Archive for the ‘Bike’ Category
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.
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!!!!!
This morning’s workout was bright and early at Qi on Walnut. It’s always amazing to head over to the gym at an early hour and see it busy.
Anyway, one of our dogs was up every hour last night with stomach issues but despite my strong desire to turn off my alarm at 5:50 this morning and skip the training session I didn’t. I got up and made it to the gym. Once I was there I was happy to have made the decision.
We ran one mile around the club, came back and did a hard spin session for about 30 minutes then ran another mile. Good exercise to prep for transitions if you don’t have time to get out on your real bike.
The best part of the morning was the curried turkey burger patty I smothered in cranbery mango salsa upon my return home. It was before Steve and our daughter woke up, well kind of. I guess I actually ate the second half in one huge bite that I chewed as I ran upstairs to M who was hollering to get out of her crib, but at least I got to eat without somebody sitting on my lap:)
Full disclosure, my first tri has yet to officially occur. We have staged a number on our own in training, I have completed years of runs, rides and indoor swims. I recently did my first organized open water swim race/run and am registered to complete my first Sprint this August, The Rattlesnake Triathlon at Aurora Reservoir in Colorado. Yet as of today, I have not crossed the finish line of an organized official triathlon. So how did I get to this point?
After my husband got in to the NYC marathon he started a consistent running regimen. I started to see him change, get to know Central Park(we lived in NYC at the time) and consume any and every food he desired. His health was better and he seemed happier. This all made me want to run too. I would drag myself to the park to run and I say things like, “Ok, I’ll run, but never a marathon”. Time passed quickly, I would crave my runs while at the office during the day. I ultimately trained for and completed the Disney Marathon in January 2006 with my husband and other family members. All the while listening as my husband’s interest in triathlon began to brew.
So then as we would happily run, I would say things like, “Ok, I’ll run a marathon but I will never do a triathlon.” Yet somehow in the late Spring of 2006 my husband and I signed up for Team in Training and began to train for our first Olympic Distance Triathlon. Hmmmmmm, a pattern seemed to be developing.
Bike rides on the loops of Central Park dodging strollers and tourists, carriages and oad apples and loving it most of the time. We purchased our first training swim wear (I love Splish) and swim caps and would take the subway North to the far reaches of Manhattan to swim with TNT once a week. All the while running along our trusted routes in Central Park as well as sometimes up North in Westchester county of New York.
A couple of months in to this process after getting seriously lapped on a training ride then nearly passing out in the pool we found out we were expecting and I was benched. The race we were going to complete together was now a one man show for my husband, and I have to admit, I wasn’t terribly disappointed:)
All this being said I am doing my first official race in August, The rattlesnake Triathlon in Aurora, CO. and….. I am looking forward to it.
I meant to get out earlier this morning but got busy. I couldn’t get out first thing because I had an article due for the Contact Lens Society of America. It was late and I promised them I would have it to them no later than this morning. So I proofed and finished it this morning. Read the rest of this entry »
Todays ride was a nice one. Mainly because I put my aerobars back on. I sure do love my aeorbars! I did not have a route planned, rather I put on my Garmin so I would know how far I rode, then just headed out to explore. Those are my favorite kind of rides to just get in miles and time in the saddle. I explored many industrial park type roads (perfect for weekend riding because there were no cars). Passed some golf courses and rode on the frontage road a bit along 1-70.
Weather was great and overall rode 25 miles. My intention today was to get comfortable in the saddle and keep my legs loose. I accomplished that.