Archive for the ‘My Training Log’ Category
The group I am training with initiated a fun holiday run challenge. The rules are simple, run the eight days of the holiday break. Christmas through new years and earn points. The point system is easy to follow and it has kept me moving so far. You get a point for every mile. 1 point for every full hour, another point if the temp is below freezing, and another point for each mile run over threshold pace. So far, I only have 13 points, but it is more fun than anything.
Christmas night at 7pm, I figured I had to get out and run. So I put on the winter gear and braved the 12 degree temp (1 bonus point). The snow was blowing sideways so I wish I had some goggles on. I saw nobody else out at that hour except for one coyote who was running along side me, (but much faster) and about 30 feet away. I only stayed out for 2 miles, but with the bonus, it still got me 3 points.
The next day was much better as I got in a real run. 8 miles with 3 of them above threshold pace and the sun was out. Temp was still below freezing, so bonus for me.
In the mix of all this, I still need to find time to visit my favorite denver yoga studio, Qi (seasons fit). My favorite is spin yoga classes. A good mix of intense spin followed by a 30 minute yoga flow. To me, it is the perfect way to spend an hour.
Right now the temp is 33 degrees, maybe I’ll wait a little longer before going for a run so I can get that extra bonus point 
This is was the first time in my life I was actually able to finish a run on the treadmill. Usually I make it about 5 minutes, get bored, then do something else.
It helps that I have a plan I am now following. Todays workout was pretty straightforward and challenging. Actually, I found that doing it on the treadmill was a bit easier to maintain pace than it is outside. Maybe this season I will be able to get more treadmill time in and improve my overall running. Only time will tell.
The workout was a 15 minute warm-up with a couple pickups.
Main set: .5 mile x 1 HR Z4, 3minute recovery. Then 1 mile x 2 (3′) HR Z4.
Cool down.
Total time on the treadmill was 45 minutes and my heart rate was higher than my last outside run of a similar zone 4 workout.
Every so often I pull out my trigger point rollers and use them to loosen up my legs and hips. Every time I think to myself “why don’t I do this more often?”. Hopefully this time I will keep them out and handy to make the trigger point system part of my regular routine. It really does help to make my hips and IT band feel much better.
Trigger Point - Love The Hurt.
What’s the down side? IT HURTS! but it hurts so good. Especially on the hips and IT bands, which makes perfect sense because that is where I am currently the most tight. It is still early in this training cycle so I will do my best to keep using the TP system and finally free my hips from being so tight.
I usually just do the sequence on my own starting on my calf’s then adjusting to my quads. Then roll out to my IT (this is the one that hurts). Then my sciatica. All in all, it takes about 30 minutes to get my legs good and loose. And I can totally feel the difference after it is done. I highly recommend this to anybody who feels a little tight or is prone to certain injuries, such as IT band syndrome.
There is no doubt that I have been in my lazy state lately, but this was ridiculous! And it opened my eyes.
One of my favorite rides is the Boulder Peaks Triathlon bike course. It starts at the Boulder Reservoir, then heads up 36 to lee hill road and up old stage. This is short but very steep climb. We have some fun on the way down the other side then about another 18 miles of rolling hills. Overall a great fun and scenic ride. Last year I did this ride a number of times in prep for Ironman CDA. In fact, I used to do the ride, then do the Boulder Stroke and Strides (1600m swim plus a 5k run) and just consider it a fun event.
Well, as a show to myself of how out of shape I have recently become I rode the bike loop yesterday. And it sucked! The thought of actually getting off the bike and walking even occured to me! I couldn’t believe it! And I had to stop halfway through to have a honey stinger. Not because I thought it would be a good thing, but because I was ready to hurl and needed something in me.
My official start date to outseason training was this monday. And just in time too, I am starting to feel really out of shape.
For the run test, it was a essentially a 5k time trial.
- Distance: 3.03 miles
- Time: 00:25:02
- Pace: 8:16
- LTHR: 175 (my heart felt like it was going to explode for the final mile)
- Vdot: 37
The bike was a 40 minute time trial. I did it last week outdoors and redid the same test on the indoor trainer. I like the outdoor test better because I need to work on my mental focus while on the indoor trainer. That will come in time. My outdoor test results for the bike:
- Distance: 13.3 miles
- Time: 00:41:24
- Speed: 19.3 mph
- LTHR: 160
The silver lining is that I have A LOT of room for improvement.
Here I write on Halloween morning, October 31. Surrounded by snow I can hardly believe winter is upon us, several times this week I have had to literally stop and think and wonder what month we were in.
I have been running intermittently after my stress fracture flared back up stopping me from runningbthe Denver half. I have Goofy’s challenege coming up in January and I found it more important to heal for a few weeks in order to properly train for that. As it is I will finish the races that weekend but will do so at a leisurely pace.
Last night I started spin teacher training and loved it. 3 more weeks of this training. I have also been biking to work each day possible.
Swim, hmmmm, need to get back to the pool…
September 14…. I’m sitting outside in what must be close to 85 degree weather a day after running 8 miles in three top layers still shivering as I went. This is why I love fall and Colorado, you just never know what you will get.
Change, summer to fall. Focus on triathalon to focus on marathon. Heck, I even interviewed for a “real job” last week. Our daughter must have grown a full size over the course of the last month. So many changes come this time of year.
So what’s the point if this post? Transition and change can be looked at one of two ways. As a necessary evil to get from one point to the next, from summer to fall, from tri sport to focus on running or from pants thy are too short for your tot to pants that fit just right. However if you do this you miss a lot of the in between, the transitory periods that allow you time to reflect on what just happened and what might lay( grammar?)ahead. Change and transition can be wonderful moments in and of themselves allowing you to evaluate And catch your breath before marching on. This might not lead to faster times in your tri races but it will lead to a greater experience and that is how I prefer to approach things.
Alas, I am an official triathlete. After training on and off for the sport for three years and staging and participating in numerous variations of the sport for Steve’s training I have officially completed an organized triathlon race. I LOVED IT!
After having run too many running races to count, the idea of getting up to go and run in a pack for various distances is still attractive at times but not as attractive as the lure of a long run in a gorgeous location outdoors with just my husband or a good friend. That being said, the lure to participate in another organized triathlon is HUGE!
Yes, the prep is cumbersome. Hauling all of your gear, tugging on the wetsuit, ripping off the wetsuit post swim(they do this for you at Rattlesnake), setting up all the transition stuff, etc. It makes one question why do it all, until you’re lined up on the beach surrounded by hundreds of other folks all wearing matching swim caps wondering what the rest of the morning has in store for them. The energy is pretty much unmatched.
It is also great to see the number of well rounded (as far as athleticism or endurance sports go) individuals surrounding you. You can’t really participate at a reasonable level unless you have done some cross training. Swimming, biking and running. That being said YOGA and weight training also help.
The other thing I realized while racing yesterday is the little competitive part of me that seems to appear when running in a race presented itself on the bike as well. I do like to pass people! I’m no speedster by any means but with the various divisions and age groups participating it’s always possible to find someone to pass. Shame on me:)
Total time was 1:30:58. I was properly classified as a newbie on the site but somehow they also have me classified as an Athena athlete- this is not correct.
OK, more specifics on the different legs to come.
Given the race this weekend I decided to take today off from any crazy running or biking activity. Being the spose of an Ironman I almost feel as if a taper isn’t even legitimate for a sprint race, but heck, I took it anyway.
What I did do is take the opportunity to sneak away from our Friday Play Doh Happy Hour with our daughter and go sneak in a yoga class at Qi on Colfax. Dawnelle, owner of Seasons Fit/Qi, was guiding the class and boy was it awesome. Many of the folks present wre racing this weekend in one form or another of the Rattlesnake Tri so we focused on a Yoga for Runners type flow.
Hip openers galore! Just what I needed. Today I actually received an adjustment from Dawnelle in pigeon that sent me deeper in to the posture than I’ve ever been, and I LOVED IT!
Full disclosure, I also teach yoga at Qi. Regardless of that I can honestly say I can’t think of a better class or better flow sequence to have opened me up and prep me for this weekend’s event!
If you’re reading this post and wonder how you can find some sequence in yoga postures similar check out yogadownload.com. Dawnelle actually has a few Yoga for Runners sequences posted, as well as yoga for cyclists. It can’t compare to a studio class but is also good in it’s own right.
I just finished a 600m open water practice swim at the Aurora Res. Aurora is great because they actually keep open water swim buoys set up just outside the swim area for racers to come train all summer.
This morning my friend Ali and I headed for the water only to be joined by close to 8 other women. We asked what they were training for and the answer was their own private tri.
I had total appreciation for this for a number of reasons. Often times the entry fee to races precludes people from participating. Often times their schedules or other committments (I.e. Raising children or cleaning houses) might. This group of women said screw all that. They have weekly group trainings with one another at times that work for them. And then a few times a year they stage their races.
It isn’t for sponsorship, or times, or goodie bags. It isn’t even necessarily for the sake of competition. To me it seems it is more for the building of community through common experience. And in this case, it is for the love of the sport, triathlon.
Go Girls!!!!!