I discovered yesterday that sitting in a car for two hours while driving for work does not help the delayed onset muscle soreness (ie. DOMS) from a run the day before. Yesterday, however, that was what I did. My legs have been sore since Tuesday - my hamstrings, groin, hip-flexors, butt, quads. The whole shebang. My engine and everything around it. The only time my legs weren't sore was this morning when I did half an hour of easy running on the treadmill at my hotel. It really is amazing how getting the blood flowing can make sore legs feel so much less sore. I did some yoga after that to stretch things out and it felt so good. I'm hoping to get in another yoga/stretch session today.
I was planning to do my bike testing today, but I think I will put it off until tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully one more day of rest will be all that my legs need to feel 100% again.
Last night I watched the "How to do flip turns" video on the Beginner Triathlete website (thanks to my new triathlete friend Navarra). So I've decided to incorporate flip turns into my workout. I have done them before, but got out of the habit. I think I'm going to try the steps that are suggested in the video because I'm not sure I ever did them properly. I taught myself how to do them. I do think that they are beneficial to a swim workout because they make things easier and force you to hold your breath longer at the ends. They are just kind of difficult. I'm going to incorporate them slowly into my workouts and hopefully soon enough I will be doing them throughout the workout with ease. Project Flip-Turn will start tomorrow morning.
Last night I also did some reading of trifuel's latest newsletter, which you can read about in my Vegan Triathlete Nutrition Blog. I gave away all my secrets of quick vegan meals.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Travelling
The past couple of weeks have been wrought with travelling for work. This makes it slightly difficult to keep a steady training schedule. So I have found myself kind of binge working out. Some days I'll do all of the workouts I want while other times I feel completely worn out from driving and meetings that I just don't want to do anything but eat peanut butter toast. However, I think that I've done pretty good lately.
Last Monday I was in Regina and used the stationary bike for a good 35 minutes while watching some really bad television. The next morning I got up for a 35 minute run, which I felt pretty good doing. Wednesday I went to my beloved yoga class. Thursday I got in the pool early in the morning. Friday morning I did a good run and was completely wiped out by Friday night. Saturday I went for a pretty good long-run of about 40 minutes (see map below). Sunday I did a good 2000m swim and then went cross-country skiing. It was a busy weekend.
However, today I feel tired. We are in full winter mode right now and a cold front has just moved in to make sure that us Saskatchewanians know that it is winter. It is currently -28oC (-43 with the Wind Chill). So I am in hibernation mode. I just want to curl up with a good book all evening, which is what I'm probably going to do. However, my coworker and I are starting our half marathon training this Thursday. We are going to do our long runs indoors on a track together... as long as it is like this outside! Tomorrow morning I'm going to hit the pool again to get the last bit of use out of my YMCA membership that expires at the end of this month. It's funny how I forgot what winter really feels like - it's very cold.
Last Monday I was in Regina and used the stationary bike for a good 35 minutes while watching some really bad television. The next morning I got up for a 35 minute run, which I felt pretty good doing. Wednesday I went to my beloved yoga class. Thursday I got in the pool early in the morning. Friday morning I did a good run and was completely wiped out by Friday night. Saturday I went for a pretty good long-run of about 40 minutes (see map below). Sunday I did a good 2000m swim and then went cross-country skiing. It was a busy weekend.
However, today I feel tired. We are in full winter mode right now and a cold front has just moved in to make sure that us Saskatchewanians know that it is winter. It is currently -28oC (-43 with the Wind Chill). So I am in hibernation mode. I just want to curl up with a good book all evening, which is what I'm probably going to do. However, my coworker and I are starting our half marathon training this Thursday. We are going to do our long runs indoors on a track together... as long as it is like this outside! Tomorrow morning I'm going to hit the pool again to get the last bit of use out of my YMCA membership that expires at the end of this month. It's funny how I forgot what winter really feels like - it's very cold.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Winter Training!
I know that it is only December and winter has only been around for a couple of months, but I'm really loving it right now and I hope the love continues on into March. It stems from my newfound love of cross-country skiing. It is relaxing and a great workout at the same time! Because my feet are still not feeling 100%, I am mixing my running with skiing and I think it is adding a lot of good stuff. Combine that with yoga and I am a happy, healthy, fit vegan triathlete!
I officially signed up for the Saskatoon half marathon on May 25th. I'm pretty excited about it. I was thinking today about setting a time goal. If the training goes well, which I'm hoping it will without injury, I would like to run a sub-2 hour half marathon. My half marathon time in the half Ironman has been around 2:30 both times I did the half IM, so I think I should be able to do a 2-hour half marathon without all the swimming and biking. It will be so different though. I'm excited for it!
In January, I'm going to hit the pool and the bike as well. I'm hoping to get to the pool 3 times, ski at least once, run twice, and bike twice a week. I am going to get myself organized in January and just get back in the swing of things so that February will have specific goals and workouts. I'm excited to get back into training - so much fun! Hopefully my personal life stays pretty stable so that I can concentrate on my training.
I officially signed up for the Saskatoon half marathon on May 25th. I'm pretty excited about it. I was thinking today about setting a time goal. If the training goes well, which I'm hoping it will without injury, I would like to run a sub-2 hour half marathon. My half marathon time in the half Ironman has been around 2:30 both times I did the half IM, so I think I should be able to do a 2-hour half marathon without all the swimming and biking. It will be so different though. I'm excited for it!
In January, I'm going to hit the pool and the bike as well. I'm hoping to get to the pool 3 times, ski at least once, run twice, and bike twice a week. I am going to get myself organized in January and just get back in the swing of things so that February will have specific goals and workouts. I'm excited to get back into training - so much fun! Hopefully my personal life stays pretty stable so that I can concentrate on my training.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Perspiration and Inspiration
Today I did some holiday baking and knew that I had to get out into the winter wonderland that I live in. So when I got my first reminder about Saskatoon's 30th Marathon, I was reminded that I am going to do my first running race since I was in Junior High School. I have completed an Ironman, two half Ironmans, numerous other triathlons and duathlons, but I have never ran a long-distance running race. I decided after Ironman that 2008 was going to be my year to do that. My co-worker and I made a pact to do it train and inspire each other for this.
So I went out today and got in a good 40-minute run. I have to admit, though, that my feet weren't necessarily happy about it. My form started slipping near the end and my back wasn't as straight as it could have been and my pelvis was "tipping." So my ankle protested with a slight ache that I took note of right away. I walked for a bit and stretched my ankles a bit. I was near the end of my run, but I wanted to see if fixing my form would quiet the ache and it did. So I ran the rest of the way home, focusing on my form and cooling down.
I have to say that I am very anxious to get back into the full swing of training, but I'm not quite sure that my body feels the same way my mind does. Easing back into it is the best way, but I'm just so excited about it. Luckily, I'm playing lots of guitar, practicing yoga, and developing my website. So I have lots of distractions, but I'm definitely feeling the itch.
So I put up a countdown on this page to remind me of how much time I have to train for the half marathon. A good plan is what I need. I'll work on that to curb the itch of training.
So I went out today and got in a good 40-minute run. I have to admit, though, that my feet weren't necessarily happy about it. My form started slipping near the end and my back wasn't as straight as it could have been and my pelvis was "tipping." So my ankle protested with a slight ache that I took note of right away. I walked for a bit and stretched my ankles a bit. I was near the end of my run, but I wanted to see if fixing my form would quiet the ache and it did. So I ran the rest of the way home, focusing on my form and cooling down.
I have to say that I am very anxious to get back into the full swing of training, but I'm not quite sure that my body feels the same way my mind does. Easing back into it is the best way, but I'm just so excited about it. Luckily, I'm playing lots of guitar, practicing yoga, and developing my website. So I have lots of distractions, but I'm definitely feeling the itch.
So I put up a countdown on this page to remind me of how much time I have to train for the half marathon. A good plan is what I need. I'll work on that to curb the itch of training.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Balance
In yoga, balance is my biggest problem. Some days are better than others, but usually I have a hard time standing on one foot for too long. This is quite opposite from when I was a kid and the balance beam was my favorite part of gymnastics. So it really isn't surprising that I need more balance in my general life as well as in my yoga practice.
Last night I went running with my friend and her baby. It was snowing and we got a few centimetres of the white, fluffy stuff. We went for about 40 minutes (according to my friend) and it was really good. I've been having some emotional difficulty, but the run really helped with that. I think I just need to keep getting out and getting the old cardiovascular system going.
During the run, I couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to run like this after being on hiatus for the last few months. Apparently my base is pretty good. It always surprises me when I can do things like that. Good to know.
My right hamstring is a bit sore right now after Monday's intense yoga session, but I have been stretching it and I think it'll work itself out soon enough. I could really feel it last night during the run. I'm going to ice it tonight as well.
Last night I went running with my friend and her baby. It was snowing and we got a few centimetres of the white, fluffy stuff. We went for about 40 minutes (according to my friend) and it was really good. I've been having some emotional difficulty, but the run really helped with that. I think I just need to keep getting out and getting the old cardiovascular system going.
During the run, I couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to run like this after being on hiatus for the last few months. Apparently my base is pretty good. It always surprises me when I can do things like that. Good to know.
My right hamstring is a bit sore right now after Monday's intense yoga session, but I have been stretching it and I think it'll work itself out soon enough. I could really feel it last night during the run. I'm going to ice it tonight as well.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Pure Bliss
This week I spent more than 12 hours in a car driving for work. The work I did was worth it, but my body felt more than lethargic. Last night when I got home, I had to muster all of my strength just to eat some food before crawling into bed. Long days do that sometimes. I had every intention of popping right out of bed and into my running shoes, but when the alarm went off and my eyes had to open, I knew it was not happening. Rest is what I needed.
However, after another day in the car, my legs needed an outlet. So after work, I promptly put on my layers for a really cold run-walk. It was 5:30pm so rush-hour traffic was at its peak. So I went to where the cars weren't and I could just do my thing. That is the great thing about living near the river... no cars, just the trees, the snow, and my feet. I'm not sure if it was all the rest that I've given my body over the past couple of months, but I felt like I was flying down the trail. I didn't see anybody on the trail... it was just me. I felt this complete sense of peace and calm in my body, in my mind, and I remembered that THIS is why I run... THIS is why I do triathlon. It's for the sense of peace that I get when my heart is pumping, my nose is running, my feet are thudding, and my breath is laboured. It was dark out, the trees were sparkling from the snow, and my breath looked like smoke coming out from under my neck-warmer.
I have no idea how long it took me, but it felt like my fastest run of the year. It was effortless. I had to make myself walk periodically, but all I wanted to do was run and run and run until I passed out. But I know my injury well and know that I must not push it even close to my limit. So I just enjoyed the break in between the bursts of flying through the crisp air. Amazing. Purely amazing.
However, after another day in the car, my legs needed an outlet. So after work, I promptly put on my layers for a really cold run-walk. It was 5:30pm so rush-hour traffic was at its peak. So I went to where the cars weren't and I could just do my thing. That is the great thing about living near the river... no cars, just the trees, the snow, and my feet. I'm not sure if it was all the rest that I've given my body over the past couple of months, but I felt like I was flying down the trail. I didn't see anybody on the trail... it was just me. I felt this complete sense of peace and calm in my body, in my mind, and I remembered that THIS is why I run... THIS is why I do triathlon. It's for the sense of peace that I get when my heart is pumping, my nose is running, my feet are thudding, and my breath is laboured. It was dark out, the trees were sparkling from the snow, and my breath looked like smoke coming out from under my neck-warmer.
I have no idea how long it took me, but it felt like my fastest run of the year. It was effortless. I had to make myself walk periodically, but all I wanted to do was run and run and run until I passed out. But I know my injury well and know that I must not push it even close to my limit. So I just enjoyed the break in between the bursts of flying through the crisp air. Amazing. Purely amazing.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Life after Ironman
The day after Ironman was intense. I awoke at 9:30am to pain. Every molecule of my body screamed in pain, even my hair. I whispered to Luke to wake up and he asked me how I felt and I winced a smile. I hurt. A lot. Even more than I thought I would. I slowly got up and shuffled my way around the room. By the time I got dressed, Luke had already made oatmeal. It was demoralizing how slow I moved... we named it the "Ironman shuffle." The family that we stayed with made us a wonderful vegan lunch and I ate it gratefully. However, I spent most of the day in bed. Eventually we made our way into town, sat on the beach for a while reading, and then went to the awards banquet. We found the Saskatoon people and all of them were moving much easier than I was. In fact, there weren't many others at the supper who were doing the Ironman shuffle, but maybe it's because those people stayed at home in bed!
My feet and back hurt the worst. On both feet, the toe next to the big toe was sore and the nail was black (and still is). My back felt tight and inflexible. The areas where I chaffed didn't feel great either, but they paled in comparison to my feet. I had a sharp pain under my ankle bone that hurt a lot for a few days, which was my biggest concern because it felt like a bad pain that reminded me of my stress fracture a few years ago.
However, my mind was great! I felt free and easy and happy. I was on cloud 9! I still feel like I'm on cloud 9 when I get home and read a book and hang out with my friends. My time being so limited has really made me appreciate the relative slowness of my life right now. Since Ironman, I've done a lot of yoga and sleeping. A lot of sleeping. I bike to work and my back usually hurts by the time I finish the 6.5 km ride. My chiropractor and massage therapist are both helping me out with that. Sleeping is the best right now and with the changing weather, it definitely fits well with my environment.
Today I went for my first run since Ironman. It was a crisp, bright morning and I thought a quick half-hour run would be nice. So off I went on my regular route with my layers of technical shirts, my long pants, and my shoes. I was 6 blocks from home when my aforementioned pain came back in my foot and I was forced to stop running. In fact, I limped the rest of the way home. I'm not sure if I should pursue this injury or just wait a few more weeks before I run again. I'll probably wait another 2 weeks before I run again and just bike and swim (if I feel like it) and see how it feels after that. It kind of sucks because I absolutely love running the fall... the crisp, clear air, the red cheeks when I get home, and just being outside to watch the leaves change colour and fall to the ground are so great. However, maybe I'll just go for walks! I can do that now!
Needless to say, I'm enjoying every moment. I spent the last year stressing out about August 26th, but there was part of me that knew that August 27th and everyday after that would be awesome... and it is!
My feet and back hurt the worst. On both feet, the toe next to the big toe was sore and the nail was black (and still is). My back felt tight and inflexible. The areas where I chaffed didn't feel great either, but they paled in comparison to my feet. I had a sharp pain under my ankle bone that hurt a lot for a few days, which was my biggest concern because it felt like a bad pain that reminded me of my stress fracture a few years ago.
However, my mind was great! I felt free and easy and happy. I was on cloud 9! I still feel like I'm on cloud 9 when I get home and read a book and hang out with my friends. My time being so limited has really made me appreciate the relative slowness of my life right now. Since Ironman, I've done a lot of yoga and sleeping. A lot of sleeping. I bike to work and my back usually hurts by the time I finish the 6.5 km ride. My chiropractor and massage therapist are both helping me out with that. Sleeping is the best right now and with the changing weather, it definitely fits well with my environment.
Today I went for my first run since Ironman. It was a crisp, bright morning and I thought a quick half-hour run would be nice. So off I went on my regular route with my layers of technical shirts, my long pants, and my shoes. I was 6 blocks from home when my aforementioned pain came back in my foot and I was forced to stop running. In fact, I limped the rest of the way home. I'm not sure if I should pursue this injury or just wait a few more weeks before I run again. I'll probably wait another 2 weeks before I run again and just bike and swim (if I feel like it) and see how it feels after that. It kind of sucks because I absolutely love running the fall... the crisp, clear air, the red cheeks when I get home, and just being outside to watch the leaves change colour and fall to the ground are so great. However, maybe I'll just go for walks! I can do that now!
Needless to say, I'm enjoying every moment. I spent the last year stressing out about August 26th, but there was part of me that knew that August 27th and everyday after that would be awesome... and it is!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Tapering, Counting Down, and Mental Training
I honestly think that hardest part of this race is going to be the mental part. While I am pretty good at pushing myself and mentally preparing myself, this is going to be an event that is beyond anything I've done before. It's so exciting. I started re-reading the chapter of Going Long that talks about mental training. Apparently at the start of a race people either think that they have not trained enough and they are going to fail or else they think that they are #1 and they are going to win their age category. I think I fall in the middle somewhere; I believe that I have trained to the best of my ability and knowledge at this point in my life. Sure, I could have trained more this winter and summer, but I had good reasons not to. So I'm focusing on the fact that I am ready and WILL finish this race. They have some interesting techniques in the book that I haven't tried and would like to incorporate in my training in the next few weeks as I start to taper on the amount of training.
I have a really hard time with tapering. I'm sure most triathletes do. The idea is that one doesn't tire out before the race. It makes sense, but I'm not cutting down on my training a whole lot until next week. The weekend after this one coming up is a 'C' race. Last year it was my A race, but this year it has been demoted to C because I am basically using it as a really intense brick workout. It ensures that I taper correctly before the triathlon because I'll taper for the race, recover from the race, and then keep tapering for Ironman. So while my quantity of training is decreasing, I'm hoping to keep my quality of training at a high standard.
Yesterday morning I went for a wonderful run in the morning. I've been training in the heat to mentally prepare myself for the "I'm going to die in this heat" that I will be thinking during the race, but I decided to give myself a break and just do a run that I enjoyed. And I did. It was GREAT! I did a nice tempo 40-minute run and it was just wonderful. Now I remember why I love this sport... I get to do all of my favorite things! I don't even have any stats for it right now, I just went and it felt good. Maybe that's a stat in itself.
Only 25 days to go!
I have a really hard time with tapering. I'm sure most triathletes do. The idea is that one doesn't tire out before the race. It makes sense, but I'm not cutting down on my training a whole lot until next week. The weekend after this one coming up is a 'C' race. Last year it was my A race, but this year it has been demoted to C because I am basically using it as a really intense brick workout. It ensures that I taper correctly before the triathlon because I'll taper for the race, recover from the race, and then keep tapering for Ironman. So while my quantity of training is decreasing, I'm hoping to keep my quality of training at a high standard.
Yesterday morning I went for a wonderful run in the morning. I've been training in the heat to mentally prepare myself for the "I'm going to die in this heat" that I will be thinking during the race, but I decided to give myself a break and just do a run that I enjoyed. And I did. It was GREAT! I did a nice tempo 40-minute run and it was just wonderful. Now I remember why I love this sport... I get to do all of my favorite things! I don't even have any stats for it right now, I just went and it felt good. Maybe that's a stat in itself.
Only 25 days to go!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Let the Countdown Begin
At 3:30 today, it was at least 30oC (close to 40 with the humidex) and the wind was strong (26 to 37km/hr), but I made sure to get on my bike and get in a ride. Ironman is less than a month away and I know that I should be tapering, but I'm not quite ready. Well, maybe I already am, but it's mostly by accident. There are many things going on with me right now and it is inhibiting my training in a major way. However, I still feel ready for the race and can't wait for August 26th to come.
The ride today was hot and hard. I did an out-and-back ride on a route that I use often. It has some hills and it has great scenery and is relatively close to my house. Going out I averaged about 19 km/hr, which sounds more brutal than it was. In my mind, I pretended that I was climbing the huge hills that will be part of the Ironman ride. The wind definitely helped with this and I used my granniest granny gear more than once. It felt weird to use it as I hadn't in so long, but it was good to know that it's there when I need it. That's why I keep my small chain ring. The ride was so hot that I drank two bottles of gatorade and one bottle of water. I had a gel before I went, but it wasn't enough. I'm pretty much obsessed with my glycogen levels while training. It's probably not necessary to be obsessed, but when I was coming back I felt a pang in my stomach and knew that my glycogen was low. As soon as I got home I had a smoothie with tofu, hemp, frozen strawberries (picked by my own hands), and raspberries from my garden. It was great.
While the ride out was super hard, the ride back was awesome! I was anticipating a great ride back, but this one blew my mind. I got up to 66.7 km/hr on my favorite hill to go down (I actually kind of like going up it too), which is the fastest I've ever went on that hill. I could have went faster, but my gears were tapped and my legs were spinning at about 113 rpm. IT WAS AWESOME!!! Such a rush! I was going 34km/hr on the flats and up to 60 km/hr on the smaller hills. It was great, just great. Felt so good.
I even wore my heart-rate monitor today, which I've been trying to use more lately. It's interesting to know where I'm at, but not necessary. I think that I will wear it for Ironman just so that I can keep track of where I'm at.
So in terms of stats, my ride looked like this:
Distance: 42.63 km
Time: 1:46:04
Avg speed: 24.1 km/hr
Max speed: 66.7 km/hr
Average heart rate: 142
Time in zone: 1:44:02
On Friday I went for a 45-minute run in the heat. Basically right now I'm climatizing myself. I am quite afraid of the heat of Penticton and am preparing myself for it to be a hot day and if it's not, I will be just as happy. It was a good run and I was drenched by the end (not really surprising). I forgot to take my stats from my HR monitor before I went for my bike ride, but I would say that I was in the same area for average HR.
I've still be swimming in the outdoor pool Tuesdays and Thursdays and I'm really enjoying it. I think that I'll keep with it just because it's so nice to swim outside. Lately I've been doing some intervals just so that I can remember what it's like to push myself with swimming. I think I'm not really pushing myself because I know that during the race it's just about getting through it. However, it would help the whole race if I felt strong in the swimming, which is why I'm doing the intervals.
My next triathlon is in two weeks and I'm pretty excited for it. This will be my fifth year doing this particular triathlon and it used to be my "A" race. It has an odd bike ride at 63km and a 13km run (usually it's 40km and 10km, respectively) after the 1.5km swim. I'm not really prepared for such a short race, but it'll be fun anyway. I don't really expect to beat my PB that I set last year, but it would be cool to be close. I'll start to taper next week. That's kind of the beauty of putting a race 2 weeks before Ironman: it forces me to taper and recover in the weeks that I need to before the BIG one.
So the countdown begins: Ironman is a mere 4 weeks, as in 28 days, away. Bring it on!
The ride today was hot and hard. I did an out-and-back ride on a route that I use often. It has some hills and it has great scenery and is relatively close to my house. Going out I averaged about 19 km/hr, which sounds more brutal than it was. In my mind, I pretended that I was climbing the huge hills that will be part of the Ironman ride. The wind definitely helped with this and I used my granniest granny gear more than once. It felt weird to use it as I hadn't in so long, but it was good to know that it's there when I need it. That's why I keep my small chain ring. The ride was so hot that I drank two bottles of gatorade and one bottle of water. I had a gel before I went, but it wasn't enough. I'm pretty much obsessed with my glycogen levels while training. It's probably not necessary to be obsessed, but when I was coming back I felt a pang in my stomach and knew that my glycogen was low. As soon as I got home I had a smoothie with tofu, hemp, frozen strawberries (picked by my own hands), and raspberries from my garden. It was great.
While the ride out was super hard, the ride back was awesome! I was anticipating a great ride back, but this one blew my mind. I got up to 66.7 km/hr on my favorite hill to go down (I actually kind of like going up it too), which is the fastest I've ever went on that hill. I could have went faster, but my gears were tapped and my legs were spinning at about 113 rpm. IT WAS AWESOME!!! Such a rush! I was going 34km/hr on the flats and up to 60 km/hr on the smaller hills. It was great, just great. Felt so good.
I even wore my heart-rate monitor today, which I've been trying to use more lately. It's interesting to know where I'm at, but not necessary. I think that I will wear it for Ironman just so that I can keep track of where I'm at.
So in terms of stats, my ride looked like this:
Distance: 42.63 km
Time: 1:46:04
Avg speed: 24.1 km/hr
Max speed: 66.7 km/hr
Average heart rate: 142
Time in zone: 1:44:02
On Friday I went for a 45-minute run in the heat. Basically right now I'm climatizing myself. I am quite afraid of the heat of Penticton and am preparing myself for it to be a hot day and if it's not, I will be just as happy. It was a good run and I was drenched by the end (not really surprising). I forgot to take my stats from my HR monitor before I went for my bike ride, but I would say that I was in the same area for average HR.
I've still be swimming in the outdoor pool Tuesdays and Thursdays and I'm really enjoying it. I think that I'll keep with it just because it's so nice to swim outside. Lately I've been doing some intervals just so that I can remember what it's like to push myself with swimming. I think I'm not really pushing myself because I know that during the race it's just about getting through it. However, it would help the whole race if I felt strong in the swimming, which is why I'm doing the intervals.
My next triathlon is in two weeks and I'm pretty excited for it. This will be my fifth year doing this particular triathlon and it used to be my "A" race. It has an odd bike ride at 63km and a 13km run (usually it's 40km and 10km, respectively) after the 1.5km swim. I'm not really prepared for such a short race, but it'll be fun anyway. I don't really expect to beat my PB that I set last year, but it would be cool to be close. I'll start to taper next week. That's kind of the beauty of putting a race 2 weeks before Ironman: it forces me to taper and recover in the weeks that I need to before the BIG one.
So the countdown begins: Ironman is a mere 4 weeks, as in 28 days, away. Bring it on!
Monday, May 14, 2007
A quick update
The holidays were great for my mind and soul, but bad for my training. It comes as no surprise, really. So last week I started getting back into it with some walk-runs and short bike rides. This week is building on that and next week I will be in full swing. Here is what it looked like:
Monday: short run-walk, bike to work
Tuesday: 4km run-walk, bike to work + 40km bike ride
Thursday: 5km run-walk, bike to work + mountain bike riding (climbing and descending)
Friday: yoga and bike to work
Sunday: longish run-walk (8km)
I'm hoping to find a way to incorporate my yoga into my training better than before I went on holidays. So far I haven't started swimming yet and am doing the yoga instead. It feels great, but I will start back with the swimming soon. Hopefully the schedule will work itself out. I will be updating more regularly from now on with details of my workouts. Fun stuff!
Monday: short run-walk, bike to work
Tuesday: 4km run-walk, bike to work + 40km bike ride
Thursday: 5km run-walk, bike to work + mountain bike riding (climbing and descending)
Friday: yoga and bike to work
Sunday: longish run-walk (8km)
I'm hoping to find a way to incorporate my yoga into my training better than before I went on holidays. So far I haven't started swimming yet and am doing the yoga instead. It feels great, but I will start back with the swimming soon. Hopefully the schedule will work itself out. I will be updating more regularly from now on with details of my workouts. Fun stuff!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Going Long
I can't believe it has been so long since I updated. Sometimes blogging just slips my mind.
Easter weekend was basically a write-off. Between family, moving, and relaxing, training was minimal. I did do a lot of lifting and reaching - I'm sure that can be counted as weight training. I did go on some long walks with my partner and my family's dog, but it was really cold that weekend and it was Easter. A good time for some time off.
The week after Easter was crazy. I did do some biking on my trainer, but I have been having some back and neck issues. Last Thursday I tried to run on the treadmill, but I had a shooting pain down my right hamstring. I have since learned that it was probably my piriformis muscle pinching my sciatic nerve. Whatever it was, it made me literally stop running on the treadmill, go to the chiro, make an appointment with my massage therapist, and now it is gone with a little bit of muscle soreness in my lower back and butt area from the massage yesterday. So now I'm stretching my butt and my lower back a lot. I must have had a minor issue because I went for a short, slowish run this morning and I felt pretty good, except for the tenderness of my butt.
On Saturday I went for my first outdoor road ride of the season. Yep, April 14th was the day. It was the hottest day of the year so far and it was GORGEOUS! I didn't got far or long and only got in 30km, but it felt good. We are very busy preparing for our trip to California, so I'm trying my best to balance life and training. All I have to say is that I'm very lucky I have good employers that allow me flexibility.
Monday morning saw me hit the pool for a nice 3000m workout with the Masters' swim club. It felt good. And that brings us to today. This afternoon I'm going to head out for a bike ride (again, the good employer thing). I'm excited to hit the road and trails in Oregon, California, Utah, and wherever else the wind takes us.
The other day a triathlete that I know suggested a book to me that I probably should have bought last year when I signed up to do IMC. Better late than never, right?! I've read Gordon Byrn's stuff on the internet, but hadn't heard of Joel Fried. Apparently, he is also renowned in the world of triathlon. So I ordered Going Long off Amazon and it came today! I am so excited to be able to read it on our trip. I hope that it will inspire and educate me on this journey of training for my first Ironman.
Also, I have made another decision lately. I am going to sign up for IMC 2008. I figure that since I will work so hard to get my base for the first one, it would be great if I could build on that for a second one. So that's the tentative plan. It may sound crazy, but I also figure I should make this decision now rather than later because once I do IMC 2007, I may not want to sign up for IMC 2008!
So that's where I'm at. I'm having lots of fun and can't wait to go on holidays. This blog will likely be dormant until after May 7th.
Things to look at:
This is a good image of the piriformis muscle:
The Stretching Instititute has some good stretches to do.
Easter weekend was basically a write-off. Between family, moving, and relaxing, training was minimal. I did do a lot of lifting and reaching - I'm sure that can be counted as weight training. I did go on some long walks with my partner and my family's dog, but it was really cold that weekend and it was Easter. A good time for some time off.
The week after Easter was crazy. I did do some biking on my trainer, but I have been having some back and neck issues. Last Thursday I tried to run on the treadmill, but I had a shooting pain down my right hamstring. I have since learned that it was probably my piriformis muscle pinching my sciatic nerve. Whatever it was, it made me literally stop running on the treadmill, go to the chiro, make an appointment with my massage therapist, and now it is gone with a little bit of muscle soreness in my lower back and butt area from the massage yesterday. So now I'm stretching my butt and my lower back a lot. I must have had a minor issue because I went for a short, slowish run this morning and I felt pretty good, except for the tenderness of my butt.
On Saturday I went for my first outdoor road ride of the season. Yep, April 14th was the day. It was the hottest day of the year so far and it was GORGEOUS! I didn't got far or long and only got in 30km, but it felt good. We are very busy preparing for our trip to California, so I'm trying my best to balance life and training. All I have to say is that I'm very lucky I have good employers that allow me flexibility.
Monday morning saw me hit the pool for a nice 3000m workout with the Masters' swim club. It felt good. And that brings us to today. This afternoon I'm going to head out for a bike ride (again, the good employer thing). I'm excited to hit the road and trails in Oregon, California, Utah, and wherever else the wind takes us.
The other day a triathlete that I know suggested a book to me that I probably should have bought last year when I signed up to do IMC. Better late than never, right?! I've read Gordon Byrn's stuff on the internet, but hadn't heard of Joel Fried. Apparently, he is also renowned in the world of triathlon. So I ordered Going Long off Amazon and it came today! I am so excited to be able to read it on our trip. I hope that it will inspire and educate me on this journey of training for my first Ironman.
Also, I have made another decision lately. I am going to sign up for IMC 2008. I figure that since I will work so hard to get my base for the first one, it would be great if I could build on that for a second one. So that's the tentative plan. It may sound crazy, but I also figure I should make this decision now rather than later because once I do IMC 2007, I may not want to sign up for IMC 2008!
So that's where I'm at. I'm having lots of fun and can't wait to go on holidays. This blog will likely be dormant until after May 7th.
Things to look at:
This is a good image of the piriformis muscle:
The Stretching Instititute has some good stretches to do.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
I just felt like running
Tuesday I was out of town for work, so I knew that I had to get a workout in before we left at 7:30am. I woke up at 6:09 and was out the door by 6:15. It wasn't the best for my performance, but I just wanted to get it in. I got in a good 30 minute workout. It felt great to be out in the fresh air and I'm glad I did because the weather has taken a turn to being really wet. Wet rain and snow has been coming down since last night. I didn't get home until 7:00 last night, so I was way too tired and hungry to do a workout before the 10:00 bedtime I've been trying to adhere to.
Today, being Wednesday, is my day off and I'm glad. So I'm enjoying being inside, watching the wet drops come down and I can know that I'm not missing any workouts due to weather. Work is busy and I'm on out of town on Thursday and Friday. I guess my running shoes will be used while I'm away and I might be able to get in a swim on Friday afternoon somewhere. I kind of miss the pool... I never thought I'd say that!
Today, being Wednesday, is my day off and I'm glad. So I'm enjoying being inside, watching the wet drops come down and I can know that I'm not missing any workouts due to weather. Work is busy and I'm on out of town on Thursday and Friday. I guess my running shoes will be used while I'm away and I might be able to get in a swim on Friday afternoon somewhere. I kind of miss the pool... I never thought I'd say that!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sprinting vs. Long-distance
This Saturday I did a very sprint triathlon. It was a 500m swim in the pool, 8km on the bike, and 3km on the track - no transitions. Overall it was great, but I really noticed how different it feels to do short distances as opposed to long-distance training. It's funny because I felt like I was hitting my stride at about lap 8 of the swim, the last kilometre of the bike, and about lap 11 of the run (although I was getting tired for the last lap because I sprinted trying to keep up with the girl in front of me - thanks for the race, Chantelle!). My times were as follows:
500m swim: 9:07
8km bike: 16:44
3km run: 16:14
However, afterwards my neck was KILLING me. It created a very bad headache. So bad that I actually went and purchased some ibuprofen, which I never do. It helped a lot and the next day was not as bad. I just kept on stretching out my neck in hope that it would go away, which it mostly have. Upon doing some reading, apparently triathletes are more likely to have back and neck pain because they train a lot for this multisport.
On Saturday night, I went curling at L's work social. It was great, but I sure haven't used those muscles very much! So I'm a bit sore in my upper back and my hip flexors. It kind of feels good to be sore, though.
Sunday was kind of a bad day and I kept a low profile. My neck was sore and I had a headache and decided to suffer through the day. It ended not to badly and I just kept stretching it out.
This morning I decided to skip swimming because of my neck and went for a nice 5km run. I have to sign up for the marathon at the end of May, which I'm pretty stoked about. I have never run just a running race (since high school) . It will be a good experience, I think. Either that or it will scare the crap out of me for Ironman. Either way, it will probably be beneficial.
Food Diary for the Week
Monday
* run for 5km
Breakfast: Smoothie
Snack: Clif bar
Lunch: 2c. pasta with tofu and veggies (leftover)
Supper: Tempeh burgers with home fries from regular and sweet potatoes
Tuesday:
* a short 30 minute run
Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch: leftover pasta (AGAIN)
Supper: a wonderful stirfry made by my parloqual!
Wednesday:
Breakfast: smoothie
Snack: oatmeal
Lunch: leftover stirfry
Supper:
500m swim: 9:07
8km bike: 16:44
3km run: 16:14
However, afterwards my neck was KILLING me. It created a very bad headache. So bad that I actually went and purchased some ibuprofen, which I never do. It helped a lot and the next day was not as bad. I just kept on stretching out my neck in hope that it would go away, which it mostly have. Upon doing some reading, apparently triathletes are more likely to have back and neck pain because they train a lot for this multisport.
On Saturday night, I went curling at L's work social. It was great, but I sure haven't used those muscles very much! So I'm a bit sore in my upper back and my hip flexors. It kind of feels good to be sore, though.
Sunday was kind of a bad day and I kept a low profile. My neck was sore and I had a headache and decided to suffer through the day. It ended not to badly and I just kept stretching it out.
This morning I decided to skip swimming because of my neck and went for a nice 5km run. I have to sign up for the marathon at the end of May, which I'm pretty stoked about. I have never run just a running race (since high school) . It will be a good experience, I think. Either that or it will scare the crap out of me for Ironman. Either way, it will probably be beneficial.
Food Diary for the Week
Monday
* run for 5km
Breakfast: Smoothie
Snack: Clif bar
Lunch: 2c. pasta with tofu and veggies (leftover)
Supper: Tempeh burgers with home fries from regular and sweet potatoes
Tuesday:
* a short 30 minute run
Breakfast: smoothie
Lunch: leftover pasta (AGAIN)
Supper: a wonderful stirfry made by my parloqual!
Wednesday:
Breakfast: smoothie
Snack: oatmeal
Lunch: leftover stirfry
Supper:
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wilderness in the city
This morning I went for a good half hour run along the river. It felt great, like I hadn't missed 3 weeks! My base must be really great for me to just be able to do 3 km in half an hour. My lungs now feel completely oxygenated and my mind is completely clear. I'm ready to get working!
On my run, I realized how wonderful it is to run in the light. Dawn was just breaking when I headed out and the sun was fully out by the time I got home. How wonderful!!! As I was 3/4 done my run, I saw a little bunny skirt out from the bushes it had been hiding in. It came out, hopped around, and went back in. I stopped in my tracks to watch the animal. She looked at me, I looked at her. We stood there for what felt like an hour, just checking each other out. This is the first time, in all of my years of running by the river that I had ever seen a bunny. I felt lucky. The bunny decided it had had enough of my staring and hopped to a spot where I couldn't see her. So I kept on my way and hoped that I wouldn't forget to write about it. It felt really special. How often do you get to see such a creature in a city? Not often enough!
The roads are clearing up and I biked to work this morning. It was a great ride in the sunshine. I am so happy to be back on the bike! I could feel my lower back protesting this morning as I periodically stretched it out on the ride. The chiropractor will get much use in the next few weeks, I'm sure.
Yesterday I got my road pedals put on my bike. I purchased triathlon shoes, which have road pedals. They're pretty crazy! Very different from SPDs and my touring shoes that I have been using. I'll have to give it a try tonight on my trainer. This weekend is supposed to be very nice, so I would love to get on the highway with my bike. Wow... what a great day! This weekend is also the Indoorman race, which should be a good time. I love this sport!
On my run, I realized how wonderful it is to run in the light. Dawn was just breaking when I headed out and the sun was fully out by the time I got home. How wonderful!!! As I was 3/4 done my run, I saw a little bunny skirt out from the bushes it had been hiding in. It came out, hopped around, and went back in. I stopped in my tracks to watch the animal. She looked at me, I looked at her. We stood there for what felt like an hour, just checking each other out. This is the first time, in all of my years of running by the river that I had ever seen a bunny. I felt lucky. The bunny decided it had had enough of my staring and hopped to a spot where I couldn't see her. So I kept on my way and hoped that I wouldn't forget to write about it. It felt really special. How often do you get to see such a creature in a city? Not often enough!
The roads are clearing up and I biked to work this morning. It was a great ride in the sunshine. I am so happy to be back on the bike! I could feel my lower back protesting this morning as I periodically stretched it out on the ride. The chiropractor will get much use in the next few weeks, I'm sure.
Yesterday I got my road pedals put on my bike. I purchased triathlon shoes, which have road pedals. They're pretty crazy! Very different from SPDs and my touring shoes that I have been using. I'll have to give it a try tonight on my trainer. This weekend is supposed to be very nice, so I would love to get on the highway with my bike. Wow... what a great day! This weekend is also the Indoorman race, which should be a good time. I love this sport!
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