21 weeks to go.
Week 5 totals:
Swim: 2. 3800m, 1hr 56min
Bike: 2. 2hr 44min, Saturday Ride: 25mi, 757elev.
Run: 4. 21mi, 3hr 38min
Strength: 0. 0hr
Total time: 8hr 18min
Challenges:
Started my Friday swim at 9:30pm. Not my best showing of time
management. Oh well, at least I didn't have to share a lane. ...or
a pool. If you're looking for a great time to swim by yourself, 9:30 on
a Friday night is that time. LO prescribed different swim speeds for the set at the end (4x100m at Ironman pace, 4x100m at Half Ironman pace, 4x100m at Olympic tri pace). I think it's adorable that she thinks I have more than one speed. I have one swim speed and it is called
"moving forward." I suppose there is a second very similar speed that I like to
call "flailing more and expending a lot more energy but still only
moving forward, possibly at an imperceptibly faster pace." But mainly just the one speed.
Accomplishments:
Ran 10 miles on Sunday with no breaks. My tried and true "run 1 mile, walk 1 minute" strategy has gone by the wayside these past few months, which is kind of exciting. Also, I listened to one entire Radiolab podcast, one Radiolab Short, and half a Fresh Air interview during said run. Running AND learning.
Surprises:
I am not hating swimming these days. I guess I'm not
really any faster, but the simple act of thinking about my form takes up
so much of my focus that I don't have time to think about how slow I
am. I don't know if that's really a good thing, but there it is.
Bonus:
JK ran the Ragnar Relay this past weekend. He had talked about wanting to run it, but after having completed it the past three years, I just had no desire to do it again. A friend of mine had to drop out of her team, so I put them in touch and he took over her spot. It takes a special kind of person to be okay with hopping in a van with five people he's never met to run together for a couple days, and he tackled it with enthusiasm. I don't think it ended up being his favorite experience (gather together five strangers and you're bound to have at least a couple annoying ones in the bunch), but he made it through. And it was amusing for me to watch the unfolding of the completely-expected Ragnar Aftermath: the sleep-deprived grumpiness and exhaustion and general "I'm so DONE with these people" attitude that affects even the best of friends after 30 hours in a smelly van together. Oh, Ragnar. What a horrible, awful, wonderful race.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Challenge Roth Training: Week 4
22 weeks to go.
Week 4 totals:
Swim: 2. 3850m, 2hr 5min
Bike: 1. 1hr 21min, Saturday Ride: 23mi, 938elev.
Run: 1. 4.7mi, 0hr 57min
Strength: 1. 1hr
Total time: 5hr 23min
Challenges:
Ugh. I was sick this week with allergies that turned into a cold, which made everything terrible. I had planned to run Thursday's prescribed 6-miler with JK, and my illness-addled brain apparently decided I should still give it a try. About 20 minutes in I realized I'd made a horrible mistake, but I still had to get back to my car, so the death-march continued for another half an hour or so. Started slow, got slower, took walk breaks, and was generally a mess. JK was a gem and stuck with me through it all, even after I (rather dramatically) told him to "just leave me behind. Don't sacrifice your training run for me." So. Note to self: Maybe just take a rest day when you feel like crap.
Accomplishments:
Averaged 17.2mph on what turned out to be a pretty relaxed (albeit hilly) ride to Rio Verde and back.
Surprises:
A bouquet of lilies and irises was delivered to my office on Wednesday.
Bonus:
Saw the Lego Movie with JK on Valentine's Day because we are awesome. It had really fun animation and some great jokes. Recommended (which means this could also fall under the "surprises" category.)
Week 4 totals:
Swim: 2. 3850m, 2hr 5min
Bike: 1. 1hr 21min, Saturday Ride: 23mi, 938elev.
Run: 1. 4.7mi, 0hr 57min
Strength: 1. 1hr
Total time: 5hr 23min
Challenges:
Ugh. I was sick this week with allergies that turned into a cold, which made everything terrible. I had planned to run Thursday's prescribed 6-miler with JK, and my illness-addled brain apparently decided I should still give it a try. About 20 minutes in I realized I'd made a horrible mistake, but I still had to get back to my car, so the death-march continued for another half an hour or so. Started slow, got slower, took walk breaks, and was generally a mess. JK was a gem and stuck with me through it all, even after I (rather dramatically) told him to "just leave me behind. Don't sacrifice your training run for me." So. Note to self: Maybe just take a rest day when you feel like crap.
Accomplishments:
Averaged 17.2mph on what turned out to be a pretty relaxed (albeit hilly) ride to Rio Verde and back.
Surprises:
A bouquet of lilies and irises was delivered to my office on Wednesday.
Bonus:
Saw the Lego Movie with JK on Valentine's Day because we are awesome. It had really fun animation and some great jokes. Recommended (which means this could also fall under the "surprises" category.)
Monday, February 10, 2014
Challenge Roth Training: Week 3
23 weeks to go.
Week 3 totals:
Swim: 2. 2800m, 1hr 33min
Bike: 2. 2hr 11min, Saturday Ride: 0mi, 0elev.
Run: 5. 19.35mi, 3hr 5min
Strength: 1. 10min
Total time: 6hr 59min
Challenges:
Ran the Runner's Den Double Stack again this year (5K at 8am, 10K at 9:15, pancakes after). I ran it last year with Lauren, and was woefully under-trained. I was really looking forward to seeing what I could do this year after three really solid weeks of IM training.
Accomplishments:
PR-ed in both the 5K and 10K! Knocked a minute and a half off my previous best 5K pace (averaged an 8:23 pace) and knocked a full eight minutes off of my 10K PR (came in just over 1 hour), which was pretty impressive considering I had gone all-out on that 5K 45 minutes earlier.
Surprises:
Did a deceptively simple 10 minutes of leg strength exercises post-run on Thursday and was feeling it for days. DAYS. Squat jumps, man. They'll get you.
Bonus:
Cassie was here for the weekend, and we had a great time! We also took turns sling-shotting each other Roller Derby-style around each of the 90- and 180-degree turns on the 10K course on Sunday. My Garmin recorded these events on this graph of my pace. Super fun!
Week 3 totals:
Swim: 2. 2800m, 1hr 33min
Bike: 2. 2hr 11min, Saturday Ride: 0mi, 0elev.
Run: 5. 19.35mi, 3hr 5min
Strength: 1. 10min
Total time: 6hr 59min
Challenges:
Ran the Runner's Den Double Stack again this year (5K at 8am, 10K at 9:15, pancakes after). I ran it last year with Lauren, and was woefully under-trained. I was really looking forward to seeing what I could do this year after three really solid weeks of IM training.
Accomplishments:
PR-ed in both the 5K and 10K! Knocked a minute and a half off my previous best 5K pace (averaged an 8:23 pace) and knocked a full eight minutes off of my 10K PR (came in just over 1 hour), which was pretty impressive considering I had gone all-out on that 5K 45 minutes earlier.
Surprises:
Did a deceptively simple 10 minutes of leg strength exercises post-run on Thursday and was feeling it for days. DAYS. Squat jumps, man. They'll get you.
Bonus:
Cassie was here for the weekend, and we had a great time! We also took turns sling-shotting each other Roller Derby-style around each of the 90- and 180-degree turns on the 10K course on Sunday. My Garmin recorded these events on this graph of my pace. Super fun!
 |
| Wheeeee! |
Monday, February 03, 2014
Challenge Roth Training: Week 2
24 weeks to go.
Week 2 totals:
Swim: 3. 4150m, 2hr 22min
Bike: 4. 3hr 55min, Saturday Ride: 19.6mi, 462elev.
Run: 2. 9mi, 1hr 24min
Strength: 0. 0min
Total time: 7hr 41min
Challenges:
Friday's swim was a comedy of errors. Went to the pool late to beat the morning rush, but apparently there is also a late-morning rush because it was packed. Shared a lane with a surly gentleman for awhile, then finally pounced on another lane when it opened up. Just couldn't get into a good rhythm; it took me a half an hour to get to the main set, which was 2x400, using a buoy and paddles on the second 400 (that adds resistance and makes it harder to swim. To build character. And muscles.) Forgot my swim paddles, and thought LTF would have buoys (they don't), so ended up doing the exact opposite of what was prescribed and swam that second 400 with fins, which took my 400m time down by 1/3. That must be what real swimmers must feel like. Sigh.
Accomplishments:
I wanted to punch my watch in the face on Sunday's long run as it beeped and beeped and beeped and periodically told me I was running a 9:35 and an 8:21 pace within the span of three seconds and generally was just stupid. I think maybe it was the (relative) cold? Anyway, apparently I can pace myself pretty well based on feel because I nailed my progressively faster goal paces, malfunctioning watch and all. Booyah.
Surprises:
There are actually good things to be said about my swim stroke! Coach LO says:
"The nice thing about your stroke as it is now, is it is pretty relaxed- which seriously is a good thing! So many people (myself included) really fight the water and spend too much energy in the swim. Our goal for you is going to be to keep the effort level about where it's at so you can use it all up on the bike and run- we just need to make that stroke more efficient." I'ma try.
Bonus:
JK, Mikey, and I lifted a piano into and out of a moving truck. We are...quite strong. Also: free piano! Jo's lovely sister Alyssa straight up gave me a piano on Sunday. I've wanted one for years and years, and now--just right out of the blue--I have one. The Secret works, you guys. (ha!) Big thanks to Alyssa and Chris for their generosity! (and to the guys for their muscles)
Week 2 totals:
Swim: 3. 4150m, 2hr 22min
Bike: 4. 3hr 55min, Saturday Ride: 19.6mi, 462elev.
Run: 2. 9mi, 1hr 24min
Strength: 0. 0min
Total time: 7hr 41min
Challenges:
Friday's swim was a comedy of errors. Went to the pool late to beat the morning rush, but apparently there is also a late-morning rush because it was packed. Shared a lane with a surly gentleman for awhile, then finally pounced on another lane when it opened up. Just couldn't get into a good rhythm; it took me a half an hour to get to the main set, which was 2x400, using a buoy and paddles on the second 400 (that adds resistance and makes it harder to swim. To build character. And muscles.) Forgot my swim paddles, and thought LTF would have buoys (they don't), so ended up doing the exact opposite of what was prescribed and swam that second 400 with fins, which took my 400m time down by 1/3. That must be what real swimmers must feel like. Sigh.
Accomplishments:
I wanted to punch my watch in the face on Sunday's long run as it beeped and beeped and beeped and periodically told me I was running a 9:35 and an 8:21 pace within the span of three seconds and generally was just stupid. I think maybe it was the (relative) cold? Anyway, apparently I can pace myself pretty well based on feel because I nailed my progressively faster goal paces, malfunctioning watch and all. Booyah.
Surprises:
There are actually good things to be said about my swim stroke! Coach LO says:
"The nice thing about your stroke as it is now, is it is pretty relaxed- which seriously is a good thing! So many people (myself included) really fight the water and spend too much energy in the swim. Our goal for you is going to be to keep the effort level about where it's at so you can use it all up on the bike and run- we just need to make that stroke more efficient." I'ma try.
Bonus:
JK, Mikey, and I lifted a piano into and out of a moving truck. We are...quite strong. Also: free piano! Jo's lovely sister Alyssa straight up gave me a piano on Sunday. I've wanted one for years and years, and now--just right out of the blue--I have one. The Secret works, you guys. (ha!) Big thanks to Alyssa and Chris for their generosity! (and to the guys for their muscles)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
