So um, I have to admit: I've been UBER lazy since the last triathlon. Moving to Boston, and getting used to the new lifestyle has been tough to get a training schedule together. Not having another event to train for doesn't help either. Today was my first "run" since I competed on September 20! I've been playing volleyball, but that doesn't help my endurance at all. I put quotes on the run because I was with 3 dogs so it wasn't a very good training run, it was more for them to get some exercise. I've decided that I need to jump back on the training wagon though because I feel really blah and out of shape. I also haven't been eating very well, so that is also going to change starting tomorrow.
School has been hectic, and now it's time for midterms so the finding time to exercise is difficult. I plan to go for a short run tomorrow though (30 minutes) to get my blood pumping again. I don't have class until 11 tomorrow, so I should be able to wake up early, eat a light breakfast, walk/jog with the dogs as a warmup and then get a couple of miles under my sneakers. If this doesn't work out for me, then I will have to force myself to run before I eat dinner. We shall see.
My bro and I had briefly discussed competing in a half-iron man next year. I'm all about it, but I really need to find the time to train!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
RACE DAY!
My 3 alarms went off right around 4:30am, and I rolled out of bed just before 4:45. I put on my tri-suit and my timing chip and brushed my teeth. I then ate a light breakfast consisting of Muscle Milk and a Bonk Breaker bar. Rho, Aaron and I then grabbed my stuff and my bike to head down to the transition area. By the time we got to transition, it was 5:30, which meant that I only had 15 minutes to find where my designated row was, find a spot for my bike and set up my area. I had tremendous difficulty finding a spot in the row that was adequate space to rack my bike. I finally found a spot in the middle, which was about 6 inches wide. After racking my bike, I set up my area with my running shoes and socks, bike helmet and sunglasses. I left transition just as they were kicking everyone out.
After meeting up with Rho and Aaron outside of transition, we went back to the hotel to pack up our stuff and check out, and then went to Dunkin’ Donuts for some breakfast (I ended up eating less than half of a whole grain bagel). I was also drank about a liter of electrolyte water and was having to pee every half hour. I stopped drinking water about 1.5 hours before my start time. By 8:10am, I was in my wetsuit with my swim cap on. I found the rest of my wave and was bound and determined to stay near the front of the pack. Since I was in the Clydesdale division (over 150 pounds- which I am….barely!), I was placed with both men and women in the plus size category. At 8:34, my wave was called to the start line. I stood on the first step on the steel stairs leading into the water, so that I could wet my goggles, spit in them, and put them on. Just as I did this, we were told to jump in the water. This is where I realized that it SUCKS to be the first one in the water on a treading start. It was my first experience (among many) in the race where I came in contact with other elbows, feet, faces and shoulders. I settled in a spot on the left side toward the back. We were maybe in the water treading for about 10 seconds when we heard the gun go off.
Talk about anxiety!!! I was so not relaxed at this point, and I made every attempt to go forward without actually swimming efficiently. After I coughed up the water that I had just swallowed, I tried to relax but it was very difficult with a constricting wetsuit, and with the water being 62.5ºF. Being that cold, and under physical constraint, I couldn’t get a good breath of air. All I needed to do was relax. After about 200 meters, I told myself that there’s nothing to worry about. I reminded myself of the feeling of comfort I’ve always felt with training in a swimming pool. As the starting line chaos began to settle down, I put my face in the water for the first time and began my freestyle stroke. It felt like an eternity getting to the turnaround buoy (which was about 350m from the start line), but once I got there I knew I would just have to keep swimming. (Just like Dori sings in Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...”)
After passing the starting line again on the marina side, I felt myself relax although I still couldn’t breath with the same ease as in the pool. I felt as though I couldn’t get a deep enough breath, so instead of breathing every 3 strokes while alternating sides, I could only manage to breath every other stroke on me left side. Lucky for me, this is not only my strong side, but it was also the side where the concrete wall was where Aaron, Rho and Marre were walking along with me while I swam. I cannot tell you how motivating and encouraging it was to have the support of those 3 people (Even when they lied to me telling me there was only 200 meters left when there was more like 500 but they had good intentions).
With my crew’s cheering, I made it to the finish line and was assisted by 2 men to get out of the water via a metal staircase (which looked like a set of bleachers with the lowest bench in the water). Once out of the water, I immediately began taking off my wetsuit and removed it down to my waist. The run to transition was about 400meters on a concrete sidewalk. My time for the 1 mile swim ended up being 40:38, which included my 400m jog in bare feet.
When I got into transition, I had no problem finding my bike because I had taken mental notes of the visual cues that would get me back there. The transition area was also laid out in order of wave number, so I had a general idea of where to go. I also found my bike relatively easy because there was a GIANT Minnie Mouse balloon a few bikes from mine. Had I known about this, I wouldn’t of bought my puny $5 balloon that said ‘Good Luck’ on it.
When I finally reached my bike, of course it had been knocked over, and there was another bike on top of it. The bike that was on top of mine was the heaviest hybrid POS bike I’ve ever tried to lift, and I felt sorry for the person who had to ride that for 25 miles. I quickly dried off my feet, and put my socks and shoes on. Then grabbed some shot blocks to throw in my jersey. I put on my helmet and sunglasses, grabbed my bike and set off for the transition exit. It was frustrating getting to the bike start, because I kept getting stuck behind people that were walking their bikes down the rows, and there was no way to go around them without running other people over. But I made it to the start line, crossed the timing mat and mounted my bike. My T1 time was 3:37, which I was happy with but could improve on.
The start of the bike was a little rough because it was the on ramp to Lake Shore Drive. So with my legs a little tired from the swim, and my left quad still a little tight from playing too much volleyball in the days prior, it was a slight struggle. Once I was cruising on Lake Shore drive headed north, I began to notice the tremendously strong wind at my face (I found out later that it was a 29 mph wind!). I felt like I was going sooooo slow!!! Not to mention that I was getting passed on both sides by people that I didn’t think would be very great athletes.
After a few minutes, I ate a couple of shot blocks and drank some Gatorade. I then noticed how badly I had to pee!! I kept thinking of the conversation that I had earlier with an experienced triathlete at the expo on Saturday. I was concerned about over hydrating because of my experience on my first sprint triathlon (I had to pull over and pee in the woods during my run), and she told me that she’s peed on the bike before and that it’s better to be overhydrated and pee in your pants than to get a cramp. I just couldn’t make myself pee my pants, so I held it in and convinced myself to go during the next transition.
It seemed like it took forever to get to the turn around point to head back south down Lake Shore. Once I got there, I felt like a huge weight had lifted and I actually switched into a higher gear because the wind was now at my back. Shortly after turning around, there were several ambulances whizzing by me, and I saw them stop on the other side of the median for a lady who had fallen off her bike and by the looks of all the blood on her legs, I figured it must have been pretty bad! I made a mental note to be more cautious of the bumps for the next loop around.
When I got to the turn around the head north again for the second loop, I told myself that I was half-way there and looked at my watch to see that I had been riding for 40 minutes (though it seemed like hours). I ate 2 more shot blocks after I turned around and kept on going. I tried to kick it in going north because I knew that the wind would help me for the final quarter of the bike leg. At one point, I started cussing because my legs were burning and didn’t know how they would hold up to yet another hill!! The rest of the ride was pretty smooth, although discouraging because I felt like I was getting passed by significantly more people that I was passing. I would often look at the backs of the rider’s calf to see which wave they were in and see how much they were beating me by. I saw a lot of female riders that were in previous waves pass me, and didn’t feel too good about it. Anyways, when I was nearing the second transition, I heard Rho, Marre and Aaron cheering me on.
When I found my spot again, I found that one of the athlete’s whose bike was on my right had put their bike right on top of all my stuff and my things were a bit scattered. I thought about taking their bike and throwing it, but lost that enraged thought once I remembered how bad I had to pee!! I took off my helmet, ate 2 more shot blocks and headed for the porta-potty. 8,500 athletes in the Chicago triathlon and there were only 4 portable toilets in the transition area. Luckily the line was short, so I waited my turn. After listening to some of the conversations ahead of me, I realized that the people in front of me were actually done with their race and were getting ready to leave. At that point, I asked the 4 people ahead of me if I could cut in line since I was still on the clock. They were very nice, and let me go.
I think since I had about 5 minutes in transition 2 before starting the run, I didn’t really experience the stone-legged feeling that I was expecting. I started my run pretty strong, and even exchanged high fives with Aaron and Marre (Rho actually got an AWESOME picture of this moment, and Aaron framed it for me to hang on my wall). My bike time was 1:39:48 and my second transition was just 5:56.
During my run, I felt great. I was running under a 9 minute pace (which is faster than I expected), and only walked briefly to properly drink some water and an energy gel at miles 1, 3 and 5. At mile 3, there was an announcer who was very motivating and there was music playing. My run was definitely my strongest event. I actually passed a lot of people that had passed me on the bike, and I finished in a full blown sprint for the last 100-150 meters. I crossed the finish line, and immediately found Aaron to give him a kiss for being so supportive. My leg muscles were twitching, but I felt great! I ran the 10k stretch in 56:13 with a 9:04/mile pace. I had finished in 3 hours, 26 minutes and 24 seconds which far exceeded my goal of finishing in less than 4 hours.
I grabbed a couple of bananas for my walk back to the transition area to retrieve my stuff and immediately called my brother to tell him all about it. I didn’t drown, get a flat, get a cramp, throw up, or any of the nightmare-ish things that I had read about. I had survived, finished the race, and achieved something I had been looking forward to since I signed up for the race last December. I thought I would sleep on the way home, but every time I tried I kept thinking about how happy I was and how alive I felt. I was on an emotional high, and couldn’t wait to do it again!
Stay tuned for updates on the Finger Lakes Triathlon which takes place in less than a week (September 20)!
After meeting up with Rho and Aaron outside of transition, we went back to the hotel to pack up our stuff and check out, and then went to Dunkin’ Donuts for some breakfast (I ended up eating less than half of a whole grain bagel). I was also drank about a liter of electrolyte water and was having to pee every half hour. I stopped drinking water about 1.5 hours before my start time. By 8:10am, I was in my wetsuit with my swim cap on. I found the rest of my wave and was bound and determined to stay near the front of the pack. Since I was in the Clydesdale division (over 150 pounds- which I am….barely!), I was placed with both men and women in the plus size category. At 8:34, my wave was called to the start line. I stood on the first step on the steel stairs leading into the water, so that I could wet my goggles, spit in them, and put them on. Just as I did this, we were told to jump in the water. This is where I realized that it SUCKS to be the first one in the water on a treading start. It was my first experience (among many) in the race where I came in contact with other elbows, feet, faces and shoulders. I settled in a spot on the left side toward the back. We were maybe in the water treading for about 10 seconds when we heard the gun go off.
Talk about anxiety!!! I was so not relaxed at this point, and I made every attempt to go forward without actually swimming efficiently. After I coughed up the water that I had just swallowed, I tried to relax but it was very difficult with a constricting wetsuit, and with the water being 62.5ºF. Being that cold, and under physical constraint, I couldn’t get a good breath of air. All I needed to do was relax. After about 200 meters, I told myself that there’s nothing to worry about. I reminded myself of the feeling of comfort I’ve always felt with training in a swimming pool. As the starting line chaos began to settle down, I put my face in the water for the first time and began my freestyle stroke. It felt like an eternity getting to the turnaround buoy (which was about 350m from the start line), but once I got there I knew I would just have to keep swimming. (Just like Dori sings in Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...”)
After passing the starting line again on the marina side, I felt myself relax although I still couldn’t breath with the same ease as in the pool. I felt as though I couldn’t get a deep enough breath, so instead of breathing every 3 strokes while alternating sides, I could only manage to breath every other stroke on me left side. Lucky for me, this is not only my strong side, but it was also the side where the concrete wall was where Aaron, Rho and Marre were walking along with me while I swam. I cannot tell you how motivating and encouraging it was to have the support of those 3 people (Even when they lied to me telling me there was only 200 meters left when there was more like 500 but they had good intentions).
With my crew’s cheering, I made it to the finish line and was assisted by 2 men to get out of the water via a metal staircase (which looked like a set of bleachers with the lowest bench in the water). Once out of the water, I immediately began taking off my wetsuit and removed it down to my waist. The run to transition was about 400meters on a concrete sidewalk. My time for the 1 mile swim ended up being 40:38, which included my 400m jog in bare feet.
When I got into transition, I had no problem finding my bike because I had taken mental notes of the visual cues that would get me back there. The transition area was also laid out in order of wave number, so I had a general idea of where to go. I also found my bike relatively easy because there was a GIANT Minnie Mouse balloon a few bikes from mine. Had I known about this, I wouldn’t of bought my puny $5 balloon that said ‘Good Luck’ on it.
When I finally reached my bike, of course it had been knocked over, and there was another bike on top of it. The bike that was on top of mine was the heaviest hybrid POS bike I’ve ever tried to lift, and I felt sorry for the person who had to ride that for 25 miles. I quickly dried off my feet, and put my socks and shoes on. Then grabbed some shot blocks to throw in my jersey. I put on my helmet and sunglasses, grabbed my bike and set off for the transition exit. It was frustrating getting to the bike start, because I kept getting stuck behind people that were walking their bikes down the rows, and there was no way to go around them without running other people over. But I made it to the start line, crossed the timing mat and mounted my bike. My T1 time was 3:37, which I was happy with but could improve on.
The start of the bike was a little rough because it was the on ramp to Lake Shore Drive. So with my legs a little tired from the swim, and my left quad still a little tight from playing too much volleyball in the days prior, it was a slight struggle. Once I was cruising on Lake Shore drive headed north, I began to notice the tremendously strong wind at my face (I found out later that it was a 29 mph wind!). I felt like I was going sooooo slow!!! Not to mention that I was getting passed on both sides by people that I didn’t think would be very great athletes.
After a few minutes, I ate a couple of shot blocks and drank some Gatorade. I then noticed how badly I had to pee!! I kept thinking of the conversation that I had earlier with an experienced triathlete at the expo on Saturday. I was concerned about over hydrating because of my experience on my first sprint triathlon (I had to pull over and pee in the woods during my run), and she told me that she’s peed on the bike before and that it’s better to be overhydrated and pee in your pants than to get a cramp. I just couldn’t make myself pee my pants, so I held it in and convinced myself to go during the next transition.
It seemed like it took forever to get to the turn around point to head back south down Lake Shore. Once I got there, I felt like a huge weight had lifted and I actually switched into a higher gear because the wind was now at my back. Shortly after turning around, there were several ambulances whizzing by me, and I saw them stop on the other side of the median for a lady who had fallen off her bike and by the looks of all the blood on her legs, I figured it must have been pretty bad! I made a mental note to be more cautious of the bumps for the next loop around.
When I got to the turn around the head north again for the second loop, I told myself that I was half-way there and looked at my watch to see that I had been riding for 40 minutes (though it seemed like hours). I ate 2 more shot blocks after I turned around and kept on going. I tried to kick it in going north because I knew that the wind would help me for the final quarter of the bike leg. At one point, I started cussing because my legs were burning and didn’t know how they would hold up to yet another hill!! The rest of the ride was pretty smooth, although discouraging because I felt like I was getting passed by significantly more people that I was passing. I would often look at the backs of the rider’s calf to see which wave they were in and see how much they were beating me by. I saw a lot of female riders that were in previous waves pass me, and didn’t feel too good about it. Anyways, when I was nearing the second transition, I heard Rho, Marre and Aaron cheering me on.
When I found my spot again, I found that one of the athlete’s whose bike was on my right had put their bike right on top of all my stuff and my things were a bit scattered. I thought about taking their bike and throwing it, but lost that enraged thought once I remembered how bad I had to pee!! I took off my helmet, ate 2 more shot blocks and headed for the porta-potty. 8,500 athletes in the Chicago triathlon and there were only 4 portable toilets in the transition area. Luckily the line was short, so I waited my turn. After listening to some of the conversations ahead of me, I realized that the people in front of me were actually done with their race and were getting ready to leave. At that point, I asked the 4 people ahead of me if I could cut in line since I was still on the clock. They were very nice, and let me go.
I think since I had about 5 minutes in transition 2 before starting the run, I didn’t really experience the stone-legged feeling that I was expecting. I started my run pretty strong, and even exchanged high fives with Aaron and Marre (Rho actually got an AWESOME picture of this moment, and Aaron framed it for me to hang on my wall). My bike time was 1:39:48 and my second transition was just 5:56.
During my run, I felt great. I was running under a 9 minute pace (which is faster than I expected), and only walked briefly to properly drink some water and an energy gel at miles 1, 3 and 5. At mile 3, there was an announcer who was very motivating and there was music playing. My run was definitely my strongest event. I actually passed a lot of people that had passed me on the bike, and I finished in a full blown sprint for the last 100-150 meters. I crossed the finish line, and immediately found Aaron to give him a kiss for being so supportive. My leg muscles were twitching, but I felt great! I ran the 10k stretch in 56:13 with a 9:04/mile pace. I had finished in 3 hours, 26 minutes and 24 seconds which far exceeded my goal of finishing in less than 4 hours.
I grabbed a couple of bananas for my walk back to the transition area to retrieve my stuff and immediately called my brother to tell him all about it. I didn’t drown, get a flat, get a cramp, throw up, or any of the nightmare-ish things that I had read about. I had survived, finished the race, and achieved something I had been looking forward to since I signed up for the race last December. I thought I would sleep on the way home, but every time I tried I kept thinking about how happy I was and how alive I felt. I was on an emotional high, and couldn’t wait to do it again!
Stay tuned for updates on the Finger Lakes Triathlon which takes place in less than a week (September 20)!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ok so I've realized that almost 2 weeks have past since I competed in the Chicago triathlon and still haven't posted ANYTHING about it yet. Let me just mention that the days immediately following the triathlon, I was organizing, getting rid of and packing up all of my stuff in my entire apartment. Then I drove my moving truck from Dayton,OH to Rochester, NY, unloaded some stuff and met up a couple of my besties who helped me move stuff, then woke up the next day and drove from Rochester to BOSTON! And since I've moved, I have not had internet and lost my cell phone (which I dropped in the park, and was then stolen). So now I'm sitting in starbucks and have some time to blog about the tri so here goes....
The day before the triathlon, I attended the triathlon expo with Marre. There I picked up my packet, got my tri ink (wave number 36 on my calves, and my bib number 5691 on my arms), and got my t-shirt. I also looked around at some of the vendors and ended up buying a race belt, Yanks, and a new tri top for like 40% off retail value.
I woke up at 4:30am (actually it was more like 4:45 bc I snoozed a couple of times), and ate a late breakfast. I had to get down to transition because it closed at 5:45. Aaron, Rho and I walked all my stuff from our hotel to the transition area, and made it there by 5:30. This gave me 15 minutes to find my spot, which was designated in rows by our wave number.
The day before the triathlon, I attended the triathlon expo with Marre. There I picked up my packet, got my tri ink (wave number 36 on my calves, and my bib number 5691 on my arms), and got my t-shirt. I also looked around at some of the vendors and ended up buying a race belt, Yanks, and a new tri top for like 40% off retail value.
I woke up at 4:30am (actually it was more like 4:45 bc I snoozed a couple of times), and ate a late breakfast. I had to get down to transition because it closed at 5:45. Aaron, Rho and I walked all my stuff from our hotel to the transition area, and made it there by 5:30. This gave me 15 minutes to find my spot, which was designated in rows by our wave number.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Last bike ride
Very easy bike ride (10 miles). Well, it was as easy as I could make it with the wind in my face for the first 5 miles.
Here's to hoping my bike holds up for 25 more miles on Sunday!
Here's to hoping my bike holds up for 25 more miles on Sunday!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
I'm moving to Boston!
Holy crap, it's been a while since my last post. Let's see if I can remember everything that I did. I arrived in NY late on the night of August 14, so I didn't do anything that day. The following day, my brother and I drove to Welch Lake to get an open water swim in. We estimated that I swam about 1800m. It was really difficult to get into a rhythm with my breathing, and I definitely didn't feel ready for the competition.
On Saturday, Dan and I walked A LOT while exploring the city of Boston (aka my new home!!). I also didn't train at all on Sunday because my Boston friend Nicole and I went on some more exploring adventures. As luck would have it, I was staying with Nicole who lives in a BEAUTIFUL place that has a pool! So on Monday morning, I swam about 32 lengths and it took about 23 minutes. It was a heated pool, so I felt as though I was overheating, and got out before I passed out. On Tuesday, I checked out the fitness center in Nicole's building and ran 3.2 miles on the treadmill. I also ended up walking a lot while apartment hunting. I got a glimpse of what it would be like to live in Boston without a car. It wasn't bad, it just took a lot of time and human energy to get to places. I actually enjoyed it, so I've decided to keep my car when I move to Boston, but only use it when I really need it.
On Wednesday, I woke up early and met my Harvard friend Jeremy on a run along the Charles River. I only ran about 40 minutes because it was VERY VERY hot and humid that day.
Yesterday, I had intended on going for a bike ride and a run after but the whether couldn't make up it's mind. Rather than risk getting caught in a thunderstorm again, I decided to save my bike ride for today. I didn't completely take the day off because I ended up playing volleyball for 2 hours.
So I just got back from a 24mile ride. It was kind of a killer on my way out because the wind was in my face. My legs were burning only after like 5 miles, so I had to switch to a lower gear. It felt like it took FOREVER to get to the turn around point, but on the way back it was smooth sailing.
Tomorrow I'm headed up to Put-In-Bay for my last volleyball tournament in a long time. I'm hoping to get into a league in Boston, but I'm afraid that I won't have much time for that. We will see. Then after the race (a week from this Sunday), I will be frantically packing and getting rid a lot of my stuff because I'm moving into my new place on September 2, with a quick stop in Rochester!
Also, Wright State has decided to close it's pool until September 8, so it looks like I will have to do my last week of swim training at LA Fitness and/or at Ceasar's Creek.
On Saturday, Dan and I walked A LOT while exploring the city of Boston (aka my new home!!). I also didn't train at all on Sunday because my Boston friend Nicole and I went on some more exploring adventures. As luck would have it, I was staying with Nicole who lives in a BEAUTIFUL place that has a pool! So on Monday morning, I swam about 32 lengths and it took about 23 minutes. It was a heated pool, so I felt as though I was overheating, and got out before I passed out. On Tuesday, I checked out the fitness center in Nicole's building and ran 3.2 miles on the treadmill. I also ended up walking a lot while apartment hunting. I got a glimpse of what it would be like to live in Boston without a car. It wasn't bad, it just took a lot of time and human energy to get to places. I actually enjoyed it, so I've decided to keep my car when I move to Boston, but only use it when I really need it.
On Wednesday, I woke up early and met my Harvard friend Jeremy on a run along the Charles River. I only ran about 40 minutes because it was VERY VERY hot and humid that day.
Yesterday, I had intended on going for a bike ride and a run after but the whether couldn't make up it's mind. Rather than risk getting caught in a thunderstorm again, I decided to save my bike ride for today. I didn't completely take the day off because I ended up playing volleyball for 2 hours.
So I just got back from a 24mile ride. It was kind of a killer on my way out because the wind was in my face. My legs were burning only after like 5 miles, so I had to switch to a lower gear. It felt like it took FOREVER to get to the turn around point, but on the way back it was smooth sailing.
Tomorrow I'm headed up to Put-In-Bay for my last volleyball tournament in a long time. I'm hoping to get into a league in Boston, but I'm afraid that I won't have much time for that. We will see. Then after the race (a week from this Sunday), I will be frantically packing and getting rid a lot of my stuff because I'm moving into my new place on September 2, with a quick stop in Rochester!
Also, Wright State has decided to close it's pool until September 8, so it looks like I will have to do my last week of swim training at LA Fitness and/or at Ceasar's Creek.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
So when I got to the gym yesterday, I had every intent to run for at least 80 minutes. When I got on the treadmill, I began running and it took a while to get into it. I had some stomach issues, and I felt like I had to pee so it was an uncomfortable 20 minutes. I then got off the treadmill, and went into the locker room. I then attempted to run for another 20 minutes, but my stomach was still upset, so I ended the running and hopped on the spinning bike. I was originally going to bike for only about 20 minutes, but I ended up getting in a rhythm (of about 100rpm) and didn't get off the bike until 50 minutes later.
Therefore, Tuesday's workout consisted of 40 minutes of running (about 3.5 miles), and 50 minutes on the bike.
Now I'm off to the pool to get some laps in because tomorrow is a rest/travel day. I'm going to see my twin in New York! YAY! :)
Therefore, Tuesday's workout consisted of 40 minutes of running (about 3.5 miles), and 50 minutes on the bike.
Now I'm off to the pool to get some laps in because tomorrow is a rest/travel day. I'm going to see my twin in New York! YAY! :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
So the day after the bike (Friday), I had severe pain in my left foot which hindered my ability to walk. I've diagnosed myself with Morton's neuroma, where the nerve between the third and fourth toe becomes inflamed and hurts like hell. It usually begins to act up when I wear tight shoes, or heels. I'm thinking the problem was the damn toe clips on my bike pedals, so I have decided not to use them for the triathlon. I took Saturday off too, for some R&R with Aaron. We went camping at Caesar's Creek Lake, and I brought my wetsuit in case we wanted to get a swim workout in. We never ended up swimming because we had the dogs with us, the beach we went to was rather scummy, and I forgot my goggles. So we came back early on Sunday night, and got a quick workout in at LA Fitness. I biked on the spinning bike for about 25 minutes, and then ran 3.2 miles on the treadmill.
Yesterday, I was feeling preety good after a nice relaxing weekend, and I swam 1800meters. I also did some research on gear for the triathlon. I've decided to buy "Lace Locks", which are these little widgets that go on your shoelaces so they don't come untied while you are racing. I've also looked into buying a pair of aero-bars for my bike, but I don't really want to put another $60 into it. Do you think they are worth the investment?
Yesterday, I was feeling preety good after a nice relaxing weekend, and I swam 1800meters. I also did some research on gear for the triathlon. I've decided to buy "Lace Locks", which are these little widgets that go on your shoelaces so they don't come untied while you are racing. I've also looked into buying a pair of aero-bars for my bike, but I don't really want to put another $60 into it. Do you think they are worth the investment?
Friday, August 7, 2009
Chicago Triathlon Anxiety!
Yesterday, I biked 26 miles in 1h 40min. Yeah, not a very good time but my legs weren't working at maximum potential. I think the run and swim in the days prior have made my legs feel like cooked noodles. I'm taking the day off today to try and recover a little bit, and get some school work done. Tomorrow A and I are headed up to Ceasar's Creek in Ohio to test out my new wetsuit, and do a little open water training.
I checked out the Chicago Triathlon on YouTube, and it's awesome. It actually makes me nervous just watching it. It's apparently the largest triathlon in the world, and it's just about full (8,500 competitors).
Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwvW9LVWTlA
There's 10 chapters, and I've only watched the first 2 thus far...
I checked out the Chicago Triathlon on YouTube, and it's awesome. It actually makes me nervous just watching it. It's apparently the largest triathlon in the world, and it's just about full (8,500 competitors).
Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwvW9LVWTlA
There's 10 chapters, and I've only watched the first 2 thus far...
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Mom's visit
Saturday was a rest day because Mom came into town on Friday night.
Mom, A and I went on a 28 mile bike on Sunday. We rode at a pretty slow pace, because it was a leisure ride so I didn't keep track of the time. After the bike ride, I went to L.A. Fitness to check out the place where Aaron will be doing his swim training. I swam with him and his friend Andrew for about 45 minutes and probably only swam about 500 meters.
Monday, I took the day off with the excpetion of a yoga session in the morning.
Last night, I ran 6.5 miles which took 65 minutes. Today I'm feeling very sore from that workout, mostly in my hamstrings.
Today is swim day. Actualy helped out my soreness. I swam a 50m warmup, 50m cool down and swam 1600m in less than 45 minutes. I'm really trying to swim continuously, but it's not working out so well. I am finding that I am becoming more and more comfortable in the water the more I swim. I've also settled on bilateral breathing. It seems to be the best method for me, and I don't get out of breath as much after each length.
Mom, A and I went on a 28 mile bike on Sunday. We rode at a pretty slow pace, because it was a leisure ride so I didn't keep track of the time. After the bike ride, I went to L.A. Fitness to check out the place where Aaron will be doing his swim training. I swam with him and his friend Andrew for about 45 minutes and probably only swam about 500 meters.
Monday, I took the day off with the excpetion of a yoga session in the morning.
Last night, I ran 6.5 miles which took 65 minutes. Today I'm feeling very sore from that workout, mostly in my hamstrings.
Today is swim day. Actualy helped out my soreness. I swam a 50m warmup, 50m cool down and swam 1600m in less than 45 minutes. I'm really trying to swim continuously, but it's not working out so well. I am finding that I am becoming more and more comfortable in the water the more I swim. I've also settled on bilateral breathing. It seems to be the best method for me, and I don't get out of breath as much after each length.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
When I started on my bike ride this afternoon, the weather was great. Overcast sky, but still great. In total I rode 20 miles, in about an hour and 10 minutes. On my way to the 10 mile mark, there was no sign of rain what-so-ever. HOWEVER, on my way back, I started to see some very dark clouds, and then the thunder came. I tried to book it back to my starting point (which was still about 2 miles from my house), because I didn't want to get Canny wet. (Btw Canny is the name of my new wheels.) My attempt to make it back failed miserably, and I found myself caught in a torrential downpour with 5 miles left in the ride. I stopped my watch, and sought refuge underneath some random building. I waited for about 10 minutes for the rain to let up some, and started riding again.
During these last 5 miles, not only did the rain completely stop, but I also managed to run over a dead frog, inhale an insect, get attacked by 2 geese, and get splashed by an incredible amount of water from the traffic on the road. Who ever thought to put a bike path right next to a road anyways? Ok, ok, so the part about the geese is a slight exaggeration. They only hissed at me, but it still freaked me out. At least this time it wasn't pouring on me the entire way home, like it was when Dan and I went for a ride around the town of Gates.
Alas! I made it home in one piece, without hitting any guardrails this time. I then decided to shower, and I even dried my hair. Then it was time to walk the puppies. When we started, the weather was beautiful. Partly sunny skies, not a dark cloud anywhere. And since we were just going around the block, I didn't even think to grab an umbrella. BIG MISTAKE. As soon as at the furthest point away from my house, yet another downpour came sailing through. By the time I got home, I may as well of taken a shower with all my clothes on- I was drenched from head to toe, and so were the dogs. Then once I reached my porch again, guess what? Yeah, the sun came out. All I could do was laugh...
During these last 5 miles, not only did the rain completely stop, but I also managed to run over a dead frog, inhale an insect, get attacked by 2 geese, and get splashed by an incredible amount of water from the traffic on the road. Who ever thought to put a bike path right next to a road anyways? Ok, ok, so the part about the geese is a slight exaggeration. They only hissed at me, but it still freaked me out. At least this time it wasn't pouring on me the entire way home, like it was when Dan and I went for a ride around the town of Gates.
Alas! I made it home in one piece, without hitting any guardrails this time. I then decided to shower, and I even dried my hair. Then it was time to walk the puppies. When we started, the weather was beautiful. Partly sunny skies, not a dark cloud anywhere. And since we were just going around the block, I didn't even think to grab an umbrella. BIG MISTAKE. As soon as at the furthest point away from my house, yet another downpour came sailing through. By the time I got home, I may as well of taken a shower with all my clothes on- I was drenched from head to toe, and so were the dogs. Then once I reached my porch again, guess what? Yeah, the sun came out. All I could do was laugh...
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Less than 4 weeks to go
Sunday marked the 4 weeks left point, and I'm starting to get nervous. I feel like I'm running out of time to train, but I don't want to over do it and train too hard. These next 4 weeks, I'm going to practice 2 events in one work out, and I also plan to do a mini-indoor triathlon, as per Dan's advice.
For some reason, the swim today was a bit painful. My shoulder was bothering me for the first 500m, and then my knee started hurting while walking to my car. I'm fine now though. After a 1600meter swim (in 47 minutes), I treated myself to lunch at Panera. :)
Now it's back to studying...
For some reason, the swim today was a bit painful. My shoulder was bothering me for the first 500m, and then my knee started hurting while walking to my car. I'm fine now though. After a 1600meter swim (in 47 minutes), I treated myself to lunch at Panera. :)
Now it's back to studying...
Monday, July 27, 2009
New Wheels
So on Friday, I managed to get a 1400m swim done in 36 minutes. I would have swam more, but the pool closed, so I swam until I got kicked out.
Saturday and Sunday this weekend were both volleyball days. On Saturday I played women's doubles with Andrea. We ended up losing in finals to a team that we SHOULD have DEFINITELY beat. Anyways, it was fun. The on Sunday I played co-ed doubles with Aaron. We played well for the most part, with some errors at very inappropriate times. We lost to a team that we hate losing to, but then saw them get beat right after. But what matters is that we had fun, and I got a nice tan.
On Sunday evening, A and I went for a bike ride so I could test out my NEW ROAD BIKE!!! I got an amazing bike for a really good price, and I'm so pumped about it.
Here are the specs:
Cannondale Criterium 3.0
-12 speed
-1990
-Frame: 60cm, Hand Forged Heat Treated Aluminum
-Standover 34.25" (for person 6' or taller)
-Shifters: Shimano 105
-Brake Levers: Shimano 105 SLR (Downtube with indexing) <---not sure what this means?
-Brakes: Shimano 105
-Bottom Braket: Shimano 105
-Pedals: Shimano 105 Toe-Clip
-Front Derailleur: Shimano 105
-Back Derailleur: Shimano 105
-Crankset: Shimano 105
-Cassette 6 Speed
-Seat: Diamondback Performance (this is going to be replaced since it's very uncomfortable)
-Hubs: Shimano 600
-Rims: Campagnola LAMBADA strada
-Tires: Forte GT2 700x28c Kevlar
And I got all of this awesome-ness for only $300. The ride last night went pretty well. We were riding into the wind on the way to our turn-around point, so the amount of effort I was putting in was deceiving. On the way back, I saw how fast the bike was and how much less effort I was putting in than Aaron, who was riding my hybrid. I still need to get used to having the shifters on the frame, and riding in racing position (makes the back sore if you're not used to it). But over all, it's a very FAST bike. I didn't use the toe clip pedals last night, but I will put them on for next time. I thought about clip in pedals, but then I would have to buy shoes. I'm not really up for that investment just yet, so I might be racing with toe clips.
I'm pretty sore today, so I'm thinking of taking the day off. I may go for a run later if I'm up for it. We will see...
Saturday and Sunday this weekend were both volleyball days. On Saturday I played women's doubles with Andrea. We ended up losing in finals to a team that we SHOULD have DEFINITELY beat. Anyways, it was fun. The on Sunday I played co-ed doubles with Aaron. We played well for the most part, with some errors at very inappropriate times. We lost to a team that we hate losing to, but then saw them get beat right after. But what matters is that we had fun, and I got a nice tan.
On Sunday evening, A and I went for a bike ride so I could test out my NEW ROAD BIKE!!! I got an amazing bike for a really good price, and I'm so pumped about it.
Here are the specs:
Cannondale Criterium 3.0
-12 speed
-1990
-Frame: 60cm, Hand Forged Heat Treated Aluminum
-Standover 34.25" (for person 6' or taller)
-Shifters: Shimano 105
-Brake Levers: Shimano 105 SLR (Downtube with indexing) <---not sure what this means?
-Brakes: Shimano 105
-Bottom Braket: Shimano 105
-Pedals: Shimano 105 Toe-Clip
-Front Derailleur: Shimano 105
-Back Derailleur: Shimano 105
-Crankset: Shimano 105
-Cassette 6 Speed
-Seat: Diamondback Performance (this is going to be replaced since it's very uncomfortable)
-Hubs: Shimano 600
-Rims: Campagnola LAMBADA strada
-Tires: Forte GT2 700x28c Kevlar
And I got all of this awesome-ness for only $300. The ride last night went pretty well. We were riding into the wind on the way to our turn-around point, so the amount of effort I was putting in was deceiving. On the way back, I saw how fast the bike was and how much less effort I was putting in than Aaron, who was riding my hybrid. I still need to get used to having the shifters on the frame, and riding in racing position (makes the back sore if you're not used to it). But over all, it's a very FAST bike. I didn't use the toe clip pedals last night, but I will put them on for next time. I thought about clip in pedals, but then I would have to buy shoes. I'm not really up for that investment just yet, so I might be racing with toe clips.
I'm pretty sore today, so I'm thinking of taking the day off. I may go for a run later if I'm up for it. We will see...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Swim, bike AND run!
I managed to get in a 1600m swim yesterday! It was awesome! But I was exhausted at the end. Also played 3 games of volleyball (coed 4's=low intensity). I took a lot of breaks, so it took about 45-50 minutes to complete, but I was going for distance rather than time. Now I can work on taking less breaks. I've also worked on my breathing, and feel that I am more comfortable breathing to one side, but I think bilateral is more efficient.
Tonight, A and I went on a bike ride on the bike path by the river. I ended up getting about 14 miles in within an hour. We were on a time constraint because we had a volleyball game. I did manage to run for about 10 minutes when I got off the bike though to get used to the bike/run transition. I also held a tryout for which of my dogs is the best training partner. Otis runs with me the best, but he also gets tired the soonest. Also, Jack has hip problems, so I don't want him to run for very long. So I think Otis made the cut....
I've decided that I am no longer going to train anything more than 15 miles on my damn hybrid bike. It's too damn tiring. I'm going on craigslist tonight to find me a damn bike!
Tonight, A and I went on a bike ride on the bike path by the river. I ended up getting about 14 miles in within an hour. We were on a time constraint because we had a volleyball game. I did manage to run for about 10 minutes when I got off the bike though to get used to the bike/run transition. I also held a tryout for which of my dogs is the best training partner. Otis runs with me the best, but he also gets tired the soonest. Also, Jack has hip problems, so I don't want him to run for very long. So I think Otis made the cut....
I've decided that I am no longer going to train anything more than 15 miles on my damn hybrid bike. It's too damn tiring. I'm going on craigslist tonight to find me a damn bike!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Long Run
Painful 60 minute (6.1 mile) run in the Woodland Cemetary yesterday. When I first started, I found that my achilles tendon was really bothering me. It took me a really long time to warm up, and I was running pretty slow for about 40 minutes, regardless of all the hills. After that, my euphoria kicked in and I felt great for the next 15-20 minutes. I even had enough energy left to really kick in it for the last 45 seconds. As soon as I stopped, though, my knees and ankles started aching! I also played a game of co-ed doubles last night, which is a workout in itself. Hopefully I am not over training. I'm taking the day off today to give my joints a break. I also think that I would greatly benefit from a long yoga session, so maybe I will check that out this evening.
Also going to look into buying a GPS/Heart Rate Monitor watch to track my ticker and my mileage because I'm assuming my Nike+ is going to die any day now and my iPod is so out of date that it cannot be updated anymore. I hear Garmin has a nice one....
Also going to look into buying a GPS/Heart Rate Monitor watch to track my ticker and my mileage because I'm assuming my Nike+ is going to die any day now and my iPod is so out of date that it cannot be updated anymore. I hear Garmin has a nice one....
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Since my last post, I've done the following:
July 15: Bike ride to tennis courts, played tennis, bike ride home (~5 miles). 2 games of volleyball (pickup)
July 16: 2 games of volleyball
July 17: Swam 1100meters
July 18: Co-ed quads volleyball tournament
July 19: ~18 mile bike ride to Xenia, OH
I think I've fallen in love with swimming! Once I get into it (after about 500m or so), then I don't want to stop! The past few times, I've tried to focus on my breathing. Since I've learned that breathing on one side isn't very efficient, I may need to switch things up a bit this week and try bilateral breathing.
This week I'm going to up my training and attempt to wake up in the morning to train, and then maybe have a second workout with Aaron in the evenings when he gets home from work. Team Simpson now consists of Me, Aaron, Dan and Michelle.
Right now, I'm completely exhausted and am going to be lazy for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is a swim day! :)
July 15: Bike ride to tennis courts, played tennis, bike ride home (~5 miles). 2 games of volleyball (pickup)
July 16: 2 games of volleyball
July 17: Swam 1100meters
July 18: Co-ed quads volleyball tournament
July 19: ~18 mile bike ride to Xenia, OH
I think I've fallen in love with swimming! Once I get into it (after about 500m or so), then I don't want to stop! The past few times, I've tried to focus on my breathing. Since I've learned that breathing on one side isn't very efficient, I may need to switch things up a bit this week and try bilateral breathing.
This week I'm going to up my training and attempt to wake up in the morning to train, and then maybe have a second workout with Aaron in the evenings when he gets home from work. Team Simpson now consists of Me, Aaron, Dan and Michelle.
Right now, I'm completely exhausted and am going to be lazy for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is a swim day! :)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Training Up to Now
So I've decided to start recording my triathlon training online because I keep losing/forgetting about every notebook I've ever started for this very purpose.
Here is what I've done since I've returned to Dayton (from Santa Fe, NM). This is from memory so things aren't extremely accurate, but close enough for comfort....
July 6: swam 700m
July 7: off
July 8: swam 800m
July 9: off
July 10: 5 mile bike, 25 minute run
July 11: 10 mile bike, 800m run
July 12: off
July 13: 1000m swim, 7 mile bike
July 14: 30 min. run
Things I've noticed due to training:
I can't jump as high when I play volleyball
I'm always hungry, and usually craving pasta
I sleep A LOT better
I'm more productive during the day
My run today was a bit rough because of my long day of swimming, biking and volleyball yesterday. Here's to sleeping well again tonight!
Aaron and I decided to sign up for the Finger Lakes Triathlon tonight. A is doing the sprint distance (his very first one), and I'm going to try and tackle the olympic distance.
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