous. He was right, but if they weren't there I'm not sure I could have started the race. After squeezing a packet of Gu into my mouth I made my way down to the beach.
I stood with my feet in the warm sand looking out over the lake. Boy, were those turn buoys FAR. My stomach was doing flips, and I was praying I wouldn't throw up before hitting the water. It was finally go time! A guy with an big wild wig, disco pattern polyester bell bottoms, and chunky white high heel shoes gave us the swim direction. He looked very official! The horn blew for my wave and we were off. I positioned myself toward the back of the pack since I'm not a particularly fast swimmer. This wasn't my first open water swim, but I was still scared to death. The first few hundred meters felt like swimming in a washing machine. Luckily I didn't get pushed under water, but there sure was a lot of contact. Arms, legs, heads, and other unidentifiable body parts grazed and grabbed my body. I wanted out of the water! 1500 meters seemed too long. Why did I sign up for this? Why was I thinking when I signed up for the half-Ironman? I had to relax and remind myself of the hours of training I put into this race. Did I really want to quit? Did I really want to to admit to people that I couldn't finish the swim? Absolutely not. But my biggest reason for continuing was the initials written on my ankle. This was HIS race! I couldn't quit, so I just kept swimming. A few minutes into the swim I got a welcomed break. We hit a sand bar which gave me a few seconds to stand up and take a few good breaths and try to find my turn buoy. It was hard to see, so I followed the yellow swim caps. By the time I made that first turn I was feeling better. I tried to think of everything my swim coaches told me, but I could only focus on good form a few stroke at a time. The pack was thinning out and I was trying to image how long I had been in the water. My concept of time was gone, while the after taste of my morning Gu and organic vitamins were not. Finally, the second turn buoy came into view, but it felt like I was swimming in place. It just didn't seem to be getting any closer. At this point my right shoulder was beginning to feel fatigued, but I knew I could make it. I finally made the last turn and knew the end was near. The excitement began to build. I thought, "We made it baby boy!" I swam until my hand hit the bottom. I was grinning from ear to ear when I emerged from the water. I saw lots of red NTM shirts and they were shouting my name. It was a wonderful moment.
I began making my way to T1, which was a nice little hike up a hill. Volunteers were stationed along the way spraying down our sandy feet. Rather than running, I opted to walk, quickly of course, to try to get my heart rate down. It was in the 180s when I got to my bike. I decided to throw on my Sweat Gutr, and I'm glad I did. I felt great throughout the bike. I couldn't get my heart rate down, but my perceived exertion wasn't that high so I didn't worry about it. I got passed a lot, and I did my share of passing on the bike. My friends and I cheered each other on throughout the ride. I was feeling good and having fun. I savored the moment. At this point, the rough swim start was a distant memory. Before I knew I was at mile 18. "We did it baby boy," I called out. I knew that sweet baby boy was with me and that he was proud. There was one big climb (by Texas standards anyway) in the last few miles. I dropped to the lowest gear I could and tried to keep my heart rate down. I finished up my last few miles and made it back to T2.
I quickly racked my bike and prepared for the 6.2 mile run. My socks were sitting on my pink running shoes so I grabbed them and put them on my feet. No doubt, this was the best decision I made all day. I have to thank my friend Lorenzo for this one. A few months ago he didn't put socks on for the run portion of his half Ironman, and it turned out to be a huge mistake. His feet got wet and were bloodied and blistered by the end. Lesson learned! Wear socks! I made my way out of T2 grabbing as much water as I could. My pace was fast and my heart rate was high. I slowed things down a bit, but I couldn't get my heart rate down. My legs were feeling good, but aerobically I was struggling a bit. I found myself walking for 10 to 20 seconds every few minutes. I was beginning to feel the heat, but it still wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting. There was a fair amount of shade on the course, and my salty sweat was staying out of my eyes thanks to the less than fashionable Sweat Gutr hiding hiding under my visor. I had my own cheering section on the course. My friends were volunteering at the aide station I passed through 4 times on the run. Their voices and encouraging words kept me going. They even poured cups of cold water on my head as I ran through. There's nothing like VIP treatment at the aide station. I pushed as hard as I could on the last mile. As I approached the finish line I became a little emotional thinking about the little angle I was racing for. I felt him with me the entire race. He got me through it, and I know he was proud. This was, after all, his race.
My overall time was 3:07:33...35:31 on the swim, 1:21:36 on the bike, and 1:05:13 on the run. I was hoping for under three hours, but that may have been a lofty goal for my first Olympic distance. I took home a cool finishers medal and a third place trophy for my age group. At the end of the day I'm happy with my performance and was able to fix the nutrition issues I had during my previous race. Being able to overcome a stressful swim start was a victory in itself. This race reminded me just how big of a challenge my upcoming half Ironman will be. As much as it scares the hell out of me, I'm looking forward it.
"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." Newt Gingrich
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Finding "The One"
About a year and a half ago I began seeing a chiropractor for a pinched nerve in my back. Oh, how I looked forward to each and every appointment. It took several weeks, but I finally began to notice a difference. The shooting pain down my arm was finally gone after many years. I continued to see my chiropractor for maintenance until he closed his practice. This is when the adjustment table hopping began.
Fast forward five chiropractors and a year later. On the recommendation of another triathlete I began seeing my current chiropractor, Ron. I made the switch around the time I began feeling a pain near the heal of my left foot. He uses a technique known as ART (Active Release Technique). I wasn't sure what to expect. He began pressing down on the inside of my shin while I moved my foot up and down and tried my best not to cry out four letter words or kick him in the face. I'm not going to lie, it hurt! He also gave me one of the best adjustments I've ever had, so I was able to forgive the pain he caused. My previous chiropractor adjusted me a few days earlier, but Ron seemed to do it better. He put my hips and ribs, yes, I have ribs out of place, back where they belonged. The soreness began to set in shortly after I left the office. I could actually feel that my hip had moved. It wasn't painful, but it was noticeable.
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Pictured to the right is my new favorite thing at the chiropractor's office...compression boots!! These puppies fill up with air and compress around your legs. It starts at your feet and slowly moves up your legs to your thighs. It pushes the lactic acid out of your muscles and leaves your legs feeling fresh. Words cannot describe how much I love this machine.
I know people have mixed feeling about chiropractors. I view them as any other doctor...there are good ones and bad ones. It's also not a one size fits all kind of thing. Like I said, I saw several chiropractors before finding the right one for ME, and it has made all the difference. Yes, there have been some "uncomfortable" moments, but typically the techniques they use don't really hurt. There is no way I could make it through the next 100 days of training for Austin 70.3 without my chiropractor.
"Pain is weakness leaving your body." USMC
Fast forward five chiropractors and a year later. On the recommendation of another triathlete I began seeing my current chiropractor, Ron. I made the switch around the time I began feeling a pain near the heal of my left foot. He uses a technique known as ART (Active Release Technique). I wasn't sure what to expect. He began pressing down on the inside of my shin while I moved my foot up and down and tried my best not to cry out four letter words or kick him in the face. I'm not going to lie, it hurt! He also gave me one of the best adjustments I've ever had, so I was able to forgive the pain he caused. My previous chiropractor adjusted me a few days earlier, but Ron seemed to do it better. He put my hips and ribs, yes, I have ribs out of place, back where they belonged. The soreness began to set in shortly after I left the office. I could actually feel that my hip had moved. It wasn't painful, but it was noticeable.
I've been seeing Ron for 3 weeks and cannot believe the difference it has made. After one session the pain in my foot was significantly better. Now, it's almost nonexistent. We're still working on a knot on the back of my shoulder where the ribs are out of place. The knot has been there for years and causes neck pain and head aches. The massage therapist in the office, Mary, is also helping with this. This is not the kind of relaxing massage you look forward to. It's like paying someone to beat the crap out of you for 30 minutes. I tried to relax and breath, but we all know that it doesn't really help. I'm going to see her again next week after my triathlon. Hopefully the pain I feel during the race will help to prepare me for the stabbing pain of Mary's elbow being jammed into my back.
Pictured to the right is my new favorite thing at the chiropractor's office...compression boots!! These puppies fill up with air and compress around your legs. It starts at your feet and slowly moves up your legs to your thighs. It pushes the lactic acid out of your muscles and leaves your legs feeling fresh. Words cannot describe how much I love this machine. I know people have mixed feeling about chiropractors. I view them as any other doctor...there are good ones and bad ones. It's also not a one size fits all kind of thing. Like I said, I saw several chiropractors before finding the right one for ME, and it has made all the difference. Yes, there have been some "uncomfortable" moments, but typically the techniques they use don't really hurt. There is no way I could make it through the next 100 days of training for Austin 70.3 without my chiropractor.
"Pain is weakness leaving your body." USMC
Friday, July 8, 2011
Eye on the Prize
For the past month or so I've been focused on the Austin half-Ironman. When I don't want to train, or when I'm ready to cut a training session short, I have to remind myself why I'm doing this...Austin 70.3 on Oct. 23, 2011! I want to cross the finish line and know I trained and raced the best I could. No regrets. No thinking about the training sessions I skipped or didn't give my all to. My goal is to finish strong. I'm execting this race to hurt, and I'll probably question why I'm out there. I may even throw up a little on race day...it happens.
Last night my goal was to do 10 hill repeats on the bike. This is a work out that I know I need, but probably wouldn't do unless my coach tell me to. As much as I was dreading this workout, it turned out to be a pretty good training session. I had to keep reminding myself that Austin would have hills and this was going to make me stronger and prepare me for the half. Hills are my weakness, so I am TRYING to embrace the opportunities to work on this. Keeping Austin in mind made the workout bearable, and dare I say...enjoyable. No, I wasn't loving sucking air as I fought my way up the hill over and over again in my smallest gear while other cyclist zoomed past me, but the feeling of satisfaction I got after each climb made the thought of the next climb less dreadful. I kept telling myself, "Yes, I can do another. No problem!" I knew I had another hill in my. I just wasn't sure if I had 2 or 3 or 8. By the 7h repeat I was feeling closer to good than death. And as I climbed the hill for the 10th time I was feelin likea rock star. Sure, there were other people out there riding circles around me, but didn't care. There was a guy about halfway up the hill who had gotten off his bike and walked the rest of the way up. I felt his pain. I did that a year ago. It was a low moment in my life, and I vowed that it would NEVER happen again.
Between now and Oct. 23 I do have a few races planned. Disco is just 9 days away, and I will be competing in my first Olympic race which will consist of a 1500 meter swim, 24 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. The swim is 3 times the distance I've swam in other races, and the bike and run are double. I know I can do all of these distances separately, but putting them together is another story. The unknown is not IF I can complete this. It's HOW I will perform. What will my bike look like coming out of the swim? How much will be left in the tank for the run? My biggest fear is that my race will fall apart on the run.
My last race was going pretty well until the run. I don't know if I pushed myself too hard on the bike, if it was nutrition and hydration issues, or if my training was off. Perhaps it was a combination of all of these factors. My coach had me write a race plan for Disco. That is not something I would have done on my own, but I'm so glad he had me do it. He reviewed it and added some notes for me. I now have a plan for pacing, calorie consumption, and hydration on race day. I may have to tweak my plan during the race and I'm okay with that. I want the race to go well, but I also know that if it doesn't it's not the end of the world. I'll take what didn't work and fix it for my next race.
"One day this pain will make sense to you." I <3 to Run Facebook post
Last night my goal was to do 10 hill repeats on the bike. This is a work out that I know I need, but probably wouldn't do unless my coach tell me to. As much as I was dreading this workout, it turned out to be a pretty good training session. I had to keep reminding myself that Austin would have hills and this was going to make me stronger and prepare me for the half. Hills are my weakness, so I am TRYING to embrace the opportunities to work on this. Keeping Austin in mind made the workout bearable, and dare I say...enjoyable. No, I wasn't loving sucking air as I fought my way up the hill over and over again in my smallest gear while other cyclist zoomed past me, but the feeling of satisfaction I got after each climb made the thought of the next climb less dreadful. I kept telling myself, "Yes, I can do another. No problem!" I knew I had another hill in my. I just wasn't sure if I had 2 or 3 or 8. By the 7h repeat I was feeling closer to good than death. And as I climbed the hill for the 10th time I was feelin likea rock star. Sure, there were other people out there riding circles around me, but didn't care. There was a guy about halfway up the hill who had gotten off his bike and walked the rest of the way up. I felt his pain. I did that a year ago. It was a low moment in my life, and I vowed that it would NEVER happen again.
Between now and Oct. 23 I do have a few races planned. Disco is just 9 days away, and I will be competing in my first Olympic race which will consist of a 1500 meter swim, 24 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. The swim is 3 times the distance I've swam in other races, and the bike and run are double. I know I can do all of these distances separately, but putting them together is another story. The unknown is not IF I can complete this. It's HOW I will perform. What will my bike look like coming out of the swim? How much will be left in the tank for the run? My biggest fear is that my race will fall apart on the run.
My last race was going pretty well until the run. I don't know if I pushed myself too hard on the bike, if it was nutrition and hydration issues, or if my training was off. Perhaps it was a combination of all of these factors. My coach had me write a race plan for Disco. That is not something I would have done on my own, but I'm so glad he had me do it. He reviewed it and added some notes for me. I now have a plan for pacing, calorie consumption, and hydration on race day. I may have to tweak my plan during the race and I'm okay with that. I want the race to go well, but I also know that if it doesn't it's not the end of the world. I'll take what didn't work and fix it for my next race.
"One day this pain will make sense to you." I <3 to Run Facebook post
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