Sunday, May 29, 2011

more shut eye...

I was up early again this morning. I still felt tired after breakfast, so I decided to go back to sleep. The dogs were happy about getting some more shut eye. I headed out at 8:30AM with the dogs for a nice easy run. I picked a looping course, so the dogs could run off leash. We finished with a little over 9 miles in 70 minutes. I ended up jamming my thumb as I grabbed a fence to get over the dirt faster. The funny thing is I didn't know it hurt until I tried to squeeze my water bottle during my bike ride at 5PM.
After work and a few errands, I jumped on the trainer for another suffer fest. It wasn't as bad as last Thursday. It was still difficult because of the cumulative training from the last few days. Nothing a few slices of pizza can't fix.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Last long workout before Kona 70.3

I wasn't sure if I was going outside to ride because the forecast called for rain. I woke up at 5:21AM and saw the roads were dry. I ate breakfast and chilled out on the couch for a couple hours before heading out. I knew I was rolling the dice because of all the grey clouds in the sky. I decided to take my rain vest just in case. I ended up not even needing it.

The workout felt hard. My legs are tired. Every time I got out of the saddle, my quads felt like bricks. After almost 54 miles, I jumped off the bike for a quick run. I settled right into pace. I have to remember to carry more nutrition if I am going to ride without a stop. I was starving after the workout. This is the last long workout before Kona.

Friday, May 27, 2011

The clock told me...

This morning I did some pace work in the pool for the race next week. I thought I was swimming at a decent speed during the warm-up. The clock told me it was slow. UGH!!! I thought no big deal. I went into 3x500s and ascended my times. There was a gorilla on my back for the last one as my time slowed down 19 seconds from the second 500. I finished with a couple fast 50s. They weren't too fast, but that's all I had in the tank. I finished with 2.9k.

I lucked out with my run and somehow managed to run with sun almost the entire duration. I did 6.6 miles of tempo work in prep for next weekend. This workout did not feel great either. The bike workout from yesterday is still kicking my butt. I finished up with a little less than 10 miles in 70 minutes.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Racing slow and training fast

I am usually very sore post race and it takes a few days for me to get back to training hard.

Monday evening I had an easy swim 1k to loosen up.

Tuesday morning, I ran an 2.5 miles. After work and a nap, I jumped on the bike for some intervals. The main set was 4x (10'@FTP  with 4' easy between). I got stronger on each interval and put up season best numbers.

Yesterday morning I swam 3.4k in the pool. I felt okay. The main set was 3x (3x200 10" descend 1-3). The set was more challenging than I thought it would be. I swam much better a couple weeks prior on a similar set. I hit the track on a lunch break. I was hoping to miss the rain, but no such luck. I had a couple of fast 200s and 1000s.

Today after a long day of work and a nap I jumped on the trainer for one of the hardest workouts ever. At the end of the workout, I clipped out and had to hold onto the bike because I felt light headed. It took 20+ minutes to stop sweating. That was including a cold shower.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Quack Quack pics

LYNSKEY

XTERRA - Swim Start
Bike

Running to the finish in my OOMPH Race suit
Post race with Guy

Awards - me, Angela, Miki

Quack Quack

I travelled down near Eugene, Oregon for an Olympic triathlon. I needed a tune-up race to see if I still knew how to race. I also got the chance to meet up with a good friend driving up from Monterey, California.

The morning drive was dry, but short lived. It sprinkled most of the morning. The roads were nice and wet. I was glad I packed extra rain gear. It came in handy during the warm-up.

SWIM - 24:11
I put on my XTERRA VENDETTA a few minutes before the start. The right side of my wetsuit near the calf was flared out, so I cut it off. I didn't want any extra drag. I felt okay on the swim. It was hard to find the buoys because everyone was wearing different caps (the race did not provide caps). At one point I was swimming next to Ross and another point I was next to Karen. It was a 2 loop course. I think if they didn't make us loop all the way back to shore the course may have been dead on for distance. Instead it was long. I came out just behind Ross and Karen. I had trouble getting my wetsuit off because my hands were frozen (water temp 55). Luckily, I have pretty decent transitions and I passed both of them immediately.

BIKE - 1:05.20
I quickly put on my SPIUK helmet and grabbed my green steed, LYNSKEY. The course was rolling for almost all of the race. I could not generate power. My legs had no snap. I was passed by a few strong riders. I later discovered that the guy who won my age group is a CAT 1/2 cyclist. Near the end of the ride I passed 2 guys. I dismounted and racked the bike

RUN - 42:09
I had trouble slipping on my NEWTONS. I could not feel my feet at all. Add the numb feet to a stitch on my right side and it made for a fun run. NOT!!! I was passed my one guy within the first mile and two more after mile 4. I was definitely glad to see the finish line. The run ended up being a little long.

I ended up 11th overall and 2nd in my age group.

After the race, I got a chance to talk to the winner, Jesse Thomas. He won Wildflower Half Ironman a couple weeks prior. He was very cool! If you are interested in a new gluten free bar, check out PICKY BARS. They taste great!!!

Karen, Lisa, Jesse, me

Friday, May 20, 2011

Sunny and 65++

Another beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest. I had an easy 1.5k in the pool this morning. After work, I went out for a quick jog, 4.1 miles. Life is good!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Sunny and 65+

It was a nice day today!!! Sunny and 65+

This morning I swam 3.1k. The main set was 15x100 descending every 3. I felt ok during the set. The first set felt easy, the second set felt good and was faster, then it started to get hard.

After work and a nap, I headed to the track for some fast 200s and 1000s. I felt blah during the warm-up and somehow managed to run some of the fastest times to date. A snuck in a 33 for the 200 and a 3:29 for the 1000. It was nice to run without a shirt.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Legs still a little sore

Yesterday, I swam an easy 1.5k.

This morning I ran as the sun was rising. Everywhere I looked it was blue skies, picture perfect. It was an easy 30 minute run. The dogs were happy to get out and breathe the fresh air.

After work, I had a short ride with a few short intervals. I felt okay. My legs were still sore from the long run on Sunday. It did not affect my bike ride. The wind reversed direction from last week. I made all the intervals.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Kona ran almost 15 today

The rain came in fast and hard last night. I heard rain all night. I even dragged my feet this morning before finally heading out to be soaked. I decided to modify my route, so Kona could run off-leash the whole time and I would complete my workout without Kona wanting to go home. This was the hardest run of the year. I had several mile repeats at 10k effort. I averaged 6:10s. I finished the run just shy of 15 miles. My legs were cooked by the end.

After work, I headed to the pool for an easy 2k. I felt pretty good. I didn't do a good job of fueling today. I got out of the pool and felt very nauseous. I chugged a chocolate milk and felt much better.

Nailed...

Yesterday I was so happy to see the sun out before my ride started. I had a 3+ hour ride. I had a few half ironman pacing intervals in the workout. I nailed the power numbers and felt really strong during the entire workout. I was going to ride 90 minutes out then turn around. A french poodle that lives by a yellow house ran at me. I pulled out my bottle and sprayed him. I opted to ride toward Bucoda and loop back around to Ranier. I finished with 69.4 miles in 191 minutes for an average of 21.8mph. Once home, I ditched the bike gear and grabbed the NEWTONS. It was a short run. I nailed my pacing for the run too. It was a great day after all the hard work during the week.

Friday, May 13, 2011

legs zapped...

Yesterday afternoon I headed out for a challenging workout. The main set was 10x (2' + 2'). It was a tough set. On one of them I averaged 30+ mph. It is hard to generate power with a huge tailwind. I made sure I finished the last few into the nasty head wind. My legs were zapped at the end.

This morning I swam 4.4k in 70 minutes. The main set was 4x500 on 7:40. I felt good on #1, great on #2, ok on #3, and horrible on #4. I thought I was going really slow. My time showed, I had only slowed down 1 second per 100.

After work, I quickly went out for 6.3 mile run. Most of it was tempo work focusing on Kona 70.3. The best part it was gorgeous outside. Sunny!!! Kona was not happy with me on the last one. I think she wanted to stop 30 seconds early. I encouraged her to stay with me, almost done.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Another double swim...

Monday, I swam an easy 2k. It felt good to loosen the legs up after the run Sunday.

Tuesday morning I ran 30 minutes easy. After work and a nap, I headed out for a workout on the bike. The set was 4x(10' + 3' cruise). I was very consistent in holding my power. I chose not to look at the watch and go by feel. There was no more than a few watts difference for all 4. My average speed for all 4 repeats was 24.6mph.

Yesterday I swam 2.8k. It was the same speed workout I did a few weeks ago, 50 very very fast followed several 25s easy. My average was about a second slower than last time. It was a long day at work. I finally got to the track around 5PM. The main set was 1000s with 400 recovery jogs. I almost forgot about the the pouring rain. It always makes the workout so much better. I love running through puddles on the track. It was the third time to do this workout. I did not do as well as last time but better than the first time. After the workout, it felt like another double swim day.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Just under a half

I headed to the pool early this morning for an easy 2k. I grabbed a quick bit and headed out for my run a little after 9AM. I felt really good. I had several mile repeats with short rest. My first one was 5:44. I think the GPS was having issues. My repeats were considerably faster than last week for the same effort. I finished with 13.01 miles in 90 minutes. Just under a half marathon.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Dang tailwind

I headed out this morning for a 3 hour ride. I failed at the intervals (few minutes at Olympic effort then several minutes at half iron pace) last week. My legs were fairly rested, so I expected to execute accordingly. I was also mentally prepared for the rain today. I used to ride a fairly easy route. The back half was mostly downhill and usually had a tailwind. I am not a fan of 150+ rpms to generate power. There was a head wind going out to the turnaround. I nailed my first interval. I actually stayed dry until Ranier. It has poured in that area 2 consecutive weekends. A quick stop to change out the empty bottle. I nailed the second interval. The last interval was a little harder because of the tailwind on the way back. Even with a 1+ minute stop at the light, I averaged 23.4mph on the last interval. I finished the day with 64 miles at 21.1 mph. Once home, I changed out of my muddy wet clothes and headed out for a short run. It is getting easier to run off the bike.

lead legs + easy workouts = feeling great

My legs are toast after 2 weeks of tough training. BAM! Legs turned into lead weights. Nothing a few days of recovery can't fix.

Monday morning, I swam an easy 2k.

Tuesday morning I ran 30 minutes nice and easy. After work and a nap, a nice easy bike ride.

Wednesday, I swam 2.7k. The main set was 15x100 on 1:40 descending every 3. After work I took the dogs for an easy 45 minute run. It was sunny and mid 60's.

Thursday, I snuck in an easy bike ride before the rain. My legs felt great afterward.

Yesterday, I swam 3.4k just before lunchtime. The main set was 6x200 on 3:00 descending every 3 and a 600 pull right after. It's amazing how great swimming feels when your body isn't broken down. After work, I had a 45 minute run with a good portion at 6:45 pace.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

done before 9am

I was out on the road this morning just before 6AM. It was a little chilly, 35 degrees. My legs felt like bricks. I wasn't sure how the workout was going to play out. I had several 1 mile repeats with short rest. I chose not to look at the watch. I was surprised my first one was 6:14. I assumed it was 10+ seconds slower. I actually kept it together for rest of the workout. I tried to let Kona run off leash. That is until she was in the middle of a 45mph road and cars were in the distance. I finished with a hair over 12 miles.

After the run, I walked inside to a mess. Fina pulled the garbage can down. UGH!!! She ate anything that looked like food. I am so looking forward to waking up in the middle of the night to hurling.

I cleaned up the mess and headed to the pool for an easy 2k. I fell into the pool and swam a slow 100. I grabbed the pull buoy/paddles and swam the rest non-stop. It took the entire 1.9k to get a decent feel of the water. The workout took less than 32 minutes.

What did you do before 9AM?