I think I can, I think I can!

Official Ironman Training! Woo Hoo

2009-03-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Alright -- I've let a little bit of time slip by me.

I'll just say that my pre-training ended successfully with my 100 mile Solvang Century Ride on March 14, 2009. I took my time this year and found the fun in riding again. It was freezing cold, but so beautifully green, I could almost transport myself (in my head) to the Scottish Highlands again. Gorgeous!!

Now, I thought that I had figured it out so that I would have the week after Solvang as a recovery week, and then I would start my official Ironman schedule on March 23. Well, that didn't happen. As I started writing my schedule (yes, can you believe it? This time around I wrote my own training schedule!), I realized that I had calculate incorrectly, and I actually had to start my official schedule on March 17, just 3 days after the big ride. I did it, though, and have successfully completed my first official week of training. Here's what it looked like:

Tuesday = I was supposed to do my long bike today, but my lower back was still pretty sore from Solvang, so I decided I could fit it in on Wednesday morning instead. Today, I did 1 hour of strength training, adaption A.

Wednesday = 55 min run in the morning. My tempo swim of 15oo yds in the afternoon. For those of you that don't know, the tempo swim is designed to make me work on my speed. So I'll do swim intervals with bursts of speed laps, followed by easier laps. It was challenging after the 55 min run in the morning.

Thursday = 45 minutes spinning intervals on my bike on my trainer, followed by 1 hr of strength training, adaption A. (I'll have a post explaining what exercises are part of each adaption.)

Friday = Long swim in the morning -- 2000 yds. (40 laps in a 25 meter pool, OR 80 lengths. I specify a lap as there and back, a length is swimming from one side to the other.)

Saturday = 30 minute run with the Team in Training team. It was another 4 minutes run, 1 minute walk situation -- which is what I've been practicing on my long runs as well. I think I may be using this method during the Ironman. We will see how I progress. In the evening, I did a yoga mini-workout that was focused on stretching for runners.

Sunday = My long bike was supposed to be 2 hours, 45 minutes. I met up with one of my participants after the ride, and helped her figure out her new bike, so I ended up riding for 3 hours, 10 minutes. This was a hard ride -- partially because I was alone for the first 2 hrs, 40 minutes, but also because it was crazy windy at Griffith Park. I find riding against the wind more exhausting than climbing a mountain. The ride also included 2 climbs, the first much longer than the second. I do have to say that I noticed it was much easier than the last time I climbed to Mt. Hollywood. I'm going to say that's because of Solvang. :)

So that was my first week. Mondays are my day off, so I'm reveling in my rest today.

Short-lived Victory

2009-03-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I patted myself on the back too hard on Tuesday because the rest of the week was kind of a flop.

Wednesday = 1500 yd swim
Thursday = 50 minutes of spinning
Friday = 1600 yd swim (I got easily distracted, but needed the laughter so it was okay.)
Saturday = In a class at the Aquarium ALL day long. Should've run when I got home, but didn't, sadly.
Sunday = 20 mile bike ride (This was supposed to be a 56 mile bike ride loaded with climbing, and I was actually looking forward to it (very odd), but there were some complications with the other riders (flat tires, etc...) and it ended with 20 miles.)

Monday = Day off
Tuesday = Day off #2 (WHA?!!?)
Wednesday = I will swim after work today. I promise! Somewhere between 1500 - 2000 yds, depending on when I get out of work.

Oi!

This weekend is Solvang. Completely not ready for it, but I'm looking forward to treating it as fun time. (100 miles of bike riding = fun?? What's happened to me?)

Then I have one week of "recovery" (from what, I'm not sure). The week of March 23, 2009 is week 1 of my official Ironman training schedule. 26 weeks from race day. I need to get to the point where I can embrace this instead of fear it. lol

Wish me luck!

High Five to Myself!

2009-03-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

Alright, I know you all have been waiting with bated breath...

I DID IT!!! lol

I ran my 3.75 miles yesterday evening. It's the first time since I started training again that I actually started the week of training on the right day! Woo Hoo!!

I understand this doesn't seem like much, but I need to celebrate the little victories, and this, my friends, is a victory. Baby steps. Little, tiny baby steps.

IM Training Schedule

2009-03-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

On a slightly different note (don't worry, I'll report back tomorrow that I DID run tonight), I was just looking at my training schedule and things are kind of working out pretty well. I have Solvang in two weeks (which I am completely not ready for, but will suffer through anyway), then I have one week of recovery, and then it's my first week of Base Training (see how it got capital letters there? That means it's official now.)

So the week of March 23 is Week 1 Base Training. Woot!

Another week bites the dust!

2009-03-03T12:30:00.001-08:00

Woo hoo!

One less week to train for IM. lol

Last week, AGAIN, I couldn't seem to get myself started before Wednesday. I don't know what's up with that.

Wed., 2/25 = Run 3 miles in the morning, swim 1500 yds after work.

Thurs., 2/26 = I know I did something this day, but cannot for the life of me remember what it was. lol What can I say? I'm an old lady. The memory is the first thing to go.

Fri., 2/27 = Swim 2000 yds in the morning. This is the longest I've swam in a long time. My shoulder held up alright, but was definitely aching by the end. I need to keep working on stretching that out.

Sat., 2/28 = Rode 37 miles -- up to see the Hollywood sign in Griffith -- pretty good amount of hill climbing -- definitely lots of room for improvement there. I'm still amazed at how fast you lose fitness.

Sun., 3/1 = Nothing sport specific, but walking around Sea World all day has to count for something, right?

This week I am determined to start today, on time. I WILL be doing a run after work today. I WILL run after work. I WILL!

Still raining on my parade??

2009-02-23T15:43:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I did good last Wednesday!!

After a very annoying day at work, I headed over to Griffith Park for a 3.5 mile run (4 min run: 1 min walk). After the run, I ate an orange from my mother's tree (yummy) and headed over to Glassell Pool where I hopped in the pool and did a 15oo yd swim workout. It was a perfect way to purge all the stress of the day.

Thursday - 50 minutes spinning on the trainer. I'm not sure why, but lately biking has been bothering my knees more than running. Very strange. Might have to go try and get my bike refit again or something.

Friday - I meant to go swimming today, but walked out of the house without my gear. As I walked to my car, I kept thinking, "hmmm, this load feels light." Didn't realize until about mid-day that I had forgotten it. Senility is great at the age of 31.

Saturday - 40 minute bike ride with the team -- 10 miles. We have some really good riders, and we have some pretty scary ones. It ended up being a good workout for me which was unexpected and nice.

Sunday - I went up to my mom's on Saturday, and was pleasantly suprised that the weather up there was nice and warm. I got all excited about getting in a great small ring flat workout on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, I woke up on Sunday to the sound of rain. Unfortunate for me, but very fortunate for Bakersfield. They need the rain so I shouldn't really complain.

I'm pretty nervous about Solvang at this point. I haven't done a long ride in a very long time. It'll be an interesting day. I just have to find the fun!

I'm not sure why

2009-02-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to get myself together before Wednesdays. LOL

I meant to run last night, and got caught up in Biology lectures and homework. I think I'm just overextended right now or something. I'm hoping to leave work early so I can get a run in before I swim. Fingers crossed, my friends. :)

Rained out...

2009-02-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty bummed this morning. I had a lovely ride all planned out, and it's POURING out. Grrrr.... Now I will be reduced to riding on my stupid trainer instead (BORING). Ah, well, maybe later in the week I'll be able to get the ride in.

Finishing the week strong-ish!

2009-02-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed to not take a day off since Wednesday. Progress is being made. Now I just need to start getting in two workouts a day.

2/11 = I did make it into the pool after work for 1250 yd. My shoulder tightened up again toward the end. I hope it works itself out. I need to get a massage -- one of those really painful ones where they just dig their fingers into you.

2/12 = I squeezed in 30 minutes (about 7/5 miles) on my trainer today. It was a bit of a hectic day, so I'm glad I got it in.

2/13 = Swimming (in Palm Springs with my friend, Heather, who is also training for an Ironman -- Wisconsin) 1000 yds. Nice, light workout.

2/14 = 1.5 mile run with the team. My beginner group is kicking butt and taking no prisoners.

I realize I have to put in a lot of miles of running despite my complete aversion to it. But I think the more I do it (in small doses with slow builds) the easier it should become (in theory). I'm hoping my knees will hold up, but I think if I mix it this time with running on the treadmill and running outdoors, I'll have a better shot.

Now let's see if I can keep up the work this coming week!

Rain... sigh (who am I kidding? Lazy... sigh)

2009-02-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 2/5 = 2 mile run. Intervals. I was pretty proud of myself for doing this workout because I REALLY REALLY didn't want to. I procrastinated (I'm a professional procrastinator), and then FINALLY around 9:30pm I tugged on my workout clothes, knee braces, etc... and hit the treadmill. Lite ab work and lots of stretching afterwards.

Friday, 2/6 = I had all the intentions in the world to swim that day, but it was pouring all day long. Now, normally I like swimming in the rain, but this was POURING and it was cold. Should I have done something else instead? Of course! Did I? Absolutely not. Such a bum.

Saturday, 2/7 = 1.5 mi run (approx.) This was our first run with the new Summer TNT team. I took the beginners out for a run 4 (minutes), walk 1 (minute) session that went a little over a half an hour. They did very well. It was the most that a lot of them had ever run, and they pushed themselves in a good way.
After practice, I went to visit my momma. We played Wii Sports for 2 hours. Now, I know what you're thinking... it's a video game, not a workout. But seriously, when you get into it, and actually swing, punch, dodge, bowl, etc... like you're really doing it, you get a workout. :)

Sunday, 2/8 = Had planned on a good 2 hour ride along the trail in Bakersfield, but again was thwarted by the rain and the cold. It wasn't pouring, though, so I probably should have gone anyways. When I have a short amount of time with my mom, I tend to not want to spend it riding my bike without her. Next time, though, I'll get my butt in gear earlier so I can go while she's at church.

Monday and Tuesday = LAZY BONES JONES! No excuses, I didn't do it.

Wed, 2/11 = I started the day out right with a 2.5 mi run (4:1). I'm going to the pool after work so I can get in a swim before coaching the team. I'll probably get in at least 1500 (I hope).

So that's that for now. More to come soon.

It feels like a year!

2009-02-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

And it's been over half of one!

WOW - how time flies. Well, to sum up Ironman Coeur d'Alene... I finished!!! It took me 15 hours and 41 minutes to do so, but I crossed the finish line and didn't even go to the medical tent afterwards. I had some nutrition issues on the race that kept me from performing my best. I crossed the finish lines with blisters that pretty much covered the balls of my feet. Maybe I'll post some pics for you. haha

And here's the funny part.... I did the race, and I completed both of my goals (to finish and to have fun), so one would think that I'd be happy with myself. Within 10 minutes of crossing the finish line, I thought "I can do better than that." I mean, seriously? What is wrong with me? Can't even enjoy that victory for more than 10 minutes?? No, I did enjoy the victory. And it warmed my heart to receive an email from Evan's mom telling me that they stayed up to watch me cross the finish line online. It warmed my heart to read all the text messages and emails that my friends sent to me during the race. I was proud. I was happy I finished. I guess it's a good thing that I have high expectations for myself.

SO, the result of my thinking "I can do better" is that I signed up for ANOTHER Ironman! I lost my mind... AGAIN. I am registered for Ironman Canada on August 30, 2009. It is the second hardest official Ironman Series Ironman in North America (Lake Placid in NY is considered the 1st.) I know, I know. What am I thinking? I'm thinking that it's supposed to be BEAUTIFUL!! If I'm going to be putting forth all that effort, I might as well have something to look at while I'm doing it!

So, my training has just officially started this first week of February (one month late due to a lengthy bronchitis infection). I'm going to try to do a MUCH better job at blogging the progress of this Ironman. I have about 6 or 7 more weeks of prep training before I start my official base training.

So far this week:

Sunday, Feb. 1 = 31 mile bike ride (complete with a fall and road rash)
Tuesday, Feb. 3 = 3 hours of rollerskating (I KNOW it's not one of the sports, but I need a fun day!)
Wednesday, Feb. 4 = 1200 yd. in the pool (left shoulder is REALLY tight. I have to work on that.)

I'll be back with the rest of this week later on. I'll also try to post the nifty bike route elevation map that my friend and co-triathlete, Felix found.

The final hours!

2008-06-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, obviously, I am horrible at keeping any consistent blog/training log. The last couple of months have been intense in so many ways. I've been having my knee worked on by a wonderful doctor. We'll see how well he did tomorrow. I've been training and not training and worrying about training and worrying about not training. It's all finally culminating.

That's right, in about 3 hours, I will attempt to go to sleep at 9pm. Attempt is the key word here. I imagine that it will be a sleepness night. The day has finally arrived. Ironman. I've been waiting for it to come and now that it's here, I kind of wish I had another month. It's one thing to tell people that you're training to do an Ironman in a few months and a whole other thing to say "I'm doing an Ironman TOMORROW." Tomorrow. Good grief. What have I got myself into?

I've been in Coeur d'Alene since Tuesday. We drove the bike course on Wednesday. MUCH harder than I thought it was going to be. Where was the ONE hill that I had to worry about? How did the ONE hill turn into about SIX??? Elevation charts are VERY deceiving. Thursday we got into the lake for the first time. FEAR! I'm usually just fine and dandy with the water. Apparently the one thing I don't like is to swim in FREEZING cold water. The second a little bit slid down the neck of my wetsuit. OH -- I squealed a bit. Then more. Oh man, that is COLD! I tried to put my face in the water to swim -- wow -- I was not having that. It felt like the time I stupidly dunked my head in an ice cooler full of ice and water. I haven't felt pain like that until Thursday. I forced myself to keep my face in the water until the pain went away (aka -- my face went numb), but even then I could not catch my breath. I got out of the water after a while. My friend, E, called, and immediately I started to cry. How was I going to do this?

Fortunately, I went on a 13 mile bike ride Friday morning. That helped me feel normal. We got in the water again -- this time with vasoline smeared all over my cheeks and chin and neck. MUCH BETTER! Still cold, but I was more prepared. It was the confidence boost I needed.

Today, Saturday, we dropped off our bikes and our transition bags. I felt naked as I left the transition area with all of my precious equipment sitting there -- waiting to get rained upon. Now, hours later, stretched and rolled out, I'm typing my last first Ironman entry on this blog. I look back and wish that I had been more diligent about keeping track of my progress and my fallbacks. It's been a blur. Tomorrow is the day.

Tonight, I will mix all of my nutrition so that I can grab it all in the morning and head off. I have my Evan bracelet on to remind me what courage is throughout the day. There will be tears, no doubt. There will be doubt, plenty of it and several times. But if ever I want to stop and quit, I will look at the bright orange bracelet around my wrist and remember what it means to fight. This one is for you, Evan and Matt! Thank you for the inspiration and the journey!

7am - the gun goes off and 2300 people will run into Lake Coeur d'Alene and take off for an experience of a lifetime. I pray that I enjoy and am grateful for every second -- even the hard ones. :)

Who needs knees anyway?!?!

2008-04-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a very frustrating week of training last week. I went to do my long swim last Wednesday. Part of the workout consisted of 30 sets of 100 yards. I was on set number 25 when all of a sudden I felt a sharp twinge in my shoulder. I got to the halfway mark, and just sort of shrugged it off (literally) and continued back toward the other side of the pool. It kept happening. Every time I brought my left arm out and plunged it back into the water -- there it was. Sharp, sharp pain. So I used my right arm to finish my length across the pool. I used the kickboard for a while, then did some back stroke, then did a couple more laps of slow freestyle, but had to stop 250 yards short of my 4000 yard swim. Not that bad, but still scary.

Then on Thursday, I went to go do my long run. 2 hours and 15 minutes. I had my path all planned out, and since it was new I was actually looking forward to the run (I never would have thought those words would come out of my mouth). I set off and about 32 minutes later, my right knee said "no way". I tried to stretch it out and go forward, but it was not having any of that. So I reluctantly turned around and walked back to the car. It was pain along the outside of the knee, so I knew it was my IT band. It could be helped with stretching and rolling on the foam roller. Not too big of a deal. Just frustrating.

On Saturday, Kim and I meet up in Malibu to get our last hardcore, long, hilly bike ride in before Wildflower. Mile 11, the top of my left knee starts hurting. It's my patella, and it seems to flare up every time I do a race. I thought it would be better since Lavaman, but apparently I was wrong. I push on up Latigo Canyon, continue along Mullholland, over to Leo Carrillo. It's not getting any better. It's hurting worse. I am determined though. We start up Deckert Canyon. We decided we'd be adventurous and take a route we'd never gone. Holy cow! That first mile is STEEP! I have to stop and walk my bike up part of the way. Humbling. My knee is throbbing, but it's barely been three hours. A little further up, I have to say, "okay, I have to turn around." Also humbling and extraordinarily frustrating. My knee is done. My spirits are low. I only have 9 more weeks. That's NOTHING. I can't afford to miss these days.

Monday and my knee is still hurting from Saturday. I call a doctor who is able to see me that day. Sweet! I go in. Whew! He doesn't think it's my miniscus. He thinks I'll be fine for Wildflower in two weeks! Even better! He knows I'll be fine by Ironman -- GREAT! My patella is tracking wrong (hence the grinding noise) and has formed scar tissue under it. Part of my quad that attaches to the front of the knee is not helping matters by pulling on my patella. He spends about 30 minutes jabbing his fingers painfully into all the tender areas of my knee -- trying to begin to break up the tissue. He does cross-fiber massage -- hitting my IT band and my calf. He puts electrodes on my knee for 20 minutes along with some heat. He cracks my aching back and left shoulder. Tells me to ice it tonight. No biking or running for a couple of days. Come back on Wednesday. I leave feeling more relieved about my knee, but less relieved about the days of training on the bike and run that I desperately need. I am far behind, and it is REALLY soon!

I'll be fine. :)

Ironman Arizona

2008-04-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Wow -- I have been neglectful for a long time.

On Saturday I drove out to Arizona to go watch the Ironman there. I figured I should witness what I'm getting myself into.

It was... intense to say the least. 2000 people starting to swim at once is pretty crazy. They were all starting in the water, too, so I can imagine how much crazier it is going to be for me starting on land and running in, surrounded by 2000 other people.

It was heartbreaking to watch the last two people trying to finish the swim and knowing that they had already missed the cut-off. They were going to be getting out of the water only to be told that was the end of their Ironman journey for the day.

The temperature got up to 95 degrees. I was sweating just standing there watching. I can only imagine how hot it was for the athletes. If it is that hot in Idaho, I think I will die.

The bike portion was not only hot, but they had an insane headwind to fight against as well. There was a 15% drop-out/DQ on the bike alone.

Watching the people run in the brutally hot sun was painful, but also awe-inspiring. Some of these people were just hauling butt on the run. They were running faster than I run when my only workout for the day is running. And then there were the people that were struggling, and in some cases struggling is an understatement.

I stood at the finish line at 13 hours, 30 minutes to wait for two friends to cross the finish line. Watching people cross that line made my heart ache and brought tears to my eyes. It also left me feeling just as confused as the athletes looked afterward. You've over-exerted yourself all day long with people cheering you on, you cross that finish line, someone puts a medal on you, hands you a t-shirt, walks with you if you need it, but then once that person leaves, you are suddenly alone. They looked lost.

Over 400 people were DQ'd throughout the day. The fastest person finished in over 8 hours. The last person to officially finish did it in about 16 hours, 55 minutes. Someone came in 6 minutes after midnight, and they gave her a medal and shirt, but I don't know if she'll have an official finish time since she missed the 17 hour cut-off.

I don't know what I've gotten myself into.

Lessons learned --

--be comfortable. I thought I'd be wearing the same outfit all day long, but after talking to lots of people, I think I'm going to change during each transition.

-- DO NOT suck on or wipe my face with the ice cold water sponges. I watched as the volunteers quickly grabbed the dropped sponges of athletes, dip them in the water again, and hand them out to the next person running by. Of course they're going to have to reuse them, but you don't think about that when you're delirious. It was pretty disgusting watching people suck on the sponges to get the cold water out of them -- not knowing that sponge was just wiping the sweat off of another participants face, or elsewhere on their body.

-- Race SMART. Pacing, nutrition, and mental focus is everything. Someone said "don't leave your brain in the water."

-- ENJOY myself as much as I can. When someone is cheering people on, making jokes at my race, I hope I can laugh or if not manage a laugh, at least smile. I hope I have the energy to thank the people who call my name out. I hope I take the time to hug my loved ones as I pass them by (despite my sweat). I hope I appreciate the opportunity and not just try to get it over with as fast as possible.

Most of all though... I hope I can walk the next day.

Training has been going well. I'm nervous that I'm not doing enough. That I'm taking it too easy on my body. I've been having lots of knee issues lately which is very worrisome.

I did the Lavaman Triathlon on April 6. Finished in 3 hours, 7 minutes, 24 seconds. 16th place in my age group. Pretty pleased with that. Did the Solvang Century on March 8. First 100 mile ride. I had some major knee pains start around mile 40 and continue into mile 80 or so when the pain in my toe overcame the pain in my knee. But I finished feeling good and going fast. I managed to get in a 15 minute run afterwards.

Other than those two things, I've just been chugging along with training. I will try to start posting my schedule again, because it is pretty insane at times.

Must get back to work for now.

It's on now!

2008-02-11T10:25:00.001-08:00

Things are getting intense quickly.

I finally got my bike fit only to decide two days later that I needed to change the seat if I ever want to have children down the line. I need to go back and get it readjusted. While I was at the store getting fit, I decided to pick up a trainer, so now I have no more excuses to not ride even on rainy days.

Last week was pretty good. I ran on Tuesday -- did my old cardio workout that Nathan taught me. Also rode my bike that night. Wednesday we had a good, but hard speed workout at swim practice. I need to do more of that. I've decided to incorporate a bit of a kick now that my cardio levels are much improved.

Thursday I ran for an hour in the park. I got back to my car about 10 minutes after sunset and had a lovely parking ticket waiting for me. Apparently the cops in Griffith like to sit and watch the sun go down so they can immediately give you a ticket. So nice. Grrrr.

Friday, I swam for an obscenely long time. 1 hour, 45 minutes -- 45oo yards. Longer than my Ironman distance which is kind of exciting to know that I'm physically capable of doing it. Whether or not I can do the distance, then get on a bike for 112 miles and then run for 26.2 miles remains to be seen.

Saturday, Brian kicked my butt. We went on a loooooong ride. I can't even tell you how long I was on my bike for, but I did about 8 miles with the team during practice. Then I got in another 56 miles riding up La Tuna Canyon and then up Mount Wilson with Brian. We were so high up, there was snow on the ground. I tried to explain to Brian that it wasn't okay to be riding our bicycles as high as the snow is, but he didn't care. Haha. We got back to Griffith at least 4 - 5 hours after we left. We then ran for 30 minutes. So Saturday, I arrived at Griffith Park at 7:30am and didn't leave until 5pm. Ridiculous! But good. Thanks, Brian!

Yesterday, I was feeling a little under the weather. I think I'm fighting off the plague that everyone else seems to have right now. I took yesterday as my day off which I think was a smart move because I'm feeling a little better today. So today, I will do a very slow, aerobic run for 1 hour 35 minutes. It'll be my first aerobic paced run, so it's going to be interesting.

The races are coming up fast!

Evan...

2008-01-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

finally went home from the hospital yesterday. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. Keep them up! We need our warrior nice and strong!

I finally got my bike fit yesterday. I also bought a trainer so that I could still ride in the rain. I'm excited for my next long ride (this weekend) so I can see if the changes that were made to the bike have helped with my knee problems.

Swim practice tonight. I'm already freezing in my apartment. Should be fun getting in the water.... :)

Rain, rain...

2008-01-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

I would like to be selfish and say "go away," but I know we need it. I also know that afterward things will be green and the air will be clear (for about a day). But it definitely has put a damper on the training schedule. Can't wait to be back running on the dirt versus the pavement. My knees are feeling it. Can't wait to get back on my bike. The spinner just isn't the same (not to mention it's UBER uncomfortable).

We swam in the rain on Wednesday -- that was fun. Freezing getting in and out of the pool, but in the water it was nice. The wind was disturbing the surface so it was a tiny taste of open water (very tiny). I miss swimming in the ocean -- soon enough. The coaches were in the pool with us, so that was even more fun. Got to watch them swim. I'm a visual learner.

Training is slowly chugging along. Evan is in the hospital and has been for two weeks now. Reminds me everyday of why I am doing this. The husband of our fundraising captain from last season was just diagnosed with a pediatric cancer last December. Very rare for an adult to have it, but he does and he is chugging along as well. These people who fight everyday make my training seem like a breeze. They are the reason I keep going. Thank you for the inspiration.

Thank yous and workouts (Jan. 14 - 20)!

2008-01-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

I try to be very good about sending thank you notes to my donors right away, however, there is a group of people that I have yet to send thank you notes to. I am working on it. Life got away from me for a bit there, but I'm getting back on top of things. SO, if you haven't gotten a thank you note yet, please know that it is on its way and that your donation was uber appreciated!

Now for training.... It's so strange to me that I'm doing these other races before Ironman, and yet, I'm not really training for them. All of my training right now is directed toward my goal of finishing the Ironman. These other events are going to end up being workouts, it seems. Although, I do have that level of competitive spirit that is going to force me to "race" them, as much as I'll want to take them easier. So far, events this year are Solvang Century (March 8), Lavaman Triathlon (GO EVAN! April 6), Wildflower Long Course (Half-Ironman, May 3), and then the biggie, Ironman Coeur d'Alene (June 22). Wow -- seeing it all there in front of me scares the bejezuz out of me!

I was talking to some friends yesterday. They were asking me how training was going, and it was in my answer that I realized the truth. Out of my mouth came "it's all psychological". And it really is. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's very physical, too. But bodies are amazing things, especially in the amounts that they can handle. The real battle is inside your own head. When I'm doing a 50 mile ride on my own, it's the thoughts that creep inside that try to get me to quit early -- my legs will keep turning. Runs are killer. I spend the entire time telling myself to just keep going. Running is SO hard for me, especially the mental aspect. I am working on finding the peace in it. It's difficult, very, very difficult.

Monday, Jan. 14 -- Brick Workout... 50 mile bike, followed immediately by a 20 minute run. I discovered I need to work on my nutrition... drinking and eating more, especially during the bike.

Tuesday, Jan. 15 -- Weights.

Wednesday, Jan. 16 -- 1 hour, 30 minutes run/walk (still trying my run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes -- so far, so good. Pool was closed this evening so no swim. :(

Thursday, Jan 17 -- Lazy bones jones (I've decided that this is a recovery week for me -- tee hee)

Friday, Jan. 18 -- Swim 1 hour (drills, 2 x 600 pulls... 200 meter between and 200 cooldown)

Saturday, Jan. 19 -- Team workout, Bike 18 miles hills.

Sunday, Jan. 20 -- Bike 30 miles around beautiful Palos Verdes, then over to Balboa Park for a 5 mile run (this time I just ran the whole thing... no 8 and 2.)

This coming week will be the start of another build section. Trucking along....

WOW -- Welcome 2008

2008-01-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

I have been lazy with the posting. My apologies.

Well, I had a series of slacker weeks following my knee injury from the long bike ride. I trained rather sporadically over the holidays, not getting really back into things until after the New Year. I know, I know. I have to admit that training in the winter is REALLY hard. It's hard on the body and even harder on the mind. The last thing you want to do at 5:30am during the winter is crawl out of your warm bed to go run or swim outside in the freezing darkness. Now the rains have come. I am so not used to that either. They put a damper on my schedule. Plus my gym membership has expired, so I have to get really creative now.

Well, I've changed my running plans. For my endurance runs, I will be doing 8 minute run, 2 minute walk and building my time like that. It's been working so far. I made it up the big hill in Griffith Park the other day on my run. I was so proud of myself. The last time I tried that, I had an asthma attack about 1/3 of the way up. I walked the rest of it. But not this past Saturday. I made it. I realized that day that I need all of the little victories I can get. New Year's Eve day I swam 55 laps. That was another one I was proud of. Over half of the Ironman distance. I could have done the last 30 laps, but they closed the pool. Next time....

I need to buy my aerobars and then get fitted to my bike. Hopefully this will prevent more knee issues on the longer rides.

So much to do, so little time.

Races this year that I'm planning on doing as part of Ironman prep (if I can afford all the registrations - haha):
Solvang Century -- March 8, 2008
Lavaman Tri -- April 6, 2008
Wildflower 1/2 Ironman -- May 7(?), 2008
And then the big day -- Coeur d'Alene Ironman -- June 22, 2008

After Ironman, I'd like to do the Muddy Buddy in November. That's just for fun though. tee hee.

Tonight I have swim practice. Hopefully it'll be a full hour in the pool (last week the lights went out early, so we had to cut our practice short).

I'll be back on top of posting my training more regularly now. Thanks for reading!

Sweet, glorious DAY OFF!

2007-12-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

This one couldn't have come at a better time.

Saturday was an hour run with the team. I led the 8 minute run, 2 minute walk group. This ended up working out really well for me. I think I may use that to build endurance. I have yet to map it out on sanoodi, but I think it was about 5 miles.

Sunday I went on a bike ride with Scott and Kim. It was my first long ride on my new bike. I definitely need to get fitted to the bike. The first 35 miles were fine, but then my left knee started hurting. It got continually worse for the last 15 miles. It is still hurting today. :(

I was going to workout today, since I took off on Friday, but in light of the way my knee is feeling today, I think I will let it rest today. Depending on how I feel tomorrow morning, I will hopefully run, but possibly swim. In the afternoon, again depending on how I feel, I'll try to get in a bike ride along with some weights.

Today, though, today I rest. Sweet, glorious rest. Ahhhhh....

The Elegant Art of Donning a Wetsuit

2007-12-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

Putting on a wetsuit is not as simple as one would think it is. It's not just a matter of pulling it up and on. There are difficulties. You can't pull too hard or you may rip the wetsuit. You have to gently coax the material up your leg...

Did I say GENTLY??

Once you get it up over your butt (with the help of a wedgy or two)...

It's on to the arms. Again, one would think this was easy, but it sometimes takes a little help from a friend...

okay, sometimes it takes a LOT of help from a friend...

Even the coaches have problems with this area

But once you get it on and you take that first step into the freezing cold Pacific water, all your efforts and struggles are worth it. Besides, it's like an extra warmup/workout getting it on!

Grrrr...

2007-12-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to get my act together this week. It's not that I'm not doing anything. I'm just not doing as much as I should. Hmmmm....
Monday -- 9 mile bike ride (testing out the new wheels)
Tuesday -- 40 minutes running
Wednesday -- 1 hour swimming (but a good hour!)
Thursday -- I had grand schemes for today. We'll see what all I end up doing.

It's supposed to rain this weekend which may mess up my riding plans. :(

Training Nov. 26 - Dec. 2

2007-12-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

Monday -- Run in morning
1.5 hours weights in afternoon
Tuesday -- Swim 1 hour am
Bike afternoon (20 miles)
Wednesday -- Swim 1 hour am, Swim 1 hour pm
Thursday -- Left for Salt Lake City
Friday -- 30 minutes elliptical/cross-country ski machine, Abdominals/yoga
Saturday -- 43 minutes running, treadmill
15 minutes stationary bike
Abdominals/Yoga
(This is the day I broke Josh. He vows to never workout with me again -- haha. We shall see!)
Sunday -- Drive home from Salt Lake City, put together my new bike (soooo purty)

Training Nov. 19 - 25

2007-11-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Last week was draining in sooo many ways -- I cannot even tell you. That's just it though, isn't it? Life happens, and eventually you have to keep going. Thank you, E, for helping me through.

Tuesday -- 1 1/2 hours of weights
Wednesday -- 20 min fast run, 20 min walk, 1 hour swim
Thursday -- 30 min run/walk (soooo full from tofurky and pie)
Friday -- LAZY BONES JONES
Saturday -- 20 mile bike
Sunday -- 23 mile bike, 9 of which was all uphill (where is my new, light bike!?!?!)

This morning, I ran 50 minutes. It was a struggle today, though. I had to walk three separate times, which is unusual. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep. I am guaranteed to have bad days, and I am learning to accept them, embrace them and learn from them. I have a long road ahead of me, but fortunately, I also have great friends and a team supporting me.

Training Nov. 14 - 18

2007-11-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

Since I last posted,

I swam for about an hour on Wednesday. Thursday, I did a bit of weights, hurt my shoulder, and took the rest of the day off (LAZY bones!), Friday did hill training on my run... up and down, up and down, about 40 minutes. Saturday, 10 miles on bike (lazy bones, again), and Sunday... 34 miles on bike, including a 4 mile constant uphill climb.

This week is going to be a little crazy because I may have to go out of town. I have to have to have to start incorporating more weights into my training. That is my goal this week -- at least two hours of weights (along with everything else -- haha).

Triathlon Training is SERIOUS Business!

2007-11-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

As you can tell by these pictures from our second run practice...

We had a costume contest for the participants, but the staff was much more gung ho about it. Keep in mind, this is at about 7:45am in Griffith Park on a Saturday morning.

I just couldn't resist the temptation...

And in case you're wondering...

... I did actually run in my Wonderwoman outfit! Just picture it! You're driving through Griffith Park, and Wonderwoman runs across the street! HAHA! Good times!

Training Days

2007-11-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, starting today (4.5 months away from Lavaman and 7.5 months away from Ironman) I am going to try to post every day (or at least several times a week) what I actually do each day to train.

This morning, I ran 43 minutes, 4.4 miles (slow out, faster coming back). Tonight, I go to Power Yoga for 1.5 hours.

Okay seriously...

2007-11-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

How in the world can you not fall in love with this kid?

This is Evan, dressed up for Halloween as a germophobiac nerd. How stinking cute is he?? Even as a nerd! HAHA.

For those of you who don't know, this is who I'm racing and fundraising for right now. Go to: http://www.active.com/donate/tntgla/Joy4EvantheWarrior
if you want to help! (Most likely if you're reading this, you already have helped -- which I GREATLY appreciate!)

I have also dedicated my first (and perhaps last) Ironman to Evan. Yes, he is THAT much of an inspiration to me. I mean, come on... just look at that picture. How could you NOT be inspired. Tee hee hee!

Surprisingly...

2007-11-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

nothing (not even my butt) is aching today. Does this mean, I'm getting more fit or does this mean my body is just used to the abuse?? Hmmm....

1/2 Century?

2007-11-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

HA! I wanted to go on a long bike ride this morning out at my momma's in Bakersfield. 3 hours and 50.4 miles later, I think I accomplished that. It's funny cuz I actually finished 43 miles in 2.5 hours, and the last 7.4 miles were done at a leisurely pace while looking for my sister on the path. I feel fine. I'm a little tired, and my lungs hurt from the crappy crappy air up here, but I feel good. Granted, there were no hills and I hadn't swam or run, but considering I have 5 more months to Lavaman an 8 more months to Ironman, I think it's a good start. I hope my butt is okay tomorrow!

Feeling it....

2007-11-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we're about to finish my third week of training for Lavaman. I can feel my body getting stronger (cardiovascularly). I had a rough run on Tuesday, but I think that was because I had to go to the bathroom SOOOOO bad (at least I hope that was the problem). My swims on Thursday and Friday were also kind of rough. It's funny. Last Friday, my swim was so amazing, and then it was like starting all over again for some reason. I guess I hadn't grasped the newness of the stroke, breathing as well as I had. I'll get it though. I know I will. I just need to keep on it.

On Friday, I went for a loooong swim. I think I was in the pool about an hour and a half. I wasn't tried, but I was struggling with technique.

Tomorrow - I will be riding my bike up by my mom's house in Bakersfield. I'm hoping to ride for a couple of hours -- try to get in at least 40 miles, if not more.

You may be wondering why I'm trying to go so far, considering Lavaman is only a 25 mile bike ride. Well, here's the thing... and I've probably lost my mind, but it's done now. I registered this morning for the Ironman in Nice, France. Yep, it's official -- I have my registration number and everything. So now, I'm training for both Lavaman and Ironman, although I suppose by April, Lavaman will be like a short workout for me. Haha. I've got a GREAT team of people going to France with me. It's going to be a wild 8 months!

LAVAMAN... and IRONMAN????

2007-10-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I am just finishing up my second week of training for Lavaman. I had a breakthru in the pool this morning. I switched the way I was doing my stroke and what a difference it has made. No more pain in my shoulder/elbow and WAY faster. It's made me very excited to do another race and test out how fast I go. :)

The fires put a little bit of a stint on my training this week. I was supposed to run yesterday, but with the air quality out here being as poor as it is, I opted to stay indoors and just ride the spinner bike for a bit of time.

Lavaman is going to be much more difficult than my last Olympic tri. It's much more hilly on both the bike and the run. Also, we'll be running over lava rocks at one point and sand at another point. Not to mention that the course is part of the World Championship Ironman course -- EEK!

Speaking of Ironman... I think I may have lost my mind, but I'm going to register for one in 2008. A couple of people from last season's team are going to do it as well. Now we just have to pick the one we want to do. Unfortunately all of the US Ironmans are sold out for 2008. We are looking at doing either Nice or the UK. Nice is the end of June (SOOOO soon - ahhh). The UK is the end of August. The only problem with the UK is that one of our "team" cannot do that one. Nice would be pretty, but the bike ride is INTENSE. All through the little villages up in the mountains. At one point there is a 21km climb. So I would have to train EXTRA hard because hills are my weakness. I can't even believe I'm thinking about this. LOL It's SO insane! I'll let you know when I'm officially registered. We're making a final decision this week.

Life is so exciting!

Official Times

2007-09-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to see the breakdown of my official times, go here:

http://www.tricalifornia.com/pgtri/2007/results/olydvf30-39.cfm

I'm number 43. Pretty sweet!

Sweet Success!

2007-09-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Race day!

My alarm clock went off at 4:30am, and the first thought that went through my head was the freezing water I was in the day before and "what was I thinking?!?!"

I dragged myself out of bed, put on my tri clothes, ate breakfast with one of my coaches, grabbed my bag and my bike and went down to the lobby of the hotel to meet the rest of my team. We all checked in, hopped on our bikes and biked down to the event site. The nerves were beginning to kick in along with a bit of fear and doubt. Could I really do this?

I set up my transition area, went over everything three times, then had one of my coaches go over everything because that nagging feeling that I was forgetting something just wouldn't leave me.

At 7:30am, we were to meet up as a team to go on a warm-up jog. All I could think was that I was already going to have to run 6 miles in a couple of hours. Why in the world would my coaches be so evil to make me run even more? Haha. It was nice though to run togther and stretch together. All too soon it was time to tug my wetsuit on and head down to the water to await our warm up time in the water (10 minutes before we were to start).

I was sad to discover that the water wasn't any warmer than the day before -- in fact it was colder. I forced myself to stay in for the full amount of time we were allowed. I even got another woman to do a headstand with me just to lighten the mood. We looked like synchronized swimmers -- haha.

There we are, getting "warmed up." We were the first female wave to start which made it even more exciting. We were also the biggest wave to start.

All of our caps huddled together. There was cheering and dancing and hugging and threatening the jellyfish that may be awaiting us in the depths of the water. All too soon the start horn sounded, and ready or not, we were off:

I don't know which one I am in that picture. The swim was difficult with so many people around. I was kicked, smacked, stuck behind people. It was frustrating at times, but I just tried to stay focused and keep my technique as solid as possible despite the bodies pressing in all around me. Eventually I managed to break away enough to not have to battle too many people. I finished the swim in 40 minutes and ran up the path to my transition area. It wasn't until I got to transition and bent down to pick up my bike shoes that I realized I was far more dizzy than I thought. My first transition took a little over 4 minutes because I was trying not to fall over the entire time. I managed to not forget anything, and I was off on the bike before I even realized it.

I raced around that course like nobody's business, passing some of the boys who had started 15 minutes before me. I probably pushed myself too hard, cuz when I finished the bike part of the race an hour and 26 minutes later, my legs were tired. I knew the run wasn't going to be fun. Not that running is ever fun for me -- haha. After 25 miles on the bike, it's even less fun. I ran pretty much the entire first two miles with a couple of 30 second breaks. I ran/walked the last 4 miles. Here I am, struggling through mile 3:

I finished the 6 miles in 1 hour and 9 minutes. My average pace was 11 minutes, 8 seconds per mile, so I don't think I walked as much as I thought I did. I think it just seemed like I was walking more because it was more than I had wanted to be walking.

I made it across the finish line 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 49 seconds after I started.

Other than some pain in my left kneecap, I felt fine. I was proud of my time. I thought it was going to take me much longer than that. I guess when you have people inspiring you,

things seem a lot easier. Everyone on my team did stellar that day. I am so proud of all of us and so grateful to our coaches and mentors for pushing us the past four months. I have done something I didn't think I could do, and I did it well. I can shamelessly say that I am proud of myself.

Thank you all for you support -- financially and emotionally.

This experience has been challenging and inspiring in so many ways.

There was one experience that was particularly inspiring. It happened on July 22, 2007 when a few members of the team went to visit the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. It was there that I met the most amazing 8 year old boy. His name is Evan, and he is fighting leukemia right now. Meeting him has inspired me to sign up for the Lavaman triathlon on April 6. I will be doing this triathlon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training again. I will be doing it in honor of Evan and the life he is fighting for. Of course, I need all of your support again for this one! Actually, I'll need even more support for this one because the course is VERY hilly (which I'm no good at), and I'm trying to raise even more money this time for Evan and the thousands of other kids and adults like him. If you want to be inspired by him, visit my website:
Joy4EvantheWarrior

He truly is amazing!

Thank you again!

Pre-race jitters!

2007-09-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

The triathlon was on Saturday. I drove up to Monterey on Thursday evening, checked into my lovely hotel room, and chilled out that evening.

Friday was full of business. The team met in the hotel lobby at 11am to bike the 2.5 miles to the event site. We met with Dave Scott (6 time Ironman Champion) who gave us last minute tips and support.

After the meeting it was time to get into our wetsuits and test out the Pacific Grove waters for the first time. It was COLD COLD COLD. My feet went numb and my hands were stinging from the cold. We "warmed up" in the water for 5 minutes and then set off for a swim of one loop of the course. The kelp was INSANE. It was sooo thick, I was literally crawling over it at points. It was draining and a little creepy. We eventually made our way out around the first buoy, only to discover a bunch of jellyfish swimming out there with us. I didn't mind as much as some of the other swimmers who began to panic a bit. On the way back in, I looked back to see how they were, only to discover a seal swimming with us about 30 feet behind. I was so excited. The two other girls were not as happy as me. I guess some people don't appreciate being close to nature. We were invading the animals' home, so from my point of view, we really didn't have any right to be upset.

After the swim, we went to the expo center to pick up our race packets. After a bit of searching, I found my race number. We each received timing chips which you wear around your angle during the race. We had to check these chips in by scanning them and making sure all the information that popped up on the computer was correct. It mistakenly had my age as 30 which I was very quick to correct that I still had another month in my 20s. The man behind the computer said "well, they do it based on the year of the race." I simply informed him that "for my mental health, I thought he should know that I wasn't 30 yet." He looked at me, confused, for a second or two before he laughed. Myla (one of our team's mentors) grabbed my arm and pulled me away before I could protest more.

After we were all situated with our race packets, we then biked one loop of the bike course (6 miles) before we biked the 2.5 miles back to our hotel. My mother and stepfather visited me in my room for a bit before I made my way over to our big pasta party where we were greeted by a line of people making so much noise with cowbells, new year's noisemakers, etc... that my head swayed. We had a lovely dinner, heard some very motivational people speak, and then took the time to recognize everyone's participation in raising $1.4 million for this triathlon alone.

I went back to the hotel, packed my triathlon bag for the next day, put all my race numbers on my bike and helmet and jersey. Then it was time to try to go to sleep... which eventually happened. Which is exactly what I need to do right now. I will post some pics and the race day tomorrow. (I know, I know, the suspense is KILLING you).

And the doubt begins to creep in...

2007-09-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today is four days before my race. I went for a quick 3 mile run this morning. I thought it was going to be quick, anyway. I had such a hard time with it. I barely ran two miles before I had to walk for a bit. I don't know what happened or why it was so stinking hard, but of course it now has me worried that I couldn't even run three miles without having swam or biked. EEK.

I'm chalking it up to a rough day. I have to shake it off. I'll be fine.

Only a few more days...

2007-09-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

til the big race day. I can't believe it's here already! This summer FLEW by so fast. Thanks to everyone for helping me reach my fundraising goal! Now all I have to do is focus on the race and finishing with the best of my ability.

This week is pretty relaxed. I just have a 30 minute ride tomorrow, 3 mile run on Tuesday, and one last swim practice on Wednesday. Thursday, I travel up to Monterey. Friday we have a day of activities. We will ride the bike course loop once, we will have a practice swim so that we can get used to not only the water temperature, but also the creepy, slimy kelp that we'll be swimming through. I also have to pick up my race packet on Friday. We're having a big pasta dinner celebration Friday night. Then it's to bed early (even though I know I won't be able to sleep - haha). Race day, I have to be up around 5am to eat breakfast and bike down to the course, set up my transition area, and get ready for the swim. The race begins at 7:15am, although, the Team in Training wave won't be going until last, so I probably won't start until closer to 9am. I'm hoping to be done by 1pm.

I just practiced changing my bike tire, and that went okay. Hopefully I won't get a flat during the race, but if I do, I cannot have anyone help me or else I will be disqualified. I'm glad I got a practice in.

I feel fairly prepared with my transitions and what I'll be eating/drinking. I just have to remind myself to continue nourishing during the race. It's easy to forget and then it can be too late to fully recover. Physically, I think I'm okay. I worry about the run, but if all else fails, I walk. I'll finish.

It's funny because I've been saying this whole time that I'll finish even if I have to crawl across the finish line. The other day, I decided I should read the US Triathlon Association rules, and believe it or not it actually says that crawling is not allowed. HAHA.

I'll let you all know what happens!!

Practice Tri Results

2007-08-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I wasn't lying when I said this past weekend was going to be hard. haha

On Saturday, we had our mock triathlon. It was pretty much a real race, just slightly shorter than the actual one I'll be doing. We did a .5 mile swim, 18 mile hilly bike, and a 5 mile run. I finished in 2 hours, 25 minutes. My swim was about 20 minutes, my bike slightly over an hour, and the run slightly under an hour.

The guys started 5 minutes before the ladies, and I finished a few minutes before a handful of the guys. I surprised myself, as well as my mentor, coaches and other teammates. It made me feel much more at ease about the big race.

I ended up not doing the triathlon on Sunday. I damaged my toe on Saturday from all the running last week. So I woke up at 4am on Sunday morning, put on my running shoes, jogged around a bit to see how I felt, and decided it just wasn't worth damaging it anymore to do another practice triathlon. So instead, I rode 26 miles with some of my teammates.

I have taken two days off of training, and today I get to hop back into it with my favorite thing -- swimming!

3 WEEKS -- Eek!!!!

2007-08-17T11:40:00.001-07:00

Wow -- time is just FLYING by right now. It's pretty intense.

After Sunday, I only have three weeks left of trainging, and then it's the big race! I'm scared and excited and nervous. Every time I think of crossing the finish line, I get a huge bubble of excitement. But then I start thinking about the preparation and transitions and forgetting my bike or something equally ridiculous, and I get nervous. And then I think about getting off the bike after 25 miles and having to run 6 miles (which is hard enough on its own) and I get scared.

I ran 7 miles last night. I would have never even thought that possible for me. I HATE running. I'm HORRIBLE at it. My body was not meant for it, but I managed (somehow) to run 7 miles last night. I'm still a bit in shock.

This weekend is going to be very hard for me. A while ago, a couple of teammates and myself signed up for a triathlon sprint at Hansen Dam on Aug. 19 just for practice. We're not really racing. Our team was supposed to be having our practice "mini-triathlon" (which is actually a long sprint triathlon; .5 mile swim, 18mile bike, 4 mile run) on Aug. 25. Well, the team triathlon was bumped up to Aug. 18. So, now I have a triathlon to do tomorrow early in the morning, and another one on Sunday early in the morning. And I've never even done one yet. I'm going to be dead to the world on Sunday evening. Hopefully I will survive both tris. I'll let you know.

Thanks for all the support!

HIGH FIVE MEOW for me!

2007-07-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

So, I dragged my butt out of bed at 5:30 this morning so that I could get in a run and a swim today. Our swim practice was cancelled last night because someone pooped in the pool! So, I went running this morning, and then I'm meeting up with one of our mentors later this afternoon to swim.

My run this morning was amazing and I'm so proud of myself. I ran about 4.25 miles straight, without stopping to walk even once. That is the longest I've ever run in my life, I think! And I did it in okay time, too. I mean, I'm slow, but I could have been slower. Just under 12 minutes/mile. SO this is a pretty amazing feat for me, although some of you might not understand it or think it's that impressive. I suppose my new running shoes (instead of my two year old cross-trainers) probably had something to do with it, along with my new running belt that holds 20oz of water and the fresh morning cool air.

I even forgot my ipod, and I think that might have surprisingly made it all easier. There's something really sweet about running along a dirt path with trees overhead but the freeway right on the other side of the trees crowded with people hurrying to work and you're just running along with only the thought of the next foot in front of the other. It was almost like the respite I find in the pool -- but not quite as super duper (oh yeah, we're bringing that back!).

YAY!! I'm getting there, slowly but surely. I am getting there!

Training Schedule Week #9

2007-07-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially halfway done with training. I thought some of you may be interested in my training schedule. Here it is for this week.

Monday -- DAY OFF :)
Tuesday -- Bike 22 miles in hilly terrain.
Wednesday -- Coached swim 8-9pm
Thursday -- Run/Walk 6 miles in hilly terrain.
Friday -- Swim 2000 yards (drills and laps)
Saturday -- Coached run 8am
Sunday -- Bike 20 miles

There it is! If you want to join me for any of this, just let me know! :)

Exhausted!

2007-07-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

We had our camping training weekend this weekend. The three teams of LA (South Bay, Westside, and Eastside) gathered up by Lake Piru bright and early on Saturday to start our training. After setting up camp, we headed off for training at 10am.

First we went swimming in the Lake. I had a hard time of it for a few minutes. The water was so cold I couldn't get my breathing right which made my technique go out the window at first. Plus it was VERY different having a ton of people around you. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, and that wasn't even close to the number of people that are going to be at the actual triathlon. Eventually, my breathing calmed down, and I started to get into my rhythm. Unfortunately, that rhythm was constantly interrupted by the fact that there were feet in my face, a body brushing up against me, or the simple fact that I kept getting off course. I need to work on my sighting. Despite all of the new challenges that the open water added, I did very well. I swam four laps of our course, and I could have kept going, but they made us move on. I am feeling very confident with the swimming.

Next was biking and running. We were alternating loops with these. I ran one loop, then biked a loop, then ran a loop, then biked a loop. It was extraordinarily hot during this. One girl's bike thermometer said that the road temperature was 114. Now the air temp wasn't as hot, but that 114 was bouncing off the road onto us as we were riding/running. As I prepared to head off for my third loop of running, Jessica (our campaign manager) stopped me saying they were cutting people off. It was too hot to train. So I ran back to the water and swam a bit more.

After training, we went back to camp and hung out, eating lunch. The coaches and mentors made us dinner that evening. A small group of us walked down to the lake again and jumped in (in our clothes -- haha).

We went to sleep around 12am on the hard, cool ground. I woke up at about 5:30am to a VERY loud bird call. I dragged myself out of "bed" and started taking apart my camp. I figured I wouldn't want to do it after we got back from our morning run. I got everything packed up just in time for us to head out. It was 8am and already hot. I ran 3 miles and walked one. 4 miles by 8:45 am -- nice way to start the day. I drove away sweaty and exhausted.

Today is my day off (whew!). I have a bunch of stuff to do. I desperately need new running shoes. I've had a blister the size of a quarter on my big toe since I started training. It's causing problems with my ankle from over-compensation. I also need to get my sister's bike fixed. Plus I have a lot of fundraising things to do today. No time for exhaustion!

I'm not selling girl scout cookies...

2007-07-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

So, I had this pretty amazing, eye-opening experience this past Saturday.

We train as a team two times a week -- Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Well, at Saturday's practice, our honored teammate was there. This is the person the team is doing the triathlon for (individually, I am also competing in honor of my Aunt Ginny, Uncle Joe, and Mrs. Ju). Her name is Eileen. She told us her story:

She's 43 years old, and two years ago she was diagnosed with Lymphoma. She had been having symptoms for a while, but she just thought is was stress with work and her parents passing away. One day she found a lump in her armpit, so she went to the doctor. They removed it and called to tell her she had cancer. The doctor told her she is stage 4. He said there's good news and bad news. "There are two types of this cancer, aggressive and non-aggressive. You have the non-aggressive type. The bad news is that there is no treatment for it. If I had diagnosed you four years ago, I would have told you that you had 3 - 5 years to live. This is four years later though." (We can all do the math here.) He continues, "There is a new drug out now that has extended the life expectancy to 8 - 10 years. We're going to put you on that." (Again, we can all do the math.) "You should live like you're going to live. We're getting closer everyday to finding a cure, so keep up your hopes and live your life like you're going to live."

After she tells us all of this, she looks at us and says, "Thank you guys for doing what you're doing. You're not selling girlscout cookies so that I can go to camp. You're raising money so that I can live. Thank you."

This hit me hard. Don't get me wrong, I knew I was doing this for a cause. It's one thing to have this idea, but it's another thing to have someone who's dying of cancer telling you thank you for trying to save my life. Hits home a little bit more -- the responsibility (outside of training) in doing this thing.

So I just want to thank you again for supporting me in this endeavour. Thank you for helping me to save Eileen's life! It's amazing the little things that mean so so so much.

So sorry so long...

2007-06-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not posting for so long. I was out of town for two weeks and then sick last week.

I am now in my 6th week of training. The running is frustrating me to no end, but the biking and swimming are coming along well. Wow -- I can't believe it's been 6 weeks already. It's going by so fast.

The running is definitely going to be the hardest for me. Fortunately, it's the last thing. I figure even if I can't run the full 6 miles, I can definitely at least walk it! I've done that before -- walked 6 miles! No problem. So I'm not too worried, and I know it will improve over the next ten weeks we have left. Speaking of running, I have to do that tonight after work.

The great thing about training is that I've been finding different places in LA and even Bakersfield that are perfect spots to train and be outside versus the gym. And swimming is the best thing in the world, I've decided. You hop in the pool and the day melts away. For some reason, I can stop my mind while swimming and only focus on that. I can't do that with running or biking. It's like meditation for me. For an hour, two times a week, my mind is calm at rest. It's awesome. Although I do have a tendency to be so focused on stroking and turning and kicking that I tend to forget to breathe. I'll go 10 strokes and then all of sudden have to gasp for air at the surface cuz I forgot to breathe after the third, sixth and ninth stroke.

Yesterday, we were running drills and somehow I managed to cut everyone off as I swam sideways across the pool instead of down the lane. I'm still not sure how it happened, but when I hit the wall, I thought to myself "my goodness, I made it all the way across already." Then I stood up only to realize that I had hit the side wall instead of the opposite wall. The girl who I had just cut off was standing up right behind me and asked "do you just want to stay in this lane?" My coach was standing where we had started laughing at me and wondering what I was doing.

So, all in all, things are going good right now, despite my frustration with running.

Injury #1 (ALREADY!!)

2007-05-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Ha -- So last night, I went out for my run. Remember how I said they were teaching me a new way to run. Well, on Saturday, I had started a pretty nasty blister on my big toe from running. I don't know if it is from my shoe or this new way of running.

Anyway, I had hoped that the blister had calloused over in time for my run last night. Unfortunately, it had not. My left foot was compensating to the side in order not to irritate the blister. My leg was uncomfortable during the run, but I just thought it was muscles adapting, etc..., so I kept right on running, trying to get in the time assigned to us. Well, five minutes short of that time, I realized that the discomfort in my leg just wasn't dissipating at all. The injury prevention clinic we had on Saturday came to mind, and I decided that despite my "5 minutes to go," I should probably stop and assess the situation. I found myself barely able to walk with pain streaking up and down the side of my calf and ankle.

The pain got worse progressively as the evening wore on. I slept with my foot in the air and took 2 ibuprofen this morning. I'm hoping it's simple a muscle thing and it will clear up in the next couple of days. Fortunately, we are swimming today and tomorrow. I don't have to run again until Saturday. I think I will try to run in a different pair of shoes and see if that helps.

I'll keep you up to date!

Week 1

2007-05-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived my first week of training. I feel like I'm relearning how to do everything. They are teaching us a different technique for swimming. It's called total immersion, and it's great for endurance swimming, but it's weird to be relearning how to swim. Same thing with running. Apparently, I've been running from heel and I should be running from the ball of my foot. I'm holding my arms wrong, etc..., so I'm retraining my body from a lifetime of improper technique. It's very difficult and my body feels strange and achy. It will help a lot in the long run though (no pun intended).

I love being in the pool two times a week. It makes me feel like a kid again. I didn't realize how much I miss swimming and just being in the water.

My team is wonderful. The coaches are really great, and the people are a lot of fun. There's definitely not a lack of support amongst the group. It seems like there's so many people around to help out. It's pretty amazing. I'm looking forward to week 2!

Phew!

2007-05-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

Well, good news! The new bike seat helps -- alot. My butt will survive to live another day!

On Saturday, we had our big Kick-off day. I met most of the others on our team. We got our official training schedules (which starts out much lighter than I expected). We have our first team training this Wednesday. An hour of swimming. It's a good thing I love the water so much! Today, I have some running to do. Tomorrow is supposed to be an off day, but I think I'll spend a little time on the bike in the morning.

This weekend we have our first run team training in Griffith Park. We're supposed to do our team biking there, too, but we're waiting to see if it will be opened again in time for us to train there. I guess the paths that they normally use are closed right now because of the fire. We shall see.

Solution??

2007-05-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

So I found this bike seat randomly in my old apartment. It's a little softer than my sister's seat. I've taken the other one off and put the new one on. I hope it helps! I'll let you know....

Tomorrow is the big Team in Training Kick-Off! I get my official training schedule and everything. Here we go....

And thank you so so so much to all of you who have donated thus far! I'm amazed at how generous you all are!

Note To Self

2007-05-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Must get new seat for my sister's spinning bike!! (Don't worry, Kim, I'll put yours back on when you get back.)

1st Run

2007-05-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well, my official training does not start out until the kick off day which is this Saturday, May 19, 2007. If anyone would like to join me for the celebration, just let me know.

I have been starting to train on my own, like I said in my first post. I've been running on the treadmill at the gym and riding on my sister's painful spinning bike. Well, yesterday I decided to go to the high school running track to get a little outside exercise. When I run on the treadmill at the gym, I always run on at least a 2 or 2.5 incline because one of the gym trainers told me that makes it equivalent to running outside (frictionally). They lied. I had easily been doing almost 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym (after doing at least 20 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the stairmaster). I ran two miles on the track and I probably could have kept going, but I decided to stop. When I stopped, I realized my legs felt like jello. Boy, do I have a long way to go. But I'm choosing to look at the positive -- I'm 1/3 of the way there, and I haven't even officially started training yet!!! I'll be a rock star in 4 months, right?? ... right? :-)

I did it!

2007-05-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

After years of telling myself that someday I'm going to do a triathlon for Team in Training, I FINALLY got off my butt and bit the bullet. I've signed up, paid my registration fee, and have started fundraising to do it! I've also started training for it (barely): jogging on the treadmill and riding my sister's spinner bike (whose seat seriously hurts my butt). I need to do it more though so I can work my way up. Officially, my team training gets kicked-off on May 19, and my first team swimming session is May 23.

I'm very excited and a little bit nervous, but I know I can do it. So, having said all of this, this is going to be my training blog. I will be updating it pretty frequently to let all of my friends, family and contributors know how I'm doing.

Rock on! LOL