Week 3 Bike - Solana Beach to Carlsbad

This morning I rode my bike 20 miles! I joined the Team In Training for a Saturday bike workout. It was my first since week 1 I was at A Day Out with Thomas the Train and week 2 I was holding the photo fundraiser. We broke into 3 groups, advanced, intermediate and beginners - and yes, I went out with the beginners. We met at Lomas Santa Fe in Solana Beach and rode north on the 101 Pacific Coast Highway through Solana Beach, Encinitas, Cardiff, and Leucadia to Cannon Road in Carlsbad. 10 miles out and 10 miles back at an average speed of 11.1 mph. I was pretty nervous at first as PCH is a busy road and I haven't ridden with traffic before. I was glued to the bike lane until it went away and we had to share the road with the cars. I was also afraid of going too fast down any hills and of taking my hands off the handlebars for any reason. This includes wiping hair out of my face and scratching my nose. For the entire 10 mile ride to Carlsbad I kept my hands on the handlebars. The other difficulty was getting my feet into the pedal cages. We had to stop at every stop sign and red light, which meant getting my feet out of the cages to stop and back in to go. A few times felt like when I was learning to drive a stick shift - I would stop at a stop sign on a hill and roll back so far trying to start again that I would have to re-stop at the stop sign. Well, today I stopped at a stop light just as it turned green, and it took me so long to get my foot in the darn cage that the light was yellow when I finally crossed the intersection. BUT, the ride back was completely different. After an hour on the bike, riding with traffic, being passed by much better cyclists, and not falling while racing down hill, I was much more comfortable. On the ride back I actually took my hands off the handlebars and got the hair out of my face. I was much faster on the pedal cages and even went down an entire hill without hitting the brakes. I was pretty proud of myself. And I enjoyed the ride. Riding along the ocean filled with surfers was so cool. I even saw a few dolphins. Being outside last weekend for the photo fundraiser and riding PCH this weekend has really given me a new appreciation for how lucky I am to live in San Diego - what a beautiful place! Also, on the way up to Cannon Road I rode around a curve with dried brush on the right and yellow and black reflectors along the road. It suddenly occurred to me where I was and Chris and I had a moment. When I finished the ride I felt so good that I really could have run. (However, I went straight home to shower instead). My coach says I'm becoming a triathlete. I think I might make a good biathlete and leave the swimming to someone else. Thanks for your support!

Week 3 Swim

Ugh! I just can't get into a rhythm with my breathing. Tonight's swim seemed a bit warmer than the previous 2 weeks, but maybe I'm getting used to it. We did some laps holding onto the kickboards to perfect our kicks (mine is still bent) as well as to work on swimming on our sides to better our rotation. The side swimming was fine - I could breathe the whole time. And I could go the length of the pool. So the problem is definitely my breathing. It's not really a surprise, but the side swimming exercise just proved it. So, if anyone has any ideas on how to get my breathing down, I would really appreciate your help! The coach said my body position is improving (i.e. I'm not sinking as much) so I am seeing slow but constant improvement. I'll keep trying!

I also did a base building run this morning. I ran 2.5 miles at a 10:50 mile pace. So, that pace puts me at just over an hour for the run portion of the race. An hour run plus the swim and I'm looking at finishing the race in 3 days. Just kidding! There's beer at the finish line - I'll be there to claim mine while it's still cold. Thanks for all of your support!

Photo Fundraising Success!

Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday's Family Photo Fundraiser. I raised $1100 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, bringing my total to $2075. The morning started out pretty foggy and overcast, but the photographers assured me that the weather was good for pictures as there wouldn't be anyone squinting in the photos. Eleven families had photos taken in the morning session - most with kids under 5 who were perfectly dressed. The morning was very high energy and lots of fun! Eleven more families came for the afternoon session. The fog had lifted by then and the clouds were swirled across the sky. It was a perfect afternoon for photos. If you need a photographer, please consider one of the fabulous photographers who volunteered their time and talent to take the family photos. They chased kids over rocks and up lifeguard towers to get that perfect shot! They are Dawn McLeod, Dana L.Wright of dlWright Photography, Felix Chu of Chu Photography, Courtney Barrs of CeeBee Photography and Timothy Huskey of Pro Images Photography. And a very big "thank you" to Victoria Mitchell who sent the event flyer to everyone she knew and single-handedly sold out the fundraiser! I'm cancelling my linked in and facebook accounts to hang with Victoria - she knows way more people!

On Friday I did my base building run and swim workouts. I came so close to swimming an entire lap. I got so excited when I saw the black line on the bottom of the pool indicating the end of the lane that I put my feet down - about 2 strokes before reaching the end of the pool! My goal for tomorrow night's swim is to swim an entire lap without stopping at least once. Thanks for all of your support!

18 miles per hour

I rode 18 miles per hour on my bike today. It felt really fast and a bit terrifying - but really fun too. Speed is my new friend. I just thought you should know.

Week 2 - Swim

I just finished my week 2 swim session. Today was much warmer than last week. I was still cold and shivering, but much warmer! So today we started out of the water and learned the most effective stroke technique. Then we got in the water to practice. We also worked on some breathing exercises. As I was swimming, my coach called me out for bending my knees too much when I kick - that explains why I'm sinking... So even with the new techniques and practicing with 4 laps last Friday, I still couldn't quite make it across the pool. I got further than last time though, so I'm on my way! This week I loosened my goggles so I don't have the obnoxious rings around my eyes and found the hot showers in the locker room so my teeth didn't chatter the entire ride home. I really am making progress :)

Also today, I rode my bike around the neighborhood with the kids. They were so excited to see mom's new bike and kept encouraging me and telling me I was doing a great job. Do I have great kids or what? I was terrified to crash into a child, so I didn't let go of the handlebars or brakes. Not quite good racing technique, but it worked while I'm getting to know the Bruiser.

Saturday is my big fundraising event. If you need family photos before Christmas, send me an email so I can get you scheduled for the family photo fundraiser. I still have a few spots available. Thanks for all of your support!

Tuesday Run

Tonight was my first run training. It started a bit sketchy as there were no lights at the track. But the coaches brought out 2 heavy duty lights to shine on opposite ends of the track and some flashlights, so we were good to go. There were 50+ runners there, so I met a few more teammates. We started with some ab exercises - crunches, plank, etc. Then we did a 10 minute jog - I tried not to exert too much energy and only ran 2 1/4 laps for the warm-up. Stretching came next and then it was time to run. Tonight we were supposed to run one mile as well as we could. From this mile time and a magic database program, our 10K time will be projected and our training will be based on that. My goal was to run the mile in less than 10 minutes. My first lap was 2:15, so I was looking good. My 2nd and 3rd laps were progressively slower, but I knew that if I really pushed I could still beat the 10 minute mark. So just like the Chargers, I gave it all I had for the 4th and finished the mile with a 9:36. Yippee! I definitely was not the slowest runner in the group, and there were some teammates who were able to sprint the entire mile and finish around 6 minutes (yikes!) so I was definitely not the fastest either. But I feel good about my performance (way better than my swimming!).

On the fundraising side, a date has been set for the Family Photo Session Fundraiser. It will be Saturday, November 22 at Torrey Pines State Beach. The fundraiser includes a 15 minute family photo session and a disc of all your photos so you can use them however you want - print Christmas cards, print enlargements, create holiday gifts, etc. The cost for the photo session and disc is $50 per family. All of the money goes directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and is tax deductible. If you're interested, please email me and I'll get you a flyer with more information. Thanks for all of your support!

Monday Swim

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders - I actually made it through my first swim session. And I have to say that I am pretty proud of myself. I figured out how to put on a swim cap - I've never done that before - and goggles. The beginning swimmers like me spent some time watching the more experienced swimmers from the deck as the coach pointed out the correct technique for kicking, breathing, arm motion and body positioning. Then it was our turn in the pool. The air temperature was 53 degrees and the pool didn't feel much warmer. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but the pool was cold! I was trying to imagine myself swimming in Hawaii, but pretty much stayed stuck in San Diego winter. We practiced kicking across the pool with kickboards - head under the water - as well as kicking while holding the wall. We swam a few times across the pool as well. I could swim about a half length of the pool before I had to put my feet down and rest (only for a second though!). For the triathlon, I'll need to swim 1 mile which is 72 lengths. So I have a LONG way to go. But I'm on my way! And apparently my goggles were on a bit tight, as I still have indentation marks around my eyes a good hour after I took them off. I was terrified that they would leak. I really wanted to post a picture, but didn't want to stay in the water any longer than absolutely necessary to get one taken. I'll work on that next week. Tomorrow is my first running session and I'm actually looking forward to that!

On the fundraising side, things are going well. I've received $875 in donations so far. Thank you so much to the Garbaczewski Family, Hillary, Stephanie, and the Toblers! I'm planning a family photo fundraiser for later this month as well as the gifts that will be sold at the holiday party. Also, Silpada Designs Jewelry has generously offered to donate a percentage of jewelry sold at the holiday party as well. Thank you all for your support!

Homemade Holiday Gifts for Team in Training

I'm creating delicious homemade gifts that are perfect for a teacher, coach, babysitter, Secret Santa, hair dresser, etc - and any money raised will go towards my Team in Training fundraising goal benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You can view and order the gifts here. Thanks for your support!

The Bruiser

Today I met The Bruiser. It's big and purple and kind of intimidating. Of course, I'm talking about my new bike. Well, it's not really mine, nor is it new. I am renting a bike from my Team in Training coach. I went to his house to be fitted for a bike and was met by hundreds and hundreds of bikes. The first bike I tried was bright yellow with blue and yellow handlebars. I was hoping the Chargers bike would fit, but it was too large - the seat was too high and my legs were reaching too far for the pedals. The next bike was also yellow and the height was fine, but this time the bike was too long. Then I tried the Bruiser. It's a Cannondale and like I said, it's purple. But a cool purple, not Barney's flesh tone (or is it fur?) After the seat height and position were adjusted, it fit me perfectly. So, now I have a custom fitted bike, just like a real triathlete. Now I just need to buy a helmet and I'll be ready to go.

The other cool thing about the bike fitting was that there were other team members there also getting fitted. So I got to meet 4 people who will be training with me for the Lavaman Triathlon(3 women - 2 who are 5' 2" like me - and one guy.) They have all done triathlons before, but assured me I wouldn't be the only virgin on the team. Then they started talking about the sharks in the water around Hawaii - I'm hoping it was just a bit of hazing...

On the fundraising side, I received my first donation this week (thank you Fisher Family!) I'm planning a few holiday-related fundraisers, so I'll keep you posted when I have everything finalized.

The official Lavaman Triathlon Team in Training kick-off is next Saturday, Nov 8. Then the real work begins! Thanks for your support!