Can you say "Anaerobic"?

This past week was a recovery week.  Or at least a twisted version of one.  It was also a test week, which meant that I spent 3 of the 6 training days getting acquainted with my lactate threshold.  Low volume but high intensity.  Now it's time to spend Sunday afternoon rocking the compression socks and some Jersey Shore on Netflix.  Don't judge.

Swim Test

The first up was the swim test on Tuesday.  I hate very strongly dislike swimming hard.  It's, well, hard.  I always end up with water up my sinuses, my lungs burning, and my heartbeat pounding out of my ears.  I also knew deep down that if I didn't have someone in the pool with me, there was a strong possibility that I wouldn't finish the test.  My good friend Jeff came out to swim with me.  And since he's quite a bit faster, he was able to do the workout with me, work the lap buttons on the Garmin, and play cheerleader.  I got the test done, although I was slower than I had hoped.  But that just means I have ample room for improvement.  I'm almost (almost!) looking forward to the next test to see how much time I knock off the pace.

Bike Test

Thursday night was the bike test.  Since it was dark and raining I had to do this one on the trainer.  Knowing that the television annoys me once I hit zone 4, I cranked up my headphones and did my best to focus and just absorb the pain.  Funny thing, I LOVE hurting on the bike.  Time trials are my happy place.  Except for when it involves hills.  Then I'll take sprints in the pool any day.  I passed this test too (thanks Eminem and Kanye!) and now I have a fresh set of heart rate zones to train with.

Run Test

Test week culminated with the run test on Sunday morning.  My boss was awesome and joined me at the track to help get me through it.  I really do have a great support system!  I didn't pass out.  I didn't puke.  I didn't poop my pants (wouldn't that be embarrassing in front of the boss).  Success!

Weekly Stats:

Swim - 4800 meters 

Bike - 35 miles

Run - 11.86 miles

Total - 6.55 hours

Caution: Cyclists on the Road

********

WARNING - STRONG OPINIONS AHEAD!

********

It's that time of year again (at least in the Pacific Northwest) where the icy mornings begin to give way to sunny afternoons, there is a little more daylight after work, and cyclists put the trainers away and start hitting the road.  HOORAY!!!  Unfortunately, that sentiment isn't necessarily shared by all vehicle drivers.  Especially after a long winter of not seeing us on the road.  Those stupid cyclists in their stupid spandex!  Why don't they ride on the dang sidewalk?  They have no right to be in my lane!  If they are riding on the road, they need to pay more taxes, daggonit!  Oh, the rantings of fat lazy Americans everywhere.

I generally try to keep my blog a happy place.  Free from negativity and politics and debate.  But it is my blog after all, and I feel compelled to share some information that may enlighten the unenlightened.  Yes, I know that calling them "fat lazy Americans" is quite immature and probably won't help my case.  But it made me feel better.  And since I'm an American, am clinically overweight, and tend towards laziness when given the chance, I'm allowed.  I get the feeling that I'm preachin' to the choir here anyway.  So feel free to use these tips next time you find yourself in a debate on the topic.

Let's start with a few factoids:

1) I agree that to the majority of the world, our spandex does indeed look stupid.  But I guarantee that after a 4 hour ride in cotton shorts (or even a 1 hour ride), you will be a convert to the miracle fabric.

2) It is illegal for cyclists to ride on the sidewalk in most cities/states.  And just plain dangerous.  There is no way I could navigate through pedestrians, signs, curbs, and tree roots while hauling at 20+ mph.  So unless a cyclist is riding similarly to a pedestrian walking, they are required to get off the sidewalk and stay on the road.

3) Even if you are in a city where it is legal to ride on the sidewalk, it is also very much legal to ride on the road.  Love us or hate us, we are allowed to be there just as much as the cars are.

And now let me address the taxes bit.  The question "Should bicyclists pay extra taxes?" surfaces in the media on occasion.  Some of my own friends and family members (gasp!) even insist on it.  It inevitably comes up in any debate about cyclists riding on the road.  I think we can all agree that roads are paid for primarily by taxes and tolls.  I think we can also agree that taxes come from federal income tax, state income tax, sales tax, and property tax.  (As well as some taxes that don't apply to the normal US resident.)  Some thoughts:

• The US median household income is around $50,000/year (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009).  Recent polls show that the average household income for triathletes is $126,000/year (USA Triathlon, 2010).  The median income (not household income, mind you) for competitive cyclists is $75,000/year (Active Marketing Group, 2007).  So triathletes/cyclists have about double the taxable income of the rest of the nation.
• The majority of these cyclists are vehicle owners.  I think it's safe to say that many of these vehicles are nicer than those of the general population.  My peer group and the parking lots at race sites are certainly strong examples.  Those vehicle owners have paid sales taxes on those awfully nice and expensive vehicles, they have paid license and registration fees, and continue to pay fuel taxes to operate them.
• The majority of cyclists either own a home and directly pay property taxes on those homes, or they are home renters and indirectly pay those property taxes on a monthly basis.  It's likely that homes owned/rented by cyclists, based on the median household incomes, are much nicer than residences of the general population.  Thus, cyclists are paying more in property taxes than non-cyclists.
• So not only are cyclists contributing their fair share to the public road systems, they are contributing more than the average American.  Even so, paying taxes is not a prerequisite for using the roads.  Children, the unemployed, and foreign visitors all legally use our roads without so much as a single cent paid into the tax system.
• When I'm not riding on the road, you will often find me running on the road.  And sometimes I hold up traffic to cross the street or on a narrow passage where cars can't safely pass me.  How about a foot tax, eh?

Based on the above information, I conclude that the cyclist-hatin' population is either ignorant, or jealous, or both.  There I go again being immature.  Don't be like me.  Some more thoughts:

• People who exercise are healthier and therefore are less demanding on the health care system.  Obesity-related medical costs are estimated at $147 billion.  Per YEAR!  Smoking-related medical costs are also staggering - $97 to $137 billion per year, depending on the source.  Health costs for alcoholic related issues are over $20 billion per year.  Care to guess how much bicycle-related injuries cost?  $5 billion per year.  (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009.)
• Cycling emits about 100% less emissions than vehicles do.  Whether you are a super-green activist concerned about greenhouse gases, or a devout conspiracy theorist who thinks global warming was invented for financial gain by the government, you can't argue that bikes still produce less emissions than motorized vehicles.
• Semis, cars, and trucks all cause damage to the roads.  Earthquakes cause damage to the roads.  Floods cause damage to the roads.  Construction causes damage to the roads.  Bikes do not.

But we do need to do our part.  So y'all, just a reminder to wear your helmets, stay as far to the right as you safely can, stop at the stop signs (okay okay, most of them), definitely stop at the stop lights, signal signal signal, and generally be respectful to those around you.  And if you still get honked/yelled at or buzzed or things thrown at you, here is some advice that I've found quite effective.  Blow a big ol' sloppy kiss at the jerk wad and wave like they're your long lost cousin.  They LOVE that.

Ca-Ching!

I just wrapped up Week 2 with my new coach, Elizabeth from Multisport Mastery.  I turned in a little over 10 hours of solid swim/bike/run.  Money in da bank!  Figuratively speaking, of course.  In real life, money is flying out the windows...for food, and electricity for the water heater.  I had forgot how Ironman training life develops into the following formula:

Weekday -
Sleep, Eat, Train, Shower, Eat, Work, Eat, Train, Shower, Work, Eat, Train, Bubble Bath, Eat, Sleep


Weekend -
Sleep, Eat, Train, Shower, Eat, Nap, Eat, Laundry, Nap, Eat, Train, Bubble Bath, Eat, Sleep

Those formulas are probably why I have so much difficulty slimming down during training.  For right now, I'm going to focus on getting into a routine and let my body get used to the work load.  Weight loss will come later.  And although I'm no doubt consuming much more than I need to be, I'm trying to make sure that what I eat is helpful for either recovery or to fuel the next workout.  Well, except for the french fries I'm mowing down while writing this.  One thing at a time here.

Some highlights from the week:

1) On the menu for Tuesday's lunch was a 3250 meter swim laced with some lovely short sprints intervals.  Keep in mind that I've been in the pool about a dozen times.  Since 2009.  Which means that swimming over 500 meters is sort of challenging.  My very first assigned workout last week was a 3000 meter swim.  This was after I mentioned that I haven't been swimming and I don't like the pool.  Gotta love that.  I like how she rolls.  For you non-triathlete readers, the Ironman distance swim is 2.4 miles, or 3860 meters.  In 2009 I think I went over 3000 in training only twice (see above note about my anti-love of the pool).  I do believe I'll be in good shape for the swim this go-round.  Thanks coach!

2) I met up with Julie for an early morning run on Friday.  Due to work and other obligations, I finished up my Thursday workouts at around 10pm.  My legs were not amused when I woke them up at 5am for more fun.  When we hit the turn-around point, I devised a super secret plan to get Julie to leave me so that I could quit running as soon as she was out of sight.  However, she knows me quite well and was devising her own super secret plan to counter my super secret plan.  She cracked the whip and made sure there was no walking until I was safely in the driveway.  That's friendship right there.

3) Riding outside.  So rad!

Weekly Training Totals:

Swim - 5550 meters

Bike - 74.80 miles

Run - 16.13 miles

Total - 10.33 hours

Next up: Test week.  Oh YAY!

Beyond the Red Barn

On Monday afternoons, for as long as I've been doing triathlon, a group of cyclists meet in Vancouver, WA for something called "Beaches".  It's a ride that starts in the parking lot of Beaches Restaurant (great happy hour and awesome bartenders Michaels and Terry), and heads out towards Vancouver Lake along the deserted flat country roads.  It's a fast and furious ride in a paceline, sometimes hitting 30+ mph.  I never could hang on for the entire ride, but I often made it to at least the turnaround at the red barn.

Yes, I know it's not red.  But the rusted roof is red-ish.  And that's just what it's called.  The Red Barn.

I don't join the Beaches crew anymore, but I do still ride the route when I want a set number of miles and don't want to think about directions or traffic or anything other than getting in the aerobars and zoning out.  And when I ride Beaches by myself, I still turn around at the red barn.  I had no idea until today what was beyond the barn, so I kept on riding, thinking I was on some big adventure.  About a minute later the road dead ended at Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.  In a gravel parking lot filled with illegally dumped trash, big trucks with 15" lifts, and a weird mix of 80 year old couples, skateboarding teenagers, and camo-covered old dudes.  I'll be turning around at the red barn from now on.

I woke up this morning mentally prepared for a 2.5 hour ride on the trainer.  It was rainy and windy and stormy outside.  Not good bike riding weather.  I had resigned to watching reality tv reruns on Netflix and developing saddle sores from sitting in the same position for that long.  But I had to go into work and postpone training until later in the day.  This turned out to be a wonderful blessing (as working on a Saturday morning rarely does).  By the time I got home, the wind had died down and the sun was beginning to peak out from the dark clouds.  And it just smelled different outside.  Like spring was peering around the corner and secretly trying to warm things up.  For the first time since last fall, I ventured outside without a beanie or heavy jacket.  Or even pants.  Look, SHORTS!

And SUN! (Yes, I know I need to remove the race sticker residue from the helmet.  But I've been bu-sy and haven't had much time for making myself look even cooler.)

To end this fairly long story about a fairly short ride, I'll just say that it was MAH-velous to feel the road under my wheels and get some real mileage in.  I wrapped it up with some short climbing in northern Vancouver and then a nice cool down in my neighborhood.  Almost 40 miles at just under a 15mph pace.  I'm a lot slower than I should be at this point in the training, but I'll get there.  Especially if we keep having Saturdays like this.  Hooray!

P.S.  This is for Macey.  MOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!

A New Start

I finally did what I don't do very often.  I admitted that I'm not capable of doing something myself.  And I'm so happy that I did.  There was no way that I was going to get to the starting line, let alone the finish line, of IMCdA on the path that I was on.  Thankfully, Elizabeth from Multisport Mastery agreed to take me on.  Blogger world, meet coach.  From now through June (and possibly November), she is the madness behind my method.

Week 1 started off with a bang, but not one loud enough to completely scare me away.  For the first time (ever!) I nailed all of my scheduled workouts.  And it felt like every single minute had a purpose.  No junk miles.  No lillydallying on the trainer while texting friends, or stopping at the wall every 50m to chat with someone in the lane next to me.  So I'm kicking up my compression sock covered feet and basking in the awesomeness of a solid week.  For like 5 minutes.  Because week 2 is getting underway.

Swim: 5500 meters
Bike: 56.25 miles (trainer miles, estimated at 15mph)
Run: 14.55 miles
Total: 8.63 hours

Figuring It Out

I'm baaaack.  Hello again, interwebz.  The hiatus was much needed, and now I'm TOTALLY REJUVENATED.  And by TOTALLY REJUVENATED, I mean "really freakin tired and I'm going to just fake it until I believe it".  I naively thought that taking a break from structured workouts, blogging, and the seemingly unimportant parts of life would magically make things calm and structured and less crazy.  Hahahahahaha.  It's okay, you don't have to hide your snickering.  In reality, it just made more time available for the things that were stressing me out in the first place.  And suddenly my calendar wasn't open for things like lunch dates and happy hour and drawn out phone conversations with my homegirls.  And, um, running/biking/swimming.

So, I'm back.  And I know that my millions of blogger fans have missed me.  What?  You haven't?  Oh...  Regardless, I've missed me.  Clearly, I haven't figured out how to balance everything and make it work.  But like everything else that has happened over the last 30+ years, I'll Figure It Out.  I always do.

With just over 4 months to go until Ironman Coeur d'Alene, I've got some major catching up to do.  Instead of following Fink's "Be Iron Fit" 30-week plan, I'm jumping ship and using a 20-week plan.  I need something different this time around.  Less predictable and more interesting.  And you know, there's like only 20-weeks left.  I'm not sure exactly which 20-week plan I'll be using.  But I'll figure it out.  Hey, maybe I'll even get a coach.  And I'm not totally starting from scratch here.  I've been training about 4-8 hours a week, depending on whether I worked until 5pm or 9pm.  And depending on how many 12am-3am phone calls I received.  I've been in the pool a few times, been riding 20-40 miles on Saturdays, and getting reacquainted with the running kicks gifted to me c/o Mother Nature.  So stay tuned for weekly training updates and my progress towards becoming a 2x Ironman.

And really, what's the worst that can happen here?  It would be not crossing the finish line before midnight.  In the wide world of life, if that's the worst thing that can happen to me, I've got it pretty damn good.  To quote Norman Stadler, "I have no powa [power]".  Oh wait wrong quote.  Let's try this again, "tomorrow will come and the sun will still rise and the sun will still set".  Or something like that.  He's a wise one, that Norman.

In case you're wondering what I've been up for the last month or so:

I went to Mexico with my Mom.  Where I did actually work out a few times.  I also drank about 300 margaritas.  So we'll just call that a wash.

I became a Luchador.

I took up whitewater kayaking again.  Because, you know, I have this abundance of free time that is just begging for more activities.  Paddling is almost as good for the soul as early morning fall runs on crunchy leaves through red, orange, and yellow trees.

 I had a great day with my family in Tacoma.  I love them.

 I made cuppycakes!

And redecorated the bedroom.  It's a work in progress, actually.  For instructions on how to make an awesome headboard like this one, go here.

And lots of other things that I didn't take pictures of.  Thanks for coming back to read my ramblings after the self-imposed time out.  Hang on, because it's going to get a tad cuckoo for the next 20 weeks!

Hiatus

Me is taking one.  It's just a short break.  From the blog mostly.  From structured training a little bit.  See you on the flip side.

Week 5 Recap

This was only slightly better than the Week 4 failure.  But in my own defense, it was another holiday week.  I used the last few days of 2010 to get all of the laziness out of my system.  Hopefully it's all out of my system, because the training volume is about to make a sharp vertical tilt.  I'm half-way through the base phase of the plan.  Another 5 weeks until the build phase starts and the 20 weeks of "real" training begins.

Lessons Learned This Week

1) When riding outside in sub-freezing weather, it is imperative that you wear either very warm/thick socks, or more than one pair.  And those socks should be something more substantial than mesh lightweight triathlon socks.

This isn't the most flattering picture, but I want y'all to see how COLD I was. But you can't really see "cold" in photos, so just imagine frozen appendages. And I need to get the race sticker gunk off my helmet.

2) If your lips are as blue as the background of this blog, it's time to turn around and go home.

3) Running at your normal pace, after a couple of weeks of not much running, leads to incredibly sore legs.  At least the view was nice.

Plan vs. Actual

Volume
Swim: 0 meters
Bike: 46.22 miles
Run: 6.25 miles
Strength: 1.12 hours
TOTAL = 5.43 hours (yikes, 3 hours below target)

Weight Loss

Let's just say that the holiday bloat is NOT making me very happy.  No, I don't want to talk about it.  Yes, I'm working on it...

Week 6 Plan
Mon - rest
Tue - swim 1:00, run 1:00
Wed - bike 0:45, brick run 0:15
Thu - swim 1:00, bike 1:00
Fri - run 1:00
Sat - bike 2:00
Sun - run 1:00
TOTAL = 9 hours (+ strength)

2011 Goals

I'm not so big on resolutions, because I always feel like such a failure when about 2 days into the new year I've already broken them all.  And then where do you go from there?  I do like to set goals though.  Maybe it's just semantics, but I like the idea of goals better than resolutions.  And I've gone far too long without re-evaluating my short and long term goals, so the start of 2011 seems like as good of a time as any to reassess and lay out my priorities.

2011
- Be kinder to myself
- Half marathon PR
- Reconnect with friends
- Finish 2 Ironmans, healthy and happy
- Finally reach a BMI that isn't "overweight"
- Stick to a budget...so that I can travel

January
- Nail 90% of my planned workouts (equal to missing only 1 workout/week)
- No eating out unless it's protein/salad/soup (but happy hours with Julie are allowed!)
- Swim!

2010 In Pictures

2010 In Review

I set some pretty ambitious goals for myself heading into 2010.  But I didn't leave much room for the rest of life.  Coming off a packed-to-the-brim-events-every-month 2009 race schedule and Ironman year, a wedding, and a work load that was exponentially gaining traction, it turns out that what I really needed was a hiatus of sorts.  Some time to focus on not focusing.  Or at least focus on other things.

Status Check

Get closer to my goal weight of 145lb.  Not really.  Despite some losses and gains throughout the year, I'm starting 2011 at almost the exact weight that I started 2010.  From about the age of 16, I spent the next 10 years of my life gaining 5-10 pounds a year.  So being relatively stable is better than that alternative.

Run at least a mile every day for a month. Check! I kicked off last January with this challenge and ended up running almost 100 miles in 32 consecutive days. I'm contemplating doing this again. There is something refreshing about filling up the blank slate of the new year with daily miles on the feet.

Break 30min in a 5k.  Check!

Break 22mph at the VBC Thursday night time trials.  I only did 2 of the TTs this year, so that was a no go.  But it's a good one to keep on the list for 2011.

PR at Vineman 70.3.  Ummm...no.  What do you call the exact opposite of a PR?  A PW (personal worst)?  But I still had a great time and there was enough laughter to keep my cheeks as sore as my legs.  That's a win.

Swim 250,000 meters.  28,316 meters.  Oh...I'm only about 220,000 meters short.  Hah!  The pool and I had a falling out this past year.  But we've started courting each other again and I foresee a blooming relationship.  At least until I depart for Tempe in November.

Bike 4000 miles.  1357 miles.  No excuses here.  I just chose the couch over the saddle too many times.

Run 900 miles.  627 miles.  I really put in the effort on this one.  Despite yet another stress fracture and no Ironman training, I still bested my 2009 total by over 30 miles.

I never did reassess and reset my goals, but I'm moving forward without beating myself up too much.  I took the break that I needed and made some huge gains in other aspects of my life.  So I'm cutting myself some slack, not allowing any guilt to set in about what I didn't accomplish, and looking ahead at what I know is going to be another phenomenal year.  More on that in a future post.

Before we move on to the next year, let's take a look back at the awesomeness of 2010, shall we?...

My first real trail run and race at Hagg Lake.  My second stand alone marathon, and PR, in Eugene.  The annual trek to the Lochsa River in Idaho.  A week in paradise on the island of Kauai.  I spectated at Ironman Coeur d'Alene, and then signed up for next year.  Vineman 70.3 in the beautiful valleys of northern California with great friends, complete with family visits and wine tasting.  A hilly century ride, off-the-couch, with no prep time.  Feeding my soul with another successful Hood-to-Coast relay.  Discovered the magic of TRX (thanks Jenn! and Brian!).  I volunteered at some ultra-marathons and tried to gain insight on their magical gravitational pull.  My third stand alone marathon, on the soggy puddle-laden streets of Portland.  Running in a half marathon with my Mom!!!  I got to meet Dean Karnazes.  I signed up for Ironman Arizona again, and started the 30-week program in prep for IMCdA.  I laughed.  A lot.

Week 4 Recap: The Meaning of Recovery

This week was the epitome of recovery.  Not so much a needed break from training, but time for my body to recoup from the invasion of the mega germs.  A throat virus turned into a sinus infection and completely knocked me down for the week.  Fortunately, laziness is generally accepted this time of year without a lot of associated guilt.  Unfortunately, my appetite never went away and I continued to inhale all of the Christmas goodies surrounding me, but didn't have the energy to work any of it off.

This was my view for the last several days.  Curled up on an overstuffed chair/ottoman, snuggled under the race t-shirt quilt handmade by my Mom (isn't it the awesomest thing ever?!?!), with either the Kindle (another gift from Mom) or a knitting project on my lap, and football or Dexter on in the background.

Memorable Training Moments

There wasn't a whole lot of training going on this week, but there were still a couple of highlights:

- Santa brought me a Garmin cadence sensor for the bike, which is compatible with my 310XT.  Pretty rad, especially since my bike computer recently crapped out and I've been training without cadence.  The stars aligned just right and the weather held off long enough on Saturday for me to do my long ride outside.  OUTSIDE!!!  I haven't ridden off the trainer in about 4 months.  Soul food!

- Speaking of ugly feet, another freakin' toenail fell off.  Just when I had them finally looking all pretty again.  If only there was a toenail fairy...



Plan vs. Actual

Don't laugh.

Volume
Seriously, don't laugh.
Swim: 0 meters
Bike: 38.82 miles
Run: 2.55 miles
Strength: 1.00 hour
TOTAL = 4.27 hours

Weight Loss

I'm going to practice a little self-kindness and not go there this week.  I'll get back on the scale for the next weigh-in, but for right now, I am giving myself a pass.

Week 5 Plan

This week starts the second build of the base phase.  In case you're just picking up on this blog, I'm following Don Fink's competitive 30-week plan.  It consists of a 10 week base phase, a 10 week build phase, and a 10 week peak/taper phase.  The entire plan follows the format of a 3 week build followed by a 1 week recovery.

Mon - rest

Tue - swim 1:00, run 0:45

Wed - bike 0:30, brick run 0:15

Thu - swim 1:00, bike 0:45

Fri - run 1:00

Sat - bike 1:45

Sun - run 1:00

TOTAL = 8:00 (+ strength)

Training Songs

I'm constantly perusing the internets looking for new songs to add to my playlists.  So I suppose it's only fair that I make my contribution in case all the rest of you are looking for new tunes as well.  So here are some selections working their way through my current rotation.  But consider yourself warned.  My playlists have titles like "Portland Marathon Biatch", "Dance Party Cleaning Time", "Dance Party Wicked Awesome", "Hip Hop Gangsta Yo", and "Run Til My Brains Fall Out".  The genres range from hard core heavy metal to twangy country to street rap to oldies (go Neil Diamond!) to classical to bubble gum pop.  Sometimes I like a crazy fast hypno beat, and sometimes I like the slowest most depressing crap in the world.  It all depends on my mood, which can change at least 10 times during those longer runs.  You gotta be prepared.

I make no apologies for this list.  But I should note that I don't necessarily listen to these songs when I'm not running.  Or having a crazy wicked awesome dance party while cleaning.  In no particular order (except for alphabetical by artist last name and then by song, because that's how I roll)...

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight

Apocalyptica - One

Sara Bareilles - King of Anything

Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit)

Eminem - Lose Yourself

Eminem (feat. Rihanna) - Love the Way You Lie

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

Billy Idol - Rebel Yell

Kamelot - Ghost Opera

The Low Life - You Are Everything

Bob Marley - Three Little Birds

Laura Marling - Blackberry Stone

Natalie Merchant - Not in This Life

The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Queen - Killer Queen

Rihanna - Only Girl In The World

Rihanna (feat. Drake) - What's My Name?

The Script - Breakeven

The Shins - New Slang

Paul Simon - Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes

Nina Simone - Sinnerman

Regina Spektor - Us

Spiderbait - Black Betty

Nico Stai - One October Song

Swoon - Panic Switch

Underworld - Born Slippy

Melissa Yearsley - Playing Things By Ear

You're welcome.  Or I'm sorry.  I know my music-snob friends are cringing right now.  I'll update periodically if I find brilliant additions that need to be shared.

Come on, "Ugly Feet"?

I recently stumbled across the "stats" tab for my blog.  It tells me how many followers I have, how many hits this blog receives at any given time, and among many other bits of useless information it also tells me which google phrases take people of the interwebz to this very spot.  Don't worry, it doesn't give me any personal or identifying information.  So you can still stalk me anonymously.

Some of the funnier, and slightly insulting, search terms used to find me:

"pain rub" (what does that mean, anyway?  and why was someone searching for that?)

"ironman pain"

"ironman jog"  (okay, I know that I rarely do anything that qualifies as a "run", but "jog"?  ugh.)

and my personal favorite...
"ugly feet"

Yep, ugly feet.  First of all, who in the heck is sitting at their computer one evening googling "ugly feet"?  And why?  To make you feel better that your ugly feet aren't quite as ugly as mine?  Certainly not because you enjoy looking at ugly feet.  Right?  Second, why would somone googling that end up here?  I know, I've got some jacked up dogs, especally during marathon season.  And I've even posted photos, mostly so that you can feel sorry for me.  But I'm still puzzled as to how this particular blog turned up on the results page for that particular search phrase.

If you're curious, and have not eaten within the last several hours, go ahead and google it.  Seriously, do it.  And then click on images.  Go ahead.  Now that you're done puking and back to reading this post, I can assure you that NONE of the photos that triggered your gag reflex are my feet.  Ick.

Moving along...

Most of the readers obviously live in the United States, but it appears that I'm building quite the "fan" base in Germany and Russia.  They must sense my fondness for good beers and vodka.  Prost!  Budem!

And apparently this blog has become quite the go-to place for those searching for reviews on Cobb Saddles.  Still loving mine, by the way!

Week 3 Recap: Almost

Training wise, I **almost** nailed it.  Almost.  Nutrition wise, it was another fail.  I know from past experience that I can train hours and hours and hours a week, but if I don't get the nutrition part nailed down, the weight loss will never happen.

The highlight reel:

A few too many happy hours.  French fries and vodka crans.  Tall.  Which means "vodka vodka with extra vodka with a splash of juice" when you know the bartender.  I'm surprised that I'm not sweating vodka these days.  Or spontaneously speaking Russian.  I ate 6 cookies in one sitting during a late night spreadsheet marathon at work.  Or maybe it was 8.  Followed by a few servings of butterscotch fudge.  Take out food for lunches and dinners.  And leftover take out for breakfasts.  Sodium.  Bloat.  Yuck.  Bonbons and multiple tropical drinks at an Ironman party.  Followed by cookies and treats throughout the day.  Even while on the trainer.  But I remembered to take my iron supplements and multi-vitamins.  So that's good.

Memorable training moments

- Another killer TRX workout with Jenn.  We mixed it up with some kettle bells.  Kettle balls?  Bells?  I think it's bells.

- Catching the last bit of daylight during a mid-week run.  And then getting to watch the sunset along the waterfront.  It was super cold and windy, but the fresh air felt good to breathe in.

- Ironman Party!!!  Okay, so this wasn't really training, but it sorta counts because we geeked out about triathlon for like 4 hours straight.  Macca!  On the Wheaties box!

- Almost 2 hours on the trainer.  Wearing running compression shorts instead of tri shorts.  Do you know the difference?  Running shorts have a vertical seam down the center.  You can imagine the horror.
- I had to work all day on Sunday, so I missed my planned long run/swim/TRX.  But I still managed to get out the door to salvage the last part of the day.  I was met with sideways rain, sleet, snow, and hail.  I made it about 4 miles before ducking into a local bar for peppermint patties and Neil Diamond sing-alongs.  I *heart* Neil Diamond.

Plan vs. Actual

Volume

Swim: 1500 meters

Bike: 42.75 miles

Run:  13.52 miles

Strength: 0.75 hours

Total = 6.76 hours

Weight Loss

Big whoppin surprise...

1 pound gain for the week.

4.4 total loss.

20.6 pounds to go!

Week 4 Plan

My first recovery week after a 3 week build.  Which coincides nicely with Christmas week.  Now if only I can stay away from all of the treats.

Mon - rest

Tue - swim 1:00, run 0:30
Wed - bike 0:30, brick run 0:15
Thu - swim 1:00, bike 0:30
Fri - run 0:45
Sat - bike 1:30
Sun - run 1:00

TOTAL = 7:00 (+ strength)

Tis The Season

Dear germs,

Please go away.  I have played host to you once already this season.  I have things to do, workouts to check off, and deadlines to meet.  I have called in the Theraflu task force to serve your eviction notice.  But if you insist on sticking around a bit longer, you could at least kill my appetite for Christmas cookies, mmmkay?

Week 2 Recap: Better Than Last Week

It would be difficult to do worse than last week, but I really made a decent effort this week to fit in the training and make some better choices.  So, I'm giving myself a solid B+ for effort.  Execution, however, is more in the C+ range.   Lots of room for improvement.

Memorable training moments

- Ridiculous amounts of laundry full of spandex.  Showering 3 times a day (morning, after lunch workout, after evening workout).  Consuming embarrassing quantities of food (y'all, I ate half of my boss' boss' lunch one day...and am still catching hell for it).  Twitchy legs when I'm trying to sleep.  These are the training memories that you suppress and forget about.  But there's something familiar and comforting about it all.

- Googly goggle eyes even several hours after getting out of the pool.  I just love looking like I've aged 10 years.

- Doing my Sunday morning run in a running skirt and t-shirt.  In December.  It poured on me most of the time, but it stayed around 60 degrees.  I'm thankful that I didn't run on Saturday with almost an inch of rain and howling winds.

Plan vs. Actual

Volume

Swim: 2600 meters - weak sauce, but things are improving.

Bike: 28.75 miles - way too much trainer time.  I might just have to brave the weather this coming week.

Run: 11.46 miles - I only skipped one run this week and still ended up with really low mileage.  After coming off a marathon schedule, it's weird to have numbers like this.  I should enjoy it while it lasts.

Strength: 0.75 hours

Total = 6.07 hours

Weight Loss

4 pound loss for the week.  Woohoo!!!

5.4 total loss.

19.6 pounds to go!

Week 3 Plan

Mon - rest

Tue - swim 1:00, run 0:45

Wed - bike 0:30, brick run 0:15

Thu - swim 1:00, bike 0:45

Fri - run 1:00

Sat - bike 1:45

Sun - run 1:00

Plus strength

TOTAL = 8:00 (+ strength)