Well hello ladies,
Shef - that was as an excellent post and I kind of wanted to hug her too...anyone who still has the energy to shout "asshole" at the end of the workout is good in my books and it's AWESOME that you have a training buddy. Beth...Catherine...how does that look on your end?!? I'm flying solo over here and it's pretty hard. I asked Jake to come with me yesterday for a little bit and he looked at me like I had a chicken on my head. Ah, I miss you girls!
So I have a little challenge for you that will hopefully get us laughing a little bit. I need laughing. Let's have a little contest. I propose the first official PHOTO contest. This should be a picture of you in your most intimidating triathlete pose. The more serious you are, the more hilarious it will probably be. You may have props in your picture but no photoshop or anything - pure reality of your intimidating nature.
What do you say? I already have a plan for mine....
:)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
7 months to Louisville..ode to my training partner
I have a new rule for this blog, everyone has to post atleast once every 2 weeks. I miss hearing from all of you.
After having all of you at Denidoo to train with I can get pretty lazy/ unmotivated some days. I have always tried to find someone to ride or run with just to motivate me when im feeling blah. They have been too fast, too slow, not competitive enough, too nice etc, all that made me not want to work out with them. For example after a hard run on the beach one thanksgiving Bryan tells me that he didnt get much of a workout so he was going to run sprints after we were done...I almost punched him in the face.
When I signed up for the Ironman I spent a good hour convincing Ashley (who I had gotten to know a little bit) to do the race with me. She signed up and I got nervous. what if she doesnt work out as a training partner and then im stuck??!!
This past wednesday I realized I had met my match. Ashley and I had enjoyed a run and a ride together before, chatting more than working, but nothing like the track workout we had. Weather was perfect, Duke track team was just getting done, lights were on and we were ready to do 5x800. 2 weeks before that we had done 4x800's and gone ~4:30s.
We started running and clocked the first at 4:00. Soon we did 3:55 and 3:52. I was hurting and told my body ok just one more. I turned to ashley and asked how many she wanted to do- she looked me in the eye and matter of factly said 2 more, we did four last time we can do five this time.
My mind cringed at the news, especially because this Ashley girl was pushing the pace and I had to pull out 2 more?? Ashley decided to set the pace for no 4 and I would for no 5. Ofcourse my competitive nature pushed me to keep up we her and we clocked in at 3:48 for No 4. I almost puked a lung out and defn saw stars. We clocked No 5 at ~3:45 (correct me if im wrong ASH). The most awesome part of the whole 800 was on No 5 when i decided to just sprint from the start, forget pacing, and took it out fast. I heard Ashley yell next to me "Asshole". It made me want to stop and hug her because after all these years I found someone who fit my match for a perfect workout partner. Something we would have done at practice back in the day!
Really had i not had Ashley I would have altered my plan on wednesday, would have gone home, had dinner and gone to bed. I guess the ironman is all about finding your motivation and I certainly found mine. I am so excited for the next 7 months!!!!!!
(excuse me but I just proof read this and sounds like im about to propose... well endorphins do crazy things to your mind right? )
Hugs to all
After having all of you at Denidoo to train with I can get pretty lazy/ unmotivated some days. I have always tried to find someone to ride or run with just to motivate me when im feeling blah. They have been too fast, too slow, not competitive enough, too nice etc, all that made me not want to work out with them. For example after a hard run on the beach one thanksgiving Bryan tells me that he didnt get much of a workout so he was going to run sprints after we were done...I almost punched him in the face.
When I signed up for the Ironman I spent a good hour convincing Ashley (who I had gotten to know a little bit) to do the race with me. She signed up and I got nervous. what if she doesnt work out as a training partner and then im stuck??!!
This past wednesday I realized I had met my match. Ashley and I had enjoyed a run and a ride together before, chatting more than working, but nothing like the track workout we had. Weather was perfect, Duke track team was just getting done, lights were on and we were ready to do 5x800. 2 weeks before that we had done 4x800's and gone ~4:30s.
We started running and clocked the first at 4:00. Soon we did 3:55 and 3:52. I was hurting and told my body ok just one more. I turned to ashley and asked how many she wanted to do- she looked me in the eye and matter of factly said 2 more, we did four last time we can do five this time.
My mind cringed at the news, especially because this Ashley girl was pushing the pace and I had to pull out 2 more?? Ashley decided to set the pace for no 4 and I would for no 5. Ofcourse my competitive nature pushed me to keep up we her and we clocked in at 3:48 for No 4. I almost puked a lung out and defn saw stars. We clocked No 5 at ~3:45 (correct me if im wrong ASH). The most awesome part of the whole 800 was on No 5 when i decided to just sprint from the start, forget pacing, and took it out fast. I heard Ashley yell next to me "Asshole". It made me want to stop and hug her because after all these years I found someone who fit my match for a perfect workout partner. Something we would have done at practice back in the day!
Really had i not had Ashley I would have altered my plan on wednesday, would have gone home, had dinner and gone to bed. I guess the ironman is all about finding your motivation and I certainly found mine. I am so excited for the next 7 months!!!!!!
(excuse me but I just proof read this and sounds like im about to propose... well endorphins do crazy things to your mind right? )
Hugs to all
Monday, January 25, 2010
im teaching my dogs to run
Ashley and I have been slowly getting moving, the weather has been gorgeous (66F today) enough to run and ride outside. We got in a run (6miles) last week and a 30 mile ride on the weekend. We have been trying to do some spin here and there and lift here and there, trying not to get too serious too soon- i'm certainly the burn out type!
I had my first crash on the ride on sunday, poor ashley helped me roll off the road. We were going pretty slow and I tipped over, so my butt is sore for all the wrong reasons! Im glad i got my first crash out of the way just getting the wind knocked out of me!!
I also had an exciting day on sunday as Bryan took me to look at bikes. Currently I ride a $300 le monde that i bought from a traithlete at a bike swap...works amazing but i think im serious enough about this sport to try something a little more..fancy. Ashey's sweet TT bike had me swooning, however since my balance and bike skills are pathetic there will be no shopping till around April/ May. Clearly some practice will be good :)
I cant agree more with that tri lady about fueling, so everytime you ride or run practice eating and drinking. I have this fanny pack water bottle thing i got at a running store and at the cost of looking like a grandma, i stay hydrated on the long runs.. i am doing a half marathon in march and a half iron in May to make sure my fueling is working..
Anyways hope this note finds you all as sore as I am, getting back into shape is fun. I am enjoying working out hard so I can eat desert every night.
hugs
Shef
p.s. my mother thanks you for the call out J-boo
Scoop from the inside...and I don't mean ice cream.
Yo vanilla's,
How is the training regimen going for you girls? Getting long/hard yet? The weekdays are fine (although it's still hard getting up early) but the weekends...uff da! My bike on Saturday was a 40 miler and let me tell you, my butt hurt. That's not even close to half-way! And then I had to go for a 30 min. run after that sucker. Yowsers.
Anyway, when I finished with that nonesense I met up with that girl, Val, who did the Louisville ironman this past summer. She is such a sweetheart and she fielded my flying questions for over an hour with a huge smile on her face, assuring me that when she did her first ironman she had someone she asked all of these same questions to and she was happy to give me anything she's picked up along the way. I should have taken copious notes, but I'll give you the rundown of the highlights still fresh in my mind:
1 - if you aren't going to drive, she recommended a Tri Bike ship that brings your bike right to the bike zone and makes sure you are all set.
2 - Throw some "margarita and tires" parties...basically you drink margaritas and practice changing a flat tire on your bike many many many many times. She said that is one thing you are expected to know how to do and if you aren't worried about it, it won't cause you any more stress...just pull over, change it, and keep going. The back wheel is apparently a little trickier because of the gears. She said she always brings 2 extra tires and pumps incase you get 2 flats.
3 - Run/walk ratio during the marathon. She said she did 4 minute run, 1 min walk. Others run for the mile inbetween each stop for fuel...but she said she needed more breaks.
4 - DON'T GO CRAZY ON THE BIKE. She has a triathlon coach and she said he drills it into them that "the race is all during the run." If you make up a half-hour on the bike...chances are you will lose an hour on the run. She said it's usually around mile 90 when people either lose their race or get it in gear.
5 - Train a lot on the bike in the summer....lots of long rides to get your body used to the position...not just your legs. She did 100 mile rides a couple times a month leading up to her race.
6 -Nutrition. The scaries party. She said 200-250 calories/hour. Your body can't absorb more than that and you need at least that to keep on chugging. Mix it up with liquid and some solids and don't forget salt tablets. she does 2 each hour. She also sets her watch to beep every 10 minutes telling her to drink/eat something...force-feeding is good for you becacuse otherwise you won't feel like eating/drinking and that's when you run into trouble.
7 - Chicken broth. Drink the chicken broth during the run.
8 - She did get sick at one point during her training. She tried to go through it and ended up with bronchitis. Stop if you're sick...even if it's a whole week and let your body recover. She said most training plans overtrain you about 10% on purpose because...it's life...things come up and we'll be ready.
9 - The volunteers ROCK. She said they make your day totally worth it and they know what to do and do it so well. In the transition areas, they'll help you change and hand you the clothes in the order you want them (also note about this - she wore a tri suit for the whole thing, but she said some people change after the bike because you want to be as comfortable as possible throughout the run), and they'll help you put on sunscreen, make sure you can open your gu's and cliff shots, etc. One of her friends got sick on the run and a volunteer came and sat with him for 20 minutes until he got back up and started running again.
10 - Overplan what you may need. We get color-coordinated bags for each part of the race and she puts as much as she can in each one because she'd rather be safe than sorry. Food/drink in all of them, long t-shirt before the run incase it's cold, extra sunglasses, chapstick, extra socks in case it rains, etc. etc.
I know i'm missing a whole lot more -but that's the top 10 I can think of at the moment. I left feeling...well scared...mostly about nutrition.
I just ate a bag of gummies...why would I be worried about nutrition?? :)
Miss you girls!
word to your mother
How is the training regimen going for you girls? Getting long/hard yet? The weekdays are fine (although it's still hard getting up early) but the weekends...uff da! My bike on Saturday was a 40 miler and let me tell you, my butt hurt. That's not even close to half-way! And then I had to go for a 30 min. run after that sucker. Yowsers.
Anyway, when I finished with that nonesense I met up with that girl, Val, who did the Louisville ironman this past summer. She is such a sweetheart and she fielded my flying questions for over an hour with a huge smile on her face, assuring me that when she did her first ironman she had someone she asked all of these same questions to and she was happy to give me anything she's picked up along the way. I should have taken copious notes, but I'll give you the rundown of the highlights still fresh in my mind:
1 - if you aren't going to drive, she recommended a Tri Bike ship that brings your bike right to the bike zone and makes sure you are all set.
2 - Throw some "margarita and tires" parties...basically you drink margaritas and practice changing a flat tire on your bike many many many many times. She said that is one thing you are expected to know how to do and if you aren't worried about it, it won't cause you any more stress...just pull over, change it, and keep going. The back wheel is apparently a little trickier because of the gears. She said she always brings 2 extra tires and pumps incase you get 2 flats.
3 - Run/walk ratio during the marathon. She said she did 4 minute run, 1 min walk. Others run for the mile inbetween each stop for fuel...but she said she needed more breaks.
4 - DON'T GO CRAZY ON THE BIKE. She has a triathlon coach and she said he drills it into them that "the race is all during the run." If you make up a half-hour on the bike...chances are you will lose an hour on the run. She said it's usually around mile 90 when people either lose their race or get it in gear.
5 - Train a lot on the bike in the summer....lots of long rides to get your body used to the position...not just your legs. She did 100 mile rides a couple times a month leading up to her race.
6 -Nutrition. The scaries party. She said 200-250 calories/hour. Your body can't absorb more than that and you need at least that to keep on chugging. Mix it up with liquid and some solids and don't forget salt tablets. she does 2 each hour. She also sets her watch to beep every 10 minutes telling her to drink/eat something...force-feeding is good for you becacuse otherwise you won't feel like eating/drinking and that's when you run into trouble.
7 - Chicken broth. Drink the chicken broth during the run.
8 - She did get sick at one point during her training. She tried to go through it and ended up with bronchitis. Stop if you're sick...even if it's a whole week and let your body recover. She said most training plans overtrain you about 10% on purpose because...it's life...things come up and we'll be ready.
9 - The volunteers ROCK. She said they make your day totally worth it and they know what to do and do it so well. In the transition areas, they'll help you change and hand you the clothes in the order you want them (also note about this - she wore a tri suit for the whole thing, but she said some people change after the bike because you want to be as comfortable as possible throughout the run), and they'll help you put on sunscreen, make sure you can open your gu's and cliff shots, etc. One of her friends got sick on the run and a volunteer came and sat with him for 20 minutes until he got back up and started running again.
10 - Overplan what you may need. We get color-coordinated bags for each part of the race and she puts as much as she can in each one because she'd rather be safe than sorry. Food/drink in all of them, long t-shirt before the run incase it's cold, extra sunglasses, chapstick, extra socks in case it rains, etc. etc.
I know i'm missing a whole lot more -but that's the top 10 I can think of at the moment. I left feeling...well scared...mostly about nutrition.
I just ate a bag of gummies...why would I be worried about nutrition?? :)
Miss you girls!
word to your mother
Sunday, January 17, 2010
a good resource..
I don't know how many of you get the triathlete magazine. Along with the obvious promotion of some pretty sweet bikes there are some GREAT training tips. If you don't get the mag, http://triathlon.competitor.com/ is where you can get all the training articles... try some yoga the next time you are swamped with work and need to do something...
Happy training
32 weeks to LOUISVILLE!!
Happy training
32 weeks to LOUISVILLE!!
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