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:

2009 Shamrock Run 5k

In the days leading up to the Shamrock Run this year, the weather was cold and windy and rainy. I hadn't been running much, and wasn't all that interested in participating. With the exception that I love dressing up in costume and didn't want to miss out. My friend, Julie, wanted to run the 5k and offered to run with me. So the day before the run I made my way over to the Adidas campus and got us officiallized.

Race: 2008 Shamrock Run 5k
Location: Portland, OR
Distance: 5k (3.1 miles)
Time: 00:30:04 (9:42 min/mile pace)

Pre-race: Like usual, I ate a PB&J, made a to-go cup of coffee, and geared up. Like last year, I donned the green tutu, green bra/undies, blinking shamrock nipples, and tiara. But this year I switched up the week for a much more ridiculous version, and added the most fantastic pair of bug sunglasses. Unlike last year though, Ken offered to chauffer us downtown so that we didn't have to deal with the Max train and walking around in the pouring rain. What a great guy!

Warm Up: Huddled and did the ritual waiting in line for the porta-pottie. Then we tried to seed ourselves in the huge mass of people. This year there were over 20,000 people in all of the events -- a 5,000 increase over 2008!

Run: Crowded!!!! We had to walk/run/stop/walk/run/stop/run for the first few hundred meters, which was incredibly frustrating. I do not understand why walkers and people with huge baby strollers insist on placing themselves up front with the 7 minute milers. Sorta like the elderly person driving 25 mph in the fast lane on the interstate. Argh! But we did some quick-foot maneuvers to get around those that we could and finally got up to a good pace right about the time we came to the mile long hill.

If you know me, or read my race reports, you know that I do not like hills. At all. This isn't a steep hill, but it's long. Julie was great at keeping me moving. Had she not been there, I would most likely have walked a good portion of the race. She often asked, "Sarah, are you uncomfortable?" If I replied with a cold glare in her direction she would respond "okay, good good." If I replied with a verbal response, she would run a bit faster.

Pretty soon (it was only a 5k run after all!) we were on the downhill stretch on our way to the finish line. I was elated to see that we may have broken the 30 minute barrier -- sort of a brick wall for me. Unfotunately, we were 4 seconds short of that, but it was still a PR for me. Yay!

Post-run: BEER GARDEN!!! An important note to those who like free beer: crazy costumes get you lots of beer tickets. We had more than our fare share of fun and then I was in bed by 11:45am.

Accomodations Are Booked

We have our condo booked for IMAZ! Well, almost booked. I waiting for the contract to be emailed and then I'll send in my deposit. We're staying about 1/2 mile south of the lake, right next to where I'll be swimming/biking/running past everyone. About 1.5 miles away from the expo, right next to ASU. This is getting real! I better get to training!

Habits

Yesterday I walked into work carrying my gym bag...instead of my hard hat, safety glasses, and respirator. I found great humor in this. Except that it was raining and I have to walk quite a distance between my car and the office...

The first race of the season is out of the way. Now it's time to get serious about training...

Race: Vancouver Lake Half Marathon
Location: Vancouver, WA Distance: Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Time: 02:28:00 (pace = 11:18 min/mi) Despite my huge amount of under-training for this event, I PR'd the distance by over 2 minutes and beat last year's time by about 26 minutes. Woohoo!

Pre-race:

I've struggled with the motivation to run ever since the Portland Marathon back in October followed by a half marathon 2-weeks later. As a newcomer to endurance sports, I often have difficulty finding a happy and healthy balance between obsessive training and couch potato. The past 3-4 months have definitely leaned towards the couch potato side of the spectrum. Suddenly I found myself 2 weeks out from the first race of the year, completely undertrained and even less motivated to start running again. The only thing left to do was make the most of it and try to enjoy the experience. And let it be a (painful) lesson learned.

Warm-up:

The day prior, a few of us played hooky from our Saturday workout and went snowshoeing instead. It was a blast, but I woke up on race morning very sore with blistered feet. And...an inch of snow on the ground. My warmup consisted of ibuprofen, bodyglide, poptart, coffee,and huddling around a propane heater. The race:

This event is quite small, and most of the participants are members from the local running clubs. They are mostly fast. The winner usually knocks out just over a 5 min/mi pace. So, just like last year, my friend Mark (who is significantly faster than me) graciously decided to run alongside me and keep me moving forward. But, unlike last year, we were not left in the dust within 30 seconds of the horn going off. Yes, we were very clearly in the caboose, but not dead last. This was a nice start to the run.The entire race was fairly uneventful for me and was actually relaxing and peaceful. Those are two words that I rarely use, okay...never use, to describe running. The snow on the ground muffled neighborhood noise and made everything extraordinarily pretty to look at. Mark kept me company with many funny stories and pushed me just enough to be out of my comfortable sluggish pace. Around mile 8 we realized that we could probably break 2:30, which I had never done before. (Hey! No laughing!)We picked it up a little and by mile 11 I was very much ready to be done. I was convinced that we couldn't break 2:30 anymore and I was plenty vocal about it. Finally, Mark said to me "I have no patience for your negativity". We agreed for me to shut up and for him to continue making me laugh. Which he did. I was laughing so hard that the next mile disappeared. With big ol' grins, we sprinted in to the finish line in 2:28:00.

Warm-down:

As usual, I ate about 5 too many cookies (cookies are so yummy!) and downed a bunch of water. The crew from my gym had a tent set up with heaters and a propane stove/oven. There is nothing better than warm turkey noodle soup, hot cider, and freshly baked cookies right after a snowy race.

We've only just begun...

Saturday morning workouts are the toughest training day of the week. It starts at 6am with a pool swim. Usually 2100m, but there is little rest in between sets. And most people wear wetsuits (I don't), so it's a struggle to keep up with the people that I can normally cruise with. Then it's on to 75 minutes of spin class with the craziest spin instructor ever. Here are a few gems from recent classes:

"Come on you big sissies, get your head out of your crotch and PUSH. Suck in that fat gut too, because you're all disgusting me."

"No one likes a sissy! What? You're okay with getting that award for 'special honors'? They'll tell you that everyone is a winner, but guest what? IT'S NOT TRUE! Now CLIIIIIIIIIMBBBBB!!!!"

"Look at those thighs jiggling. You've all let yourselves go. Pathetic. Pathetic, ALL OF YOU. Now push. Push. PUSH. I....SAID....PUUUUUUSH. PUSHPUSHPUSHPUSHPUSH!!!!!!"

"Get what you came here for. Give a little now, get a lot back later. What's your flavor? That's right, KOOLAID! Everyone Is Drinking It RIGHT NOW!"

"No one likes a sissy. And if you are one, keep it to yourself for God's sake, don't tell anybody. If you're a sissy, just quit, get out of my class. Everyone else, STAND UP AND CLIMB! SUCK IN YOUR BIG....FAT....DISGUSTING...GUUUUUUUUTS!"

The classes have been getting progressively harder over the last few weeks. The pools of sweat under the bikes are starting to meld together and form rivers. Today was brutal. I would like to blame it on some minor nagging injuries, or cumulative fatigue from starting training again. But the truth -- I'm just out of shape and yeah, I've let myself go a bit lately, and really, his class is kicking my ass. KungFu style.

Today we did some climbing, some speed work, and then in the middle of class he told us to get off our bikes. Huh? Oh yeah, grab your bike, get on your tippy toes, squat. Good. Now hold that position for 3 minutes. Holy mother of the devil! Within a minute I was shaking pretty good. Shortly after that I started crying. And then thankfully it was time to get back on the bikes and sprint. About 10 minutes later we had to do it again. I was crying in about 30 seconds this time. I mean full on sobbing, tears dripping on the sweaty floor, snot stringing down my face kind of crying. Then we got to do 40 squats. Those weren't as bad though. And then 3 minutes of holding our elbows at shoulder height, pulling our arms back and then to the front clapping our hands.

It was a fantastic workout. But I'll be recovering from it all day. And probably tomorrow, but I have an 8 mile run to knock out. And during all this, I can't help but have this on repeat as the soundtrack in my mind - "we've only just begun...."

Sharky Swim 2009

Location: Lacamas Swim & Sport, Camas, WA
Distance: 5k (3.1 miles)
Time: 1:52:00 (pace = 2:14min/100m)

Last year I rang in the New Year by running a 5k at midnight, catching a few hours of sleep, and then swimming a 5k at my gym. Last year I was also swimming on a regular basis. I haven't been in the pool much this fall/winter. Despite a 2008 swim total of almost 150,000 meters, I only swam a combined total of 2750 meters in the entire month of December. So instead of committing to the entire Sharky Swim, I decided to show up and swim as much as I could. I figured 3000 meters was doable.

The night before the swim, Ken and I celebrated the passing of 2008 with some good friends in Portland. It was a mellow evening of drinks and watching the countdown on television. We were in bed by 1am, but 7:30am still came too early. I reluctantly changed into my swimsuit and loaded up. Ken came along to help count laps and snap a few photos (however, I forgot to pack the memory card for the camera...).

Last year I had a perfect group of ladies to swim with, and I was also wearing a wetsuit. This year, I had no wetsuit and no one the same pace to swim with. I tried doing the first 500m with some fun gals, but it was a tad too slow so I ultimately climbed into an empty lane and continued solo. After 2000 meters I knew I could easily complete 3000 meters. At 3000 meters I thought, "well, only another 800 meters and I'll have finished the Ironman swim distance." After 3800 meters I had to complete 4000. And then I was just too close to 5000 to quit. With about 500 meters left to go, my friend Jon (also fellow IMAZ09 competitor!) hopped into the lane with me and helped me finish up.

Final time was just shy of 2 hours (that is including breaks). About 12 minutes slower than last year, but with no wetsuit and no one to draft off of. And with little recent swim training, I'm thrilled. Woohoo, 2009 is off to a fabulous start!