A three sport day

ugh.

Thanks to yesterday's cold and windy weather, I shuffled around my workouts so I could do the brick today. Unfortunately, it wasn't really that much warmer. And since I couldn't squeeze in a trip to the pool yesterday, I had to make today a three sporter.

The pool was EMPTY, which was totally awesome. I love not having to share a lane, especially on my long days. However, I will never understand why the Nat can't make the water just a little bit warmer. I definitely stand on the pool deck for a few extra minutes, dreading the coldness I am about to plunge into. Today's workout:

250 yds warm up
1800 yds main set
250 yds cool down

Main set took 29:50, meaning I am still maintaining a 1:40 pace for the 100s as the swims get longer. I'm pretty satisfied with that and I felt like i probably could have pushed myself a little harder today, but since I had been dreading the pool workout, and since I still had a brick ahead of me, I didn't push to exhaustion.

brick:
bike 1hr, 16 miles.
run 23 minutes.

The wind was okay...not great, but I was able to maintain speed most of the time. I also have gained back a lot of confidence staying in aero. I nearly hit a bunny rabbit who dashed out onto the bike path. Thankfully, I avoided him...and the lady that was riding slightly in front of me. I would have felt pretty dumb if I had caused both of us to crash, in order to avoid hitting a rabbit. silly rabbit.

The run felt terrible and I never really hit a groove until I was about three blocks from home. Around the 11 min mark, I almost started to cry. I mean, in 9 weeks, I have to put this all together, and finish 70.3 miles. I feel so far from ready right now I can't imagine how I'm going to get there.

And, I may be suffering from a little bit of overtraining. I'm dreading workout, frustrated with my performance and feel kind of down. Today, I even picked a fight with Dear Husband because he stayed at the lake later than he had said....even though it didn't affect me directly. Tomorrow is a day off--both physcially and mentally, as I am taking a day off of work too. I hope that Tuesday I return with a renewed enthusiasm that will push me through the next 9 weeks.

5/8 and 5/9

5/8/09: a Double.

Swim:
300 m warm up
6x50 m drill
3x200 m threshold, 45 s rest
6x50 m sprint, 20 s rest
6x50 m kick, 15 sec
300 m cool down

Note: i only did 4 50s of the kick set and 100 m of the cool down. Dear Husband showed up at the pool--and the worrier in me expected the worst. Turns out I just needed to sign some house contract papers and he wanted to get me to do it as soon as possible.

Bike: 1 hr, 30 min.
I plotted a route out to Sun Prairie, 24 miles RT. The ride was BORING, pretty flat, roads were really bumpy and the traffic was steady. So, I'm not sure I'll do that route again. Dear Husband and I enjoyed the warm weather, and he even commented that I am looking stronger on the bike! I did feel really strong on the bike for the first time in a while. We got home, stretched and then it down poured. I'm relieved it waited.

5/09:
Run: 9.2 miles, 1 hr, 22 min (again...the 9 minute pace!! argh.)
I was actually supposed to do a brick today, but the weather sucked here. Cold, windy and damp from rain all night, more or less the recipe for a miserable ride. So, I did a run today (much longer than what I am slated to do tomorrow) and went long so I could start to build my confidence for the 1/2 marathon in three weeks. I felt okay--and really any struggles I felt were toward the second half of the run when I was a little dehydrated. I think I need to start wearing the hydration belt again for runs over 1 hr. I had hoped a GU would be enough...but I wasn't so lucky. I definitely felt a little a little crampy by the end. I think I'll shoot for 11.5 miles next weekend so I'll nearly have run the mileage of the race. I should be fine...since my cardiovascular health is good....but, I'd sure love to come in under 1:55 (last year's time).

the long journey

It's been 10 weeks since my last post...and much has happened! A brief synopsis:

1. I decided to stop blogging because I was boring even myself! Training, training, training.... But now, I kind of what to record (even if it is just for me) the training process...so if at any time I think that a FULL Ironman is a good idea, I'll be able to look back and remind myself why it is a BAD idea!

2. Dear Husband got a faculty job, and the university put together a part time position for me. His position is great and he's super excited about it. My position is a little murky, but has a lot of potential.

3. We bought a house...which is totally crazy. it's an older house and needs a little bit of work--mostly cosmetic: things like removing wall paper from every single wall in the house, removing nasty old carpet (to reveal beautiful hardwood floors) and regrading the backyard. The mortage process is crazy. Just yesterday, we had the appraisal come back. Bad news was the house appraised at 150K....which is 30K less than our mortgage. Good news is that the seller's dropped the price to 150K!!! holy crap.

4. We've nearly figured out the moving details: when we're moving, how we're doing it, etc.

5. Training is going okay. I am exhausted most days and feel discouraged at how slowly my run times are, even when I feel like I am going fast! argh. But, I suppose it will all come together on race day. I've got ten more weeks till the race--and I am only in week 2 of the big, 6 week build phase. I also think I am going to increase some of my run mileage to build my confidence. My goal time is still 6.5 hours. I think it's possible...but really, I think that finishing will be pretty awesome. I'm also looking forward to being back in upstate NY and drinking a little wine. Since the race is only three weeks after our 3rd anniversary, and the bike course goes by the Buttonwood Grove (where we got married), I particularly excited.

In a nutshell, that's what's up. And for good measure:
Workout, 5/7/09: 45 minute run, 5 miles. 6x20 s sprints with 40 s active recovery. The run was a struggle. I was tired and not well hydrated. The first mile I struggled to catch my breath (sign of overtraining?) but by the 3rd mile felt okay.

Let the insanity begin

I've registered.

http://www.musselmantri.com/

Finally, it's Friday.

What a long freakin' week it has been...and sadly, I think that the next week will be just as long. Dear Husband has an interview at the end of next week, which we are both excited about. But, I think we are equally nervous and anxious about it too. This weekend will be filled with presentation writing, presentation practicing, lecture prep and maybe some ironing.

I feel really good to have gotten back on track with working out. I still haven't worked out my race schedule or training plan, but at least I made it to the gym a few times and have curtailed the eating a little!

Wednesday: 4 mile run (ugh, on the treadmill) and some ab work

Thursday: 20 minutes continuous swim (likely 1300 yds but I lost count after 200); (100 kick, 100 pull)x4.

This swim workout wasn't stellar, but I was super stressed yesterday and just needed to veg. I figured something was better than nothing and I just didn't have the drive to push myself for a tough aerobic set.

Swim workout, 1/20

Warm up: 600 m (400 free, 200 back), 10 min
Strength: (150m kick, 150 pull) x3, :10 sec rest
Cardio: 6x100 free, 1:50
Cool down: 50 m
Total distance: 2150 m

Nothing brilliant to add here. Just plugging away. Tonight, I hope to map out my training plan for the next six months....fun!

Home

I made it back pretty easily yesterday--only about 45 minutes later than scheduled. Which, frankly is pretty good since it was snowing in Detroit. My dear husband and a good friend picked me up at the airport and whisked me off to the Ale Asylum for a beer with the crew and then some tacos at our favorite taqueria, Tex Tubb's Taco Palace. It was great to see everyone and really be welcomed home after a long time away. Our friend's in Madison are great. :)

This morning, I find myself in the post-travel-pre-return-to-work blues. Combine that with the Sunday blues, and it makes it hard to want to face the day. Back in grad school, my best bud Catherine and I always got the Sunday blues, that sad feeling in the pit of your stomach that comes with the realization that tomorrow morning you have to get up early, get dressed, and go to work to face the same shit you happily left behind you on Friday afternoon. Back then, we'd head to the movies on Sunday night to extend the weekend just a little bit longer.

I realize that every job has peaks and valleys, so I am not expecting the Sunday Blues to ever completely vanish--but lately, I get the blues every.damn.week. I am pretty much ready to move on from my current job (for lots of reasons that I won't take time to enumerate) but we are bound here until the end of the semester....and until one of us finds a job elsewhere (or at least another job in Madison). Job prospects don't look at that great for me in this current market, so I am hoping that the dear husband comes through on this one! (no pressure, dear.)

It is the feeling of being completely trapped that gets me down. Instead of triggering the Fight or Flight instinct, being trapped causes me to give up in defeat. It's a good thing I am not a wild animal, or I would have ended up in somebody else's belly long ago. The husband tries his best to be encouraging and help me find ways to shape my current job into something I want, but my boss has different ideas and redirects me back to the tasks and projects I loathe.

Well, I have say here feeling sorry for myself for long enough this morning. My suitcase needs to be unpacked, and we are headed cross country skiing in a little bit. The snow here is lovely today--and it is pretty warm (in the 20s). A few tumbles down a small hill should chase these blues away in no time.

Longing to be home

Typically, I enjoy traveling--and even try to grin and bear it during those parts that aren't meant to be enjoyable. For instance, I make it a point to talk and joke around with the TSA guys as I am sorting all my clothes, electronics, liquids and gels into their separate bins. I religiously read the Sky Mall as the airplane sits in the take-off queue. If I didn't, how would I know about all the technological advances out there? How did we ever get along without these:


I bet hot dogs have never tasted so good!


Haven't you always wanted a garden Yeti?

But, despite all the fun I have while traveling, there is a certain longing to be home that I get during the last leg of a trip. While sitting here in the Detroit airport (which is surprisingly swanky), I find myself ready to be home. I have been on the road for the last 10 days and at this very moment, I want nothing more than to be sitting on my couch, with my dog and my husband, watching the winter snow come down. Instead, I am sitting in the airport, with hundreds of strangers, watching the snow come down, while I keep one eye on the departure screen. They've just announced we're boarding...so with my fingers crossed (which makes it hard to type!), I'll sign off here.

Sometimes, three mojotios are a good idea

I have decided i would try "drunk" blogging. I have just spent the last three hours feeding myself mojitos at a local Philly Cuban watering hole. And frankly, it was lovely. I had gone to Alma de Cuba over on Walnut, for a night cap...one mojito. well....as I was sitting there, one turned into three. I would like to say I am justified in drinking these three since I was chatting on my cell phone with a friend and the easiest sign to the bartender was "one more round, please". But truly, three mojitos is about two too many. But, the warmth of the restaurant got the best of me and I found myself embracing the Cuban-like "weather" inside and yearning for the stability that affords one the ability to drink swanky drinks in swanky lounges on a regular basis.

ick, ICE!

Last night's weather was wretched. Yes, it is winter in Wisconsin, so you might think we got 12 inches of snow, or it was -10 degrees out there. Those things are completely possible in Madison, and dare I say, preferable to what we really got---freezing rain. Now, every flat surface in town is coated with a thin layer of invisible ice.

We ventured out to a friend's house for a juice party. I was careful to walk very gingerly out to the car, but I guess that wisdom left me when I got out of the car downtown. Ten steps later, the bag of treats, the six pack of beer and I were strewn across the sidewalk in all different directions. A modern day miracle that none of us broke! The hummus spilled out of the Pyrex bowl, the a few beers rolled out of the carrier and I felt a little confused as to why I was looking up at the sky all of a sudden. A few laughs later, I was back on my feet and marching on to the promise of juice.

Icy sidewalks (roads, driveways, porches, etc) stink, so, I am going to go ahead and say it....we need more snow.

New year brings new goals

So, it is 2009. This year, I'll turn 32, move again, change jobs again and probably need to fill my eyeglass prescription. While it looks like my year will already be FULL of excitement...I wanted to add in a few personal goals and resolutions. Maybe having written these down will help me to actually fulfill them!

Okay, I'm going to start with the mundane. Resolution 1: I will hang up my coat in the coat closet as soon as I get home, instead of throwing it on the chair, the bed, the floor, the desk....wel,l I think you get the point that my coat usually ends up anywhere BUT the closest. I know it sounds stupid, but for some reason this is hard for me. When I admitted to my husband that I had made a resolution for this year, he looked at my skeptically, since he doesn't do resolutions. When I told him what it was, he smiled and offered his full support. Apparently, he doesn't appreciate my coat(s) being everywhere and anywhere all at once!

Resolution 2: Lose the ten pounds I gained between the end of tri season and now. I know that everyone else in America will also resolve to lose weight...so at least I am not alone. Starting out, I feel pretty discouraged, since I had just worked so hard to lose the weight last winter. Something about Wisconsin winters makes you gain ten pounds. I'm not sure if it's the beer, the cheese, the cold weather or the lack of sun. I think in my case it is all four!!

Resolution 3: Stop biting my cuticles. This is a terrible habit I have--and something I do when I am really anxious. Currently, that means my hands are a mess. It has gotten to the point where my fingers hurt and I am embarrassed to have people see my hands. This resolution will be the hardest one for me since it involves dealing with my anxiety in a different way, at a time where my anxiety level are pretty high.

So, those are my resolutions, those things I want to change about myself. But, I think that new years should also bring new goals. For me, these goals revolve around completing some pretty daunting races. I have my eyes set on a half Ironman in late summer. I am still working on my race schedule and some things will depend on where we end up moving to this summer. At least I have managed to come to my senses and realize that a full marathon and three triathlons will be too much to complete over the span of four months.

Training starts now....hence, I went running in 15 degree weather. For anyone curious, 15 degrees is too freaking cold to be running in.