Looking for Inspiration

Yikes! What happened to the time. I wish I could say I have been too busy training to blog. The truth is I have been busy, but hardly training. I am looking for something to motivate me back to long hours of running, but haven't found much to inspire. I think I must have needed the rest and intend to go strong again any day now. I took inventory of all my supplies (gu, clif blocks, heed, etc) the other day and came up super short. Next, I tried to clean the hose part to my Nathan hydration pack bladder and melted the damn thing with boiling water. I did finally check out the Tequepis Trail, that has been on my list of places to explore. It's beautiful and fully overgrown. I had tons of stickers in my socks and shoes, but can't wait to do it again soon. The trail is across the highway from Lake Cachuma and climbs to a high elevation quickly. The views are awesome and the vegetation was a bit unusual for the area.

Swimming has been consistently good, with increasingly harder workouts. We have been doing more back, breast and fly than before and I feel (and see) my arms getting stronger. As my motivation to train returns, so will my desire to blog, I'm sure. Cheers.

2 x 400 swim
4 x 100 kick

4 x 200 swim on lane base (LB): 3:30 for my lane
4 x 100 kick, increasing speed

8 x 50 LB (:55) plus 10 seconds

cool down

I have made up my mind to do Angeles Crest again this year. Gail is on board for crewing and I have a couple of possible pacers, so looks like it will work out. Now, I just have to run. Gail wants a partner for crewing, so if anyone is interested.... let me know. Also, if anyone want to pace me, you have 4 months to train.

I'm back to swimming. I actually started back last week, but somehow feel more tired this week. I am finally getting a massage today. It will be the first one since Ironman. For someone who works with several massage therapists, it's amazing that it took me so long to get on someones schedule. I am so looking forward to it!

The Wildflower Triathlon is this weekend. I know several people competing, so I may bring the kids up there and cheer people on. I am going to work on being a fan and volunteer this year, more than just a competitor. That is not to say I will not do any races, but I am going to really limit my racing for a while.

Calvin wants to do another 5K and work his way up to a 10K, so I will be looking for some local short races for us to do. Any ideas?

SWIM:

800 free
400 kick
4 x 100 pull

800 free
4 x 100 pull

cool down

The second 800 was a bit tough for me. We were supposed to increase our speed, but I think I went out too fast and faded toward the end instead. I can still pull the 'I'm recovering from Ironman' card. I think that will be expired by next week, though. All the Wildflower people will be recovering from their event.

Now What?

People keep asking me 'what's next?'. I am asking myself the same question. There are still so many challenging events out there that I haven't tried. For now, I hope to get back to some serious trail running. I have missed it so much and need to get out there and explore again.

My recovery has been surprisingly easy, physically, but emotionally, I have been a train wreck. I think I put off dealing with some necessary life stuff to get ready for Ironman. Now I have to take care of so many things and spend more time on my business. Coming 'down' from such a big event is hell. Will I do another Ironman? Probably, yes. Mainly because I want to shave a couple of hours off of my time, now that I have the experience. I think I will wait a year or two, though.

AZIM Race Report

The swim...there I am! ha ha
The bike
The run, notice the well sunscreened legs.
The finish
Post finish...Iron Sandee aka Ironmom

Until today, my post race depression has kept me from even wanting to recount the story of my first Ironman. But today I feel ready to share my story of one damn tough event. Aptly named, Ironman is a test of organizational skills, patience, proper clothing choices and of course, physical prowess. I need to start with what amuses me most about triathlon, and that is, the clothing. Do men really need to wear half shirts? Okay, I'll get right to it.



Saturday Night: I try to get to bed early, around 9:30. As I'm lying there, I start to feel my heart beating through my ribs. I start taking long slow breaths. Why am I so nervous? I never really get any sleep. I keep waking, thinking I've overslept, worrying about the swim, sure I have forgotten something important. Of course, I finally get to sleep when my alarm goes off at 3 AM.

Sunday: It's easy to get up. I am so anxious to finally start the race, so I can stop being nervous and worrying about the details. So many details. JLu has coffee waiting, but there is not much talking between us. "Did you sleep? No. Did you sleep? No." I make some oatmeal and try to eat it, but my stomach is quivery and dosen't let much in. I have my special needs bags packed and my wetsuit, goggles and pink swim cap. We are ready to go at 4:15. That gives us 30 minutes to drive to Tempe and 15 minutes to walk to the staging area, which opens at 5 AM.

5 AM: The triathletes are in line to get to their bikes, so they can load up their watter bottles, gu flasks, clif blocks and whatever else they need for the bike ride. I try to take it all in, knowing I have plenty of time. I load up my bike, then take it over to the mechanics to get my tires filled. It's still dark and you can feel the tension in the air, it's like a buzzing silence. I still need to get my shirt out of my swim to bike bag, since I mistakenly packed it the day before. So, I head over there and dig out my shirt. I proceed to the potty, to pee and change.

6:15: I guess it's time to get into my wetsuit and turn in my dry clothes bag. First, I get personal and generous with the body glide. I lube up my wrists and ankles, all the "dark" places where clothing might rub, lastly, my neck. I feel like I am stalling for time, watching everyone, some people frantic, some relaxed. I am in between, less nervous the closer I get to the water. Time to find JLu and Jerry J. I say I can't wait to get in the water so I can pee, but JLu says, just pee now, no one will know. I figure it's all part of the experience, so I do it. It's lovely and warm, standing there in my own urine. J says he has already peed three times. I start to notice others with the dry grass wet on their feet, others who are freely wetting themselves. We start to move toward the water and I see half moon heel marks on the concrete where all the experienced triathletes know to pee early and not wait for the water. So, basically, you keep stepping in other peoples urine and don't care. What a sport.

6:45 The Pros are off and now it's our turn to jump into the lake and swim to the start. Finally! I have misplaced the boys, since I wanted to see the pros start. I am now in race mode and not at all nervous about the two thousand people surrounding me in the water. I just want to start and get on with it. I am ready to experience my first Ironman, bring it on!

7:01 The gun goes off and it's somewhat slow going at first as everyone is looking for a spot they can comfortably swim. I soon find out that there are not really any spots like that. I'm also soon experiencing what I've been told by other Ironman survivors, severe brutality by your fellow competitors. I make it to the turnaround point with minor injuries, but for some reason, things get bad. I am kicked in the face several times, resulting in my goggles coming off of my face and a possible bloody nose, who can tell in the water. Next, I am slugged in the jaw several times. I should be pissed, but I am laughing to myself, thinking, well, this is ironman, all part of the experience. I finish the swim in 1:19. I am pulled out of the water and I start jogging to the wetsuit stripping area. I am unzipped and free of my wetsuit within seconds, about 3 to be exact. These people are good! Next I am handed my swim to bike bag and am off to the women's only tent to get ready for the bike.

8:25 Apparently I spent about 10 minutes in the tent before I emerge to find hands, all male, slathering me with sunscreen. Three men all to myself, worried about my tender skin. It was the most pleasurable part of the race, hands down. I embark on the 112 mile bike ride on my trusty steed. I am feeling great till about 5 miles in when I hit the blow dryer 20 mph winds. I pedal slowly uphill till the first of 3 turnarounds. Finally, some downhill, but wait, 40 mph wind gusts are making it hard to stay on the bike. I see one person blown over, I hold on tighter, determined not to go down. The second loop is ugly. My right foot is cramping so severely, I feel it to the tips of my toes. I can't even pedal and have to stop, massage my foot, move on. This happens several times. I am truly miserable, but loving the experience. Oh, how I love to suffer! I'm so sick! I was so glad this was hard. I finish the third loop, much stronger than the second and am very relieved and happy to be done with the bike. I give my bike to the peppy volunteer, grab my bike to run bag and head into the tent for the last time.

The Run: Just for the record, I did not pee on the bike. I tried, but couldn't relax enough to do it. I stopped and used the porta potty, which really helped to stretch my legs. Okay, so I changed into my running shorts and changed into running shoes and stepped out of the tent for another round of ooh la la: the men, the hands, the sunscreen. I was now ready for the run. I knew at this time, I would finish the race. I would follow the advice I got from the pro, Michelli Jones, and take it aid station to aid station. It was still really hot and maybe felt even hotter on the run than the bike. Bless those lovely sweet volunteers with the ice cold sponges. I think I took a sponge at every aid station. That's 26 aid stations, one every single mile. I ran like a true triathlete, kind of a hunched over shuffle. I managed to straighten up and do a little real running now and then. There were so many people walking, it was hard to keep up the run/shuffle. I like to tell myself, the faster you run, the faster you'll be done. I am half-way through my third, and last, loop and see a fellow athlete sitting on the side of the course at a picnic table, throwing up, boatloads of clear liquid. I am feeling fortunate and decide to pick up the pace and just finish this thing. I continue giving encouraging remarks to all the people I am passing, with no return love, but I'm used to it by now. Triathletes are not an overly friendly bunch.

The Finish: I find the love I am looking for at the finish line, in the form of dedicated fans, friends and my very own ribbon to run through. The photographer snaps my finishing photo and I get my very own volunteer to walk me through the sequence of finisher events. One person puts a ribbon over my head. My very own volunteer hands me some water, than walks me over to the other photographer taking the final finish picture. I am then led to the food tent, aahh, the fooood tent, where I leave my volunteer for the loving arms of Ray Ray and JLu. We eat the best pizza of my life and head back to the finish line to see Jerry J run across the finish line with his two daughters. We all finish. We are all Ironman finishers tonight. I am so proud of all of us. It was a tough day, but divine. Go team Bada Bing!

Look out for #2179

Practice swim with Jerry J
Much needed ART with Kevin
JLu duct taping my profile bottle to bike
We three are Ironfolk

Tomorrow I get up at 3 am and off to Ironman I go. The day I have been anxiously anticipating for way too long. The preparation the last few days has been brutal.
Bike and transition bags are at the event area and we are just getting our "special needs" bags together and getting to bed early. You can follow our progress online at the Ironman AZ site. I am 2179, Justin is 1006 and Jerry J, 1108.

Send us positive energy and lot and lots of love!

Arizona Dreaming

I made it to Arizona today with my bike and all my other gear. I guess I'm really doing Ironman. Wow. Tomorrow I am going to do a practice swim in the river with Jerry J. Justin is not feeling very strong and is on the fence about even starting the race. I'm tired after a nine hour drive today, but will take pictures of the course and expo tomorrow to post. Sweet dreams.

Coach is out of town again. Kristine put up a Gail Bernhardt workout specifically for endurance triathletes. Here ya go:

Warm up

300 swim
300 kick
300 pull

6 x 75 (1:30)
300 pull
6 x 50 fast
300 kick
6 x 50 fast
200 cool down


On my way out of the YMCA this morning, I met 3 x Hawaii Ironman Champion Peter Reid. He is coaching my friend Charlie's Triathlon camp this week and they were all there to swim. They all seemed so tall. Even the girls.

I am so glad that Lisa is going to be supporting all of us at Ironman. I haven't seen her in way too long. If Lisa could finish Vineman Half with no bike training, then I can do this Ironman. She is a great source of inspiration. She is also the ultimate support person, maybe doing more than the people in the race. It seems like she is everywhere on the course cheering you on, taking photos. Yeah Lisa!!

I'm not entirely sure why, but my enthusiasm for my upcoming race just took a dive this weekend. It was like I could care less. I took all of Saturday off to spend with my daughter, while Calvin went fishing for the weekend for his birthday. I just couldn't face another long training day while juggling being mom, too. I really had to rally to get on the bike Sunday. I feel fine physically, but my heart wasn't in it. I just kept thinking, I'm as ready as I'm gonna be. Now, today, I started to get a little panicky about my lackadaisical attitude and went for two runs. AM and PM.

I hope my attitude continues to improve. It was bound to happen eventually. I am so self motivated normally. I truly enjoy the training, it's the racing that really freaks my out. Maybe as I am getting closer to the event I am trying to sabotage myself. Shit. Maybe it's my brother's wedding this weekend where I will have to see my whole family, yikes....

Wishful Thinking...

I battled the wild wind today on my bike. My nice short 20 mile ride felt like, oh, 40 miles. But, it was good training for AZ, right? Ugh, I can't wait to finally be on the road to Justin's house, where I will stay for Ironman. I wish I could transport myself to the running portion of the race and have the swim and bike behind me. I will have charged the course thus far, and be feeling great on the run. Well, wishful thinking gets you where? Nowhere but 2 weeks till the race, that's where!

Here you go... the workout:

Warm-up

4 x 150 (100 free, 50 stroke)

4 x 150 kick (same as above)

6 x 150 free (50 moderate, 50 fast, 50 slow)

2 x 150 free (same as above)

200 cool down

Spring Breakin'

The kids are on "spring break" this week, which means they are out of school and want to have some fun. Since I can't just drop everything at work or stop training, I signed them up for some tennis clinic, through the YMCA. I was a little hesitant, since you never know how your kids will respond to things. They love it! I'm relieved.

So, I ran yesterday after swimming, while the kids played tennis. I felt so strong, not wanting to stop after one short hour. I have been trying to do most of my runs on asphalt, so as not to completely shock my body in AZ. I considered running on the track yesterday, but there was such a crowd of football type people all over the field, I changed my mind.

I have truly enjoyed the cycling during my training and feeling the power I have gained in my legs and upper body. I will admit, though that I yearn for long trail runs, like a long lost lover. I see the beautiful green mountains and I want to spend the day with them, exploring their spring secrets. I read race results from ultras, like the Coyote Two Moon, that was just this past weekend in Ojai and I long to be there. It may sound corny, but I am not kidding. If triathlon training has taught me anything, it is that I am truly a trail runner. I see no other future for me. Sure, I'll ride my bikes and swim, always striving to get to lane one with Matt and Chris.
I will be out on the trail, though, to quiet my mind and find divine guidance and sanity.

The coach was off buying grapes today, so we were on our own. We looked like we were modeling our various bad swimsuits on the "25 then get out of the pool set". There is a huge window that looks into the lobby from the pool. The early morning spin class always stares at us as they are leaving. Today they really got a good look at us strutting around the pool.

2 x 200 #1: swim #2: 25 free, 25 drill (scull, fingertip, catch up, zipper)
8 x 50 kick: odd: free even: fly, back, breast, fly on back
4 x100 pull, with buoy and paddles

Main:

8 x 75 free: moderate, fast, slow
8 x 50 free: moderate, fast
8 x 25 really fast, then get out of the pool and walk around to start
2 x 200: same as warm-up

I felt great today after the workout, like I had hardly done anything. I think this is about how I am supposed to be feeling about this point in my training. It was good to hear a guy in my lane say how tired he was from the workout. I plan on doing an open water swim this weekend. Brrr, talk about cold, the ocean is about 51 degrees.

Happy Easter!

Greetings from Phoebe the Easter Doggy. She looks miserable, don't you think? It was another creative training weekend with the kids. I spent a grueling 3 + hours on the trainer yesterday, then 70 minutes swimming long intervals at the Y, with the kids, of course.

Today, I snuck out for a 2 hour run, doing loops so I was always within a short distance of the house. I then came home and the kids paced me with their bikes for another 30 or so minutes. It is warmer today then it has been for quite a while. The sun feels really good. I have been checking the Phoenix weather and it is always warmer than here. I think of the poor souls who will be coming from some truly cold place and how the shock of dry 80 degree weather is going to feel.

I think I'm gonna have me an Easter beer. Cheers!

My morning run this morning was divine. I was running to M. Ward's "End Of Amnesia", the perfect morning run music, and was feeling great. Phoebe and I both were wondering why we haven't made early Friday morning run a routine, like Wednesday night run. Well, off to our "Flatbread Pizza" on Friday routine. The kids and I tried to find the beavers on the rivers this evening, with no luck, but we are not giving up. More news on the Santa Ynes River beavers later....

Well, Mike mixed it up a bit today. It was fun and tiring.


Swim
2 x 50 free/ drill
2 x 50 free/ back
2 x 50 free/ breast
2 x 50 free/ drill

Kick:
2 x 50 fly/ free
2 x 50 free/ back
2 x 50 back/ dolphin
2 x 50 breast/ breast

8 x 100 IM ( substitute free if you can't do fly)

8 x 50 pull descending 1-4, 5-8

4 x 50 descending

cool down

I was sitting at the Bulldog Cafe after swim this morning, like Kristine and I always do on Thursdays. A woman was wearing a bike jersey that said Hoodoo 500 or some such race, so we got to talking. Turns out that she is the Planet Ultra lady of planetultra.com. She is here doing a Santa Ynez Valley tour with a group of cyclists. She told us about a southern Utah tour in August that sounds just awesome. I am very interested, especially because she said they would really like to have a massage therapist in the group and they would haul my table around for me. It would be like a working vacation. Cycle all day, then massage a little in the evening and make some money. Hmmmm, I am definitely looking into this.

I'm not loving the weather right now, but I've got to get out on my bike for a couple of hours. Maybe the sun will come out soon.

Disneyland, California Adventure, matching hats and all.

Back to the "real world" on Wednesday after being at the happiest place on earth. How they ever came up with that phrase is a complete enigma, since almost everyone there (Disneyland) looked completely miserable. I'm not joking, I made it a contest to find anyone who even looked remotely happy or had the hint of a smile on their face. It made me smile just to do this, which made the trip a bit more tolerable. I kept thinking, at least I won't have to do this again for a couple of years, at least.

So, it was a relief to get back to training on Wednesday. I tricked my friend Fiona into going on an easy trail run with me. She has never run trails before and I was planning on going up grass mountain, since the weather was so fantastic and I knew the flowers would be out in full force. I love this run and don't really consider the difficulty level compared to someone who is used to running flattish roads all the time. She was happy she went and cursed me the next morning at swim, telling the coach that it was all my fault that she was slow. It is a very steep hill and pretty technical, probably not the best choice for a first time trail run. Sorry Fiona, well, not really. She did awesome!

Thursday was swimming of course and then out on the bike for a couple of hours to battle the winds. Friday a short run is all I could squeeze into my day. Saturday, out on the bike by 8AM and ran into my friend Mike, who kicks ass on the bike and made me push way harder than I'm used to. This was really good for me, since I had to be home in time to make it to SB for a swim clinic by 1 PM.

I'm glad I went to the clinic. I was on the fence about going, but the woman putting it on, Mo Chambers, is an excellent coach and I really got some useful information and I think my stroke will be better already. She also coached us a bit about how to sight in open water. The only negative was that the pool was outside and it was freezing and the water was way colder than the 84 degrees I'm used to. I think they said it was 70 degrees. BRRRRRRR!!!! I now know how spoiled I am and will never complain again when the water is say 83 or even 82, which it sometimes is. I'm no polar bear.

Sunday, out on the bike again for a 3 hour ride, than a quick 2 1/2 run. I hoped to fit more biking in this weekend, but wanted to get that run in too. I don't know how people fit all this training in. I have laundry piled up and an empty refrigerator half the time. My kids are always out of socks and we had to eat tortillas and applesauce for breakfast the other day, because mommy's too busy training (and working, mind you) to go to the store. Ugh. But, I did take them to Disneyland. That's right. Priorities.

Solvang Century as Training Ride

I rode the Solvang Century yesterday and had a great time. The early morning was chilly and my hands were frozen, but the day warmed up to a nice 75 degrees by late morning. I now have a nice red "sleeve" on both arms. It's been awhile since my arms have seen the sun for any length of time. The ride was 104 miles, with 5,000 feet of climbing. I found myself looking forward to the hills after miles and miles of mainly flat road from mile 60 to 90. Around mile 80, I found myself really wanting to stretch and noticed other riders wiggling around on their bikes, standing, twisting. I think that is the hardest thing about cycling for hours, you get so damn uncomfortable from being in the same position. I felt like I could go for a nice long run when I finished, in fact, I kept thinking about running while I was riding.

So, tomorrow, I take the kids to Disneyland, a whole other kind of training. Wish me luck.

It's so grand to feel well again!! Life is just better when you don't have to drag your sick, tired, sorry ass outta bed every morning. I woke up today at 4:50 am and thought, great, time to get up and go to the pool. And, it wasn't like Oh Great...time to get up, but just plain ole great.

200 free
200 drill: 6/3, scull, catch-up, zipper
200 kick: back/fly
200 pull

8 x 50 (:50)
4 x 100 (1:45)
2 x 200 (3:30)
400...keeping same pace as others

200 cool down

So, I received the "energ-ease" and have taken them twice before a workout. The first time I can't say I noticed a difference, but this morning I seemed to have a lot of energy. I don't know it that is because I am feeling better finally or if the stuff really works. I think I will have to keep testing it. I can say for sure, though, that the recover-ease is great. It was reviewed by industry watch dog Supplement Watch.com and got a great review. The ererg-ease also got a great review and I was surprised to see cordyceps as the first ingredient. I have been taking my cordyceps mostly as a hangover cure. Now I know another reason to take it. Ginseng (3 different types ) is also in the ingredients. I have always liked ginseng for energy. I think it affects everyone differently, though.

Feelin' Froggy?

Abigail just turned 9 and this toad crashed her party. The girls named him "Rumpy".

Go 4 it! (really lame, I know)

4 x 150: free, back, free

4 x 100 kick: free, back

4 x 75 pull (with paddles) breathing every 3, every 5, every 3

4 x 150 free, breast, free

4 x 100 kick: free, breast (no zoomers)

4 x 75 pull (same as above)

Green, because the breaststroke makes me feel so froggy.

Either the workout was tough or I was tired from the weekend. Stupid breaststroke, it makes you feel so slow. The paddles are great for building the strength in my arms. I can really feel it after pulling for a while. I spent some time in the pool on Sunday and mostly did pull with my paddles and my arms were fatigued. I rode 5 hours 5 minutes on Sunday as well. I felt strong till the end, which I know is a good sign. On Saturday I ran about 2 hours 45 minutes. It was a very hilly run and steep enough that I was able to keep up with some pro cyclists for a bit and shoot the shit. That rhymed, did you like that Justin? Anyhow, I ended up seeing the same group on Sunday while I was cycling. I wasn't able to stay with them very long on the bike, but I gave it my best shot. The weather is divine right now. Low 70's, slightly breezy, jasmine wafting through the air, okay, I don't know about the jasmine, but it is lovely here. Pro triathletes are here in full force right now.

Now that I have successfully moved my business, I hope to be more focused on my training as I am supposed to be in the peak stages of tough, long workouts. This weekend I hope to do the Solvang Century. I've lived here 8 years and have yet to participate in this ride. I usually just try to avoid all the asshole cyclist that come to town for this event. Yikes, am I one of them now?? Of course not, I'm still just a runner who rides a bike.

The need for more pictures on my blog has been noted and I plan to post some soon. But for now, here's this mornings workout:

Warm up:

300 swim

300 kick

300 swim, (25 swim, 25 drill)

300 pull (used my new paddles today)

Main:

8 x 50 (:55)

8 x 100 (1:45)

8 x 50 (:50)

cool-down

Nobody could count this morning, so maybe we did 9 50's and 7 100's or some other variation. I was just trying to keep up. I could not find my recover-ease after swimming this morning. Bummer.

I plan to go out for a run this afternoon on one of my favorite trails off of Figueroa Mtn. Rd. Today is my last day working at my Santa Ynez office. Starting tomorrow I will be in Los Olivos. It's great to be moving, finally. I will be closer to Figueroa Mtn. in Los Olivos, which is, in itself, reason to be happy about the move. The new sign was put up yesterday, so I guess it's official.

Pictures coming soon...

The Workout:

6 x 100 free: 75 swim, 25 drill

4 x 100 kick: fly, back, free, fly on back

2 x 100 pull

Main set:

5 x 300 free, try to stay at same time each 300


Feeling great today...finally. Painting is done and it's time to move! YEEAHH!!! I brought my bike to work today and plan to sneak out for a couple of hours of solitude and sun. Life is pretty good today.

Oh, by the way, I really think that recover-ease stuff works. I am also going to give their sister product, energ-ease a try. I have noticed a drastic decrease in muscle soreness the day after a tough wokout. Usually if I am sore directly after a run, than I am in for it the day after, but it seems that if I take this stuff just following a workout, I don't notice the soreness the next day. Expedited muscle recovery? Who knows, but I like it.

Have a lovely lovely day.

Sick and Tired and still Training?

I was sick with a nasty cold this weekend, but still did my training. I know this is not always the best idea, but I had set aside this time, which is precious and hard to find, so I felt that I had to take advantage of it. Saturday, after cycling 3 hours followed by a 40 minute run, I quickly showered and headed over to my new office to spend the remainder of the day and some of the night painting. Sunday was basically the same, a shorter bike (60 minutes) and a 75 minute run. Then, off to paint some more. I stopped at the Bitch House (my favorite coffee shop, but called the Bitch House by a select few, because the girls that work there have a fantastically bitchy attitude). I guess my video shop days make me partial to quirky establishment behaviour. Anyhow, I grabbed a cup of Major Dick and headed over to paint. I was fading at an alarmingly fast rate. I had to keep taking lie down breaks. Me, the queen of GO, had to lie down frequently. Man, was I sick. And tired. Of being sick.

So, Monday, basically could hardly get out of bed to make coffee. I developed a hacking cough and lots of snot. Super fun way to spend my 'rest' day. I literally only left the house to buy toilet paper, since I used it all to catch the snot flow. My voice is still barely audible and I still sound like an old lady. My own father thought he had the wrong number last night when he called. I had to rally and get my kids off to school this morning and figured I might as well go to work, since I was up. Ugh. I even flopped around in the pool for a bit, to pretend I was still doing my training.

So, I know what you are thinking if you are reading this :This girl has a problem, any rational person would rest until they were well enough to train again or it's only going to get worse. And I know this and agree. I would give this advice to anyone I know. I would say things like, You will not lose your fitness in 2 days and You are better off getting well and training harder, etc. I KNOW, but I can't follow any of that advice. I am obviously not sick enough yet. I think I'm afraid of ironman. So many sports, so little time...

I woke up today with no voice, no sound, nada. This hasn't happened to me in a long time, but it sure brings back memories...of the last time I lost my voice. It totally sucks, especially if you have to talk to people on the phone. You are trying to tell them you lost your voice and they keep saying, WHAT??. Today was supposed to be a rest day, so I actually took it. I only walked the dog a couple of times and did some core exercises and stretches, but basically took the day off of exercise.

This weekend is packed with plenty of long riding, running and swimming. I am also slated to finish the painting at my new business. Yeah!! I just bought some paddles for the pool and will try them out tomorrow. I am trying (as always) to build some upper body strength. I think swimming is such a great way to balance out either running or cycling(or both), but unless you take it pretty seriously, you still have an imbalance of upper and lower body strength. It seems that most people spend more time running or cycling, than they do in the pool, so, I guess you either have ot weight train or swim more. I guess the alternative to that is to just be scrawny on top, which seems to suit most cyclists and runners just fine, as it seems to make people faster. I am beginning to think that balance is more important than speed at this point of my life. It also allows you to pick up new sports more easily and reduce your chance of injury.

I plan to get out on the bike fairly early tomorrow, so I finally bought some knee warmers. I have been freezing, seriously FREEZING on the bike if I get out too early. My hands can barely grip the brakes and my toes are unrecognizable to my brain as anything but blocks in my shoes. I'm hard pressed to venture forward because I'm not sure if I will even be able to grip the water bottle to drink the block of ice that has formed in my once liquid water bottle. So, I'm thinking the addition of the knee warmers may help me to feel warmer, though things may still be dangerously cold. I know it sounds silly, but let me tell you, you can still see the snow on the mountains here, and that never happens.

Tried drinking more coffee, waking a little earlier, but still confused by the early morning clock by the pool. I think I did my 100's at 1:35 and 50's on the :45. I think...

400 swim (your choice)
300 kick
200 drill (6/3, scull, zipper, catch-up by 25's)
100 kick fast

and once again...
8 x 100 free
200 easy
8 x 50 free

long cool down


Went for a run on my newest favorite trail (well, it's private property). 60 minutes and then back to painting. I'm sooo tired now. I've gotta get some rest.

Another reason to drink more coffee

Yesterday, Coach Mike made his presence known by shouting, "what's was your time?" after every fricken 100 and 50 of the set. At 6 AM, my mind isn't always rallying with the rest of me. I was looking at the time clock and stuttering, uh uh uh 42, or was it 38, let's say 40, yeah, 40. Mike just turned away disgusted. Apparently I wasn't the only lame-o, because we all got a lecture about knowing our times, without having to look at the clock (huh?) . So, that's the newest thing for masters. We need to know how fast we are swimming. At all times. Especially when the coach is around. (note to self: must drink more coffee before swim)

I'm not even sure I can remember the workout, my mind has been slapped around a bit.

2 x 200 free every other 50 drill
400 kick/ dolphin, back, free, fly on back (by 100's)
200 pull

8 x 100 free (hold all at "test" 100 pace)
400 kick (or was it 200? he was blowing the whistle to make us go fast and slower, very confusing)
8 x 50 free (plus "test 50" for reference) on 50 sec.

long lecture about the clock....finally cool down

Later in the day I took Phoebe for a one hour run. I am in total denial, but I feel like I am getting a cold. I have already bee sick twice this year, so this is insane!! I felt really slow on the run, but plodded along and started to feel better by the end. It was warm and I think I was dehydrated last night, since I'm not used to the warmer weather yet. Today is cool again, so no need to drink a bunch (of water) today. I'm about to go out for a ride, in the wind, in the cold. brrrrr.

Thawing out, finally

Happy cow
View from Refugio Rd, so green!!

There's nothing like some cold rainy weather to make you appreciate our typically lovely weather. It was downright warm yesterday and today is supposed to be the same. Yeah sunshine!! I am a spoiled california girl and expect good weather, damnit. It is so much easier to get out on the bike when you don't have to wear 4 layers and worry about your hands freezing and your toes becoming like wood blocks attached to pedals. I feel the happiness (and longing, of those who don't live here) of cyclists everywhere for the balmy weather.

I ran up Refugio (again) yesterday and then to the gym for a bit of weights. This is supposed to be a recovery weekend for me. Since I will be painting at my new business, this should work out well. I just have a 1:30 bike and some swimming. I am loosely following Gail Bernhardts training plan for ironman. I am adapting it to accomodate my addiction to running. I am feeling much tightness in my right hip the past couple of days. It seems to bother me most when I am doing massage and I feel like I need to stretch constantly. I think it might be from cycling, since it employs more glute muscles than running.

Showed up for swim today, but the coach didn't. After a few minutes of early morning, not enough coffee, what's our workout confusion, Micah rallied and came up with a workout to get us in the water.

200 swim
200 kick
200 pull

10 x 100 (I did 5 on 1:55, 5 on 1:50)

4 x 100 kick -fast

8 x 50 ( 4 w/ 15 sec. rest, 4 w/ 5 sec. rest)

longish cooldown

Yesterday I went for a run up Refugio and made it to the top and then some. I was inspired to go faster by the truck full of firemen I ran into close to the top. Nice surprise. The run was 75 minutes and I felt great.

I am trying to be more conscious about my eating. I normally eat pretty healthy, but I am always looking for some way to improve or something "bad" to remove from my diet. I mostly try to stick to real foods, minus red meat, pork and dairy(except sometimes). I recently read that we shouldn't eat grains, but haven't done any research on that, yet. I still think the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kinsolver gives great, easily digestible (ha ha ) information about how to eat local, healthy and why we should eat this way. It makes you want to try growing a few things of your own. I just ordered a new recovery supplement called Recover-ease. I'll let you know how I like it.

For now, I'm off to get a massage! Lucky me.

The coach is back! Back to being watched and watching the clock.

Warm up:

3 x 200 1st 50 swim 50 drill (x2), 2nd 150 swim 50 drill, 3rd swim
2 x 200 kick: free/back, free/fly
1 x 200 pull

Main Set:

6 x 100 free descending 1-3/4-6
4 x 100 kick descending
2 x 100 pull fast
4 x 50 free fast

cool down

I got nailed a few times during practice for not knowing my splits. I have to be more conscious of watching the clock and being consistent with my times. I guess this isn't aqua aerobics. I've never actually participated in the aqua aerobics class, but it certainly doesn't seem like there is much actual exercise involved. Although, I hear, sometimes they kick across the pool. You really feel that in you glutes if you do it correctly.

It is an astoundingly beautiful day. I guess this means a great day for the bike, as long as the wind stays light and barely breezy. The hills are bright green against the sky blue sky. I think the fairies are dancing today.

More Training with Rain

Another stormy weekend in paradise. I feel bad for all the people that have come to this area to train (because of the great weather and terrain) and have had super cold, rainy weather. It's really hard for me to get motivated to battle the wind and rain on my bike. I don't mind some weather when I'm running, but being on the bike makes me more nervous and cold. I hate to be cold.

Friday: Eight mile run up Drum Canyon. Got caught in a small downpour, but nothing terrible. Felt very strong and wanted to keep going, but was out of time (work, blah).

Saturday: 20 mile run, almost flat. Boring as hell, and my ipod was out of charge. I thought this run would be good training for ironman, since the terrain there is flat and asphalt. Then....40 mile bike, all out.

Sunday: Very rainy so...started out in the pool, one hour. Next, 70 minute run on this great trail near my house (with Phoebe) and it was still raining, so....set up the trainer and rode 45 minutes. I really felt great during all parts of this workout. I wanted to keep riding, but had to cook for the kids. Priorities, ya know.

Today is Monday, and I feel great, but stuck with the plan of just doing yoga. I had to turn myself around as I was driving out to Figueroa Mtn and thought I could just get a little run in. I specifically left the house without my running shoes and found some hidden under the seat. Kinda seemed like a sign to me..to run. Then I thought about all those things I've read about getting strong by resting and not overtraining and decided to just go to yoga as planned. I also went to see the Chiropractor and get adjusted. Also a triathlete, he confirmed that I was training smart by resting today.

Too busy training, still not training enough

I still have that pile of swim workouts to post, but for now, here is today's 6am blast off:

Warm-up

2 x 200 swim: free, back, free, breast by 25's
2 x 200 kick: free, back, free breast by 50's
2 x 200 pull

Main Set-- all freestyle increasing in speed

100 rest 15 sec
200 rest 30 sec
300 rest 45 sec
400 rest 60 sec
300 rest 45 sec
200 rest 30 sec
100 rest 15 sec

Cool down


I have to admit, I am starting to feel nervous about the big Arizona tri coming up. I am not looking forward to the mass swim start in that weird cement so-called-river. The last time I swam in open water, I had a panic attack, unrelated to the swim, but most likely made worse by it. And the bike, well, with all these cyclists around, it makes one feel pretty inadequate when it comes to cycling. The running, that's not stressful, but all those miles on asphalt and cement....ugh. So, those are some of my concerns and I think it's important to get them out there.

Today I did the above posted swim workout, then got on my bike for 90 minutes. I have a big training workout planned, if the weather permits. My legs have been feeling unusually tight and my shoulders are killing me! Back to yoga, I think. See why I don't have time to blog anymore?? I'm not even dating anyone!

Weather

If you have ever been to Santa Ynez, you know this is no ordinary sight. I took this photo on my way up to run in the snow. We have had more rain in the last few days than all of last year. It's great and we desperately need it, but it's hell on my bike training!

I have had a couple of lectures from my bike riding friends about getting on my bike more. I thought I was doing pretty good, but apparently not good enough. So, with all this rain and the impending Ironman, I have set up my bike trainer more than any small blonde woman should have to. I have started on the Firefly series now and that seems to be good entertainment for the hell of training indoors. I have been running in the rain, as this doesn't bother me too much, in fact it's a fun change.

I have plenty of swim workouts I intend to post. Our coach is in Australia at the moment, but he so kindly left us with workouts to tackle in his absence.

More later...