Week 5 Run

Sometimes I think I should be training for a marathon rather than the triathlon. Today is one of those times. After 3 warm-up laps we ran 4 intervals of 3 laps (1200 meters) with 1 min 45 sec rest in between. The goal was to run at our pace which for me was 8:18 per 3 lap interval (about an 11 minute mile). I ran consistently at 7:30, almost a minute faster than my pace time. And I felt good doing it. If I could keep a 10 minute mile pace for the race, the run would take an hour and that's a pretty good goal. Thanks for all of your support!

Week 5 Swim

I was almost awesome tonight! It was really hard to convince myself to swim tonight. It's cold outside and you know the thing I hate the most is being cold. But I got to the pool and got in the pool. And I swam lap after lap, drill after drill - and I wasn't even the slowest swimmer on some of the drills. I was awesome! And then Coach made us take the swim fins off. I was no longer awesome. In fact I'm not even sure I was moving. I'm pretty sure I saw the same 4' 6" tile marker for 3 breaths. I did swim both laps without the fins without stopping - so I am improving. Just not as much as I thought. Maybe next week...

Week 4 Bike - Tire Changing & 56 Bike Path

The cool thing about Team In Training is that they not only train you for the race you're going to run, but also prepare you to handle any obstacles that might get in your way - like a flat tire on your bike. Yesterday was the tire changing clinic. I aced the front tire removal and and attachment portion - I need to do that to get the bike in and out of my car, so I have lots of practice. I also did pretty well at the rear tire removal and attachment. I had some issues with the tire changing though - mostly because I didn't have the right equipment. Now I know what I need to get, so I'll be visiting a bike shop soon for a speed lever and CO2 pump. The basic drill is tire comes off, tube comes out, new tube goes in, tire goes back on. Even though I'm now trained in the art of tire changing, I'm really hoping for no flats during the race. With my slow ass swim time, I can't afford any extra time on the bike if I want to make the cut and cross the finish line.

I didn't ride with the team yesterday after the tire changing clinic, so I rode this morning on the 56 bike path. I had a few "major"successes along the way. First, I rode down Carmel Country Road, which is pretty much straight down. My hands hurt so bad from pumping the brakes the entire ride down, but I'm still terrified of hills (well, it's the speed that terrifies me, not the hills - specifically, the thought of being thrown from the bike at 50 mph and being hurled through the air onto the windshield of an oncoming car) So, I made it down the hill. (Success #1) Then I found the bike path entrance and rode along there through the houses. Instead of turning up onto the main bike path I found an area of the path that deadends that was perfect for practicing my water bottle handling skills. I have never had the nerve to reach down, grab my water bottle, take a drink and put it back while I'm riding. I always wait until I stop. So, today was the big day. The first time, I reached down and grabbed the water bottle but then had to quickly grab the handlebars before I crashed into a big bush. I was riding the bike with both hands and holding the bottle at the same time. Once I regained control I took a drink and then after a few attempts got the bottle back in the holder. Attempt #2 was much smoother - I grabbed the bottle, took a drink and replaced the bottle without losing control of the bike or too much speed - success! (#2) So feeling confident I rode back onto the main bike path. I rode for about another 45 minutes and then turned around to head home. On the ride home, I decided to try my water bottle trick again, I grabbed the bottle, took a drink and put the bottle back, except that I missed the water bottle holder and my bottle was now on the side of the rode. I had to get off the bike and retrieve the water bottle before I could continue home. Thank God for the 56 bike path - I am a menace on the road! So, on the ride back I decided there was no way I could ride back up the hill on Carmel Country Road. I decided on El Camino Real instead. I took the bike path to El Camino Real and then rode up that hill. Success #3! Overall I felt pretty good on the bike today. Week 5 starts with swimming tomorrow night - my favorite!

Week 4 Run - 5 1/2 miles with sand intervals

Tonight's run was something different. We met at Belmont Park and ran south to the jetty for a warm-up jog. From there we ran to the PB Pier and then back to Belmont Park. The kicker was that we alternated between running on the boardwalk and running in the sand. This is because the last 1/2 mile of the Lavaman is on sand. Coach said to run hard on the sand and easy on the boardwalk. I jogged really slow or walked really fast on the boardwalk - the sand was a killer! Running on sand is pretty difficult, but add the fact that it was dark and you have a pretty good workout. I hit a couple of holes that I couldn't see and used a few colorful words, but I made it. On the way back from the pier I figured I had already run 1/2 mile on the sand, so I stuck with running the boardwalk. Other than talking myself out of a quick stop at Lahaina for a beer I felt pretty good. I even waved to the diners at World Famous on my way by. Time for a shower - thanks for your support!

Week 4 Swim - Finally a lap!

As you can see, the lovely green Team In Training swim cap really brings out my eyes.

Here is proof that I was in a pool on a 58 degree night. And the photo commemorates the night I rocked the pool! Finally! Coach had us swimming for more than an hour and I was and still am exhausted! But, I swam an entire lap without stopping on my back, another on my side, another swimming half a stroke and most importantly yet another lap doing the regular freestyle. I felt like tonight all of the drills came together and I really swam. And now that I can swim on my side, where I can breathe the entire time, I have a way to "rest" when the swimming gets tiring. What is that small speck of light I see? Oh, it must be the end of the tunnel!

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!