This year has been a year focused solely on running and making improvements to speed- mainly to reduce the crazy race spending from last year. Piece of cake, right? After all it's only ONE sport instead of THREE. My husband and I started off training together at the same pace. I knew he would soon feel the need to pick up the pace, and if you want to get faster at running, you should be running fast- or at least I thought that's what is supposed to happen.
Running has always been my weakness in Triathlon so when my husband suggested we only run this year I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me. After a few months of being left in the dust and trying to keep a fast 'tempo run' pace I started to doubt myself and my training plan...or lack of a solid plan. The loosely followed plan was to do one track workout a week (usually on Tuesday with our local triathlon club) in addition to a tempo run on Friday that consisted of a mile warm up around 10-10:30min pace followed by a faster 3-4 miles in which I tried to hang on to a 9:20 pace. With my fastest 5k being around 28 minutes it seemed like an attainable goal. I managed to do a few of these runs but ended up beating myself up for either not reaching my average pace or having to stop and walk on subsequent runs. I felt it wasn't working for me.
After doing a little research I found a book called Run Workouts published by Velopress and figured I would give it a try. I dusted off my heart rate monitor, strapped it around my chest, and began the 10k training program. It started off with an efficiency test for a baseline of your current aerobic capabilities and ended with a 30 minute run. After that efficiency test Matt and I realized we won't be able to train together since our paces are so different for our easy runs. It took me a few days to adjust to this new slower pace while I aimed to keep my HR around 60% max. My old 'easy' pace was 10min/mi and my new pace according to my HR zone is around 11:30min/mi. Such a huge change that I was subconsciously speeding up and going back to my old pace- one that I couldn't sustain.
I'm still experimenting and it's only the second week of base mileage but I have been able to run more miles per week and am no longer beating myself up for having to slow down and/or walk. Supposedly when I do the efficiency test again in a few weeks I should be able to run faster at 60% HR max.
My running seems really slow but I hope that by taking my pace down a notch I can make leaps and bounds once the quality workouts are added. I hope...
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Early Season Clearing out the Cobwebs
As I get back into working out after the Ironman, and I don't mean just a workout here and there but workouts with a purpose, I find it was probably best to rest a little after the IM then start back up again sooner. The winter was rough without my almost daily endorphin dose from running and exercising. It is way harder to get back into the routine of things after such a long time off. For next winter I'll know better than to snuggle on the couch with my warm cup of hot chocolate instead of donning my layers for a cold wintry run.
That being said I am slowly seeing improvements to my run times on the track. With everything that has been going on at our home business, my husband and I decided we would focus solely on running this year. Running is a much less expensive sport than triathlon. One one of my long runs I was digging into how I felt about only running this summer and found I was actually sad I wouldn't be getting out on my bike and logging miles away from home on the trails around Denver. I am even more sad I won't be swimming in the outdoor pool beneath the shade of the trees and looking up at the sky on backstroke. This was the moment I had an epiphany. Before this I didn't realize how much I really loved the sport. I can't walk away from it- I can't just do one sport! I will somehow find a way to sneak in a couple rides and swims this summer. (That is, once my rotator cuff heals...and let me tell you, it's been a long road to recovery so far! Inflamed tendons don't forgive easily). Until then I will have to settle for 'just' running.
This summer I have already done one 5k (28:23, 4th place F20-29) and will definitely beat that time next 5K.
That being said I am slowly seeing improvements to my run times on the track. With everything that has been going on at our home business, my husband and I decided we would focus solely on running this year. Running is a much less expensive sport than triathlon. One one of my long runs I was digging into how I felt about only running this summer and found I was actually sad I wouldn't be getting out on my bike and logging miles away from home on the trails around Denver. I am even more sad I won't be swimming in the outdoor pool beneath the shade of the trees and looking up at the sky on backstroke. This was the moment I had an epiphany. Before this I didn't realize how much I really loved the sport. I can't walk away from it- I can't just do one sport! I will somehow find a way to sneak in a couple rides and swims this summer. (That is, once my rotator cuff heals...and let me tell you, it's been a long road to recovery so far! Inflamed tendons don't forgive easily). Until then I will have to settle for 'just' running.
This summer I have already done one 5k (28:23, 4th place F20-29) and will definitely beat that time next 5K.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
2 Months Post Ironman
The first 2 weeks I did nothing triathlon related. After feeling great and itching to jump back into the swing of things (or so I thought) I headed to the track for my first workout Post IM. My goal for 2015 is to improve my run time so I thought I would get a head start on my 'outseason'. It was cold and windy but I was too excited to let that stop me. I had a prescribed track set- 400 repeats and I couldn't hit a single one in my desired time. I felt my legs lose energy after only a half a lap, so I dropped down to 200 repeats then discouragingly left the track, legs wrecked and head hurting from the cold.
My body was definitely telling me I needed more recovery so I listened and have taken more time off- just walking and doing short jogs in my holiday UPS helper job. I've decided I will join the rest of the 'resolutions' community on the 1st of January to begin athletics again. I probably won't go for a run specifically, but since I won a free month at a local fitness bootcamp-type company I'll head there for a little pre-season strength conditioning with plenty of time to start running...maybe after the snow clears...
There are shorter races in store for 2015, and possibly even shorter for Matt since he has decided not to swim at all this year and do duathlons instead (possibly). I really wish he could love swimming as much as I do. Maybe he will give it another try soon...
My body was definitely telling me I needed more recovery so I listened and have taken more time off- just walking and doing short jogs in my holiday UPS helper job. I've decided I will join the rest of the 'resolutions' community on the 1st of January to begin athletics again. I probably won't go for a run specifically, but since I won a free month at a local fitness bootcamp-type company I'll head there for a little pre-season strength conditioning with plenty of time to start running...maybe after the snow clears...
There are shorter races in store for 2015, and possibly even shorter for Matt since he has decided not to swim at all this year and do duathlons instead (possibly). I really wish he could love swimming as much as I do. Maybe he will give it another try soon...
Thursday, November 13, 2014
My Apologies
Roxy the dog's owner is Kaitlin Donner- Elite ITU Triathlete and her profile is here: http://www.usatriathlon.org/athletes/bios/kaitlin-donner.aspx
I met her through my sister at IMFL 2014. (Can't believe it hasn't even been 2 weeks since the race!!)
I was reading my USAT 40th Anniversary edition and came across her name! The race results list her as 8 minutes behind the winner, and Kaitlin was in 44th! What a whole different animal ITU racing is! I obviously know very little about it, but what I do know is they sometimes set up a pool in the middle of a Walmart parking lot and bike within the small radius they are allowed in the city. There were photos of this in the USAT magazine too. Crazy! Some of the rules are a little different too, and the ones I know are that they are allowed to draft on the bike and can only have a road bike set up (as opposed to tri bike geometry), but I believe they are allowed aero bars on their road bike setup. I'm sure there are way more rules than that.
Good luck on your races in 2015! We'll be following you and cheering for you from Colorado :)
I met her through my sister at IMFL 2014. (Can't believe it hasn't even been 2 weeks since the race!!)
I was reading my USAT 40th Anniversary edition and came across her name! The race results list her as 8 minutes behind the winner, and Kaitlin was in 44th! What a whole different animal ITU racing is! I obviously know very little about it, but what I do know is they sometimes set up a pool in the middle of a Walmart parking lot and bike within the small radius they are allowed in the city. There were photos of this in the USAT magazine too. Crazy! Some of the rules are a little different too, and the ones I know are that they are allowed to draft on the bike and can only have a road bike set up (as opposed to tri bike geometry), but I believe they are allowed aero bars on their road bike setup. I'm sure there are way more rules than that.
Good luck on your races in 2015! We'll be following you and cheering for you from Colorado :)
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Ironman Florida 2014 Race Report [11/01/2014]
I was tossing and turning all night as is my usual routine the night before any race. I could hear the wind howling outside and knew this would impact the race if it kept going. I got out of bed at my alarm and began getting my tri suit on to go downstairs to check the temperature outside. Cold and windy. I ate breakfast and got my special needs and morning clothes ready to go. We walked to the start since our rental house was about a mile from the host hotel and transition area.
With our tires pumped up and our water and nutrition on our bike we all met up inside near the cafe to prep for the start! I took out my wetsuit and began to turn it right-side-out and noticed the stink coming from it. When I got close to turning the leg inside out the smell got worse. I looked down and saw what appeared to be seaweed. "EW! ITS A COCKROACH!!,"" I shrieked. I weaved my way through the women's bathroom line explaining I only needed the sink. I washed the neoprene with soap but it didn't get rid of the smell. I got back out to the cafe and put my cockroach-fossilized wetsuit on, trying not to gag on the stench.
We were greeted by Roxy, Kaitlin-a friend of my sister AND ITU Elite Triathlete, boxer mix before the start of the race with her sweatshirt on for warmth. We began the slow trek to the swim start and as we were about to step in the sand they announced the swim was cancelled due to rip currents and that there would be a time trial bike start beginning at 8. That gave us an hour to make our 'transition' from our swim attire to bike.
It was cold standing in line waiting for our bike row to start the race. My feet went numb and my muscles were cold, making the start of the race challenging in the cold headwind. The start wasn't as dramatic as the mass swim start, which took away from the whole experience. About 20 miles into the bike I was considering quitting since I could only hold a 10mph speed into the 25mph wind with 30mph gusts. I decided I would stop at the next aid station to warm up a little and get some motivation going. That was also around the time my sister passed me on the bike. I knew it was going to be a long day.
I stopped at the next aid station and with the extra motivation from the volunteers I put my head down and kept going. Around mile 50 I came across a guy on a custom made bike that held his friend who had cerebral palsy. I had nothing to complain about and this was the major turning point in my race. I am capable of doing this race and WILL finish because some can't without the help of able bodied friends.
I was so thankful to be getting off the bike and into my running shoes. I kept my bike clothes on since they provided enough warmth, which I would need when the sun went down. The run was fun- there were themed aid stations that kept it interesting. Towards the end of the run I tried the chicken broth and it was as amazing as the stories I have heard.
About 2 miles from the finish I came up next to this older man that started chatting with me. "What time did you start this morning, Love?", with a deep accent. It turns out he was the last person to start the race, which meant he had passed me either on the bike or the run since we were both on the same mile. I later discovered, as I had guessed, he was Lew Hollander, the 84-year old Ironman wonder. Inside after the finish I learned he is going to do another half Ironman the next weekend, and Ironman Cozumel this year as well. God willing I will still be as sharp and able to do these events when I am his age. Another age group celebrity I saw on the course was Sister Madonna- the nun who was recently inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame. What an amazing race that brings so many diverse people together.
Once the soreness has subsided in my legs I will probably consider doing another...
With our tires pumped up and our water and nutrition on our bike we all met up inside near the cafe to prep for the start! I took out my wetsuit and began to turn it right-side-out and noticed the stink coming from it. When I got close to turning the leg inside out the smell got worse. I looked down and saw what appeared to be seaweed. "EW! ITS A COCKROACH!!,"" I shrieked. I weaved my way through the women's bathroom line explaining I only needed the sink. I washed the neoprene with soap but it didn't get rid of the smell. I got back out to the cafe and put my cockroach-fossilized wetsuit on, trying not to gag on the stench.
We were greeted by Roxy, Kaitlin-a friend of my sister AND ITU Elite Triathlete, boxer mix before the start of the race with her sweatshirt on for warmth. We began the slow trek to the swim start and as we were about to step in the sand they announced the swim was cancelled due to rip currents and that there would be a time trial bike start beginning at 8. That gave us an hour to make our 'transition' from our swim attire to bike.
It was cold standing in line waiting for our bike row to start the race. My feet went numb and my muscles were cold, making the start of the race challenging in the cold headwind. The start wasn't as dramatic as the mass swim start, which took away from the whole experience. About 20 miles into the bike I was considering quitting since I could only hold a 10mph speed into the 25mph wind with 30mph gusts. I decided I would stop at the next aid station to warm up a little and get some motivation going. That was also around the time my sister passed me on the bike. I knew it was going to be a long day.
I stopped at the next aid station and with the extra motivation from the volunteers I put my head down and kept going. Around mile 50 I came across a guy on a custom made bike that held his friend who had cerebral palsy. I had nothing to complain about and this was the major turning point in my race. I am capable of doing this race and WILL finish because some can't without the help of able bodied friends.
I was so thankful to be getting off the bike and into my running shoes. I kept my bike clothes on since they provided enough warmth, which I would need when the sun went down. The run was fun- there were themed aid stations that kept it interesting. Towards the end of the run I tried the chicken broth and it was as amazing as the stories I have heard.
About 2 miles from the finish I came up next to this older man that started chatting with me. "What time did you start this morning, Love?", with a deep accent. It turns out he was the last person to start the race, which meant he had passed me either on the bike or the run since we were both on the same mile. I later discovered, as I had guessed, he was Lew Hollander, the 84-year old Ironman wonder. Inside after the finish I learned he is going to do another half Ironman the next weekend, and Ironman Cozumel this year as well. God willing I will still be as sharp and able to do these events when I am his age. Another age group celebrity I saw on the course was Sister Madonna- the nun who was recently inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame. What an amazing race that brings so many diverse people together.
Once the soreness has subsided in my legs I will probably consider doing another...
Ironman Preparation
The final week leading up to Ironman Florida most of my workouts were fairly easy and I was able to complete most of them with no problems. My neck was pretty stiff- from turning it so much on one of my bike rides, I think. I have also been told I wear my stress in my shoulders and neck. I had a nice massage to try and relieve some of the tension and it seemed to help.
I began packing for the trip on 2pm the day before our morning flight. Matt worked on his electronics until we met up with his mom to drop Henry off. We got back to the house around 10:30pm and continued packing until 2am. Let me rephrase that- Matt hadn't packed anything and was rushing around asking me what he needed to pack until 2am. He gingerly admitted he should have started packing when I did so it wouldn't be this stressful! With only a few hours of sleep we boarded our flight and headed to Panama City Beach, Florida!
We arrived in PCB and had Mellow Mushroom pizza- our favorite pizza joint- with my sister, her fiance, Matt, my mom, and my sister's future in-laws. We had a blast sharing stories and talking about the upcoming race. After Matt and I checked in the next day the anticipation got REAL! Everybody became stressed and some started getting terse with their answers, but we all knew it was just from obsessing over the weather and how it kept changing.
I began packing for the trip on 2pm the day before our morning flight. Matt worked on his electronics until we met up with his mom to drop Henry off. We got back to the house around 10:30pm and continued packing until 2am. Let me rephrase that- Matt hadn't packed anything and was rushing around asking me what he needed to pack until 2am. He gingerly admitted he should have started packing when I did so it wouldn't be this stressful! With only a few hours of sleep we boarded our flight and headed to Panama City Beach, Florida!
We arrived in PCB and had Mellow Mushroom pizza- our favorite pizza joint- with my sister, her fiance, Matt, my mom, and my sister's future in-laws. We had a blast sharing stories and talking about the upcoming race. After Matt and I checked in the next day the anticipation got REAL! Everybody became stressed and some started getting terse with their answers, but we all knew it was just from obsessing over the weather and how it kept changing.
Friday, October 3, 2014
17 mile run
I completed my 17 mile run last night! I started around 5pm since we helped a friend unpack their moving truck and ended up getting back later than expected. The run started out really well- I had to hold myself back from running too fast- sometimes a good sign. I had my phone in a belt on my waist with my Pandora stations- on shuffle at first, then I had to pick a station since it kept playing Christmas music and classical- not appropriate for this run! The clouds of bugs were the only unfortunate incidences along the run. I dry-heaved after inhaling one and had to hold my breath and dodge the clouds after that incident. I HATE running into bugs. It's the worst when you are breathing hard.
I completed 2 loops of my planned route then it got too dark to be able to see on the dirt trails near the lake so I had to stick to well-lit sidewalks so I wouldn't get abducted. I'm not even joking about that... I would periodically glance behind me to make sure I wasn't being followed and ran (like I always do) with only one earbud in. The dark slowed me down a little since curbs were tough to gauge their depth and my effort to lift my leg to actually clear the curb increased as well as the run went on. I had my phone on me so I was occasionally giving updates to Matt about how far along I was and how my run was going.
The run was beautiful in the sunset light. The sun lit up a field of gold and threw dramatic shadows over the trail from the yellow and red aspen. The temperature dropped shortly after the sun went down. My upper body was warm enough even though my top was damp from sweat but I was still only wearing my tri shorts. The only part of my body that was cold were my kneecaps, which became a little painful around mile 13- most likely because of the cold. Around the same time my legs began to cramp. My quads and calves were painful with every step on the unforgiving concrete. Instead of looping back to the car to grab some water to wash down my salt pills, I kept going with 'only a few miles left' and 'only a little longer' repeating in my head.
Since I didn't really know the layout of the neighborhood I hadn't planned on running around I had to tell my calorie-deprived brain to look at the road signs and remember what streets I was turning on. Luckily I have a gift for navigating and can usually find my way back from anywhere without too much effort.
I got back to my car with less than a mile left so I ran a little further to make up the distance. The second I finished all I could think about was taking some salt and figuring out what to do for dinner. I called Matt and, on my way to Jamba Juice, saw a Cold Stone and decided that was a better idea! Thai Basil is next door so I was able to get dinner and dessert in one stop- even though the hunger hadn't set in yet, I knew it would soon.
It took a long time to fall asleep last night. I donned my compression socks and winter running compression tights after my shower. The tights were a good idea but I found it hard to sleep in them because of the tight elastic band on the stomach. I ended up taking them off before I FINALLY fell asleep. Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, or it could have been the dull ache in my legs that prevented me from falling asleep. Either way, I completed it and broke my mental barrier. During that last mile I remember asking myself, "Could I do 9.2 more miles on top of this?- Definitely. Especially if I have spectators ringing cow bells and yelling encouragement.
I completed 2 loops of my planned route then it got too dark to be able to see on the dirt trails near the lake so I had to stick to well-lit sidewalks so I wouldn't get abducted. I'm not even joking about that... I would periodically glance behind me to make sure I wasn't being followed and ran (like I always do) with only one earbud in. The dark slowed me down a little since curbs were tough to gauge their depth and my effort to lift my leg to actually clear the curb increased as well as the run went on. I had my phone on me so I was occasionally giving updates to Matt about how far along I was and how my run was going.
The run was beautiful in the sunset light. The sun lit up a field of gold and threw dramatic shadows over the trail from the yellow and red aspen. The temperature dropped shortly after the sun went down. My upper body was warm enough even though my top was damp from sweat but I was still only wearing my tri shorts. The only part of my body that was cold were my kneecaps, which became a little painful around mile 13- most likely because of the cold. Around the same time my legs began to cramp. My quads and calves were painful with every step on the unforgiving concrete. Instead of looping back to the car to grab some water to wash down my salt pills, I kept going with 'only a few miles left' and 'only a little longer' repeating in my head.
Since I didn't really know the layout of the neighborhood I hadn't planned on running around I had to tell my calorie-deprived brain to look at the road signs and remember what streets I was turning on. Luckily I have a gift for navigating and can usually find my way back from anywhere without too much effort.
I got back to my car with less than a mile left so I ran a little further to make up the distance. The second I finished all I could think about was taking some salt and figuring out what to do for dinner. I called Matt and, on my way to Jamba Juice, saw a Cold Stone and decided that was a better idea! Thai Basil is next door so I was able to get dinner and dessert in one stop- even though the hunger hadn't set in yet, I knew it would soon.
It took a long time to fall asleep last night. I donned my compression socks and winter running compression tights after my shower. The tights were a good idea but I found it hard to sleep in them because of the tight elastic band on the stomach. I ended up taking them off before I FINALLY fell asleep. Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, or it could have been the dull ache in my legs that prevented me from falling asleep. Either way, I completed it and broke my mental barrier. During that last mile I remember asking myself, "Could I do 9.2 more miles on top of this?- Definitely. Especially if I have spectators ringing cow bells and yelling encouragement.
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