I've been absent from the blog for a while longer than I planned. Last week was a recovery week, and I was glad to have it. I got to rest my body in some ways, but not exactly a non-active week for me. I got to spend a few days with my daughter, who lives all the way up in Vancouver. It's a long trip, takes the better part of a day given no direct flights. It means I don't get to see her nearly as often as I want to. (I want Friday night dinners dammit!!) But at least the coach gave me the travel days off. thanks Z!!
It's not enough but two days is better than no days, and it was SO great to see her. I got two runs in while there - the first was a hilly run on Friday, and it was probably the worst run I've had in months. Ugh. It was belabored, and hard, and yucky. But these things do happen, and so I slogged through it the best I could. My long run on Saturday, on the other hand, was amazing. Got to run along the seawall, which is absolutely beautiful. I had nice crisp Canadian air to run in, which didn't hurt :) Z wanted me to pull in as close to 7:30 pace as I could for the last 30 minutes. This is asking a lot, particularly for me and a 12 mile run. I'm happy to report that I managed a 7:38 pace in the last 30 minutes, with the last mile being the fastest of all. Not too shabby!
Spent the weekend painting Kayla's room in her new apartment, and getting it all set up. Looked totally amazing when we got finished if I do say so myself - a truly peaceful retreat, not to mention a complete transformation. Saturday, for our birthdays dinner we went to Robson Street, and had possibly the best Thai food I've ever had, and without question the best Tom Kha Ghai soup I've ever had. Yummy! Saw a movie, because of course a visit with Kayla wouldn't be complete without going to the movies. Gosh darnit, I miss my movie buddy!!!
So, that was my soul training. Spending some truly quality time with my beautiful daughter. I probably won't see her again till the race. :( I guess it'll have to carry me through the next 17 weeks. Love you Kayla, all the way to Gramma's north.
This week is a tough one - just about fell off my seat when I saw 17.5 hours on the schedule. And now here it is Friday, and I've still got 7.5 to go. I remember not that long ago when that was my total for the week - now it's just the weekend! lol. Had a couple great rides this week so far, a very tough run yesterday morning - just hurt like a sonofabitch - and a few swims thrown in for good measure, with a fun little relay race at the end of today's swim workout. Looking forward (?? yes I'm sick) to my first century tomorrow - that's 100 miles of riding for you non-tri-geeks out there!
Happy Training!
Kat
Friday, April 29, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Green is Golden
I use a program called Training Peaks to log my workouts. My coach puts the workouts in, I upload my garmin data into the program, and it records all kinds of neat and wonderful stuff that lets us track not only my compliance to the training he assigns me, but also my fitness level. When you do a workout as prescribed, it turns green. When you miss a workout it turns red. When you do a workout but it's less or more than prescribed, it turns yellow. Yes, even if it is more - you are not supposed to do more!!! I learned from Katie this week that if you do TOO much more, apparently it turns red. I wouldn't know this, since I never do too much more - Chris drilled this into me on our first meeting in fact - but Katie, the 18 yr old wonder and National Champion, would. (perhaps there's something to be said for that then....hmm). At any rate, I always get a secret little thrill (well not so secret anymore after one of my posts this past week) when my week is all green. Of course, this is always the goal, but not always attained. I hate seeing red. Makes me feel bad. Green is good. Green means go! Green is the new Gold. :)
Well, this week, my longest planned training week ever - I MADE IT ALL GREEN!!!!! Woot Woot!!
See, it really doesn't take much to make me happy! LOL.
And not only a fully green week, but some pretty big milestones as well. PR in my half marathon time during a training run, PR in my 10k time placing 5th overall female, and today put in my longest workout of the year (not counting San Juan) and only the 2nd time ever hitting 75 miles on the bike.
Bike workout today was 4 hours in the saddle, regardless of distance followed by a quick 15 minute run. I decided the Silver Comet was the right place - longest ride of the season so far, and by quite a bit, so let's keep it flat. I hoped to hit 70 miles, but honestly didn't know how things would go with the week I've had. The day started out kinda rough - I don't know quite where my head was at, but I did not really check the weather before I left. Figured it would be about the same as Saturday morning. <<<BZZZZ>>> Wrong Answer. I'm sorry, thank you for playing, we have some lovely parting gifts for you... It was Freaking Freezing. Yes, I know - don't say it - I thought you were Canadian??? Ha. Ha. a) I've been here 4.5 years and b) for pete's sake I get cold in the summertime if I eat ice cream... Being Canadian just means I can tolerate living in a cold climate, for long periods of time. I still get cold. I sat in the car for a while, waiting to see if it would heat up with the sun, but there was no doing. I put on whatever extra clothes I had, thankfully my skins were in the car and I was able to put those under my shorts. I headed out, and turned right back around to put another shirt under my jersey. That was all I could do, so instead of wheels rolling at 7:45, I was wheels rolling at 9:15. :( My fingers were frozen for the first half hour. It did get warmer as the hours ticked by and I was able to remove some clothing on the way back. I managed to pull in 75 miles, which I have only ever done once before. So very happy with that today. Still tired as all get out. David was impressed, and said "soon that will be easy for you". All I could say was "it better be or I'll be in trouble come August". The run after hurt like a sonofabitch, but I still managed an 8:20 pace. I did ice bath when I got home, and the accompanying screaming whilst getting in was the source of much amusement for Kira. I will say that the thing that hurts the most is actually my neck and shoulders from being aero for almost 4 hours. The thing that hurts the second most is...not my legs. ;) And then after that is the Achilles on both legs - I am not liking this trend with the Achilles - so not sure what I was doing different today, maybe toeing my pedal stroke or something, although that is not normally something I do. I'll have to watch for that next time. And tonight I will ice them.
So all told, 15:45 in training this week. I'm pretty pleased with myself, and am just gonna take pleasure in all that I accomplished this week before I busy myself with worrying about what's coming next. Not sure what I have this week - Chris raced NOLA 70.3 today (congrats on a great race!) so waiting on the week to get uploaded still - but I think / hope to heavens it is a recovery week. I think it is. At any rate, I am going to visit Kayla on Thursday !!! so there will be no long ride on the weekend, only runs. And maybe a day off. :)
Happy Training!
Kat
Saturday, April 16, 2011
River Run 10k
Today was a great day! My friend Anne has been talking about doing a tri or doing a 10k for a while. Back in January I came into work with my old Running Room 10k training plan - the one I used myself a number of years ago - and gave it to her to look at. She did, and she said she wanted to do it. I put together a plan specific for her and her current fitness level. Told her we needed to sign up for a race. A week went by and she hadn't decided. I looked out 12 weeks and found a few options and sent them to her. She chose the Choate 10k River Run, and we signed up. She was in and fully committed now!! Weeks went by, and she did pretty well in her training. She missed some, for sure, but she was staying committed. I was so proud of her! Meanwhile, Marc, a fellow PM and lunch buddy from PMO Row, had started doing his own 5k training with his wife. About a week and a half ago, he comes into work and says "Well, I signed up for my first race!" I asked which one, and he said The River Run in Roswell. I laughed. "You mean the one Anne and I are doing?" How funny. So now we were all gonna be there.
At the time that they started running, I had just taken another run clinic with Matt, so I was all high on the things I was doing to improve my run mechanics. I shared these enthusiastically at work with my newbie runners. Yes, I have even been known to do the B drill with the skip down PMO Row. Marc was damn sure that the correct way to run was heel to toe. I was quick to impart the knowledge I had gained and emphasized that heel striking was not good (the main thing I am trying to stop), and that midfoot was the better way to run. I had him jump up and down on his heels, as Matt had done with us, and then up and down on the balls of his feet, and notice the difference. I showed him the Z formation, and talked about driving the knee forward, leaning forward from the ankles, snapping the leg back to land under your body...centre of gravity and all that. Then a few weeks ago he came to me and said man, my knees are killing me. I recommended glucosamine and chondroitin. And it kept getting worse, and his calves were killing him too. I had no idea. Figured it was just a case of too much too fast...we've all been there. Then Thursday Anne says something about Marc has decided upon consultation with his chiropractor that my advice of running on the balls of his feet is not good, and not to say that Katrina doesn't know what she's talking about, but everyone else is telling him that the motion is heel to toe. GASP!!! Run on the balls of your feet???!!! OMG. No wonder his calves hurt, and his knees hurt. After punching him swiftly in the arm the next day, and telling him - Dude, I did NOT tell you to run on the balls of your feet!!! - I also felt terrible that anything I'd said could have been construed that way. And actually, in writing this post, I think I know where it came from - the demo of trying to jump on your heels vs not. Sorry Marc. That was just a demonstration of why landing on your heel is bad, and gives you no return of power. Thankfully within a few days his knees are feeling better, and he was out there running today.
So back to today - it was race day. After some vey severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings last night, we woke to a relatively quiet and dry morning, perfect temps for running a fast race! Marc and his wife Kathy were doing the 5k, and went off first. Was able to see them finish at about 31 minutes and change. Nice job guys!! And Anne finished in her goal time of 1:09. She actually had a 5k PR out of it, and if not for some sudden knee pain around mile 4, would surely have exceeded her goal pace of 11 minute miles. Her first couple miles were in fact faster, and she says this is the most she's run of all her training runs (vs run/walk). I am so so proud of her!!! Way to go girl!!! The smile on her face at the end of the race was awesome, and almost the first thing she said was "I wanna sign up for another one!". Love it!! One funny thing - there was a slight uphill at the end, then turn into the Church parking lot and a small run to the finish line. Anne got to the top of the hill, stepped into the parking lot, then turned to me and raised her arms in the victory cry we're all familiar with - "I did it!" - I'm like, no! you're not finished yet - keep going! LOL. It was a very funny moment.
I also had a fantastic race. When I signed up, I had decided I wanted a 47 or better, which would be a great PR for me. After a pretty tough (and not yet finished) week of Ironman training, I lowered my goal time to 48 or better. It would still be a PR, but really didn't think 47 was attainable this week. First few steps into the race my hamstring/tendon said hello, and I told it to go right back to bed; I didn't have time for it today. Had a fast start, as is always the case with these races; looking down and seeing 6:something on the garmin, and about 178HR, I knew I had to settle into my own pace. Had a good first half, exceeding my goal pace. Oh and my zip-tied garmin was holding up! Yep, the damn buckle clasp flew off on Thursday night's ride, and so I had to zip-tie my garmin to my arm. Nice little hill at the turnaround, but I managed it well with all the hill running I've been doing in the neighbourhood. As I got down to the bottom of the hill, some guy was suddenly running beside me. I didn't want to let him pass me, (yet), and I was feeling strong, so I used his pace to get me up over the next little incline. It worked, and I was still keeping pace with him. I looked at the garmin and saw 7:20 and was thrilled, because I was feeling good. Probably ran with him for a good mile, and I'm pretty damn thankful for it too, because although he did overtake me, I was able to keep pushing it, and soon I was passing two of the women who had passed around mile 1 that I hadn't quite been able to get back to. There was a mile or so left, and I was still feeling very strong. Looking at my watch I knew I had a chance to really smash my PR, and I'm not sure exactly where I got it from, but I just kept digging, and one by one I passed the guys in front of me. Just kept that red chevron guy (from mile 4) in my sights, and while I knew I wouldn't catch him, I was able to keep him close. Before I knew it I was climbing that last hill. I finished in 46:43!!! 5th overall female! Not sure yet how many 10k'ers, but it was somewhere between 400-500. This was a 3:16 PR for me, and far exceeded my expectations for the day. I had to add some more time to complete today's workout, so I was able to run back and find Anne and finish the race with her, which was really rewarding. I certainly didn't have much to do with her awesome performance, but it feels great to have encouraged her to get out there!
And even managed to get a little plug in for Sport Factory and Mix 1 when I collected my award!
Well, tomorrow is a big workout - I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm feeling great! We'll see if that still holds at noon tomorrow.
Happy Training!
Kat
At the time that they started running, I had just taken another run clinic with Matt, so I was all high on the things I was doing to improve my run mechanics. I shared these enthusiastically at work with my newbie runners. Yes, I have even been known to do the B drill with the skip down PMO Row. Marc was damn sure that the correct way to run was heel to toe. I was quick to impart the knowledge I had gained and emphasized that heel striking was not good (the main thing I am trying to stop), and that midfoot was the better way to run. I had him jump up and down on his heels, as Matt had done with us, and then up and down on the balls of his feet, and notice the difference. I showed him the Z formation, and talked about driving the knee forward, leaning forward from the ankles, snapping the leg back to land under your body...centre of gravity and all that. Then a few weeks ago he came to me and said man, my knees are killing me. I recommended glucosamine and chondroitin. And it kept getting worse, and his calves were killing him too. I had no idea. Figured it was just a case of too much too fast...we've all been there. Then Thursday Anne says something about Marc has decided upon consultation with his chiropractor that my advice of running on the balls of his feet is not good, and not to say that Katrina doesn't know what she's talking about, but everyone else is telling him that the motion is heel to toe. GASP!!! Run on the balls of your feet???!!! OMG. No wonder his calves hurt, and his knees hurt. After punching him swiftly in the arm the next day, and telling him - Dude, I did NOT tell you to run on the balls of your feet!!! - I also felt terrible that anything I'd said could have been construed that way. And actually, in writing this post, I think I know where it came from - the demo of trying to jump on your heels vs not. Sorry Marc. That was just a demonstration of why landing on your heel is bad, and gives you no return of power. Thankfully within a few days his knees are feeling better, and he was out there running today.
So back to today - it was race day. After some vey severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings last night, we woke to a relatively quiet and dry morning, perfect temps for running a fast race! Marc and his wife Kathy were doing the 5k, and went off first. Was able to see them finish at about 31 minutes and change. Nice job guys!! And Anne finished in her goal time of 1:09. She actually had a 5k PR out of it, and if not for some sudden knee pain around mile 4, would surely have exceeded her goal pace of 11 minute miles. Her first couple miles were in fact faster, and she says this is the most she's run of all her training runs (vs run/walk). I am so so proud of her!!! Way to go girl!!! The smile on her face at the end of the race was awesome, and almost the first thing she said was "I wanna sign up for another one!". Love it!! One funny thing - there was a slight uphill at the end, then turn into the Church parking lot and a small run to the finish line. Anne got to the top of the hill, stepped into the parking lot, then turned to me and raised her arms in the victory cry we're all familiar with - "I did it!" - I'm like, no! you're not finished yet - keep going! LOL. It was a very funny moment.
I also had a fantastic race. When I signed up, I had decided I wanted a 47 or better, which would be a great PR for me. After a pretty tough (and not yet finished) week of Ironman training, I lowered my goal time to 48 or better. It would still be a PR, but really didn't think 47 was attainable this week. First few steps into the race my hamstring/tendon said hello, and I told it to go right back to bed; I didn't have time for it today. Had a fast start, as is always the case with these races; looking down and seeing 6:something on the garmin, and about 178HR, I knew I had to settle into my own pace. Had a good first half, exceeding my goal pace. Oh and my zip-tied garmin was holding up! Yep, the damn buckle clasp flew off on Thursday night's ride, and so I had to zip-tie my garmin to my arm. Nice little hill at the turnaround, but I managed it well with all the hill running I've been doing in the neighbourhood. As I got down to the bottom of the hill, some guy was suddenly running beside me. I didn't want to let him pass me, (yet), and I was feeling strong, so I used his pace to get me up over the next little incline. It worked, and I was still keeping pace with him. I looked at the garmin and saw 7:20 and was thrilled, because I was feeling good. Probably ran with him for a good mile, and I'm pretty damn thankful for it too, because although he did overtake me, I was able to keep pushing it, and soon I was passing two of the women who had passed around mile 1 that I hadn't quite been able to get back to. There was a mile or so left, and I was still feeling very strong. Looking at my watch I knew I had a chance to really smash my PR, and I'm not sure exactly where I got it from, but I just kept digging, and one by one I passed the guys in front of me. Just kept that red chevron guy (from mile 4) in my sights, and while I knew I wouldn't catch him, I was able to keep him close. Before I knew it I was climbing that last hill. I finished in 46:43!!! 5th overall female! Not sure yet how many 10k'ers, but it was somewhere between 400-500. This was a 3:16 PR for me, and far exceeded my expectations for the day. I had to add some more time to complete today's workout, so I was able to run back and find Anne and finish the race with her, which was really rewarding. I certainly didn't have much to do with her awesome performance, but it feels great to have encouraged her to get out there!
And even managed to get a little plug in for Sport Factory and Mix 1 when I collected my award!
Well, tomorrow is a big workout - I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm feeling great! We'll see if that still holds at noon tomorrow.
Happy Training!
Kat
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Sometimes it IS just the little things...
I did it! Ran my long run in the middle of the week (well, Thursday, maybe not the middle, but not the weekend). I was really kind of dreading it to be honest. I woke up at 5am, and lay there for a while. The evening before my husband had expressed some grave concerns about me running in the dark. I guess my Canadian brain still doesn't look at things with the cynical American eye that maybe it should...the fear factor isn't there for me the way maybe it should be living in the big bad USA. I mean, look, I'm not saying that bad things don't happen in Canada, they do...but we still get shocked when they do...we don't have handguns, and people are a little less...postal. It's true...we really are...nice. No offense intended to the many many wonderful Americans I am proud to call my friends. :) And I don't disagree that I probably need to learn a little constructive fear. (ugh). I once saw a transplanted American comedian at the Stampede, and his whole bit was on the differences between Americans and Canadians on exactly this topic, and I have to admit it was not only damn funny, but very very true.
So, ANYWAY (good lord I can get off topic sometimes), to put his mind at ease, I decided to run a little later, when it wasn't so dark. I'm fortunate enough to have a job that can be a little flexible this way. I can log in from home and work at any hour of the day, I can dial in to lead meetings, and I can come in to work a little later if need be. For this I am very grateful, and my ironman training is even more grateful. (I will be calling on this blessing more than once over the next 4 months!!). And so I did. I worked for an hour, and then when the sun started to come up, I went out and ran. I had a little longer than last week to go and so I figured this week I'd run 3 loops, plus a figure eight (the loop around the 'hood has a cut through in the middle), and then make up whatever I had left with the little jog up the flat part of my road. The guys cutting the lawns in the business part of the 'loop' waved the first time, smiled the second time, looked a little surprised the third time, and they were already gone the fourth time. lol.
So...getting to the title of today's blog...with the amount of training I am doing, and the tough nature of some of that training, it's easy to get caught in various levels of self-doubt. So I think it's really important to take pride and pleasure in some of the little accomplishments on a day-to-day basis, and shift focus, if even for a moment, from the big scary-ass goal I have in front of me. It was as I was rounding the last quarter loop, and coming up to 13 miles on the garmin, that I came to this realization. And by the end of the run, I had 3 amazing things to be proud of:
Happy Training!
Kat
So, ANYWAY (good lord I can get off topic sometimes), to put his mind at ease, I decided to run a little later, when it wasn't so dark. I'm fortunate enough to have a job that can be a little flexible this way. I can log in from home and work at any hour of the day, I can dial in to lead meetings, and I can come in to work a little later if need be. For this I am very grateful, and my ironman training is even more grateful. (I will be calling on this blessing more than once over the next 4 months!!). And so I did. I worked for an hour, and then when the sun started to come up, I went out and ran. I had a little longer than last week to go and so I figured this week I'd run 3 loops, plus a figure eight (the loop around the 'hood has a cut through in the middle), and then make up whatever I had left with the little jog up the flat part of my road. The guys cutting the lawns in the business part of the 'loop' waved the first time, smiled the second time, looked a little surprised the third time, and they were already gone the fourth time. lol.
So...getting to the title of today's blog...with the amount of training I am doing, and the tough nature of some of that training, it's easy to get caught in various levels of self-doubt. So I think it's really important to take pride and pleasure in some of the little accomplishments on a day-to-day basis, and shift focus, if even for a moment, from the big scary-ass goal I have in front of me. It was as I was rounding the last quarter loop, and coming up to 13 miles on the garmin, that I came to this realization. And by the end of the run, I had 3 amazing things to be proud of:
- The fact that I can run 13.1 miles without stopping still makes me smile and feel good about myself. And on a hilly course to boot! I realize that this should not be a big deal for someone who runs the race distances that I run, and at the level I race them at, but the non-athlete who inhabited this body for 40-ish years still thinks it's pretty damn cool, and probably always will. It's a little thing, but the little things add up.
- The fact that I can run 13.1 miles and still make the last miles faster than the first miles, and the last one fastest of all. (see Coach - I do listen). And at a pace that not all that long ago I thought was unattainable for me over that distance. And this was just a training run! Just goes to show that our minds are powerful things, and we can do whatever we set our sights on. Also helps me believe that one day I can do it all that much faster than I am doing it now, and maybe running a half marathon at a sub-8:00 pace isn't all that crazy of an idea. And not to mention that I can keep working on it, and get this pace to work for a full marathon. :)
- The fact that in a training run, I can set a PR for my half-marathon distance. And not by a mere couple of seconds - I took a full three minutes off my time. WooHoo!!! Yes, that's what I did this morning. How freaking cool is that. It makes me think of my very first true running buddy, Colleen, who I set that PR with, who trained with me for my first half marathon through the long, snowy, often bitter-cold winter days of Calgary, and talked me into my first full marathon, and who will forever be the training buddy of my heart. She doesn't know it, but she still runs beside me every now and then, and I miss her a lot! She is far far away in Australia, and so I don't see her much. But she is never far from my thoughts. Hugs to you, Col.
Happy Training!
Kat
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Blessed
Well today is my birthday. 43. As I said to someone at work today, "well I'm still in the same age group" so can't be that bad. LOL. That's how we triathletes gauge our age really - whether we age up that year or not. Unfortunately we also tend to age ourselves sooner than we need to since your age group is based on whatever you'll be by the end of the year. So even if your birthday is Dec 31...you're already calling yourself another year older come Jan 1. HAHAHA. Someone else said "so 28 today huh?" and I laughed, and before I could even finish laughing my brain did the mental math and to come up with the "plus 15" and I nearly choked. How did I get so old so fast??!
Birthday or not I did get up at 5 to swim. I'm liking the solid green so far in training peaks - going for the full green this week! I managed to finagle the evening off, but honestly, now at 8pm, I'm really just wanting to go to bed. My 21-yr old daughter just laughs at me. That's okay though. Tomorrow will be a tough day - I've got my long run switched to tomorrow since I have a 10k race on Saturday that I really want to PR in, plus a 1:45 brick in the evening. This will be a first for me to do my long run mid-week. A challenge both mentally and physically. Let's see if I am up to the challenge.
So mostly I'm blogging tonight just to say thank you for all the wonderful blessings I've received from my friends and family today, near and far. I do feel very blessed to have so many wonderfully supportive people in my life. Thank you all, you mean a lot to me.
Happy Training!
Kat
Birthday or not I did get up at 5 to swim. I'm liking the solid green so far in training peaks - going for the full green this week! I managed to finagle the evening off, but honestly, now at 8pm, I'm really just wanting to go to bed. My 21-yr old daughter just laughs at me. That's okay though. Tomorrow will be a tough day - I've got my long run switched to tomorrow since I have a 10k race on Saturday that I really want to PR in, plus a 1:45 brick in the evening. This will be a first for me to do my long run mid-week. A challenge both mentally and physically. Let's see if I am up to the challenge.
So mostly I'm blogging tonight just to say thank you for all the wonderful blessings I've received from my friends and family today, near and far. I do feel very blessed to have so many wonderfully supportive people in my life. Thank you all, you mean a lot to me.
Happy Training!
Kat
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Female Athlete
My poor coach. (lol). He calls me last night, and our conversation went like this: "Hey Chris"..."Hey how's it goin?"..."Pretty good, how about you?"..."Great". This is pretty much how all our conversations start. Then: "OK. Would you Stop Freaking Out". And yes, I believe he was saying each word with a Capital Letter. I couldn't help but laugh. I believe there may have been a few "am I really gonna be ready for this, I'm so tired after 50 miles, how am I gonna do a century, never mind a marathon after" and "what the hell was I thinking" ...or something along those lines... in my training log this weekend. I told him I'd climbed down off the wall of fear a little since Saturday afternoon, and I had complete trust in him to get me there. :) Then he said that all the people he's coached to their first ironman have been men, so maybe he needs to adjust his approach a little. HAHAHA. It would have never occurred to me, to be honest, but it's probably a good idea. I consider myself a pretty tough woman, I can do just about anything a man can do (and more than some), but I am still a woman! And let's face it, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that men and women are different in every area, and training is therefore logically no different. I have been known to break down sobbing in the middle of a very tough workout, I don't think that really happens to guys. (at least none will admit it!). I have no idea why or what causes it, it's a physical release or something, but it happens. And there are other things too, especially in the motivational area that I suspect are quite different. All I know is I am grateful to have a coach that recognizes that, and that is going to be doing all the same training (albeit faster) that I'll be doing. THAT is worth its weight in gold. Here's my coach:
So, I'm good. I can't promise there won't be more freak-outs, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum. :) Everyone I know who has done an IM has said to me "you'll be fine". Sometimes it's hard to fight the moments of doubt that seep in during some of these longer workouts. And it's only gonna get tougher as I get closer. But as I said to Jen V on Saturday, as she was nurturing my poor abused muscles, "Chris always gets me where I need to be, and I trust he'll do the same this time too". So there's that, and also the belief that we get what we focus on - Law of Attraction - so I'll just keep pulling myself back to that. And as Chris also said - if you are tired, you're doing it right.
Got this week off to a good start with my Monday morning swim, and felt pretty good. And to top it all off, I got my new couch, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! The summer weekends are going to be long training hours, followed by nothing but resting and recovering from the long training. So now I have the perfect comfy never-wanna-get-off-this-thing place to do all the resting that I have to do after all the training.
One final comment on this one: After all that male/female differences discussion, just to be perfectly clear - NO, I don't think it should be called IronWoman for the girls, and if anyone ever calls me that I might have to smack them. It is interesting how many people (non-triathletes) ask me that question, and those of you who know me well, know I am a feminist, but somehow this just doesn't fit that. 20 weeks from now I will be an Ironman, and damn proud of it, gender-equality-correct, or not. :)
Happy Training!
Kat
So, I'm good. I can't promise there won't be more freak-outs, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum. :) Everyone I know who has done an IM has said to me "you'll be fine". Sometimes it's hard to fight the moments of doubt that seep in during some of these longer workouts. And it's only gonna get tougher as I get closer. But as I said to Jen V on Saturday, as she was nurturing my poor abused muscles, "Chris always gets me where I need to be, and I trust he'll do the same this time too". So there's that, and also the belief that we get what we focus on - Law of Attraction - so I'll just keep pulling myself back to that. And as Chris also said - if you are tired, you're doing it right.
Got this week off to a good start with my Monday morning swim, and felt pretty good. And to top it all off, I got my new couch, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! The summer weekends are going to be long training hours, followed by nothing but resting and recovering from the long training. So now I have the perfect comfy never-wanna-get-off-this-thing place to do all the resting that I have to do after all the training.
One final comment on this one: After all that male/female differences discussion, just to be perfectly clear - NO, I don't think it should be called IronWoman for the girls, and if anyone ever calls me that I might have to smack them. It is interesting how many people (non-triathletes) ask me that question, and those of you who know me well, know I am a feminist, but somehow this just doesn't fit that. 20 weeks from now I will be an Ironman, and damn proud of it, gender-equality-correct, or not. :)
Happy Training!
Kat
Sunday, April 10, 2011
20 Weeks to the Big Day
I have so much to write about this week. I think I need to start blogging more often. Too much for one post...
To reconnect to last week's post, and my determination to do all the workouts on the plan this week...well, let's say I did better than last week, but didn't quite make it all the way there. First off, Monday morning I show up at the pool at 5:30 am, yes, got my butt out of bed and got there...and you guessed it, swim was cancelled. Me and 4 others who didn't check our emails late Sunday had to turn around and go home. Problem I have is that I don't have a swimming backup right now. Soon enough the lake will be warm enough to swim in and I'll be able to do some OWS, and the neighbourhood pool will also be an option. But for now, I don't really have a backup. Need to think about joining a cheaper gym to have that...although I'm hoping to put that off till Fall. So, anyway, point being - started out the week first thing an hour and a half in the hole. :( Thursday was a bad day too. Did not get out for my run in the am, and then got caught at work too late to make it to the group ride. Damn. And the bike was at SF, so didn't even go out on my own. I was pretty pissed about being kept at work, but by the time I got home and got changed I knew I wouldn't make it. So instead, I sat down on the couch and had a glass of wine. :) yes, I could have got my run in, but honestly, work was pretty rough last week, and I think the glass of wine was better overall for me than the run. lol.
Rest of the week was solid. So I got in almost 11.5 hours of the 14.5 planned. Still not where I need to be, but better. Had a great negative split run on Tuesday night, 8 miles in 1:04, which felt so good. Hotlanta weather is here, who knows if it is here to stay, but Friday's pm run was brutally hot and WAY humid. Not sure where the hell spring went...is there even a spring here? I miss my Alberta springtime!!! Tulips last like, I don't know, maybe 3 hours here...(okay, maybe 3 days)...I've had tulips that made it a good 6+ weeks in Calgary!
Pool work was interesting this week. I got good feedback from April on Wednesday am. We were doing double sets with the second of each distance faster than the first. So on the faster one, I finished way more tired, but no faster. WTF. So I'm expending more energy, but not seeing any speed. April says form is good, which is a helluva long way from where I was 4-5 months ago. I really just need to work on my pull strength. I'm more tired because my arm turnover is going up - still fighting that mental thing about faster swim = faster stroke. So core work and upper body work including paddle work in the pool is on my agenda for the pull strength. I've always known that I need to focus more on core, and so let's just get to it. Friday we were focused on breath control in the pool, yuck. I really struggle with this. The first set I just sucked. Tracy pointed out that I was swimming flat again, and I realized it was because I'd been so focused on breathing every 5. So the next set I focused on getting that shoulder twist in there, and don't you know, I had no problem doing the breathing! lol. Not so strange really - focus on how hard something is and it's only gonna get harder. Switch your focus to something else, even just a little, and suddenly you are doing what you didn't think you could do. Ah, these self-limiting beliefs we harbour!
Had an awesome ride with Jennifer yesterday morning, thankfully before the hot weather really rolled in. It actually got to 90 here in the afternoon - up from 37 on Wed am! It was a good rolling course and while we didn't hammer it, it was great to actually get a full 3 hours in the saddle outside. No more 3 hr trainer sessions!! And it was kinda cool because we each rode from our own homes to a meetup place, then did the Reality Loop, and we managed to literally ride into the Starbucks at the exact same moment. I only had to add 2 neighbourhood loops to make my 3 hours at the end. It's so nice to ride with other people, makes you push harder, and it goes by so much quicker. Next week I'll have to go a little harder I think but this was perfect for my longest ride of the season so far.
I was pretty tired after yesterday's workout. Fortunately I had a torture session, I mean massage, booked with Jen Vogel, and thank goodness. And this morning, I put in a solid 12 miles. The neighbourhood loop is 2.85 miles, and has some pretty good hills in it. So I pretty much just go round and round. Today was 4 and a bit...and I'll probably just keep increasing it by a half loop or full loop each week. Kind of neat to see the progression of mileage in such a tangible way, moreso than just the numbers on the garmin.
Today marks 20 weeks to IMC. Kind of a key milestone in IM training - 20 weeks out is where the race-specific training really starts. No more messing around and absolutely can't miss any key workouts. This week I think I'm going to really focus in on why I'm doing this and what I want to get out of it. That has to be crystal clear for me to make it through the next 4+ months. With that, I'll sign off, or I could keep writing on that topic for far longer than any of you want to read. I'll save it for a later post!
Happy Training!
Kat
To reconnect to last week's post, and my determination to do all the workouts on the plan this week...well, let's say I did better than last week, but didn't quite make it all the way there. First off, Monday morning I show up at the pool at 5:30 am, yes, got my butt out of bed and got there...and you guessed it, swim was cancelled. Me and 4 others who didn't check our emails late Sunday had to turn around and go home. Problem I have is that I don't have a swimming backup right now. Soon enough the lake will be warm enough to swim in and I'll be able to do some OWS, and the neighbourhood pool will also be an option. But for now, I don't really have a backup. Need to think about joining a cheaper gym to have that...although I'm hoping to put that off till Fall. So, anyway, point being - started out the week first thing an hour and a half in the hole. :( Thursday was a bad day too. Did not get out for my run in the am, and then got caught at work too late to make it to the group ride. Damn. And the bike was at SF, so didn't even go out on my own. I was pretty pissed about being kept at work, but by the time I got home and got changed I knew I wouldn't make it. So instead, I sat down on the couch and had a glass of wine. :) yes, I could have got my run in, but honestly, work was pretty rough last week, and I think the glass of wine was better overall for me than the run. lol.
Rest of the week was solid. So I got in almost 11.5 hours of the 14.5 planned. Still not where I need to be, but better. Had a great negative split run on Tuesday night, 8 miles in 1:04, which felt so good. Hotlanta weather is here, who knows if it is here to stay, but Friday's pm run was brutally hot and WAY humid. Not sure where the hell spring went...is there even a spring here? I miss my Alberta springtime!!! Tulips last like, I don't know, maybe 3 hours here...(okay, maybe 3 days)...I've had tulips that made it a good 6+ weeks in Calgary!
Pool work was interesting this week. I got good feedback from April on Wednesday am. We were doing double sets with the second of each distance faster than the first. So on the faster one, I finished way more tired, but no faster. WTF. So I'm expending more energy, but not seeing any speed. April says form is good, which is a helluva long way from where I was 4-5 months ago. I really just need to work on my pull strength. I'm more tired because my arm turnover is going up - still fighting that mental thing about faster swim = faster stroke. So core work and upper body work including paddle work in the pool is on my agenda for the pull strength. I've always known that I need to focus more on core, and so let's just get to it. Friday we were focused on breath control in the pool, yuck. I really struggle with this. The first set I just sucked. Tracy pointed out that I was swimming flat again, and I realized it was because I'd been so focused on breathing every 5. So the next set I focused on getting that shoulder twist in there, and don't you know, I had no problem doing the breathing! lol. Not so strange really - focus on how hard something is and it's only gonna get harder. Switch your focus to something else, even just a little, and suddenly you are doing what you didn't think you could do. Ah, these self-limiting beliefs we harbour!
Had an awesome ride with Jennifer yesterday morning, thankfully before the hot weather really rolled in. It actually got to 90 here in the afternoon - up from 37 on Wed am! It was a good rolling course and while we didn't hammer it, it was great to actually get a full 3 hours in the saddle outside. No more 3 hr trainer sessions!! And it was kinda cool because we each rode from our own homes to a meetup place, then did the Reality Loop, and we managed to literally ride into the Starbucks at the exact same moment. I only had to add 2 neighbourhood loops to make my 3 hours at the end. It's so nice to ride with other people, makes you push harder, and it goes by so much quicker. Next week I'll have to go a little harder I think but this was perfect for my longest ride of the season so far.
I was pretty tired after yesterday's workout. Fortunately I had a torture session, I mean massage, booked with Jen Vogel, and thank goodness. And this morning, I put in a solid 12 miles. The neighbourhood loop is 2.85 miles, and has some pretty good hills in it. So I pretty much just go round and round. Today was 4 and a bit...and I'll probably just keep increasing it by a half loop or full loop each week. Kind of neat to see the progression of mileage in such a tangible way, moreso than just the numbers on the garmin.
Today marks 20 weeks to IMC. Kind of a key milestone in IM training - 20 weeks out is where the race-specific training really starts. No more messing around and absolutely can't miss any key workouts. This week I think I'm going to really focus in on why I'm doing this and what I want to get out of it. That has to be crystal clear for me to make it through the next 4+ months. With that, I'll sign off, or I could keep writing on that topic for far longer than any of you want to read. I'll save it for a later post!
Happy Training!
Kat
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The State of Perpetual Yawn
Seriously. I think my co-workers and friends have seen more of my tonsils this week than anything else. I'm constantly yawning - and I don't mean polite little yawns, I'm talking about the jaw-splitting, tear-forming kind of yawns...and believe me, I got a LOT of sleep this week. Yes, I am the queen of living the party life. Aside from my standard 9pm bedtime...let's see...Tuesday night, 745 in bed, fast asleep by 8. Thursday, came home from work 430, and fell asleep on the bed for several hours, and while I did wake up for a few hours, I went right back to sleep for the rest of the night. And no, I can't even blame it on my usual 5am wakeup calls...I didn't get up early Friday am to workout; well...I did...but then I went back to sleep. Not to mention I slept right through Thursday night's actual workout. Yes, I was going to call this week's blog "I sucked big time this week" but figured that might attract the wrong audience...
So not a stellar week in terms of commitment to the workout plan. I only did 8:30 out of a planned 13:30...oops. Possibly one of my worst yet, certainly my worst this year in terms of actual:plan. Of course, 3 hours of the stuff missed was 2 of my 3 swim workouts...sorry Tracy.
But I did manage to get back on track for the weekend. Had a tough hilly ride yesterday, where everyone including the hills kicked my ass, followed by a short 15 minute run that hurt like hell. Last weekend I ran 7:35's off the bike! Woohoo! This weekend was not that much fun :) But that's ok. I told Zimmer and James that I need to run with them every weekend off the bike - I mean seriously, 7:35's off the bike? That's killer for me.
And speaking of running, I don't know what exactly happened in San Juan, but it appears that I have broken through some sort of plateau. I am running faster than I ever have, and I am feeling no pain in my left hammie. What's that noise you say? That's me knocking on wood, loudly and repeatedly, and please, do me a favour and knock for me while you are reading this. :) Anyway, last weekend I was running some 7:45's which is, again, unheard of for me...and in my new hilly (VERY hilly) neighbourhood to boot. And today, even with the tough workout yesterday, I managed to pull off 7:50 for the last 3.5 miles of my 10.5 mile run. And I'm very happy with that.
To top it all off, I managed to get out on the motorcycle after my run for a wonderful ride on a truly beautiful afternoon, and then make a few rings in my metalsmithing class this evening. It's been a great weekend. Now I am off to bed, with the intent of making all my 14.5 hours of planned workouts this week! I'm sure I'll do better than last week.
Happy Training!
Kat
P.S. oh ya - Happy 40th Birthday to my sister Moira today - wonder how my Mum feels now with all her kids over 40?
So not a stellar week in terms of commitment to the workout plan. I only did 8:30 out of a planned 13:30...oops. Possibly one of my worst yet, certainly my worst this year in terms of actual:plan. Of course, 3 hours of the stuff missed was 2 of my 3 swim workouts...sorry Tracy.
But I did manage to get back on track for the weekend. Had a tough hilly ride yesterday, where everyone including the hills kicked my ass, followed by a short 15 minute run that hurt like hell. Last weekend I ran 7:35's off the bike! Woohoo! This weekend was not that much fun :) But that's ok. I told Zimmer and James that I need to run with them every weekend off the bike - I mean seriously, 7:35's off the bike? That's killer for me.
And speaking of running, I don't know what exactly happened in San Juan, but it appears that I have broken through some sort of plateau. I am running faster than I ever have, and I am feeling no pain in my left hammie. What's that noise you say? That's me knocking on wood, loudly and repeatedly, and please, do me a favour and knock for me while you are reading this. :) Anyway, last weekend I was running some 7:45's which is, again, unheard of for me...and in my new hilly (VERY hilly) neighbourhood to boot. And today, even with the tough workout yesterday, I managed to pull off 7:50 for the last 3.5 miles of my 10.5 mile run. And I'm very happy with that.
To top it all off, I managed to get out on the motorcycle after my run for a wonderful ride on a truly beautiful afternoon, and then make a few rings in my metalsmithing class this evening. It's been a great weekend. Now I am off to bed, with the intent of making all my 14.5 hours of planned workouts this week! I'm sure I'll do better than last week.
Happy Training!
Kat
P.S. oh ya - Happy 40th Birthday to my sister Moira today - wonder how my Mum feels now with all her kids over 40?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)