The weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend was, in two words, going to be hot and windy. Not just kinda hot or kinda windy, but REALLY hot and REALLY windy. Saturday was in the low ninety's and sustained winds of 30-45 mph with gusts of close to 70mph. I was glad I got my run in by 8:30am! I didn't have any other activities planned for the rest of the day, so I just did some stuff around the house and listened to the wind howl! But, I did need a good long ride of about 4 hours on Sunday. With one eye on the weather forecast (I love weather.com!), I planned my ride. I decided I could handle heat or wind, but not both, on the ride. I talked Sparkle into riding with me (actually she volunteered, needed practice for RAGBRAI) and I talked Sid into practicing his RAGBRAI skills as well (he's our sag driver). With the winds forecast to be about 25-30mph out of the south, we picked a little town called Maxwell, about 15 miles SE of Ames, as our starting point, and Iowa Falls (55 miles due north) as our ending point. We'd never ridden any of these little county roads, but there was very little east-west riding to be done so it looked like we could sail all the way.
I called another friend who recently moved to Ames and just bought a new bike, and he wanted to ride along for just the little stretch from Maxwell to Ames. After loading up two trucks with bikes and clothes and all the stuff we'd need at the end of the ride, picked up Kevin, we dropped off one truck at Sid's so he could come get us in Iowa Falls. Sparkle, Kevin, and I drove to Maxwell and headed north on our bike with a nice breeze at our backs, the sun shining overhead, and temps in the upper 70's to low 80's at about 9am. The county roads were smooth, black asphalt and traffic was next to nothing - perfect for cycling. Less than 30 minutes later, we were nearly back to Ames and hadn't really even broken much of a sweat yet. Although this was Kevin's third ride this year, the conditions were so perfect that he opted to continue on with us for the rest of the ride, rather than head back into Ames.
There were times where, without pedaling, we were cruising along at about 20-22mph. It was just a glorious day to be on a bike. We hit one stretch from Fernald to McCallsburg where the roads sucked pretty royally but everything else was great, so we forged ahead. We had a couple east-west traverses to keep us on our new favorite county road, and those times made us bitter. I had to lean about 25-30 degrees into the wind to keep from being blown off my bike and the road, because by now the winds were about 30mph out of the south again. We made such good time, we got to Iowa Falls about an hour before we thought we would. The wide open road gave me a couple stretches where I could really hammer it for 3-4 miles at a time. I think I hit close to 37 mph on a straight, flat section of road. It felt awesome! And it felt great to be able to maintain that for 8-10 minutes at a time. Perfect!
By the time we got to Alden (about 50 miles into the trip), Kevin was wiped out. We stopped at the Casey's for some refreshments and to cool off for a few minutes. The last 6 miles into Iowa Falls were heading east and that sucked! If we'd made Kevin go one more mile, I think he would have sat down be the side of the road and just called a cab from Ames to come get him. He was done. 55 miles isn't bad for your third ride of the year! We found an air-conditioned watering hole in Iowa Falls, drank some beverages of the adult variety, had some food, then all was well! We visited with Sid's sister, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew, had some well-deserved Dairy Queen and made Sid drive us home.
I really enjoyed the "destination" ride. Kinda reminded me of RAGBRAI. Now if only we could get the wind to be at our backs the whole week of RAGBRAI... Truth be told, I think we could have made it all the way to Canada on that ride, if we'd been willing to give it a shot!
Today I wanted to take another shorter ride since yesterday's ride was a little short of my time goal. I somehow talked Sparkle into heading back out with me for another roughly 17 miles, then I had a little brick run to do. The wind was still pretty intense, and the brick run was blazing hot. Last bit of training for the long weekend is another open water swim tonight with the triathlon training group and the IM'ers.
Monday, May 29, 2006
A Little Less Chlorine, In Week Sixteen
Scary as it sounds (and it sounds pretty darn scary to me!!), this week marks the end of the first 15 weeks of training. That means that there are only 15 more to go!! WHOA!! While I appreciate how far I've come since February, I have even more appreciation for how much further I have to go by September. I had a few moments of near panic this week thinking about what I need to accomplish over the next couple of months.
On Friday, I met up with Bob (has done IM Wisconsin a few times and is going to again this year), Brad (has done IM Wisconsin a few times before but not this year), and Mike (a IM Wisconsin virgin, like me) out at Peterson Pits (nice name for a swimming hole, eh?) for some open water swim practice. It's been since last June since I'd had my wetsuit on, and I forgot what a constricting, claustrophobic feeling that is. I wasn't very comfortable for the first 200 yards, and by then I'd lost the group and any chance to practice drafting. I never got 100% comfortable, but I guess that's why we practice. We all have pretty flexible jobs, so we'll be getting out there over the lunch hours on a semi-regular basis to get lots of yardage. I was starting to feel really good (probably too good) about my swimming while pool swimming was all I was doing. This was quite and eye-opener for me.
I kind of reached my breaking point with the weather this week, too. I figure that it is the end of May, so the weather should be done screwing around and just get hot and sunny and stay that way until mid-September. Of course, the crazy Iowa weather has a different idea. Sunday's long ride outside became a half outside and half on-the-trainer ride because it tried to rain on me. Of course, once I got back home and got on the bike on the trainer, the rain stopped and never re-started. I was too bitter to get back outside that I just finished the ride indoors and watched a movie.
My brick runs (runs right after a bike ride) have been feeling great for some strange reason. Usually I feel like like someone surgically attached someone else's legs to my body and then told me to get up and run without letting the anesthesia wear off first, but lately I feel like I've been allowed to use my own legs. And when I feel pretty good, I tend to push it a little bit on the run. Wednesday's brick felt awesome, so by Thursday night's stand-alone run, I had no "go-juice" left in my legs and I had a terrible run. I was just pooped.
As the Memorial Day weekend approached, the temps crept into the blazing-hot range. Saturday's group run was a real cooker, even at 7am. So, I'm just adding "heat acclimation" to the list of things to work on.
Since this is the end of the first half of my training, I thought it might be kinda fun to see just how much of everything I've done since the end of February:
41 miles of swimming (that's about from Ames to Iowa Falls!)
57.5 hours of riding (roughly 920 miles, if you figure about 16mph average pace or 2.4 solid days of riding!)
311.3 miles of running (as a comparison, Interstate 80 is 306 miles in length across the state of Iowa!)
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 5100 yards (about 1500 of that in open water)
Bike: 4 hours, 45 minutes (about half of that on the trainer...)
Run: 25.5 miles
On Friday, I met up with Bob (has done IM Wisconsin a few times and is going to again this year), Brad (has done IM Wisconsin a few times before but not this year), and Mike (a IM Wisconsin virgin, like me) out at Peterson Pits (nice name for a swimming hole, eh?) for some open water swim practice. It's been since last June since I'd had my wetsuit on, and I forgot what a constricting, claustrophobic feeling that is. I wasn't very comfortable for the first 200 yards, and by then I'd lost the group and any chance to practice drafting. I never got 100% comfortable, but I guess that's why we practice. We all have pretty flexible jobs, so we'll be getting out there over the lunch hours on a semi-regular basis to get lots of yardage. I was starting to feel really good (probably too good) about my swimming while pool swimming was all I was doing. This was quite and eye-opener for me.
I kind of reached my breaking point with the weather this week, too. I figure that it is the end of May, so the weather should be done screwing around and just get hot and sunny and stay that way until mid-September. Of course, the crazy Iowa weather has a different idea. Sunday's long ride outside became a half outside and half on-the-trainer ride because it tried to rain on me. Of course, once I got back home and got on the bike on the trainer, the rain stopped and never re-started. I was too bitter to get back outside that I just finished the ride indoors and watched a movie.
My brick runs (runs right after a bike ride) have been feeling great for some strange reason. Usually I feel like like someone surgically attached someone else's legs to my body and then told me to get up and run without letting the anesthesia wear off first, but lately I feel like I've been allowed to use my own legs. And when I feel pretty good, I tend to push it a little bit on the run. Wednesday's brick felt awesome, so by Thursday night's stand-alone run, I had no "go-juice" left in my legs and I had a terrible run. I was just pooped.
As the Memorial Day weekend approached, the temps crept into the blazing-hot range. Saturday's group run was a real cooker, even at 7am. So, I'm just adding "heat acclimation" to the list of things to work on.
Since this is the end of the first half of my training, I thought it might be kinda fun to see just how much of everything I've done since the end of February:
41 miles of swimming (that's about from Ames to Iowa Falls!)
57.5 hours of riding (roughly 920 miles, if you figure about 16mph average pace or 2.4 solid days of riding!)
311.3 miles of running (as a comparison, Interstate 80 is 306 miles in length across the state of Iowa!)
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 5100 yards (about 1500 of that in open water)
Bike: 4 hours, 45 minutes (about half of that on the trainer...)
Run: 25.5 miles
Sunday, May 21, 2006
No Time to Houseclean, In Week Seventeen
I began this week in Chicago with a run on Sunday morning prior to all the Mother's Day activities. My run was far less than stellar. I guess I could attribute it to all the traveling and previous day's events, but I think I just didn't feel like running. Yuck. I struggled through a minimum amount of running, then called 'er quits. No sense killing myself in the name of checking another workout off the list. By the time I made it back to Ames and had another run on Tuesday, I felt much better and was glad I didn't beat myself up over one less than perfect workout.
Swimming went well this week, too. Monday, however, someone forgot to check the thermostat at Beyer Pool, so we all had an icy, take-you-breath-away workout. Thankfully, all the little old ladies took care of the complaining (I knew they would) and the temp was back to normal by Tuesday. By the end of the week, it seemed that many of the regulars had left town, so there were less than 10 people in the pool on Thursday. I took advantage of that and did a longer straight swim (as opposed to drills, intervals and the such). I was surprised at both my endurance and the speed I was able to maintain. Makes me feel a lot better about what kind of time I can achieve in my races this summer.
This was another week where biking ended up not being a priority. I've decided to blame that on the running group. That group dictates what days are run days, even if they would be better suited as bike days. Only two more weeks of the running group then I HAVE to make cycling my number one priority.
While in Chicago last weekend, we all went to Tina's mom's house in Willow Brook. I guess I never knew that Tina's brother, Tom, was big into cycling. We shared a quick chat about racing wheels (while my mother looked very confused...), and I realized that Tom may be a great resource for me on the topic of cycling. Where was he while I was shopping for my bike?!?!
If cycling took a hit during the week, running was, well, off and running! This was the final push week for the running group, so we had a "long" 7 miler on Tuesday and a "longer" 10 miler on Saturday. The group is just short of dying. They think I am trying to kill them with miles. For a group who's first "long" run was 4 miles nine weeks ago, making them do over 30 miles in 8 days gives them good reason to think I am torturing them! But, now they are on to the taper period, so I'll be back in good graces in a week or so. I stuck in another 6 miles on Thursday night, and everything feels fine. The 10 miler on Saturday actually ended up being a great run for me. It was a great confidence boost for Dam to Dam in 2 weeks. It was a negative split run, not by design, but just because I really found my zone on the last half of the run and just felt like I was flying!
I've added a couple of pictures to last week's post and will be adding some more in the next couple of days. Keep checking back!
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6500 yards
Bike: 1 hours, 50 minutes
Run: 27.5 miles
Cross-Training: about 30 minutes of lunges and core work.
Swimming went well this week, too. Monday, however, someone forgot to check the thermostat at Beyer Pool, so we all had an icy, take-you-breath-away workout. Thankfully, all the little old ladies took care of the complaining (I knew they would) and the temp was back to normal by Tuesday. By the end of the week, it seemed that many of the regulars had left town, so there were less than 10 people in the pool on Thursday. I took advantage of that and did a longer straight swim (as opposed to drills, intervals and the such). I was surprised at both my endurance and the speed I was able to maintain. Makes me feel a lot better about what kind of time I can achieve in my races this summer.
This was another week where biking ended up not being a priority. I've decided to blame that on the running group. That group dictates what days are run days, even if they would be better suited as bike days. Only two more weeks of the running group then I HAVE to make cycling my number one priority.
While in Chicago last weekend, we all went to Tina's mom's house in Willow Brook. I guess I never knew that Tina's brother, Tom, was big into cycling. We shared a quick chat about racing wheels (while my mother looked very confused...), and I realized that Tom may be a great resource for me on the topic of cycling. Where was he while I was shopping for my bike?!?!
If cycling took a hit during the week, running was, well, off and running! This was the final push week for the running group, so we had a "long" 7 miler on Tuesday and a "longer" 10 miler on Saturday. The group is just short of dying. They think I am trying to kill them with miles. For a group who's first "long" run was 4 miles nine weeks ago, making them do over 30 miles in 8 days gives them good reason to think I am torturing them! But, now they are on to the taper period, so I'll be back in good graces in a week or so. I stuck in another 6 miles on Thursday night, and everything feels fine. The 10 miler on Saturday actually ended up being a great run for me. It was a great confidence boost for Dam to Dam in 2 weeks. It was a negative split run, not by design, but just because I really found my zone on the last half of the run and just felt like I was flying!
I've added a couple of pictures to last week's post and will be adding some more in the next couple of days. Keep checking back!
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6500 yards
Bike: 1 hours, 50 minutes
Run: 27.5 miles
Cross-Training: about 30 minutes of lunges and core work.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
No Need for Sunscreen, In Week Eighteen
Another crazy week is in the books, and I am realizing more and more every day that it is literally impossible to fit all this training into a week and still have any time left over to be a normally functioning member of society. But then again, no one ever said that triathletes are even remotely normal to begin with...
Since I have 3 swim workouts to fit in each week, my new game plan is to go to the pool as much as possible, as early in the week as possible, in order to make certain that I get all three workouts in. This week, it worked out to Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Since graduation was on Sunday, the pool was nearly half as full as it has been, and for that I am VERY grateful. I swam the vast majority of my laps this week in a lane all to myself. This makes happy! Still, I haven't figured out how to squeeze a 3000 yard swimming workout (and all the pre- and post-swimming driving/parking/changing/showering) into a lunch hour, but I still think the workouts are going well.
The crazy May weather took it's toll on my cycling again this week. It has been chilly, wet, and windy for a while, and it makes me bitter! There was a slight break in the weather on Sunday, and I couldn't bear another trainer ride, so Sparkle and I loaded up the bikes and headed down to Big Creek to ride the asphalt trail to Des Moines and back. Without getting too specific (and using words that my mother would not be proud to see me type), it was the worst ride either of us have ever been on. The trail SUCKS and is hard to get off of if you wanted to ride home on the road. And, if you do get off the trail and onto the road, chances are good that it'll be a road so heavily traveled that you opt for more riding on the sucky trail rather than risking probable death-by-5th-wheel-travel-trailer. Without getting too specific, neither of us will EVER ride that trail again. The worst part was that we had spent so much time getting so few miles ridden that the 3-hour bike ride was reduced to a 1 hour 45 minute ride followed by a quick 1.5 mile brick (bike and run) run.
Since I have 3 swim workouts to fit in each week, my new game plan is to go to the pool as much as possible, as early in the week as possible, in order to make certain that I get all three workouts in. This week, it worked out to Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Since graduation was on Sunday, the pool was nearly half as full as it has been, and for that I am VERY grateful. I swam the vast majority of my laps this week in a lane all to myself. This makes happy! Still, I haven't figured out how to squeeze a 3000 yard swimming workout (and all the pre- and post-swimming driving/parking/changing/showering) into a lunch hour, but I still think the workouts are going well.
The crazy May weather took it's toll on my cycling again this week. It has been chilly, wet, and windy for a while, and it makes me bitter! There was a slight break in the weather on Sunday, and I couldn't bear another trainer ride, so Sparkle and I loaded up the bikes and headed down to Big Creek to ride the asphalt trail to Des Moines and back. Without getting too specific (and using words that my mother would not be proud to see me type), it was the worst ride either of us have ever been on. The trail SUCKS and is hard to get off of if you wanted to ride home on the road. And, if you do get off the trail and onto the road, chances are good that it'll be a road so heavily traveled that you opt for more riding on the sucky trail rather than risking probable death-by-5th-wheel-travel-trailer. Without getting too specific, neither of us will EVER ride that trail again. The worst part was that we had spent so much time getting so few miles ridden that the 3-hour bike ride was reduced to a 1 hour 45 minute ride followed by a quick 1.5 mile brick (bike and run) run.
Post-Crappy Bike Ride at Big Creek
Wednesday morning the weather again allowed me to fit in a quick brick workout. The plan for Thursday was to get another trainer ride done while the laundry was jumping between the washer and dryer and the 6 loaves of Mother's Day bread were baking (and presumably my bags were packing themselves and loading themselves into my truck too). Needless to say, that didn't happen (the bike ride or the self-laundering/packing/loading bags).
But, I did end up getting the IronMaiden and her trainer loaded up into the truck to make the trip to Chicago so that Roehr and I could do our long ride together (in her living room). We knew that riding together on the trainer would be better than doing it alone, but we both still hit a slightly bitter stretch even with the added moral support. We managed 2 1/2 hours (along with the help of Wedding Crashers and Police Academy) followed by a 3 mile run. It was supposed to be a brick, and it was. But only of you consider a roughly 10 minute transition and a full change of clothes a quick change! Actually, it turned out to be one of the better post ride runs I've had in quite some time.
I guess I can't complain too much about my running. It's been quite some time since I've had a massage, and I can tell. My IT bands nearly protrude out of the sides of my legs and the are tight as can be but, strangly enough, aren't causing me any problems (yet). After giving me fits last week, my hamstring went from feeling horrible to feeling basically no discomfort at all this week. Not sure why that is, but I'm gonna ride it as long as I can!
Overall, I only missed one workout this week: a mid-week ride. Not too bad considering all I had to get done in order to get out of town for the weekend. My running group had a substitute coach for their 8-miler. Next week is their final 10-mile run before they start to taper for Dam to Dam.
I love coaching this group every year. It gets me back into a regular running routine in the spring, and ends the first week of June, just when summer really kicks off. I feel like I've been waiting forever for summer to get here, and now it's only a couple of weeks away!! Every year, it feels like the Iowa winters get longer and longer and longer, and I just get more and more bitter with the bitter, yucky weather. This spring is not helping my attitude about Iowa. There has been so much rain and cold and wind... Bring on the heat and humidity!!!
Along with the warmer weather, summer just brings so many more fun things! It's less than 70 days to RAGBRAI! I'm very much looking forward to that week. I know that it won't be exactly like the other RAGBRAIs I've done the last couple of years, but just the idea of the ride puts a big smile on my face. And, in those less than 70 days to RAGBRAI, I will have 3 triathlons, at least one trip to Madison, my grandma's 100th birthday, etc...
Having spent some of this weekend with Grandma Klein, I know she is looking forward to having her whole family together for her birthday in July. It will be a really crazy time, but so cool for her to have everyone in one place at the same time. I'm sure it's been since we all went to Boise for Christmas about 15+ years ago since we've all been together in one place. And now, all (except me) of her grandchildren are married (or engaged) and she's got 4 great-grandchildren. What a cool thing for her AND for all of us! Plus, she only turns 100 once, so it's up to all of us to make it as cool an event for her as possible.
Grandma Linda has a very special Mother's Day with Sophie (top) and Lauren (bottom)
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6600 yards
Bike: 4 hours, 50 minutes
Run: 11 miles
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Finding a Routine, In Week Nineteen
Last weekend, the weather was nothing but rain. Rain, rain, rain. From Thursday evening to Monday evening. That meant that I was back on the trainer for another long Sunday afternoon bike ride. Thankfully, I had some movies sitting around that I hadn't watched yet, and one of them happened to be exactly the length of the ride I needed. So, for 2 hours 30 minutes I rode the bike and watched the Pianist. Good movie and good (as good as can be expected on the trainer) ride.
My hamstring issues are back. And back with a vengence. I just can't seem to get this thing to behave. But, it's pretty much just part of who I am now, so I'm dealing with it the best I can. I always feel like a one-legged runner when I first start off running because I can't really use the leg much for the first 1/4 mile or so. So, it ends up looking like I'm just dragging a dead limb behind me til it warms up. Despite the hammy problem, I still managed to get some quality runs in this week. Monday, I did my favorite 5 mile loop in record time and in a good heart rate range. Tuesday, I made the running group do a little bit of speedwork (they hate me now...) for 3 miles. Thursday, Sunshine and I did 6 miles at the most steady pace I've done in months. And Saturday, Sunshine and I (and the rest of the group) did 9 miles at a very decent (for me) pace. Not too bad for a gimp!
With all the running, the biking took a bit of backseat. It was unintentional, but after the long ride on Sunday, I only got back on the bike for one more quick 50 minute ride.
I think swimming may be becoming my strong suit. I am starting to feel very at home in the pool. My stroke is great and my confidence is building. Now that school is out, the pool should be a bit less crowded. Already this week, I started noticing more of my triathlete friends in the pool. It's great when we all get to swim together. And, I even swam in the "FAST" lane this week! It sounds more impressive than it is, though. I got to the pool late enough that there were only about 15 of us swimming. The "SLOW" lanes were busy, but not so in the other lanes. It may be the only time I get to use that lane, so I took advantage. I felt faster just being there!!
It's only 4 weeks til Dam to Dam and I am ready to get to racing. I can't wait to start putting some of these training weeks to use!
I'm heading to Chicago for Mother's Day. Roehr and I are already figuring out our workouts for that weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, but I'm also pretty psyched to hang out with Roehr and have her show me how it's done on the bike. I'm itching for a good quality long bike ride.
The twins will be in Chicago and I can't wait to see them again. There will be lots of competition on who gets to spend time with the girls. Between Lauren and Sophie meeting their great-grandmothers (and namesakes), one aunt, their uncle, and their cousin (all for the first time), their other aunt (me) and the grandmothers won't have a chance!
But, twins are in the air this year. On May 1st, my friends Betsy and Bryan became proud aunt and uncle to twin girls. On the SAME DAY, my friends Ricky and Tawna had their twin boys. There is another friend/acquaintance who was showing me pictures of his (roughly) 3 week old twin girls just on Friday. Good golly! I almost know more people with twins than single babies! The more the merrier!
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 5800 yards
Bike: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Run: 24.5 miles
Cross-Training: about 30 minutes of core work.
My hamstring issues are back. And back with a vengence. I just can't seem to get this thing to behave. But, it's pretty much just part of who I am now, so I'm dealing with it the best I can. I always feel like a one-legged runner when I first start off running because I can't really use the leg much for the first 1/4 mile or so. So, it ends up looking like I'm just dragging a dead limb behind me til it warms up. Despite the hammy problem, I still managed to get some quality runs in this week. Monday, I did my favorite 5 mile loop in record time and in a good heart rate range. Tuesday, I made the running group do a little bit of speedwork (they hate me now...) for 3 miles. Thursday, Sunshine and I did 6 miles at the most steady pace I've done in months. And Saturday, Sunshine and I (and the rest of the group) did 9 miles at a very decent (for me) pace. Not too bad for a gimp!
With all the running, the biking took a bit of backseat. It was unintentional, but after the long ride on Sunday, I only got back on the bike for one more quick 50 minute ride.
I think swimming may be becoming my strong suit. I am starting to feel very at home in the pool. My stroke is great and my confidence is building. Now that school is out, the pool should be a bit less crowded. Already this week, I started noticing more of my triathlete friends in the pool. It's great when we all get to swim together. And, I even swam in the "FAST" lane this week! It sounds more impressive than it is, though. I got to the pool late enough that there were only about 15 of us swimming. The "SLOW" lanes were busy, but not so in the other lanes. It may be the only time I get to use that lane, so I took advantage. I felt faster just being there!!
It's only 4 weeks til Dam to Dam and I am ready to get to racing. I can't wait to start putting some of these training weeks to use!
I'm heading to Chicago for Mother's Day. Roehr and I are already figuring out our workouts for that weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, but I'm also pretty psyched to hang out with Roehr and have her show me how it's done on the bike. I'm itching for a good quality long bike ride.
The twins will be in Chicago and I can't wait to see them again. There will be lots of competition on who gets to spend time with the girls. Between Lauren and Sophie meeting their great-grandmothers (and namesakes), one aunt, their uncle, and their cousin (all for the first time), their other aunt (me) and the grandmothers won't have a chance!
But, twins are in the air this year. On May 1st, my friends Betsy and Bryan became proud aunt and uncle to twin girls. On the SAME DAY, my friends Ricky and Tawna had their twin boys. There is another friend/acquaintance who was showing me pictures of his (roughly) 3 week old twin girls just on Friday. Good golly! I almost know more people with twins than single babies! The more the merrier!
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 5800 yards
Bike: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Run: 24.5 miles
Cross-Training: about 30 minutes of core work.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Doing Plenty, in Week Twenty
This week started with the best of intentions, but things didn't fall into place the way I would have liked. Sunday went well. It was a beautiful day, low wind, 70-75 degree temps, and, best of all, I had some training partners along to help make the day more bearable. The women of Team Satisfied (Sparkle, Sunshine, and myself) headed out for our first team training ride of the season. After about 45 minutes, we lost Sunshine. Something about having to do something with her boyfriend, whatever; we don't need her. Sparkle and I continue on, as we have a full 3-hour ride to conquer. We ride to Roland under great conditions, after a brief stop for a snack, we head back the way we came, over some small rolling hills and just a bit of a headwind. Sparkle starts to not like biking quite as much as she thought. Maybe it's the fact that I put in some serious time on the trainer this winter (or maybe my new bike is just that much faster... but I doubt it), but she is not a happy camper. Somehow I convince her to continue on with me, only problem is that the next section of road is not the least bit flat. It's just up one hill and down another, as far as the eye can see. By the time we get back to the flat stuff, Sparkle is questioning whether she even likes me anymore. Reagrdless, we did 3 hours, my food strategy worked out okay, and Sparkle had only a minor sunburn.
I was basically wiped out after the ride, both on Sunday afternoon and Monday. I was surprised how much it took out of me - must have been all the hills at the end. I used Monday as an off day and was grateful for that. Tuesday I had a great (but shorter than scheduled) swim and a great (but shorter than scheduled) run. I just didn't have the time I needed in the middle of the day to fit in the full swim, and the run was shorter because it was with the running group and I couldn't figure out how to justify the coach running twice as far as the rest of the participants. Next week, I may just have to get up and do my full workout in the morning and then run again with the group in the evening. I NEVER would have done anything like that the past three years, but somehow, it doesn't seem that far out of touch this year.
Wednesday was crazy. I had to work for a couple of hours in the morning, then I had some time off to train. I ended up doing a 50 minute bike loop outside, followed by a 25 minute run (brick workout), which I immediately followed by my swim workout. I think I might be insane to have tried that. Actually all the workouts felt okay, but the swim ended up getting cut short due to my work schedule - another short swim workout...
I've been trying something new the past couple of weeks. When the weather and my schedule permits, I've been commuting to work via bike. I have 2 bikes and gas is almost $3/gallon, so it makes good sense to me. I like it so far. Thursday I commuted by bike, but had a schedule that was crazy, even if you were driving. I rode about 20 miles in increments of 3-5 miles at a time. By the time I got home, I realized I had a 75 minute bike ride on the schedule. I talked Sparkle into heading out with me for another 40 minutes, and then I called it good for the day. Friday was another strange day. The forecast was for rain, so I planned to hit the treadmill for 6 miles before work, but when I woke up, it wasn't yet raining. I jumped out of bed and figured I could get 3.5-4 miles in before I needed to be back to shower for work. I opted for the outdoor workout over the treadmill, even though it meant fewer miles. My swim workout was great again, but shorter again. One of these days, I'll figure out how to get a full swim workout in...
Funny things that happened at the pool this week: I spent one day trying to swim around a manatee in my lane. When you think of a manatee, you think of a fat sea-cow that kind of floats around in the water with no real direction and maybe blows some bubbles or something. That is exactly what was in my lane. I swim in the medium lane (not the fast or the slow lanes), but this woman was just bobbing up and down near the wall in my lane, rolling onto her front and back, not really letting anyone do what we were all at the lap swim to do - swim laps. Thankfully, she moved into the deep end (with the other sea cows) shortly after I got in the water. Then on Friday this guy gets in my lane and says hi, just to let me know he's there. He swims away and I look at his water bottle and realize he's one of the guys from Ames who is also doing IM Wisconsin. He's one of the few people I hadn't met yet. So, I swim for a couple of laps, trying to figure out how to introduce myself without looking like some sort of stalker. Finally, we are both at the wall at the same time and I tell him that I recognized his name from his water bottle and explain that we are both doing IM Moo, then tell him my name is Julie. He says, "Oh, Julie Vardaman, right?" He then tells me he knows who I am and lists off a couple of people we know in common. So much for me being the stalker...
The worst part of the week was the weather forecast. Rain was predicted for all day Friday, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and all day Monday. As an athlete training for an IM, four solid days of rain (especially over a weekend) is not good news. The running group met on Saturday morning and we ran 6+ miles in the cold, blustery, driving rain. Yuck! But, we did it and all felt better afterwards.
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 5700 yards
Bike: 5 hours, 15 minutes
Run: 14.7 miles
Cross-Training: about 60 minutes of lunges, squats, and core with various clients throughout the week. It was the lunges that just about killed me. I did a bunch of them with one client on Tuesday morning and I was walking funny for 2 days after. I can't wait to find out how the client felt...
I was basically wiped out after the ride, both on Sunday afternoon and Monday. I was surprised how much it took out of me - must have been all the hills at the end. I used Monday as an off day and was grateful for that. Tuesday I had a great (but shorter than scheduled) swim and a great (but shorter than scheduled) run. I just didn't have the time I needed in the middle of the day to fit in the full swim, and the run was shorter because it was with the running group and I couldn't figure out how to justify the coach running twice as far as the rest of the participants. Next week, I may just have to get up and do my full workout in the morning and then run again with the group in the evening. I NEVER would have done anything like that the past three years, but somehow, it doesn't seem that far out of touch this year.
Wednesday was crazy. I had to work for a couple of hours in the morning, then I had some time off to train. I ended up doing a 50 minute bike loop outside, followed by a 25 minute run (brick workout), which I immediately followed by my swim workout. I think I might be insane to have tried that. Actually all the workouts felt okay, but the swim ended up getting cut short due to my work schedule - another short swim workout...
I've been trying something new the past couple of weeks. When the weather and my schedule permits, I've been commuting to work via bike. I have 2 bikes and gas is almost $3/gallon, so it makes good sense to me. I like it so far. Thursday I commuted by bike, but had a schedule that was crazy, even if you were driving. I rode about 20 miles in increments of 3-5 miles at a time. By the time I got home, I realized I had a 75 minute bike ride on the schedule. I talked Sparkle into heading out with me for another 40 minutes, and then I called it good for the day. Friday was another strange day. The forecast was for rain, so I planned to hit the treadmill for 6 miles before work, but when I woke up, it wasn't yet raining. I jumped out of bed and figured I could get 3.5-4 miles in before I needed to be back to shower for work. I opted for the outdoor workout over the treadmill, even though it meant fewer miles. My swim workout was great again, but shorter again. One of these days, I'll figure out how to get a full swim workout in...
Funny things that happened at the pool this week: I spent one day trying to swim around a manatee in my lane. When you think of a manatee, you think of a fat sea-cow that kind of floats around in the water with no real direction and maybe blows some bubbles or something. That is exactly what was in my lane. I swim in the medium lane (not the fast or the slow lanes), but this woman was just bobbing up and down near the wall in my lane, rolling onto her front and back, not really letting anyone do what we were all at the lap swim to do - swim laps. Thankfully, she moved into the deep end (with the other sea cows) shortly after I got in the water. Then on Friday this guy gets in my lane and says hi, just to let me know he's there. He swims away and I look at his water bottle and realize he's one of the guys from Ames who is also doing IM Wisconsin. He's one of the few people I hadn't met yet. So, I swim for a couple of laps, trying to figure out how to introduce myself without looking like some sort of stalker. Finally, we are both at the wall at the same time and I tell him that I recognized his name from his water bottle and explain that we are both doing IM Moo, then tell him my name is Julie. He says, "Oh, Julie Vardaman, right?" He then tells me he knows who I am and lists off a couple of people we know in common. So much for me being the stalker...
The worst part of the week was the weather forecast. Rain was predicted for all day Friday, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and all day Monday. As an athlete training for an IM, four solid days of rain (especially over a weekend) is not good news. The running group met on Saturday morning and we ran 6+ miles in the cold, blustery, driving rain. Yuck! But, we did it and all felt better afterwards.
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 5700 yards
Bike: 5 hours, 15 minutes
Run: 14.7 miles
Cross-Training: about 60 minutes of lunges, squats, and core with various clients throughout the week. It was the lunges that just about killed me. I did a bunch of them with one client on Tuesday morning and I was walking funny for 2 days after. I can't wait to find out how the client felt...
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Having Some Fun, In Week Twenty-One
Before you read the weekly round-up at the end of this post, let me just say that things were all kinds of screwed up this week. First off, I started the week (Sunday and Monday) in Vail. I may just be a big weenie, but I can't breathe up there doing anything harder than just a easy walk. Pushing Sophie and Lauren up a slight incline in their double jogger made me very out of breath. I understand why, but it makes me feel pretty wimpy to be training for an Ironman but not able to survive a simple walk without side effects. Oddly enough, I can ski without any problem... but that's a whole different story. Regardless, I used Sunday and Monday as rest days, so my weekly totals really reflect that.
I made it home from Vail on Tuesday in time to run with my running group. The rest of my runs this week went pretty much according to plan, just a mile or two less than on the schedule. Getting all my swim time in was much more of a struggle. Getting to Beyer Pool and back to work in a reasonable time period is really becoming a challenge. The swims themselves are going just fine, but they've been cut short due to the hours of operation of the pool and my client schedules. And, the way I had to reschedule some of my workouts for the trip, my bike totals for the week look really weak! But, enough excuses!
On Monday, I left Vail and drove to see a friend (Nick, a CTS coach, who was one of the founders of the Ames tri club 3-4 years ago) in Colorado Springs. Along the way, I made a stop at the Colorado Running Company to make a special purchase. I'd heard about these, but was pretty skeptical, so I had to go see for myself. I asked the store employees what they thought of them and even tried a couple on. In the end, though, I just had to have one! So, I am the new, proud owner of my very own running SKIRT! Designed by triathlete Nicole DeBoom, I think I'm gonna really like my new pink and blue skirt! I'll have to post pictures of that when it makes it's debut!
Nick, aside from being a coach of triathletes, is also a 2-time IM Wisconsin finisher, so I had the chance to pick his brain a bit about some racing questions I've been pondering. We also watched his finisher DVD from a couple years ago. It made me much more nervous than I had expected, but also gave me a chance to see a bit of the course and what the whole could be like. After the IM video, we also watched the video from the year Nick won the Quad Cities Triathlon. It was cool to see, I didn't even know they made a DVD from that! I saw lots of people I know, but (thankfully) no images of me.
So, as week twenty-one comes to a close, I realize that I am one-third of the way through the training. I've come a long way so far, but looking ahead, I realize just how much more I have to get done. For the next twenty weeks, I'll have 3 swim workouts per week (up from 2), two brick workouts per week (one long one and one short one, up from 1), and more interval type running and biking workouts (as opposed to the steady-state stuff I've been doing). I'll also be putting in more hours (obviously), but I feel pretty good and ready to tackle this stuff!
Here are a few more pictures of the weekend with the girls:
Here's how the girls and I spent Easter Sunday
I made it home from Vail on Tuesday in time to run with my running group. The rest of my runs this week went pretty much according to plan, just a mile or two less than on the schedule. Getting all my swim time in was much more of a struggle. Getting to Beyer Pool and back to work in a reasonable time period is really becoming a challenge. The swims themselves are going just fine, but they've been cut short due to the hours of operation of the pool and my client schedules. And, the way I had to reschedule some of my workouts for the trip, my bike totals for the week look really weak! But, enough excuses!
On Monday, I left Vail and drove to see a friend (Nick, a CTS coach, who was one of the founders of the Ames tri club 3-4 years ago) in Colorado Springs. Along the way, I made a stop at the Colorado Running Company to make a special purchase. I'd heard about these, but was pretty skeptical, so I had to go see for myself. I asked the store employees what they thought of them and even tried a couple on. In the end, though, I just had to have one! So, I am the new, proud owner of my very own running SKIRT! Designed by triathlete Nicole DeBoom, I think I'm gonna really like my new pink and blue skirt! I'll have to post pictures of that when it makes it's debut!
Nick, aside from being a coach of triathletes, is also a 2-time IM Wisconsin finisher, so I had the chance to pick his brain a bit about some racing questions I've been pondering. We also watched his finisher DVD from a couple years ago. It made me much more nervous than I had expected, but also gave me a chance to see a bit of the course and what the whole could be like. After the IM video, we also watched the video from the year Nick won the Quad Cities Triathlon. It was cool to see, I didn't even know they made a DVD from that! I saw lots of people I know, but (thankfully) no images of me.
So, as week twenty-one comes to a close, I realize that I am one-third of the way through the training. I've come a long way so far, but looking ahead, I realize just how much more I have to get done. For the next twenty weeks, I'll have 3 swim workouts per week (up from 2), two brick workouts per week (one long one and one short one, up from 1), and more interval type running and biking workouts (as opposed to the steady-state stuff I've been doing). I'll also be putting in more hours (obviously), but I feel pretty good and ready to tackle this stuff!
Here are a few more pictures of the weekend with the girls:
Here's how the girls and I spent Easter Sunday
Both girls are smiling a lot more and are very expressive (Sophie on top, Lauren below)
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 3300 yards
Bike: 1 hours, 40 minutes
Run: 21 miles
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Figuring Out What to Do, In Week Twenty-two
I've been wondering if anyone actually reads this blog, so I decided to hold off posting to see how many people missed it. I soon discovered that only one person actually reads this boring prose, or at least only one person actually cares enough to inquire about the missing post. So, this post is for my favorite uncle in Idaho (not to be confused with my favorite uncle in Texas or my favorite uncle in Iowa...).
Week 22 was a great week in some respects. I got 4 really solid rides in, 3 of which were done outside on the road. I managed to not let the closing of my pool mess up my swim workouts too much. And, I got more running in than I had planned. Not too much to complain about, but I can find a few things...
Iowa in April has to be one of the most windy places on the planet. Something about the contour of the land must lend itself to having the wind sucked across it (because you all know that wind is sucked, not blown, right??). Wind and bike riding do not go hand in hand. Windy days on a bike can make you miserable and grumpy. But God, in His wisdom, only makes it REALLY windy in Iowa in the springtime. Because He knows that after a long Iowa winter, we Iowans are SO happy to be able to get out of the house that we'll do it even if the wind blows us right off the road.
Sparkle and I took advantage of the nice temps on Sunday to go for a 2 hour ride. With a 20-25mph headwind out of the south, we headed straight south into the wind for the first 3/4 of the ride. It was as miserable as we thought it would be, sometimes pedaling downhill in the granny gears hitting a whopping 9-10mph. We stopped for some nourishment by a bridge and watched some other riders force their bikes in the same fashion. After some refreshing gels (ack!), we headed back north with another rider who had stopped to join us for the return trip. With the stiff breeze at my back, I was able to see just what the IronMaiden was capable of. I think I was able to maintain about 23-27 mph the whole return trip, using the big gears that I rarely get to use! It was so fun, but over very quickly. Next time, I think we'll just drive to Des Moines and ride the bikes back with the tailwind the whole way. Friday, I needed to get another long ride in because I was heading to Colorado again over the weekend. It was slightly less windy that day. I needed a 2 1/2 hour ride, so to get the ride in before the sunset, I did a 60 minute loop by myself and then when Sparkle got off work, she joined me for another 1 1/2 hours.
All of my runs felt terrible all week. I just didn't have any energy for them and my heart rate was way out of range for the whole week. The temps crept up all week, topping out at 90 on Thursday. The temps and the wind, along with the crummy feeling all week, really began to make me bitter. By Saturday, I wasn't really excited about taking a long run. Saturday morning, we met out at the lake, and the temps were in the 50's and there was no wind to speak of, and the run felt great the whole time. I could have run another 7.5 miles! It was a great way to end the week.
I think I've kinda figured out what to do about the pool situation. The Beyer pool at ISU is really busy all the time. It turns out that having to share a lane with 4 or 5 other people actually makes me swim faster and not rest near as much between sets. I am way more focused on my workouts, primarily so that I get myself in and out of there as fast as possible. I didn't get the yardage I needed this week, but as I get everything sorted out, I think I'll be okay.
On Saturday, I boarded a plane to Colorado to go see the girls again. Here's one picture for this week and I'll post more in a couple of days:
Week 22 was a great week in some respects. I got 4 really solid rides in, 3 of which were done outside on the road. I managed to not let the closing of my pool mess up my swim workouts too much. And, I got more running in than I had planned. Not too much to complain about, but I can find a few things...
Iowa in April has to be one of the most windy places on the planet. Something about the contour of the land must lend itself to having the wind sucked across it (because you all know that wind is sucked, not blown, right??). Wind and bike riding do not go hand in hand. Windy days on a bike can make you miserable and grumpy. But God, in His wisdom, only makes it REALLY windy in Iowa in the springtime. Because He knows that after a long Iowa winter, we Iowans are SO happy to be able to get out of the house that we'll do it even if the wind blows us right off the road.
Sparkle and I took advantage of the nice temps on Sunday to go for a 2 hour ride. With a 20-25mph headwind out of the south, we headed straight south into the wind for the first 3/4 of the ride. It was as miserable as we thought it would be, sometimes pedaling downhill in the granny gears hitting a whopping 9-10mph. We stopped for some nourishment by a bridge and watched some other riders force their bikes in the same fashion. After some refreshing gels (ack!), we headed back north with another rider who had stopped to join us for the return trip. With the stiff breeze at my back, I was able to see just what the IronMaiden was capable of. I think I was able to maintain about 23-27 mph the whole return trip, using the big gears that I rarely get to use! It was so fun, but over very quickly. Next time, I think we'll just drive to Des Moines and ride the bikes back with the tailwind the whole way. Friday, I needed to get another long ride in because I was heading to Colorado again over the weekend. It was slightly less windy that day. I needed a 2 1/2 hour ride, so to get the ride in before the sunset, I did a 60 minute loop by myself and then when Sparkle got off work, she joined me for another 1 1/2 hours.
All of my runs felt terrible all week. I just didn't have any energy for them and my heart rate was way out of range for the whole week. The temps crept up all week, topping out at 90 on Thursday. The temps and the wind, along with the crummy feeling all week, really began to make me bitter. By Saturday, I wasn't really excited about taking a long run. Saturday morning, we met out at the lake, and the temps were in the 50's and there was no wind to speak of, and the run felt great the whole time. I could have run another 7.5 miles! It was a great way to end the week.
I think I've kinda figured out what to do about the pool situation. The Beyer pool at ISU is really busy all the time. It turns out that having to share a lane with 4 or 5 other people actually makes me swim faster and not rest near as much between sets. I am way more focused on my workouts, primarily so that I get myself in and out of there as fast as possible. I didn't get the yardage I needed this week, but as I get everything sorted out, I think I'll be okay.
On Saturday, I boarded a plane to Colorado to go see the girls again. Here's one picture for this week and I'll post more in a couple of days:
Lauren Ruth and Sophie Elizabeth
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 3800 yards
Bike: 7 hours, 35 minutes
Run: 21 miles
Sunday, April 09, 2006
It's All Up to Me, in Week Twenty-Three
I started this week like a mad woman. I felt great and took advantage of it. I finished about 110-120% over what I had scheduled to do this week. The weather has finally improved to the point that I did most of my riding outside and didn't have to do any treadmill workouts. I can't explain how happy that makes me!! All that feeling good at the beginning of the week started to takes it toll later in the week. I was pretty wiped out by Thursday night and glad to have a day off on Friday.
It was a good thing that I was able to do so much this week because I had a slight problem arise on Friday that has thrown a wrench into my plans for next week. I swim at the Ames High School pool and sometime in the night between Thursday and Friday, a large chunk of the (asbestos-filled) ceiling fell into the pool. That puts my early morning swim sessions on hold for at least 2 weeks. And the ISU pool isn't open at times that work well with my schedule. So, I've got to be quite a bit more flexible for a while and figure out how to coordinate my work schedule and my workout schedule. Plus, I'd like to get a bit more done this week, so I can have an extra day or two off while I'm in Colorado next weekend.
On Thursday night, we had a tri club meeting at Skunk River Cycles. The lesson for the night was about how to change a flat. It is one of my biggest fears which, so far, I have not yet had to deal with. I practiced a couple of times, and although I still fear it happening in a race, I know I can handle it. And, I got some practice with using CO2.
I've got only two more weeks of this current phase of training. Then things pick up substantially. I'm really happy so far with the program and I'm glad that it has started off relatively slowly. It has taken some time for me to just get used to the frequency and length of the workouts required. I'm really looking forward to stepping things up. I feel good and I feel ready!
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6000 yards
Bike: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Run: 23.5 miles
It was a good thing that I was able to do so much this week because I had a slight problem arise on Friday that has thrown a wrench into my plans for next week. I swim at the Ames High School pool and sometime in the night between Thursday and Friday, a large chunk of the (asbestos-filled) ceiling fell into the pool. That puts my early morning swim sessions on hold for at least 2 weeks. And the ISU pool isn't open at times that work well with my schedule. So, I've got to be quite a bit more flexible for a while and figure out how to coordinate my work schedule and my workout schedule. Plus, I'd like to get a bit more done this week, so I can have an extra day or two off while I'm in Colorado next weekend.
On Thursday night, we had a tri club meeting at Skunk River Cycles. The lesson for the night was about how to change a flat. It is one of my biggest fears which, so far, I have not yet had to deal with. I practiced a couple of times, and although I still fear it happening in a race, I know I can handle it. And, I got some practice with using CO2.
I've got only two more weeks of this current phase of training. Then things pick up substantially. I'm really happy so far with the program and I'm glad that it has started off relatively slowly. It has taken some time for me to just get used to the frequency and length of the workouts required. I'm really looking forward to stepping things up. I feel good and I feel ready!
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6000 yards
Bike: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Run: 23.5 miles
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Nothing's a Bore, in Week Twenty-Four
Highlights of the week:
All three of my swims this week went really well. Monday's swim just flowed. Everything felt good, the workout kept my interest the whole time, and I felt well-rested after having Sunday as a rest day. Tuesday's swim (with the tri-newbies) was encouraging as we swam 100's for time. I surprised myself at the times I was swimming, and I wasn't really pushing myself. Then on Wednesday, a friend in another lane said my stroke had improved, I looked smooth in the water, and my hips were in a good position. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better week in the water.
The IronMaiden and I hit the road twice this week for training rides. I played hookie from work on Wednesday and fought 20mph headwinds in order to enjoy the somewhat spring time temperatures. It was just a quick 50 minute ride, but it was enough to prove to me how much I like the IronMaiden and irritate Roehr and Sparkle who were both at work at the time! Yesterday, I went for a nice ride (no wind!!!) with the tri-newbies. It wasn't quite as warm as Wednesday (and my toes were little ice blocks by the time I got home), but it was great to get out on the open road!
My running is still going fairly well. I had to use the treadmill more than I'd care to admit, but I think treadmill season is nearly over! Saturday's "long" run with the training group was 5. This week I decided that I would do my extra mileage before the group run, so I left the house about 30 minutes early and got 2.5 miles in before meeting the group for the 5 miler.
I finished getting signed up for all of this year's triathlons. After having to beg the race director to let me into the already full Quad Cities Tri last summer, I decided I'd better get thigs taken care of earlier this year. I also signed up for the Dutchman (Pella) Tri and the Spirit of Racine Tri.
There was a big (HUGE, if you live in Iowa) announcement for the triathlon world this week. Des Moines is hosting a ITU World Cup race in June 2007. This is only the 4th (or 5th, I forget) time that a World Cup event has been held in the United States, and it's gonna be right here in central Iowa. Even bigger is that there is a $700,000 purse for the race. That's basically unheard of in the world of triathlon. So, we'll have a bunch of pro triathletes competing in a Sunday afternoon race, and the rest of us mere mortals will get to race that morning. They expect that race to fill up very quickly - a year in advance, so I went ahead and signed up for that one, too!
Low points of the week:
A big round of thunderstorms came through Ames on Thursday night, knocking out power and making it impossible to go out for run. So, my week's planning was a bit thrown off... I took Thursday off, ran long on Friday morning, then had to run long again on Saturday morning.
My hamstring hasn't been exactly perfect lately. It's not like it's been, but I can certainly feel it back there. I get a massage tonight, so hopefully that will help a little bit.
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6000 yards
Bike: 2 hours, 20 minutes - all outside!!!
Run: 24 miles
Cross-Training: 25 minutes on Elliptical Trainer and about 30 minutes of lunges, squats, and core with various clients throughout the week.
All three of my swims this week went really well. Monday's swim just flowed. Everything felt good, the workout kept my interest the whole time, and I felt well-rested after having Sunday as a rest day. Tuesday's swim (with the tri-newbies) was encouraging as we swam 100's for time. I surprised myself at the times I was swimming, and I wasn't really pushing myself. Then on Wednesday, a friend in another lane said my stroke had improved, I looked smooth in the water, and my hips were in a good position. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better week in the water.
The IronMaiden and I hit the road twice this week for training rides. I played hookie from work on Wednesday and fought 20mph headwinds in order to enjoy the somewhat spring time temperatures. It was just a quick 50 minute ride, but it was enough to prove to me how much I like the IronMaiden and irritate Roehr and Sparkle who were both at work at the time! Yesterday, I went for a nice ride (no wind!!!) with the tri-newbies. It wasn't quite as warm as Wednesday (and my toes were little ice blocks by the time I got home), but it was great to get out on the open road!
My running is still going fairly well. I had to use the treadmill more than I'd care to admit, but I think treadmill season is nearly over! Saturday's "long" run with the training group was 5. This week I decided that I would do my extra mileage before the group run, so I left the house about 30 minutes early and got 2.5 miles in before meeting the group for the 5 miler.
I finished getting signed up for all of this year's triathlons. After having to beg the race director to let me into the already full Quad Cities Tri last summer, I decided I'd better get thigs taken care of earlier this year. I also signed up for the Dutchman (Pella) Tri and the Spirit of Racine Tri.
There was a big (HUGE, if you live in Iowa) announcement for the triathlon world this week. Des Moines is hosting a ITU World Cup race in June 2007. This is only the 4th (or 5th, I forget) time that a World Cup event has been held in the United States, and it's gonna be right here in central Iowa. Even bigger is that there is a $700,000 purse for the race. That's basically unheard of in the world of triathlon. So, we'll have a bunch of pro triathletes competing in a Sunday afternoon race, and the rest of us mere mortals will get to race that morning. They expect that race to fill up very quickly - a year in advance, so I went ahead and signed up for that one, too!
Low points of the week:
A big round of thunderstorms came through Ames on Thursday night, knocking out power and making it impossible to go out for run. So, my week's planning was a bit thrown off... I took Thursday off, ran long on Friday morning, then had to run long again on Saturday morning.
My hamstring hasn't been exactly perfect lately. It's not like it's been, but I can certainly feel it back there. I get a massage tonight, so hopefully that will help a little bit.
Weekly Round-Up (Sunday thru Saturday):
Swim: 6000 yards
Bike: 2 hours, 20 minutes - all outside!!!
Run: 24 miles
Cross-Training: 25 minutes on Elliptical Trainer and about 30 minutes of lunges, squats, and core with various clients throughout the week.
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