Strength Training

Last December, I decided I needed a more structured weight training program.  Just kind of doing everything rather spontaneous and with whatever effort I felt like is better than nothing!  But it isn't going to get me the results I desire.  There are two books I consulted with:

I used Joe Friel's book to sketch an annual training plan and learn how to structure my training better.  There's a short section on weight training and I liked it okay, but I really felt like I needed something deeper especially since I was coming off of illness (and losing >10lbs of muscle due to illness).  So I turned to Patrick Hagerman's book.

I read and reread Hagerman's book and kept cross referencing with Friel's.  Finally I decided to create three groups of exercises, or "3 Days," and follow a 12 week series.  The three groups are mostly made up of suggestions from the book, but I also included some that Doc recommends for physical therapy reasons.

Yeah.  A lot of shoulder work is there.  However, that is where a lot of my injury is and Doc needs me to strengthen what he's repaired.  Plus upper body fatigue is a race killer in all three sports.

I found a pre-made 12 week program in the Strength Training for Triathletes and kind of based what I'm doing off that.  My goal was so improve my sprint times to 1:10:00-1:20:00 range.  Preferable around 1:15:00.  Then I wanted to go head first into the olympic distance with doing the best time I can do.  Granted...  I never did an actual olympic race last year.  First one had bad storms, so they cancelled the swim.  The second one is a long story, but let's just say I never made it there to start.  So I figured if I did something more for the olympic, then it would obviously help my sprint game tremendously.

So I took the 12 week periodization plan found on page 84, and modified it.  I kind of threw in some of Friel's perspective.  If I totally bombed this, I'll find out after 12 weeks; I'm on week 8, and I'm seeing quite a lot of results already.

So when I mentioned I was on Week 8, that means I'm on "Mesocycle 2: Week 2."  Today was Day 1 of 3.  I started adding more core work today just to see if I can.  I started second guessing myself on whether I was doing enough core.  God knows it helps with my back injuries, so I figured it couldn't be all that bad to add some more.

I will say, it sure is nice not to have to grab the 5 & 8 lb dumbbells anymore.  I'm using 12-40 lb dumbbells.  Makes me feel rather... Confident. :)  Yeah....  We like this idea of confidence.

Soul Searching and a Decision

So I thought it through and talked it over a great running buddy, Doc, and my boyfriend.

Consensus is "if it doesn't make you happy, don't do it."  It's rather sad because running has made me happy for the better part of 13 years.

Doc and I  talked it over for the better part of 20 minutes.  He's worried that running may actually be doing harm based on my description of feeling toxic and smelling foul.  But he says since my neurotransmitters and adrenals are so low, I need more happy things in my life, so can the running for now.

Boyfriend was really supportive too and he totally gets it.  He's been worried that I overtrain, so not running for a while is good for the both of us I think.  If I ever feel like going for a jog, I'll do it.  But not unless I totally want to.

So I talked to one of my best buds, Gail, and she might be in for doing a relay at the Peachtree International Triathlon.  Yay!  Our other buddy, Chris, is probably doing the event as well to help prepare for Nationals.  It'd be fun to go with both of them.  :)  If Gail ends up not wanting or not being able to run the 10K for me, I'll register for the aquabike instead.  Then wait for Chris at the finish line.  :)

Rather excited about doing aquabike events.  Tri the Parks has a division for it as well.  More of Georgia Multisport Productions's events are including aquabike.  Should be fun.

I'm also on the look out for some century rides.  It'd be more of a milestone for me since I've never done something like that before.

So I'm going to have to rewrite my tentative training plan.  We'll see how it all works out.

I've lost my edge

So I've lost my mental game.  Or my love for the sport.  Or my health.  Or all.

Since Oct, I have seen little or no gains in running.  I also have noticed I feel disgusting when I run and after I run.  I used to love the sweaty-exhilarated feel post-run.  No I'm sprinting for the shower.  It feels like toxic sweat.  Maybe it's totally mental, but I think my sweat stinks differently than when I'm on the stationary bike.

My whole body feels sick while running.  I train by heart rate right now since I've been trying to recover from all the infections and the trashing of my endocrine systems.  I just feel like I'm working WAY harder and seeing no gains in 3-4 months -- and I've been conservative on the HR.

I have definite improvements in strength thanks to a more focused training plan.  I have definite improvements in spinning.  I have definite improvements in my overall health thanks to huge dietary changes and supplements.  I have definite improvements in swimming.

I complained about this a few weeks back to Doc; he said "It's the hardest so be patient."  Three weeks later still zero progress.  How much more patient?

Final straw that has me doing some serious soul searching...  I did the Hot Chocolate 5K in Atlanta a couple weekends ago.  The event itself was cute and neat.  But I did not really have fun.  EVERY race I have done regardless of weather (snow, sleet, rain, wind, super cold, super hot, etc) I have had fun.  This one was not fun.  It had nothing to do with the event itself.  I did not have fun.  No smiling.  No laughing.  No smile after the finish line.  I just wanted to go home and take a shower and forget it never happened.  During the 5K, I kept thinking of how I didn't want to be there.  I did try to make myself feel like I had a good time.  I told myself for days after that I did actually have fun, but I was lying.

It feels awful to run.  I can't explain it.  The pain I had all last year has diminished by 70-80%.  Even when I was in excruciating pain, I was still having a blast.  It's not fun anymore.  And I feel like complete shit inside my body.

I'm considering changing my game plan for this year.  I was going to try and perform to the best of my athletic abilities and beyond for sprints and olympic tris.  I can do aquabikes and relays instead.  Then throw in some centuries.  If I can find someone to run a 13.1 for me, I'll sign up for Augusta 70.3 and do the swim/bike.

I'd continue to run here and there, but I wouldn't be training for it.  See how I feel at the end of the calendar year and see about returning to the tri sport with all three in the bag.

I texted Doc this morning about all this.  He said we'll talk more at my appointment Friday, but "you're a good runner -- talented."  Perhaps...  But what do you tell the runner who doesn't have the heart to continue?

Peachtree International Triathlon -- Constant Rinse Cycle

It was raining non-stop in central Georgia on Friday, Friday night and Saturday morning.  This made for very miserable racing conditions.  I made peace with myself about the weather; it is out of my hands.  My boyfriend and I drove down to Peachtree City Friday evening and stayed over night.  Race started at 7AM and transition closed at 6:45AM, so that made for a very morning.

Got up and it was raining -- surprise surprise.  We get to the park around 5:45.  This is usually enough time to pick up my packet, get body marked, set up transition and chill until the start.  The body marking line was so freakin' long, which is highly unusual.  It was probably close to 1/4 mile long.  Rain is still coming down.  We've been hearing thunder and seeing lightning here and there for over an hour.  One of the race workers came down the line and announced that the swim had been cancelled due to the storms; it was being turned into a biathlon.

The transition area is a big grassy mud hole.  Lucky for me, my little spot was more grass than mud.  One thing I like about this race is that everyone has an assigned transition spot based on race number.  You are also told which way to point your bike, this is based on your race number as well.

I noticed LOTS of people leaving.  The start was moved to 7:15AM.  As that time came closer, even MORE people packed up and left.  I heard someone say it was because they had never ridden in the rain before and were scared to "give it a go" that day.  I'll get more into this topic on a later post.

I originally wanted to finish the tri in 3 hours, if possible; so I had to change my goal.  My new goal was 2:30:00.  I was really bummed about the swim being cancelled; it felt like that was my "rite of passage" within the triathlon world.  I was trying to break out from sprint races into the olympic/international world.  That swim is astronomically so much longer than a sprint race.  The bike and run are nearly doubled, but not the swim.  I felt that was my barrier in doing long course races in the future, but alas -- I had to settle for a biathlon instead.  I figured I could still learn some valuable information from the experience.



They did a time trial start (like they would have done for the swim): 2 riders every 5 seconds. Otherwise releasing 600+ racers would have been chaos -- it was supposed to be 1000 people, but some never showed up and a few hundred left because they didn't want to ride in the rain. I was number 405, so it was a while before I got to go.
Because I didn't swim, my body wasn't warmed up for the bike. Same with everyone else. We all started cold. So the beginning was a little stiff for me. I used the first 10 minutes to warm-up and laughed at people who tried to blow right by me within the first 3 miles. I saw most of them again at about mile 10; they were toast. Ha ha ha.
I had to modify my hydration/nutrition plan because of the voided swim. Looking back, I would have done a couple things slightly different. The hills around my house were definitely WAY harder than anything on that course.

The rain was relentless. I had a Cannondale rain jacket on, but it got soaked through. However, it did help a lot for my mental state. While the air temp wasn't cold (66*), then rain itself was. My legs didn't care, but my arms and torso get cold so easily, so I would have defeated myself if I didn't have that jacket. The rain did make it difficult to see things to avoid in the road and I couldn't take turns as fast/hard as I usually do. I saw a few people cross that threshold and fell/slid across the road in turns.

Two huge bowling balls starting growing in the back of my shoulders on the back half of the ride. I tried to charge up hills, but towards the end, my legs would collapse and I'd fall back in my seat. Then 5 seconds later, I'd try again. Cycling is my weakest sport at the moment and it showed.

On the way back to the transition area, we had a no-pass zone behind the courthouse where there were some nasty speed bumps. Most of us went between them. One guy wasn't paying attention and endoed down into a gully where there was a deep creek; poor guy.

It was wet and nasty, but I did it without spilling my guts all over the pavement. Lol.

If I had to do this over again, I would have brought a second pair of socks to run in. Not because the ones I wore gave me blisters or anything. More like because I had to put my soaking wet socks into nice dry sneakers. Instant puddles for my toes. Lol. Oh well. Something to remember for next time.

No jelly legs again! YES! The last 2 years I've struggled with really bad jelly legs and I have not had this problem at all this year in training or races. Score!

BTW, I have not run more than 5 miles since early 2009 (used to run 8 miles on trails regularly in 2007-early 2009); so I have no idea what my normal 10K time would be. Needless to say, I am pleased with my time on this.

On Thursday, I told Doc about my plan to run 9 min and walk 1 min for the 10K. He asked where the aide stations were (beginning, 1.5, 3, 3.5, 5ish) and said, "Just walk through the water stations. You'll be fine." So I went with his plan. Worked rather well. Although, it was more of a running-walk than anything. As usual, mile 2 and mile 4 were my hardest to push through. Always happens for every run! Very annoying.
The run course was on Peachtree City's famous golf cart paths. For those of you who don't realize it, they aren't like little roads. The terrain and style is more like trails in the woods, but they're paved instead of dirt. Constant ups and downs, twists, dodge a tree, etc. Very scenic. The path we used went alongside the back end of the lake; the water was about a foot away from the edge of the lake -- much closer than years past due to the excessive amount of rain this year.

I checked my watch whenever I saw a mile marker sign, but there were only 4 of them. Here were my times that I saw: 1 - 8:16, 2 - 16:40, 3 - 24:08, 4 - 35:55 (WTF?), and finish 52:39.

When we got back to the main road, there was .25 miles left. I had been behind a chick for a while who was obviously fighting quad cramps, but always managed to stay just ahead of me. I didn't really feel like I had anything left in me, but I somehow sped up and passed her (she said, "You make me look like I'm walking!") and I heard her slow to a walk behind me. Didn't mean to demoralize her -- just wanted to pass her. I gave it all I had for the final 50 yards.

My whole body started breaking down the last 1.5 miles or so. Lower back. Psoas. Chest pains. The whole bit. My lower back was fried all day yesterday as a result; even after a hot salt bath, heat packs, Aleve, and a nap, I couldn't walk at all Saturday.

So I finished in 2:27:00.  Now I want to see if I can get my 10K under 50 minutes.  My bike is what sucks the most.  I haven't really made any progress on this sport in the last couple of years.  I need to raise my average mph from 16.2 to 17.  To reach my goal of finishing a race of this distance in 3 hours, I figure I need to shave at least 7 minutes off my bike/run time.  I have 5 weeks to do this.  We'll see what happens.

Well the worst is over



Setting up in Transition -- Listening to Tunes


Well...  At least that's I'm choosing to believe!

Doc helped a ton on Thursday, but he's still rather frustrated.  He said he was going to Dallas over the weekend and asked if he could relay my case to the other doctors.  I said sure he can share anything he'd like.  He's hoping that a fresh perspective might lead somewhere.

Saturday was my first race of the season.  I wasn't sure what I could expect.  I HOPED for a 13:30 swim and to finish the race in 90 minutes.  I guess I hoped too much.

As I went to go get my race packet, an official made an announcement that the water was 68 degrees to wetsuits were legal.  I yelled "BRILLIANT!  That sounds like a swell time!"  He laughed at me as I walked by.  Then I got to thinking:  Dude!  That's freakin' COLD!  After I picked up my stuff, I had to pee REAL bad.  A lady in the restroom made a comment that "68 degrees isn't that bad.  It's actually a perfect wetsuit temperature."  SHE WAS ON CRACK!  Lol.  No one else I encountered said the same.  The consensus seemed to be that everyone was dreading the swim.  Myself included.

I got my wetsuit on and went to the beach to go warm-up for about 10 minutes.  It felt like I was climbing into an ice bath.  Ugh!  Wetsuits don't block that kind of cold.  Lol.  I went to put my face in the water and the breath got knocked out of me.  Not to mention the cold factor just shocked the hell out of me.  I couldn't keep my face in the water.  I kept trying over and over and over again.  Just couldn't do it.  When they started the national anthem, prayer, etc I got out to go line up.  My bf wrapped me in a big towel and tried to convince me that I'd be acclimated by the time I got to the first buoy.  I hoped he was right.

And that never happened.  Once again, I couldn't keep my face in the water.  AND I started getting the burps.  Can't get any air.  Burping.  Frigid water.  Oh yeah!  And my goggles flooded 5 times!  It was great.

I did a series of backstroke & breaststroke then an attempt at freestyle.  I could never find the rhythm in my freestyle like I always do normally.  Somehow I did mange to pass some people, but not many.  I just wanted out of there so bad.  The third time I tried to use freestyle, my left shoulder twinged a lot.  Fantastic!  What a great start to a miserable day!



Not my best performance, but definitely happy to be done



I finally made it out of the water.  I had to put on a long sleeve jersey since it was pretty chilly out and I was soaking wet.  Took me a while and broke my concentration a bit.  I got it on and hopped on the bike.  Since I haven't trained much on the bike this year, I knew it'd kind of suck.  Lol.  My shoulder didn't allow me to get comfortable, but that was ok.  I just wanted to get through it with a similar time as last September (which I did!).



I got off the bike, tore off the jersey, squished my feet into my Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 shoes and took off like a bat out of hell.  Within the first few steps, I noticed my lower back had flared up.  The pain was at about a 9.5.  So I went through my usual steps to try and relieve it while on the go.  None of it worked.  It was just shot.  A half mile had gone by and I noticed that while the pain was still there, it didn't get worse.  So I made a pact with myself that if the pain got worse -- quit, pack up , and go to a hospital.  If it stayed where it was -- even though it was excruciating -- keep going.  So I did.



I was trying to get my shorts from being bunched.  I swear.



So I kept going with tears pouring down my face. I just wanted it to be over. I figured -- the faster I ran, the sooner it would be over. I got to the 1 Mile marker and glanced at my watch. 7 minutes had passed. Holy shit!

As usual, between mile 1 and 2 is where I struggle the most. This happens on any run, but especially during a tri. Didn't help that between mile 1 and 2 are long steep-ass hills. My legs felt like anchors from an oil tanker. I never stopped pumping my knees. I actually had to convince other runners to keep going. I got within sight of the turnaround cone and I started yelling at a guy I was passing, "Dude! The turn around is right there! Pick your ass up and run!" He did. I think he used me to pace off of until the finish too.

As soon as I got around that cone, the anchors fell off. I FLEW back down the road, gravel road and small trail leading back to the park. As soon as I could see the final stretch leading to the finish line, I just gave it all I had. I spotted a chick a ways ahead (turned out she was 43 -- at first I thought her leg said 34) and I said, "I'm passing you..." And I did about 4 seconds before I crossed the finish line.

My lower back was pissed as hell, but I was so happy I was done.



Want to know something even cooler?  I was 14 seconds off my PR for a 5K!  My best 5K time was in March 2011 (Ashley 5K Run in Powder Springs, GA) at 24:25. I just did a 5K run after a nasty-ass swim and crappy bike in 24:39 -- with severe pains! Lol. I guess that could be considered a silver lining...



 So I looked at the results sheet and realized that if I had hit my target swim and had "normal" transition times, I would have placed 3rd in my age group.  DAMN!  That's ok I guess.  I have at least 2 more sprints this year.  Not to mention one of those is this same race in September.  Perfect time to kick ass!







That awkward moment when...  ;)



Remembering Boston

Some people on this planet are just plain stupid.  They're shitheads.  Why bomb the Boston Marathon?!  Seriously?!  What did runners every do to anyone?  Oh sure -- there's the whole "They wanted to hit innocent civilians/create panic/etc."  But think about it...  A marathon?!

In the United States, we have been blessed that the number of terror attacks has been rather small.  Especially when compared to countries like Great Britain and Ireland.  This is the first I've heard of anywhere that has happened at a marathon.  What's next?  Peachtree Road Race in July?  Ironman World Championships in Kona?  Tour de France?  If anything, these events inspire people to become something better.  It motivates them to take their lives into their own hands.

Guess you could say that the bomber(s) were hoping to dampen that inspiration and motivation.  They are very sadly mistaken.

Runners, cyclists, triathletes, etc have a special camaraderie.  It's not really a secret club or brotherhood.  But we acknowledge that we are striving the same thing -- to push ourselves to the limit.  We support one another, motivate one another, pick each other up, drag each other out of bed....  You name it.

One thing I've noticed about triathletes is that the support and motivation is much more common (and bigger) among them than it is among runners.  But that's a soap box for another day.  :)

If the bomber(s) were hoping to dampen the runners' spirits, they did the opposite.  We have become stronger and closer because of it.

This morning, Big Peach Running Company (major running store(s) in the Atlanta area) did a mile run in memory of Boston at 7AM.  Run a mile in silence.  I wanted to go so bad, but I had to be at work.  I'll be at a group run out of the Marietta store this evening.  I'm sure it'll be a sad event, but together we're moving on.

Regardless of what the bomber(s) intentions were.  We (runners) are moving on -- together.

I hope those responsible will be caught.  I hope they get what's coming to them.

And I hope they find a "comfy" home in Hell.

Score!

Saturday was SO AWESOME!  For multiple reasons.  But there was a landmark success Saturday afternoon.

I tried a run of sorts.  I did a pyramid of walk/run combos.  I did it based on minutes: 4W/1R, 3W/2R, 2W/3R, 1W/4R, 2W/3R, 3W/2R, 4W/1R.  I really pushed the running parts hard too.  My distance wasn't spectacular and my time wasn't great, but something else wonderful happened.  I had ZERO pain in my shoulders or neck!  YAY!

Happy day!  No pain while running!  I did do a lot of shoulder rolls during the first few walking sets.  But damn it felt awesome. 

My swim on Thursday sucked big time.  Doc told me to make sure I swim on Saturday to redeem myself.  I planned on that anyhow.  Saturday morning's swim was awesome too, BTW.  Great swim and pain-free run made for a GREAT DAY!

Then I went to see Nuclear Cowboyz with my boyfriend Saturday which felt like a cherry on top.  :)

Thought it was a good idea....

I went running on Saturday.  I figured a 20 minute jog wouldn't do any harm.  That was an AWFUL idea!  Lol.  About 8 minutes out I was jogging on along in my own little happy world and...

I nearly fell on my ass from the sudden mind-splitting pain in my shoulder.  It hit me hard and fast.  Only thing I can equate it to is watching Travis Pastrana using a dog shock collar in Nitro Circus 2.  (BTW, I've searched all over YouTube for a clip of that skit, and I cannot find it.  I think I may have the DVD at home; I'll see if I can grab it from that...)

Holy cow that hurt.  And then it all went downhill from there.  I was in pain for the rest of the weekend.  Monday I had Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPE -- otherwise known as "Orchestra Festival) with my kids.  I was hurting bad before we left, during our performance, after, on the bus ride home, during a lesson that evening, and even when I was sleeping.  Pain spread from back right side of my neck -- both side of my neck -- base of my skull -- left shoulder -- right shoulder -- shoulder blades -- back.  It was like a waterfall.  The pain was at an all-time high.  This morning it really wasn't any better.  After teaching three classes, it's still really bad (descended from a 10 to 9). 

I see Doc on Friday.  I almost didn't come to work today.  I seriously considered it...  Too much work to try and make sub plans and stuff though.  It's about 5 hours of prep work just to take off 7 hours of work.  What's the sense in that?

Swimming last Saturday (before my running catastrophe) was AWESOME!  I did a little strength training and a long walk with Karma on Sunday even I was still hurting pretty bad.  I'm hoping to hit the pool again tomorrow and/or Thursday.

I did have an idea though...  OBVIOUSLY running is a very bad idea right now.  Lol.  And I'm not allowed to be cycling.  What about roller blading?  Almost no impact, but still uses most of the same muscles as running + cycling.  I used to do it all the freakin' time years ago, but then I dropped it for whatever reason.  I still have all of my gear.  I'm debating on trying it out Thursday after work or waiting until I see Doc on Friday to ask him.  Being limited to swimming and weights is killing me.  Lol.  I gotta do more!

This pain is SO annoying....  I'm over it.

A week on hold

So I had two weeks of steady running.  Yay!

I figured I'd be hard pressed to get running or swimming in this week due to my work schedule.  I have to do some after school rehearsals with my orchestra to help prepare for Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPE).  I have 4 weeks to prepare for said performance (BOOOOO!), but the band has until the end of March?!  DOUBLE BOOO!!  But I won't vent on that...  Lol.

I don't like running after dark for safety concerns.  I am female (and an attractive one from I'm told) and running alone in the dark hasn't always been kind to me.  Where I used to live, I had issues with dudes following me in a car and badgering me.  So I started carrying a nasty looking pocket knife that I'd flip open without looking at them.  That usually sent them on their way until a new guy would give it a go.  Sometimes I would also carry a fanny pack that had a built in holster for a handgun.  I own a Glock 22 and I would conceal-carry it in the pack while I walked the dog after dark for our safety.  I witnessed drug deals, had creep-i-zoids follow me on foot, etc.  I had to protect myself and I didn't really enjoy that.  Why can't people leave me alone?!  Lol.

I moved almost 2 years ago to a really nice neighborhood in a great area of town.  I probably could go running after dark (wearing proper reflectors, lights, etc) without being bothered too much, but I'd rather not.  When I drive around the area (on my motorcycle or in the car), I notice that there aren't any females running in the early morning or after sunset; pretty much only males do that.  The gals seem to run during the daylight hours (there are plenty of walkers and runners around where I live).

So... That being said -- since I was getting home after dark everyday due to work, I opted not to run and give myself a week off.  I'd run on Friday-Monday (MLK Day is this weekend).  Then on Thursday, my usual chronic spinal pain flared up and went out of control.

It's kind of a long story, but I am 30 years old and have a crippled back.  I've lived with back pain since I was about 13 years old and there isn't much anyone could do about it.  I had a severe back injury in Nov 2001 that has crippled it.  I am supposed to be restricted on what I am able to do.  I keep pushing the limits of what my body can supposedly handle.  I refuse to live my life with such limitations.

I have learned to live with the pain.  On a normal day, my pain is about a 6 or 7 (scale of 1-10).  When I get these flare-ups, it goes to about a 9 or 10.  So when I mention to anyone "Man...  My back hurts," it ain't no slight twinge, ache, throb, etc.  It's devastating pain that leaves me lieing on a bed with a heating pad (because I refuse to take pain killers anymore) for a couple of days.

Thursday I had a flare-up.  Now it's also spread to my neck and left shoulder.  It awful.  It's killing me.  A week ago I made an appointment with a sports chiropractor for MLK Day.  Perfect timing.  I have never gone to any chiropractors in the past.  I needed a referral to get it covered by insurance and no PCP would ever give me a referral.  They just insisted on putting me on steroids and physical therapy (neither of which EVER worked).

Needless to say, I didn't run or swim like I planned yesterday.  :(  Too much pain and agony.  I'm taking some webinars this afternoon at SimpleK12.  The pain has died down to about an 8 for now.  If it stays like this, I'll try running later this afternoon after my last webinar.

Living my life around this sometimes unpredictable pain is ridiculous.  I have high hopes that Doc can help like my cyclist friend says he can.

Using Jan 1 as a calendar date

Don't get me wrong...  It's a good idea to use January 1 as a calendar date to set goals, etc.  I just don't understand why people feel they must use it to start getting healthy -- not when you can do this at anytime of the year.  Just like setting goals can be started on any day of the year.

So I met a major goal for last year: finish a sprint triathlon in less than 90 minutes.  I also met another major goal: become more comfortable and more efficient at swimming.

I missed other "numerical" goals.  Such as run 250 miles between Feb and Sept.  Swim 4.5 miles in June.  Bah.  Those don't matter.  The other two did.  :)

That being said...  Just for kicks I signed up for 2 challenges on DailyMile.  Run 720 miles in 2013 and swim 100K in 2013.  I DO need to set up my mileage for running and cycling.  And I do need to increase my time in the pool.  So while these aren't a "must do in 2013" goals, they are a means to an end.  However, I won't judge my performance in 2013 based on the completion of these goals.

Shit happens during the year.

Work becomes overbearing.  Injuries happen.  Life gets in the way (ain't that the truth?  Lol).  Loss of focus and drive.  Etc.

So those are two goals that just so happen to start on Jan 1, but they have an end mark: 12/31/2013.  It's not one of those resolutions that states, "I'm going to lose weight starting on Jan 1."

I have other goals.  I've already signed up for 5 triathlon races instead of three.  I'm not doing the Peachtree SuperSprint like in the past 2 years.  I'm doing the Peachtree International Triathlon instead.  Same event.  Same day.  Different distance/course.  And I'm doing 4 races in the Tri the Parks series: John Tanner #1, Blalock Lakes Intermediate, Mistletoe SP, and John Tanner #2.  The only month I don't have a race is August.  Which is fine.

I've decided to do two standard/Olympic/international distance races (yikes for me) instead of all sprints.  The swim distance freaks me out the most.  I'm glad the John Tanner #1 is in April and the PIT is in May.  The John Tanner race has a 600 meter swim while the PIT has a 1400+ meter swim.  So the John Tanner race will be a good building block to help me complete the PIT.

I don't have much of a goal for John Tanner #1.  It's the earliest tri I've done so far, so I just want to use it as a stepping stone.

My goal for the PIT is to finish.  It'd be nice if I could finish in 3 hours, but not necessary.

Blalock Lakes (intermediate) has a 1500 meter swim.  My goal for that race is to see if I can slightly improve my time from PIT.  But my main goal for both of these longer races is to try and learn a better nutrition, hydration, preparation strategy.  Then use that information to help with the sprints and future longer races.

I don't have a goal for the Mistletoe SP race yet.  For John Tanner #2: I want to finish faster than I did last year.  I want to come out of the swim and be stronger on the bike than I was last year.  The longer swim definitely affected my performance on the bike and my jelly legs during the run lasted longer than usual.  I wouldn't mind finishing that race in 90 minutes....  :)

Given that my work schedule will be busier this year than last, we'll see how I handle the stuff for the triathlons.

Remember -- stay true to yourself.

Is there such a thing...

As too many goals?  Lol.  Last March I decided that I wanted to try and run 280 miles from Jan to Sept 30.  Sounded reasonable.  It's Aug 1 and I've only covered 172 miles.  Not where I need to be to stay on track.  Oops.  I still plan on giving my best shot though.  Lol.

Then there is my goal of finishing a sprint distance triathlon in under 90 minutes.  However, there is no deadline on that one.  But I was hoping to hit that this year.  :)

Now I've gone and signed up for a ride to help fundraise for a charity.  It's called Cycle for Life and it benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  I really want to try the 60 mile route.  I have never gone that far before.  I plan on starting to train for it after my triathlon on Aug 5.  In order to participate in the event there is a minimum to raise: $165.  I have a goal posted for $500, but I really would like to raise $750.

An online buddy chipped in today and I put in some also.  I plan on doing a mini craft sale & music party at my house in October-ish.  Surely, I can find 100 pele to donate $5?  You would think so.  Lol.

My Cycle for Life Home Page   Check it out!

Nice run in the woods

Too bad the park rangers chased me away a little early.  Lol.  I didn't pay the parking fee ($3) because I had no cash today.  I really wanted to run on some trails too.  I went around for a short loop (but scenic) and took a breather at the parking lot.  I was going to head back out on another set of trails when the park ranger van drove up to check the parking station.  So I non-nonchalantly got in my car and headed home.  Boo.  :(

FYI: I normally pay that parking fee.  Today was an odd day.

So I did a 600 yard swim, 5 mile bike and a 2 mile trail run.  My pace on the trail run was crappy, but I was enjoying the view (and taking pictures).  Plus who runs on trails at their fastest pace ever?  I always have a slow pace when I run trails; however, I find that running trails helps my road pace improve.  :)

I went to Sope Creek Park.  I ran alone as usual.  :(  Starting to get kind of lonely training by myself.  I need to find groups to train with...

 I love creeks and streams.  :)

 To the right of this tree you could see how massive the thing was.  It has partially knocked over another large oak tree.  I think it's collateral damage from the nasty storm/tornado we had at the beginning of March.

 More cleaned up debris.  Probably from that storm/tornado back in March again.

When I see trees and logs across ravines, creeks, streams, etc, I want to go climb across it.  :)  That's how I spent my childhood in the summers.

We're a go for today

Well I feel up for training today.  :)  That's good.  Physically my body feels ready to go and I feel rather strong today.  I hope I don't accidentally push it too far.  Lol.

Today's plan:  Swim (300 yard warm-up, 400-500 yard swim), bike (short route around the block), and run.  I haven't figured out what the run distance will be just yet...  Depends on how I feel really.  But I gotta get some cycling in since I signed up for the GA 400 Hospitality Highway ride in July.  I'm only doing the 23 mile route.  I don't have the mileage under my belt to try anything longer.  Lol.

I'm hoping my buddy, Susan B., will be well enough for a duo ride this weekend.  :)  I'll probably be trying out those new shoes and pedals this weekend.

Well I'm off!

Training in my 30-somethings

For me...  I look forward to my 30-somethings (which starts in July).  My life of training for running and triathlons has only begun.  :)

Post from Fit Chick in the City

Foolishness

Maybe I'm foolish, but at this point I don't really care.

Last weekend, I started getting dull, throbbing headaches and they never ceased for four days or so.  Then on Tuesday I developed a stuffy nose and a fever blister on my lip.  Fantastic.  Sinus infection.  I slept a TON Tuesday and Tuesday night (thanks to NyQuil).  However, I knew I had to do something because the last two sinus infections (this is my third in 18 months) started off the exact same way; within 3 days I expected to be battling high fevers, dizziness, migraines, weakness, and more.  Then I'd be forced to see the doctor.  No thanks.

Last two times I took antibiotics, decongestants, corticosteroid nasal sprays and god knows what else.  What has that gotten me?  Three sinus infections in 18 months and lots of doctor bills.  Once again:  no thanks.

I'm tired of medicines, chemicals, and all the other crap.  I've been delaying buying either a sinus rinse or a NetiPot because they like torturing devices to me.  It ain't natural looking.  So I'm going to flood my sinus cavity with salt water?  What?

Tuesday night I felt like utter crap and Wednesday I was fighting the crap-ness off and on all day.  We had a pot luck lunch at work (last day of post-planning) and I couldn't smell or taste anything.  It looked so yummy.  The principal let us loose 3 hours early, so on the way home I bought a sinus rinse thing and some distilled water.

After taking a 4 hour nap, I gathered the courage to try this torture device.  I can't say that I like it very much.  Very unnatural feeling.  Very bizarre.  Not sure what I can say about that...

Needless to say, I feel better this morning.  So I went running.  not my brightest of ideas, but I lasted 32 minutes before my body said, "don't push it."  That was probably a foolish thing to do, but damn to I feel so much better right now.....

Techless Running?

A couple of months ago, I decided to run without listening to music.  I'm a musician.  Music is my life.  It always has been since I was 5 years old.  I can't live without music.  I can't remember the reason why I decided not to listen to music that day, but I haven't been listening to music during runs ever since then.

Dave also told me, "You'll run faster without music."  I would just smile and put in my ear buds.  However, since I stopped listening to music on runs, I found I run at a faster pace with no extra effort.  It's great.  I kind of like being able to hear my footsteps and hear the sounds of the neighborhoods.  So the earbuds have stayed out.

Since I've gotten my iPhone4 in Feb 2011, I have LOVED using the RunKeeper app to track my routes.  I also loved the setting where it'll give you an update on time, pace, and distance.  I was addicted to it.  I thought it was so useful.  I based my runs off of that thing every time.  Then one day I decided... "I'm sick & tired of carrying this thing in my hand!  I'm leaving it at home!"  After runs, I would use the RunKeeper website to track where I had been.  I found that again, my pace quickened with no extra effort.  Now I'm talking going from a 9:45 min/mile pace to a 8:30 min/mile pace just like that.  Immediate change.  I've had no injuries too.

Now I will take the phone to track my runs when I run trails or off-road, but I turn off the option of it telling me all that extra info while I run.

I don't like carrying things in my hands while I run.  It's annoying and my arms won't relax as easily.  The dog leash is a little different;  it's draped over in my hand and the loop is hanging off my wrist -- I'm not carrying it.

I've been toying with the idea of getting a heart rate monitor, but I just can't seem to justify spending the money.  I don't need an electronic device telling me that when I work hard my heart rate goes up and vice versa.  I know what my perceived levels of exertion are. 

Now I will carry my cell phone when I'm cycling, but that's more for safety reasons.  Unless I'm on the Silver Comet Trail alone (boring!), I don't listen to tunes while cycling.

I found an article on Runner's World about the techless running idea.  I like it.

Inner Peace vs. Inner Turmoil

The memorial service for Goose was good.  The Marine honor guard was great, but very haunting.  Tons of tears were shed during the service, but lots of laughs were shared during the reception afterward.

Goose's death brings a lot of emotional turmoil for me.  Training seems to help quiet it down temporarily.  Friday I trained for my upcoming race.  I did a 550 yard swim (two segments: 350 & 200), bike for 9 miles, and run for 2+ miles.  I kept the effort level pretty low overall and still had better times than I did at last year's race.  I find this amusing in some ways.

I noticed that each time I trained during the week, I found a lot of inner peace.  It was a nice break from the sudden tears that seem to attack me randomly.  I didn't get to swim much since my last lesson, but when I did I found myself more focused than usual.  It was nice.  I had a lesson yesterday; prior to it, I thought I might be unprepared for it.  Bill said it best as we were getting ready to start: "Ready to focus only on swimming?"

When I'm not training, playing music, or writing, I'm pretty scatter-brained and spaced out these days.  I don't know how to grieve.  My depression and anxiety problems make me timid to have an emotional breakdown so I usually "suck it up" instead of having a good cry.

Needless to say, the lesson with Bill was great.  My concentration faltered a little here and there, but he kept me on point.  When we were finished I felt pretty woozy (blood sugar was low) and my shoulders tingled with pain, but I don't mind.  The wooziness and pain is reminder that I am still alive -- of this I am very thankful.

Dang....

http://runkeeper.com/user/Skey/activity/83494298?&mobile=false

Above is a link to some data recorded from yesterday's run.  I knew that I felt like I was running faster when focusing on better form, but dang.....  I went from 8:00 min/mile being my faster pace to 6:15 min/mile pace.  I don't feel like I'm moving my legs any faster, just trying to be more efficient. Wow....  That says it all then.  I need to get where I can maintain this for longer periods of time.

I'm changing how I run

So I've learned from Bill that technique is key for me in swimming.  No surprise there.  I realized that the more I learn about swimming, the more I discover I need to change in running.  Bill wrote a book called, Swim Like You Run.  In my case, it's more of "Run Like you Swim."

Besides my education in swimming, I found the race photos from my duathlon on the 15th.  I saw the running shots and realized that I look like a sorry piece of shit as a runner.  I look bad.  Pathetic.  Lol.  So I need a change.  Friday I bought some new shoes and socks.  I bought a pair of Mizuno Inspire 8 and they feel amazing on my feet.  Well now that I have fancy shoes, I need to fix how I run.

Dave and I did some searching on YouTube Saturday morning.  We found a set of videos by Gatorade that featured Dathan Ritzenhein.  That guy has been my favorite distance runner.  I can never be like him, but I can at least emulate I suppose.  There are two videos that I found most interesting.

Dynamic Flexibility:

I love this sequence.  I have tried quite a few of these and I must say they feel good.  I am looking forward to learning the whole sequence.  I'm not a fan of stretching before I run.  However, it has been difficult for me to come up with a good warm-up routine, especially before races.  I plan on learning this sequence hopefully before the Peachtree SuperSprint in May.

Form Drills:

I find this highly informative.  I watched a number of videos on form and the comparison between the elite, professional and average runners.  I definitely fall within the average runner category.  I look pathetic while I'm doing it too.  Dave says that I don't "look athletic;" I am no natural athlete so this was no surprise to me.  However, I'm tired of making that excuse.  I WANT to be athletic.  So I'm making a change.  The above video on form drills is very thorough.  I will need to view this many times to get all the information.

However, I have already started on doing interval runs where I focus heavily on form when running and recovering while walking.  I tried focusing on a few points, like what Bill recommends that I do when I swim.  I push my chest forward, as though it is being pulled at an upward diagonal.  I kick my feet higher towards my butt which causes me to push off more forcefully.  My foot placement upon landing has improved drastically just from focusing on these two things.  I'm landing more towards the ball of my foot now.  Also I noticed that if I move my arms with a purpose instead of letting them sway, my running is more steady and deliberate.  It's hard to explain.  Using my arms to "drive" me forward has a noticeable impact though.

My pace during the run segments of the intervals has increased dramatically.  The only real effort I'm putting in is focusing on a few elements of form.  Better form is automatically more efficient.  It's difficult for me to maintain at the moment, but I can see this getting much easier very quickly.

Running is getting fun again....

My First Duathlon

I completed my first duathlon!  Yay!

I participated in the Cartersville Duathlon.  It consisted of a Run/Bike/Run: 5K - 17 miles - 5K.

About a month ago I spent a Sunday seeing if this were doable for me.  I ran 2.3 miles, cycled 8 miles, and ran 2 miles.  Then I did some weight training.  I felt great!  I figured that I could finish this event.  So I set a new goal: Complete said race in 2 hours.

Did I finish?  Yes.  Did I meet my goal?  Close enough!  I finished in 2:01:32.  I could have made the first transition a little faster, but other than that I could not have put more effort into it and still finish.  I finished the first 5K in 26:16 (not bad...) and the second 5K in 26:50.  I was actually prouder of the second time because I was fighting all sorts of issues during that second run.  It all started in the bike part.

When I read that a course has rolling hills, I think of tame hills where the downhills help propel you up the uphill.  You can see the end of the ascent and the descent is gradual but noticeable.  That's the image I have in my head.  Yeah....  Those weren't "rolling hills" yesterday.  I'm not sure what I'd call them though.  There weren't any steep climbs (like up near Lake Lanier - oy).  The ascents lasted anywhere from .5 mile - 2 miles.  Most of the time you couldn't see where the uphills ended (which is demoralizing).  The grade of the ascent would increase slightly as you kept climbing (once again - demoralizing).  The uphills were a bitch.  Pardon the lingo.

Enough about the uphills for the moment....  Now the downhills were a different story.  When you have a long-ass climb, you would expect something similar for a descent.  Nope.  Not yesterday.  The downhills were very tame, gradual and very short.  Boooooo!  There was some flat areas which was nice.  But I really could have gone for some more descents.  At one point in the race (around mile..... 13 maybe?), I had been climbing for at least a mile and noticed that the flaggers were telling us to make a very tight right turn.  It was an exit off of a major highway that clover-leafed around a very steep decline and immediately turned left at the bottom.  So we had to brake around this super tight loop on a long-awaited descent and turn left at the bottom.  Bummer.  Here's the bigger bummer: We had another hill climb immediately after we turned left.  Boooo!  Lol.  Very demoralizing.

There were good points to the bike-leg of the race.  At mile 11, there was an unbelievable view.  To the right of the road was a farm that looked as though it came out of a painting.  It was the perfect looking farm.  Called "Three Bears Farm."  I couldn't stop staring.  Thankfully the view lasted for quite a while.  Of course the "lovely" smell of farm came right after I passed the entrance.  Ha.  Definitely a farm.  Actually that was the best of the bike course....

I think I "bonked."  I've never done so, but I think I did bonk.  Very unusual feeling.  Happened about mile 10.  It was right when I planned on using an energy gel so I went ahead and took it with some water.  Felt better a few minutes later.  The original plan to take another one at about mile 15 and I didn't.  That cost me later.

Remember those uphills I just bitched about?  Those came with a side-effect for me.  Because my feet are attached to the pedals, I was pulling up on the pedals as well as pushing down with the opposite foot.  While I haven't mastered this technique, I do find that it is my saving grace on hill-climbs.  So all the pulling on the pedals resulted in some severe pain in my shin by the end of the bike course.  Didn't think anything of it at the time.

So the second transition was quick-ish.  I kept running, never stopping to walk and plowed on ahead to the run course again.  I was so focused on pushing through the "jelly legs" that I ignored my feet and shins.  When my quads were still screaming but started functioning again, I noticed that my feet were pretty much numb.  This is from the chilly air from the bike course I figured because what I could feel in my lower extremities was cold.  Once I started getting feeling back in my feet I then noticed that I had an agonizing pain in my shins.  It felt like tennis balls were growing in the upper half of my shin.  Then I thought, "Are these shinsplints?"  I've never had them before so I didn't really know.  So I focused on getting my ankles to relax, which helped some.

All this happened within the first mile and a half.  Yay!  So while I'm managing the pain I realize I was passing a ton of people, most of whom passed me during the bike course.  So I pushed through the pain some more.  I wanted to walk sooooooooooooooo bad.  Then Uncle Bill flashed through my mind so I kept running.  About mile 2, I felt like total.... utter.... crap.  I felt absolutely awful.  Remember that energy gel I skipped?  Yeah...  Not doing that again -- ever.  There was an aid station right about the same time so I slowed down and took in some water.  Still felt like complete crap, but I figured I had one more mile to go.  What's one more mile when you've already gone 22.1 miles?  Lol.

At the entrance to the park, I dug super deep and tried to speed up.  I passed a few more people who cheered me on.  I could barely hear them.  I rounded the last corner and a volunteer said, "You can see the finish line!  Go!"  I realized that I couldn't see it.  I knew it was there, but I couldn't see it.  My vision was very blurred and spotty.  I stopped when there was a wall of people within my sight.  Lol.

So I finished and met my goal.  I put in 250% effort overall.  I made a couple of mistakes, but I see them as learning points (like don't skip out on an energy gel -- you'll pay for it later).  I also learned a few things about myself.  The biggest thing I am amazed at is....  Even when my body was screaming at me to quit and that it couldn't give me anymore, I kept at it -- kept going.  I had to dig deeper than I ever have to do it, but I pushed my body well beyond any limits I have ever reached.  I'm rather stunned actually.  It does prove to me that I can accomplish much more than I ever planned.

Dave says I have shinsplints.  They hurt....  A lot.  I get numbness in my left foot from time to time.  He says it's from the swelling.  Makes sense.  I figure I don't really need a doctor.  Dave's been helping me treat the shinsplints.  I have a swim lesson tomorrow with Bill.  This should prove interesting.

I have a lot of pain at the moment: hip flexors, butt, quads, hamstrings, calves, shinsplints, neck and shoulders.  But man.....  I feel like I just conquered Brasstown Bald.  :)