Tomorrow is the KC Tri. I am signed up for the sprint distance, 500m swim, 20K bike, 5K run. I really like the Olympic distance, but was wise enough to not sign up for a 1500m swim this early in the season. I've managed to get out into open water three times now, and the last time was the best confidence builder.
Liz intended for the IMLV ladies to "train through" this race, meaning no taper. Hannah, Mary J and I did a hard 50-mile ride yesterday. The wind was brutal. Ugh...I was hurting big time by the time I finally rolled into my driveway. I will have a good excuse for having a sucky race tomorrow. :)
As for the swim, I think I am ready. The game may totally change if it is very choppy tomorrow. Of course, when we did our practice swim on Tuesday, the lake was like glass. But, I keep telling myself it is only 500 meters. Just get through 500 meters!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Kansas 70.3 Camp
I attended the Midwest Triathlon Coaching Kansas 70.3 training camp this weekend. It felt a little grueling as I hadn't gotten much sleep after getting back from California, but it was a good barometer of where I am right now, I think.
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| KS 70.3 Training Camp |
Friday night, we did a "master's" format swim workout at the Lee's Summit Aquatic Center. It took me a bit to find it, but my, it was a super nice facility. One would think that swimming in a 50 meter lane would not be that big a transition from a 25 yard pool. I had just done 2300 yards the night before, so it wasn't like I couldn't do the distance. But, I felt a little winded after each length.
Saturday, we headed to Lawrence to do a short open water swim in Clinton Lake and ride the 70.3 bike course. While the OWS was not a raging success for me, I would not call it a failure, either. But, I still had some anxiety and breathing issues. I really am a head case... and I really do not like the constricting feeling of my wetsuit. I was hoping that I would feel more comfortable than I did when I was in the water. I will be getting back in the lakes a couple more times before the Kansas City Triathlon, so I'm hoping my comfort level will grow. Thank goodness that I'm only signed up for the sprint at KC Tri!
My legs felt a little tired on the ride, but they weren't too bad. I rode with my fellow Red Lady teammate, who had also gone to Big Sur. We ended up cutting the course short as she wasn't feeling very good. The day was unseasonably hot (low 90's) and typically humid which we really haven't had time to acclimate to. I averaged 15.6 mph, which I wasn't too unhappy with, considering I was really taking it easy. Kansas is a hilly course. Assuming I can get myself through the swim at that race. My swim experience earlier that day was not a confidence builder.
The run was today. I ended up going 8.5 miles, which is further than I would have gone on my own. (I take recovery seriously, LOL). While I didn't do the intensity that I thought I would have, it was still a good training weekend, and I learned more. The coach had some very different advice on nutrition, which was encouraging for me as I was worried about how I was going to get solids down in the heat on the bike.
Big Sur International Marathon
I just got back from doing Big Sur International Marathon with a few
of my "best-y" triathlon and running friends. What a great race!
It was everything it was hyped to be: breathtakingly beautiful and extremely challenging. I didn't really feel ready for it when I left Kansas City last Friday morning. My longest run had only been 17 miles and it hadn't gone that well. I knew I would be falling back on my triathlon training and my marathon experience. When we picked up the race information guide at the Expo, it promised to be a long day.
When race day finally dawned, I started feeling a bit excited and ready to go. We bussed to the start line, leaving our hotel at 4:15 a.m. It was a long ride. At one point we caught a glimpse of the long line of busses snaking out behind us and we understood why we had to leave so early.
The weather couldn't have been predicted to be more perfect: 60's, clear and sunny. My long-time running buddy and friend, Julie, took off together, clicking off the first five miles at a great pace. As promised, those were the easiest miles of the race. Around six miles, we made our first major ascent and experienced the first of famous headwinds. The weather changed abruptly to foggy and gray.
Julie and I found three Brits ahead and tucked in behind them, listening to one good-naturedly berating his mates about choosing a "lovely, warm race in California" to do. At that moment, lovely was a apt adjective; warm was absolutely not. After going a short ways, the guys noticed us running behind them and teased us about drafting off them. I told them that they had such great butts that we just couldn't pull away. They let us stay behind them. :-) And, their asses weren't half bad.
The coolest part of the race was coming up
on the Bixby Bridge at the halfway point. It is the iconic bridge that
represents Big Sur to me. The legendary grand piano is parked there
attached to loud speakers that allowed us to hear the music long before
we got to the bridge.
At mile 15, I lost Julie due to a miscommunication at a portapotty stop. I spent some time trying to find her, but finally had to accept that we had missed each other somehow and took off. At this point, I pushed to the finish line. Around mile 20, I was thrilled to see that based on my Garmin, I was on track to run a 4:10, much better than I expected on this course. Woo hoo! Much to my chagrin, the official posted time was 4:22. What?? How could it have been so far off? Then, I realized that I had my watch set to auto pause when I stopped. Ha! Twelve minutes of photo opportunities and potty breaks.
This race was everything I expected it to be! It is definitely up among my top 10 favorites.
It was everything it was hyped to be: breathtakingly beautiful and extremely challenging. I didn't really feel ready for it when I left Kansas City last Friday morning. My longest run had only been 17 miles and it hadn't gone that well. I knew I would be falling back on my triathlon training and my marathon experience. When we picked up the race information guide at the Expo, it promised to be a long day.
When race day finally dawned, I started feeling a bit excited and ready to go. We bussed to the start line, leaving our hotel at 4:15 a.m. It was a long ride. At one point we caught a glimpse of the long line of busses snaking out behind us and we understood why we had to leave so early.
The weather couldn't have been predicted to be more perfect: 60's, clear and sunny. My long-time running buddy and friend, Julie, took off together, clicking off the first five miles at a great pace. As promised, those were the easiest miles of the race. Around six miles, we made our first major ascent and experienced the first of famous headwinds. The weather changed abruptly to foggy and gray.
Julie and I found three Brits ahead and tucked in behind them, listening to one good-naturedly berating his mates about choosing a "lovely, warm race in California" to do. At that moment, lovely was a apt adjective; warm was absolutely not. After going a short ways, the guys noticed us running behind them and teased us about drafting off them. I told them that they had such great butts that we just couldn't pull away. They let us stay behind them. :-) And, their asses weren't half bad.
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| Julie and I pose with the pianist by Bixby Bridge. |
At mile 15, I lost Julie due to a miscommunication at a portapotty stop. I spent some time trying to find her, but finally had to accept that we had missed each other somehow and took off. At this point, I pushed to the finish line. Around mile 20, I was thrilled to see that based on my Garmin, I was on track to run a 4:10, much better than I expected on this course. Woo hoo! Much to my chagrin, the official posted time was 4:22. What?? How could it have been so far off? Then, I realized that I had my watch set to auto pause when I stopped. Ha! Twelve minutes of photo opportunities and potty breaks.
This race was everything I expected it to be! It is definitely up among my top 10 favorites.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
In Like a Lamb...
It's the end of March and we continue this beautiful weather. The redbuds are blooming. The birds are out full force. I've even had to mow my yard one time. The Farmer's Almanac is calling for a wet spring and slightly cooler summer. Fingers crossed!
Jenny and I went back to Longview last night for our brick workout. We had a great ride and an okay run. My average bike speed is gradually coming up. I'm feeling strong and enjoying the training--even biking, which was my major stressor last year.
I think that the only LV Resolution that I haven't voilated yet, is the last one...not allowing IM to completely consume me. So far, my approach to training has been much more relaxed, and I'm loving that. Yes, I am still freaked out. I don't know what swimming further than 2500 yards feels like. My 18-mile run Sunday was hard, and it was off only a 41-mile bike ride the day before. How am I going to chain all three events back-to-back in 17 hours?
That scenario is still somewhat inconceivable to me, but I think I have relaxed the control freak in me enough to trust in the training and the plan. Consistency will see me through to the finish line, save me doing something stupid and getting hurt before then.
To keep things interesting, a few of the Reds came with me to do an Adventure Race in Carthage. Robbin and I were team Tiaras and TaTas and yes, we dressed the part. What a fun day...the weather was stupendous. es, those are real "glass hats" sewn to our visors!
Jenny and I went back to Longview last night for our brick workout. We had a great ride and an okay run. My average bike speed is gradually coming up. I'm feeling strong and enjoying the training--even biking, which was my major stressor last year.
I think that the only LV Resolution that I haven't voilated yet, is the last one...not allowing IM to completely consume me. So far, my approach to training has been much more relaxed, and I'm loving that. Yes, I am still freaked out. I don't know what swimming further than 2500 yards feels like. My 18-mile run Sunday was hard, and it was off only a 41-mile bike ride the day before. How am I going to chain all three events back-to-back in 17 hours? That scenario is still somewhat inconceivable to me, but I think I have relaxed the control freak in me enough to trust in the training and the plan. Consistency will see me through to the finish line, save me doing something stupid and getting hurt before then.
To keep things interesting, a few of the Reds came with me to do an Adventure Race in Carthage. Robbin and I were team Tiaras and TaTas and yes, we dressed the part. What a fun day...the weather was stupendous. es, those are real "glass hats" sewn to our visors!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
March
We have had the most incredible winter in KC. Actually, we haven't had winter this year in KC. So, now it is March 24th and I've already gotten more than 300 biking miles in outside. Inconceivable. Today was an incredible sunny day in the 70's...did I mention it was still March...in Kansas City? Mary and Jenny and I went north of the city to the berg of Parkville to do a hill workout.
What a beautiful day! On top of this fabulous weather, I have a serious case of tri-bike love. I was skeptical that was going to acclimate to this tri bike that I bought on impulse. But, after taking it to the downtown airport a couple of weeks ago, I realized what a sweet ride it was (to quote Napoleon Dynamite). Then, I took it on a ride around Longview Lake. Is it my imagination, or does this bike with 650 cm wheel make hill climbing a piece of cake?
It was confirmed today. Hill climbing is much easier than on my road bike. I was able to keep Mary within a reasonable distance, instead barely being able to see her bright jersey two miles down the road, as is typical. I felt really good today in spite of the little spill I took. Yay!
What a beautiful day! On top of this fabulous weather, I have a serious case of tri-bike love. I was skeptical that was going to acclimate to this tri bike that I bought on impulse. But, after taking it to the downtown airport a couple of weeks ago, I realized what a sweet ride it was (to quote Napoleon Dynamite). Then, I took it on a ride around Longview Lake. Is it my imagination, or does this bike with 650 cm wheel make hill climbing a piece of cake?
It was confirmed today. Hill climbing is much easier than on my road bike. I was able to keep Mary within a reasonable distance, instead barely being able to see her bright jersey two miles down the road, as is typical. I felt really good today in spite of the little spill I took. Yay!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Twenty Weeks
My fellow Louisville triathlete, Jenny underlined the passage of time when she iterated that we had ONLY twenty weeks left till race day. Gulp. Twenty weeks sounds so much shorter than five months! And, actually, that was last week. Now, we have only nineteen weeks.
Training has been going okay. The mild winter has afforded the opportunity to get outside on the bike several times. Last Saturday, I got in a 41-mile ride on a beautiful sunny day with temps in the upper 40's. Criminy, the weatherman just announced that it will be in the 70's on Monday. Good grief. I would be totally enjoying this wonderful weather, if I wasn't terrified that the trend will continue through the summer.
Going back to the training topic, I decided to rejoin the Reds. I missed the gals a lot, and felt a little isolated. So far, I can't say that it's felt that much different so far, except for I now get a lot more email. The training schedule has a bit more volume, which mentally makes me feel better, though I wonder a little if I'm better off physically.
We had a group swimming lesson on Sunday, where the coach managed to find everything wrong with my form, as usual <sigh> I am never going to be a fast swimmer. And, according to her, it's doubtful I'll ever be a good swimmer, either. I guess when I look back from where I started, I am just grateful to survive the swim.
My bike rides, while I've felt pretty good, I am astoundingly slow. It's hard to believe that I've been spinning pretty intensely 2-3 times a week since November, by my average speed on those rides! I keep reminding myself that I am stronger, even if it doesn't appear that way right now. That's my story.
Tonight, I've been fighting the guilt of taking the evening off. My mood has been low, and I have been tired, stiff and sore. I had two big weeks back to back with only one day off. I am not a spring chicken any more, and it's been hard to know what the balance is between tearing down/rebuilding or tearing down/wearing down. Regardless, I didn't do anything tonight, so what's done is done. I have to fight to remember not to compare my training volume with someone else's. If I was totally slacking off, that would be one thing, but just because I got in ten hours this week and someone else does twelve doesn't mean that her training is ultimately any more effective than mine. I read somewhere that allowing someone else to impact the way your feel about yourself or your enjoyment of the sport is immature. (I think that came from Active.com). It's a good thought.
Training has been going okay. The mild winter has afforded the opportunity to get outside on the bike several times. Last Saturday, I got in a 41-mile ride on a beautiful sunny day with temps in the upper 40's. Criminy, the weatherman just announced that it will be in the 70's on Monday. Good grief. I would be totally enjoying this wonderful weather, if I wasn't terrified that the trend will continue through the summer.
Going back to the training topic, I decided to rejoin the Reds. I missed the gals a lot, and felt a little isolated. So far, I can't say that it's felt that much different so far, except for I now get a lot more email. The training schedule has a bit more volume, which mentally makes me feel better, though I wonder a little if I'm better off physically.
We had a group swimming lesson on Sunday, where the coach managed to find everything wrong with my form, as usual <sigh> I am never going to be a fast swimmer. And, according to her, it's doubtful I'll ever be a good swimmer, either. I guess when I look back from where I started, I am just grateful to survive the swim.
My bike rides, while I've felt pretty good, I am astoundingly slow. It's hard to believe that I've been spinning pretty intensely 2-3 times a week since November, by my average speed on those rides! I keep reminding myself that I am stronger, even if it doesn't appear that way right now. That's my story.
Tonight, I've been fighting the guilt of taking the evening off. My mood has been low, and I have been tired, stiff and sore. I had two big weeks back to back with only one day off. I am not a spring chicken any more, and it's been hard to know what the balance is between tearing down/rebuilding or tearing down/wearing down. Regardless, I didn't do anything tonight, so what's done is done. I have to fight to remember not to compare my training volume with someone else's. If I was totally slacking off, that would be one thing, but just because I got in ten hours this week and someone else does twelve doesn't mean that her training is ultimately any more effective than mine. I read somewhere that allowing someone else to impact the way your feel about yourself or your enjoyment of the sport is immature. (I think that came from Active.com). It's a good thought.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Reds
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| Red Ladies |
So, I'm back. :)
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