Cycling in the garage.

This week, I'm going on three says of working out in a row- woot! Monday I rode my bike on the trainer for 50 minutes, Tuesday I ran 3 miles, and tonight I had an hour on the trainer. 

Monday's ride was audibly fueled by my Moves Like Jagger Pandora station. Yeah that's right. Moves Like Jagger. Don't knock it- great stuff for "pump up" workout tunes. 

Tonight, however, I impulsively decided to see what music still lived on my old phone (which now acts as an iPod). Usually I just stream something. But I for in the library and super-quickly picked songs I thought may be good to ride to. 

I'm pretty happy with my random luck. I chose a bunch and hit shuffle after starting with some Duran Duran to warm up. Here's the list, but I can't remember the order of songs except what was played first and last. 

A View to a Kill - Duran Duran

Everlong - Foo Fighters

Uprising - Muse

Addicted - Devin Townsend Project

Resistance - Muse

Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen

Beautiful - Moby

Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet

Bend It Like Bender - Devin Townsend Project

Hyperdrive - Devin Townsend Project

Hysteria - Muse

Constant Motion - Dream Theater

Total time: exactly 1:00:00 (not including some cool down) 

Constant Motion is 1) a fantastic spinning song and 2) a fantastic spinning song to end with. 

So...the order (not shown here) was pretty great and I may try to finesse this group into a set list for future workouts. 

BRICK!

The week is going pretty well for training. Last week's breakfast ride wasn't too good, and after some days off around it and pondering why I was having such a rough go at all workouts, I figured I'm low on iron again. It happens now and then, and it makes sense that since I've ramped up training I may need some supplements. So I'm taking some iron pills I've had from before and am also tracking my food nutrition carefully to see that I'm getting a good balance of everything.

I do think I'm feeling better already. Restless legs have gone away, heart flutters have gone away, and I feel I have more energy. So that's a good sign!

Monday I swam easy at lunch and ran in the evening. It was on this icky run where I figured out maybe I'm having iron issues again. Tuesday I biked on the trainer, mostly just keeping a steady pace. Wednesday I swam. Instead of running that evening, I decided I'd do a brick Thursday. So yesterday after work I set my bike up on the trainer and did my first brick exercise of this training season.

I had read on Steve In A Speedo's site about a pretty killer workout he learned about at a duathlon clinic. He said it was great for sprint tri preparation as well as for duathlons, and believed it was great for getting your legs used to pushing when tired. Here's how it flows:
- 10 minute warmup on the bike with a couple pickups
- Run a mile, pushing
- 9:30 on the bike, alternating 30 seconds hard with 30 seconds easy
- Run a mile, pushing
- 9:30 on the bike, alternating 30 seconds hard with 30 seconds easy
- Run a mile, pushing
- 9:30 on the bike, alternating 30 seconds hard with 30 seconds easy

So I put some music on, hopped on my bike and warmed up.

The first running mile was all eager beaver and I did it in 8:56. For the bike, it was hard to know how much I should push at first. What gear, speedy legs, etc. I tried to find something that got my heart rate to spike and legs to burn, so I was ready for the 30 seconds of easy spinning. I rode each bike session for 10 minutes.

Second mile was 9:25, but I stopped half way. I went out too fast and would have slogged back, so I caught my breath. More biking...I learned that I needed about a minute to get my legs ready to spin again. The first 30 I took easy and on that first 30 of pushing, it was pretty slow :)  But by the next one I was back on it.

Last mile I tried to be more realistic and pace myself better. I pushed as best as I could and managed a 9:47. My legs were screaming! I decided I was done. It had been an hour and I was happy with the effort. It was a great workout. And I can see how it will get better for sure. Next time I'll do the last bike part as well. And I can up the pushing for sure. I didn't want to go crazy, not knowing what the workout would actually feel like later.

We'll see how I recover, but I think I will do this workout each week leading up to the race. I'm feeling good so far!

6 Weeks to Go

Today I got an email from the Iron Girl Rocky Gap triathlon that E and I are doing September 7th. It was some bad news: they have cancelled the race. They couldn't secure a permit they needed for the roadway and therefor couldn't ensure a safe bike course. Whatever that all means, it is very disappointing that they couldn't pull it together properly. And I was especially disappointed for E, since last year she was injured and could only do the swim portion after registering for it. She's been doing such a great job with training, and this was going to be her first complete race. I know she was looking forward to showing up this year ready.

However, she found another one for us to do that same weekend in West Virginia: The Appalachian Traithlon. It's actually slightly farther away, but it sounds low key and fun enough. It is only the second year for it, which kind of makes me nervous. But I think I'll register on Saturday before the race when I get there, because, well...last year there were only 13 women and 32 men. Yeah. TINY. We can camp at the park it's in, perhaps for free. Kinda roughing it, but whatever. It is just going to be a very different experience! Small race, no shwagg, CHEAP, and just down and dirty - what a race should be, really. The only thing I'm worried about is the lack of people. It's just not as fun to not have someone to chase, but who knows. Maybe this year the word has gotten out and it will be bigger. (Right now there are only 4 people pre-registered though - ha!)

So now I have to get my money back for Rocky Gap, cancel the hotel, say goodbye to the prospect of beautiful, clear water and kayaking the next day in Maryland, and now focus on maybe winning the whole damn (women's) race. Because last year's winner had a bike split of 17 mph. And it's a flat course.

So. Back to work!!!

Here's what this week looks like.

MONDAY:
Just back in town from a LeMons weekend in Joliet and friend-visiting in Chicago. It was a pretty fantastic weekend, even with the LeMons race failure.

TUESDAY:
Bike: Tempo. I'll do spinning (first time at the Y I'm now a member of)
Strength.

WEDNESDAY:
Swim: 1500. Warm up 250, 8 x 25 drills, 8 x 75 max (45 sec rest), 4 x 50 sprint (20 sec rest), Cool down 250.
Run: Tempo Run 32 minutes. 10 warm up, 12 tempo, 10 cool down

THURSDAY: 
Bike: on trail 45 minutes. Speed intervals. 4 x 1 min with 2 minute active recovery.
Strength.

FRIDAY: 
Swim: 1500. Warm up 250, 8 x 25 drills, 3 x 200 (45 sec rest), 8 x 25 sprint (20 sec rest), Cool down 250.
Run: 35 min run + 6 x 20 sec strides.

SATURDAY:
Bike: Long group ride - Breakfast Ride.

Here I go. 6 more weeks - woohoo!

Breakfast Ride Take 2

Saturday Casey and I rode the breakfast ride for only the 2nd time this season. I looked up when we started riding it last year, and July 20th was our first ride. So...still slightly ahead of last year ;) but I really thought I'd have been out there every weekend so far. Weekends have just been full I guess.

The first time out this year, back on June 14, I had only been riding a bit by myself on the trail or around the 'hood. And by a bit I mean like 3 rides of 15-20 miles. I hadn't been spinning, running or really doing much else because of the crazy work stuff. But knowing I wanted to do these rides again when it wasn't too chilly in the morning anymore, I tried to get in some biking. However, I wasn't too surprised that the ride went pretty terribly. I got dropped on the first hill and the group never waited to re-group. So then we were so far back we didn't know what route people were taking to avoid a construction detour. Quite a few miles ended up being cut off the ride and we arrived earlier than the main group. Coming back, I fought nausea as I worked hard to stick to whatever wheel was in front of me so I didn't get dropped again. Comments from the sag person and experiencing the reality of my physical fitness sat pretty poorly with me.

But it was also motivational. I love the breakfast ride and didn't want to have such a bad time on it next time. So I have really begun to work on my biking. I have sought out hills (still am trying to find a good area of hills for repeats) and have been working on my cadence. Plus, now that crazy work time is over I am back to working out – running and swimming and strength. Hurray!

So, this past Saturday when we went on the ride for the second time this year, it went SO much better. I managed the first hill without losing the group. I may have even been ahead of someone. And all of the other little rollers that can sap it out of me – I managed those better too. I attacked and kept my cadence high so that my breathing didn't spike so quickly. I thought about quick, full circles. Then I used my gears to pull out of the hill at the top and stay the pace with the group. I may still be working harder than the others, but I think this is a huge improvement for me. I feel like this ride was nearly as good as my first ride after the tri last year.

Coming back we had to take a detour due to a bridge that was out. There was a steep climb and I was really done. I almost fell over I was going so slow. I just had nothing left due to a short climb minutes before where I felt my quads burning and shuddering, and mentally I was really done. So for the first time ever, I maxed out my legs before I maxed out my breathing ability. A weird win! I'm pretty encouraged to see direct improvement from how I've been working at it. And I can work harder, so I think things will get even more fun.

Mile Swim and Some Sunning

After finishing up a block of work Thursday, I took a long lunch break and went to the Y to swim. I figured I was about due for another long swim, and the weather was really nice.

I decided I'd try more of the "yards on time" intervals. For the first two 400 blocks, I did 100s on 2:30. I'd get done around 2:15, and then rest the remainder until it was time to go again. For the next 400, I did whatever I wanted for the 100s, resting as needed. Threw some breast stroke in there (or my version of it, anyway). For the last 400, I did 50s on 1:15. That was getting rough for the breathing. I may have done 200 and then took a break before the last 200.

After that I laid outside some. It was nice and relaxing.

Loveland 5K on the Bike Trail, #2

Wednesday evening we crammed in another 5K run in Loveland before working on the race car. It was a really nice day –  no humidity and just mid-80s. The air condition is off (maybe all these window days will make up for the expensive winter?)  I met Greg there after work, and we were earlier this time, so we could go down to Roncker's to register and get a chip. Hey why not, it's kinda fun to see where you fall.

I was hoping to run faster than I did last week. Thinking about that started to sap the spontaneity and fun mode out of it though. I began to feel pressure, like I always do with running. Clearly, I'm better off not thinking about things, but it's a mental game with me I'm realizing. The less I think about how I'm doing or may or may not do, the better.

I did the same "strategy" of going out fast* and smooth and just try to hang on. My breathing was kinda rough, and I began to feel it in my legs this time. I guess it's appropriate this week's workouts have been kinda light, in my "getting back to it" phase. At the turn-around, my watch read 14:15. Last week it was 14:22. Crap. That's great! But pressure. I immediately thought, "ok, you did the first half better...now don't worry...you can just go easy if you want to...you won't be able to hold this pace anyway..."  A lot of not so great thoughts. I really never realized how much I do this with everything until recently.

I slowed down quite a bit coming back, at least right after the turn-around. (See above mental stuff.) Then I worked on lengthening my stride again and began to pick people off. That was stressful too. What if they pass me back? It will take everything out of me, I worried. But no one did. I yo-yo'd with a little red-haired boy for the remainder of the race. And I was passed by a woman pushing a stroller right at the end. I watched my watch and was pushing, trying to get to my time from last week. I made it 3 seconds slower. So, not bad, and I'd say I'm learning a bit in the racing/how much to push/positive thoughts realm. Good practice for sure.

Unlike most races, this one's age groups are heavy in the under 18 category. There are a lot of kids and cross-country teams that show up. Some have their coaches with them. It's kinda fun running with little kids. I happened to be 3rd in my age group when I left...out of 4, haha.

Greg smashed his time from last week by almost 30 seconds. His time was 26:08 or something around there. He's a whole minute per mile faster than me. I'm wondering if it's possible to get down to that pace by the end of the summer (and before the triathlon in September). Hmmmm.

Plank update: They still suck. ;)  I am still doing them, for 30 seconds only at a time. Blargh. Actually, during the race I could feel how much I engage my core when running. So maybe that is a good sign.

Race car update: It now has red paint on the back. We still need to do the blue stripe. I have red paint on my feet, and I just blew my nose after sneezing a few times: pink came out. I think tonight we may put the blue stripe on. Then this weekend: electrical, delivery thingy on top, brake check...not sure what else.



*I'm far from fast. This is a relative term for me.

Outdoor swimming at the YMCA

I am now a YMCA member.

Got my 20% off per month via the friend referral and did a short swim this afternoon right after lunch! :)  I'm looking forward to being outside swimming. Man, it's so different and much more enjoyable.

I didn't have much time thanks to my 2 hours at the Apple store this morning, but I decided I'd do a quick 800. I did 400 as I pleased, taking some breaks. Then I did 400 on 1:15. I think that's how you say it? I'm very slow swimming. I can do a 50 anywhere around :57 or 1:03. I think most people do 100 around 1:20. I saw something last night that talked about starting each interval at a certain measure of time. So if I can muster a minute for 50 yards, then I would have about 15 seconds of rest before I'd start again. That way you stay working and consistent, not taking too long of breaks.

I think it worked well. I really need to remember to focus on pulling rather than kicking. It's amazing how little you need to kick with swimming. And, over-kicking makes me completely unable to breathe. I found the pull buoys and kick boards on my way out of the pool. They are in the indoor pool area, which is right off the outdoor pool.

I stuck my foot in the indoor pool water...it felt like bath water!

I have not one pool but apparently 3 pools to choose from. The schedules look kinda complicated. But it looks like every afternoon is all mine to swim outside. And maybe some sunbathing too.