Monday, May 23, 2011

Weekly Recap: TITS

Lots of TITS this week.  TITS = Time In The Saddle.
Peak week #1 (there's one more left) went okay.  I missed my key swim workout.  Not so worried.  And my key run workout.  Very worried.  But I rode almost 200 miles this week.  And finally nailed my nutrition and pacing on the bike.  My 114 mile bike/4 mile run was AWESOME.  I felt peppy, my legs were fresh after the ride, and I wasn't sore afterwards (except for the, um, lady bits).  My race kit tested out beautifully.  My new bike fit was cozy.  And it was my first long training day in the SUN!  It was just the confidence boost that I needed right now.

Swim - 2700 meters (well that's embarrassing now that I see it written down)
Bike - 194.27 miles
Run - 13.85 miles (hmmm, not feeling so good about that either)
Strength - 25 minutes
Total = 18.03 hours

I get a rest week, one more monster week, and then taaaaaaaper time.  Oh, taper.  We shall have so much fun together! Friends, family, and coworkers - you have now been warned.

The notorious hills of Felida?  Ain't no thang!

Speaking of sun.  Sunscreen.  Use it.  Don't be like me.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Gooey

Gels.  They are everywhere.  Not including the enormous cabinet in the kitchen dedicated to training nutrition.  Stickiness has consumed the household.  Those of you who know me in real life know that I am a housecleaning freak.  Everything is spotless and in it's place and arranged at precise angles.  Usually.  So now you know the reason why we don't have house guests during Ironman season.

Various locations in the pain cave.

In the bento box (and scattered on the floor around the trainer).

In both fuel belts.

On the passengers seat of my car (and in the side panels, and in Ken's car, and on the floorboards).

In the washing machine.  I know, seriously.

In the bathroom.

And all of the other locations that didn't get captured on camera before someone picked them up.  "Someone" not meaning me.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Weekly Recap: Making Progress

It was a mixed bag this week.  I got by.  With a little help.  From my friends.

Swim - 8820 meters
Bike - 144.65 miles
Run - 17.33 miles
Total - 17.23 hours

First open water swim of the year!  I met up with my Beginner Triathlete friend, Bonnie, at Klineline Pond for an after-work dip one night.  It was awesome to finally meet her in person.  The water was chilly, but tolerable, and we were able to stay in the water for about a half hour.  Hopefully I'll get a few more sessions in before race day.  The biggest lesson learned?  I need a new wetsuit!  This one is too big and it drags and isn't very flexible in the shoulders.  I keep putting off the purchase hoping I'll lose weight.  Time to buck up and just get one already.
Julie rallied with me for 35 miles of WIND on the bike on Friday night (after my 4200 meter swim).  Unfortunately I didn't snap any pictures while we were out there.  But here's one from my marathon session in the pool before the ride.
The highlight of the week was meeting up with Bonnie again on Saturday morning for the longest bike ride of the year so far.  We started in Beaverton, headed out to Hagg Lake, did a few laps around the lake, and then back to Beaverton.  Total distance was a little over 90 miles, with about 5000' of climbing.  I am much slower than I would like to be at this point.  But I'm trying to be thankful for just having the ability to ride.  Speed is just icing.  And we don't always need to have the icing.

My savior from a trip to Bonk Town - POPTARTS!
And you know you're in good cycling country when you see signs like this on the rural stores.

I topped off the week with a swim, run, and recovery ride.  And a trip to Athletes Lounge for some triathlon bling!!!!


Monday, May 9, 2011

Weekly Recap: Hard

Some weeks are just hard.  This was one of them. 
Julie and I were talking about this photo the other day.  That's me, working my way through a few levels of personal hell at Ironman Arizona 2009, about to be passed (lapped?) by Mr. Thumbs Up Guy.  From my fuzzy Ironman memory, this was somewhere between miles 4 and 10 of the marathon.  The heat was bearing down on me.  I had been puking and couldn't keep anything down.  My stomach was beyond bloated.  My feet were starting to blister.  And I was trying to grasp the concept that I may feel this way for another 16-22 miles.  But check it out - I'm sucking it up, moving forward, one foot in front of the other.  And eventually things got better.  It cooled off, I was able to start eating again, and my feet eventually just went numb.  And I had the Best...Time...Of...My...Life.

My body is refusing to lose any weight at all.  The little aches and pains that come with the training load are making themselves known.  The blows at work keep coming.  Chores, mail, and laundry are stacking up to a disgusting level.  The weather has made me it's little bitch.  But you know what?  Gotta keep on moving forward.  And I have to believe that things will get better.
Some bursts of sunshine during my week:
- Jessica kick boarding next to me during an entire 1:45 pool running session.
- Coworkers who rallied and doubled my fundraising in one single morning. (Go here.)
- A Mom who listens to my daily bitching updates every morning on the drive into work.  Mostly egocentrically talking about myself and training.
- A husband who brews coffee each morning and fixes dinner (and pre-dinner and post-dinner) each night because I'm too busy or too tired.
- Julie laughing with me while I bawled on the side of the road in the pouring rain with another 4 hours to go.
Weekly Totals:
Swim - 6350 meters
Bike - 136.75 miles
Run - 19.21 miles
Total = 15.66 hours

Monday, May 2, 2011

Weekly Recap: Recovery

Ahhhh, recovery week.  How many of you long and yearn for some rest days, and then absolutely hate it when they get here?  I turn into a complete and utter MONSTER.  A grouchy, bitchy, stomping-my-feet-everywhere monster.  Who eats anything and everything I can get my hands on.

So I filled my time with distractions.  I worked a lot.  I baked 3 dozen cupcakes and 4 dozen cookies for friends and coworkers.  We rearranged the furniture in all but one room of the house.  And redecorated the living room and main bedroom.  I took a 13 hour "nap".  And got a really long massage.  About 10 loads of laundry finally got done.  I spent an afternoon with my best homegirl.  Had an overdue dinner date with the hubby.  And went on no less than 3 coffee dates with girlfriends.  However, the fridge is still empty, because I really hate grocery shopping. (Mom?  Will you please come visit again?  Please?)

Oh, and I still did some training.  Obviously I have some work to do on my mental game, but y'all, physically things pretty much sucked too.  I couldn't hold even a 2:10 pace in the pool.  I got schooled on the bike by someone who was hungover and soft pedaling (in my defense, she's really really fast).  And I topped out at a 12 minute mile.  I'm trying to buy into Coach Liz's "cumulative fatigue" theory, but it's always disappointing when you aren't able to do what you think you should be capable of.  Moving forward!

Swim - 4000 meters
Bike - 42.1 miles
Run - 8.44 miles
Strength - 0:25
Total - 6.43 hours

Photos! Fun!

Washington's version of "spring" during a long run.  Shortly after the taking of this photo I was covered in hail, followed by sun, followed by gale force winds and heavy downpour.  Followed by sun.  And hail.  At the same time.

Return of the ice baths!

My Mom came to visit.  Yay!  She played Zombies on her iPad...  while I did intervals on the trainer.  She did come run with me afterwards though.  And she cooked a freezer and a half of meals.  And ironed.  And grocery shopped.  I love Moms.  My Mom, specifically.

Packages on the doorstep during Ironman season are the best!  This is the first chance I had to try the new PowerBar Perform formula.  SO MUCH better than Gatorade.  It has my seal of approval.  The sad thing about this photo?  This might get me through June.

More "spring" in Washington during a bike ride.  Unfortunately, the race course in Idaho probably looks quite similar.