Finding new places to chafe

Friday 10.0 miles/1:28:20/8:50 average pace

Woke up super early again this fine Friday and ran the first 4 with Zach. It was dark out but already very warm and the air is so dry my mouth felt parched! I smartly brought my fuel belt w/ a bottle of water so I stayed hydrated. I ran 6 more miles solo as the sun came up and there were lots of people out trying to beat the heat that's been burning us up lately. I felt really good overall and consistently ran 8:40-8:55 pace.

I was feeling so good that I really didn't want to stop and fix what I thought was a rock in the top of my shoe. I was almost home so I just let it grind away at my flesh for the last 20 minutes. Well, it turned out to be the end of my shoelace (that little plastic tip) and it really did dig a wee hole in my foot. And it was bleeding. WTF!?!?! I thought I'd chafed every possible square inch of skin but apparently not. Now I see so many more possibilities... sunglasses that chafe your temples perhaps? Watchband chafing on the wrist? Oh wait, I think I've had that. Note to self: don't ignore stinging pain.

Last night we went for a nice hard bike ride: 8.0 miles/33:15/14.4 MPH

That doesn't seem fast but we were pushing into the headwind from hell on the out portion, and dodging pedestrians on the back. I see why people ride on the roads. Oh and the air is sooooo dry, I felt like my eyeballs were going to shrivel up and fall out! :( The other orifices on my face was in danger as well. Note to self: hmmm.... ok there's nothing I can do about that one.

This weekend is going to be full of all kinds of good ol' American Labor Day stuff- hiking, bbq ing, beer drinking. I can't wait! Have a great weekend everyone.

An Afternoon in San Francisco

Thursday 6.0 miles/49:52/8:19 average pace

I took the afternoon off to go see a Giants game with my friend who is a huge baseball fan and has sweet season tickets right on the 3rd base line (first row). I'm not a big baseball fan myself, but I am a fan of working a half day and drinking beer in the sunshine! And seeing Barry Bonds from about 20 feet away was pretty cool. I think the whole steroid thing sucks, and I hear Bonds is a total asshole, but he did make history. My friend doesn't like him either, but we cheered for everyone else and had a great time. (Giants lost 8-0... oh well)

Anyway, I limited myself to a single beer (thank you, thank you!) and chugged a bunch of water (it was HOT even in SF), then I headed up to Zach's office after the game and we went for a super fun run. It had started to cool down and we had some shade, so we were able to push the pace pretty good even in some strong headwinds and on a couple big hills. We ran along the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf, then up through Fort Mason to Chrissy Field with great views of the Golden Gate, then returned back to Zach's office in North Beach. It was a blast! I never run in SF except for the occasional weekend long run so it was a nice change of scenery. :) I was really proud of my pace too, we ran the last two miles in about 15:30! And I didn't even use my inhaler.

This morning I got up and was feeling very, very tired. I think it's because I ran 3 days in a row at a pretty hard effort every time. I did a very short, very slow swim: 500 meters in about 11:10. It felt pretty good though. I'm going for a bike ride tonight but that will be a nice break from running. But tomorrow morning I'll be an early bird again and hopefully get in a semi-long run before work. If I can do 10 tomorrow, I'll hit 30 miles this week! :)

Tour de California

It's been a few days and many miles since my last post! Where have I been? All-frickin-over!

Starting last week:

Saturday BIKE 17.5 miles/1:06:36/15.8 MPH

Zach and I hit the roads last weekend for a long-ish bike ride around the San Ramon Valley. We rode the first half on the road, which was a new experience for me. The road isn't too busy, and there is a nice bike lane, but it still made me a little nervous. At one point there was a big downgrade and we were FLYING at over 25 MPH! But I remained focused and calm and didn't crash. Whoo hoo! But I was mentally a little wore out after all that, so we took the bike path home. :)

Sunday 4.0 miles/36:33/9:09 pace

and 450 yard swim (approx) in 10:19

Sunday we headed out to Livermore's Lake Del Valle- a nice recreation area only a few miles away but it feels like real wilderness. We did a tough but beautiful trail run then jumped in the warm lake and swam a few lengths of the designated swimming area. It was really fun just to get out and play for a few hours in the sunshine!

TOTAL miles for last week: 21.35

PLUS 27.5 miles bike and ?? m swim

A great week for me! :)

Then, Monday I was off to even sunnier Southern California. I ran in one of my favorite areas- Santa Monica's beach path. It was very hot down south but it's always perfect at the coast.

Monday 10.0 miles/1:26:39/8:40 average pace

I felt pretty good the whole time and ignored my splits to keep it easy and relaxed. I ran pretty consistent between 8:30-9:00, with the last two miles fast: 8:15 and 7:57. Nice finish- and I didn't even use my inhaler!

Tuesday I was up in Aguora Hills, where American record holder (in the marathon and many other distances) and my personal favorite runner Deena Kastor went to high school. Cool!

Tuesday 4.0 miles/34:54/8:44 average pace

I ran on the Cheeseboro Canyon trail in Aguora Hills. It was HOT and the trail was pretty much completely exposed to the sun. It wasn't too hilly, but a gradual incline up into the canyon, and a nice drop on the way back down. My splits reflected this- 9:00-9:30 on the way up, just over 8:00 on the way down. I was working pretty hard due to the heat, so I took a few breaks to drink my gatorade and stand in what little shade I could find. Whew, what a run!

I finally made it back to the Bay last night and managed to drag myself out for a real short easy bike ride- about 5.0 miles in 25 minutes or so. I practiced riding with no hands, which I can barely do. It seems like a good way to work on my balance. Does anyone know of any other bike drills for balance or bike handling? It seems so silly, but it really helps me to do things like ride with one or no hands, practice turning tight circles, etc... I'm sure the most important thing is to just get out there and ride!

So I've been multisporting all over the great state of California, and I've got lots more fun workouts lined up. Today (in a couple hours, actually, do I ever work??) I am going to a SF Giants game then meeting Zach for a run in the city.

Have a great week everyone! :)

Getting the Worm

Friday 12.0 miles/1:50:07/9:10 average pace

Got up this morning with Zach at 5:15 am. I'm just going to say that again- I got up at freaking 5:15 this morning! I know some of you guys do that every single day (Michele would probably be done by then!), and I admire you, but I'm more of a 7:30 kinda girl. But Zach's been on a kick lately of getting workouts in before he leaves for work at 6:30, and I've been trying to get in some longer runs, so I joined in his crazy pre-dawn run.

Not making excuses, but I should mention I went bowling last night after work and had a few beers, then ate a pretty small dinner, and didn't sleep that great, so I was feeling a little rough this morning. Tired (obviously, it was the middle of the night still) but also some hangover-esque stomach issues. I ate a banana before the run and brought a water bottle.

We did 4 miles together, then back at the house Zach got ready for work and I made a pit stop, refilled my water, and ate a couple Clif Blocks. Back out the door for 8 more miles with Steve Runner on my iPod and a little more spring in my step. I felt pretty good and only took a couple walk breaks (once to refill my water again). My pace ranged from 8:58-9:30 so pretty consistent.

So I've been awake a disturbing 5 hours and ran 12 miles already, and it's barely 10:00 am. But, it is FRIDAY! :)

Also, best of luck going out to Steven at Ironman Canada this weekend! Let's all keep him in mind as we get through our "long" workouts this weekend... remember, it could be a hell of a lot longer! :) Have a great weekend!

Hangin with the cool kids, My swim crush, and more

Thanks for all the replies on the Tri report. What a blast, I can't wait for the next one! The triathlon was indeed in Pleasanton, GB, at Shadow Cliffs Park. I recommend it for a first Tri! (click here for main website)

Ok so catching up!

Sunday- the day after the tri, we went for a nice hike out at Del Valle Lake and scoped out a good swimming spot. Our hike was pretty tough, and we covered about 2.5 miles total in about an hour. Whew!

TOTAL miles for last week: 24.1

PLUS 1740 m swim and 11 miles bike


Monday- now we were ready for a REAL rest day. It was nice.

Tuesday am- SWIM 1000 m in approx 24 minutes (forgot watch)

Tuesday pm- BIKE 10 miles/39:30/15.2 MPH
Nice ride in Dublin on the Iron Horse Trail. Man that headwind kicks my ass.

Wednesday- 5.35 miles/43:09/8:04 average pace
Killer run. I used my inhaler (only the 4th time so far) and the good news is I had no problem breathing! However, the run was anything but easy. We ran with the group and Zach and I started out nice and fast, hanging with the "cool kids" as I call them (the fast people). Well, this was a Graveyard Loop day, which is a super hilly course, and the cool kids dropped me like a ton of bricks on the hills. I got schooled. :) It was awesome. We had several sub 8 miles and even the killer hill mile was 8:30 or so. It was in the upper 80s and I was a bit dehydrated, and pushing the pace on those hills was super intense. Knowing my limit, I took a few walk breaks and didn't feel bad about it. It was a great run. Maritza got there early and stayed late like a kiss-ass. Just kidding! She actually was out there to run 11 freaking miles, making the rest of us look like wussies. :P Great job Maritza!!! She's rocking the Pfitz plan and getting very pumped about NYC Marathon. Check out her blog and give her some love! :)

And lastly-
Thursday am- SWIM 750 m in 15:02 Whoo hoo! I am getting close to that 2:00/100 m barrier which is awesome. There is a woman at the pool who I think I'm in love with- she is possibly the fastest swimmer on the planet. I could just watch her swim all day. Today we were the only 2 in the pool and she makes me look like I'm floating in place. She rocks. One day I'll work up the nerve to tell her so.

My First Triathlon Race Report

Pre-Race

The alarms went off at 4:45 but I'd been half-awake for hours. We had organized all our stuff and loaded the bikes up the night before, so all we had to do was get dressed and head out the door. We arrived at the park about 5:30 and were among the first to arrive. Got a great parking spot, checked in and got body-marked. Then we unloaded the bikes and Zach put the front tires back on (we have yet to obtain a bike rack so we just cram them in the car for now). It was still very dark out and a bit chilly- maybe 60 degrees and I was excited but a bit nervous.

Since we were so early, we had our choice of spots in the transition area. I went with a near-end spot on one of the racks and Zach chose a spot long the side fence.

I had thought out my transition area pretty well, but I had to learn on the spot how you put your bike up on those racks. Ok, just sit the seat on the bar, got it. I did a lot of observing throughout the day- watching and imitating what other people were doing. I felt like such a newbie but I knew I wasn't the only one. I was relieved to see lots of other hybrid and mountain bikes and decided I fit in just fine.

The sky started to get light and the places started filling up. We hung around, shared a Clif bar, and watched all the people. We saw the lifeguards getting organized and watched them take the buoys out to their spots in the lake. Finally, we went and changed out of our warm up clothes and headed down to the beach for the pre-race meeting.

The race was supposed to start at 7:00 with waves going every 5 minutes (1000 athletes divided into 6 waves). Zach and I got in the water for a warm up swim and it felt great! The water was pretty warm - mid 70's- and we were giddy waiting for the start. Well the pre-race meeting turned into a 20+ minute speech and the start was delayed. It was still cool out and we felt warmer in the water, so Zach and I basically swam/waded/treaded water for about 30 minutes. Finally, his heat was ready to go so he made his way to the starting area. I cheered as they all dove in, said a little prayer for Zach to be safe, and made my way over to the start area. Here we go!!!!!!!

swim (400 yards)

Holy Shit, it was nuts. Of course I'd heard this, and I was nervous about it, but I really had no idea what to expect. I tried to start over to the side, but where I was the ground turned quickly to a yucky, sinky mud that I couldn't stand on, so I was forced back into the crowd. They counted us down and blew the air horn and we were off. I waded a few steps and then jumped in, but there were people all over! To my right, my left, in front and behind. I felt arms and legs and shoulders hitting and bumping me from all directions. Oh, and I got a face full of water about 10 times. Gah! I was so caught up in this craziness and suddenly remembered I was supposed to be swimming! I was moving forward, sort of, but there was no actual swimming going on. I couldn't extend my legs because there were people right behind me, and I had no room to stroke my arms. And I wasn't about to stick my head under water, I had to be on the look out! So basically 150 people all treaded water for 100 yards. I was surprised to see the first buoy. I squished by it on the inside and now I had plenty of room. I started really swimming, but I was worn out from the hectic start, so I just relaxed and breathed and swam steady. Hit the second buoy and now I was swimming back to shore. I was finally in a groove, swimming strong, but guess what? Swim over. Ha ha. I swam until my fingers touched the bottom and ran out of the water. I hit the lap button on my watch and hurried over to my bike. Swim time: 8:43

T1: It took a minute to get my bearings and find my bike. I am glad I thought this out so well because I was a bit disoriented and just followed my plan. Rinsed the sand off my feet with a water bottle, took a drink, then sat down and dried my feet and put my socks and shoes on. Stood up, put helmet, sunglasses, and biking gloves on (which was harder than I'd expected, I think I'll skip the gloves next time). I grabbed my bike (which was hard because late-comers had squished their bikes in right next to mine) and ran to the exit. T1 time: 2:16

bike (11 miles)

I was so happy to have made it through the swim and I got on my bike with a huge smile. The first thing you do is exit the parking lot via a steep driveway, so I geared down and got up the hill, then it was basically flat for the remainder. I just did my best on the bike since I had no Garmin to tell my speed. I was passing people and getting passed, tried to hang on to a few people who looked like they were going "my" speed. I felt great and my buns were a-burnin, so I knew I must have been going pretty fast. Thankfully, there was NO headwind at any point, which is totally opposite of any training rides I've done. I saw a huge variety of skill level out there on the bike, and I feel I was pretty much in the middle. Fine with me! It sure would be nice to have one of those fancy bikes though.... The course was on a semi-rural road, even passing a winery, then we were back at the park. Down the steep driveway and off the bike. Whoo hoo! Bike time: 37:42 (17.6 mph)

T2: This one was a breeze. Hooked my bike seat back over the pole, took my helmet and gloves off, put the visor on, and grabbed one of my water bottles (I hadn't had anything to drink thus far). I wasn't even that tired, so I knew I was going to finish. T2 time: 0:55

run (5k)

Of course, this is my thing. I immediately pass several of the woman who passed me on the bike. One girl passed me at a fast pace, but not many people passed me for the rest of the race. I felt like I was running slow, but I was moving faster than a lot of people so I just kept chugging away. Right away I realize this run course is going to be very hilly, just like they told us in the pre-race meeting. In fact, it's a loopy maze of hilly dirt trails, so you run up and down the same hills several times. And the hills were quite steep too, so not only did they slow you way down on the incline, you had to be very careful on the downhill side too. I walked twice due to small side cramps, but only for a few seconds. On the only flat section I really picked up speed and was flying past tons of people. I saw Zach on one of the out-and-backs and gave him high-five!! :) I was relieved to see he was doing good and I was surprised how close I was behind him (considering he had a 10 minute lead just on the wave start). Finally we get onto a paved path and I know I've got less than a half mile to go and I gut it out, passing a few people on the home stretch. Run time: 25:26 (8:12 average pace)

Total Time: 1:15:04

Zach had finished and grabbed the camera with time to spare. :) he had a swim time of 7:05, bike time 34:52 (19.1 mph), run time 25:24 (beat me on the run by two seconds!!). Total finish time- 1:10:04. Awesome!! I am surprised and very pumped about my finish time and am totally hooked. I know I can improve in a lot of ways and I'm going to see how good I can do in Mission Bay next month. I've got a great partner to train with and a lot of support from my family and friends to help me along :). One last thought- this triathlon thing is really fun. Like in a way that running is not. I love the challenge of distance running and it makes me feel great, but I've never felt like going "Weeeeeeeee!!!." I wee'd on the inside yesterday a lot. Sorry, that sounds gross. You know what I mean. :)

Thursday run and Swim course preview

Thursday 8.0 miles/1:11:26/8:56 average pace

A nice easy long run in the morning. Not too exciting, although I did run every step of the way- no stopping at street crossings or anything. I listened to the Extra Mile Podcast and really liked it! The runners (Kevin, Chris, and Nigel, plus guests) all record while running, so I felt like they were out there with me. :) I'm going to figure out how to record an audio file (not while running- that takes special equipment) and send it in.

Then yesterday evening we went for a swim in the lake where our Tri is being held tomorrow (tomorrow!!!). I did 6 lengths of the designated swimming area (140 yards) for a total of 840 yards in 19:10.

Zach had a rough time though- he swallowed some water right after he started and had a panicky moment, but recovered and finished his swim. I think it kind of threw him off, and I know it pissed him off. He doesn't have too many "bad" workouts, so this was a learning experience for him. He has to get his confidence back and let this go. I know it's something he has to figure out for himself, so I didn't say too much besides basically "welcome to my life" ha ha. He's feeling much better today though and is ready for the race tomorrow.

I admit I"m pretty nervous too- we will be swimming out in the deep lake (not just in the designated swimming area) with lots of other people, which I'm not sure makes me feel better or worse. I'm a little nervous about riding my bike with lots of other people too, and I still feel like I have no idea how the transition area works. Man I just can't wait to get this thing under my belt.

My only goals are- finish, have a super fun time, and learn everything I can. The race is not timed or ranked, so I'll just get my splits on my watch for my own records. I suppose one goal I have is to be faster than Zach on the run portion. He'll definitely finish ahead of me, but I have to defend my title as the runner in the family! I'll post a report as soon as possible along with pictures and probably a few funny stories like how I ran out of the transition area with my helmet on, swam the wrong direction, and/or was last place on the bike. Wish me luck!!

My second home

Monday 10.0 miles/1:28:38/8:52 average pace

Tuesday 3.0 miles/26:28/8:49 average pace

I travel to LA a lot for work, and I try to stay in the same place. The hotel I like is near the beach and near lots of cool restaurants and shops. The beach has a paved boardwalk that goes for many miles and is always packed. I'm really familiar with the area now and feel very comfortable running there. It's so fun, although it can be pretty warm. Monday I just took it easy and was surprised to see my sub-9 pace since I'd made a point not to look at my watch at all. Cool! Yesterday's run was bit harder because at the end I ran up some hills including a super steep one.

This morning I reluctantly dragged myself to the pool for a short 500 meter swim in 10:30. I felt really awkward and flail-y in the pool today, yick. Oh well. Might do a run or a bike ride tonight, not sure. I like not having a strict schedule because it's so flexible, but I tend to question my decisions (am I running too much? should I swim more? etc) so I am starting to look forward to marathon training and the structure of that. Also, I like swimming and biking, but I'm not sure I like having to do it.

Tagged! (this is a fun one)

Lana and Lance tagged me so here it goes:

Jobs I've Held:
Ticket Taker at hometown ball park
Ice cream shop
Data entry for MT state gov't
Deli
University bookstore
Consultant for Predictive Analytics firm (4+ years, first and only "real" job)

Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
Count of Monte Christo, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter

My Guilty Pleasures:
Super caloric cuisine, booze, Reality TV

Places I Have Lived:
Helena Montana, Missoula Montana
San Francisco Bay area

Shows I Enjoy:
Lost, Jeopardy, Family Guy, The Office (bbc and US versions), Cash Cab, Spongebob Squarepants, Simpsons, All those TLC shows about families with 14 children

Vacation Spots:
Hawaii, East Coast, Wilderness

Favorite Foods:
Mexican
Fish n Chips

Websites I Visit Daily:
blogs, Running Times forums, Runango forums, Slowtwitch, The Comics Curmudgeon, Go Fug Yourself plus a lot (lot) more.


Body Parts I Have Injured
Lots of minor surface injuries (burns, etc) and a few running injuries, but thankfully that is all.

Awards I've Won:
President's Award in my college graduating class
A few AG wins and places in running

Nicknames I've Been Called:
Sis by my mom, Lots of cute and embarassing things by Zach

Pick 5 Other Bloggers:
Maritza
GB
Chad
Fran
Ryan

(By the way, Great job Ryan in the Half Marathon! Check out his blog for some crazy fast running reports)

Big Biking Weekend

2 big bike rides to report:



Saturday 22.0 miles/1:28:00/14.9 mph

Followed by



1.0 mile run/7:53

Allright! Got the weekend off to a big start with a long bike ride and a fast little brick run. Saturday afternoon we went to the San Jose jazz festival and met up w/ my brother and sister-in-law for dinner. Super fun day.









Today we planned to go swimming, but before we got around to it we decided to go for an easy fun bike ride. Well we ended up feeling really ambitious and adventurous and did a 20 mile hilly ride!


20 miles/1:24:00/14.3 mph


We did a big ol' loop that included a 4-mile long incline and a few fun declines too. It was pretty exciting because we hadn't done much riding besides on the flat (boring) rails-to-trails bike path by our house. But today we were on the roads and riding up hills, it was rad. So I ended up riding 42 miles this weekend! :O Cool.



TOTAL miles run this week: 21

plus 42 miles bike (sweet)

plus only 1250 m swimming



I am heading down to Long Beach for work, so incorporating that into the schedule we have:

Monday: 8-9 miles longish run L.A.

Tuesday: (when home) bike ride (to pool) and swim

Wednesday: group run 6-8 miles

Thursday: short OWS

Friday: easy run 3-4 miles

Saturday: MY FIRST TRIATHLON HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday: walk around calling myself a Triathlete :)

Some more cool pictures since I just uploaded and organized a bunch:




Last weekend at the beach (we're big fans of the self-portrait):

Windmill at Golden Gate Park:

In vegas, representing SJ Sharks:

Some miles and Boston plans

Thursday 8.0 miles/1:13:12/9:09 average pace

Friday 5.0 miles/42:52/8:34 average pace

Two runs in the morning, both at an easy pace and did not use the inhaler. Thursday Zach got up with me to try out some morning running, so we were out the door at 5:45- he has to leave for work by 7, but not me. In fact, even after 8 miles I still had time to clean the kitchen and take my time getting ready for work. It was kinda nice! Both runs felt relaxed and easy.

Thursday evening I also went to the pool for a quick swim after work- just 500 meters, but I did it in 10:02. I was trying to get under 10 minutes, but not quite there yet. Still, I am really improving! Might go swimming tonight at the lake after work. I skipped my bike ride last night since I'd already ran and swam, but I felt guilty about it (especially since Zach went). I need to suck it up and get on that bike! Zach tried encouraging me by showing me that in some of the Triathlons I might be able to really compete in my Age Group with my run and swim times, but I really need to work on the bike. Of course who knows how I'll do even in running and swimming when I get to the race, but I can confidently say I'm going to be pretty sorry on the bike.

Anyway, in some very exciting news, I spent a portion (hehe) of my work day yesterday registering, reserving, and signing up for all kinds of stuff!!!

1- Bought plane tickets to fly to Spokane, Washington in October where I will spend a couple days with my Mom and Dad, then we'll head over to Helena, Montana where they live for a short visit with friends and family. Can't wait to see my Grandma and my cousin's new baby! Plus one of my best friends is having a baby soon. I'll also get in a few runs in both Spokane and Helena which will be cool. :)

2- Registered for California International Marathon to be held December 2nd.

3- Reserved hotel in Sacramento for the marathon.

4- Sent off my deposit to Marathon Tours for my hotel in BOSTON! Yay!

Superawesome

Monday 7.0 miles/56:51/8:08 average pace

I had one of those runs that makes up for a million bad runs. The kind of run that explains why I am a runner. A run that boosts my confidence into the stratosphere and gives me high hopes for my next race. A super freaking awesome run.

I used my inhaler for the second time, anticipating a fast paced run with Zach. We did 3 miles together and I kept up with him no problem- our first 3 miles were 8:42, 8:13, 8:08. Usually at this point I'm cursing Zach (to myself) for being so flippin' fast and I'm struggling to keep up. Not this time! He cut his run short but I continued on for another 4 miles. I put my headphones on and jammed. I was flying! It felt easy. Really effortless. Finally on the last mile I decided I would push it - but even that mile never felt hard! My last 4 mile splits were: 8:25, 8:18, 7:40, 7:25.

This great run was a combination of factors but one of them has to be the easy breathing. I didn't realize how much my breathing was limiting me. I never would notice it on a recovery run or a long run, because I don't push into that "discomfort" zone. And lately I've been doing almost ALL of my weekly mileage at that easy pace. But at Tempo pace or on hills, I am specifically limited by my inability to take in enough air. I think I was avoiding those kinds of workouts because they were so hard for me. Now I have no excuse and I'm going to get out there and run hard! Nothing is stopping me from getting faster. yay!!

This morning I got up and went to the pool. I did 750 meters in about 16 minutes. I really want to get with a swim coach and get some tips and drill ideas. I think I can improve my swimming form a lot! I'm going to research this later.

In breaking news, I am thinking about going back to Boston next year. My previous BQ gets me into that race too (the Boston Athletic Association rules are a bit confusing, but I'm sure of this) besides that I will probably requalify at CIM this fall. (see how high my confidence is?? ha ha!)

Beerathlon and Weekly Wrap up

Saturday's bike ride: 20.0 miles/1:19:54/15.0 MPH

Followed by super short transition run:

.5 mile/3:53/7:47 average pace

We got a late start again, about 10:00, and it was really warm out already. But we had a blast and rode our bikes all the way up to Danville and back. Since the ride was longer than planned, we did a super short brick run.

After cooling down and stretching, we decided to take our bikes into the bike shop for our free "30-day" tune up (it's been more like 90 days, but oh well). Rather than drop them off and have to walk home, Zach put his in the car and drove there. I felt like riding though, so I rode the 2.2 miles to the bike shop in about 10 minutes. We dropped the bikes off and picked out new helmets (the one thing that we didn't get on the big shopping spree last week). We had lunch and a couple of beers at the sports bar next to the bike shop for a while. When we finished, I decided I would run home. It was over 90 degrees, and Zach thought I was crazy, but I grabbed a cold water bottle and I was off:

2.0 miles/16:30/8:15 average pace

So it was a long bike +brick run +short bike + beers and a BLT + short run. I call it beerathlon. I don't recommend it. :D

Later Saturday afternoon we drove into SF and went to the beach, then had dinner at the Beach Chalet. I got a few cool pictures which I will put up later.

Sunday we got hit with a cold front, so it didn't get above the 60's all day. We were planning on swimming in the lake, but decided the pool was more welcoming. I swam 1000 meters in a new personal record time: approximately 20:30! AND I actually kicked one lap which took me about 1:30, 30 seconds longer than my average swim lap. Sweet! My time was so good because we ended the workout with some timed 50s- I did 3 laps for time and hit about 45 seconds each time. nice! Zach did two right over 30 seconds. :O Holy smokes.

TOTAL miles last week: 16.5
PLUS 25.2 miles bike
PLUS 1850 meters swim

Here's my plan for the coming week
Mon: 5 miles hills
Tues: swim am (Work dinner PM)
Wed: 6 miles group
Thurs: swim am, bike pm
Fri: 8 miles am
Sat: 15-20 miles bike, 1-2 miles brick run
Sun: long OWS

Wheeze-Free Intervals!

Friday 5.0 miles/42:29/8:30 average pace

I got in to see the doctor yesterday afternoon and got some info on my breathing situation. First, he had me take a breathing test where I blow into this machine thingy and it measures stuff, then I took a breathing treatment which was this mister machine that I breathed through for 5-10 minutes, then repeated the test. The results of that were that I have super good lung function and no asthma. Sweet! He said I was at "over 100%" of where I should be, so that's gotta be good. He also said I have a "lung age" of 20. Ok!

So he ruled out that I have asthma, but that doesn't mean I don't ever have asthma... I probably have exercise-induced asthma which wouldn't show up on that test. There are exercise tests they can do, but for now he just gave me a prescription for an albuterol inhaler which I can use before hard workouts. If it doesn't work I'm supposed to go back and see him.

Well, I think it worked!! I was excited to try this out so I got up for my regular Friday morning run but today I took two puffs on the inhaler before I headed out. I wanted to push hard to "trigger" the wheezing, but at the same time, ugh, I'm tired!! So I think I found a good in-between effort. I will put the inhaler to another test sometime soon when I have more energy. I don't run a lot of intervals, so I don't know if that's a major trigger, but I do know a sustained tempo-type pace (especially on hills) is a major trigger, but that test will have to wait.

Today I ran hard for short bursts and had NO wheezing! It was awesome. Toward the end of the later intervals my legs felt heavy and my form was sloppy, but I was not wheezing! It was an interesting feeling to not have my lungs be my limiter. Here's the results of today's "just for fun" intervals:

.25 mile 1:52 (7:28 pace)
.50 mile 3:40 (7:20 pace)
.25 mile 1:46 (7:04 pace)
.50 mile 3:34 (7:08 pace)
.25 mile 1:47 (7:08 pace)

Last night after the doctor appt I made it to the pool for a total of 850 meters. I swam 750 m in 15:03 (nice!) then kicked for two more laps. I alternated kicking while on my back with no float, and then regular kicking using a kickboard.

Progression Long(ish) Run

These types of runs, especially long runs of this type, are really good for maintaining speed and effort at the end of a long race. However, my progression run was completely unintentional! I made a point to not look at my watch since I knew I wouldn't be fast- it was hot, I was tired and dehydrated from the trip, etc. I only noticed this negative splitting when reviewing my run a few hours later.

Wednesday 9.0 miles/1:20:12/8:55 average pace

Splits:

9:27

9:16

9:07

9:00

8:58

8:42

8:40

8:34
8:25

:)

I didn't swim this morning because I was kind of sick over night and didn't sleep well. I feel better today so I plan on riding my bike tonight as scheduled.

Jahowie asked about my bike, and I realzied I never did post any pictures! I'll try to do that soon. It is a Trek hybrid bike- it has an almost-road bike frame and flat handlebars like a mountain bike. It is comfortable to ride around but it's obviously not a real racing bike and we're already talking about getting road bikes (Zach especially). They were less expensive than any road bikes we could have got, so good "starter" bikes - good for commuting and our first sprint triathlons. Here is a picture of my bike from the web:

Las vegas!

First, catching up on last week:

Friday 6.2 miles/57:03/9:12 average pace

Easy run in the morning before work.

Saturday Bike 15 miles/59:19/15.2 MPH followed by

2.0 miles/16:20/8:10 average pace

The bike ride was hard at first because of a headwind, but was fun on the way back! We immediately set off on the run and it went pretty well. It was hard- my heart rate was already up and my legs were tired, but it seemed easy to slip into a fast pace. Maybe it's the fact that I was moving so fast on the bike and my body wanted to hang onto that momentum. Really tough workout for sure.

Saturday afternoon we drove into SF and went on a shopping spree at Sports Basement in the Presidio. This is a super warehouse of athletic gear and clothes and it has an enormous Triathlon section. Plus everything else a person could ever need and discounted prices. We each got tri shorts and tops, cycling jerseys, Zach got bike shorts, I got sunglasses, some running shorts, we got seat bags for our bikes, flat repair kit, frame-mounted bike pump, and more stuff I can't remember. We had a 20% off coupon so we saved a ton. :)

Total miles for the week: 18.2

Plus 23 miles bike, 1500 meters swim

Then we were off to Vegas! The quick summary is that we lounged by the pool till noon or so every day, gambled a bit (did pretty well!), ate good food and enjoyed many good drinks at our hotel- New York New York, spend one afternoon/evening at the beautiful Wynn casino, shopped a lot, and crashed out pretty early each night. It was super fun. Here are a few pics:





I drank/shopped/lounged away two days of this week so I've got some making up to do training-wise. I'm about to head out for a longish run since I have the day off, then here's the rest of the week plan:
thurs: swim am, bike pm
fri: run am
sat: bike/run
sun: swim