Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Week #16 & 17: pre- and post-North Face

It would appear I'm a week behind in my updates, so I shall lump them together! These are the week leading up to the North Face trail marathon relay with my old MoCo Eagle peeps, and the week following, but not the actual race report itself. Way too much fun to cram all into one post!


Week #16:
Mon 4/13. ran :40 long hills, felt like crap :(
Tues 4/14. biked 1:00 moderately on trainer
Weds 4/15. swam :30 (25's fast) before work and ran 1:00 on trails after work--first local RWB run with Erin!


Thurs 4/16. rest day. must've felt pooped from my first double workout work day!
Fri 4/17. swam :45 (100's p/pb/b). second swim and actually felt decent, whoa!
Sat 4/18. ran 2:00 (14 miles). North Face relay! I actually ran the first two legs, first 6.5 @ 9min pace with Kerry, second 6.5 @ 7:24 pace solo, then a "bonus mile" at the end to help bring in our anchor, Chris. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!!!)
Sun 4/19. biked 2:40 and had a glimmer of my old self. The legs just felt "right" for the first time in ages.

Totals: swam 1:15, biked 3:40, ran 3:40 = 8:35.



Notables for week #16:

  • I finally swam more than once! WHOOP WHOOP!
  • First double workout day on a work day!
  • The biking legs are DEFINITELY coming back. YAY!
  • First local RWB run! We are assembling like the Avengers! #EagleFire
  • Longest run, by far, since probably my Beach2Battleship half in October. (And that was only 13.1!)

Next up, week #17:
Mon 4/20. nothing! Nice rest day! (Longer work day too. Good balance.)
Tues 4/21. swam :40 before work, ran :40 after work with Erin from Team RWB again. Easy run by downtown/Brandywine creek.
Weds 4/22. biked 1:00 easy while catching up on Once Upon a Time in the morning, then dropped off the bike for new cockpit assembly at Trolley Bikes (the bike shop formerly known as the "TBB" in "teamTBB"). 
Thurs 4/23. swam :40... 15x100's p/pb/b. Picked up bike afterwards! My favorite bike mechanic, John, is the best! (Always bring him cookies or brownies if you want primo service!)
Fri 4/24. biked 1:30 HARD on the trainer--Sufferfest "Local Hero"
Sat 4/25. swam 1:30 with my old friends, the Tri-Dawgs. Epic and tiring...but recovered enough to get on the bike and ride 2:30. The legs felt pretty smashed, from that nice hard ride the previous day.

New base bar swapped out, felt great, now to figure out
how to make a more aerodynamic Hello Panda holster?
Sun 4/26. ran 1:30 on trails rather pathetically. The legs felt dead and I actually tripped twice, falling once. (I should just stop running trails for my own health and safety! I tripped during the North Face race on a very non-technical part too!)

Totals: swam 2:50 (WHOA), biked 5:00, ran 2:40 = 10:00 total. Nice!

Notables for week #17:
  • THREE WHOLE SWIMS IN ONE WEEK! WHOA!
  • including, first "squad" swim in a very long time...and LONGEST swim in a very long time
  • first Sufferfest session on the trainer in a very long time
  • first 10-hour training week!
  • morning workouts on 4 out of 5 weekday mornings!
  • Actually started feeling like a REAL TRIATHLETE again last weekend! (I feel like Pinocchio saying "I'm a real boy!")

Yup, it's the end of April and after some speed bumps during our rough (and forever long) winter, including the move back to Delaware, I actually feel like I'm getting back in the groove of things. I haven't felt like a real triathlete in a while. Triathlon isn't everything but it sure makes me a happier and more balanced person--I am extra annoyingly cheerful at work on the mornings I get my training done! Kevin's work schedule has switched over to 7am shifts, so it's actually helpful for me to both be up and awake by 5:30.

Spoiler alert after the dead legs weekend, it's Tuesday right now and my run legs are feeling fantastic again. The lung thing I was/am feeling seems to coincide with spring allergies, so I'm monitoring that sensation for the time being. Next up will be a little marathon relay race report, and it's less than 5 weeks til Rock Hall Olympic, 9 weeks til Challenge AC half. 10+ hour weeks and 3 swims a week from here on out!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Week #15: Bike legs returning, running lungs not so much



Mon 4/6. biked 1:00. ez spin on trainer after work
Tues 4/7. swam :45
Wed 4/8. off
Thurs 4/9. ran :45 trails! Nixon park in Kennett Square
Fri 4/10. biked :45. ez spin on trainer after work
Sat 4/11. ran 1:15 trails!
Sun 4/12.  biked 2:45. loop around Lum's Pond & Veterans memorial cemetery

Totals: swam :45, biked 4:30, ran 2:00 (14 miles) = 7:15.

I tried to do more this week, while juggling a 2-day work seminar on Thursday & Friday. Alas, it was not to happen as I BROKE THE STREAK (NO!!!) on Wednesday, staying late to get my work done before the seminar days. But I jumped right back on the horse, finding a park to run trails in while driving home from the first day of our workshop on Thursday.

Yup--trails, trails, trails! I will be meeting up with my old MoCo RWB Eagles to do the North Face Endurance Challenge marathon relay this weekend, just outside of DC. It's all on trails and will be our first time back in the DC area since we moved. So! It should be a good time. My running lungs don't seem to be responding well to my training though. I'm getting some flashbacks to the summer I had costochondritis and feeling apprehensive and annoyed at myself. (Because it means I let myself get out of shape and being an inconsistent athlete caused it. Argh.) We shall be semi-conservative with running, as it is a self-limiting condition anyway, but we have 7 weeks to go until Rock Hall!

On the bright side, my second outdoor bike ride of the year went fairly well. I've finally dialed in my ISM saddle and found the sweet spot on Marty McFly. Yay! Do you know how awesome it feels when your girl bits are happy on a long ride?? Now I just need to get the American Flag one...



The cockpit still needs some adjusting (I'm hating the basebar that came stock with the bike), but that should be fairly easy. The plan is to spend more time in the saddle...and well, the pool (I'll go twice this week! that's the plan!!), and that way I'll be less tired starting the run. The running fitness can come later.

Stay tuned for more exciting shenanigans! (Because this update wasn't THAT exciting...)

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Week #14: introducing Marty McFly, my TimeMachine TM01!


Mon. 3/29. biked :45 easy spin on trainer
Tues 3/30. ran 1:00 after work, in the rain, long hill repeats! BOOM!
Wed 4/1. biked 1:00 moderate on the trainer. After happy hour. ha!
Thur 4/2. swam :30 before work.
Fri 4/3. ran :45 on trails at Judge Morris Estate.
Sat 4/4. biked :30 outside, too windy, so ran 1:15 on trails at White Clay Creek
Sun 4/5. biked 2:15. 38-ish miles outdoors. YAY!

Totals: swam :30, biked 4:30, ran 3:00 (20 miles) = 8:00 total

Hooray! This was the week, I got in a little bit of training each day and hit my minimum 8 hours. I'm trying to build up to 10 hours per week (and perhaps a whopping 12 when I get more half-IM-specific) and still need to add another swim or two. DON'T BREAK THE STREAK!

Notable this week was that the weather was finally nice enough to ride the bike outside (over 55*F for this California girl). Not just any bike, the new bike!!!



I actually got my BMC timemachine TM01 last November for a birthday/Christmas/wedding combo at the bike shop formerly known as The Bike Boutique (now Trolley Bikes in Trolley Square). It was actually snowing that day. Then, it would snow on and off for several months... (ARGHHHH...)


Of course, I had to try it out right away! The cold ninja photo above is from November, when it was still butt cold. I layered it up, but my hands and feet still froze and I only lasted an hour outside.



So me and Marty McFly (because...time machine! get it?!) have been getting acquainted on the trainer. Which we all know is great, but not the same as real world outdoor conditions. I attempted to go for my long ride yesterday, but it was a blustery day to begin with, and by the time I located where my helmet had been packed away and figured out what route I wanted to ride, the winds were gusting at nearly 30mph.

I had picked a hilly route and was getting blown into traffic. Too much to handle! I actually didn't feel safe being on a brand new bike, as my position still needs tweaking so I can be more comfortable with handling it in the wind and hills. Add the cars to the mix and I was doing the death grip (I still have some bike-related PTSD from that run-in I had with a minivan in Korea years ago, one of the reasons I'm not always up for group rides). I cut my losses, went back home and did my long run instead. Better to be safe than sorry! (I did in fact crash on a group ride the first time I ever rode my first tri bike and Cervelo back in 2007...)



Today was a sunnier and less windy day. Plus everyone was at church for Easter, and I decided to go south to Lum's Pond instead, which is flatter. (Happy Easter!) I am definitely working different muscles with wind resistance and inclines!

I've had several workouts this week where I felt horribly out of shape, like "does this get any easier yet?" Or "why does easy pace not feel easy?" Too many! But at least I'm finally starting to get some consistency and habit back.



8 more weeks until Rock Hall International, so the fitness should come back by then! Any day now, please!