Ice Baths

Those babies work wonders! I am feeling great today! So great that I think I'm going to go out for a short recovery spin. I lowered my handlebar again. I still don't feel totally comfortable making adjustments to my bike, I have this fear that I'm going to screw up and the whole thing will fall apart when I get on it. I just need to eat something before I head out. Yummy sweet potato fries are in the oven. Worked both days this weekend and I'm don't have to go in again until Thursday! :)

That Felt Gooood!

Awesome bike ride with the girls! Got off to a bit of a late start, but we ended up riding for about 1hr 40 mins and covered about 26-27 miles. I was worried I'd be really stiff and sore, but I felt fabulous! I sprinted the last couple of miles and it was freaking wicked! I love riding down on my drops. Who the heck needs Aerobars anyhow?! Boy am I a bear when I haven't had a good ride. I had all this pent up energy, now I feel completely relaxed! Chocolate Chip Cookies are cooling and I am def in need of an ice bath. Its going to be a long week and I plan on hitting the training hard! Life is freaking sweet!

Bike Porn

Hot Gear I droll over....

Not necessarily hot...but cute for sure
jersey

on to the hot stuff....

Helmet

Xenith

Xenith T2

P3C

Felt DA

Orbea Ordu

Sweeet Bikes! :) Did I mention that I'm going out for a ride tomorrow! Wee....can't wait to fly down those hills again! I love that feeling...whooosh! I took a short ride around my neighborhood earlier today, once I got my baby back home. Went flying down a few hills, just to see if I was afraid. Whoossh! Ahhh its good to be back! Saw this quote today and liked it....Life is short, play hard and get dirty doing it! I think that about sums it up!

Too funny....

Thinking about peeing while running made me think about this article, yeah I know I'm weird.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6007&status=True

Running

Hopped on a treadmill yesterday and ran....finally! I felt like a racehorse let out of the box. I def could have kept going for 45-50 minutes, but I decided I'd better take it easy my first day back. Not sure for how long or how far I ran, had to hop off the treadmill to pee...peeing while running during a race may be cool, however peeing while running on a treadmill while at the gym...def not cool. Plus I want to get back on my bike today, just as soon as I pick it up from the shop. My shoulder joints are feeling a little sore today. But other than that I'm great! Hubby has the next week off, so we can finally get some stuff done. We are moving in two weeks! Totally not ready at all. Ok how the hell do I get the italics off. Didn't even know I could do that. So the rest of this post is just going to be in italics...niice! Soooo things to do today...cash paycheck, return library books, check out daycare options, pick up bike! I really want to do the group ladies ride tomorrow, hopping I'll be up for it. Not sure if it is the smartest thing to do. But hey no pain, no gain right?!

Planned Training (in the works)

This is all provided my run tonight goes well!

Thursday-run (nice and easy)
Fri-run (nice and easy)
Sat-morning yoga, potential group bike ( with the members of my Road 1 Class)
Sun-run (nice and easy)
Mon-
Tues-
Wed-
Thurs-
Fri-
Sat-30+mile group ride
Sun-

Goals for next season

As the end of the race season is coming fast, I've been thinking about some of my training goals for the winter.

1) Increase average bike speed for sprint distance races to 20mph (at 18 right now)
2) Have a sub 8 minute mile for sprint distance run (right now my PR is 26:06 for 3 mile run). Would love to have a 7:30 pace.
3) Be able to complete a Olympic distance course
4) Work on transitions

Not sure how ambitious these goals are, but now there they are in writing. I've made huge improvements this season. Going from a person who struggled to run for 2 minutes at a time, to someone who can now run for 45 minutes straight with decent form. I've been told that I look like a gazelle when I run! ;) And I have to admit that when I look at myself in the mirror while running, I do look pretty damn good. I'm happy with my swim times, while I know there is room for improvement...I def think that with a higher level of fitness my times will drop. After all, I'm a swimmer first. I've gotten three invitations to go on bike rides this weekend, stinks because I'm not sure if I'll be able to go on any of them. My bike is still in the shop. Last time I heard all it needed was a new wheel, so that's hope that still stands. It has been gorgeous this week, every time I go out for a drive I want to ride instead. Its amazing how fast all my scraps have healed. As soon as hubby gets back from his drink with the guys I'm heading out for a run! I'd love to run for 45 again, but I guess it all depends how stiff I am. This will be my first workout post crash.

Restless again...

Haven't worked out since my 5 minute bike ride on Saturday and I'm really getting restless here. The ER doc said to take 4 or 5 days off, but I'm not nearly as stiff and sore as I was yesterday. So maybe I'll try to get in a walk of some sort tomorrow sometime. We have an appointment to view our new house tomorrow morning, I'm babysitting in the afternoon, and then I'm going out with a few girls from work in the evening. Hopefully I can fit it in there somewhere though. Still no word on my bike, think I might call the shop tomorrow and see what the deal is. I want to get back on as soon as I can, you know what they say about getting back on the horse. Don't want fear to get to me. I already did my two days at work this week, so I'm all set there.

I got a kick out of this one...

Ben's Top Ten Transition Tips

by Ben Greenfield on August 20, 2008 in Triathlon Training

Tags: Transistions, Humor, Tips

10) Do: Squirt any slippery cream, vaseline, or lotion product inside your bike or run shoes, to make your foot slip n' slide right in during transition. Don't (guys): Use your wife's new and expensive Pomegranate-Vanilla Body Crème.

9) Do: Let the zipper pulley string on the back of your wetsuit hang free, as it's easier to grab as you run out of the swim. Don't: Grab other people's free-hanging zipper pulley strings as you swim past them.

8) Do: Leave your bike shoes attached to your bike pedals and perform a barefoot mount as you pass the mount line. Don't: Go bragging to your neighboors that you're a "barefoot mounter" - they won't know what you mean
and will likely be very concerned.

7) Do: Keep your hands free by leaving your cap and goggles on until after you've removed at least the upper part of your wetsuit. Don't: Keep the goggles on the rest of the race to save time in transition and money on sunglasses.

6) Do: Run through transition prior to the race to practice spotting your bike. Don't: Hang helium balloons from your bike, paint your bike neon colors, or rip your car alarm out of your car, hang it on your bike handlebars, and activate it as you run through transition.

5) Do: Wear your heart rate monitor, watch, and race belt under your wetsuit to save time. Don't: Wear your bike helmet under your swim cap to also save time.

4) Do: Put your sunglasses inside your helmet so you can easily locate them. Don't: Forget that you did this and put your helmet on, then run around transition screaming if anyone has seen your sunglasses.

3) Do: Roll your socks down so that your feet slip into them more quickly.
Don't: Squirt that lotion stuff into your socks.

2) Do: Test the tension on those brand new elastic shoelaces by actually putting your feet into your shoes before the race. Don't: Go to the medical tent if your feet become stuck inside the elastic-equipped shoes - just remain calm and cool and pour boiling water on the shoes to stretch out the elastic laces and free your feet.

1) Do: Go to that same soft, grassy golf course and practicing dismounting from your bike while leaving the shoes attached to the pedals. Don't: Go into the clubhouse and complain about people shooting balls at you while you're trying to ride your bike, darn it.

Vicodin and Chinese Food

Somebody just shoot me now! Hubby took the kiddo and went up to visit his mom, so I've just been lying around sleep and watching girly movies all day. Took some vicodin when I first woke up around 4 am and haven't taken any since. Finally got so stir crazy around 5pm that I headed out to Target for more gauze and the local Chinese take out place for dinner. It's been a while but I think I deserve it tonight, that and I'm way too stiff and sore to think about cooking anything. It took me until 11am to get off my behind and make myself a sandwich. Hubby was nice enough to pick up munchins and coffee from DD. But massive amounts of sugar and caffeine do not count as breakfast in my mind. But the gesture was really really sweet. Makes me remember why I married this guy.

Wipe Out!

Had my first major wipe out yesterday! I was more bummed that it happened in the beginning of the ride and I couldn't finish it then anything. That would have been my 2nd 30 + mile ride instead I ended up spending 3 hours in the ER getting looked over. My helmet did it's job though ( the part where my head hit the ground is split)! All the damage is superficial though, no broken bones or concussions! So wear your helmets' people!! It happened so fast, my front wheel got stuck in a groove in the road and I flipped over the handle bars and rolled a few times. Fortunately, my bike is alright...my tire blew and I may need a new wheel...but other then that all is good. The pictures I took before heading off to get check out def don't do my injuries justice esp now that all the bruising has set in. :)

Going Biking Tomorrow!

Told my boss that I am leaving at three tomorrow, so I can get out for a group ride. He seriously either better have found someone to close or come in himself. Because I am leaving at 3. Perhaps I'll have to start calling him at 2 and harass him until he caves and comes in. Because damnit I need a workout. A nice long 2 hour one. One that I will wake up from at 4 in the morning in agony from. Yeah I know...I'm nuts. I'm not even going to deny it. On another note, I weighed myself the other day and realized I've gone down 10 lbs in the last 2 weeks. A bit scary. So I stuffed myself with food and drank lots of water today. My appetite finally came back...thank goodness. Turns out all I needed to do was go out shopping and just throw whatever looked appealing into the cart. Namely those little tuna luncheon packs, peanut butter, whole wheat pitas, dried dates and apples.....ok off to bed now as 6:30 will come way to early...and the kiddos wakeup call at 5:3o even sooner.

Ugh!

Well I was going to get a workout in this morning, before I had to go and babysit for a friend...but yeah that didn't happen. The kiddo, who is usually happy as a clam in the daycare at the gym screamed bloody murder the second I tried to leave him. WTH?????? Not a good sign. How am I ever going to get my workouts in when hubby leaves. I'm going to have to buy a treadmill in addition to a trainer. I really really hope this is just a new phase and that it ends soon. Although something tells me it will probably just get worse when hubby leaves. Feeling totally bummed out now. I had a nice arms/shoulders/abs/back routine planned out and now I'm just feeling more stressed out. Grrr....

Longest Run So Far!

Weee! I ran for 45 minutes last night. That would be my longest run to date. Normally around the 25-30 minute mark I start suffering big time. But last night I felt awesome! I really had a good rhythm going and my form was great. Don't think I've ever felt that good during a long run. I almost felt like I could keep going and was tempted to just run for a full 60 minutes, but I didn't want to push it. Restlessness is apparently much better for my training than contentment. No surprise there. I felt sooo much better afterwards, very relaxed. Gone are the days of eating ice cream when I feel stressed out. I've been taking sleeping pills the past few nights in order to get a decent nights sleep and not lie awake all night thinking. My brain just never wants to shut off and shut up. I think sometimes I'm way too intense and life would be ohh so much easier if I just went with the flow. But then maybe I wouldn't have made such huge improvements this past summer. SO in that sense my intensity is a positive thing. But it def adds much more stress to life. I might swim today or I might rest. I want my legs to recover so I can do that long bike this weekend. I picked up a couple of bags of ice on the way home so I'm prepared this time.

Finally...

A workout!!! Got in a really short ride yesterday, only 14 miles. My legs still feel heavy. Was a really gorgeous day though! I got some unintentional tire changing experience before setting out. Another blond moment on my part! I was trying to put air in my tires before I set out, but the valve was a bit bent. So I had the bright idea to try and straighten it, broke a few nails then grabbed a random tool from hubby tool box and ended up breaking the whole thing off. Way to go Kate! SO yeah...and it took a lot longer then it should have, here's hoping practice makes perfect. Maybe I need to keep breaking off valves, because I clearly need a lot of practice. At least it didn't happen out on the road though. Was planning on going down to the bike shop and getting another spare tube and some lubricant, but after I got out of the bank I couldn't get the key to turn in the ignition. Something to do with the locking mechanism and the steering wheel. Anyways, so now I have to wait until later on to go workout. Ugh...I really needed that run. I'm feeling super antsy lately. Nothing a nice 40 minute run won't cure though. Hopefully....I'm not hungry and I have been sleeping like crap. WTH is my problem????

Non Training Log

Well I really haven't done much in the way of training since the race on Saturday. I went for a super short 15 min jog on Sunday. Yesterday I was going to swim, but was feeling beat and then had to go into work a bit early. Hoping to get a bike in today!

Bayside Triathlon

This race (which I signed up for on a whim a couple of days after my so called A race) really should have been my A race, because I rocked it! :) For the past couple of races I've been trying to psych myself out beforehand by believing it was possible to make top 3 in my AG and what do you know it actually worked. Left the house at 4:30 am for the hour or so drive up to Barrington, RI. I have a tendency to get lost when going places I'm not familiar with, so I wanted to give myself plenty of extra time. Got to the course a little after 6 am. Was a really good thing I was super early, because we had to drop our stuff off at the site then drive down the road a good ways to park. My stomach was playing games with me this morning and I was quite a bit more nervous that I had been for my previous races. I think it was because this is the first race I've had to drive to by myself. Too much time to think!

I got knocked around quite a bit in the swim and I'm pretty sure I touched a jelly fish or maybe two. Coming out of the water, we had a nice (ok not so nice) jog up the beach.

.5 mile swim 13:17 ( this was a Firm race, so I don't think it was quite a half mile, but judging from some of my other times this season..it was probably pretty close) 3rd in AG, 88th OA

T1 2:39 Yay! Finally got this part down. :)

For the first portion of the bike I kept trying to chase down this other chick in my age group, who I dubbed thunder thighs. I lost track of her eventually, but it was a good way to keep pace. Averaged 18.2 miles/hour.

12 mile bike 39:49 (2nd in AG)

T2 1:00 (could def get this under a minute)

Felt really great going out onto the run course, actually had some spring in my step instead of feeling wobbly. I kept my pace up by alternating sprinting and recovery (like in my speed workouts). Normally I'm just trying to survive the run.

3 mile run 26:06

Total Time: 1:22:53, 2nd in my AG! :)

It turned out to be a good thing I went by myself, although it would have been cool to have my hubby and kiddo there. I don't think he would have survived long enough for me to get my cool little medal!

I'm Tapering...enter at your own risk

I think I need a shirt or a special sticker with the above message. I mean I know it's only been four days, but stuff that wouldn't usually bother me just seems to really get to me the week before a race. I am sooo ready to pound the pavement. My only workout today was horseback riding. I did my boss a favor and went in to work for two hours and then headed over to BJs to pick up a few things. And before that I spent the morning hanging out at Bluff Point with the little monster...opps I mean my son. Who has for one reason or another recently turned into a cling-on. Then we had lunch at Panera Bread. So all in all a very good day. Except for the obvious lack of physical activity. I was left with this huge high from my workout on Saturday and now I feel like I've just been dropped off a cliff. Anywho...time to go shower (gotta get rid of the horse/barny smell), maybe make some chocolate muffins, and pack up my race bag as I won't have time to do it tomorrow or Friday since I'm working. Totally weird to be doing a race on Saturday.

Mondays....

"Monday, hard to wake up, got my coffee cup, I'm out the door....gotta be something more!" This song is totally stuck in my head. It rings a few bells though... There's just something about taper weeks. I was on my way to a park play date this morning, nearly got run off the road by a huge dump truck and ended hitting a huge boulder, blowing a tire...needless to say I didn't make the play date. Fortunately, I broke down right next to a playground, so I let the kiddo play while I waited for hubby to be done at work so he could come change the tire. Made me realize that that's just one more thing I really need to know how to do. Or at the very least I need to sign up for triple A. That way if hubby is out to sea, I won't be stranded. Looking forward to my workout this afternoon, need to get out and burn some steam. I'm long overdue for a swim...maybe a short run too.

Too much coffee?

Soooo can't sleep. These occasional bouts of insomnia are driving me mad. Also trying to decide if I want to hop into a cold shower, because my legs are still sore. I can't seem to figure out just when the triathlon portion of the Olympics is occurring, I really want to make sure I record it. Anywho....guess I should go take some Valium or something so I can get some sleep. Or at least some ibprofen so I don't wake up at 4 am again with my legs screaming at me.

The Perfect Saturday!

Well the having to work part and missing yoga not so perfect...but the ending was rather sweet. I went on my first group ride and my second 20+ mile ride....32 miles to be exact. :) Gorgeous day! It was really nice to meet some like minded ladies and I was really happy that not only could I keep pace with them, but I was actually pretty good on the hills. And having a nice cold beer afterwards even nicer! Waking up at 4 am this morning in absolute agony was another story...hehe I really need to get the tub sorted out, so I can take a "nice" ice bath or at least a really really cold bath. Our tub drain refuses to close, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with either all the sand that came off my wet suit or a recent shaving incident. Picked up some Draino at the store today while I was doing food shopping. Josh is on duty, so its just the kid and me. Fortunately, he's taking a nice long nap giving me plenty of time to lay around and be lazy. Which I think I can def afford to be! This week is going to be an easy one, since I've got a race on Saturday!

Well no luck with the draino, even tried taking off all the attachment bits with a screw driver to see if I could figure out what the issue was. But really couldn't get a good look, especially not with my two year old acting as assistant plumber. Hmmm maybe I can try plugging the drain with some kids toys or a washcloth...was really looking forward to that cold bath and maybe a hot bath and some epsom salt to follow. I probably should have at least gone for a light run to stretch out my sore muscles, but really didn't feel up to pushing the jogging stroller. Oh well maybe I can get some yoga stretches in after I put the kiddo to bed. Only another 1 1/2 to go! :)

If I wasn't officially insane already, I think I'm def there now. I'm looking forward to putting the kid in bed so I can hop into a freezing cold bath. Also trying to decide whether to go for a cold beer or a banana split.....

Another day...another race!

I signed up for another race last night! The Bayside YMCA sprint, on August 16th! This is the first race I've done that was on a Saturday. I also tried to sign up for the Madison Tri, but it was full already. Bummed about that, because it looked like a good race! :) I've got another 2 or 3 races I want to do before the season is done with. Depends how many I can afford...hehe :)

Recovery Week

I feel like I'm recovering a lot faster than in the past. I took a three hour nap after the race, but when I woke up instead of feeling like I'd been hit by a truck I only felt sore.

Monday-easy 20 min run

Planned:

Tues-random day off....just wasn't working out.
Wed-...itching to get at it today, so hopefully that will bode well for my workout! :) Don't have to work, just horseback riding at 6:45p. Which of course I'm always looking forward to. Really going to miss it when I have to give it up in a month. Hubby is going back to a boat and he just won't be reliable as childcare anymore. Fortunately, I did figure out how I can possibly still work two days a week though! Otherwise I'd probably be carried off by the men in little white coats in a very short period of time.

Made it out for a 30 minute trail run! :) It was pouring the entire first part of the day, which made for a fun yet very muddy run! Good times.

Thurs-45 minute easy bike, nice hilly ride! I always enjoy this loop because I get to cross over a huge lake surrounded by pine trees...very pretty!

Fri-Swim...may end up being another day off as I have to go into work early. Managed to get a run (with speed work) in before work, cut it short at 20 minutes though because my ankle and shin were acting up.

Sat-yoga/long bike...probably no yoga as I have to work, but the the long bike is def in as long as it doesn't pour out. I've been wanting to make it to this group ride for ever now.
Sun-off? DH has duty...so we shall see.

Race Day!

Goals: (this was my so called A race) top 10 age group, under 1 hour 30 mins

Reality: 8th in age group, 1:31:34

I'm a bit bummed that I wasn't able to keep it under 1:30, but I'm still really pleased with my times. That was my first ocean swim and I felt like it went really well. I was in the pack of girls first out of the water. Now that was a real half mile swim. All those other races I have to say were def not. They spent a lot of time talking about the large numbers of jelly fish in the water, but fortunately I didn't meet any.

Swim: distance 1/2 mile, 15 minutes even
T1: 5:02 Really need to work on getting my wet suit off faster.

Bike was good. I worked really hard to keep my HR even and my breathing good. Felt very in control. Got passed a lot, but I'm just going to assume that that was because there were so many good bikers that were slower swimmers. Averaged 18mph! Nice increase of 2 mph.

Bike: 12 miles, 40:54

T2: 1:39 Yuck..thought I had it down to under a minute with the last race. Legs were a bit shaky going into T2.

Felt really good going out onto the course. Kept the same pace I did for the last race, even with the additional half mile. I can't help wondering if maybe I should have gone just a bit faster though. Although I'm really happy that I managed to keep the same pace as the last race for a longer distance and my hr didn't sky rocket and my breathing was under control.

run: 3.4 mile run, 29 even