Snow has again returned to Iowa. It's been snowing for a couple of hours here and is supposed to all night. That's great, if I can hang out at home, but tomorrow I have a 3 hour drive to NE Iowa, to the small (REALLY small) town of Elma. When I went outside to pre-heat my truck this morning, I thought that anyone out running in this weather would have to be insane. I gladly accepted my 30 minutes on the treadmill this morning, rather than even consider going outside.
I had a good swim over lunch today. I worked the whole time on my bilateral breathing. It's really going well. That's saying a lot based on the fact that I never thought I'd actually get that accomplished. It has really helped me to slow down and (hopefully) become more efficient in my stroke.
I have also decided that I may need another day of rest. Today's workouts went fine, but I can see my heart rate slowly starting to creep back up, and I am just feeling a little run down. Tomorrow will be a day off and then I think I may shoot for another one on Monday.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Monday, November 28, 2005
Mind Games
I am now in my fourth week of "training to train." I would have thought by now that the swimming would be getting a little easier. But, alas, it is not. I still go out and flop around in the pool like an idiot, hoping that the master's guys in the next lane aren't laughing too hard at my form. I have been trying to do my drills as well as work on some sort of endurance, but I just don't remember it being so hard before. I suppose it may be because in the past, all I've had to worry about is surviving 400-600 yards. It is a bit more daunting thinking about 4200 yards! All my pool time hasn't been a total waste though. It has been great for me to just get used to being at the pool twice a week, whether I like it or not. And I've somehow suddenly learned how to breathe to my right side. I've always been a left side (only) breather. Every time I'd try it in the pool, I'd nearly kill myself from sucking in a mouth full of (nasty) water. Somehow this year it's been much easier. Of course, I'm still so freaking out of breath while swimming that I can barely make it 3 strokes between breaths, so as to alternate which side I breathe on... I guess my only choice is to keep on working on it and be thankful for the little goals I am achieving along the way to the big goal next September.
One great thing I have found at the pool is that I swim on the same days as one of the guys from the tri club. Brad is a multi-time Ironman finisher and did Wisconsin again last year (his second or third time). He has been very encouraging to me all along and he keeps asking how my training is going. Little things like that are a big help in the grand scheme of things!
I've been pretty tired the last couple of days so my runs haven't been that great. I ran outside on Sunday afternoon in the spitting rain and wind. The only good part of that run was that it wasn't very cold. It was a mentally tough day to run, so I have started to work on my mental game during the run. I have found it is pretty difficult to keep my mind on the task at hand when my body doesn't really want to go. An old trick that I use for running up hills is to keep repeating the alphabet backwards as many times as I can til I reach the top. It gives my mind somewhere to concentrate while my legs just do the job of running up the hill. One I just read about (and that has been helpful so far) is for when you just want to stop and walk. The book says to convince yourself to keep running for the next 10 breaths you take, then see if you can keep going for 10 more. Let's just say that Sunday's run involved both mind games... but they did their job and I got it done!
One great thing I have found at the pool is that I swim on the same days as one of the guys from the tri club. Brad is a multi-time Ironman finisher and did Wisconsin again last year (his second or third time). He has been very encouraging to me all along and he keeps asking how my training is going. Little things like that are a big help in the grand scheme of things!
I've been pretty tired the last couple of days so my runs haven't been that great. I ran outside on Sunday afternoon in the spitting rain and wind. The only good part of that run was that it wasn't very cold. It was a mentally tough day to run, so I have started to work on my mental game during the run. I have found it is pretty difficult to keep my mind on the task at hand when my body doesn't really want to go. An old trick that I use for running up hills is to keep repeating the alphabet backwards as many times as I can til I reach the top. It gives my mind somewhere to concentrate while my legs just do the job of running up the hill. One I just read about (and that has been helpful so far) is for when you just want to stop and walk. The book says to convince yourself to keep running for the next 10 breaths you take, then see if you can keep going for 10 more. Let's just say that Sunday's run involved both mind games... but they did their job and I got it done!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Back to Business
I have finally thawed out from the Turkey Trot and have finally digested my Thanksgiving Day meal. Both took longer than expected, but I am almost back to normal and ready to get back at it. Tomorrow is supposed to be our last beautiful (read: warm) day of the year, so I decided to switch my running and cycling days around so I can get a good run outside tomorrow. That meant I was indoors riding on the bike trainer today. I rode for about 45 minutes while I watched the Iowa State football team lose their 3rd overtime game this season. Good grief! They are so close to being such a great team (finally) but there are just some little things they need to get done.
I will admit I've been a little slack on my strength training this week. And my stretching. So, tomorrow I am getting back on the wagon and getting back down to business. It is great to have these few vacation days from work, but it almost seems as though I am more disciplined when I am busier. So, hopefully, getting a little more structure in my days will overflow back into my training.
Roehr was in Ames for Thanksgiving, so Sparkle, Roehr and I met up for some beverages (of the adult variety) last night at O'Malley's then headed downtown to engage in the decathlon of bar games. We played nearly every game offered in Whiskey River, Sportsman's, and the Corner Pocket. Sunshine came out to join us at about the same time Roehr and I threw in the towel.
Although it's always great to see Roehr, this time she came bearing gifts! She had finally received the last part of my birthday gift: a Sub 17 shirt. The significance of the shirt is that Ironman competitions must be completed in under 17 hours, so for people such as ourselves, anything "sub 17" is our first goal for the race. It is a very cute style and I can't wait to wear it! She also brought a big bag full of other triathlon related goodies. Let's just say I look a LOT like all the other members of her Kraft Multisport Team.
I will admit I've been a little slack on my strength training this week. And my stretching. So, tomorrow I am getting back on the wagon and getting back down to business. It is great to have these few vacation days from work, but it almost seems as though I am more disciplined when I am busier. So, hopefully, getting a little more structure in my days will overflow back into my training.
Roehr was in Ames for Thanksgiving, so Sparkle, Roehr and I met up for some beverages (of the adult variety) last night at O'Malley's then headed downtown to engage in the decathlon of bar games. We played nearly every game offered in Whiskey River, Sportsman's, and the Corner Pocket. Sunshine came out to join us at about the same time Roehr and I threw in the towel.
Although it's always great to see Roehr, this time she came bearing gifts! She had finally received the last part of my birthday gift: a Sub 17 shirt. The significance of the shirt is that Ironman competitions must be completed in under 17 hours, so for people such as ourselves, anything "sub 17" is our first goal for the race. It is a very cute style and I can't wait to wear it! She also brought a big bag full of other triathlon related goodies. Let's just say I look a LOT like all the other members of her Kraft Multisport Team.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Safe and Sound
I can tell that I am really starting to get serious about my training. Those of you who know me well, know that I do NOT do well in the winter. I am definitely what you might call “cold-blooded.” This morning I ran in the Davenport YMCA’s annual Turkey Trot. I think this is the 4th or 5th time that I have run this 5-mile Thanksgiving Day tradition. Yesterday was a very nice November day; I think the temps were up in the 50-60’s (although it was breezy with winds in the 20-40mph range). But things took a drastic turn for the worse over night. Not only did the temperatures plummet, but the wind was even more fierce than yesterday. At 8am, I think the temperature was around 15-20 degrees and the wind hadn’t died at all from yesterday. That brought the wind chills down to 5-10 below zero!! But, I had paid my $22 and got the shirt (plus I needed a good training run today), so out the door I went (half expecting to be the only fool to actually show up for the event).
I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold while running before. The race starts out with a steep incline up Main Street in Davenport. Most years I actually walk a lot of this hill… But this year I was able to run the whole thing for three reasons:
1. I think I am in slightly better shape this year than in past years.
2. I had to keep running or the wind would have blown me back down the hill and into the Mississippi.
3. I was frozen so deeply that I couldn’t feel anything; not my nose, not my face, not my fingers or toes, but more importantly, I couldn’t feel the burning of the lactic acid in my legs!
Water stops were a little different than ones I’d seen in the past. They had to put salt down on the road by the water stops so that when you dumped your cup, you wouldn’t make the streets all icy. The water was cold though! Anyways, I ran the whole thing, never got blown over (but came VERY close a couple of times), and was able to finish strong, warm, and with the wind at my back.
This was also the first year that this little Turkey Trot was chip-timed (although I’m not sure why… everyone makes it over the starting line within about a minute), but due to a break somewhere in the chain of communication, I never got a chip, so you’ll not see my name or time in the race results… but I did take a witness with me to verify my time. Just ask Royce if you have any doubts about my performance.
It was great to have a good, solid, pain-free run today. Last night I was wondering if I’d even make it to Davenport to have a chance to run. I left Ames at about 3:45pm and made a 30-minute stop in Marshalltown before heading out for the remainder of my roughly three-hour drive. I estimated that I could ALMOST make it to Walcott on my tank of gas, but decided at Iowa City that I didn’t want to risk anything on the busy holiday travel day, so I stopped to fill up. I hadn’t been back on the road for more than 10 miles when traffic just stopped cold. No movement whatsoever. I glanced at the clock in the truck. It was 6:40pm. I called my mom to tell her that I’d hit a slow down and that they’d better just eat without me, ‘cause I’d probably be there a little while. I didn’t have any idea at the time just how right I was!
I knew there must have been quite an accident to bring the traffic to such a screeching halt. Soon the state troopers and county sheriff’s deputies were flashing their lights as they sped by on the shoulder. Then came the ambulances, probably 4-5 of them. Then I glanced in the oncoming lane and noticed that there were no cars coming from the other direction either. About 30-45 minutes later, the ambulances came by headed back toward Iowa City and not long after that we saw the Life Flight helicopter fly overhead.
We sat and we sat. Thank goodness for XM satellite radio, the rest of the lunch I had packed for earlier in the day, and cell phones. Many thanks to Roehr and Cara who talked to me numerous times during my “rest stop” around mile marker 253. So, I ate, made phone calls, and even contemplated taking a nap, but finally after 1 hour and 45 minutes of not moving a single inch, we got rolling again. The newspapers didn’t have great coverage of the crash. I imagine that tomorrow’s news will have more details, but when I finally made it to the crash sight, things did not look pretty. I’m pretty sure that there were some people who were not quite as thankful today…
Initially, I was really glad that I had stopped to get gas in Iowa City because I would have been in a world of hurt if I had run out while sitting on the Interstate. However, I did realize that had I not stopped for gas, I wouldn’t have been in that part of traffic when the accident occurred. Regardless, I made it home about 2 hours later than I had planned, but safe and sound.
I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold while running before. The race starts out with a steep incline up Main Street in Davenport. Most years I actually walk a lot of this hill… But this year I was able to run the whole thing for three reasons:
1. I think I am in slightly better shape this year than in past years.
2. I had to keep running or the wind would have blown me back down the hill and into the Mississippi.
3. I was frozen so deeply that I couldn’t feel anything; not my nose, not my face, not my fingers or toes, but more importantly, I couldn’t feel the burning of the lactic acid in my legs!
Water stops were a little different than ones I’d seen in the past. They had to put salt down on the road by the water stops so that when you dumped your cup, you wouldn’t make the streets all icy. The water was cold though! Anyways, I ran the whole thing, never got blown over (but came VERY close a couple of times), and was able to finish strong, warm, and with the wind at my back.
This was also the first year that this little Turkey Trot was chip-timed (although I’m not sure why… everyone makes it over the starting line within about a minute), but due to a break somewhere in the chain of communication, I never got a chip, so you’ll not see my name or time in the race results… but I did take a witness with me to verify my time. Just ask Royce if you have any doubts about my performance.
It was great to have a good, solid, pain-free run today. Last night I was wondering if I’d even make it to Davenport to have a chance to run. I left Ames at about 3:45pm and made a 30-minute stop in Marshalltown before heading out for the remainder of my roughly three-hour drive. I estimated that I could ALMOST make it to Walcott on my tank of gas, but decided at Iowa City that I didn’t want to risk anything on the busy holiday travel day, so I stopped to fill up. I hadn’t been back on the road for more than 10 miles when traffic just stopped cold. No movement whatsoever. I glanced at the clock in the truck. It was 6:40pm. I called my mom to tell her that I’d hit a slow down and that they’d better just eat without me, ‘cause I’d probably be there a little while. I didn’t have any idea at the time just how right I was!
I knew there must have been quite an accident to bring the traffic to such a screeching halt. Soon the state troopers and county sheriff’s deputies were flashing their lights as they sped by on the shoulder. Then came the ambulances, probably 4-5 of them. Then I glanced in the oncoming lane and noticed that there were no cars coming from the other direction either. About 30-45 minutes later, the ambulances came by headed back toward Iowa City and not long after that we saw the Life Flight helicopter fly overhead.
We sat and we sat. Thank goodness for XM satellite radio, the rest of the lunch I had packed for earlier in the day, and cell phones. Many thanks to Roehr and Cara who talked to me numerous times during my “rest stop” around mile marker 253. So, I ate, made phone calls, and even contemplated taking a nap, but finally after 1 hour and 45 minutes of not moving a single inch, we got rolling again. The newspapers didn’t have great coverage of the crash. I imagine that tomorrow’s news will have more details, but when I finally made it to the crash sight, things did not look pretty. I’m pretty sure that there were some people who were not quite as thankful today…
Initially, I was really glad that I had stopped to get gas in Iowa City because I would have been in a world of hurt if I had run out while sitting on the Interstate. However, I did realize that had I not stopped for gas, I wouldn’t have been in that part of traffic when the accident occurred. Regardless, I made it home about 2 hours later than I had planned, but safe and sound.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Fire, Fire!
Today's swim workout was 1600 yards - straight swim. I was doing very well, very comfortable, no problems. That is, until the fire alarm went off! Some little punk high schooler pulled the alarm and sent several little, old ladies outside soaking wet. I was smart enough to stall until the "all clear" sounded. We figured that if there really was a fire, we were probably in the right place.
I went to bed early last night. I managed to pull myself out of bed for an early morning run. I do so love watching the sun come up as I run! Tomorrow morning's workout is my second "quick transition" aka "brick" workout. Thirty minutes on the indoor bike trainer followed by a quick change and fifteen minute run. It's designed to start to get the legs used to running after being on the bike. That had traditionally been a tough transition for me... As the weeks go on, the bike and run segments will increase in duration, making the transition more and more taxing.
Tomorrow after work, I am headed to Des Moines to go get some new running shoes and some other gear at Fitness Sports. I'm ready to spend the free money I "won" on Saturday!
I went to bed early last night. I managed to pull myself out of bed for an early morning run. I do so love watching the sun come up as I run! Tomorrow morning's workout is my second "quick transition" aka "brick" workout. Thirty minutes on the indoor bike trainer followed by a quick change and fifteen minute run. It's designed to start to get the legs used to running after being on the bike. That had traditionally been a tough transition for me... As the weeks go on, the bike and run segments will increase in duration, making the transition more and more taxing.
Tomorrow after work, I am headed to Des Moines to go get some new running shoes and some other gear at Fitness Sports. I'm ready to spend the free money I "won" on Saturday!
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Maybe I Should Go Buy a Lottery Ticket!
I got up early this morning and headed to Des Moines with Team Satisfied (and a potential Team Satisfied "pledge" hoping for initiation into next year's team) for the Living History Farms race. It was pretty cool out, so we were well-layered for the race in our "finest" running gear. Sparkle pulled out her Ames High School Golf sweatshirt and I grabbed an old Kappa Alpha Theta sweatshirt. Between the "old school" sweats and my blaze orange railroad-issue knit gloves, I looked good! Last night in the basement I found a really old pair of running shoes that looked like they had one last race left in them.
The trip to DM was more like a trip down memory lane, packed with reminiscing of RAGBRAI 2005 and lots of laughter. We are not sure whether our stories will make Janel want to join us next year or whether it will turn her off of the idea completely!
There were 4500 other people who decided that playing in the mud on a cold Saturday morning in November was a good idea. We joined them all in the starting area and had a chance to look around at our competition. I would guess that at least 50% of the racers are high school cross country runners from all over Iowa and the midwest, ready to burn off some steam since their season ended a few short weeks ago. There were lots of theme costumes - cows, 80's aerobics instructors, the band KISS, you name it. But the guy that takes the cake at every race in the area is the guy who runs barefoot - every race! I've seen him run the Des Moines marathon barefoot, in a skirt, all while dragging a stuffed monkey on a string behind him. Today he was barefoot, in a native American outfit, carrying a bow and arrow. However, his "outfit" was no more than a simple loin cloth. I'm sure there was something under his skimpy loin cloth, but if you were, say, standing behind him at the awards ceremony, you got a straight shot of his buttocks. The dude was shivering so bad that one older woman offered him her gloves. I had to think to myself at that point that a pair of gloves was not going to make ANY difference to the strange guy who ran basically naked in 40 degree weather up and down muddy hills and through numerous waist-deep creek crossings for the last 90 minutes. But, she was great to offer.
The race was allegedly giving away 6 free pairs of Adidas shoes from Fitness Sports at the awards ceremony - just bring a canned good and they'd give you a raffle ticket to be drawn at the end of the awards. Since I wear only Adidas, and Fitness Sports is one of only a handful of stores in the US that sells my favorite model, I was willing to wait in cold temps and breezy conditions to see if I could win. The awards took so long that we figured we might be able to win by simply outlasting all the other participants, as you had to be present to win.
They went through (VERY slowly) and gave away the awards for the overall winners and the age groups. First place got a frozen turkey, second place got a frozen duck, third place took home a frozen chicken, and fourth place got a cornish hen. They all also got handmade pottery plates. However, the overall first through third place winners got gift certificates ($100, $50, and $25) to Fitness Sports. Since they took so long to give out the awards, I took some time to look around. Standing right in front of us was the overall winner and his buddy, the third place winner. I think the announcer said they were from Madison or somewhere else out of state. They compared their poultry and plates for quite some time, then looked in the envelopes they were handed at the podium. They looked in the envelope and then at each other and kinda chuckled. For some reason, I was watching them do all this (and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that they were kinda cute...), but then they looked up at us and asked, "Are you guys from Des Moines?" No one else in my group had been paying attention to all the details of their situation as well as I had, so no one really said anything, except me! "Yes! I'm from Des Moines!" I said. I knew exactly what was going to happen, so I wasn't really all that surprised when he handed me their two gift certificates. "Well, here's $125 worth of gift certificates to Fitness Sports. Enjoy!" Yipee! No more waiting in the cold to see if I won the free shoes! Since these guys didn't live anywhere close to Des Moines, they were never gonna use 'em, but I will!!
This just topped off a crazy week for me. Earlier in the week, I won a $200 gift certificate to a jewelry store in Marshalltown off a radio contest. And I'm still in the running for a diamond pendant necklace from that same radio deal. Maybe I should go by a lottery ticket...
Oh yeah, the race itself was great, too! Everything was pretty wet from all the melting snow from earlier in the week. Team Satisfied ran the whole thing together because it's not really the type of race where you can even try for a PR. The course was so crowded that there were LOTS of sections where you couldn't run even if you wanted to, everything just got so bottle-necked that running was not an option. I felt great the whole race - far, far better than I have in my two previous attempts at this race. I felt strong through all the hills. I think the most remarkable part for me was how good I felt at mile 5 and mile 6. In years previous, I was pretty much done at mile 5. I attribute the strength training I've been more regular with this year. Off to a good start!
The trip to DM was more like a trip down memory lane, packed with reminiscing of RAGBRAI 2005 and lots of laughter. We are not sure whether our stories will make Janel want to join us next year or whether it will turn her off of the idea completely!
There were 4500 other people who decided that playing in the mud on a cold Saturday morning in November was a good idea. We joined them all in the starting area and had a chance to look around at our competition. I would guess that at least 50% of the racers are high school cross country runners from all over Iowa and the midwest, ready to burn off some steam since their season ended a few short weeks ago. There were lots of theme costumes - cows, 80's aerobics instructors, the band KISS, you name it. But the guy that takes the cake at every race in the area is the guy who runs barefoot - every race! I've seen him run the Des Moines marathon barefoot, in a skirt, all while dragging a stuffed monkey on a string behind him. Today he was barefoot, in a native American outfit, carrying a bow and arrow. However, his "outfit" was no more than a simple loin cloth. I'm sure there was something under his skimpy loin cloth, but if you were, say, standing behind him at the awards ceremony, you got a straight shot of his buttocks. The dude was shivering so bad that one older woman offered him her gloves. I had to think to myself at that point that a pair of gloves was not going to make ANY difference to the strange guy who ran basically naked in 40 degree weather up and down muddy hills and through numerous waist-deep creek crossings for the last 90 minutes. But, she was great to offer.
The race was allegedly giving away 6 free pairs of Adidas shoes from Fitness Sports at the awards ceremony - just bring a canned good and they'd give you a raffle ticket to be drawn at the end of the awards. Since I wear only Adidas, and Fitness Sports is one of only a handful of stores in the US that sells my favorite model, I was willing to wait in cold temps and breezy conditions to see if I could win. The awards took so long that we figured we might be able to win by simply outlasting all the other participants, as you had to be present to win.
They went through (VERY slowly) and gave away the awards for the overall winners and the age groups. First place got a frozen turkey, second place got a frozen duck, third place took home a frozen chicken, and fourth place got a cornish hen. They all also got handmade pottery plates. However, the overall first through third place winners got gift certificates ($100, $50, and $25) to Fitness Sports. Since they took so long to give out the awards, I took some time to look around. Standing right in front of us was the overall winner and his buddy, the third place winner. I think the announcer said they were from Madison or somewhere else out of state. They compared their poultry and plates for quite some time, then looked in the envelopes they were handed at the podium. They looked in the envelope and then at each other and kinda chuckled. For some reason, I was watching them do all this (and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that they were kinda cute...), but then they looked up at us and asked, "Are you guys from Des Moines?" No one else in my group had been paying attention to all the details of their situation as well as I had, so no one really said anything, except me! "Yes! I'm from Des Moines!" I said. I knew exactly what was going to happen, so I wasn't really all that surprised when he handed me their two gift certificates. "Well, here's $125 worth of gift certificates to Fitness Sports. Enjoy!" Yipee! No more waiting in the cold to see if I won the free shoes! Since these guys didn't live anywhere close to Des Moines, they were never gonna use 'em, but I will!!
This just topped off a crazy week for me. Earlier in the week, I won a $200 gift certificate to a jewelry store in Marshalltown off a radio contest. And I'm still in the running for a diamond pendant necklace from that same radio deal. Maybe I should go by a lottery ticket...
Oh yeah, the race itself was great, too! Everything was pretty wet from all the melting snow from earlier in the week. Team Satisfied ran the whole thing together because it's not really the type of race where you can even try for a PR. The course was so crowded that there were LOTS of sections where you couldn't run even if you wanted to, everything just got so bottle-necked that running was not an option. I felt great the whole race - far, far better than I have in my two previous attempts at this race. I felt strong through all the hills. I think the most remarkable part for me was how good I felt at mile 5 and mile 6. In years previous, I was pretty much done at mile 5. I attribute the strength training I've been more regular with this year. Off to a good start!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Winter Wonderland
Winter has arrived in Iowa. Yuck. It rained, then sleeted, then snowed all day yesterday, and then the wind picked up. It blew at 25-50mph all night long and we woke up to ice everywhere and bitter cold wind chills. Needless to say, I had to do my run inside on the treadmill tonight.
I went swimming again today, but only for about 25 minutes. I had to rush over to the pool in between clients, which meant that I had to run out to my truck with my hair still sorta wet. By the time I made it into my truck, my hair was like skinny sticks, frozen solid. Not a great idea for a girl getting over a cold!
My run tonight was great. My heart rate is way more in control and it actually felt easy to run 3 miles. I give some of the credit to the new CD I was listening to. Sparkle found the "Fall Out Boy" CD on sale at Target for me, and it is perfect to run to. Very upbeat and it rocks!
All that is on my plate for the rest of the week is a quick bike ride tomorrow morning followed by some strength training, then Friday is a rest day. Saturday is the Living History Farms run. I can only hope that the weather improves by then!!
I went swimming again today, but only for about 25 minutes. I had to rush over to the pool in between clients, which meant that I had to run out to my truck with my hair still sorta wet. By the time I made it into my truck, my hair was like skinny sticks, frozen solid. Not a great idea for a girl getting over a cold!
My run tonight was great. My heart rate is way more in control and it actually felt easy to run 3 miles. I give some of the credit to the new CD I was listening to. Sparkle found the "Fall Out Boy" CD on sale at Target for me, and it is perfect to run to. Very upbeat and it rocks!
All that is on my plate for the rest of the week is a quick bike ride tomorrow morning followed by some strength training, then Friday is a rest day. Saturday is the Living History Farms run. I can only hope that the weather improves by then!!
Monday, November 14, 2005
Gettin' in the Groove
I think I’m starting to get back in the groove of swimming. I really concentrated today on slowing down and stretching the most out of each stroke, and I am trying to do something I’ve never been able to accomplish – bilateral breathing! Not the most exciting topic, I know, but it is a skill that every decent swimmer should know. I am still the world’s slowest swimmer, but I feel a little better and think that I can make some pretty decent progress in the next 9 ½ months.
I made another trip into the bike shop today to talk about my next bike. I didn’t learn a whole lot more than I already knew. I need to go visit some bigger shops (in bigger cities) to get some more information. It’s not that I can’t get good information here, but I just need a second (and third and fourth) opinion.
I’ve been sleeping better lately, and that has really made me feel a lot better. The only troublesome thing that I have going for me at this point is that I have not yet taken a day off. Now I know that I’ve only been going at this for about 10 days, but I should have put a rest day in somewhere already. My first rest day is to be on Friday. The following day is the Living History Farms Race.
It’s the largest cross-country race in the country. I’ve done it twice in the past and it is pretty fun – cold, but fun! Sparkle, Sunshine and the rest of Team Vardo will be competing. It’s a pretty challenging race, but really more fun than anything. The first half reminds me of my high school cross country days, but it’s the second half where things really get interesting. It’s literally “over the hills and through the woods,” including at least 7 creek crossings. They remind everyone not to wear anything they’d like to ever wear again. I think the funniest is that the prizes for winning are things like ducks and turkeys! When all is said and done, it’s a 10K, so I’ll just try to write it off as a training run…
I made another trip into the bike shop today to talk about my next bike. I didn’t learn a whole lot more than I already knew. I need to go visit some bigger shops (in bigger cities) to get some more information. It’s not that I can’t get good information here, but I just need a second (and third and fourth) opinion.
I’ve been sleeping better lately, and that has really made me feel a lot better. The only troublesome thing that I have going for me at this point is that I have not yet taken a day off. Now I know that I’ve only been going at this for about 10 days, but I should have put a rest day in somewhere already. My first rest day is to be on Friday. The following day is the Living History Farms Race.
It’s the largest cross-country race in the country. I’ve done it twice in the past and it is pretty fun – cold, but fun! Sparkle, Sunshine and the rest of Team Vardo will be competing. It’s a pretty challenging race, but really more fun than anything. The first half reminds me of my high school cross country days, but it’s the second half where things really get interesting. It’s literally “over the hills and through the woods,” including at least 7 creek crossings. They remind everyone not to wear anything they’d like to ever wear again. I think the funniest is that the prizes for winning are things like ducks and turkeys! When all is said and done, it’s a 10K, so I’ll just try to write it off as a training run…
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Team Vardo
My training group from this summer has continued to run since the end of the program in early October. They are still meeting about twice a week (or more) for group runs. It's great because it's such a great group of people and it gives me a group to continue to train with on a regular basis. The funny thing is, they decided to name the group Team Vardo! I even learned tonight that there is now a Team Vardo website and there will soon be Team Vardo t-shirts!
I met Team Vardo this morning (8-10 people and 2 dogs) at 7am for a run at Ada Hayden Park in Ames. The weather was very mild this morning (relative to what one would expect out of November in Iowa) at about 50-55 degrees. We did 2 figure-eight's of the quarry for a total of 10K.
This afternoon I settled in on the sofa to watch the IM Hawaii "re-play." About 30 minutes into it, the local TV station started breaking in with weather reports. After cutting in and out for another 15 minutes, they just took over because there were multiple tornados popping up all over the area, including 3-4 within just a few miles of here. Instead of watching the IM show, I had to head to the basement after the sirens were going off. I was glad I was at home and not at the Iowa State tailgate...
They had to evacuate the stadium and get everyone up the road and into Hilton Coliseum while the lightning and wind was getting crazy all over the place. To top it off, the game was sold out, so there were tons of people to deal with. There was some talk of some damage, but it will be tomorrow morning before we know the extent of it all. Who would have thought: temps in the 60's and tornados in November?
I met Team Vardo this morning (8-10 people and 2 dogs) at 7am for a run at Ada Hayden Park in Ames. The weather was very mild this morning (relative to what one would expect out of November in Iowa) at about 50-55 degrees. We did 2 figure-eight's of the quarry for a total of 10K.
This afternoon I settled in on the sofa to watch the IM Hawaii "re-play." About 30 minutes into it, the local TV station started breaking in with weather reports. After cutting in and out for another 15 minutes, they just took over because there were multiple tornados popping up all over the area, including 3-4 within just a few miles of here. Instead of watching the IM show, I had to head to the basement after the sirens were going off. I was glad I was at home and not at the Iowa State tailgate...
They had to evacuate the stadium and get everyone up the road and into Hilton Coliseum while the lightning and wind was getting crazy all over the place. To top it off, the game was sold out, so there were tons of people to deal with. There was some talk of some damage, but it will be tomorrow morning before we know the extent of it all. Who would have thought: temps in the 60's and tornados in November?
Friday, November 11, 2005
Sleepless in Iowa
Today was a very interesting Friday. It was full of ups and downs. I won't get into the details, but let's just call it interesting.
Although the cold still will not let loose of my lungs, the really bad part is that is that I am still not getting very good sleep. I think that sleep along with lots of OJ and water will eventually take care of this thing once and for all.
I made it back in the pool again today. I was able to swim for about 35-40 minutes today, but I was a lot more tired than on Wednesday, so I only covered about 1300 yards. I think my swimming needs a lot of work. I say that I think only because I'm not totally sure exactly what it should be feeling like. You can only read so much about swimming - then it's all tweaking of technique. I think the tri-club is trying to set up a swimming clinic with one of the Iowa State swim coaches to get us some help.
Tomorrow NBC is showing the Ironman World Championships. I'm looking forward to watching it although the coverage is not typical to how TV generally covers sporting events. It's more like an "up-close and personal" look at the athletes and the event rather than the "sport" itself. Regardless, the emotion of the event is fully 90% of the allure of the IM. I am looking forward to watching it this year with the added knowledge that I'll be doing (nearly) the same thing in exactly 10 months from yesterday!
Although the cold still will not let loose of my lungs, the really bad part is that is that I am still not getting very good sleep. I think that sleep along with lots of OJ and water will eventually take care of this thing once and for all.
I made it back in the pool again today. I was able to swim for about 35-40 minutes today, but I was a lot more tired than on Wednesday, so I only covered about 1300 yards. I think my swimming needs a lot of work. I say that I think only because I'm not totally sure exactly what it should be feeling like. You can only read so much about swimming - then it's all tweaking of technique. I think the tri-club is trying to set up a swimming clinic with one of the Iowa State swim coaches to get us some help.
Tomorrow NBC is showing the Ironman World Championships. I'm looking forward to watching it although the coverage is not typical to how TV generally covers sporting events. It's more like an "up-close and personal" look at the athletes and the event rather than the "sport" itself. Regardless, the emotion of the event is fully 90% of the allure of the IM. I am looking forward to watching it this year with the added knowledge that I'll be doing (nearly) the same thing in exactly 10 months from yesterday!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Domestic, Light and HOT!
Before I get to the training portion of this post, I wanted to share some photos from this weekend's concert: Dierks Bentley in Waterloo. Steve and Tina helped get Meet & Greet passes for Sparkle and I before the show:
The concert was great (although I do notice that I am getting older...)! McElroy Auditorium / Barn is not the world's greatest concert venue, but if you are on the floor the sound is just fine. Dierks seemed to have a special place in his heart for Iowa. Hopefully he'll be back soon...
And now back to the regularly scheduled blah-blah-blah:
Two very exciting things happened to me today: First, I went swimming for the first time in a VERY long time and things went well. Second, after I ran tonight, I was stretching and I was actually able to reach my toes for the first time in a VERY long time! While these may seem pretty minor to all my loyal readers, let me assure you, I am pretty fired up about it! Actually, besides sleeping pretty poorly last night due to an annoying cough, I had a pretty good day. I am glad to see some of the results of all the stretching I've been doing. I don't usually set a very good example for my clients, but it has just become habit now for me. I don't even think about skipping it, I just automatically stretch for 10-15 minutes whenever I am done with a workout.
I swam for about 30 minutes today. I was a little disappointed when I was done, though, because I only swam about 1200 yards. That was about 600 yards short of what I had planned to do, but I had an appointment and had to get out of the water before I was through. I forgot how fast time flies when you are in the pool.
Things are going well: my hamstring seems a little better, I think the cross-training has a lot to do with that; I am enjoying getting back in the weight room (for me instead of someone else's workout); my diet is pretty good so far, it's helped that I've been able to eat at home a lot more rather than eating out all the time; and as soon as I kick this cold, I should be groovy!
The other people in the Meet & Greet were a little jealous because he actually spent some time talking to me, rather than the quickie photo and quickie autograph. It took Dierks a second after I introduced myself to figure out who I was and why I was there. I didn't really have anything in mind for him to sign, so Sparkle suggested I take a picture of S&T's dog, Cooper, because Dierks has walked Cooper and knows him well.
He looked a little tired and run down when he came into the room, told me that this was their 41st show in 45 days! I think he was a little homesick for something familiar because his eyes lit up when he realized who Cooper was and who I was. He said he wished he had known that we were coming; he would have had me get his email address and he would have met up with us before the show to hang out. Oh well, there is always next time!
The concert was great (although I do notice that I am getting older...)! McElroy Auditorium / Barn is not the world's greatest concert venue, but if you are on the floor the sound is just fine. Dierks seemed to have a special place in his heart for Iowa. Hopefully he'll be back soon...
And now back to the regularly scheduled blah-blah-blah:
Two very exciting things happened to me today: First, I went swimming for the first time in a VERY long time and things went well. Second, after I ran tonight, I was stretching and I was actually able to reach my toes for the first time in a VERY long time! While these may seem pretty minor to all my loyal readers, let me assure you, I am pretty fired up about it! Actually, besides sleeping pretty poorly last night due to an annoying cough, I had a pretty good day. I am glad to see some of the results of all the stretching I've been doing. I don't usually set a very good example for my clients, but it has just become habit now for me. I don't even think about skipping it, I just automatically stretch for 10-15 minutes whenever I am done with a workout.
I swam for about 30 minutes today. I was a little disappointed when I was done, though, because I only swam about 1200 yards. That was about 600 yards short of what I had planned to do, but I had an appointment and had to get out of the water before I was through. I forgot how fast time flies when you are in the pool.
Things are going well: my hamstring seems a little better, I think the cross-training has a lot to do with that; I am enjoying getting back in the weight room (for me instead of someone else's workout); my diet is pretty good so far, it's helped that I've been able to eat at home a lot more rather than eating out all the time; and as soon as I kick this cold, I should be groovy!
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Still Kickin'
I am still alive. I'm in to Day 2 of the training and so far, I haven't missed a single workout! I am a little sore from starting back in on the strength training, but nothing I can't survive. Tomorrow I get to get back in the pool after a LONG hiatus. I think that it's been more than 9 months since I set foot in a pool. All the swimming I did last year was either in a triathlon or during one of the very few open water swims that we did as a club. It should be an interesting day...
Happy Birthday to my mom! I didn't get a chance to talk to her today, but it turns out that she is in Chicago, so all my calls to home were in vain anyway!
I've still yet to kick the never-ending cold. It just keeps on hanging on! I think everyone says that it lasts about 3 weeks, so I should be done with it soon.
I've got some photos to post tomorrow from the concert on Saturday night, but first I need a good night's sleep tonight!
Happy Birthday to my mom! I didn't get a chance to talk to her today, but it turns out that she is in Chicago, so all my calls to home were in vain anyway!
I've still yet to kick the never-ending cold. It just keeps on hanging on! I think everyone says that it lasts about 3 weeks, so I should be done with it soon.
I've got some photos to post tomorrow from the concert on Saturday night, but first I need a good night's sleep tonight!
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Where am I? What Day is it?
Nothing like a week in Las Vegas to really screw up the body's internal clock. Add to that the end of daylight's savings time and two time zones, and I am a wreck! Everything that we did seemed about three hours off of "normal" to me. The first night we were there, I woke up at 3AM... my body thought it was 6AM, my usual wake-up time. I managed to sleep another hour... At 4AM, I was WIDE awake and Sparkle was not pleased. She MADE me go back to sleep for another hour after that. At 9AM, I was starving and ready for lunch. By 8PM that night as we were meeting a friend for dinner and drinks, I was ready to pass out from being so tired! It was WAY past my bedtime!
We got a lot of work done at the show. Three days of walking on concrete in dress shoes was near torture. We did get a couple of workouts in, though. Tuesday and Thursday mornings we got up and went for a run up and down the Strip. I was amazed at how many other people were out running! Nothing like a couple lungs full of carbon monoxide to get the blood flowing in the morning.
Some highlights of the trip:
1. Dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Sparkle's friend Matt, has a friend CJ who is the Director of IT for Caesar's. He took us out for dinner (and to some clubs after). I ordered the fish. It was a WHOLE fish, eyes, tail, mouth, the whole carcass. It was great though. Sparkle was not pleased that I wanted the fish to look at her the whole dinner...
2. Following dinner, we went to the Palms to the Ghost Bar (as seen on MTV's the Real World Las Vegas) on the roof. Awesome view of the whole city. Saw Hulk Hogan in the lobby. CJ had us on "the List" so we got to march past all the "little people" waiting in line and just head right up. Had to tip the bathroom attendant. I hate that. But, it could be worse... you could have a job that involved hagning out in the bathroom all night handing out paper towels...
3. Fremont Street. We went to watch the light show and arrived a little early so we headed into the casino to play some penny slots. Sparkle and I lost our dollar quickly, but CJ very quickly got into the bonus round and converted his twenty into $212! Sparkle MADE him cash out at that point (she went so far as to hit the "Cash Out" button against his wishes).
4. I made $20 on the penny slots!
5. Ninety-nine cent Coors Light bottles at the Westward Ho casino, just a block from the CrapDust (StarDust) where we stayed.
6. Dinner at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. I had the fish again. So good! Dessert was so good too, but I'd eaten too much of the fish and appetizers...
7. Speed-mingling (Hermannizing) with Rick at the SEMA banquet cocktail hour. Meet 300 people in a matter of minutes. I don't know how he does it...
8. Blues Brothers at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. They were just as good as they were last year and the beer was just as free as it was last year, too! But, again, the stupid bathroom attendant thing... I can get my own paper towels, thanks!
9. Walking up the strip from one end all the way to the other end. I think we hit at least 30% of the casinos on the trip, either to get a drink or use the bathroom or play some penny slots or just check out some cars. It was a LONG trip, but WAY cheaper than a taxi and we got to see...
10. Drag-racing on the Strip!! Might have been one of the last things I thought I would have seen at 3 in the morning. The cops shut down one side of the road and two rice burners tore down the road. Too bad one blew up at the start of the second run... smoke everywhere!
Anyways, it was a great trip and now that I am starting to get back on the right sleep schedule, I am almost ready to start the big training program! But tonight I have one last thing to do! We are heading to Cedar Falls to see Dierks Bentley! Steve and Tina's friend Vanessa hooked us up with Meet and Greet passes. Satisfied Sid's brother and sister-in-law will be hosting us for the night. Should be a great night! Although if I'm not careful, I may lose my voice again!
We got a lot of work done at the show. Three days of walking on concrete in dress shoes was near torture. We did get a couple of workouts in, though. Tuesday and Thursday mornings we got up and went for a run up and down the Strip. I was amazed at how many other people were out running! Nothing like a couple lungs full of carbon monoxide to get the blood flowing in the morning.
Some highlights of the trip:
1. Dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Sparkle's friend Matt, has a friend CJ who is the Director of IT for Caesar's. He took us out for dinner (and to some clubs after). I ordered the fish. It was a WHOLE fish, eyes, tail, mouth, the whole carcass. It was great though. Sparkle was not pleased that I wanted the fish to look at her the whole dinner...
2. Following dinner, we went to the Palms to the Ghost Bar (as seen on MTV's the Real World Las Vegas) on the roof. Awesome view of the whole city. Saw Hulk Hogan in the lobby. CJ had us on "the List" so we got to march past all the "little people" waiting in line and just head right up. Had to tip the bathroom attendant. I hate that. But, it could be worse... you could have a job that involved hagning out in the bathroom all night handing out paper towels...
3. Fremont Street. We went to watch the light show and arrived a little early so we headed into the casino to play some penny slots. Sparkle and I lost our dollar quickly, but CJ very quickly got into the bonus round and converted his twenty into $212! Sparkle MADE him cash out at that point (she went so far as to hit the "Cash Out" button against his wishes).
4. I made $20 on the penny slots!
5. Ninety-nine cent Coors Light bottles at the Westward Ho casino, just a block from the CrapDust (StarDust) where we stayed.
6. Dinner at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. I had the fish again. So good! Dessert was so good too, but I'd eaten too much of the fish and appetizers...
7. Speed-mingling (Hermannizing) with Rick at the SEMA banquet cocktail hour. Meet 300 people in a matter of minutes. I don't know how he does it...
8. Blues Brothers at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. They were just as good as they were last year and the beer was just as free as it was last year, too! But, again, the stupid bathroom attendant thing... I can get my own paper towels, thanks!
9. Walking up the strip from one end all the way to the other end. I think we hit at least 30% of the casinos on the trip, either to get a drink or use the bathroom or play some penny slots or just check out some cars. It was a LONG trip, but WAY cheaper than a taxi and we got to see...
10. Drag-racing on the Strip!! Might have been one of the last things I thought I would have seen at 3 in the morning. The cops shut down one side of the road and two rice burners tore down the road. Too bad one blew up at the start of the second run... smoke everywhere!
Anyways, it was a great trip and now that I am starting to get back on the right sleep schedule, I am almost ready to start the big training program! But tonight I have one last thing to do! We are heading to Cedar Falls to see Dierks Bentley! Steve and Tina's friend Vanessa hooked us up with Meet and Greet passes. Satisfied Sid's brother and sister-in-law will be hosting us for the night. Should be a great night! Although if I'm not careful, I may lose my voice again!
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