Where to begin...I'll start just briefly by saying Thursday night I ate almost half of a large, deep dish, Domino's Pizza and then on Friday, for both lunch and Dinner I had my usual, a Moe's burrito. After teaching most of the day on Friday, Irfan and I jumped into the far and drove to Clermont. We completed the usual: race meeting, bike check-in, etc. Then as the sun was setting we left out on what would tomorrow's bike course. We had a difficult time early on trying to find the route in the dark. After losing and finding the route a few times, I gave it up. I was exhausted, ready to eat and had seen all I needed to see. The course was hilly! As we were driving along we would say, "Surely they won't have us biking up this hill". Um, yeah, I wish. We biked up hills WAY worse than we saw on Friday night.
Anyway, we drove 20 minutes south to our cheap hotel that was one of the sponsoring hotels ($40/night!). We settle into the room; I choke down my burrito that I didn't really want, went through all my gear, which I seem to have a lot of these days and then jumped into bed, only to find a sharp pain in my shoulder blade. It hurt to lay on my back and on my right side. How was I going to race? I laid on my left side and was asleep before I even realized it.
The alarm sounded, and eventually I was up and moving. The breakfast I had brought from home sent me pucking to the bathroom. I had one taste, the food had spoiled. I was now forced to go check out the continental breakfast. Irfan and I headed down to find a lovely treat awaiting. Well, as lovely as a good continental breakfast can be. I had a bagel with cream cheese, a little bit of instant oatmeal and 1 small microwaved pancake that was not good at all. I chased it with some gatorade when I got back to the room.
After lubing up in all the right places and covering myself in sunblock, except for my forgotten arms, which are now slightly burned, I packed all my gear up and hit the road at 6:25. By 6:45 I was out of the car headed to transition in drizzling rain. I struggled with all my stuff, perhaps I have too much. I had to carry it about 3 blocks. Finally as I laid my gear out, the drizzle turned to a steady rain. They announced the water would be wetsuit legal. Damn it! I still don't have a wetsuit. Oh well! There was nothing I could do now. I finished laying out my gear not only in the rain, but in the dark too. I didn't even bother to check my tire pressure, I was freezing and ready for everything to be over.
I got weighed in and headed for cover under the pavilion. I stood close to people just trying to get some heat. Irfan finally found me and we waited together as the start of the Great Floridian (full iron distance race) approached. We stood overlooking the beach as the gun sounded and they were off, moving slowly into the water; then, the relays started. Finally it was my turn. I walked slowly down to the beach, waded into the water for the first time and went back to the beach to stand with my fellow athletes. The countdown started and we were off, wading into the water and finally swimming.
The water was choppy, making it nearly impossible to stay on course. I got several mouthfuls of water when I went to breathe. I continued trying to site, but found my blue-tinted goggles were quite a hindrance to seeing the buoys. I occasionally lifted off my goggles to be sure I was swimming in the right direction. The swim was slow. I tried to do freestyle, but every time I did a few strokes and then would site, I found that I had turned a couple of strokes off to one side and would then have to swim back. I opted then for breaststroke a good portion of the time. It sucked overall. It was nice though being in fresh water.
(more later)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Training Update
I should start with a big Thank You to my friend Peter, so THANKS! He sent me an email giving me a good verbal lashing and I needed it :)
Last week was tough as many of the previous weeks have been. Part of it has been dealing with pain. When I run and also when I biked the other day, my side hurts. It's not the normal side stitches. I run for a while, then it hurts and walking doesn't seem to help. It hurts to breathe. I want to double over and die, but that doesn't help either. It feels like I'm having a muscle spasm in my abs only it's higher. I suspected my gallbladder. Finally it wasn't intermittent anymore, it was constant and then it also happened on the bike. I was ready to go to the doctor, but decided to look at my diet first.
I opted to avoid all greens and the result was amazing. After not having any at all for several days, all the pain went away and has not returned. No more salads or spinach for me, at least not any time soon. I have had awesome runs and rides ever since.
That brings me to last weekend. I met my Plan B group and went for the usual Saturday ride only at the end of it, 3 of us got off and ran 4 miles. The run was slow and painful as the sun was beating down on us with no wind or shade. I drank a full 16 oz and went back to the shop and drank quite a bit more. Sunday I needed to run. My miles haven't been building the way I would like, but I've been getting a little more consistent in the number of days I'm running.
I got up early and left for 8 miles. It was still dark and rather cool for us. I decided not to look at my watch until 4 miles and just focus on running my best. When I looked down at 4 miles, I realized I was only 1 minute 17 seconds over an average 10 minute pace. I felt good and so I ran strong for another 2 miles and noticed that I had not lost any on my pace. Now it was time to make a move if I was going to. It started to drizzle. I picked it up. I ran a sub 10 and then a sub 9 and finished in 1:19:47, a new best. Afterwards, my biking buddy Mark wanted me to bike with him. So I hit the road for an easy 20 mile ride until we both got flats. That was a good ending point for the day.
Monday came and went. I swam a little, nothing too much. Tuesday I had planned a 10 mile run. Irfan and I started at 6 am. I was just out to cover the miles, but 1 mile in I was feeling really good. I stayed patient, but by 2 miles, I felt great and was running well. Irafn was ahead, but not too far. At 3 miles I had a pack of CarbBoom and as I neared 4 miles, I was closing in on him. At 6 miles, I again found that I was only about 1 minute over a 10 minute average pace. I took my second CarbBoom and was on the final stretch. At 7.5 miles I passed Irfan and took off. My finish time, 1:37:40. A full 12+ minutes off my previous best 10 mile time. I didn't mean for this to be a PR, I started off just wanting to cover the miles.
Thursday I did an easy 45 mile ride and then ran 3 at an easy pace. Today, I did my longest workout. I met my riding buddies and rode most of the way with them, but finished the last 10 of 57 miles by myself. Then, Irfan and I headed out on an 8 mile run just covering the miles. I was slow and walked some, but that was fine. All I needed was to finish and I did.
Why the long day? I registered for a half-ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) for next weekend. I was going to go to Tempe, AZ, in 2 weeks for a half iron race, but opted for the local race a week early and since I know I can go the distance, I need the race experience. This will be my last big triathlon this season. If I can get in another Olympic in early November, I might do that, but I want to wait and see how I feel.
So, for this week, everything will be slow and easy. I want to sleep a lot and exercise enough to keep me loose and feeling good, but that's it. No PRs, no long days, just rest and mental prep for this weekend.
The race is the 23rd Annual Florida Challenge in Clermont, Florida (about 20 minutes west of Orlando). The race is done concurrently with The Great Floridian, a full iron distance race.
I'm excited and know I can do this. Yes, it would be better if I could wait 1 more month, but there's not a local race next month that still has openings. So I'll do this one and then really focus on running and get ready for the OUC half marathon on December 1 in Orlando and of course, the Disney marathon on January 13. I'm also looking at a 30k in mid-November here in town. It will be a good/long training run (18.6 miles).
Thanks again Peter. Just so you know, I'm eating the world about every other day so I'm always prepared for training :)
Oh and I almost forgot, I got an awesome Tri-suit. The material is amazing and it's one of the most comfortable things I have ever worn. The suit doesn't creep move, at all, when I ride or when I run and it's amazing at wicking away all the sweat. If you're interested, it's the Descente Race Tri-Suit. The suit was also the #1 choice by Darren Cox, our local Kona qualifier. He's racing right now as I type this. Go Darren!
Last week was tough as many of the previous weeks have been. Part of it has been dealing with pain. When I run and also when I biked the other day, my side hurts. It's not the normal side stitches. I run for a while, then it hurts and walking doesn't seem to help. It hurts to breathe. I want to double over and die, but that doesn't help either. It feels like I'm having a muscle spasm in my abs only it's higher. I suspected my gallbladder. Finally it wasn't intermittent anymore, it was constant and then it also happened on the bike. I was ready to go to the doctor, but decided to look at my diet first.
I opted to avoid all greens and the result was amazing. After not having any at all for several days, all the pain went away and has not returned. No more salads or spinach for me, at least not any time soon. I have had awesome runs and rides ever since.
That brings me to last weekend. I met my Plan B group and went for the usual Saturday ride only at the end of it, 3 of us got off and ran 4 miles. The run was slow and painful as the sun was beating down on us with no wind or shade. I drank a full 16 oz and went back to the shop and drank quite a bit more. Sunday I needed to run. My miles haven't been building the way I would like, but I've been getting a little more consistent in the number of days I'm running.
I got up early and left for 8 miles. It was still dark and rather cool for us. I decided not to look at my watch until 4 miles and just focus on running my best. When I looked down at 4 miles, I realized I was only 1 minute 17 seconds over an average 10 minute pace. I felt good and so I ran strong for another 2 miles and noticed that I had not lost any on my pace. Now it was time to make a move if I was going to. It started to drizzle. I picked it up. I ran a sub 10 and then a sub 9 and finished in 1:19:47, a new best. Afterwards, my biking buddy Mark wanted me to bike with him. So I hit the road for an easy 20 mile ride until we both got flats. That was a good ending point for the day.
Monday came and went. I swam a little, nothing too much. Tuesday I had planned a 10 mile run. Irfan and I started at 6 am. I was just out to cover the miles, but 1 mile in I was feeling really good. I stayed patient, but by 2 miles, I felt great and was running well. Irafn was ahead, but not too far. At 3 miles I had a pack of CarbBoom and as I neared 4 miles, I was closing in on him. At 6 miles, I again found that I was only about 1 minute over a 10 minute average pace. I took my second CarbBoom and was on the final stretch. At 7.5 miles I passed Irfan and took off. My finish time, 1:37:40. A full 12+ minutes off my previous best 10 mile time. I didn't mean for this to be a PR, I started off just wanting to cover the miles.
Thursday I did an easy 45 mile ride and then ran 3 at an easy pace. Today, I did my longest workout. I met my riding buddies and rode most of the way with them, but finished the last 10 of 57 miles by myself. Then, Irfan and I headed out on an 8 mile run just covering the miles. I was slow and walked some, but that was fine. All I needed was to finish and I did.
Why the long day? I registered for a half-ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) for next weekend. I was going to go to Tempe, AZ, in 2 weeks for a half iron race, but opted for the local race a week early and since I know I can go the distance, I need the race experience. This will be my last big triathlon this season. If I can get in another Olympic in early November, I might do that, but I want to wait and see how I feel.
So, for this week, everything will be slow and easy. I want to sleep a lot and exercise enough to keep me loose and feeling good, but that's it. No PRs, no long days, just rest and mental prep for this weekend.
The race is the 23rd Annual Florida Challenge in Clermont, Florida (about 20 minutes west of Orlando). The race is done concurrently with The Great Floridian, a full iron distance race.
I'm excited and know I can do this. Yes, it would be better if I could wait 1 more month, but there's not a local race next month that still has openings. So I'll do this one and then really focus on running and get ready for the OUC half marathon on December 1 in Orlando and of course, the Disney marathon on January 13. I'm also looking at a 30k in mid-November here in town. It will be a good/long training run (18.6 miles).
Thanks again Peter. Just so you know, I'm eating the world about every other day so I'm always prepared for training :)
Oh and I almost forgot, I got an awesome Tri-suit. The material is amazing and it's one of the most comfortable things I have ever worn. The suit doesn't creep move, at all, when I ride or when I run and it's amazing at wicking away all the sweat. If you're interested, it's the Descente Race Tri-Suit. The suit was also the #1 choice by Darren Cox, our local Kona qualifier. He's racing right now as I type this. Go Darren!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Escape 2 Miami -- Olympic Distance Triathlon
I'm sick! Thanks to my great students who have given me this rotten cold. Ugg. I dare say the 15k race I was going to run in the morning will not come to be, sadly. Nor will I train much at all. I am taking this weekend off to rest apparently and I guess it comes at a good time. I just gave my first exam today in my classes and now have almost 160 to grade.
Ok, now for the real stuff. My race went ok. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad either. I know that I have tons of room for improvement, so that's good. I would hate to go out and win everything the first time :) (Yeah right!)
Anyway, the distance wasn't an issue. I felt good about that, but the course was challenging. It started early. The alarm went off and I sprang into action around 4:30. By 5:15, Irfan and I were walking to transition in the dark. I laid everything out in the exact order I had mentally prepared the night before. Everything would be ready for me when I came out of the water.
Having things just as I wanted, it was time to trek down to the ferry boats where I would be kidnapped and dropped off on Escape Island in the middle of Biscayne Bay. It was dark as we pushed off the dock aboard a local pirate ship and into the bay. As we neared the island I noticed the song they were playing went something like this, "Jump! Go ahead and jump!" Coincidence, I think not. We were preparing to jump off the boat and swim to the island. A song or two later was "I'll send an S.O.S. to the world I hope that someone gets my...". Yes, they were clever and most around me were oblivious to the irony.
It was time and so I donned my bright pink swim cap with my blue goggles and plunged into the water. It was warm, almost roasty. I swam the 100 or so yards to the island and there I sat waiting and waiting to begin my escape. The swim was suppose to start at 7:30, but 7:30 came and went. It wasn't until somewhere between 8:15 and 8:30 before we finally headed out into the open water.
The swim was a mass start and there were approximately 1000 athletes registered. We had room though to spread out and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had heard or imagined. I had read to breath every stroke in the beginning of an open water swim until your breathing slows and you are comfortable. That was good advice. I occasionally switched sides, but found that breathing on my right wasn't working too well. The chop was right in my face, the sun was beating down on me and my goggles seemed to constantly leak after breathing to the right, so I stayed mostly with the left. I lifted my head every now and again to look ahead and to see my route through the other swimmers. During this time we were swimming mostly against the current and it was hard with the choppiness and so forth. In general I'm a pretty good swimmer, but I was thinking about how easy it would have been for anyone to drown out there, including myself.
At last I rounded the buoy and it was time to head back towards shore. After making the turn I was almost alone for the remaining 700+ yards of the swim. I took the side route out of the main stream of the people and got comfortable and took more strokes between my breaths until finally I was in so much pain. My top had rubbed against my neck to the point of removing the top layer or 2 of skin and it sucked. I began trying to breathe on my right more and only occasionally switched back to my painful left side. The swim seemed long, but I had finally found my rhythm and was feeling good, aside from the chaffing on my neck.
I headed out of the water and into transition. I stopped for a cup of water to rinse that saltiness out of my mouth. Ukk! I hate the taste of salt water! I had left a gu packet open standing in my shoe ready for me to slurp down. It was great. I have discovered my favorite energy gel is CarbBoom apple cinnamon or strawberry kiwi. They both are almost as good as candy! I attempted to be quick in the transition, but I'm slow. This is one of the areas I need to work really hard on.
At last I was off onto my bike :) The road was bumpy and the wind intense which was sometimes good (ie when it was a tail wind) and other times hell. I started off though feeling really good. I felt strong and knew I could have a good day. When I rounded the corner and headed for the first bridge the wind seemed to stop me dead in my tracks. Ok, I didn't stop, but the ride suddenly got really hard. I approached the bridge which is a little smaller than the one I bike over regularly. I got off my seat and peddled to the top passing many others (my local bridge climbing had paid off). As I rounded the top, I got low and cursed the wind for being so strong. There was another bridge a little smaller and then we were beach side with a crosswind. It wasn't bad. For the most part I was holding 18+mph. The turn around came and soon a long uphill entrance to climb back onto I-195W. Now the wind was at my back. I was loving it. After heading down the first bridge I was holding 25+ and then as I passed a few more people going up the second bridge I was flying. With the wind at my back and heading down the bridge, I hit 37 mph! I held tight and enjoyed the speed. Finally it was time to peddle again. I made the turn onto the last road, went about 1-2 miles, turned around, continued past the water stop and headed out for my second lap.
Heading into the wind sucked just as bad, wait it was worse, the second time around. It drizzled off and on which was nice to keep us cool, but made you keenly aware that a few more drops would make the roads slick and that would be nasty. There was already a wreck. I didn't see it happen, but I noticed the two guys not moving off the pavement afterwards. I also saw a few people walking their bikes back, probably problems with their chain. There were also the usual flats. Luckily I escaped with no harm.
I jumped off my bike and took way too long in transition again. I was right on time though. If I had a good run then I could beat the 3 hour mark. I had another gu (I also had taken one on the bike), changed shoes, put on my visor and eventually was off and running, but with much pain. I tried to regulate my breathing, but it didn't seem to help. I thought something was going to fall out of me. At least it felt like someone was going to pull it out of me, whatever "it" was. I kept a steady pace for the first 2 miles, but finally I couldn't hold it. I began walking off and on. I tried to do 5-1 (run 5 minutes, walk 1). After a couple of reps I decided to do 4-1. I felt horrible and was SO hot.
The aid stations made me mad. Either the water OR the gatorade was cold, never both! I always took a cup of each, but by the end I wished I had taken 2 of each. In addition to my pain, the run course wasn't all that easy either. After heading out of transition and down the street a couple of blocks, we headed up over another very long bridge. We were running directly into the wind. On the way back I was so tired, it didn't matter where the wind was, I was walking a lot. After climbing the bridge again, I made the commitment to run the rest of the way. I picked it up and finished strong in 3 hours 12 minutes and 41 seconds, but the run pace was slower than my slow marathon pace.
It wasn't a great race, but it was a good experience and overall, I'm happy with my time. On my next race, I'll try for a flat fast course and push to break that 3 hour mark I so desperately want.
Ok, now for the real stuff. My race went ok. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad either. I know that I have tons of room for improvement, so that's good. I would hate to go out and win everything the first time :) (Yeah right!)
Anyway, the distance wasn't an issue. I felt good about that, but the course was challenging. It started early. The alarm went off and I sprang into action around 4:30. By 5:15, Irfan and I were walking to transition in the dark. I laid everything out in the exact order I had mentally prepared the night before. Everything would be ready for me when I came out of the water.
Having things just as I wanted, it was time to trek down to the ferry boats where I would be kidnapped and dropped off on Escape Island in the middle of Biscayne Bay. It was dark as we pushed off the dock aboard a local pirate ship and into the bay. As we neared the island I noticed the song they were playing went something like this, "Jump! Go ahead and jump!" Coincidence, I think not. We were preparing to jump off the boat and swim to the island. A song or two later was "I'll send an S.O.S. to the world I hope that someone gets my...". Yes, they were clever and most around me were oblivious to the irony.
It was time and so I donned my bright pink swim cap with my blue goggles and plunged into the water. It was warm, almost roasty. I swam the 100 or so yards to the island and there I sat waiting and waiting to begin my escape. The swim was suppose to start at 7:30, but 7:30 came and went. It wasn't until somewhere between 8:15 and 8:30 before we finally headed out into the open water.
The swim was a mass start and there were approximately 1000 athletes registered. We had room though to spread out and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had heard or imagined. I had read to breath every stroke in the beginning of an open water swim until your breathing slows and you are comfortable. That was good advice. I occasionally switched sides, but found that breathing on my right wasn't working too well. The chop was right in my face, the sun was beating down on me and my goggles seemed to constantly leak after breathing to the right, so I stayed mostly with the left. I lifted my head every now and again to look ahead and to see my route through the other swimmers. During this time we were swimming mostly against the current and it was hard with the choppiness and so forth. In general I'm a pretty good swimmer, but I was thinking about how easy it would have been for anyone to drown out there, including myself.
At last I rounded the buoy and it was time to head back towards shore. After making the turn I was almost alone for the remaining 700+ yards of the swim. I took the side route out of the main stream of the people and got comfortable and took more strokes between my breaths until finally I was in so much pain. My top had rubbed against my neck to the point of removing the top layer or 2 of skin and it sucked. I began trying to breathe on my right more and only occasionally switched back to my painful left side. The swim seemed long, but I had finally found my rhythm and was feeling good, aside from the chaffing on my neck.
I headed out of the water and into transition. I stopped for a cup of water to rinse that saltiness out of my mouth. Ukk! I hate the taste of salt water! I had left a gu packet open standing in my shoe ready for me to slurp down. It was great. I have discovered my favorite energy gel is CarbBoom apple cinnamon or strawberry kiwi. They both are almost as good as candy! I attempted to be quick in the transition, but I'm slow. This is one of the areas I need to work really hard on.
At last I was off onto my bike :) The road was bumpy and the wind intense which was sometimes good (ie when it was a tail wind) and other times hell. I started off though feeling really good. I felt strong and knew I could have a good day. When I rounded the corner and headed for the first bridge the wind seemed to stop me dead in my tracks. Ok, I didn't stop, but the ride suddenly got really hard. I approached the bridge which is a little smaller than the one I bike over regularly. I got off my seat and peddled to the top passing many others (my local bridge climbing had paid off). As I rounded the top, I got low and cursed the wind for being so strong. There was another bridge a little smaller and then we were beach side with a crosswind. It wasn't bad. For the most part I was holding 18+mph. The turn around came and soon a long uphill entrance to climb back onto I-195W. Now the wind was at my back. I was loving it. After heading down the first bridge I was holding 25+ and then as I passed a few more people going up the second bridge I was flying. With the wind at my back and heading down the bridge, I hit 37 mph! I held tight and enjoyed the speed. Finally it was time to peddle again. I made the turn onto the last road, went about 1-2 miles, turned around, continued past the water stop and headed out for my second lap.
Heading into the wind sucked just as bad, wait it was worse, the second time around. It drizzled off and on which was nice to keep us cool, but made you keenly aware that a few more drops would make the roads slick and that would be nasty. There was already a wreck. I didn't see it happen, but I noticed the two guys not moving off the pavement afterwards. I also saw a few people walking their bikes back, probably problems with their chain. There were also the usual flats. Luckily I escaped with no harm.
I jumped off my bike and took way too long in transition again. I was right on time though. If I had a good run then I could beat the 3 hour mark. I had another gu (I also had taken one on the bike), changed shoes, put on my visor and eventually was off and running, but with much pain. I tried to regulate my breathing, but it didn't seem to help. I thought something was going to fall out of me. At least it felt like someone was going to pull it out of me, whatever "it" was. I kept a steady pace for the first 2 miles, but finally I couldn't hold it. I began walking off and on. I tried to do 5-1 (run 5 minutes, walk 1). After a couple of reps I decided to do 4-1. I felt horrible and was SO hot.
The aid stations made me mad. Either the water OR the gatorade was cold, never both! I always took a cup of each, but by the end I wished I had taken 2 of each. In addition to my pain, the run course wasn't all that easy either. After heading out of transition and down the street a couple of blocks, we headed up over another very long bridge. We were running directly into the wind. On the way back I was so tired, it didn't matter where the wind was, I was walking a lot. After climbing the bridge again, I made the commitment to run the rest of the way. I picked it up and finished strong in 3 hours 12 minutes and 41 seconds, but the run pace was slower than my slow marathon pace.
It wasn't a great race, but it was a good experience and overall, I'm happy with my time. On my next race, I'll try for a flat fast course and push to break that 3 hour mark I so desperately want.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Down but hopefully not out
Life is hard, but I knew that. It just seems increasingly difficult these days. Work is very demanding and my training is suffering as well as my mental well being. I'm busy working until near or past midnight many nights and then trying to get up and go for another day only to do it all over again and I'm not dealing well with it. I'm exhausted constantly and depressed that my training is so poor.
I've had a few days where I just wanted to say to hell with it all and quit and find a new something. I don't mind the teaching, but the prep work is what I hate. It takes me forever. Just like with running, I'm slow at it and it's miserable. I'm not sure if I'm eating enough and I know that I could improve what I am eating but everything takes so much time and effort that I would almost rather not eat than have to deal with it.
I feel weak these days, some physical, but I think that's just from lack of sleep, but mentally as well. I'm sure that's also from lack of sleep, but it's harder for me to deal with. Physically, I just cut back on my training. Mentally, I get depressed for not training hard enough, long enough, fast enough, often enough...
I've always set goals, but perhaps mine for now are too high and I'm putting too much pressure on myself to achieve them too quickly. And when I'm not having a good training session I find it difficult to keep going and often times, like today, I cut it short. This leads to me feeling weak and I hate it. Most of the time I stick it out, but increasingly I've not. I have debated on getting a coach. I know I could really use one right now and I've got a really good reference. I've been told that the benefits are well worth it, but for some reason I hesitate. I feel like it's a big step and right now I'm not sure that I'm ready for that step, although maybe that's what I need.
I'm getting tired of the exact same training routines. I could change things up, but I'm not sure how much is enough and what is too much. I want to improve and I know I have some limitations, but I know there's an efficient way to train to push out those limitations. I just don't know if a getting a coach would help with that right now or if I need to get a better training routine first.
On the other hand, there are a few bright spots. I met a really great person at the bike shop who has participated in triahtlons since the early 80s. We had dinner with the bike shop crew last Friday and talked about triathlons and training. He's out of town right now, unfortunately, but he's going to be a great resource. He seemed excited about being able to pass on his wealth of knowledge to me. He began laying out some running drills and said he would write me up some swim workouts that incorporate intervals. I know these things will be extremely helpful and I'm excited about getting started on them, but I'm not sure when he'll be able to get them worked out for me.
To help me set new/reasonable running goals, I think I'm going to go run a road race this weekend in Orlando. I'm looking at a 15k. It's been quite a while since I've done a road race and I think that it will help me see where I stand. I just hope I have a good race. Even though I want to use this race to set goals, I also have goals for this race and I hope I'm not disappointed if I fall short. I know it's not suppose to work this way, but this is fortunately/unfortunately how I work and who I am.
I set goals and worked like hell to achieve them and then am disappointed when I fall short.
I'll have a race report from Escape 2 Miami soon. I'll say this though, the course was tough.
I've had a few days where I just wanted to say to hell with it all and quit and find a new something. I don't mind the teaching, but the prep work is what I hate. It takes me forever. Just like with running, I'm slow at it and it's miserable. I'm not sure if I'm eating enough and I know that I could improve what I am eating but everything takes so much time and effort that I would almost rather not eat than have to deal with it.
I feel weak these days, some physical, but I think that's just from lack of sleep, but mentally as well. I'm sure that's also from lack of sleep, but it's harder for me to deal with. Physically, I just cut back on my training. Mentally, I get depressed for not training hard enough, long enough, fast enough, often enough...
I've always set goals, but perhaps mine for now are too high and I'm putting too much pressure on myself to achieve them too quickly. And when I'm not having a good training session I find it difficult to keep going and often times, like today, I cut it short. This leads to me feeling weak and I hate it. Most of the time I stick it out, but increasingly I've not. I have debated on getting a coach. I know I could really use one right now and I've got a really good reference. I've been told that the benefits are well worth it, but for some reason I hesitate. I feel like it's a big step and right now I'm not sure that I'm ready for that step, although maybe that's what I need.
I'm getting tired of the exact same training routines. I could change things up, but I'm not sure how much is enough and what is too much. I want to improve and I know I have some limitations, but I know there's an efficient way to train to push out those limitations. I just don't know if a getting a coach would help with that right now or if I need to get a better training routine first.
On the other hand, there are a few bright spots. I met a really great person at the bike shop who has participated in triahtlons since the early 80s. We had dinner with the bike shop crew last Friday and talked about triathlons and training. He's out of town right now, unfortunately, but he's going to be a great resource. He seemed excited about being able to pass on his wealth of knowledge to me. He began laying out some running drills and said he would write me up some swim workouts that incorporate intervals. I know these things will be extremely helpful and I'm excited about getting started on them, but I'm not sure when he'll be able to get them worked out for me.
To help me set new/reasonable running goals, I think I'm going to go run a road race this weekend in Orlando. I'm looking at a 15k. It's been quite a while since I've done a road race and I think that it will help me see where I stand. I just hope I have a good race. Even though I want to use this race to set goals, I also have goals for this race and I hope I'm not disappointed if I fall short. I know it's not suppose to work this way, but this is fortunately/unfortunately how I work and who I am.
I set goals and worked like hell to achieve them and then am disappointed when I fall short.
I'll have a race report from Escape 2 Miami soon. I'll say this though, the course was tough.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Take Two!
TWO whole minutes off my previous best 5 mile time! I ran 5 miles at a 9:04 pace the other day. It was hot and so I figure that when the weather cools off a little I'll be running sub 9 pace (that's my hope anyway). The long bikes are paying off too by increasing my lactic threshold.
Also recently I did a quick time trial of 1000 yard swim. The goal was to finish in less than 19 minutes. I SMASHED it finishing in 16:30. This time trial was to 1) set a benchmark early in my training for me to measure my progress against and 2) to determine if speed and endurance should be my primary focus or technique. The result: technique. Now that I can swim 1000 yards in under 19 minutes, I should focus on my efficiency more according to Joe Friel's book "Going Long".
Coming up this weekend is my first Olympic Triathlon. It will be in Miami and is modeled after Escape from Alcatraz. Instead, it's Escape back to Miami. There's a ferry that takes you out to an island where you wait for your swim to start. Then you swim back to shore 0.7 miles, jump on your bike for 24.9 miles and run 6.2 miles. I'm really excited about the race, but not looking forward to trying to be ready to teach first thing Monday morning since the race is on Sunday 4 hours away. I'll have to stay really focused all week to get my work done so I can play hard this weekend.
Also recently I did a quick time trial of 1000 yard swim. The goal was to finish in less than 19 minutes. I SMASHED it finishing in 16:30. This time trial was to 1) set a benchmark early in my training for me to measure my progress against and 2) to determine if speed and endurance should be my primary focus or technique. The result: technique. Now that I can swim 1000 yards in under 19 minutes, I should focus on my efficiency more according to Joe Friel's book "Going Long".
Coming up this weekend is my first Olympic Triathlon. It will be in Miami and is modeled after Escape from Alcatraz. Instead, it's Escape back to Miami. There's a ferry that takes you out to an island where you wait for your swim to start. Then you swim back to shore 0.7 miles, jump on your bike for 24.9 miles and run 6.2 miles. I'm really excited about the race, but not looking forward to trying to be ready to teach first thing Monday morning since the race is on Sunday 4 hours away. I'll have to stay really focused all week to get my work done so I can play hard this weekend.
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