All of a sudden it is almost 2009. Another year gone by. The past few months have been a whirlwind in the Collins house. The holidays seemed to suck up all of November and December. Emma turned 4 November 20th, there was Thanksgiving where Ellie broke her arm, and all of December was spent doing Christmas activities. I am so spent on Christmas. I am so sick of it that I took my tree down and all decorations yesterday. The only sign of Christmas is all the extra toys cluttering my house. I did get some really nice presents. My mom bought all of my wish list items on skirtsports.com (at one point everything on that website was 60% off so I got a lot more than I normally would have). From my inlaws I got the garmin forerunner 305. I am ready to try it except there is a layer of ice on just about every outside surface around my house.
So, I am all set up for my New Year's resolutions. I want to make 2009 a year of positive change. I still have about 20 pounds to lose before I am at pre-baby weight (keep in mind my "babies" are 4 and almost 3). I got some great tips from Marni Rakes and have been using them on and off. I wish I had more will power over the holidays, but at least I did not gain anything over the last few months!! Rather than focus on weight loss, my resolution is going to focus on a healthier me - more fruits, more veggies, more lean meats. Along with that is working out. With all that has happened with the stock market, trying to save for a down payment on a house, paying over $400 a week for daycare starting in a week, a broken windshield, and a medical bill for a little girl's broken arm there is no room to pay a coach. So, I am going on my own. I am not sure how much I will race this summer (I love training so much more), but I will still do IM.
That brings me to my next point. Resolutions are too long in nature which is why people cannot keep them. So, I have decided to make month resolutions. They may be the same as the prior month, but I think the evaluation is needed.
For the next month I am going to see how I handle training, a new job and my family. When I wasn't working I did not worry if I was gone at night because I saw my kids all day. Luckily I am only working 32 hours a week so if I play my cards right I will not be missing that much time with them.
Here is the plan for January:
1. Healthier eating - get back on Marni's plan.
2. Train how I want to train. I am not feeling the love for triathlon right now. I love spinning, but have no desire to get on my bike. I love the tempos runs I have been doing. I am not loving the swimming. So, my plan is swim very little and replace that with some high intensity weight training. I will not worry about "missing" a workout. I want triathlon to be something fun and something positive to show my girls. I wish I had the competitive spirit on me right now, but stressing out about is the worst thing I can do.
3. Make the time I now have with my kids and husband quality time.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
I am part of the trend...
It seems like everyone is slacking on their blogging lately. I, like most people, have gotten addicted to Facebook instead. When I was in business school in 2003 the big thing was IMing. Everyone had msn messanger and since all of us were required to have a laptop in a classroom with wireless Internet, that is all we did! Now I find myself looking at Facebook at least once an hour. I still don't know how to do anything besides upload photos!
I still have not made it to masters, but I will sometime soon. I have my oldest (almost 4 years) in a swim school and she is learning front crawl and the breathing that goes with it right now. She has been in lessons almost 4 weeks and has made huge strides. My other one will join her starting on Wed. I highly recommend this place. It is really pricey but well worth it ( www.marthaburns.com ) if you are in the twin cities. With the girls in preschool 2 times a week, I get 2 hours in the normal part of the day to workout. I love it. I don't feel rushed and use the steam room just about every time I am there.
I am starting to think about 2009 races. I got an email about a half in Madison in June that I may do. For any of you looking for an IM WI spot, the top male and female get a free spot in 2009 or 2010. I finally can start running again! My foot feels healed and I have been itching to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. I still have not bought the race wheels. Mike has decided to put all of our extra money into the stock market with hopes for big gains in a few years. I am not even sure we'll be able to afford me getting a coach this year. Thankfully I have all my workouts printed out from last year and can make some minor adjustments to those.
Hopefully I'll keep this updated more often! Happy Fall!
I still have not made it to masters, but I will sometime soon. I have my oldest (almost 4 years) in a swim school and she is learning front crawl and the breathing that goes with it right now. She has been in lessons almost 4 weeks and has made huge strides. My other one will join her starting on Wed. I highly recommend this place. It is really pricey but well worth it ( www.marthaburns.com ) if you are in the twin cities. With the girls in preschool 2 times a week, I get 2 hours in the normal part of the day to workout. I love it. I don't feel rushed and use the steam room just about every time I am there.
I am starting to think about 2009 races. I got an email about a half in Madison in June that I may do. For any of you looking for an IM WI spot, the top male and female get a free spot in 2009 or 2010. I finally can start running again! My foot feels healed and I have been itching to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. I still have not bought the race wheels. Mike has decided to put all of our extra money into the stock market with hopes for big gains in a few years. I am not even sure we'll be able to afford me getting a coach this year. Thankfully I have all my workouts printed out from last year and can make some minor adjustments to those.
Hopefully I'll keep this updated more often! Happy Fall!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Random Bits
Not much has been happening with the triathlon side of things lately. I am almost recovered from IM WI. I say almost because I found out I got a sprained ankle during the run and it is still a little tender and swollen. I have been sleeping in until a whopping 7:30am. I am beginning to miss masters and the people at masters, but I figure sleep is what I need right now.
As far as keeping myself busy, I have been trying to "winterize" my yard. When Mike and I bought our little house (more on that), I loved all the gardens it had. Now, with kids and training I just don't have time to keep up with them. So besides cutting back tons of flowers and pruning bushes I am also weeding weeds that are 3 feet tall!
Mike and I have also talked about moving. The problem is where. Our house is just too small for 4 of us - 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 650 sq ft. It was fine when it was just the 2 of us, but someone always has to use the bathroom when someone else is in it! So, we were thinking Maple Grove. However that is a little far for me to go to masters in the morning and back. We looked in Chaska, but that is way too far for Mike to drive downtown and will probably be far for me to drive when I eventually go back to work in a far years. I think I have it narrowed down to Shakopee, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins and Saint Louis Park. We do love the proximity to downtown, but the houses are old and we don't like the floorplans. We probably wouldn't put our house on the market until spring which is a bummer - there is no privacy in this house!
I have been debating about a pair of Zipp 404's that are on craigslist. I would like a set of race wheels, but was hoping for the 303's. Since I have 650cc wheels, there are not as many options for race wheels. Mike initially said at the middle of the summer I could maybe get a new bike. However, he now wants me do get better at running before we invest too much more in the sport. I can see where he is coming from and there is nothing wrong with my 2003 Cervelo. I know if I wait too long, someone will buy them. Maybe I will test them out this weekend.
I have been enjoying more quality time with family. However, I have found that I really did not miss all the much being gone on the weekends. I think my guilt over that will be almost gone by next tri season.
As far as keeping myself busy, I have been trying to "winterize" my yard. When Mike and I bought our little house (more on that), I loved all the gardens it had. Now, with kids and training I just don't have time to keep up with them. So besides cutting back tons of flowers and pruning bushes I am also weeding weeds that are 3 feet tall!
Mike and I have also talked about moving. The problem is where. Our house is just too small for 4 of us - 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 650 sq ft. It was fine when it was just the 2 of us, but someone always has to use the bathroom when someone else is in it! So, we were thinking Maple Grove. However that is a little far for me to go to masters in the morning and back. We looked in Chaska, but that is way too far for Mike to drive downtown and will probably be far for me to drive when I eventually go back to work in a far years. I think I have it narrowed down to Shakopee, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins and Saint Louis Park. We do love the proximity to downtown, but the houses are old and we don't like the floorplans. We probably wouldn't put our house on the market until spring which is a bummer - there is no privacy in this house!
I have been debating about a pair of Zipp 404's that are on craigslist. I would like a set of race wheels, but was hoping for the 303's. Since I have 650cc wheels, there are not as many options for race wheels. Mike initially said at the middle of the summer I could maybe get a new bike. However, he now wants me do get better at running before we invest too much more in the sport. I can see where he is coming from and there is nothing wrong with my 2003 Cervelo. I know if I wait too long, someone will buy them. Maybe I will test them out this weekend.
I have been enjoying more quality time with family. However, I have found that I really did not miss all the much being gone on the weekends. I think my guilt over that will be almost gone by next tri season.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
IMOO 2009 is now official!
I signed up for IM WI 2009 a few minutes ago. I almost didn't do it. Mike is getting a new job with a crap load of more hours and won't be able to help out as much. I talked with my family and I will be doing it with their help as well as an occasional babysitter! The other reason I did not want to do it was this picture I took this past weekend. We were taking the boat out of my in-laws lake. It was raining, windy and 55 degrees. Last weekend's weather almost scared me into doing Louisville!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Short Term Goals
I know it has not even been a week since IMOO, but I am getting antsy. I need something to work towards, even if it is not racing. So, I have a few goals that will get me through the end of 2008.
1. Hit the weights. I would like a little more power in the legs and a little more upper body strength will not hurt for swimming!
2. Strengthen my lower back, core, and ankles. My back is what hurt the most on the bike and my ankles on the run.
3. Lose that last 15 pounds of body fat. I only raced one season for one race in 2003, but I was 15 pounds lighter and it was so much easier to run (the race I did, I ran 7:30min/mile, much better than now).
4. Start running again by October.
I still plan on swimming a few times a week and biking when I can. My trainer broke at the end of this summer, so I will need to get another one of those...
I am fortunate to have 2 days a week for 2.5 hours when my girls are in preschool to workout. At least on those days, I don't have to get up early!
1. Hit the weights. I would like a little more power in the legs and a little more upper body strength will not hurt for swimming!
2. Strengthen my lower back, core, and ankles. My back is what hurt the most on the bike and my ankles on the run.
3. Lose that last 15 pounds of body fat. I only raced one season for one race in 2003, but I was 15 pounds lighter and it was so much easier to run (the race I did, I ran 7:30min/mile, much better than now).
4. Start running again by October.
I still plan on swimming a few times a week and biking when I can. My trainer broke at the end of this summer, so I will need to get another one of those...
I am fortunate to have 2 days a week for 2.5 hours when my girls are in preschool to workout. At least on those days, I don't have to get up early!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Ironman WI weekend
Where to begin....
I arrived in Madison Friday afternoon to get registered. It wasn't as busy as I expected it to be. Maybe I am just used to the traffic in the Twin Cities. The line for registering was also really fast. They had you walk about a mile to get through everything. As I was walking down the stairs to get weighed (which I was surprisingly happy about especially since everyone was saying the scale was weighing heavy) I saw the Lake and the buoys and immediately it felt real. It was overwhelming actually. Most of the weekend was spent holding myself together so people didn't think I was crazy! I did a little shopping since the weather was supposed to be cooler and bought some arm warmers, flasks for my gels and salt tabs and a jacket. I am so glad I finished or else that jacked would never be worn!
Saturday was spent getting my bags and bike ready. Nick and I went for a swim on Saturday morning and saw Mark and Katie. Apparently they had not been home all night! They had spent the night drinking in my college town, I am so jealous! They looked pretty good too for being out all night! The water was much nicer and cleaner than it was at camp. I think it took us longer to get ready and walk over there then we spent in the water! I relaxed most of Saturday afternoon and went out for a pasta dinner on Saturday night. I did not sleep much on Saturday and woke up at 3:30 Sunday morning.
Race Day.... I got all my stuff together and Mike and I met Nick in the lobby. It was so nice having someone to talk to in the morning. It calmed me down a little bit. We dropped off our special needs bags and went to our bikes. I got to my bike and pumped up my front tire (actually Shelley's Zipp 303's) and tried pumping up the back. The back tire was firm but was not taking air. Nick came down to my bike rack and tried and could not do it either. He said the tire was firm and not to worry. I really wanted to believe him because he is very knowledgeable about bikes, but I was freaking out in the back of my head. We dropped some more things off and I told Nick I was still unsure so he went with me to find the mechanic. The mechanic had a special pump and air got in and everything was fine. I am so glad I did that though because I would have been freaking out all of the bike portion of the race if I hadn't.
I sat around a little inside and then got my wetsuit on. We walked down the helix and I saw Kim. As soon as I saw her I started crying. Both of us were so emotional. The atmosphere was amazing. There were so many people there, the music was good, and the weather was perfect. There was not a cloud in the sky. The weather kept saying all week that there would be rain and thunderstorms. We got in the water about 6:45. It is super easy to tread water with a wetsuit on! The pros went off at 6:50 and those last 10 minutes until 7 went super fast.
The canon went off and I took a deep breath to relax and got on my way. It was so crowded and I was near the front. Luckily I did not get hit, but I did kick a few people (not on purpose!). The swim was everything I wanted it to be. I did the breathing I had "developed" this past summer. For some reason I tried a 3-2-2 breathing patter and it stuck. I just really focused on how I was feeling and tried to stick to my line. I am fortunate that I am really good at sighting and staying on the path I start on. It was really annoying to be with people who kept zig zagging around the course. After the first loop things started thinning out a bit. I drafted off people on and off. I think the best draft I got was off of the start. So many people started out way too fast, but that was good for me for drafting. I did a light kick for most of the swim and before I knew it the 2 laps were done! One of the funnest part of the race was getting my wetsuit taken off. You lay down and a volunteer just rips it off! One of the best parts of the race for me was next. The helix (parking ramp turnaround) was lined with people cheering! I didn't even realize I was running in a wet swimsuit in 60 degree weather. My swim was 1 hour 3 minutes.
The transitions were another nice thing. I had someone help me get wet clothes off and into my bike gear. I cannot say how thankful I am to the volunteers out there. They were always nice and it was a long day for them too! I hit the port-a-potty before getting my bike and was off down the other side on the other helix.
I took the 15 miles out to the beginning of the first loop pretty easy. I ate a cliff bar and had some water on the way out to refuel. I am so glad I bought the arm warmers. Once you get out past Madison it is basically all rolling hills. The Zipps and the cassette from Julie helped out a lot. The last time I did this course I had a really hard time. Maybe it was because I had done a half ironman the week before, but I also think it was because my cassette was a 23 and really dirty and the wheels I train on are not designed with hills in mind. I felt good the whole bike. I did not push it at all. The 2 large hills were not a problem either. I think I was in the saddle the whole time for both of them on both of the loops. The people on the big hills helped a lot. There was this guy on Old Sauk Pass that was beating a drum which helped some too. I saw coaches Kris and John on that hill as well and Mike on the hill immediately following it. It was nice seeing familiar faces. I kept true to my nutrition, kept hydrated and stayed relaxed. On the end of my last loop in Verona, I saw my family. The girls, my sister, Mike and my parents were there. The last 15 miles from Verona back to Madison went by pretty fast too. My lower back started hurting so I stood a few times, but nothing else went wrong. I do think I went a little too easy on the bike. I felt like my heart rate was never really that high, but I wanted to save something for my run. Unfortunately that did not matter....
I got up the helix and gave my bike to a volunteer and went inside to T2. My bike was 6 hours 43 minutes. I had another volunteer helping me again and before I knew it I was out the door. Another pit stop in the port-a potty (thank goodness every one I went in was pretty clean) and I was off for the marathon. I walked up the little hill out of T2 because my head felt a little foggy. I started running shortly after that, but my head was still pretty bad. I ran to about mile 3 or 4 then walked for awhile to see if the fogginess and dizziness would go away. At the aid station I got some water and gels and took some salt tabs thinking that would help. As the marathon progressed, my dizziness got bad then got a little better on and off, but never went away. I started the coke and bananas almost right away to see if that would help. I know I wasn't dehydrated because I was still peeing. I am not sure what went wrong on the run, but will figure it out soon. I loved the run course though. It was flat with one big hill that you did twice because it was a 2 loop course. I think I ran past every place I lived in Madison, which is pretty amazing since I lived in 5 different places in my 5 years there! I could take my mind off of things for awhile and remember different things that happened in the places I was running. It was really neat to run in the stadium and especially cool to run on State Street. There was an SCS/Gearwest crowd on State Street as well as the Ferris family (friends I worked with in the days I was an actuary). My family was also here and there on the run course. When I had about 4 miles to go I saw Kris (a gal I had met recently on some group bikes). I thought for sure she had passed me sooner but she had some electrolyte issues in the beginning of the run. I also saw Mark, Katie and coach John. They were troopers. I wanted to steal Katie's bike and ride it for a mile to get home sooner. With about a mile to go, it started raining. Thankfully it only rained for about 5 minutes. I am hoping in my finish picture it looks like I am sweating instead! I ran the last half mile up State Street and around the Capital to make sure I came in before the 14 and a half hour mark! The run was bad, 6 hours 20 minutes, but I finished. My family and some friends watched the finish on the computer feed online.
I was pretty tired Sunday night, but couldn't fall asleep. I had a burger and a beer and watched TV for the rest of the night. Monday I went for my massage at 8am. I wish I would have taken my camera because the line of people wanting to sign up for next year was already pretty long. Poor people had to stand in the rain too! Thank goodness the rain held off for a day!
Finally, thanks to all of you who supported me throughout the season and at the race. I met a lot of nice friends this summer and would not trade this summer for anything. Mike and the girls now have be back for the weekends! Well, they have me back until the training gets heavy again for next year!
I will be back next year, I have already decided!
I arrived in Madison Friday afternoon to get registered. It wasn't as busy as I expected it to be. Maybe I am just used to the traffic in the Twin Cities. The line for registering was also really fast. They had you walk about a mile to get through everything. As I was walking down the stairs to get weighed (which I was surprisingly happy about especially since everyone was saying the scale was weighing heavy) I saw the Lake and the buoys and immediately it felt real. It was overwhelming actually. Most of the weekend was spent holding myself together so people didn't think I was crazy! I did a little shopping since the weather was supposed to be cooler and bought some arm warmers, flasks for my gels and salt tabs and a jacket. I am so glad I finished or else that jacked would never be worn!
Saturday was spent getting my bags and bike ready. Nick and I went for a swim on Saturday morning and saw Mark and Katie. Apparently they had not been home all night! They had spent the night drinking in my college town, I am so jealous! They looked pretty good too for being out all night! The water was much nicer and cleaner than it was at camp. I think it took us longer to get ready and walk over there then we spent in the water! I relaxed most of Saturday afternoon and went out for a pasta dinner on Saturday night. I did not sleep much on Saturday and woke up at 3:30 Sunday morning.
Race Day.... I got all my stuff together and Mike and I met Nick in the lobby. It was so nice having someone to talk to in the morning. It calmed me down a little bit. We dropped off our special needs bags and went to our bikes. I got to my bike and pumped up my front tire (actually Shelley's Zipp 303's) and tried pumping up the back. The back tire was firm but was not taking air. Nick came down to my bike rack and tried and could not do it either. He said the tire was firm and not to worry. I really wanted to believe him because he is very knowledgeable about bikes, but I was freaking out in the back of my head. We dropped some more things off and I told Nick I was still unsure so he went with me to find the mechanic. The mechanic had a special pump and air got in and everything was fine. I am so glad I did that though because I would have been freaking out all of the bike portion of the race if I hadn't.
I sat around a little inside and then got my wetsuit on. We walked down the helix and I saw Kim. As soon as I saw her I started crying. Both of us were so emotional. The atmosphere was amazing. There were so many people there, the music was good, and the weather was perfect. There was not a cloud in the sky. The weather kept saying all week that there would be rain and thunderstorms. We got in the water about 6:45. It is super easy to tread water with a wetsuit on! The pros went off at 6:50 and those last 10 minutes until 7 went super fast.
The canon went off and I took a deep breath to relax and got on my way. It was so crowded and I was near the front. Luckily I did not get hit, but I did kick a few people (not on purpose!). The swim was everything I wanted it to be. I did the breathing I had "developed" this past summer. For some reason I tried a 3-2-2 breathing patter and it stuck. I just really focused on how I was feeling and tried to stick to my line. I am fortunate that I am really good at sighting and staying on the path I start on. It was really annoying to be with people who kept zig zagging around the course. After the first loop things started thinning out a bit. I drafted off people on and off. I think the best draft I got was off of the start. So many people started out way too fast, but that was good for me for drafting. I did a light kick for most of the swim and before I knew it the 2 laps were done! One of the funnest part of the race was getting my wetsuit taken off. You lay down and a volunteer just rips it off! One of the best parts of the race for me was next. The helix (parking ramp turnaround) was lined with people cheering! I didn't even realize I was running in a wet swimsuit in 60 degree weather. My swim was 1 hour 3 minutes.
The transitions were another nice thing. I had someone help me get wet clothes off and into my bike gear. I cannot say how thankful I am to the volunteers out there. They were always nice and it was a long day for them too! I hit the port-a-potty before getting my bike and was off down the other side on the other helix.
I took the 15 miles out to the beginning of the first loop pretty easy. I ate a cliff bar and had some water on the way out to refuel. I am so glad I bought the arm warmers. Once you get out past Madison it is basically all rolling hills. The Zipps and the cassette from Julie helped out a lot. The last time I did this course I had a really hard time. Maybe it was because I had done a half ironman the week before, but I also think it was because my cassette was a 23 and really dirty and the wheels I train on are not designed with hills in mind. I felt good the whole bike. I did not push it at all. The 2 large hills were not a problem either. I think I was in the saddle the whole time for both of them on both of the loops. The people on the big hills helped a lot. There was this guy on Old Sauk Pass that was beating a drum which helped some too. I saw coaches Kris and John on that hill as well and Mike on the hill immediately following it. It was nice seeing familiar faces. I kept true to my nutrition, kept hydrated and stayed relaxed. On the end of my last loop in Verona, I saw my family. The girls, my sister, Mike and my parents were there. The last 15 miles from Verona back to Madison went by pretty fast too. My lower back started hurting so I stood a few times, but nothing else went wrong. I do think I went a little too easy on the bike. I felt like my heart rate was never really that high, but I wanted to save something for my run. Unfortunately that did not matter....
I got up the helix and gave my bike to a volunteer and went inside to T2. My bike was 6 hours 43 minutes. I had another volunteer helping me again and before I knew it I was out the door. Another pit stop in the port-a potty (thank goodness every one I went in was pretty clean) and I was off for the marathon. I walked up the little hill out of T2 because my head felt a little foggy. I started running shortly after that, but my head was still pretty bad. I ran to about mile 3 or 4 then walked for awhile to see if the fogginess and dizziness would go away. At the aid station I got some water and gels and took some salt tabs thinking that would help. As the marathon progressed, my dizziness got bad then got a little better on and off, but never went away. I started the coke and bananas almost right away to see if that would help. I know I wasn't dehydrated because I was still peeing. I am not sure what went wrong on the run, but will figure it out soon. I loved the run course though. It was flat with one big hill that you did twice because it was a 2 loop course. I think I ran past every place I lived in Madison, which is pretty amazing since I lived in 5 different places in my 5 years there! I could take my mind off of things for awhile and remember different things that happened in the places I was running. It was really neat to run in the stadium and especially cool to run on State Street. There was an SCS/Gearwest crowd on State Street as well as the Ferris family (friends I worked with in the days I was an actuary). My family was also here and there on the run course. When I had about 4 miles to go I saw Kris (a gal I had met recently on some group bikes). I thought for sure she had passed me sooner but she had some electrolyte issues in the beginning of the run. I also saw Mark, Katie and coach John. They were troopers. I wanted to steal Katie's bike and ride it for a mile to get home sooner. With about a mile to go, it started raining. Thankfully it only rained for about 5 minutes. I am hoping in my finish picture it looks like I am sweating instead! I ran the last half mile up State Street and around the Capital to make sure I came in before the 14 and a half hour mark! The run was bad, 6 hours 20 minutes, but I finished. My family and some friends watched the finish on the computer feed online.
I was pretty tired Sunday night, but couldn't fall asleep. I had a burger and a beer and watched TV for the rest of the night. Monday I went for my massage at 8am. I wish I would have taken my camera because the line of people wanting to sign up for next year was already pretty long. Poor people had to stand in the rain too! Thank goodness the rain held off for a day!
Finally, thanks to all of you who supported me throughout the season and at the race. I met a lot of nice friends this summer and would not trade this summer for anything. Mike and the girls now have be back for the weekends! Well, they have me back until the training gets heavy again for next year!
I will be back next year, I have already decided!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Leaving for Madison
I am leaving for WI today! I need to drop the girls and the dog at my parents house in Milwaukee and will actually be in Madison on Friday afternoon!
I just realized I will not be working out next week.... What a weird feeling.
I just realized I will not be working out next week.... What a weird feeling.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Running Skirt
I have a new favorite workout item! It is a running skirt from skirt sports ( www.skirtsports.com ). I wish I would have started using this in the beginning of the season. I went with the triathlon skirt because it has buttons for your race number right on the skirt. The triathlon one, unlike the running one, does not come with a liner so I had to buy that separately. On the website they have triathlon shorts that can be worn under it, but I bought the sporties (they look like the bundies you wear in track). I LOVE IT! The only thing that people may not like is that it is short. However it is no shorter than some of the running shorts out there.
I will be wearing this for Ironman WI! It is light and feels so good to run in. Plus, why not bring a little sexy back to the Ironman!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Bib #1992
They posted the bib numbers today. I am number 1992. It's overwhelming that so many people are in this race. There are less than 9 days until the race and now the nerves are really setting in. I can't imagine for all those doing Louisville are feeling right now!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Race Wheels!
I just got the Zipp 303 race wheels put on today. They just make a bike look fast! I am so greatful that a friend I have been swimming with loaned them to me. Maybe someday I will get myself a pair of these, but there are so many things that are on my "triathlon want list". My trainer broke, or rather a part broke, this past weekend. I have been looking online for new parts, but have been unsuccessful. Maybe it is time for a new one!
Getting the wheels put on really means the race is near! I started getting a little nervous last Sunday, right at the beginning of taper of course! Instead of asking me why I am doing this Ironman (I have been asked this by just about everyone I know and don't know), I am getting asked, "what are you going to do when it is over". I honestly don't know. I may sign up for it again, I may concentrate on 1/2's next year, I may just do Olympic.
I cannot say I regret the time I spent working out this summer. I am lucky enough to be able to stay at home with my kids so I see them ALL THE TIME! I can say the last few long rides felt extra long. The swimming and the running never felt that bad to me.
Mike is not too keen on having more babies, so I need something to take up all this extra time!
Getting the wheels put on really means the race is near! I started getting a little nervous last Sunday, right at the beginning of taper of course! Instead of asking me why I am doing this Ironman (I have been asked this by just about everyone I know and don't know), I am getting asked, "what are you going to do when it is over". I honestly don't know. I may sign up for it again, I may concentrate on 1/2's next year, I may just do Olympic.
I cannot say I regret the time I spent working out this summer. I am lucky enough to be able to stay at home with my kids so I see them ALL THE TIME! I can say the last few long rides felt extra long. The swimming and the running never felt that bad to me.
Mike is not too keen on having more babies, so I need something to take up all this extra time!
Monday, August 25, 2008
TAPER!
We were up north this weekend and, while the workouts were longer than I thought they would be (4hr bike followed by a 30 min run, a 1.5 hour run and 1 hour swim), I still got to do this. I felt this is the only time I have been able to do this all summer! Lately, a lot of follow triathletes have been talking about motivation. It is the end of the season and I think, psychologically, the last race is a hard one to do. I have been using this taper the last few weeks as motivation.
More to come later! I am off to Masters! I was looking to having today off, because I usually do! Since there are only 2 weeks left, I know I should go even though it is pitch black outside. Again, also digging deep for that last extra umph!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Near Perfect Bike Ride
Yesterday I woke up super early as usual to get ready for the long bike I had. I was supposed to ride with Kim and her boyfriend Joe, but as I pulled up at our meeting place at 7am I saw almost 10 other riders. I was a little timid as the only other time I rodeh a group was at IM WI camp. I did not know these people and they looked like good bikers. All of them were super nice. The pace was perfect for going the long haul and the route was great too. The first loop was did was of St Paul with 2 really big hills. I should go back to those hills and do them next weekend! After about 2 hours we came back, some of the bikers were finished and we also added more people for the last part of the ride. This time we did my loop out to Excelisor and Chanhassen. It was so nice riding with other people, especially for the drafting you could do sometimes.
Two other things also made the bike fabulous. The first is the new cassette I got from Julie. I felt like I was riding on air. It was cleaner than my old one, but I also think a little nicer. I am now riding with a 25/12 instead of a 23/11. I don't think I would have made it up the hills in St Paul without this. I am so glad I got it put on. People were also telling me that I may want a 27/12 at Madison. I will have to look into that since Madison is so hilly.
My nutrition was also on. This is the first long bike where I didn't feel like I was going to pass out near the end. I decided to go with gels and water only. It totally worked! The energy drink I was using must have been upsetting my stomach. I also had to add the electrolyte tabs since I wasn't using the drink anymore. I will try this again next weekend and see how it goes. I was so happy the rest of the day.
I just felt like it all came together yesterday. I hope the feeling stays a few more weeks!
Two other things also made the bike fabulous. The first is the new cassette I got from Julie. I felt like I was riding on air. It was cleaner than my old one, but I also think a little nicer. I am now riding with a 25/12 instead of a 23/11. I don't think I would have made it up the hills in St Paul without this. I am so glad I got it put on. People were also telling me that I may want a 27/12 at Madison. I will have to look into that since Madison is so hilly.
My nutrition was also on. This is the first long bike where I didn't feel like I was going to pass out near the end. I decided to go with gels and water only. It totally worked! The energy drink I was using must have been upsetting my stomach. I also had to add the electrolyte tabs since I wasn't using the drink anymore. I will try this again next weekend and see how it goes. I was so happy the rest of the day.
I just felt like it all came together yesterday. I hope the feeling stays a few more weeks!
Monday, August 11, 2008
The final stretch at Turtleman!
On Saturday I did the Turtleman Triathlon. It wasn't a sprint or olympic distance, more of somethihng in between. The day started off pretty nice. Ellie woke up with me at 5am and helped me get the car loaded. I think she fell asleep soon after I left. The weather was cool and the water calm. As soon as I got there I ran into tons of people I know. Since I got someone else's spot the race directors put me near the end to start. I started number 933 out of 1000 people. Normally it goes by age, so I started with a lot of kids nearly half my age! We went off every 3 seconds, so I started almost an hour after the elite wave!
The water was pretty mucky to start out with. There were a lot of weeds and it was pretty shallow. Since I was so far back I had to maneuver around a lot of slower swimmers. I was out of the water in just under 23 minutes or 1:24 per 100 yards. My swim felt really good and really relaxed. Right in the middle of the swim was a sand bar. The water was really shallow, probably not even up to my calves. Wetsuits were allowed, but I am sure they should not have been! They measured the water at 77.999999. Wetsuits are not allowed at above 78 degrees.
T1 was a little long since I was near the end of the transition area. As usual it took me a little too long to get my wetsuit off - I still need to cut the legs shorter. In this race you were able to get right on your bike in the transition area. This was probably because there was a hill going right out of transition. The bike was really flat, but again, really crowded for me. We were on the roads and only a portion of the road was coned off so it was hard to pass people. There was a 19 year old drafting off of me the whole time (someone told me this on the run). I am not sure if this person got a penalty. I think most of the USAT officials were off of the course by this point! I did the bike at 21.3 mph or just over an hour. I am told that race wheels will make this even faster! I felt good on the bike, but knew I did not go as fast as I could. My legs did not burn at all. I think it was somewhat due to the fact that the course was so crowded and there were so many people to pass. I guess a good part of being in the back is that you can start picking people off one by one!
T2 went well, better than I normally do. Again, we had to run up a hill to start. The run was my usual trot. It is fitting the race is called turtleman, because I was definitely a turtlewoman! I did 8:53 min miles or just over 45 minutes. I have come not to expect much from my running as far as speed goes. I can run forever now, just not fast. I have not trained speed work at all this summer, mostly because I have been training for Ironman and partly because I have only been working out for 5 and a half months. I wish I would have started running as soon as I signed up for the IM last September, but there is nothing I can do about it now besides work on it in the off season. I did the whole race in just over 2 hr 12 minutes. I placed 7 out of 57 in my age group and 36th out of 287 age group females. I placed a little better percentage wise at Waconia for my age group, but out of overall females I placed better percentage wise here at Turtleman.
I have 4 weeks left until Madison, 2 weeks left until taper. It is great the the Olympics are on, giving me that little extra inspiration in the home stretch.
The water was pretty mucky to start out with. There were a lot of weeds and it was pretty shallow. Since I was so far back I had to maneuver around a lot of slower swimmers. I was out of the water in just under 23 minutes or 1:24 per 100 yards. My swim felt really good and really relaxed. Right in the middle of the swim was a sand bar. The water was really shallow, probably not even up to my calves. Wetsuits were allowed, but I am sure they should not have been! They measured the water at 77.999999. Wetsuits are not allowed at above 78 degrees.
T1 was a little long since I was near the end of the transition area. As usual it took me a little too long to get my wetsuit off - I still need to cut the legs shorter. In this race you were able to get right on your bike in the transition area. This was probably because there was a hill going right out of transition. The bike was really flat, but again, really crowded for me. We were on the roads and only a portion of the road was coned off so it was hard to pass people. There was a 19 year old drafting off of me the whole time (someone told me this on the run). I am not sure if this person got a penalty. I think most of the USAT officials were off of the course by this point! I did the bike at 21.3 mph or just over an hour. I am told that race wheels will make this even faster! I felt good on the bike, but knew I did not go as fast as I could. My legs did not burn at all. I think it was somewhat due to the fact that the course was so crowded and there were so many people to pass. I guess a good part of being in the back is that you can start picking people off one by one!
T2 went well, better than I normally do. Again, we had to run up a hill to start. The run was my usual trot. It is fitting the race is called turtleman, because I was definitely a turtlewoman! I did 8:53 min miles or just over 45 minutes. I have come not to expect much from my running as far as speed goes. I can run forever now, just not fast. I have not trained speed work at all this summer, mostly because I have been training for Ironman and partly because I have only been working out for 5 and a half months. I wish I would have started running as soon as I signed up for the IM last September, but there is nothing I can do about it now besides work on it in the off season. I did the whole race in just over 2 hr 12 minutes. I placed 7 out of 57 in my age group and 36th out of 287 age group females. I placed a little better percentage wise at Waconia for my age group, but out of overall females I placed better percentage wise here at Turtleman.
I have 4 weeks left until Madison, 2 weeks left until taper. It is great the the Olympics are on, giving me that little extra inspiration in the home stretch.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Wiped Out
I have been totally wiped out since the IM Wisconsin camp. For those that know me well I often deal with insomnia. Not this past week! I have fallen asleep right away. Apparently I have not needed the sleep until now! The workouts have been doable and some really good, but by 8pm I am ready for bed.
I rode the computrainer for the very first time last week. It is so much better than my trainer. Maybe I'll get one someday. I rode the Escape from Alcatraz course, which may be more hilly than Madison!
I had some really good workouts this weekend. I rode with someone on Saturday and kept my pace reasonable! When I ride alone, I ride at the very top of the heart rate zone I should be in. Saturday I was totally relaxed and needed that. Plus, the ride was only 3 hours so we were done in no time!
I had my hardest workout of the week on Sunday. It started with an hour easy spin on the trainer. Let me tell you, there is nothing on at 6am on Sunday. It was followed by a 3 hour run. On July 6th I did a 2 hr 20 min run. I did the same loop on Sunday and did it in 2 hours (and I was even walking evey 10 minutes to simulate my IM race). My dog was happy to be done at the 2 hour mark! So, my running has improved or I had a really good day or maybe a combination of both. I almost felt yesterday that my threshold HR is getting higher. I also actually swam this weekend. I usually do not get in my weekend lake swim, but with the IM 5 WEEKS away, I figure I should. I swam with a few other people at this lake about 30 minutes from my house. It was worth the drive for the nice clean water, no motorized boats and no chance of getting ticketed if we get caught!
Monday is my usual day off so when I went to Masters this morning my body was like WTF?!?! I got through the workout. Today was the first time in a long time where I felt tired in the water. All I can think about is 3 more hard weeks until taper!
What am I going to do with myself after IM?!?!
I rode the computrainer for the very first time last week. It is so much better than my trainer. Maybe I'll get one someday. I rode the Escape from Alcatraz course, which may be more hilly than Madison!
I had some really good workouts this weekend. I rode with someone on Saturday and kept my pace reasonable! When I ride alone, I ride at the very top of the heart rate zone I should be in. Saturday I was totally relaxed and needed that. Plus, the ride was only 3 hours so we were done in no time!
I had my hardest workout of the week on Sunday. It started with an hour easy spin on the trainer. Let me tell you, there is nothing on at 6am on Sunday. It was followed by a 3 hour run. On July 6th I did a 2 hr 20 min run. I did the same loop on Sunday and did it in 2 hours (and I was even walking evey 10 minutes to simulate my IM race). My dog was happy to be done at the 2 hour mark! So, my running has improved or I had a really good day or maybe a combination of both. I almost felt yesterday that my threshold HR is getting higher. I also actually swam this weekend. I usually do not get in my weekend lake swim, but with the IM 5 WEEKS away, I figure I should. I swam with a few other people at this lake about 30 minutes from my house. It was worth the drive for the nice clean water, no motorized boats and no chance of getting ticketed if we get caught!
Monday is my usual day off so when I went to Masters this morning my body was like WTF?!?! I got through the workout. Today was the first time in a long time where I felt tired in the water. All I can think about is 3 more hard weeks until taper!
What am I going to do with myself after IM?!?!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
IM WI Camp
I am have been meaning to post about this, but have opted for naps and sleep instead!
The IM WI camp was last Friday to Monday. There was about 12 people who went along with 3 coaches. It was a lot of hard work. I got there early Friday afternoon, and immediately had a short 1 hr 30 min bike. It is amazing that this amount of time seems like nothing to me anymore. We had a 30 minute run following the bike and I immediately learned my first lesson from one of the coaches. He said, "Keep your pride at the door". As many of you know I am not the best runner in the world. I was one of the slowest at this camp. I had to remember I am not competing against these people for this race, I am competing against myself. So, another girl and I went at our pace for the run. We had a little time off after the run and went for an hour swim. The water was pretty bad, it has the blue green algae stuff. The coaches even called the health department to make sure it was safe to swim in. A website states the water temp to be 79 degrees, one degree over the limit for wetsuits to be allowed. The pros are definitely not going to be able to use one. For supper we went to my all time favorite restaurant in Madison - Tutto Pasta. Mike and I went here all the time in college and it is exactly the same. The same great bread and most of the same great entrees. All of us carbo loaded for the next day's workout.
I woke up at 5am on Saturday to eat and get some coffee. We rode the whole 112 mile bike course starting at 7am. HOLY CRAP is the course hard. It is rolling hill after rolling hill with some monster hills scattered in between. The good and bad part of the bike course is that it is 2 loops. You get a preview and then, when you are getting a little tired, you get to do it again. SCS did an awesome job of supporting it, with plenty of aid stations and cars driving the course with us. It was worth all the money for the bike alone. It takes about 15 miles to get out to the first loop, which means there are 15 miles back after the end of the second loop. On Sunday we did one loop of the run course. Other than one big hill, the course is manageable. I get to run by all the places I went to in Madison and got to relive the memories. I already know I will cry when I am done. It was emotional being out there on a non-race weekend.
The SCS coaches (www.scsmultisport.com) also did a good job with their non-training agenda. There is so much to consider for a race like this from nutrition to dry socks on your run. I also met a lot of cool people like me. Before starting this season, I had been hanging out with a lot of typical moms. I am not saying that is bad, it just did not fulfill something that was missing. All of these people had families and kids and significant others that fully supported them. Rather than having to justify time away from the kids, we all just talked about how training was going and fears for this race. It was such a breath of fresh air in the midst of a long season.
My roomie was also awesome. I have been swimming with her in Masters since May and we did not talk all that much. It is amazing what type of doors open when you stop being shy and just start talking to people!
I am so grateful to have such supportive family and now new friends to share this experience with.
The IM WI camp was last Friday to Monday. There was about 12 people who went along with 3 coaches. It was a lot of hard work. I got there early Friday afternoon, and immediately had a short 1 hr 30 min bike. It is amazing that this amount of time seems like nothing to me anymore. We had a 30 minute run following the bike and I immediately learned my first lesson from one of the coaches. He said, "Keep your pride at the door". As many of you know I am not the best runner in the world. I was one of the slowest at this camp. I had to remember I am not competing against these people for this race, I am competing against myself. So, another girl and I went at our pace for the run. We had a little time off after the run and went for an hour swim. The water was pretty bad, it has the blue green algae stuff. The coaches even called the health department to make sure it was safe to swim in. A website states the water temp to be 79 degrees, one degree over the limit for wetsuits to be allowed. The pros are definitely not going to be able to use one. For supper we went to my all time favorite restaurant in Madison - Tutto Pasta. Mike and I went here all the time in college and it is exactly the same. The same great bread and most of the same great entrees. All of us carbo loaded for the next day's workout.
I woke up at 5am on Saturday to eat and get some coffee. We rode the whole 112 mile bike course starting at 7am. HOLY CRAP is the course hard. It is rolling hill after rolling hill with some monster hills scattered in between. The good and bad part of the bike course is that it is 2 loops. You get a preview and then, when you are getting a little tired, you get to do it again. SCS did an awesome job of supporting it, with plenty of aid stations and cars driving the course with us. It was worth all the money for the bike alone. It takes about 15 miles to get out to the first loop, which means there are 15 miles back after the end of the second loop. On Sunday we did one loop of the run course. Other than one big hill, the course is manageable. I get to run by all the places I went to in Madison and got to relive the memories. I already know I will cry when I am done. It was emotional being out there on a non-race weekend.
The SCS coaches (www.scsmultisport.com) also did a good job with their non-training agenda. There is so much to consider for a race like this from nutrition to dry socks on your run. I also met a lot of cool people like me. Before starting this season, I had been hanging out with a lot of typical moms. I am not saying that is bad, it just did not fulfill something that was missing. All of these people had families and kids and significant others that fully supported them. Rather than having to justify time away from the kids, we all just talked about how training was going and fears for this race. It was such a breath of fresh air in the midst of a long season.
My roomie was also awesome. I have been swimming with her in Masters since May and we did not talk all that much. It is amazing what type of doors open when you stop being shy and just start talking to people!
I am so grateful to have such supportive family and now new friends to share this experience with.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Spirit of Racine
I did my first half Ironman on Sunday. It was a little more grueling than I anticipated....
On Saturday I looked up directions on how to get to the race site and saw that the water temp was 56 degrees. That made me a little nervous along with the fact that it was supposed to rain all day. I took my bike to the race site on Saturday afternoon. There was fog in the air and it was drizzling. Luckily I got there early enough to get a good transition spot.
I woke up Sunday at 4:30am since I was leaving from my parents house which is an hour away from where the race was held. My dad drove me down so I could rest a little on the way. When we got there, there was a lot of fog. In fact there was so much fog that the race was pushed back 15 minutes. This was actually a good thing for me. It allowed me to get in a short bike warm-up. After the warm-up, I found out the race was pushed back another 15 minutes. I walked the mile up to the swim start.
The swim was a point to point. I decided to go into the water for another short warm-up. It was COLD. It took me 15 minutes to get comfortable up to my neck (by this time the race was pushed another 15 minutes). I took a few strokes and immediately got a headache. Every time I put my face in the water, my head started to pound. After another 15 minutes push back, the race started an hour late. I found someone I knew and she had Vaseline and told me to put it on my face. Shortly after I lined up at the start in the front because of being a strong swimmer. Right when I entered the water my goggles broke. I freaked out a little then just went. Since there was no chlorine, the swim without the goggles was bearable. The transition from the water was really long, longer than a football field. I was out of the water in just over 27 minutes.
My T1 went well and I was off on my bike. It was really crowded, way too many people. I thought for sure that I got a penalty going up a hill. The USAT officials were all over the bike course. The bike course was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The hills were doable, nothing like the website made it to be. It was a fast course and by the end all the fog had lifted. I had a cliff bar right at the beginning and my Accelerade was gone within 30 minutes. I took the bottles of HEED at all 5 stations. I am lucky it did not make me sick since I have never had it before. I drank each bottle in about 20 minutes. I was super thirsty. Looking back it was watered down and probably not enough calories (read how things went on the run below). Since I kept drinking it so fast my coach said that could cause bloat. I felt super bloated coming into T2. I did the bike in 2 hr 38 min or 21.3 mph. The girl that I swim with caught me right at the end. I was happy I held her off until then! I knew I could not hold her off for the run since she ran in college.
T2 went well also. I was in and out. Besides feeling really bloated, I thought everything was fine. There were 2 big hills in the beginning, but the rest of the course was relatively flat. At mile 2 I started feeling really bad - really dizzy. I had to walk almost a mile. I got some nutrition at the aid station and felt a little better. Up until mile 9 or 10 I stopped at every aid station to drink, eat, and walk. I probably walked 2 miles or more of the course. The course was a double loop so at mile 6 I knew I soon had 2 big hills to look forward to. I started to feel fine at mile 11. So, I ran the last 2 miles in. Mike and the girls were there to see me finish, which was really nice. My run took 2 hr 27 min or 11:17 min per mile. It was really slow.
My total time was 5 hr 37 min. I was faster on the bike than I thought I would be and a lot slower on the run. Coach told me I probably did not get my nutrition right and will help me with it this coming weekend at the IM WI training camp. I know I should be happy with my results since this was my first half IM, but I am still disappointed. I am getting nervous for WI.
IM WI is in 7 weeks. These next few weeks I will be concentrating on nutrition and endurance. I only have 5 weeks until the taper begins.
I got a much needed massage today. I don't recover like I used to!
On Saturday I looked up directions on how to get to the race site and saw that the water temp was 56 degrees. That made me a little nervous along with the fact that it was supposed to rain all day. I took my bike to the race site on Saturday afternoon. There was fog in the air and it was drizzling. Luckily I got there early enough to get a good transition spot.
I woke up Sunday at 4:30am since I was leaving from my parents house which is an hour away from where the race was held. My dad drove me down so I could rest a little on the way. When we got there, there was a lot of fog. In fact there was so much fog that the race was pushed back 15 minutes. This was actually a good thing for me. It allowed me to get in a short bike warm-up. After the warm-up, I found out the race was pushed back another 15 minutes. I walked the mile up to the swim start.
The swim was a point to point. I decided to go into the water for another short warm-up. It was COLD. It took me 15 minutes to get comfortable up to my neck (by this time the race was pushed another 15 minutes). I took a few strokes and immediately got a headache. Every time I put my face in the water, my head started to pound. After another 15 minutes push back, the race started an hour late. I found someone I knew and she had Vaseline and told me to put it on my face. Shortly after I lined up at the start in the front because of being a strong swimmer. Right when I entered the water my goggles broke. I freaked out a little then just went. Since there was no chlorine, the swim without the goggles was bearable. The transition from the water was really long, longer than a football field. I was out of the water in just over 27 minutes.
My T1 went well and I was off on my bike. It was really crowded, way too many people. I thought for sure that I got a penalty going up a hill. The USAT officials were all over the bike course. The bike course was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The hills were doable, nothing like the website made it to be. It was a fast course and by the end all the fog had lifted. I had a cliff bar right at the beginning and my Accelerade was gone within 30 minutes. I took the bottles of HEED at all 5 stations. I am lucky it did not make me sick since I have never had it before. I drank each bottle in about 20 minutes. I was super thirsty. Looking back it was watered down and probably not enough calories (read how things went on the run below). Since I kept drinking it so fast my coach said that could cause bloat. I felt super bloated coming into T2. I did the bike in 2 hr 38 min or 21.3 mph. The girl that I swim with caught me right at the end. I was happy I held her off until then! I knew I could not hold her off for the run since she ran in college.
T2 went well also. I was in and out. Besides feeling really bloated, I thought everything was fine. There were 2 big hills in the beginning, but the rest of the course was relatively flat. At mile 2 I started feeling really bad - really dizzy. I had to walk almost a mile. I got some nutrition at the aid station and felt a little better. Up until mile 9 or 10 I stopped at every aid station to drink, eat, and walk. I probably walked 2 miles or more of the course. The course was a double loop so at mile 6 I knew I soon had 2 big hills to look forward to. I started to feel fine at mile 11. So, I ran the last 2 miles in. Mike and the girls were there to see me finish, which was really nice. My run took 2 hr 27 min or 11:17 min per mile. It was really slow.
My total time was 5 hr 37 min. I was faster on the bike than I thought I would be and a lot slower on the run. Coach told me I probably did not get my nutrition right and will help me with it this coming weekend at the IM WI training camp. I know I should be happy with my results since this was my first half IM, but I am still disappointed. I am getting nervous for WI.
IM WI is in 7 weeks. These next few weeks I will be concentrating on nutrition and endurance. I only have 5 weeks until the taper begins.
I got a much needed massage today. I don't recover like I used to!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
New Use for a Bike Pump
Monday, July 7, 2008
Fireworks, workouts, parties, and trips to the doctor
Weekends at the Collins' house are never uneventful. Being the 4th of July this past weekend was no exception. We started the 4th off at my in-laws swimming and having a little BBQ. The rest of the day was spent at the neighbors house. They have 2 boys a little older than our girls, so the girls were entertained most of the evening. I only had 1 beer due to the fact I had a long workout the next day. We went to the fireworks and got home about 11pm - way past my bedtime. The girls did not sleep well that night so Mike and I were up on and off until about 2am. This was probably due to the fact that the air is not working in our house so we were all laying in our own sweat for most of the night.
I planned on getting up at 7am on Saturday to start my 5 hour ride followed by an hour run. I woke up at 5am just to make sure I had something to eat before I left. I fell back asleep and the next thing I knew it was almost 9am. Normally I wouldn't care, but Mike invited people over and they were coming at 4pm. According to my calculations, I would be home just in time to take a shower before they got here. I left the house a little after 9 and headed out Minnetonka Blvd. I took the route I took for one of my other rides. It has some rolling hills in the beginning and some really big hills when you get out to Chanhassen. I did a loop for the SA part of my workout. Part of that loop consists of a hill that I can barely climb. By the time I was done with the hard portion of my workout, the temperature had climbed considerably. I went to a gas station to fill up on water and something to eat. I drank more in the first half of this 5 hour ride than total in my last 5 hour ride. At about the 3hr 30 min mark I was close to home and feeling a little hungry, so I quick ran in the house, used the bathroom, got a PB sandwich and was out the door. I also got more water and Accelerade. I finished the remainder of the bike around my house. The last part of my bike was brutal. I should have eaten more. I got home and felt really light headed. I took a little longer than the normal transition time to start my run. I drank and ate something light and 15 minutes later I was out on my run in the heat of the day. The first 40 minutes of the run went well. I crashed the last 20 and felt like I was not going to make it home. I still managed to run 6 miles, which is not bad with 6 minutes of walking.
I took a shower and immediately helped Mike get ready for our guests. Per my coach telling me to eat really well, I ate pretty good. Again, only 1 beer, corn on the cob, strawberries, veggies and 1/4 rack of ribs. It was nice to have people over at our house for once! I fell asleep before the girls that night and slept a whole 12 hours. It was the most splendid sleep I have had in a long time. Again I was planning on getting up early for a swim, but it was not in the cards.
Ellie woke up Sunday morning with severe neck pain. After a few hours of crying, we decided to take her to urgent care. She could not move her neck to the left without agonizing pain. After seeing the doctor and, thankfully, ruling out meningitis we went home. We were told that if she was not feeling better in 4 hours to take her to the ER. The doctor said to just give her some Tylenol and rest it, so we did. We sat inside most of Sunday morning and early afternoon watching Barbie movies and making sure Ellie was ok. After about 3 hours, she was feeling better. By this time it was 3pm and I still had not run. Mike wanted to take the girls swimming because all of us were so hot, so we went to his parents for q quick dip in the pool. I was getting a little concerned I was not going to get my run in, so Mike brought me home and I started running about 6pm. This is not my ideal time to run, but it worked and I may be running at that time for my IM. I had a really good run. I ran all but 6 minutes of the 2 hour 20 minute run. It was really hot and muggy and there were dark clouds south of me the whole time. I did miss my swim, but there was nothing I could do about that.
Today I got another massage. I got one 2 weeks ago and this week the massage therapist got more knots out. I am getting another massage in 2 weeks the day after the Racine 1/2 IM!
I planned on getting up at 7am on Saturday to start my 5 hour ride followed by an hour run. I woke up at 5am just to make sure I had something to eat before I left. I fell back asleep and the next thing I knew it was almost 9am. Normally I wouldn't care, but Mike invited people over and they were coming at 4pm. According to my calculations, I would be home just in time to take a shower before they got here. I left the house a little after 9 and headed out Minnetonka Blvd. I took the route I took for one of my other rides. It has some rolling hills in the beginning and some really big hills when you get out to Chanhassen. I did a loop for the SA part of my workout. Part of that loop consists of a hill that I can barely climb. By the time I was done with the hard portion of my workout, the temperature had climbed considerably. I went to a gas station to fill up on water and something to eat. I drank more in the first half of this 5 hour ride than total in my last 5 hour ride. At about the 3hr 30 min mark I was close to home and feeling a little hungry, so I quick ran in the house, used the bathroom, got a PB sandwich and was out the door. I also got more water and Accelerade. I finished the remainder of the bike around my house. The last part of my bike was brutal. I should have eaten more. I got home and felt really light headed. I took a little longer than the normal transition time to start my run. I drank and ate something light and 15 minutes later I was out on my run in the heat of the day. The first 40 minutes of the run went well. I crashed the last 20 and felt like I was not going to make it home. I still managed to run 6 miles, which is not bad with 6 minutes of walking.
I took a shower and immediately helped Mike get ready for our guests. Per my coach telling me to eat really well, I ate pretty good. Again, only 1 beer, corn on the cob, strawberries, veggies and 1/4 rack of ribs. It was nice to have people over at our house for once! I fell asleep before the girls that night and slept a whole 12 hours. It was the most splendid sleep I have had in a long time. Again I was planning on getting up early for a swim, but it was not in the cards.
Ellie woke up Sunday morning with severe neck pain. After a few hours of crying, we decided to take her to urgent care. She could not move her neck to the left without agonizing pain. After seeing the doctor and, thankfully, ruling out meningitis we went home. We were told that if she was not feeling better in 4 hours to take her to the ER. The doctor said to just give her some Tylenol and rest it, so we did. We sat inside most of Sunday morning and early afternoon watching Barbie movies and making sure Ellie was ok. After about 3 hours, she was feeling better. By this time it was 3pm and I still had not run. Mike wanted to take the girls swimming because all of us were so hot, so we went to his parents for q quick dip in the pool. I was getting a little concerned I was not going to get my run in, so Mike brought me home and I started running about 6pm. This is not my ideal time to run, but it worked and I may be running at that time for my IM. I had a really good run. I ran all but 6 minutes of the 2 hour 20 minute run. It was really hot and muggy and there were dark clouds south of me the whole time. I did miss my swim, but there was nothing I could do about that.
Today I got another massage. I got one 2 weeks ago and this week the massage therapist got more knots out. I am getting another massage in 2 weeks the day after the Racine 1/2 IM!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Waconia's Whitecaps & Wind
Yesterday was my second triaathlon of the season. It was about 40 minutes southwest of my house in beautiful Waconia. The temperature was perfect for racing - the mid 70's. However, it was super windy. As I was driving up to the race site at the crack of dawn, I saw whitecaps in the water. These were no ordinary waves, these were like ocean waves.
The swim was an out, over and back, just 1/2 a mile. Going out was horrible. I was one of the last people to start and saw about 25 people pulled out of the water and another handful just decide to skip the race because the waves were so bad. It took a lot of energy for the first half and it was hard to site the buoys. I think I swallowed a gallon of water! Going parallel to the shore was also a bit hard because the waves were pushing you in. The way back was easier. It was a lot like body surfing! I was out of the water in 15 min 26 seconds. First in my age group and 3rd among ameteur women. Below I am in the middle of the picture starting to get out of the water.
My T1 was pretty slow. I am not sure why I am so bad at transitioning, but that is definitely one of the things I need to get better at. For the first part of the bike, the wind was almost pushing me over. Then I made a turn and was going straight into the wind. Part of the bike was with the wind and I think I average about 25 mph on flat terrain for about 5 miles or so. The rest of the bike was all in a cross wind or heading staright into the wind. I took the bike a little easier than last time (per coaches orders) but still averaged over 20 mph. It was another hilly course and this time I was prepared for it. I did the 25 miles in 1 hr 10 min. T2 was slow again too. I cannot believe how long it took me to take off my bike shoes and put my running shoes on!
The run went a lot better this time. It was shorter than my last race by 2 miles, but that should not affect my average pace that much. I did the run in 34 min 51 sec or 8:43 min miles. I shaved 1 min 15 sec off my per mile time from last time! I am still over a min slower than I should be, but it is nice to see improvement. The first 3/4 of a mile on the run was uphill. The rest was rolling hills with a few short flat portions. As you can see below I am in much better shape at the end of this run than at the end of the run from my last race. Overall I did the race in 2 hrs 4 minutes. I was 4th in my 30-34 age group out of 17 and I was 14th of 115 ameteur women. This was definitely a better experience than last time!
The swim was an out, over and back, just 1/2 a mile. Going out was horrible. I was one of the last people to start and saw about 25 people pulled out of the water and another handful just decide to skip the race because the waves were so bad. It took a lot of energy for the first half and it was hard to site the buoys. I think I swallowed a gallon of water! Going parallel to the shore was also a bit hard because the waves were pushing you in. The way back was easier. It was a lot like body surfing! I was out of the water in 15 min 26 seconds. First in my age group and 3rd among ameteur women. Below I am in the middle of the picture starting to get out of the water.
My T1 was pretty slow. I am not sure why I am so bad at transitioning, but that is definitely one of the things I need to get better at. For the first part of the bike, the wind was almost pushing me over. Then I made a turn and was going straight into the wind. Part of the bike was with the wind and I think I average about 25 mph on flat terrain for about 5 miles or so. The rest of the bike was all in a cross wind or heading staright into the wind. I took the bike a little easier than last time (per coaches orders) but still averaged over 20 mph. It was another hilly course and this time I was prepared for it. I did the 25 miles in 1 hr 10 min. T2 was slow again too. I cannot believe how long it took me to take off my bike shoes and put my running shoes on!
The run went a lot better this time. It was shorter than my last race by 2 miles, but that should not affect my average pace that much. I did the run in 34 min 51 sec or 8:43 min miles. I shaved 1 min 15 sec off my per mile time from last time! I am still over a min slower than I should be, but it is nice to see improvement. The first 3/4 of a mile on the run was uphill. The rest was rolling hills with a few short flat portions. As you can see below I am in much better shape at the end of this run than at the end of the run from my last race. Overall I did the race in 2 hrs 4 minutes. I was 4th in my 30-34 age group out of 17 and I was 14th of 115 ameteur women. This was definitely a better experience than last time!
I think I executed pretty good on the things I wanted to work on from the last race. If I weren't training for an IM, I would probably work on my transitions more. However, I only have one shorter race left. My next race is the Racine half ironman in 3 weeks. The swim may be just as bad as this race because it is in Lake Michigan. I did read about the bike and run course and apparently they are pretty flat!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
5 Hour Bike Ride
This weekend I had my first really long bike. I biked 91 miles in 5hours. My longest ride before that was on 3 hr 30min. I rode up north on the Paul Bunyan Trail, which is extremely hilly in some parts. I had to make a pit stop in the woods because there was not a bathroom or port-a-potty in sight. All I kept thinking about was how there are bears, wolves, and other scary animals up there lingering in the woods. The whole trail is surrounded by huge forests. On the bright side, I was one of the faster riders out there so I figured the bears would go after the slower people first! I felt like my nutrition was about right, but could have used one more water bottle. I also did an open swim up there. While I was swimming Mike and the girls were in the row boat. The water was a bit choppy, but there were no weeds and the lake is super clean.
My IM is now less than 11 weeks away. After the 5 hour bike on Saturday, I started getting worried that I may not finish the race. Two months ago I thought I had a chance at qualifying for Hawaii, now I just want to finish. I figure the swim will take a little over an hour. I am hoping the bike is around 6 and a half hours. That puts me at about 7hrs 30 min. I am thinking the run will take over 6 hours. At least on the run I will be able to walk if needed!
My next race is Sunday in Waconia. It is a little shorter than Buffalo with a 1/2 mile swim, 25 mile bike and 4 mile run.
My IM is now less than 11 weeks away. After the 5 hour bike on Saturday, I started getting worried that I may not finish the race. Two months ago I thought I had a chance at qualifying for Hawaii, now I just want to finish. I figure the swim will take a little over an hour. I am hoping the bike is around 6 and a half hours. That puts me at about 7hrs 30 min. I am thinking the run will take over 6 hours. At least on the run I will be able to walk if needed!
My next race is Sunday in Waconia. It is a little shorter than Buffalo with a 1/2 mile swim, 25 mile bike and 4 mile run.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Braving the Road
I have finally realized that I need to ride on the road, not on a trail. First of all, people on trails usually do not know the proper etiquette Secondly, the trails are no longer long enough for my riding. Thirdly, the trail I was going to ride on today turned into gravel. So.....
I rode on the road. At first it was a little scary, but I went early enough so there were not that many cars on the road. I ended up going around Minnetonka, Deephaven, Shorewood, etc and seeing a lot of Lake Minnetonka. There were a lot of rolling hills, which I hear the Madison course has a lot of. So, I spent most of my 3 hr 30 min ride on Hwy 5.
I rode on the road. At first it was a little scary, but I went early enough so there were not that many cars on the road. I ended up going around Minnetonka, Deephaven, Shorewood, etc and seeing a lot of Lake Minnetonka. There were a lot of rolling hills, which I hear the Madison course has a lot of. So, I spent most of my 3 hr 30 min ride on Hwy 5.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Speed workouts
This past week I did 2 speed workouts. For the first time, I went to the Gear West Track Workout on Tuesday night. I have not done a track workout since high school when I was on the track team for about a week my junior year! I was in the slowest group, but was still running 8 minute mile pace, which is good for me. My heart rate was at its max for the whole thing. I got home Tuesday night and, after a good night's sleep, I went to swim practice. We had a normal warm-up, then did drills and kicking relays. Then, came the speed workout again. We did 3X325's off the blocks at race pace. Normally this workout would not have been so bad, but I was still sore from the night before. And, I am still store today. Thank goodness I only had swimming today, I have a super long workout tomorrow - a 30 min open water swim, followed by a 3 hr 30 min bike followed by a 30 min run. Then, on Sunday, I have a 2 hr 15 min run. What a weekend!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Putting things in Perspective
I spent a good week being upset with myself about my performance at Buffalo. Then I remembered how long I have really been training for. I have been with my coach for only 2 months and been working out consistently for only 3 months. My last triathlon was 5 years ago. I was in super shape, a workout fanatic. During the year before that last race, I was working out at least 2 hours a day doing something. I did only train about 3 months doing sports specific workouts, but still I was in awesome shape. Two pregnancies and another 5 years to my age later, I am back at it. I am happy that I am, but discouraged that I am not bouncing back as fast as I thought I would.
My goal for this tri-season is to get faster with each race and be in good enough shape for IM WI. I am training with a lot of great and fast triathletes. I don't always realize it because my swimming is at a higher level than most. However, looking at times and hearing that they are racing in the elite division and professional division as far as my coach is concerned, I realize I have a long way to go. These people have been racing for a long time and most of them without kids. I am not going to use my kids as an excuse for not doing as well, but I also do not have the time to dedicate as some people do.
I have a 4.5 hour brick on Saturday and a 5 hour ride next Saturday. It is hard in the summer to be away from family for so long knowing they are doing something fun outside. I guess there is no more sleeping in on the weekends now either!
My goal for this tri-season is to get faster with each race and be in good enough shape for IM WI. I am training with a lot of great and fast triathletes. I don't always realize it because my swimming is at a higher level than most. However, looking at times and hearing that they are racing in the elite division and professional division as far as my coach is concerned, I realize I have a long way to go. These people have been racing for a long time and most of them without kids. I am not going to use my kids as an excuse for not doing as well, but I also do not have the time to dedicate as some people do.
I have a 4.5 hour brick on Saturday and a 5 hour ride next Saturday. It is hard in the summer to be away from family for so long knowing they are doing something fun outside. I guess there is no more sleeping in on the weekends now either!
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Hills of Buffallo
On Sunday, June 1st I did my first triathlon in about 5 years. The race did not start until about 9am, which is late for triathlon, so I got to sleep in a little bit. The water temperature was a cool 66 degrees, but felt pretty nice with a wetsuit. The swim was .9 miles and I did that in 22 minutes 29 seconds. It was the 4 best female finish. The transition went OK. I took a little longer so I could hydrate, which I will probably never do again. I did the 24.8 mile bile in 1 hour 13 minutes, just under 20 miles an hour. The bike was filled with a few large hills and many, many more little hills. Every time I got to the top of one hill it seemed like I could see another. Once I got done with my bike, I realized I had not prepared well enough for it. I am definitely adding more hills to my workouts! My run went really poor. I ended up walking for about 10 minutes of it, but still finished the 6.2 miles in 58 minutes. The run was one big hill going up and down hill coming back. By the time I hit the down hill I was so tired that I don't think it mattered. My total time, with transitions, was 2 hours 40 minutes. I placed 14 of 39 in the 30-39 female age group. If I would have done 8 minute miles, I would have probably placed in the top 5.
Lessons learned:
1. Ride the bike course beforehand so you can prepared yourself for hills.
2. Practice, practice, and practice transitions.
3. Make sure hills are part of your workout.
Next triathlon: June 29th at Lake Waconia.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
I just spent how much on what?!?!
Yesterday I took the girls to Gear West to take a look at wetsuits. I thought I would be spending about $200. You can get one for that, but that is bottom of the line. So I went to the mid-level which fit and moved so much nicer and ended up spending $400 on one. I am thinking one of these days this sport will end up not costing so much!
Friday, May 2, 2008
On a roll
I am 2 days shy of being with my coach for 4 weeks and I have not missed or skimped on a workout yet! I know it is because I am accountable to someone. Why is it so hard to do things on your own? I have my first race in about 4 weeks. I just read that the ice has finally melted off the lake and that they recommend wetsuits. I was going to wait awhile longer to get one.
I feel I have made a lot of progress in the last 4 weeks. I have moved up a swim "level" and, just like I w as when I was a kid, I am leading a lane. There are 2 lanes in my level and I am leading a slower one, but I can tell you I get a better workout than the people who are behind the other leader. It is amazing the difference in the effort it takes to lead compared to going 3rd or 4th in a lane.
More progress will come on the bike once I can get outside. Hopefully Sunday is nice enough because I have a 3 hour bike and that could be miserable inside.
Running is coming along as well. I had a 5K time trial on Thursday and ran it in 28 minutes. However I did run 3.2 miles instead of the 3.1 which is a real 5K, so my time is more around 27 minutes. I am not sure why I thought 3.2 was right. All I have to say is that it was 6am and I was really tired!
I feel I have made a lot of progress in the last 4 weeks. I have moved up a swim "level" and, just like I w as when I was a kid, I am leading a lane. There are 2 lanes in my level and I am leading a slower one, but I can tell you I get a better workout than the people who are behind the other leader. It is amazing the difference in the effort it takes to lead compared to going 3rd or 4th in a lane.
More progress will come on the bike once I can get outside. Hopefully Sunday is nice enough because I have a 3 hour bike and that could be miserable inside.
Running is coming along as well. I had a 5K time trial on Thursday and ran it in 28 minutes. However I did run 3.2 miles instead of the 3.1 which is a real 5K, so my time is more around 27 minutes. I am not sure why I thought 3.2 was right. All I have to say is that it was 6am and I was really tired!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
V02 Max and body fat
I got the testing done this morning. It was a little different than I thought it would be. Instead of running really hard, it was walking then jogging at very high inclines. The test took about 15 minutes. The I did the underwater body fat test. I am not going to report my results on that because the result was not even near where I thought I was. I have been training well for about a month and really well for about a week. The doctor that did my testing gave me some really good advice on how to lower the body fat percentage. Now, along with my strict training regime, comes a strict eating regime. I knew this was coming and have started to eat better, but now that I have the information, I am even more motivated. This means no more treats, no more chips, and no more alcohol. It is not like I have time for a lot of partying anyway. I am in bed by about 9pm every night!
I got all workouts in this week! There is only a morning swim tomorrow so that will be a nice break and I am hoping that the girls take a nap so that I can take one too!
I got all workouts in this week! There is only a morning swim tomorrow so that will be a nice break and I am hoping that the girls take a nap so that I can take one too!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Swimming Blocks
We dove off of the swimming blocks this morning during masters swim. I think it is a lot like riding a bike. The first one was awful and I gradually got the hang of it again on the 4th one. I have not gone off the blocks for 12 years now!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Getting down to business
It was finally nice enough to take the girls for a run outside. As you can see, Ellie fell asleep. Emma and I filled the time talking about all the bikers that were out.
Now onto business.....
I met with a Triathlon coach on Friday and decided that it was something I needed. So, he is now writing my personalized workouts for each day! I feel much better using someone that I can talk to rather than a book (which was what I was using before). I am also now part of a Masters Swim Team! I never thought I would say that! I will be swimming with about 20 other people Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 6am-7am! At least this will keep me honest with my swimming. Sometime next week I am getting a V02 max test done at the University of St. Thomas. This tests your max heart rate. I am really excited to do this. I am also getting swim, bike and run video analysis. I should tell the coach right now that my swim stroke is not going to change no matter what I do! If coaches could not change it when I was swimming competitively, there is no way it is changing now. The coach also had me sign up for some triathlons for the summer (why did I pick such an expensive sport?!?!?). It is as follows.
1. Apple Duathlon - May 24th (I am debating whether to do this because it is my 5 year wedding anniversary that day)
2. Buffalo MN Olympic Distance Triathlon - June 1st
3. Lake Waconia - June 29th
4. Racine Half Ironman - July 20th
5. Oshkosh - August 10th (I am doing Oshkosh because that weekend was a planned family weekend at the cabin of my brother in laws mother)
6. WISCONSIN IRONMAN - SEPTEMBER 7TH
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Under the Weather
I have been sick for over a week now. The doctor said it was an Upper respiratory Infection and, since it is a virus, there is nothing to treat it with except Sudafed and cough medicine. So, I have not been training for almost a week now and I am starting to get worried. I know if I did workouts I would just get sicker and there is no way I could run more than a mile right now. I still feel like I wasted all the training I have been doing. Thankfully, triathlons are in the summer when I rarely get sick. My official marathon training starts in less than a week and my Ironman training starts in about a month. I have not decided how I am going to incorporate those 2 together. I am hoping I will be well enough to start my training next week.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Training in January in MN
The last few weeks have been especially cold here in MN, thus I have been doing my runs inside on the treadmill. I got my bike tuned up/fixed last week. About a month ago I fell off of my trainer and bent my rear wheel. I finally got it fixed and the rest of my bike got a little overhaul too. I went to Gear West bike and tri out in Long Lake. That is where I bought my bike from and one of the few true triathlon stores around.
My workouts have been going really well. I am feeling stronger. Last week I signed up for Grandma's marathon on June 21st. I wanted to get a marathon in before my ironman. This probably I will not be doing any other races this summer as I will not have adequate time to recover. We'll see though.
Alright, I need to get my bike set up for an early morning ride in front of the tv.
My workouts have been going really well. I am feeling stronger. Last week I signed up for Grandma's marathon on June 21st. I wanted to get a marathon in before my ironman. This probably I will not be doing any other races this summer as I will not have adequate time to recover. We'll see though.
Alright, I need to get my bike set up for an early morning ride in front of the tv.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
