Sunshine and Good Friends

Sunshine and good friends are a cure-all. Today was 100% better than yesterday. I'm exhausted, yes, but my attitude was much more positive than yesterday. Jenn and I did the RACC route through Clark County -- I rode a little over 50 miles, she continued on to do the full 65 (and maybe more). It was gorgeous! Then I got my fuzz threaded (I'm on Accutane and can't get brow waxes -- threading turns out to be a great alternative), dropped off the bike for a tune-up at a really awesome shop (Veloce Bikes), a pedicure with my woman of honor Desi, and now some quality couch time. I have my long run tomorrow and then a REST DAY!!!!

Bike: 7:45am, 03:50:44, 53.83 miles
The hills weren't as hard as a couple of weeks ago, although I think I complained a little more than last time. The sun/temperature was amazing and not too much traffic. The only bummer was that I had a minor crash coming to a stop sign (me and my rockin rookie skillz) and banged up my wrist and knee pretty good. Jenn must of thought it looked super cool and did basically the same thing a handful of miles later. But she drew more blood. We're okay, the bikes are okay, and we moved on with our egos mostly okay. About a mile from my house (where I was stopping) Jenn got a flat. On the rear tire of course. But she changed it like a pro. Despite the few random incidents, I had such a fun ride!

Sights on a Rest Day

Only a couple more workouts until a rest day. Based on how I felt after today's run, it can't come soon enough.

Swim: 11:30am, 00:32:53, 1500 meters
300m WU
8 x 50m drills
7 x 100m @ 20sec rest
100m CD

I modified my original 2500m workout b/c this is all that I could get in at lunch. I used fins during the drills -- what a difference! And all of my 100's were under a 2:00 pace. Even though I'm not swimming quite as much as I should, I'm still making some progress and gettin' my swim groove back.

Run: 5:30pm, 00:41:09, 3.18 miles
I made it about 1/3 into the run and was done. I'm starting to get shin splints (or something painful) on the insides of shins and my achilles are acting up. Probably a simple case of "too much too soon". I was also in a crummy mood from a long week at work. So I had two options: 1) call it a day and walk home and enjoy the sunshine or 2) crank the music to full volume, suck it up, and run home. I reasoned that running would get me home sooner than walking, so I blasted the music and gritted my teeth. Unfortunately, 3 high-school wannabe skater boys insisted on hogging the sidewalk and refused to give me an inch of room to get by. Did I mention that I was in a really crummy mood? I plowed on through with a sarcastic "pardon me boys". Good thing I have bigger shoulders than them. Also a good thing that I didn't get my ass kicked. I'll have to work on reigning in the temper.

Faster!

I rode out to the Port of Vancouver for another shot at the 10-mile time trial put on by the Vancouver Bike Club. Sunny. Yay! Windy. Booo... The way out to Frenchman's Bar was rough. I was going as hard as I can and could barely make 17mph. But at the turnaround it was AWESOME! 23mph spinning out. Wooooooo!!!!!!

I ended up with a time of 29min 23sec for an average of 20.35 mph. This was almost a minute faster than last time in worse conditions. Improvement is what keeps me going, so this was a huge boost.

Note: I did not get my swim in (again) this morning. :-( Hoping to get my heiny out of bed in tomorrow and get it done.

Bike 1: 5:30pm, 00:43:33, 9.38 miles
Commute to the time trial and rolling around the parking lot over and over again to stay warm.

Bike 2: 6:30pm, 00:22933, 10 miles
Last time = 19.82 mph
This time = 20.35 mph

Just Another Brick in the Wall...

Day 3 of Week 3 Base Phase

Wednesdays are my short workout days as far as time goes. But they are also my brick days. Bricks are hard. Until about week 15 or so when Saturdays become the big brick days and Wednesdays are the weenie brick days.

Bike: 5:30pm, 00:30:00, 7.20 miles
Trainer ride.

Transition to run: 00:02:00

Run: 6:02pm, 00:15:00, 1.25 miles
POURING rain outside. It was awesome.

Day 2 of Week 3 Base Phase

I slept in my calf compression sleeves last night. I think it helped.

Swim: 12:30pm, 00:37:09, 1800 meters
Straight through. 02:04/100m pace. Was supposed to be 2500m, but I had a doc appt to get to. I'm just happy it isn't the 2:10-2:15 pace from a couple of weeks ago. Gettin' my swim groove back...

Run: 5:30pm, 00:39:52, 2.94 miles
I need to get these GI issues back under control. Clean eating is in my near future if I plan on doing any sort of distance running...

Day 1 of Week 3 Base Phase

This was supposed to be a rest day. But having missed my long run on Sunday, and it being sunny and delicious outside, I couldn't take the rest day. I know. You're not supposed to make up workouts. Just move on. But when the mood to run strikes, I need to take it.

My IM plan has me training by HR and I have had a very difficult time staying in my HR zones on the runs. It sky rockets and stays there. The good news is that as soon as I stop working out, it recovers quickly. I've made a deal with myself to try and stay in my zones for the first month of training and then re-evaluate. The hope is that I can build my aerobic base enough to get my pace up to what it normally is when I'm borderline anaerobic.

Today's plan: 60 minutes of Z2. Since this had a few hills, my plan was to keep the average below 160. My other goal was to not walk. This meant that I had to pay close attention to my monitor and slow to the slowest trot ever at times. The end result was that I was able to keep my HR down...and I had a really nice time. Slow, yes, but nice.

Run: 5:30pm, 01:04:16, 4.94 miles

Week 3 Plan

Week 3, Base Phase

Monday: Rest Day *or* Run 1:00 Z1-Z2 (to make up for Sunday's missed run)

Tuesday: Swim 2500m, Run 0:45 Z2

Wednesday: Bike 0:30 Z2, quick transition, Run 0:15 Z2

Thursday: Swim 2500m, Bike 0:45 Z1 100+ rpm

Friday: Run 1:00 Z2

Saturday: Bike 1:45 Z2

Sunday: Run 1:00 Z2

TOTAL: 8 hours

End of Week 2

Okay, week 2 is done. The good news is that I still feel fantastic and my body is not complaining. I'm tired, yes, but not hurting. The bad news is that I missed 2 workouts: a 2500m swim and a 60min run. However, I have made up the 60min run, so the net result is a missed swim. The plan was for 7 hours and I logged almost 6.5. Not ideal, but not terrible.

The Stats:
Swim - 0.81 hours (2100 meters)
Bike - 4.08 hours (57.81 miles)

Run - 1.51 hours (7.62 miles)

Other - 1min 46sec (transition practice)

TOTAL = 6.43 hours

Weight/Body Progress:

Weight - no change (but after 6 days of period hell, I'm surprised that I'm not up)
Stomach - no change
Hips - no change
Thigh - down another 0.25" (total loss - 0.5")
Bicep - no change

Note: how can I lose 1/2 inch off my thigh and nothing anywhere else? I'm trying to be careful with the tape measure to avoid too much error. Hmm...

Days 5-7 of Week 2 Base Phase

Friday--
Run: 5:30pm, 00:45:00, 3.6 miles
Nice and easy...and enjoyable!

Saturday--
Bike: 8:00am, 03:05:00, 43.80 miles

Another awesome ride with Jenn. We rode with Nadine around Lacamas Lake and then picked up Nikki and did the bridges loop (over I-205 into Portland, along Marine Dr, over I-5 back to Vancouver, and then back to Camas) with a sunny cookie stop at the Farmer's Market. These Saturday rides are becoming my favorite day that I look forward to all week.

Sunday--
I was supposed to do a 60min run, but life got in the way. Errands, housework, and then of course, Mother's Day. So, it became an unscheduled rest day. But not much rest.

Days 2-4 of Week 2 Base Phase

Tuesday--
I woke up late and had to swim at lunch. Only to discover that I had forgotten my swimsuit. So I swapped the Tuesday and Thursday workouts...which means that I have to swim on Friday to avoid having 2 long swim sessions in a row.

Bike: 6:15pm, 00:30:00, 7.20 miles
Trainer ride.

Transition to run: 00:01:46

Run: 6:17pm, 00:13:56, 1.20 miles
This felt really great. Until about 1 mile into it and I almost pooped myself. Whoa! Mad dash back to the house (thank goodness I was running loops around the neighborhood). Apparently peanut M&Ms are not a good fueling strategy for me.

----

Wednesday--
Early morning workouts.

Swim: 5:15am, 00:48:41, 2100 meters
300m WU
8 x 50m drills
16 x 25m @ 10sec rest
1 x 400m @ 20sec rest
16 x 25m @ 10sec rest
200m CD
Total = 2100m
I cut out a set of "8 x 50m drills" due to time. Those take so stinkin long.

Run: 06:30am, 00:31:37, 2.82 miles
Jon's girlfriend, Jessica, joined me for the run this morning. I had a really great time. "Great" and "run" are rarely used in the same discussion for me, so this made me happy.

----

Thursday--
Too many margaritas and too little sleep last night. Ugh.

Bike: 7:30pm, 00:30:00, 6.81 miles
High rpm session on the trainer. Keeping it above 100rpm is really difficult, but I kept it above 95rpm for most of the time.

End of Week 1

The first week of training is done and I feel fantastic! The plan called for 6 hours (2hr swimming, 2hr biking, and 2hr running), but with the Ride Around Clark County my hours bumped up to 11. No aches, pains, creaks, or complaints so far!

The Stats:
Swim - 2.11 hours (5500 meters)
Bike - 6.57 hours (92.83 miles)
Run (mostly walking this week) - 2.28 hours (9.67 miles)
Other - 0.03 hours
TOTAL = 11.00 hours

Weight/Body Progress:

Weight - no change
Stomach - no change
Hips - no change
Thigh - down 0.25"
Bicep - no change

Day 7

On tap for the day was a 45min Z2 run. I decided to swim a bit with Jon, a fellow IMAZer this year. Well, I didn't really swim with him, but in one lane over... Then Nadine met me for a run/walk. It was a great recovery day after RACC.

Swim: 11:15am, 00:17:00, 800 meters
I just swam and rested and chit-chatted as I felt like it. No plan.

Run: 12:00pm, 00:48:11, 3.55 miles
Run/walk.

Ride Around Clark County - 65 Miler

Location: begins and ends at Clark College in Vancouver, WA. Heads east to Camas, up north and then west through beautiful farmland and quiet neighborhoods of Hockinson, Battleground, Ridgefield, and Felida. Then back south to Vancouver.
Distance: 65 miles
Time: 04:45:00 (just under 14mph pace)

My friend Jenn is training for the Livestrong Ride in Seattle next month (a century ride to raise money and awareness in the fight against cancer...drop into the link and donate a few dollars to the cause if you are able). We've been riding together for a few weeks, but our long Saturday rides have been derailed by tired legs and/or rainy weather. We really needed to get the full 65 miles in today. Imagine our disappointment when it began POURING rain last night. The alarm went off around 5am and the rain was still coming down. I could hear puddles splashing every time a car drove by outside the house. The gutters were dripping. The vents were rattling. Ugh.

After some texts, we decided we still wanted to ride. At least start out and see how we ended up feeling. 15 miles into it, we diverted to the gym to get Nadine. Then off around Lacamas Lake and onto the main rest stop at Day Break park in Battleground. The rain kept coming, but it was more of a drizzle and the air temps weren't too cold. By the time we got to the stop, the rain was gone and the sun was trying to peek out from the clouds. It turned into a gorgeous day with really awesome scenery and good friends. Times like these that make life incredible.

(Photo 1 = Jenn & Nadine at Day Break Park rest stop; Photo 2 = me after Felida hill)

I don't need to go into detail about the hills in Felida. If you've been there, you know they suck. But they weren't as bad as last year. And everyone was smiling and laughing, which made it seem not so terrible. Time flew and pretty soon we were rolling into Vancouver and hanging out on the porch with post-ride beverages (mmmm...IPA...). Fantastic day!

(Photo 1: Jenn at my place enjoying a hard-earned recovery drink; Photo 2: me also enjoying a lovely recovery beverage -- the goofy face is because I thought Jenn's pants fell down, but it was just her jacket falling off her waist)

Couple of other notes:
We played a couple of games that I pulled from my Don Fink book --
*every time someone said something negative about themselves, they had to then say something positive outloud...5 times.
*each time we complained, we then had to say something that we are thankful for.

This put a positive spin on the day and I only got caught once! To continue with the good vibes, for the last 20 miles we each said something that we liked in life every time we hit another mile. Some of what we came up with (in no particular order): Mathew McConaughey, peanut M&Ms, good hair days, cute shoes, pasta, our families, the first cup of coffee in the morning, bloody marys. I also spent each mile thinking of someone I know who has battled or is battling cancer. I got this idea from Jenn. And when I ran out of names, I thought about people who have been affected by other illnesses, injuries, or who for various reasons are not fortunate enough to be doing what we take for granted each day. So, yeah, today was a good day.

Day 5

Not much to say here. I ate pretty clean today. I'm tired from the TT.

Instead of a 30min Z2 run, I went for a 45min Z2 walk with Ken. We walked the same loop that I would have ran. I thought it best to save my legs for the 65 miler tomorrow.

Day 4 of Week 1 Base Phase

There are few things better than riding in the sunshine!!! Tonight I did a 10-mile time trial (TT) at Vancouver Lake. Every Thursday night the Vancouver Bike Club puts it on -- it starts at the Port of Vancouver and goes out to Frenchman's Bar and back. Free to members and only $1 for non-members. They even time you and post results! Be there around 6pm to sign in and get your number; racers start getting sent off at 6:30pm. Fortunately for me, it's about 5 miles from the house. So I can ride there and back and get a decent workout in overall.

On the schedule for today was an hour swim and 30min high rpm (100+) bike. I opted for the TT instead of a trainer ride because (1) it was sunny outside!!!, (2) I needed to get my max HR for the bike anyway, and (3) I'm not a big fan of the high rpm workout. It hurts my knees.

Swim: 6am, 00:52:16, 2200 meters
300m WU
8 x 50m drills
3 x 125m @ 20sec rest
2 x 175m @ 30sec rest
3 x 125m @ 20sec rest
4 x 50m drills (supposed to be 8x, but I ran out of time before work)
200m CD
Total = 2200m

Bike 1: 5:30pm, 00:49:06, 10.73 miles
To and from the TT. The way back sucked, but it was a good active recovery for my muscles.

Bike 2: 6:40pm, 00:30:16, 10 miles
First TT of the season. 19.82 mph average. Not too terrible for early in my training. I felt pretty good.
Average HR = 181
Max HR = 185

A Long Way to Go

Day 3 of Week 1 Base Phase

A long way to go...not the race. But the journey to get to the starting line. I have a lot of work to do. When I tell someone that I'm doing an Ironman I usually get a quizzical look and then they say "the whole thing?" Yeah, the whole damn thing. "You mean, by yourself?" Yep, me and my two arms and my two legs and my two feet. I don't get offended, because I don't look like an Ironman. Not YET anyway.

Bike: 5:30pm, 00:30:06, 7.10 miles
Trainer ride b/c the roads were wet and the weather was completely unpredictable.

Transition to run: 00:02:00

Run: 6:02pm, 00:16:03, 1.22 miles
You know, a typical brick run. Sucky. But thankful to be running.

Off to a Good Start

Day 2 of Week 1 Base Phase

The first actual training day is done. Woohoo! I almost didn't get it done, but kept thinking "do I really want to start off the plan by missing a workout?" Um, most definitely not. But I woke up late, then the swim took longer than expected, and I didn't have enough time to get my run in before work. I proceeded to eat too much food during the day and by quitting time I was exhausted and sleepy and bloaty. But I took another peek at my "before" photos and strapped on the running shoes instead of crawling on the couch. I should probably tape those up around the house.

Anyway, day 2 is done! And I'm so excited for IMAZ. Go Team Prick! (aka Team Cacti for the under-age crowd.)

Swim: 6am, 00:57:24, 2500 meters
300m WU
8 x 50m drills
12 x 100m @ 20sec rest
8 x 50m drills
200m CD
Total = 2500m

This was hard. I'm slower than I remember and the drills kicked my butt. Lots of room for improvement. The biggest annoyance was that my swim cap keeps sliding off. Any ideas out there?

Run: 6pm, 00:32:19, 2.4 miles
This was supposed to be 30 minutes in Zone 2. I reach Z2 just by brushing my teeth. So I kept having to walk to bring my HR down and I kept getting more and more annoyed which would bring my HR up. I need to research this a bit more and see what all the theories are on training the run in Z2.

Week 1 Plan

Week 1, Build Phase

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Swim 2500m, Run 0:30 Z2

Wednesday: Bike 0:30 Z2, quick transition, Run 0:15 Z2

Thursday: Swim 2500m, Bike 0:30 Z1 100+rpm

Friday: Run 0:30 Z2

Saturday: Bike 1:00...but I'm doing the 65mile Ride Around Clark County

Sunday: Run 0:45 Z2

TOTAL: 6 hours

Week 1

Week 1 of plan, Week 1 of Base Phase, Day 1

It's started! With a rest day. Who loves a training plan that starts with a rest day? THIS girl (points thumbs at myself). :-)

But I did do training related activities. Like make a few spreadsheets (okay, about 5), take "before" photos, weigh myself, and take measurements. Ken said "see ya in November". Such a dramaqueen. But back to the photos. I've been debating all day on whether to post the "before" photos prior to actually having an "after" photo. It's scary to have all my flaws up for the cyber-world to gawk and point at.

So I decided that 1 photo won't be too embarassing...and if I post one every week, then hopefully it will keep me honest. I'll keep the side view and rear shot for later on. Just be thankful that I'm not subjecting you to a sports bra/tri shorts photo of me at 215 pounds! I will not, however, post any of my measurements -- that's just too much for a girl to handle.

Week 1: 172 pounds

Maximum HR Test

The training plan that I'm using for IMAZ is from the book "Be Iron Fit" by Don Fink. The main things that I like about his methodology are that it is 1) time-based instead of mileage-based and 2) he uses heart rate zones as a way to effectively maximize that time. So in prep for training (starts tomorrow!), I did a maximum heart rate (HR for those reading my blog who don't have the lingo down) test this morning. Since I don't have the bucks for a lab-based test measuring VO2 max, lactate levels, etc., I used a strategy from Joe Friel's book "Total Heart Rate Training." He's also the author of "The Triathlete's Training Bible." Lot's of good stuff in all three of the books I've mentioned.

Anyway, here's the deal for the HR test (done on a treadmill or at a track):
-Warm up for 10 minutes.
-Start a 30 minute time trial. After 10 minutes, hit the "lap" button on the HR monitor.
-The average of the last 20 minutes is your max HR.
-Cool down for 10 minutes.

I did the 10 minute warm up. Then I did the 10 minute start of the time trial and I hit the "lap" button. And then I made it 17 more minutes before I was either going to puke or pass out. Only 17 minutes! Wow, I suck. Then I cooled down for 10 minutes.
The results: average - 187, max - 194

I find that a bit odd since I know I've pushed myself into the 200's without puking OR passing out. The downside of not performing the test under lab conditions is that other factors like fatigue, heat, humidity, etc. can skew the results. But this is a good starting point to set my HR zones. In a couple of months I will re-do the test. Oh...so much fun.

My Zones: