IM Journal: LOG #4

Ok, this daily log isn't’ so “daily”, but in my defense there isn't too much activity happening on my side yet.

Since my last log I have been running/biking/swimming/yoga-ing per usual but have been able to get in a few high altitude runs up in Mammoth (approx 8,500ft) and have recorded a few vital stats & pictures. Since I currently live at an altitude of about 50ft I definitely could feel a huge difference running at altitude! I may have to spend more time up there to work on natural blood doping.  :)  

I’m not sure that I really want to share any of my “before” pictures, measurements or weight on a public forum, but just know that I do have the info recorded! Maybe if my “after” pictures & stats are a lot better I can add in the old ones for comparison. After seeing so many models in magazines, social media, etc it makes me scrutinize my body way more than I should (even though I know that I’m seeing the result of good Photoshop jobs & know the models aren't training for any races). Yay for body image issues.

Currently I am just maintaining a base level of fitness and trying to find a balance between getting my workouts in & having an off season! I’m not sure if it’s because of the fast-approaching holiday season, but all I want to do is sit on my butt & relax!! :)

IM Journal: Day 3

Red cup = workout reward (as promised to myself). There will be many more of these to come I’m sure!

The hardest part of a morning workout is getting out of bed. After hitting the snooze button about 17 times (this is normal) I got myself up & to the pool. Once you jump in the water the hardest part is done!  My current goal for Master’s swim practice is to swim at least 1 mile (which I round up to 17 laps). Coach AB kindly reminded me this morning that I will need to be swimming 4000m (40 laps) for my Ironman training. I can’t even imagine! My highest lap count to date is 24… & it’s a slow 24.

I have been swimming for almost 2 years now & this sport is by far my weakest area of the triathlon. We have a LOT of work to do here!  However, I’ve actually started to enjoy swimming and really appreciate its cross-training value with running. Plus… I can see the sunrise while I’m in the water (yes, I took this):

Right!? Good morning, indeed.

Also, I had sent an email yesterday to IM Arizona to inquire about how many slots were available, how long it took to sell out, etc. so that I could provide some hard facts but no such luck. I was pleasantly surprised that they responded so quickly, but said that due to their policies they could not tell me any of that information. All I could get out of them was that “all slots were sold out within minutes”.  Boo.

PS- my knee has been feeling a little tendinitisy since the half marathon. I'm crossing my fingers that it's not coming back!  

IM Journal: Day 2

It still hasn’t quite sunk in. With the registration process being over & done, it felt like any other day. Like most Tuesdays I was not looking forward to going to track (sorry, I know a lot of people love it. I’m not one of them) and was hoping for bad traffic, an earthquake, something to get me out of going. But even running a bit late still got me there in time before the group took off for the warm-up. I was happy to see Coach Mike and a lot of other friendly faces, & got a few Ironman comments and congratulations for even signing up and wanting to do a race.

Our little army of reflective gear and headlamps made way to the track to get our work out of 8x800 in. The one good thing about running in the dark is that you (or at least I do) run faster because you can’t see your feet J. Per usual I thought “I can’t do the whole workout. I’ll just do 6 out of the 8 or maybe I can sneak away without anyone noticing.” I never say of this out loud… it’s always an internal bargaining system I have with myself to get through a workout. My brain tells me I can’t get through a workout, so I at least start the workout to see if this is true or not, and most times (if not all I think?) I get through the whole thing! Then when it’s over I feel super awesome and somewhat surprised that I just did something I didn’t think I could do one hour ago.

I realize that this is probably going to happen for the next 55 track workouts and all of the next 362 days of training. But who’s counting?  I already don’t feel like getting up at 5am tomorrow to go swim, but know I’m still going to do it anyways. Physically- I’m absolutely capable of any & all workouts that I will get, but it’s going to be one heck of a mental battle. Even with the “easier” workouts I sometimes have a tough time getting through them, so I can only imagine what my brain will think when it knows I have an 8 hour brick!

I’m thinking sleep is an important factor here... and also rewarding myself with post-workout coffees. J

IMAZ Journal

I’ve decided to keep a daily journal/log of this next year in preparation for Ironman Arizona on November 16, 2014. This will be my first (& maybe only Ironman race since it’s painfully expensive), so I decided that it is absolutely necessary to record as much as possible during this journey! My original plan was to race IM Kalmar, but in all ways it made more sense to have my first IM race in Arizona. I had considered signing up for an Ironman for a while & for a few months had my sights set on IMAZ.

Day 363:

About 30 minutes before online registration opened, I began to feel physically nauseous and anxious about whether I would get a slot since this race sells out quicker than a Pearl Jam concert. I used my work phone to call John who was shadowing my registration & was trying to secure a secondary slot in case I didn’t get in, and shut my office door to prevent, or at least delay, any interruptions. (Employee of the year, I know. Sorry boss!)

I credit my successful entry to online shopping all of my years typing in numbers on computer keyboards. My rapid-fire fingers apparently got me in just in time. Not only did the general entry slots sell out in less than 20 minutes, but the foundations slots (TWICE the entry fee amount) sold out as well! There are currently a lot of angry comments on the IMAZ Facebook page declaring that it would be more likely to “be struck by lightning” than to get a slot from online registration. But… I got one. I prefer to look at it as this race was meant to be for me, which gives me more assurance that I chose correctly and that I CAN and WILL do this race.

AND IT WILL BE EPIC.

 

With shaky hands I printed and emailed about 5 copies of my registration confirmation to myself (just to be really sure) & was very glad to have John on the phone to remind me that I needed to breathe. He already has 2 races under his belt so I think he could better comprehend the significance of the registration process & was able to be excited for me. I’ve since moved on from “wanting to throw up” to “what the $*#& did I just do”.  It hasn’t totally registered yet that I’ve just signed up for a life-changing year-long HUGE commitment. (My bank account doesn’t seem to have this problem however.)   I know quite a few people that have trained for & completed Ironman races, & have seen some people day in and day out of training… from signing up to crossing the finish line. I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I’m not trying to qualify for Kona… just trying to get across the finish line in one piece.

I’ll tell you what though… I’ve set myself up for success. I have an amazing coach, support system of family and friends behind me, and former (& current) Ironman racers at my fingertips. I also have Badass Betsy who is going on the IMAZ 2014 journey too :). Now all I have to do uphold my part in this and train my little heart out (not literally. I would like to walk around with a Finisher’s medal for a bit ah thank you). Oh… and to make sure I stay away from lightning.  ;)

I’m currently in “off-season” (or so I’m told) so the crazy 7 hour bike rides won’t happen for a while, but for now I will continue to maintain my running, biking, swimming and yoga fitness. Veterans refer to this as “base training” which is their equivalent to my peak training I think. Maybe I should take before/after pictures? Change my eating habits? Or state for the record that I think 16 mile runs and 60 mile bike rides are really hard. It will give me something to laugh at in 8 months when I’m in bed by 7pm on a Friday night & completely delirious.

During my hard track workouts and races I’ve imagined myself being in an Ironman race, tracked multiple athletes, & have bawled my eyes out watching everyone cross the finish line. It’s crazy to me that I’m going to be on the other side in less than a year and will actually BE running in the race instead of just pretending. I might forget what “weekends” and “past 9pm” means, but am very much looking forward to taking on this chapter/journey/challenge because even though I don’t KNOW what it’s like on the other side… I know what’s waiting for me there.

 

YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!

Post-Season Bliss

Quick Stats:

-Races: 8+ (3 half marathons, 1 full, 1 olympic triathlon, 1 half IronMan, 1 long course, 1 sprint, & multiple shorter running and swimming races)

-1^st attempts: 2 (marathon, half IronMan)

-PR’s: 6

 

2013 has been quite a year for me! It’s been a looooong busy year but has produced some really great results and a LOT of improvement. Coincidence that every distance I raced this year resulted in a PR since I’ve had Mike Swan as my coach? I think not. I can say enough about Mike & what an incredible athlete and coach he is and how much I appreciate being one of the MANY athletes’ under his tutelage.  

I also realize that I’m pretty small time in the running and triathlon world. I’m satisfied with my progress over the past year but I’m hungry for more. I need to be better, faster, stronger. After my short “off season” that is J. I am not mad that my workouts this week include skiing, yoga and drinking big girl hot chocolates. Oh… & waking up to this the next few days:

Sorry, that was rude.  It’s been almost a year since I’ve had an off-season & I’m really enjoying (& appreciating!) my time off

Anyways, this Monday, I will be attempting to sign up for Ironman Arizona 2014 (it’s not official until its official), which means that starting January I will be throwing the training hammer down for most of 2014. I know it’s a bit overly optimistic to race a full Ironman since I haven’t been in the sport for that long, but for me it’s a natural progression for what I’ve been putting in the books the last few years.  I’m not trying to go to Kona… just to cross the finish line & hear Mike Reilly call me an Ironman.

I’m extremely grateful for the coaching training I’ve received this past year, for all the support , not having any injuries and I’m very much looking forward to another year of improving, fine-tuning & hopefully a few more PR’s! I’m not looking forward to dark cold mornings at the pool… but you gotta take the good with the bad.

Once you drink the kool-aid, it’s hard to stop… but I’ll take a small break to stop & smell the almond croissants.

 

Cheers!

Carpinteria Triathlon Sprint Race Report

I LOVE ending my triathlon season with this race! It’s such a fun race & usually the only Sprint distance I get to do each year J. This is a great first race for people looking to get into the sport… its short, relatively flat, of a smaller scale and with usually great weather. I’ve had quite a long season this year and, to be honest, didn’t even want to race this morning.  I was so anxious for the race (& last triathlon of the year) to be over with that I didn’t experience any of my pre-race jitters or excitement. I was freezing cold this morning and way too low on sleep, so I really had no idea how the day was going to go.

I set up my transition area in my usual A-type way, & was surrounded by girls who had never raced before. They looked to me like I was some Tri Guru & asked me any/all of their race questions. I’m still new to the sport myself & am definitely still figuring out a LOT of things. Among the “newbies” that raced today were 2 of my cousins. It’s a family affair now, y’all!

Me: “You guys. Where are your wetsuits?”

Boys: “We’re swimming without them.”

Me: “Of course you are.”

 

I made the long walk to the swim with a few SB Tri girls & thought “ok, let’s get this over with!” My nerves came back when I got to the swim start & waited for the “3…2…1… GO!” The water temperature felt great & I struggled from the beach to the first buoy as I always do. I’m not a strong swimmer by any means & that first leg is all about me not hyperventilating! I’m always so thankful to get around that first buoy because then I can settle into my rhythm (for a whole 12 min. Last year was 17 min!).  The swim felt super short, & I was grateful (as always) to be out of the water & back on dry land. I tried to transition as quickly as possible & make up for lost time on the bike.

I was able to redline the whole time on the bike… I wonder what those pictures look like. I was ZONED & think I had my tongue out most of the 9 miles. By this time the weather had warmed up a lot & I was having such a great time passing people (for once) out on the course! I’m getting better at shifting with my aero bars now but didn’t feel brave enough to ride down in the aero position this morning. (32min this year, 34 min last year)

T2 took a little longer than usual because I had to wait to drink & fuel up until that point since I have to relearn getting used to grabbing my water bottle and GUs on my new setup. I also didn’t have enough time the night before or that morning to put my speed laces in, so had to spend a few extra seconds tying my shoes. Little did I know this would be my downfall.

The first mile of the run was a bit rough, but quickly settled into a strong comfortable 8:30 pace. I didn’t feel the need to stop for water since it was only 3 miles, but my dang shoelaces came untied so I had to stop & retie them because my shoes felt so loose. It was then when the girl in my age group, who I passed on the bike, shot past me on the run. Crap. I thought I had her. I didn’t think too much of it though because I’m not usually fighting for a first place spot. I figured that now I’d be 6^th instead of 5^th, or 8^th instead of 7^th. There were still a lot of bikes on my rack when I left for the run, but I had no idea how many of those girls were in my age group. I was able to sprint into the finish line & was SO happy the race was over & felt really solid about my race performance. (Same run time as last year. Womp womp.)

It’s OVER! My long season was finally over! I was so happy to have the possibility of getting a small training break, thankful that we had beautiful weather & that I stayed uninjured and thankful to have a strong race and be surrounded by so many familiar friendly faces. Thank you family, friends and fellow teammates! You guys are super awesome.

John told me that the results were posted, so we walked over with high hopes & guesses of how we did. Even though he beat my time by 17 whole minutes, I scored (for the first time ever!) a podium spot! “Wait… is this real life!? Maybe there were only 2 girls in our division? (there were 8) Wait. WAIT.A.MINUTE. That one other girl who passed me at the last straightaway beat me out for first!?!” DANGITTTTT.  $#&* shoelaces! I lost to her by 24 seconds. When I realized I was less than 30 seconds from first, I immediately started analyzing every second of the day, kicking myself for every little mistake I made during the race.

BUT… happy nonetheless to finally be in the top 3! I also shaved 6 minutes of my time from last year, which is no 42min difference… but still an improvement! Now I get to kick back & have a cupcake & watch Breaking Bad totally guilt free & satisfied! TREAT YO SELF. One more race (SB half marathon in November) and then I’m really done for the year. Here’s to a great year of racing & improving. Can’t wait to say the same thing about 2014. J

 

“Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.” ― Jon Krakauer