this is your captain speaking

Race Report: Hy-vee Triathlon

2011-09-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

So I was super bad at blogging my training toward the end. It was just so boring so I spared you the mundane updates. You can thank me later. All in all my training ended up like this:

SWIM: 27,270 yards (81% to plan)
BIKE: 289 miles (88% to plan)
RUN: 43.2 miles (51% to plan)

The running ceased once my ankle started hurting 5 and half weeks ago, so to say I felt unprepared for the run would be an understatement.

Now for the race report:

Sunday morning the alarm clock went off at 4 a.m. Stacy, Tom and I decided it would make the most sense for us to drive ourselves with the bike rack on the back of the car, so we could take the shuttle when we were done back to transition to load up the bikes. We were up and definitely nervous as we packed up our final gear, grabbed the water bottles out of the fridge and headed out the door.

It was chilly and dark as we drove to Grays Lake at about 4:30 a.m. Parking was super easy since we had found athlete parking off of Fleur drive on the other side of the lake. We parked and made our way to the transition area. Luckily after all of the rain the day before things were starting to dry up and we were expecting great weather.

Holy cow I was nervous. Setting out my stuff in front of my bike having no idea if I was doing things correctly. I put my bike shorts, tank top, and sunglasses in my bike helmet in the order I would be putting them on. I also had a towel to dry my feet and my socks ready to go in each shoe.

The transition area closed at 6:30 so that meant we had about an hour and a half to stand around in our swimsuits before our wave started. It was cold and I think in the future I'd bring a sweat shirt and old towel that I wouldn't mind leaving behind. We watched all of the waves go off before us and then got in line for our wave. Stacy started a few waves back but I wanted to be up toward the front for the swim part since I knew I didn't want to fight the crowds.

My wave went and I was off. I felt really good on the swim. The water temperature was great and unlike other races I've done, I didn't get caught on other swimmers at all. I just put my head down and went. This was the first race I actually sighted while swimming. Previously I would sort of stop, lift my head up, readjust and keep swimming. This time I lifted my head as I was breathing and kept it all in one motion. That helped A LOT. Silly I hadn't done that sooner.

I stuck to 3-3 breathing and swam my most efficient open water swim ever. (Granted I've only done 2 before this one.) I was straight and always right up against the buoys. So nice to not find myself off course. I started catching up to the wave ahead of mine and checked my watch at what I thought would be about halfway. 14 minutes. Perfectly on pace with what I hoping. I continued on and felt great rounding the last buoy.

One thing I would change is that I stopped too early searching for my footing on the bottom. I did that about 5 times while it was still too deep to touch. Next time I'll just swim swim swim until I'm super close to the shore. I think I was worried about getting my cap off so that I could dip my head under and untangle my hair. Lesson learned.

I emerged from the water and made the super long jog to the transition area. Checking my watch I was at 31 minutes which was slower than I had hoped but not bad. I was the 2nd one back to the bikes on my row which felt great. I put on my shorts and tank top and then sat down and switched watches so I would have the Garmin. I swallowed some GU and dumped some water on my feet to clean them. At this time 2 other girls came back and I swear in about 30 seconds those 2 plus the girl that was there when I got back were off. Super fast transitions. That was a great motivator and I stopped over thinking and just grabbed my bike and left. There were people running all over the place in the transition area. Elites heading out for the run, other people ahead of me with their bikes, people behind me trying to get around the group heading out for the bike. Total cluster.

I made it out of the transition area and hopped on my bike. So much fun to get there and just start pedaling. We drove the bike course the day before which I was thankful for so I knew what to expect. I hit the uphills on Grand started getting passed. That theme would continue for the rest of the race. I passed maybe 5 people (all older than I and with worse bikes) and other than that people flew by me. Constantly. I kept my eye out for Tom since there were a few out and back places where I thought I might see him.

I was feeling great on the bike even though I was getting passed. Unfortunately I dropped my chain at mile 6 switching gears but I made my way off to the side, fit it back on and was off. Then I just pedaled as fast and as hard as I could. I looked at my watch at 45 minutes and I was surprised that much time had already passed. I was keeping up the speed I wanted (no slower than a 15 mph average) and just kept on. I enjoyed the out and backs (and getting passed by super fancy bikes) because I sort of felt like a spectator getting to experience the race.

20 miles in I was so excited to almost be finished and on target for my time. I was anticipating the run and nervous about it but so happy to have made it this far. I rounded the corner into Grays Lake and felt really excited. This was actually happening. I didn't have a flat, I had made it! I parked my bike (pretty much everyone in my row had their bike back -- so much for my lead from the swim), took off my helmet, switched sunglasses, tucked some shot bloks under my tank top strap and put my visor on. I was off. Holy crap it was time to run.

I started off quickly mostly because I couldn't feel my legs. It was pretty neat to know that I still had some energy left. I looked at the Garmin and saw about a 8:31 pace and knew I needed to slow it down. I ditched my sunglasses pretty early on and got down to about a 10 min mile pace. I was feeling good and decided I wouldn't stop to walk until I need to. I couldn't believe how great I felt. As I did the first turnaround and headed toward mile 2 I saw Stacy. That was so exciting! We waved and smiled and said good job.

I walked through the water stations and a couple of times when needed. I kept myself to no longer than a minute of walking at a time and usually made myself wait a couple of minutes from the time that I wanted to walk until I actually stopped to walk. All in all I probably walked a total of 5 minutes of my run which is unbelievable considering my running (lack of) ability.

When I hit the 4 mile mark I was thrilled. I was a bit behind where I wanted to be but not doing too shabby. Mile 5 came and went and I was started to get verklempt. Seriously if I thought about it too hard my lip started to quiver and my eyes teared up. I struggled the most in the last mile... I was so close but I was so spent. I kept thinking, "Bess, you only have about 12 more minutes to go. Suck it up." But my feet were hurting and mentally I was fatigued. As I passed the 6 mile mark I kept jogging. The blue carpeted area and the crowd were great. I kept myself from crying but inside I was so humbled and thrilled and overwhelmed.

I had done it.

Never before had I experienced anything like this. Previously I had always gotten injured in the training and never got to experience crossing a finish line after such an intense training schedule and 3+ hours of physical activity. But here I was. Crossing the finish line.

I saw Tom as I was finishing so when I entered the grassy area where the athletes ended, I looked toward the direction he was when I last saw him. He emerged from the crowd and we hugged.

I was in pain and exhausted but felt so good. I accomplished what I had set out to do and pretty much hit my time goals I had set. So crazy. Immediately after the race I wasn't sure I would ever do it again, but now a few days later I think I will. It's amazing to have my first triathlon under my belt and to know what to expect.

Goals over the next year:
1. Learn how to clip into my bike. Maybe even get fitted and be more efficient on the bike. Aerobars? Possibly. I was seriously slow compared to EVERYONE on the bike.
2. Get faster at transition. I think I spent too long cleaning my feet and taking GU. Might be a better idea to take the GU as I'm leaving rather than sitting on the ground.
3. Run. Short distances regularly. If I could get 2 miles under my belt 2-3 times a week, I think I would condition my ankle to running. Going from no running to 5 mile runs in about 3 weeks is too much too fast.

And that's that. What a great time and I can't believe it's done.

Not so good at blogging

2011-08-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Forgive me blog for I have not updated. It has been almost a week since my last update. Here's what you missed:
Friday- I went up north after work to the beautiful community center and swam. I was super fast because of my new suit, the temperature and clearness of the water, and because I had a day off before that. Afterward I sat in the hot tub with Tom and we discussed how awesomely cool we are on a Friday night.
Saturday- I didn't run even though I was supposed to. After my run on Wednesday my ankle starting hurting in the exact same spot it hurts when I break it. So rather than over exert myself and risk injury I biked instead. Off to the Rocky Gym I went and put down 14 miles on the stationary bike. There's a bit of a wasp problem in the gym that kept things exciting.
Sunday- Needed to fitness so I decided to bike again. 10 miles at the Rocky Gym. I think forgoing the run on Saturday was smart because by Sunday my ankle was feeling fine.
Monday- Swim after work. The usual place and time with Tom. I'm in a recovery week (Tom thinks I'm always in a recovery week) so I swam the 1350 yards and called it good. Such a lame swim.
Tuesday- This is where the story gets good. I BIKE OUTSIDE ON MY JAMIS. I woke up this morning and did it. 10 miles tooling around the streets of KC. It was lovely and reminded me how much I love biking.
And that's it. I have a run scheduled for tomorrow so I'll let you know how that goes.

Holy crap balls

2011-07-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am exhausted. I biked 16 miles on the freakin' stationary bike after work last night. I was dripping sweat all over that machine -- so gross. But I did it. I can't wait for the heat to subside and for the downtown airport to be done being repaved so I can bike outside. I miss my beautiful bike.

This morning I got up at 6:09 (aimed for 6 but hit the snooze) to run. I went to the trolley trail and did my 3 min running/1 minute walk thing. It was painful and mentally and physically tiring, but I did it. Fun things from the run so I can focus on positives:
1. I saw 2 friends while running and each time I was running and not walking. :)
2. I wore Tom's Garmin so I could keep track of my speed and distance. Here's how it breaks out:

Mile 1- 10:02/mi
Mile 2- 11:08/mi (apparently I was a little excited on that first mile.)
Mile 3- 10:56/mi
Mile 4- 11:07/mi
Last .4/mile- 10:54/mi
Overall average: 10:49/mi
Total time: 47:31
Total distance: 4.4 miles
Gotta love data.

3. I drank tart cherry juice when I was done. Yumm.
4. I am done working out until Friday after work! I'm moving my swim from Thursday so that means I have all day Wednesday, all day Thursday, and until after work on Friday until I fitness again. WOO-hoo!

A Sluggish Swim

2011-07-26T09:22:00.001-07:00

Monday I went to the community center for my 2200 yard swim. I was excited to wear my new tankini since it's what I was hoping to wear for my triathlon. Unfortunately it fits pretty loosely in the water and slowed me down.
I was also super sluggish last night, so I'm not going to completely blame the tankini. I'll give it a few more tries, but I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing my new TYR suit for the triathlon. Now I need to find some bike shorts to wear with it.
Overall, my swim was uneventful. I wanted to quit after about 1000 yards because it just wasn't going well. I was around 5 seconds slower per 100 yards than I was on Friday. That was discouraging but I did run 5 miles on Saturday and biked 22.5 on Sunday, so I think my body is just fatigued. I'm hoping that's the case.

Another thrilling update...

2011-07-25T07:24:00.001-07:00

Friday I did my 1700 yards of swimming that was supposed to happen on Thursday. I feel like I'm slacking on the swim workouts because they are not nearly as straining as the bike or run training sessions. I was in and out of the water in no time but I guess even if it feels like a baby swim, I need to do it.

Then I ate more than I should ever eat when I have a 5 mile run on the schedule.

In the 24 hours following my swim I consumed about 80 pounds of pork deliciousness, 2 gallons of wine, what felt like 4 pizzas and a bucket of ice cream goodness. (I'm exaggerating a little but not much.)

Then I got on the treadmill on Saturday afternoon to complete 5 miles. It was so incredibly difficult. No song that played on my ipod could save me. I wanted to quit numerous times and walk more than the minute I was allotted between the running portions. But I powered through and survived. It wasn't pretty though. Lesson learned about mass consumption of food/alcohol.

Sunday morning I got up super early to bike at the downtown airport. Unfortunately the entire loop was grooved and roughed up to be repaved. That was disappointing because I wasn't able to go as fast as I would like and I was worried about popping a tire. So after one loop I loaded my bike back up and headed to the Rocky Gym. 19 miles on the stationary bike. That was nuts. It took about an hour and half. Do people even ride stationary bikes for that long? So boring. So with my loop at the airport added to the stationary bike, I completed the 22.5 miles on my training schedule.

I'm sore today but a good sore. I also got some nice sun by boating on Sunday with friends. All in all a great weekend (minus the gluttonous over indulging on Friday night/Saturday afternoon). Tonight I swim.

swim, stationary bike, treadmill

2011-07-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

I have been forced indoors this week due to the excessive 100+ heat.

Monday night I went swimming after work. If you remember I biked 20 miles that morning so woah. That was a big exercise day. 2100 yards.

Tuesday I ended up at the Rocky Gym after work for my bike workout. 14.3 miles of sweaty grossness on the stationary bike. Took an hour almost exactly.

Wednesday I was back a the Rocky Gym for a 4 mile run. This week I'm up to 3 minutes of running an only 1 minute of walking. Couldn't believe how well it went. I think this running/walking plan is working out for me. It was tough and not fun but I was completely capable. Amazing.

Thursday (today) I'm supposed to be swimming... but guess what? Did you guess happy hour? Well, you're right. It was our corporate challenge hh so I went to that and am moving my swim to tomorrow.

I've been feeling really overwhelmed lately. Work is crazy. Training is time consuming in all aspects of my life. Physically I'm being pushed more than I have since probably high school. My mental state is being tested too. The planning and logistics of getting my workouts in along with getting through the workout is straining. Also along with working out comes all of the laundry, the packing and unpacking of my workout bag, and showering twice a day. And then on top of that I feel maxed out on social commitments. Sure I like having friends and hanging out but it's making me really grumpy. I just need to start saying no and quit scheduling things other than training... at least until after the triathlon.

20 mile bike at 6 a.m.

2011-07-18T11:00:00.001-07:00

The heat has forced me to change my training schedule a bit. I had an all day AIGA thing yesterday, so I didn't have time to get my bike ride in until about 7 p.m. At that time the temp was around 100. No thank you. So I set my alarm this morning and enjoyed a "cool" 87 degrees instead.
I went to the downtown airport and logged 20 miles before work. That's definitely a first for me. Took about an hour and 10 minutes and was somewhat enjoyable and a little bit painful.

iiiiinteresting...

2011-07-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

So my last post was me hating running. Which is mostly true. But today my run went really well. I was back in the Rocky Gym because of the heat. 3 miles (3.5 when it was all said and done) running 3 minutes/walking 2 minutes.
I was slow but steady and could have gone on forever. It was weird. I wasn't in pain, I wasn't hating it. I was just sticking to the plan and it worked.
ps- I skipped my 1000 yard swim on Thursday. Not even going to give you my justifications or excuses. I just didn't do it and that's ok.

I hate running

2011-07-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

I know hate is such a strong word, but it's the best way to describe how I feel about running. Loathe would be good too. I loathe running. I want to say I'm a runner. I'd love to have a 7 mile run be a normal thing for me. You know those people that just go out and run 7 miles? For fun? I would love to be one of them, but I don't want to actually have to do the running.

Wednesday I ran at the Rocky Gym on the treadmill. It was a short 2.4 miles but I hated every minute of it.

I did get to try out my new no-tie shoelaces. They were nice since I didn't have to worry about getting a loop caught or having them come undone. They were a bit tight though, so when I was done I loosened them a bit.

Wednesday done.

Running, Biking, Swimming... you know, the ushe.

2011-07-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

So Saturday I did my 4.8 mile run at Mill Creek Park on the Plaza. Woke up early and did 5 and a half laps which I think works out to be a little more than 4.8 but I walked that last half lap. It was going to be a scorcher so I wanted to knock it out early and was done by 9 am. I'm still at running 3 minutes and walking 2 minutes which has been doable. I'm averaging about a 10 minute mile on my run/walk plan so that makes me happy.

On Sunday Tom and I went to the downtown airport and did a few laps on our bikes there. Tom is a speed demon on the bike so he very quickly lost me which was ok. It was hot even though it was about 7:30 in the morning. I hate Kansas City in July... and June and August really. The heat and humidity is just so freakin' oppressive. I felt sluggish on the bike and my odometer broke which was sad, but my bike is at the shop getting a new one installed as well as a tune-up. She should be back to her beautiful self as I type this.

Monday was a quick swim (I'm on a recovery week in training) so I had 1250 yards to do. I went to the community center and had that done in no time. I'm relishing this down week because I'll be back to 3 weeks of base building on Sunday.

Then yesterday (Tuesday) I had a 8.6 mile ride to do, but it was too hot to do it outside and my bike is in the shop. So I went to the Rocky Gym and did the stationary bike. I never sweat as much as I do on that thing. It was disgusting, but I got it done and that's what counts.

Isn't this the most boring blog ever?

I love Fridays

2011-07-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

3 weeks of training are finito and I couldn't be happier. Friday is my day off from training and boy do I need it. I said to Tom last night that I miss being able to go to movies or have sushi dates because of training. He looked at me and said, "Haven't you only been training for 3 weeks?" Yep. But it feels like FOREVER.

I swam last night which was nice. Not as stressing to my body and I can get into a rhythm of breathing and counting. 1650 yards total. I'm enjoying no fitness today and then I have a 4.8 mile run tomorrow. Yikes.

Brick = Bike + Run + Ick!

2011-07-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Last night was my very first Brick workout of Bike + Run. Since I had postponed my bike workout to Wednesday I was forced to do both the biking and the running on the same day.

I headed to the Downtown Airport because of the nice 3.68 mile loop. I did 3 loops on my bike and then one loop running/walking. Dear lord that was hard. I'm now up to running 3 minutes and walking 2 minutes. I started with a 5 minute walk and ended with a 5 minute walk also, and only took 45 minutes total for my 3.68 mile loop. So minus 10 minutes walking for warm-up and cool-down and I say not too shabby.

Super cool/interesting things that happened that make me wish I had my camera with me:

2 F-15 fighter jets landed. There must be some schedule for this because quite a few car loads had parked on the loop waiting for the jets. They did a flyover first and then landed. It was awesome.
Many private jets and little puddle jumper planes landed and took off. Great entertainment as I biked.
There was a helicopter parked and on the side it said: "HOT-lanta, GA" which made me think there must be a rapper in town. But can you fly in a helicopter from Atlanta to KC? Maybe it's cheaper than having a private jet? I need to look into that.
The sunset reflecting on downtown Kansas City was pretty cool.
The river is super full and it made sad to think about all of the people displaced up the Missouri River because of the flooding. There is a sign with a water mark by the Broadway Bridge that shows the flood level from July 26, 1993. Here's hoping we don't have the same fate on July 26, 2011.
I SURVIVED 11.04 miles biking and 3.68 miles running back to back. Unbelievable.

Swimming

2011-07-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well I got my Monday swim in on Tuesday. 2000 yards just in time before the pool closed. I have a workout I enjoy doing:

400 warm up
5 x 100 free decending w/ 30 sec. rest
2 x 250 free breathing 6 for 25, 5 for 50, 4 for 75 and every 3 for 100
8 x 50 free decending w/ 20 sec. rest
350 cool down

Have I mentioned how sore I am? I think it's from the biking on Monday. Dear Lord my hamstrings hate me.

I wouldn't say I've been missing my swims

2011-07-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

So Thursday I was supposed to swim 1600 yards. I knew it wouldn't happen on Thursday because of another happy hour that was scheduled. (Are you seeing a pattern here?) But I wasn't too worried about it since the swim portion of the triathlon is my strongest sport... so I can totally skip those training days, right? Right?!

So no swim Thursday. Friday is my day off from training, and Tom and I headed up to Sioux City to visit his parents and celebrate the 4th of July weekend. On Saturday I went out for my 4 mile run with Tom by my side. (He is such a good running partner.) I did my 2 minutes run, 2 minutes walk plan and felt good. It was a little warm but I managed, even with some killer hills, and completed my 4 miles in about 45 minutes. Not too shabby considering I walked half of it.

Then we returned to KC on Sunday so I was able to get a long bike ride in on Monday instead of Sunday like was planned. Tom and I biked the Indian Creek trail and logged 20 miles. It was a nice path although a little crowded and there were some sharp turns. We maintained a 14.7 mph average which is great considering the circumstances.

Then we headed to the pool (we were off work for the 4th) and I had planned on getting my 2000 yard swim in before laying out to work on my tan. I swam about 400 yards and was over it. I just wanted to relax so that's what I did. I'm so bad with missing my swim training. I really need to look at it as mandatory and not optional.

So tonight after work I'm going to get my Monday swim in and maybe move my Tuesday bike to tomorrow evening. I don't know. I also have a 3.8 run on the training schedule for tomorrow. Yikes. I need to buck up and quit postponing workouts.

And it's official. I registered for the triathlon this morning. The organizers posted a promo code on FB to save $50 off the registration fee so I couldn't pass that up. So it's on. There's no turning back.

Catching up...

2011-06-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've been following my training plan pretty religiously but haven't been updating the blog. I don't have many profound thoughts or epiphanies to pass along after a workout so taking the type out what happened seems like a waste. But I have to remember after the end of all of this it will be nice to look back and remember everything it took to cross the finish line.

Let's see...

Friday after work I picked up my new bike. She's beautiful. By the time I got out of there and ate dinner it was too late to take her out for her inaugural ride. Friday is my day off from my training so I didn't feel too badly.

Saturday morning Tom got up early to hit up a long run since he's marathon training. I got up too and was excited to ride my bike but it was pouring rain. (Notice here that the rain does not stop Tom, but I lounged on the couch and watched You've Got Mail until the rain passed.)
Around 10 I was heading out of the driveway on my bike when Tom arrived home. I waited for him to drop stuff off, change clothes, etc. so that he could ride with me. I was a bit nervous because I was doing a new route to the bike shop with a stop off at Loose Park to knock out my 2.6 mile run that was scheduled.
We biked to Loose and then did my run/walk plan for 2.6 miles. So so nice of Tom to join me and encourage me... even after he'd already done 11 miles that morning. The run felt good (it should, since I only had to run 1 minute and then walk 2 minutes repeated) but it was hot. After the run, we biked to the bike shop where I got fitted for my bike and purchased some accessories.
After biking back to Tom's we parted ways to meet up later that evening for dinner to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. THEN WE GOT ENGAGED! :)

Sunday I had a 17 mile ride on the schedule, so Tom and I biked to my place so I could get my swim suit. Our plan was to bike to the pool, but as we were biking there and stopped for lunch the sky got pretty ominous. So we called off the pool and biked back to Tom's. Only 10 miles done that day. Better than nothing I guess.

Monday is swimming so after work Tom and I biked to the community center where we swim. 1950 yards doing a mix of IMs and 100 Frees with a few windsprints mixed in. Overall it was tough workout and I was slower than normal. But throw a check mark next to Monday, it's done.

Tuesday I had a 12.3 mile bike ride to do so after work I headed to the downtown airport to do the 3 mile loop there. It was glorious. The weather was perfect and I felt great. I ended up doing 15 miles but the 12.3 was done with focus and drive. I maintained a 17.3 average mph which is amazing to me. It's mostly flat but the wind was pretty wicked on the back side. Saw 2 private jets land which was cool and the sun started to go down as I finished. Good times.

And now today. Wednesday. Woke up this morning to do my run/walk because I have a happy hour scheduled after work, and I knew if I didn't do it early it wouldn't get done. I'm trying my best to not mess with my runs. It's my weakest link and if I miss a bike or swim, I'll survive. The running is the part I have to stay true to and not skimp or miss a workout. I took Penny with me and that was a mistake. She's run with Tom before and maintained a 9:30 average for 2 miles. I had 3.4 to do and she survived the first mile and half fine but then was dragging. She could barely keep up on the walking part and a guy at the park even said to me as we passed, "Oh no," as he frowned at Penny. Well that was enough to guilt trip me into walking the rest of the way and even cutting out a lap. So we ended with a little over 2 miles and lesson learned to not take Penny with me. Overall the running felt fine. Run 2 minutes, walk 2 minutes, repeat. The 2 minute walk is enough time to relax and catch my breath before having to run again. I'm nervous next week when I switch to only 1 minute of walking. But I need to take it one workout at time....

30 seconds of swimming TWICE

2011-06-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Corporate Challenge swimming has been going on all week but this year I only did one event. The 50 Free. Took 1 second off my time from last year which was thrilling...
I also ended up having to do the relay since there weren't many people from my company there and by default I was the second fastest girl.
In super happy news, I get to pick up my brand new bike tonight after work. Saying I'm excited would be an understatement.

Running (sort of)

2011-06-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day running. 2.1 miles to be exact. 5 minute brisk walk warm up and then 1 minute run, 2 minutes walk, 1 minute run, 2 minutes walk, etc.
I felt lame on the treadmill at the Rocky Gym running only for a minute, but I know I have to keep myself injury free and ramp up the running. Also, later in the summer I know I'll look back on my 1 minute runs and be happy I enjoyed them to the fullest.
I'm sort of using the Couch to 10K plan so that's why I'm running/walking. And also because I hate running.

The Rocky Gym

2011-06-21T17:10:00.001-07:00

The Rocky Gym is the name affectionately given to the my company's employee gym. I've also heard it referred to as the Prison Gym and The Gym Straight Out of 1970. Whatever you're picturing in your head is probably pretty close to what it looks like.

I had a 7.4 mile bike ride on my training plan tonight. Currently I'm without a bike so I either had to:
1.) Go to Tom's house after work to grab a bike and ride outside or
2.) Hop on the stationary bike at the Rocky Gym

I have never done a workout on a stationary bike before. I've done the recumbent stationary bike while sipping water and reading a magazine but that was purely functional for when I was feeling lazy but found myself at the gym in gym clothes. I wouldn't call it a "workout." So I was leaning toward going to Tom's, grabbing his bike, and doing my ride outside but rain scheduled for 6pm had me heading for the Rocky Gym at the last minute.

All in all a decent experience. It took me 31 minutes to bike the 7.4 miles and I was a sweaty mess when I dismounted. Who knew you could work out on a stationary bike?! :)

Swim. Swam. Swum.

2011-06-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

Went swimming tonight per my training plan. Tom and I hit up the Tony Aguirre Center after work and knocked out 1200 yards. It was pretty sluggish considering the last time I swam (swum?) was at the Corporate Challenge triathlon 2 weekends ago. I also ate and drank ridiculous amounts in Denver/Colorado Springs this past weekend which didn't help matters. But it's done. Cross it off the list.

Hold the phone

2011-06-16T05:13:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about my bike ride last night quite a bit. It seemed weird that it was 9.5 miles to Tom's house. I know when I lived in Prairie Village (farther south than Tom's) it was 7 miles to work. So the math was off. There's no way it's 9.5 miles to Tom's.

So I checked my Google Map. Sure enough, the directions were taking me to North Charlotte Street which is near 95th Street. Much farther south than Tom's house. Good thing I knew where I was going and didn't follow the map to a T. Turns out it's only 4.6 miles to Tom's and Google says it should take me only 26 minutes. So um.... I'm definitely not as cool as I thought I was last night. Oh well. So ignore my previous post. It's all sorts of wrong.

Bike total = 6.6 miles
Still not too shabby.

I am a biking machine

2011-06-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight I did my first ride from my place to Tom's house. 9.5 miles. Google maps said it would take me 52 minutes by bike, but I knocked it out in about 40. If I was good at math I would tell you what that makes my average miles per hour, but I have no idea. I'm just happy that I must be faster than the average Google Maps biker.

After watering flowers and weeding at Tom's, I met him at the Plaza Library parking lot. He was coming from kickball so that was a nice halfway spot. After enjoying some frozen yogurt, we put the bike in the back of his car since it was getting dark and we're both scaredy pants. I'll save night riding for David Hasselhoff. Ba dum dum.

Total bike miles = 15.8
Not too shabby.

Okie Doke

2011-06-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

I swim. I bike. I jog/walk. I can do a triathlon, right?

Let's see.

Hy-Vee Triathlon on Sunday, September 4, 2011
Swim = 1.5K
Bike = 40K
Run = 10K

I have a training plan and 2 main goals:
1. Don't get injured before I can compete. More specifically, no stress fractures.
2. Cross the finish line.

That's it. 80 days to go.....

A little background

2011-06-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

In 2007 following 2 major life changes (divorce and death of my mother) I set out to train for and complete a marathon. A lofty goal considering I'm not a runner but I was determined to have something other than going to happy hour, smoking, and generally feeling sorry for myself to focus on.

I was bound and determined (almost obsessed) but 50 miles into my training I suffered a stress fracture and had to put my training on hold. Fast forward 2 years and I decide to try again. But this time only a half marathon and starting slower to avoid injury. Ha. About 6 weeks in I was hobbling again and going in for an MRI. Another stress fracture.

Nothing has been found to say that I can't run. Bone density is fine, body structure is fine, but for whatever reason (maybe a few extra pounds or doing too much too soon) stress fractures have curbed my marathon dreams.

That's ok. I don't really like running anyway.

But recently I've gotten into biking and since I already swim, a triathlon seems like a fun challenge to take on. So this is where I'll log my training and the process. I invite you to follow along.