Attitude at Altitude

I went skiing this weekend with my kids and once again, was reminded of the fact that they are much younger than me and well, better than me at several things. One of those happens to be flying down a mountain at a break-neck speed.

But I got something on them: I can run 3 miles up a long, steep hill at 8200 feet above sea level, gaining 1000 feet or so, without stopping. And I'm just a little proud of that fact (can you tell?). 

It all started with Domino's Pizza. We got to our condo late Friday night and we did something that we NEVER do: we ordered a Domino's Pizza. The kids were starving and we thought, what the heck, it can't be that bad.

We take it back to the condo and happily dig in. This may be hard to believe but I had not had a Domino's Pizza in 20 yrs. No big deal, I just did an Ironman, I thought. I can eat what I want. Three greasy pieces later and I'm feelin' like the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Not to be-labor the point but I was already having one of those weeks where "the mirror was not my friend".  As I approach 49, I've noticed changes in my body that tell me I can't eat two plates of pasta anymore and stay the same size (more on that later).

And being a dietitian, I'm well aware of the fact that 3 pieces of Domino's pizza is >1000 calories. I'm also well aware of the fact that an extra 1000 calories when you're 49 (aka, peri-menopausal) can and will add fat to places you've never had fat and that can drive you crazy.

So, I ski on Saturday but despite what all the skiers-who-are-not-runners say, skiing is NOT an aerobic sport. It does NOT burn a lot of calories. You're going DOWN a mountain, not UP, and rarely do I get my heart rate up enough to burn off my orange juice, let alone 3 pieces of Domino's pizza.

So today I finally get to run and I'm chompin' at the bit. The Weather Channel says its 4 degrees but the sun is out and there's no wind. No problem, I'm a Coloradoan and I can handle it!

I put on my usual 20 layers and head out the door. Ahhhhh....fresh (freezing cold) air. Nice!  Our condo is way up high on a steep hill so I have only one choice: run down the hill and back up. So I did.

The way down was great. I ran at a comfortable pace and warmed up quickly. The view of Lake Dillon and surrounding mountains was awesome (picture to be added later). Good tunes on my Ipod and life is good.

I got to the turnaround point and well,  I turned around and went back up...and up...and up. My breathing became very labored and I noticed that I feel just like I did at the Boulder 70.3 - I couldn't catch my breath. I told myself that I will NOT stop until I get to the condo, which was 3 miles up the road (key word: up).

It was very steep, probably about a 4-5% grade and the elevation there is around 8200 feet. My heart was pounding pretty hard and it was very hard to keep going. But I love running in cold weather and as corny as it sounds, challenging myself to reach new levels in my training.

Lo and behold, I made it. I ran the entire way without stopping. Over snow banks and numerous ice patches, I ran slow but steady. But I made it and was very happy.  And truth be told, I wasn't really worried about those 3 pieces of pizza anyway.

Now I'm wondering, is it wrong to snicker at your kids when they complain about being tired after skiing all day?  Ha!  Their old ma aint such a slacker after all.

Yeah Baby!

One thing I've learned over the years of running, cycling, sweating...is that some days are good and some days are, well, not so good. And I have yet to figure out why that is.

And every now and then I have a day where I feel like I can't go hard enough or fast enough. I love those days. I live for those days.  I want more of those days. Yes, I'm a total endurance junkie and I need to get my fix.

Well, today was one of those days. I got up at 5:30 so that I could do an hour of Spinervals before the kids got up for school. Two cups of coffee later, I was still lounging on the couch, soaking up the early morning silence. Gotta get going....

There's a lot to do to get ready for a workout on the trainer. Here is a partial list of what needs to happen:
Put on bike clothes (shorts with padding, singlet)
Drink water and apple juice, eat quick snack
Fill up water bottle with diluted Gatorade
Stretch hamstrings
Pump up back tire (so it rides smoothly on trainer)
Put on bike shoes
Find Spinerval DVD, put it on
Put foose ball table by bike so I can put the remote, water bottle, and telephone within arm's reach
Turn on fan and position it so that it blows on me
Stretch hamstrings again
Warm up on bike watching the news

So today I did the Spinervals Aerobuilder 28 again and aside from enduring a squeaky back wheel (that drove me nuts), I had a good workout. I did 8 x 1:00 reps at 80 rpm, then 12 x 45 second reps at 90 rpm. But for once, I didn't feel like it was hard enough. My kids were needing to get to school but I was in such a groove that I didn't want to stop and I desperately wanted to work harder.

So, I did something kinda weird but kinda cool: I got off my bike and jumped onto the treadmill. I needed my fix and I was gonna get it.

I cranked up the speed and ran hard for about 10 minutes, then raised the elevation knowing that I only had a few mins before having to take the kids to school so I might as well make it hurt. I ran hard uphill for 5 full mins but still felt like I needed more....all the while wondering where in the heck this energy was coming from.

I jumped off the bike, threw on some outdoor running clothes, grabbed my water bottle, Ipod, gloves, hat, etc, and oh yeah, my kids, and drove them across town to their school. It was 20 degrees outside, grey, and very foggy. A pretty miserable day outside.

By the time I got them to school I was started to get chilled so I quickly kissed them goodbye and took off running (my kids are used to this). It was so foggy that I could hardly see 20 feet in front of me but I didn't care, I ran like the wind!

It took a good 2 miles of all-out running before I started losing steam. I hadn't eaten much that morning so I literally was hitting the wall (can you say glycogen depletion). But I had so much fun that I literally laughed out loud. I'm sure the people in the cars that past me wondered why this crazy woman was running so fast and smiling the whole time.

Wish I had more days like this but I'll take even just one once in awhile. Coach Troy would be proud...

Slug City

Have a ton of work to do today and a sick kid at home, so no exercise...thought that since I ran hard yesterday that I would be sore enough today that it would be nice to take the day off but I'm strangely NOT sore today. Could've done a Spinerval tape easily this morning (which is a good sign) but no time today...save for tomorrow.

Going to make one of my favorite lunch meals today:
Healthy Nachos. Take a plate of tortilla chips and sprinkle on 1/3 cup black beans, 1/3 cup fiesta shredded cheese, and salsa. Put in microwave for 45 seconds, then add reduced-fat sour cream.

YUM!

Weird Wednesday

Sleep is a good thing....a really good thing. And I obviously needed it today as I slept until the ungodly hour of 7:00 AM.

And its weird because I missed Master's swim (Master's is Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:15 AM). I didn't get much sleep Monday night and I stayed up last night until 11:00 (oh no!) so I knew I wouldn't want to get up at 5:15 this morning. And I didn't.

So, time to do another switcheroo workout. No swim = more time for running (yippee!).  After dropping off my kids at school, I donned my running shoes and I was out the door.

I ran from my mom's house, which is in west Greeley. I love running out there because I can actually see the mountains. People think that when you live in Colorado that you're surrounded by the Rocky Mountains (not!). But there is a pretty good view from west Greeley.

Long's Peak looked especially majestic this morning. I cranked my Ipod and totally zoned out.

The first half of the run was slow and easy (another change with aging, is the amt of time spent warming up - its probably about doubled!).  Then, as I approached the hill north of the Fun Plex, aka Bunny Hill, I decided to do some hill repeats.

At first it felt easy and I thought that I would have to do quite a few hill repeats to get my heart rate up. But that quickly changed as I neared the top of the first hill. I was totally out of breath. Ugh. This hurts. Maybe swimming wouldn't have been that bad....

But I turned around and ran back down the hill. Its a fairly long hill so I only had time for 3 hill repeats but that was enough. I still had to run back to my mom's house. All told, I probably only ran 4 miles but the 3 long sprints up the hill were enough to make the run equal to at least 10 miles of effort (ok, maybe not that much...).

Tomorrow I'll ride indoors and swim on Friday....unless I get another visit from Mr. Sandman....

Greeley Triathlon Club video

Last weekend, our small-but-mighty triathlon club held their annual "Christmas" party (which we do every January) and I volunteered to make a video of the previous year's races. Well, it ended up being a video of the previous 2 years of races...but anyway, it was fun to make and I'd like to share it here:
http://www.greeleytriathlonclub.com/gtc_2009.wmv.  Just click on the link to see the video.

Nutrition Tips

Today is my day off and since I ran and swam hard yesterday (yes, I'm bragging and I ain't apologizing for it), I feel pretty darn good today. I did walk to class this morning (30 mins each way) so I'm not a total couch potato but will probably be sitting on my butt for a good 6 hrs so it really is a day off (and it feels so good!).

So, how 'bout a nutrition tip?  Since I am now a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (fancy name for sports dietitian), I thought I'd throw in a few here on my blog.

Topic today will be vitamin D. This is a "hot" topic in the nutrition world and as I was walking home today under cloudy skies, I was recalling what I learned from Michael Hollick, vitamin D researcher at some ivy league school back east "it is impossible to get enough vitamin D from the sun if you live north of Texas from November through February, even if you are outside naked for 8 hrs each day".

Well, I'm not planning on joining any nudist camps but want to make sure I get enough vitamin D. There are two ways of doing that: drinking 4 cups of milk each day or taking a supplement. I do both.

I am very skeptical about nutritional supplements because most of them are unnecessary. But one of the few supps I take is vitamin D (1000 IUs). There is intriguing research showing that vit D may not only prevent colon and breast cancer and diabetes (yes, I said cancer), but may play a role in maintaining the integrity of skeletal muscles as well. This is good news for triathletes.

Researchers have found that muscle cells have receptors for vitamin D, although no one really knows why....but if they're there, there must be a reason that muscles need vitamin D. More on this later.

So, I do pop a vit D supp everyday and you should too if you A) live north of Texas or B) do not drink 4 cups of milk each day and/or C) have no intention of being naked outside for 8 hrs each day (or maybe you do but you should still drink your milk).

So, back to work...more on nutrition later.

I did a brick!

Just a quick note to say that I ended up running a great tempo run after my swim today - woo hoo! Felt really strong. Ran for an hour and did three 10-minute "reps" of near all-out running. I can hardly walk now but that's ok (isn't what Celebrex is for?), I'm psyched that I could run that well.

Plus, now I can take tomorrow off and feel good about it.  Cool!

Oh, my achin' arms!

Well, today is Monday and you know what that means: Master's swim practice. I sure hope I get faster swim times this year because these workouts are killin' me!

Today I woke up 10 mins late but managed to get to the pool by 6:10.  Warmed up with 200 free, 200 pull, and was supposed to do 200 kick but Richard started the workout before I could get it done. Richard Hess is our swim coach.  He usually saunters in around 6:20 and writes the workout on the board. We start the session off with a "joke of the day" (which could easily be my swim times) and then the main set (aka, killer workout).

Being a long time distance runner (which means I'm a swimmer wanna-be), I still get nervous for Master's swim. It just doesn't come naturally to me and I'm always working harder than everyone else. I'm clearly the slowest swimmer (even with fins on) and although I don't worry about it as much andymore, its hard not to notice when I'm the only one finishing a set when everyone else waiting for me. 

This is what we did today:
6 x 125's, with #2, 4, and 6 faster than the others
8 x 75's, descending
4 easy 50's
6 50 kick set
and there was more but I didn't finish the workout.

I did the 125's and 75's pretty much all out. I had to, in order to keep up. I did the first half of the 125's free but then used my pull buoy for the rest, which I've been told is similar to wearing a wetsuit. I used my fins on all of the 75's. But I've noticed that fins don't always help - my lower body tends to sink when I wear fins, whereas I stay "up" with the pull buoy (or whatever that thingy is called).

And I was swimming next to Sarah, who is coming back from an injury and she's NOT signed up for Master's, I ended up talking with her after the 75's and that was part of the reason for not finishing the workout. But I don't think I could've done the 4 "easy" 50's anyway. My arms were dead.

So, I'm driving home wondering if I should really push myself to finish the workouts or take the approach that it is still early in the season and that half of a Master's workout is hard enough...that I don't need to do all of it and I'm risking an injury if I do too much too soon. My race isn't until November and if I start swimming hard now, I may burn out and/or get injured.

Or is that just a rationalization for not doing the whole workout???

I do have one other good reason, though, for doing only half the workout: I need to run today because I can't tomorrow. So I need to save my energy for running.....and believe me, it IS hard to run when you've worked your arms and shoulders so hard that they ache.

Today I'm only running 3-4 easy miles with Daisy. I came home to see the kids off to school (Kurt was here for once and had them up and ready to go - so nice when he's here!) so I just needed to eat breakfast. I made oatmeal with peanut butter and skim milk - yummy! I'll wait for 90 mins and then go run. Nice way to start the day.

Tonight I'm spending the night at our church (Room at the Inn program for homeless families) and have to teach tomorrow AM so its good to workout hard today since I'll do nada tomorrow. Maybe by then my achin' arms will be back to normal!

Better Day Today

Tomorrow we're having work done in our basement, which means I can't ride my trainer, so I rode today. The good news is that I wasn't sore at all today and managed to eek out 45 mins of hard spinning. Felt great, actually. Did one of my Spinerval tapes again - #28, Aero Builder - same one I mentioned here a few weeks ago. Only had time for two sets but was working pretty hard. Yay!

Will lift later today and swim tomorrow AM.

Last night was our annual triathlon club "Christmas" party (we always have our Christmas party in January). I had volunteered to make a video if someone would show me how. Kevin was kind enough to come over and get me started and I spent the last few days working on it. It came out pretty good, I thought, and was really fun to do. When we get it up on our site, I'll post a link here.

Had a fun time at the party. We have a great group of people in our club. No one is too serious about it and we all have jobs and lives that take precedence over triathlons. But we train hard and have a fun time together.

The cool thing is that Kevin, who knows how to weld, makes these really cool awards for people who do 1/2 Ironman distance and full Ironman distance. The 1/2 IM trophy is literally half of the Ironman logo, in steel. I'll post a picture later. The IM trophy is, of course, the full logo. I was a proud recipient of the full trophy last night!  I finally feel like I have arrived - now that i have that trophy!  Forget the IM finisher's medal, I now have an official, hand-made IM trophy made my Kevin Magee in Greeley, CO! 

Stumped

So I ran 9 slow miles with my buddies this morning and I'm like, well....sore.  Yeah.... sore. REALLY sore. Why is that??? Or as they say on Facebook: WTF???

Why is it that I've been running consistently for 25 yrs now (seriously) with a long run almost every single weekend over that time, 12 marathons, one Ironman, numerous triathlons, and I'm sore after running a measly little 9 miles.

Is this a natural consequence of aging or is it the price I pay for sittin' on my butt for the last two days?  Don't answer that.

So, I took some Celebrex and that helps, but I have a ton of housework to do and my body hurts all over.  Maybe it's the Hannah Montana music in the background that is putting me in a bad mood (I have two 8 yr olds at home, you know).

Yes, I'm glad that I ran and I had fun with my friends (see above). But gosh darn it, can't I run a long run without it feeling like I just climbed Capital Peak all over again?  And if I'm this sore after 9 measly miles, how the heck am I going to propel my body over 140.6 miles again?

Yes, I AM whining!  Its my party and I'll....oh, just turned on the TV...seeing pictures of  Haiti...ok, I'll shut up. Case closed.  Off to do more housework....

Funny Friday

Well, today was downright funny. I had planned on doing a Spinerval tape this morning but I had a lot of work to do (for the class I teach at Univ of Northern CO) so decided to get my work done first, then hop on the trainer. And I did....and that's good...but it was almost lunchtime so I got hungry and stopped after 10 mins.

So, why is that funny? Well, I am a sports dietitian and you'd think I know better. But that's ok, I thought I'll just ride later but later never came and here I sit, drinking beer, and blogging away!  I'm laughing because a few months ago, before the Ironman, I would've FREAKED OUT that I hadn't done my precious little workout. But now, I'm so over it (as my daughter would say) and I'm LOVING the fact that I'm not officially "in training" yet. Woo hoo!

Plus, the older I get, the more I notice how 2 days off feels much better than 1 day off (I took yesterday off too - what a hoot!).  Hmmm....can I train for an Ironman with only 3 days of training each week?  OK, I'm dreaming...

So, I'll get back on the bandwagon tomorrow. I think there's a 10 mile group run scheduled and as soon as I finish savoring this lovely Blue Moon, I'll call someone to find out where and when we're running.

Aaaahhhhh, I'm lovin' not being on a training schedule yet!

Master's Swim: The Ultimate Humbling Experience

Well, today was another chance to test my "mental strength" and positive-thinking skills. I had the dubious honor of sharing a lane at the pool with Natalie this morning. I'll just use her first name so as not to embarrass her (as if she would read my blog anyway!).

Everyone in our Master's swim class knows Natalie. No, she's not some former collegiate rockstar swimmer....in fact, I don't think she's ever swam competitively at all. But she should have because she's amazingly fast and never out of breath.

If she weren't so gosh darn nice, we'd all hate her. But Natalie is one of the sweetest, quietest people I know. She's a joy to be around and I was honored to share a lane with her today.

I have to mention that Natalie has 8 children. Yes, you read right. She had 6 boys the old-fashioned way and then she and her husband decided to adopt. They adopted one beautiful little girl and are in the process of adopting another. Being an adoptive mom myself, I admire anyone who has SIX boys at home (yes, they're all at home, ages 8 - 16) and then decides to add two more to the mix. She's way cool in book!

So, today I was in the lane first by myself warming up, feeling pretty frisky, and there goes someone right by me. Whoever it is is swimming so fast, she's already lapped me once. Its gotta be Natalie, and it is.

At first I don't worry about it but as I start to swim faster and find that I still can't keep up with her, I start to wonder how in the world I'm ever going to swim 2.4 miles nonstop in Arizona in under 2 hours (ok, I know I already swam that distance in Florida in 1:18 but still...I felt like a drunk turtle next to Natalie!).

Just gotta shrug it off. She's always quick to remind me that I could run circles around her (her words, not mine) and that "we're all different". Yes, but I still would love to swim even half as fast as Natalie can.

So, today we warmed up with 150 free, 150 pull, 150 kick, and 150 choice. I did the first three sets and then Richard started the main set: 4 x 150's with the 2nd and 4th being faster; then 4 100's descending (the last one being the fastest) and there was more but I had to leave at 7:00 to get the kids to school on time (oh darn, I have to leave!).

I'm out of the pool at 7:00, home by 7:20; get the kids up, fed, and off to school (Kurt was at work early today), stopped by to see my mom and came home to go for a run.

Left the house at 9:20 and jogged slow for 10 mins. It was colder than I thought it would be and the sky was grey. I wore my Ipod and let myself settle into a good rhythm. I love my weekday solo runs - I just let my mind go and run without thinking too much about anything.

I tried picking up the pace but must admit, it feels weird after a hard swim. I don't know why that is, to be honest. My arms and shoulders are tired from the swim but you'd think that it wouldn't affect the legs. Yet, I felt slow and awkward at first. I finally loosened up and pushed the pace. I ran several several pick-ups and then one long 10 minute tempo run.

When I got back home I felt like I could've pushed a little harder or gone farther but that's ok. Right now, I want to hold back just a little. I don't want to go all out yet. It's too early.

So not a bad workout today: hard swim and good run. I may not be the fastest swimmer but as long as I keep showing up, it's alright with me.

Tempo Tuesday No More

Tuesdays are usually my tempo run day. But this semester I'm teaching a class at 9:30 so I have to run before I get my kids up for school, instead of after. I have to get them up by 7:10, which means I have to hit the road by 6:30, if not earlier. Didn't happen today.

I was up by 5:30 but 1.5 cups of coffee is just enough to make it hard to get out the door without running to the bathroom one more time. My friends all know what I'm talking about.

Then, as I'm racing around the house getting ready, Daisy is getting all excited because she thinks she is going with me. I had not wanted to take her because I want to run nonstop and she likes to stop and/or take off too fast before I'm warmed up.

It is amazing, though, how she knows that I'm going to run without me saying anything. She knows the routine so well!  She sees me putting on my jacket, Ipod, shoes, gloves, etc, and she's all over it. Jumping up excitedly and wagging the tail frantically. Its sooo hard to not take her.

So, I took her. But that takes more time to get her harness and leash on. I'm finally out the door at 6:53!  OK, decision time. Do I keep running to get the full workout in or abort the run so that I can get my kids up and ready for school on time?

Well, I did what any red-blooded Ironman trainee would do: I did the full workout.

BUT, I took Daisy back after 15 mins and ran inside to wake up the kids so that they could start getting dressed and ready for schoool. They're both 8 and semi-able to get ready by themselves. A quick kiss on the forehead and I'm back out the door, saying "please, PLEASE, kids get up and eat breakfast!"

I attempted on 15-min tempo run but couldn't stop worrying about the time. Decided to run fast for 8 mins and go back, get kids to school, and try again tomorrow. And to change the training plan so that Tuesday mornings are my day off. It's just too stressful. I'd rather be home getting ready for my class in the early AM than stressin' out about getting out the door on time.

So, here's my tentative training plan for now:
Mondays: Master's swim and tempo run
Tuesdays: Lift (after class)
Wednesdays: Master's swim and run
Thursdays: Spinerval tape
Fridays: Lift
Saturdays: Long run
Sundays: Spinerval tape or spin for 45 - 60 mins

I'll see how this goes. I don't want to be too rigid in my training this time of year. When its nice enough to get outside, I'll ditch one of the tapes but will probably continue to do Spinervals at least once a week.

Well, live and learn...or should I say, train and learn!

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

It's not nice to should on yourself but that's what I did this morning. I went to Master's swim and swam about half the workout and I shoulda done the whole thing!

It was actually a great workout and I felt pretty good (except for a pulled muscle in my left shoulder). But I made the mistake of sharing a lane with Marsha, who is one of the nicest people I know but who is also one of the fastest swimmers I know. She blew me away.

Normally, I don't let it bother me that I am undoubtedly the slowest swimmer in our Master's swim program. I just use my fins or pull bouy to shorten the gap between me and the rest of the group but today I was so far behind I gave up and just did half the workout.

I wasn't upset and I don't take it personally. I just didn't finish the workout. Instead, I chatted with Marsha during the kick set and then with Sarah while she pool-ran and I hung onto my pull buoy. You would've thought practice was over the way I was acting!

Why I can push myself beyond the point of no return when I run or ride my bike but when it comes to swimming, I bail the first chance I get. Hmmmm....

I shoulda swam harder, I coulda swam longer, I woulda done the whole workout if I were more focused...but its not nice to should on yourself, you know!

Movin' Right Along

Since I get a lot of questions re balancing family life with training, I thought I'd write about that today. Basically, it doesn't work.

Hold on, don't leave so soon!  What I mean is that you can never have everything in perfect balance. Work, family, training, cleaning, chillin'....all good stuff but its impossible to balance it all 100% of the time. I gave up trying to do that a long time ago.

Instead, I just prioritize tasks each day and let the rest go. I can't do it all and I don't even want to try.

So, today is a good example. I had to be in church by 9:15 and I wanted to get a good Spinerval workout in. My house needed cleaning and the kids were up and about.

Normally on Sundays, I don't have to be at the church until 10:30 but today there was an adult ed class I really wanted to go to, so I shortened my Spinerval workout and walked right past the dusting and vacuuming that needed to be done and got to church on time. To me, getting a good workout and going to this class were a higher priority than a clean house.

And btw, these Spinerval tapes are great!  I did the same one I did last week (see previous posts) but this time, I made it through the 16 sprints (45 seconds on with 15 seconds rest). I felt great afterwards!  There was another set of 20 sprints after this one but I didn't have time to do those and that was OK.

Like yesterday, I chose to do less today so that I could fit in other things I want to get done. It feels really good to do that.

I think a lot of women put everyone else ahead of them and then they don't have time to exercise. I understand that and its admirable in a way, but I think they would be setting a better example for the kids if they moved their fitness level a little higher on the priority list. I would go so far as to say this: do your exercise first and then let the chips fall where they may. You'll still get the important stuff done but you won't get EVERYTHING done and that's ok...because it feels soooo good to be fit that its worth it.

Holding Back

Today we had another fun group run. Started at 8:00 AM from WOW and had two newcomers: Cory, a grad student at UNC that I had met a few years ago (training for his 2nd Ironman) and Nancy, a multi-sport phenom who I met on O Street last summer while on a bike ride (that's a funny story - will tell that one later).

So, we had Dan, Brenda, Kevin, Jenny, Marshall, Sarah, Nancy, Cory, and myself. The plan was to run the 12 mile route that goes by the Poudre Learning Center. Sarah only wanted to do 6 and since I wasn't sure I was up for 12, I decided to bring Daisy since she can only go 6 or less.

As it turned out, I felt really good and could've done 12 and Daisy didn't do so great after all. She did her usual all-out sprints in the beginning dragging me along with her, then stopping to sprawl out on the snow to cool off.

But I'm glad I only ran 6. I wanted to run with Sarah so she wouldn't have to run alone (not that she can't run by herself, just thought she'd like the company) and I don't want to do too much too soon. We're still early in the season and I don't want to burn out by June!

Saw Todd in the parking lot when I got back and talked with him for awhile. We have such a great group of running/tri friends - it's like we're one big family.

We found out that Adrenaline Tri Sports in Niwot is going out of business - bummer! That's where I got my bike. Sarah and Brenda went over there yesterday to snag some deals and Marshall is going today (hope he buys a bike!). I was a good girl and didn't go because I really don't need anything right now
Last but not least, my hubby placed 2nd in his age group at the Xterra Winter Triathlon Championships in Soldier Hollar, Utah! I'm proud of him - he's been training for these Xterra events all by himself and doesn't have much time to train. Wish we could've gone with him - next year for sure!

That's it for today! Hope to do a good Spinerval ride tomorrow before church. TTFN.

Rest Days are Training Days

Today is an official rest day for me and I normally don't blog on rest days because well, there's nothing to say. I didn't swim, bike, or run today...period. End of story.

Wait, not so fast. I think rest days ARE training days because they help you to run/ride better the following day (if you work it right).

For instance, I ran hard yesterday and tomorrow I'm doing a long run. In order to get the most "bang for my buck", i.e., get the most mileage on my run tomorrow (and that's what a long run is all about: mileage or going as far as you can), I want fresh legs. I want to be chompin' at the bit to get out the door and the best way to do that is to NOT swim, bike, or run today.

This has been my strategy with long runs for years. I believe it really helps build endurance. The fresher you feel at the beginning of a long run, the longer you will run, and the more aerobic capacity you will develop. This is extremely important for marathon or IM training (which includes training for 70.3's).

And, the other important aspect to a rest day is eating intelligently. That means upping the carbs so that you have plenty of glycogen for the next day AND drinking plenty of water. It also means NOT eating the kinds of foods you know will wreak havoc in your large intestine tomorrow AM. For me, that means no gooey desserts or ice cream and I'll probably not have an alcohol either (saving the ice cream and beer for TOMORROW night!).

So, although I'm a total couch potato today, I'm essentially prepping my body (and mind) for tomorrow's long run. I'm writing this for those people who are new to endurance training (who are reading my blog now!).

Just fyi....

U Go Girl

The best ideas come to me when I'm running. Today, during my tempo run, I was thinking about what I usually think about, and that's how I'd like to help "newby" women start exercising and/or finish their first endurance event (marathon or triathlon).

I've been thinking a lot about it...how to get started, what to call this endeavor, whether to have a Facebook business page, etc. And the fun part has been trying to come up with a catchy name. And today I finally did: You Go Girl Sport and Fitness (not sure about the "sport and fitness" part but for now, its good).

Then I wondered if I should call it You Go Girl or U Go Girl or UGO Girl and when I came home I googled all of these variations. Darn!  There's a series of YouTube videos of "U Go Girls" and the girls in these videos are well, not what I had in mind for my business...they're not wearing much and I don't think they could do interval training in those heels....

Anyway, I'm going to mull this over for awhile and see where it leads me...

So what did I do today for a workout?  Can I just say it was awesome???  I made it to the pool (thanks to Kurt who was able to stay home with the kids) and swam about 1200 yards. Not a lot but enough to maintain my feeble swimming fitness level. Felt a twinge in my left rotator cuff again (darn it) so that was one reason I cut it short.

One thing that was cool about swimming on a non-Master's day is that I had the pool to myself!  It was strange being the only one in the pool and I'm sure the lifeguard was bored to tears but oh well...

Then after the kids left for school, I donned my running clothes, grabbed the leash and Daisy, and off we went. Aaaaahhhhh, now I feel at home!  Running over ice and snow in 20-degree weather...what more can you ask for?

Seriously, I felt really good. Warmed up for a good 20 mins, letting Daisy stop now and then to smell the roses (and the fox poop), then picked up the pace for several 2-3 min surges. Felt stronger than usual. Ran up the hills faster than normal. Dropped Daisy off after 40 mins, and went back out for two long tempo surges. On the way back it was slightly uphill and I felt really strong - charged up the hill the whole way home.  Cool!

Not a bad week so far...

Switcheroo Workout

Today is Weds and that means Master's swim practice at 6:15 AM. And where was I???  On my trainer in my basement (at least I was out of bed!).

I had to switch my workouts around for a number of kid-related reasons. And that's what you do when you're a parent training for an IM....or when your alarm clock has mal-functioned for the SECOND TIME (see Monday's post).

So, I did Troy Jacobson's Aerobic Endurance DVD again (the one I mentioned last week). I think it's #28. This time I wasn't as pumped up as I was last week. I wasn't feel bad, just a little groggy. My mind couldn't stay focused on the workout and I kept forgetting which rep we were on (8 x 1 minute reps with 30 seconds rest, then 12 x 45-second reps with 15 seconds rest - too many numbers for my not-quite-awake brain). Its a good thing Troy tells you what to do or I'd probably still be on my bike spinning away.

But that's the beauty of these kind of workouts - they tell you EXACTLY what to do. No need to plan or think or...well, think. Just do it (haven't I heard that somewhere before?).

I like this DVD because the sprints are fairly short (1 minute, then 45 seconds, then 30 seconds). At first you think its too easy but after 12 of them you don't think they're so easy.

I did notice that after the 12th sprint, I was not as tired as I was last week. I could've done more but like last week, I needed to get the kids to school so had to abort the workout after 12 reps. But its nice to know that I could've actually done more (and I was tempted to go run after dropping the kids off but realized that was I should save that energy for tomorrow).

So tomorrow I'll be at the pool, all by my lonely self...

Ice Queen

If I hear one more person complain about the cold, I'm gonna womit!  That's how I felt last week when the temps were around zero.

OK, so that IS cold. But do we not have the most beautiful sunny blue skies in the entire nation???  Of course we do. And do these cold snaps last that long in Colorado???  No, of course not, despite what every out-of-state believes.

Anyway, it was very cold last week and running required an extra half hour just to do all of the necessary layering up but hey, we're talking about running here - it's totally worth it, dude!

So, here I am last Saturday, heading out for a long run in 6 degree weather. I have thermal leggings on under my tights, a long bra with two base layers and a silk t-neck under a running vest, and than a lightweight jacket. On my hands are liner gloves underneath mittens, and on my head is a headband, thin "skull cap" and last but not least, my Florida Ironman hat. Whew!

Any runner reading this will say "wow, I bet she got hot" and they would be right!  I was warm and toasty to start with which as most runners know, that is NOT a good sign. It means only one thing: HOT!

I actually didn't get hot for the first 30 mins and then was only mildly overheated the rest of the run. It was fine. I almost took my jacket off but didn't want to hassle with it. The temp never got above 10 degrees so its not like it was balmy outside.

Re how the rest of the run went - I can sum it up with one word: oo la la!  Or maybe that's 3 words, but either way, I felt so good. Had plenty of energy and everything just felt right. It was an "all systems go" type of run.

I had originally planned to run with Dan, Sarah, and Marshall but Kurt asked me to run from home so that the kids wouldn't be alone for too long (we would overlap our long runs, he's training for another Xterra triathlon). So, I went solo.

Ran out to WOW, taking a detour through Aims parking lot to use the restroom in one of their buildings. There must have been a firefighter training going on there because when I went in, there were about 20 firefighters all standing around with coffee. I'm sure I looked a little strange since they stared at me as I walked past them (with the B52's Love Shack blaring on my Ipod). When you gotta go, you gotta go.

There was quite a bit of ice on the road but it just doesn't faze me. I'm not a fast runner but I'm good at running on ice. You just gotta know where the really slick stuff is and how to balance yourself as you run over it. I'm pretty darn good at doing that.  Sometimes I even slide purposefully across it; you know, like kids do - arms outstretched, turning sideways with both feet going the same way - fun!

Sunday I took off because we were out of town and today (Monday) was the start of Master's Swim (oh, my achin' arms!).  Did 4 fast 200's and then 6 50's (kicking) and then 5 fast 100's. I didn't have time to finish the set but was happy that I did this much.

Before I leave, lest you think I was crazy to run in 6 degree weather, here is my dh finishing his run in MINUS 10 degree temps last Thursday:

Baby its cold outside!

Woke up to 13 below outside. I'm hardy but not that hardy. Grabbed my cycling shorts and hit the trainer with Troy Jacobson's Spinerval workout tape, #28. I had tried this one before but didn't have time to really check it out...did half the workout and really liked it!

Started with a 15 min easy spin warmup watching the news. Then, put the Spinerval tape in and the warmup which included three 30 second fast, all-out surges. Easy so far.

Then, it has you do 8 1-min reps at 80 rpms, with  30 second rest between each one, then 12 45-second reps at 90 rpm with 20 seconds rest between each one. I had to stop there because my kids really do need to go to school...

The next set (that I'll do next time) includes 16 30-second reps at some ungodly pace that I don't recall. No wonder they call Troy Jacobson a slavemaster!

I have to say that I felt great after doing only half of this workout. It wasn't that hard, which was surprising. I might be in better shape than I thought!  Or, I might be in denial (again).

I really need to lift weights...can't seem to get my lazy butt downstairs to do that but will try again today.

Goggle Eyes

Since Master's swim doesn't start until next week, I was very tempted to sleep in today. But I was good, and I got my sleepy rear-end out of bed at 5:15 this morning so that I could make it to the pool by 6:20 (gotta have that coffee first!).

Once I get there, I'm good. Sarah was there so I shared a lane with her. There are more people at the pool these days which is kinda nice, kinda not-so-nice (because I don't get a lane to myself anymore!).

I did not have a pre-planned workout. Forgot to read Richard's email that included suggested workouts for this week, of course. Decided on the spot to swim 400 free, 200 kick, 400 free, and 200 pull or something like that. So, that's what I did. A measly 1200 yards. My butt will be kicked hard next week when we start Master's again!

Thought about riding my trainer today but remembered that I shouldn't do too much too soon since I might burn out by summer time. Tomorrow is supposed to be super cold so it will be a good day to ride indoors.

Really need to do more strength-training. Can't get motivated to do that...rather, can't find the time to do it!  But that needs to be moved up the priority list.

Why do runners hate weight-lifting and muscle-heads hate running?

Awesome run

Today my plan was to do hill repeats and I did some but ended up combining it with a tempo run - felt great, but I can tell I have a lot of work to do.

Need to say a bit more about this run. I took Daisy and she did pretty well. Ran around the UNC campus and out onto the football field, where I unleashed her. Woo hoo - it was fun watching her leap over snow drifts and plough through really deep sections of snow. She rolled and jumped and skidded on slick parts and let her inner-puppy go. It was worth it just to watch her!

I charged up the hill as fast as I could, avoiding the slick parts as much as possible. The hill was still snow-covered and because of all the sledding that had gone on last week, much of it was really slick. But one thing I'm good at is running on ice and snow!  I leaped and slid around just like Daisy but never fell. In fact, I did 7 hill repeats and managed to stay afloat the whole time.

I was pleasantly surprised to feel little fatigue after doing the hill repeats. I could tell Daisy was tired and thirsty so I decided to run her back home and then do a tempo run. We leaped over more snow drifts and ice patches to get home - woo hoo - we made it!

I left her at home and took off on my own. Circled around to 23rd Ave and then down to 25th street. There, I had a long open stretch of bike lane on a street with little traffic. Once in the lane, I let it rip - took off as fast as I could in four 2-minute surges. Whew, that was tough!

I definitely need more speedwork. I think Tuesdays will be my hill/speedwork day. The only problem is that I start teaching next Tuesday at UNC. My class is at 9:30 and the kids need to be up by 7:10 so it will need to be an early run on the treadmill...I might need to re-think this schedule!  More on that later.

During my run, I thought about all the running I did back in Caribou, Maine, in the late 80's. I didn't have anyone to run with back then and Ipods weren't even around then. I did all of my runs alone with no music - how did I do that?! 

I remember many, many long solor runs in the Maine woods. Many late night runs on the SAC air force base I was living on with temps below zero (seriously!).  I remember going out my door about 7:00 PM in the still, darkness with the air being so cold that it burned my face and legs while I ran. But I kept going for some odd reason.

Now, I look back on that experience and feel thankful for having that experience. I became a very hardy runner living up there. My first marathon was in Montreal and I trained for 9 months by myself, starting from scratch. I remember running my first 15 mile run - a story I'll save for later - but I couldn't believe that I had run that far. Now, I can't believe I ran that far by  myself without music or aid stations!

I'm proud of myself for not giving up. There were many times I was cold, wet, and lonely for conversation but I just kept going. Just like I am now...except now I have a dog, Ipod, gu in my backpocket, and a group of wonderful friends to support me. Life is good!

One More Week...

....until Master's swim starts again!  One more week to relax in the water and do what I want to do. But one more week of boring swim workouts with no one to prod me along!

Made it to the pool this AM by 6:25. Jim, Tom, Marsha, Sarah, and Natalie were there (and a few other people I didn't know). Not bad for an off-week!

I swam about 30 mins but some of it was spent chatting with Sarah while we "walked" down the pool lanes (me with fins on and she with a jogging belt on). But the rest was spent doing plain ol' laps.

I can run or ride by myself, without anyone pushing me but swimming...as much as I enjoy it now, I still need someone to crack the whip! 

For one thing, I get so gosh darn bored. And I don't know what I should do....or how to do any drills. That's one thing I wish Richard would do more of, is show us newbies how to do drills (yes, I still consider myself a newbie!  Compared to the other swimmers, I am).

I wanted to bike when I got home but had to take the car out to Honda to get new tires...then the day got away from me. Oh well, glad I got the measley swim in!

Tomorrow I run - yay!

Hurts So Good!

Ran with Lynne, Jenny, Brenda, Dan, and Kevin today and wow, I haven't felt like that in a long time!

We ran 8 miles but since I did a hard Spinerval workout yesterday, my legs were tired. But it was a good kind of tired; I hadn't hurt like that since the IM!

I love running with my friends on the weekends. During the week I run alone and I treasure that time that I have to myself. Its truly (as they say) better than therapy. But I also treasure the runs with my friends on the weekends.

And today, Daisy went along and did really well. She ran 6.5 miles before we dropped her at my house, before we went for another 1.5. She only laid down twice and seemed to keep up really well.

Now, two hours later, I am incredibly sore (more than I had expected) but its OK, I'm used to it. It also tells me that I've done a good job of de-training because if I'm this sore after only 8 miles, then I have REALLY taken it easy these last two months.

Mentally, I feel fresh and ready to go. I'm really ready to get serious about training and get in the best shape ever. I turn 49 this year so its a great way to end my 40's!

Bringing in the New Year

Today is January 1, 2010 - woo hoo!  The year for an IM PR!

Started it off right with a Spinerval workout with Sarah. Took my bike and trainer over to her house and we did one of Troy Jacobson's killer workouts. Felt great but I can tell I've lost some of my fitness. Oh well!

So this is the plan for now:

Swim:
Master's Swim - Mon/Weds
Endurance - Fri

Bike:
Spinervals - Weds
Long spin or ride outdoors when weather permits - Sun

Run:
Tempo run - Tues
Speedwork - Thurs
Long slow run - Sat

Weight Lifting and Core Strengthening
2 - 3 x/week, days will vary

Race plans (as of now):
Colorado Half-Marathon, mid-May
Community Classic Metric Century, mid-May
Windsor Triathlon, late-May
Bolder Boulder 10k, Memorial Day
Greeley Triathlon, mid-June
Lake 2 Lake Triathlon, late-June
Ironman Boulder 70.3, early August
Blue Sky Half-Marathon, early October

Arizona Ironman, November 21st, 2010!!!

I'm stoked about training for another Ironman!  Its a gift (I believe) to have the opportunity to do this again. The time, energy, and money it takes to do an Ironman are pretty incredible and I feel very lucky to be able to do it again.

So today is Day One of training for AZ and its going great so far!