So, it’s that time again where I can’t focus any of my thoughts into one succinct post, so instead what follows is a a random mish-mash of ramblings…
Including:
Off the bike trainer and on the road ~ Trekking the Trans Canada Trail (ok, really, it was just a long(ish) run) ~ Ankle. Pop. Stop. Lock. ~ Sugar and Chocolate. Please, no more sweets. Gimme healthy eats? ~ Training Camps and Racing Feats.
So, let’s see... The bike!
I’ve had two really memorable rides lately. The first was on the Wild West Coast a couple weeks ago when Shane and I spent the weekend in Tofino with friends. When I set out for my ride the weather didn’t look too bad, but not even 20mins into my 90min ride, it was pouring! Yet, for some reason, I didn’t really care. The wind blew, the rain pounded down, and the hail bounced off my helmet… but it was fun! It was my first ride outside in a while, in new surroundings, and it felt so good to just give’r. It doesn’t hurt that I absolutely love Tofino and Pacific Rim Park.
The second was this past weekend. I saddled up for an out and back ride along the Goose/Lochside trail. It wasn’t the most challenging course obviously, but I tried to push my pace a little and again, just kind of enjoyed not being stuck on the trainer. The best part came toward the end though, when I met up with this young(ish) girl at a stop light. She had spent the past week in a cycling camp and was super friendly and chatty. I didn’t want to be rude as she talked away at me (and I was enjoying talking with her too), so I felt the need to try and keep up. So, for about 15mins I worked harder than I have in a long time on the bike. I was giving it everything I had to keep up with this [my guess] future elite cyclist, and while it just about killed me (not really), it was awesome.
Another equally good workout was a long run I did with Kirsten this past Sunday along the Trans Canada Trail. It was 1:45, with some efforts in the last 20-25mins. I haven’t done a lot of runs longer than 60-75mins lately, so was pretty pleased at how good this felt (for the most part). It was also nice to have some company and to revisit the Trans Canada Trail, as I haven’t run there in a while.
The only downside to this outing was at the end; my ankle decided to revolt and completely locked up. I spent the better part of Sunday and Monday hobbling around, stretching, icing, massaging and just “willing” my ankle to stop hurting and to move again. It’s still not 100%, but is definitely miles better than it was.
What else? Ahhh, chocolate. I have been craving sweets lately in a bad bad way - and I have definitely been over-indulging. My office always has mass quantities of candy and chocolate readily available, so, my goal for the last couple days has been to avoid the sweets at work. I realize "everything in moderation" and I'm not about to cut out sweets entirely, but I was finding it was becoming a bit of a reflex at work, that every time I walked past the reception desk and saw the bowl of chocolate and candies I would take "just one" - but "just one" every time you go to the printer or the washroom starts to add up. So, for the last couple days, I've vowed NONE - it an attempt the break the habit. Now, I repeat to myself “no sweets, no sweets, no sweets” as I walk by the delicious pile of sugary goodness. So far so good, but it ain’t easy. Anyway, I figured by making a note of it on the blogosphere, and just generally “putting it out there” will help in my quest to lessen my sugar intake. So, if you happen to see me with a caramel egg or a donut in hand – slap it away!
Last but not least, my motivational slump has continued slightly, but at the same time, I have allowed myself to be a little more flexible with my schedule and have been enjoying a bit more of the ‘play’ aspects of training. Also, thankfully, I’m in a bit of a taper/rest week as I lead into more time trials this weekend. The rest has definitely come at the perfect time (almost like Kelly planned it that way, haha). This rest, coupled with a mini-training camp and even some races on the horizon, I can tell I’m already starting to feel rejuvenated.
Also... testing out a new look for the blog. Can't decided if I like it or not yet. Any thoughts?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Play
Training has been going fairly well as of late – not spectacular, but not badly either. I’m kind of in this weird state where I sort of feel like I’ve just been going through the motions a bit. I suppose my motivation has been a bit low. I'm not entirely sure why, as most of the time, once I do get out for a workout it feels pretty good and I've been happy with the workout and the results and happy to have done it – but there has been more of an effort to get myself out of bed in the morning or to put on my runners after work, etc., etc. (I’m sure any endurance athlete has these periods).
I suppose, sometimes I worry that I'm turning all my training into a bit of "must-get-workouts-done" rather than just enjoying them and having fun. Thankfully, I realize it's probably just a bit of a slump (or that maybe, just maybe, I'm completely over analyzing) and given another week or so, all these feelings will be gone. Who knows?
Anyway, I am currently reading “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. I’m only about half way through, so I can’t really give a full review at this point, but I am really enjoying it so far. The story really is captivating, and the “characters” all seem to have a certain joy about them – a wonderful and curious reckless abandon. I feel like the key for each of these runners seems to be their ability to enjoy running. To be happy and present in the moment, and yet, to lose themselves in that same moment as well. They seem to have the ability to have fun - to play.
Kelly often mentions how as adults we forget to just play – and it’s so true. I’m totally guilty of this. Maybe I’m just hyper aware of it right now, but the theme seems to keep coming up lately - over and over (in yoga class, in books…).
So, this morning, on my easy/aerobic 65min run – I played. I didn’t think about tempo, or fartleks, or intervals, or even my pace. I just ran happily and comfortably – picking up the pace when I wanted, challenging myself on small hills – and took in the beautiful ocean air and the natural silence around me. Hell, I even stopped to take a few photos – and you know, I really enjoyed it. I guess maybe I’m already on my way to overcoming my “slump”.
So, here’s to playing more and “over analyzing” less!
Sunrise, Dallas Rd. styles
I suppose, sometimes I worry that I'm turning all my training into a bit of "must-get-workouts-done" rather than just enjoying them and having fun. Thankfully, I realize it's probably just a bit of a slump (or that maybe, just maybe, I'm completely over analyzing) and given another week or so, all these feelings will be gone. Who knows?
Anyway, I am currently reading “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. I’m only about half way through, so I can’t really give a full review at this point, but I am really enjoying it so far. The story really is captivating, and the “characters” all seem to have a certain joy about them – a wonderful and curious reckless abandon. I feel like the key for each of these runners seems to be their ability to enjoy running. To be happy and present in the moment, and yet, to lose themselves in that same moment as well. They seem to have the ability to have fun - to play.
Kelly often mentions how as adults we forget to just play – and it’s so true. I’m totally guilty of this. Maybe I’m just hyper aware of it right now, but the theme seems to keep coming up lately - over and over (in yoga class, in books…).
So, this morning, on my easy/aerobic 65min run – I played. I didn’t think about tempo, or fartleks, or intervals, or even my pace. I just ran happily and comfortably – picking up the pace when I wanted, challenging myself on small hills – and took in the beautiful ocean air and the natural silence around me. Hell, I even stopped to take a few photos – and you know, I really enjoyed it. I guess maybe I’m already on my way to overcoming my “slump”.
So, here’s to playing more and “over analyzing” less!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Bazan Bay 5k - Race Report
I must admit to having mixed emotions about this race.
It was good in the sense that I set myself a new 5k PB (23:27 by my clock, 23:37 ‘official’ race time – it took me 10secs to cross the start line I guess). It was good that I survived after a week of feeling rather crappy. Also, I was happy to have placed 13/39 in my age group and to finish within the top half of the field overall.
And yet, deep down, I feel like it should have been better. I know that with this being a flat, fast course, PB’s are often broken at this race, and I think (even if it’s unrealistic), in the back of my mind, I was hoping to really smash my previous best. Or, maybe it was just the fact that I feel like I could have run a stronger race mentally.
Anyway, the race started out decent enough. As with any race, the start required some bobbing and weaving through the crowd, but I felt like I found a good pace and was happy with my split as I passed the 1k marker. Up to the turn around, I found myself getting a bit distracted at times as I watched the front runners racing back toward the end (I think I forgot for a few moments that I was racing too, and not just spectating... they make it looks so easy!). That said, I maintained a steady pace through the turn around and even had moments where I felt really great and relaxed and like my form and pace were impeccable.
Then unfortunately between the 3-4k stretch things got a bit difficult. The wind was coming off the water and creating a bit of a headwind, but I don’t know that that was really the reason for my struggles. I think I had just checked out a bit and let a few negative thoughts creep into my brain. I got passed by a handful of people in this stretch before I snapped myself out of my daze and realized this race was going to be over before I knew it. So, from 4k through to the end I tried to focus on my form - and even got a very good reminder from Kelly (“use your arms, lean forward” or something of the sort) with about 500-600m to go. I was happy to cross the finish line, and while I don’t think I looked very good, I actually didn’t feel too too bad.
All that said, there is definitely something exciting about a race that is over so quickly. It was really fun to race a 5k that was not at the end of a triathlon, and to take part in an event with such a deep field of incredible athletes. Victoria really does have an amazing running and triathlon community, and even if I’ll never be one of the “elites” it’s fun to be a part of this great community all the same.
It was good in the sense that I set myself a new 5k PB (23:27 by my clock, 23:37 ‘official’ race time – it took me 10secs to cross the start line I guess). It was good that I survived after a week of feeling rather crappy. Also, I was happy to have placed 13/39 in my age group and to finish within the top half of the field overall.
And yet, deep down, I feel like it should have been better. I know that with this being a flat, fast course, PB’s are often broken at this race, and I think (even if it’s unrealistic), in the back of my mind, I was hoping to really smash my previous best. Or, maybe it was just the fact that I feel like I could have run a stronger race mentally.
Anyway, the race started out decent enough. As with any race, the start required some bobbing and weaving through the crowd, but I felt like I found a good pace and was happy with my split as I passed the 1k marker. Up to the turn around, I found myself getting a bit distracted at times as I watched the front runners racing back toward the end (I think I forgot for a few moments that I was racing too, and not just spectating... they make it looks so easy!). That said, I maintained a steady pace through the turn around and even had moments where I felt really great and relaxed and like my form and pace were impeccable.
Then unfortunately between the 3-4k stretch things got a bit difficult. The wind was coming off the water and creating a bit of a headwind, but I don’t know that that was really the reason for my struggles. I think I had just checked out a bit and let a few negative thoughts creep into my brain. I got passed by a handful of people in this stretch before I snapped myself out of my daze and realized this race was going to be over before I knew it. So, from 4k through to the end I tried to focus on my form - and even got a very good reminder from Kelly (“use your arms, lean forward” or something of the sort) with about 500-600m to go. I was happy to cross the finish line, and while I don’t think I looked very good, I actually didn’t feel too too bad.
All that said, there is definitely something exciting about a race that is over so quickly. It was really fun to race a 5k that was not at the end of a triathlon, and to take part in an event with such a deep field of incredible athletes. Victoria really does have an amazing running and triathlon community, and even if I’ll never be one of the “elites” it’s fun to be a part of this great community all the same.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Sickness
I must admit, I didn’t realize it had been so long since my last post. Time continues to fly by.
I recovered nicely from my early morning fall during my last time trial and was thankfully able to put it out of my mind enough that I could enjoy an evening with Shane and the subsequent girl’s weekend in Whistler that followed. I spent the better part of my Saturday in the Whistler ER catching up with my good friend Laura - luckily for me (and not lovely Laura) I was not the one with the broken arm! Anyway, broken bones aside, it was a great weekend with amazing friends and the thought of training and time trials rarely even entered my mind.
Also, Shane’s anniversary gift finally arrived. Yay!
Custom Shane Bobblehead
The Monday following Whistler, I managed to get my 5k TT done (although, not as well as I had hoped), had a great massage thanks to the ever-wonderful Lysanne (Equinox Health Clinic), and then, well, the week progressed…. The snow hit Victoria and the sick hit me!
So yeah, training over the last week has been sporadic to say the least. As of right now I am definitely down with the sickness. I spent a couple days last week where my head hurt so badly that I thought my brain might be bleeding, and since I can’t take anti-inflammatory’s (and that is what every doctor seems to prescribe for everything and anything… “tension headache” in this case) this lead to my first experience with muscle relaxants. This helped shake the head pain (or so I thought, in reality it was probably just the progression of my illness), so I then spent the weekend at a mini training camp thinking I was all good, only to be knocked back over on Tuesday morning by this awful stuffy nose, raspy chest, utterly congested, feeling completely blah, “cold” – aka, the sickness.
I’m hoping to be well enough to race the Bazan Bay 5km on Sunday and *fingers crossed* get a new PB at the 5k distance, but we’ll see. I'm not really putting any pressure on myself at this point.
In other news, the Half Marathon clinic I was going to be leading has been cancelled due to lack of registrants, so I’m back to a completely selfish training focus for the season and will think about just me, myself and I. Well, that’s not entirely true, as I plan to be the best cheerleader there is for Kirsten, as she attempts to qualify for Boston at the Vancouver Marathon on May 1, as well as for my parent’s and my co-worker Mandy, when the 3 of them toe the line at the Oak Bay ‘Kool’ Half Marathon on May 15. I’m seriously considering pom-poms.
Oh, (man this post is all over the map), I’ve also been giving some thought to my race calendar and this is what I’m thinking so far:
Shawnigan Sprint (May 29)
Victoria Sprint (June 19)
Vancouver Sprint (July 3)
Transcendence Olympic (July 31)
Sooke Sprint (August 7)
Kelowna Apple Tri Sprint (August 21)
Following Kelowna, some down time in Penticton will be in order - soaking up the Ironman atmosphere and volunteering at this year's race!
I recovered nicely from my early morning fall during my last time trial and was thankfully able to put it out of my mind enough that I could enjoy an evening with Shane and the subsequent girl’s weekend in Whistler that followed. I spent the better part of my Saturday in the Whistler ER catching up with my good friend Laura - luckily for me (and not lovely Laura) I was not the one with the broken arm! Anyway, broken bones aside, it was a great weekend with amazing friends and the thought of training and time trials rarely even entered my mind.
Also, Shane’s anniversary gift finally arrived. Yay!
The Monday following Whistler, I managed to get my 5k TT done (although, not as well as I had hoped), had a great massage thanks to the ever-wonderful Lysanne (Equinox Health Clinic), and then, well, the week progressed…. The snow hit Victoria and the sick hit me!
So yeah, training over the last week has been sporadic to say the least. As of right now I am definitely down with the sickness. I spent a couple days last week where my head hurt so badly that I thought my brain might be bleeding, and since I can’t take anti-inflammatory’s (and that is what every doctor seems to prescribe for everything and anything… “tension headache” in this case) this lead to my first experience with muscle relaxants. This helped shake the head pain (or so I thought, in reality it was probably just the progression of my illness), so I then spent the weekend at a mini training camp thinking I was all good, only to be knocked back over on Tuesday morning by this awful stuffy nose, raspy chest, utterly congested, feeling completely blah, “cold” – aka, the sickness.
I’m hoping to be well enough to race the Bazan Bay 5km on Sunday and *fingers crossed* get a new PB at the 5k distance, but we’ll see. I'm not really putting any pressure on myself at this point.
In other news, the Half Marathon clinic I was going to be leading has been cancelled due to lack of registrants, so I’m back to a completely selfish training focus for the season and will think about just me, myself and I. Well, that’s not entirely true, as I plan to be the best cheerleader there is for Kirsten, as she attempts to qualify for Boston at the Vancouver Marathon on May 1, as well as for my parent’s and my co-worker Mandy, when the 3 of them toe the line at the Oak Bay ‘Kool’ Half Marathon on May 15. I’m seriously considering pom-poms.
Oh, (man this post is all over the map), I’ve also been giving some thought to my race calendar and this is what I’m thinking so far:
Shawnigan Sprint (May 29)
Victoria Sprint (June 19)
Vancouver Sprint (July 3)
Transcendence Olympic (July 31)
Sooke Sprint (August 7)
Kelowna Apple Tri Sprint (August 21)
Following Kelowna, some down time in Penticton will be in order - soaking up the Ironman atmosphere and volunteering at this year's race!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
I Fought the Wind/Curb and the Wind/Curb Won
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster week on the training front… I had a couple late nights on the weekend (which is fairly rare for me) and the interruption in my sleep pattern has definitely not helped my mental state. That said, I’ve probably had more good workouts than bad workouts, it’s just that the bad always seem to stick out in one’s memory. Why is that?
The weekend was pretty solid. I had another mini-tri of sorts on the Saturday. I started at the pool, with a lane almost entirely to myself (heaven!) and just had a really strong swim. It wasn’t anything spectacular or record breaking, but I felt loose and relaxed and while I was putting out a decent effort, it felt almost effortless at times. Since the weather was atrocious, I opted to do my 90min bike on the trainer, and as such, my transition time was probably about 45min or so by the time I got changed and drove home.
What can you say about a 90min trainer ride really? It was steady. It was strong. It was a tad boring. I pedaled and watched a show about overweight teenagers. Good times.
My transition from bike to run was much quicker, and before I knew it, Rusty and I were absolutely drenched. I would guess it took less than 2 minutes to be soaked through to the bone. I could not believe how hard the rain and wind were pounding… So, while it wasn’t necessarily a fun run, it got done.
Sunday’s long run was a nice outing around the Lakes. I’d kind of been itching to run there for a while so Kirsten and I met up and headed out. I will say, I’m glad it wasn’t a solo mission for me, and that Kristen was there to keep me going, as I was feeling a little drained and sluggish as the run wore on. All in all, it was good though and definitely falls in the positive column. It was mucky, but the sun was shining and our legs were moving…
Monday was a day off, which was nice, because my ankle decided to rebel. I’m not sure what happened, but it just started aching on Sunday night and by Monday morning I was walking with a noticeable limp. I could feel the swelling gradually increase in my boot throughout the day. I gave it a pretty good self-massage treatment when I got home that night, which helped relieve the pain a bit, but on Tuesday morning when I got up, it was still aching (and I was still limping).
I headed to the pool in the morning and actually had a good swim. My ankle felt much better in the water, and kicking didn’t hurt it (go figure). As soon as I got out though, it was “locked” back up and swollen again. Of course, what do you do when it hurts to walk – well, you run of course!
I had planned to do my Tuesday fartlek workout at lunch and figured that the run might help loosen up my aching joint (and it actually did, but that was about the best thing to come from that run). Plain and simple, this run sucked. It was possibly one of the worst run workouts I have had in a very very long time. My ankle loosened up about 15-20mins in (and hasn’t hurt as badly since thankfully) but I must have been carrying myself funny and my calf was absolutely screaming at me. On top of that, the wind was so spectacularly fierce that at one point during a 2min RP effort (going uphill no less) I think I may have actually moved backwards! Elements and aches aside, I think the worst part was that I just couldn't shake the negative thoughts. So yeah, the wind won.
I had to put that bad run behind me though, as this week is Time Trial 2.0 week. [I’m going out of town this weekend, so my TTs have been moved up from Friday (swim) and Saturday (run) to Wednesday (swim) and Thursday (run)]. The anxious TT tummy is slightly less, but still not gone.
So, Wednesday morning rolls around and it’s swim TT time! It was decent. Not spectacular, but not horrifying either. I definitely didn't feel as smooth as I had last time and unfortunately, felt like I was working a fair bit harder, but when I hit the stop button on my watch, it wasn’t any slower. Exactly 6:51 yet again. So apparently I’m owning that 6:51 pace at the moment. Next time I’m hoping that if I stay a little more relaxed my time will improve.
Wednesday night, bike trainer class with Kelly. Fun. Great. Good effort. Not much to say really. It was another on the “YAY HAPPY” list for the week.
Then comes today, Thursday…
I decided to get up early to do my run TT as I know I will be rushed after work and well, I just prefer morning workouts. It was icy, but manageable and I seemed to be finding my footing well enough. I had a really good warm up, did some drills and strides and was ready to run! At the 3 minute mark of the actual “time trial” part, I was flying – although not in a good way. In the dusky shadows of the morning, I didn’t see a curb and went half flying, half skidding across the pavement, full on Superman style. My hands now full of gravel and my knees throbbing, I popped back up, walked a few feet, realized I was a bit stunned, allowed myself a few tears and contemplated what to do next. In hindsight, I should have just kept running, but I knew my time was shot and well, I was completely frazzled at this point. So, I turned around, tears in my eyes and did a slow “cool down” run home. So yeah, the curb won.
So now, here I sit, frustrated that I got up early and didn’t actually get my TT done, and now have to try and fit it in to my schedule on a weekend with other priorities (it is Shane and my 5 year anniversary + one of my best friend’s stagette in Whistler). Perhaps I will be able to squeeze it in after work today or tomorrow morning before I head off to Whistler, or maybe even Monday???? (Can you hear my brain churning?)
Or, maybe I just need to stop being so neurotic and remember that I do this for fun. *sigh*
The weekend was pretty solid. I had another mini-tri of sorts on the Saturday. I started at the pool, with a lane almost entirely to myself (heaven!) and just had a really strong swim. It wasn’t anything spectacular or record breaking, but I felt loose and relaxed and while I was putting out a decent effort, it felt almost effortless at times. Since the weather was atrocious, I opted to do my 90min bike on the trainer, and as such, my transition time was probably about 45min or so by the time I got changed and drove home.
What can you say about a 90min trainer ride really? It was steady. It was strong. It was a tad boring. I pedaled and watched a show about overweight teenagers. Good times.
My transition from bike to run was much quicker, and before I knew it, Rusty and I were absolutely drenched. I would guess it took less than 2 minutes to be soaked through to the bone. I could not believe how hard the rain and wind were pounding… So, while it wasn’t necessarily a fun run, it got done.
Sunday’s long run was a nice outing around the Lakes. I’d kind of been itching to run there for a while so Kirsten and I met up and headed out. I will say, I’m glad it wasn’t a solo mission for me, and that Kristen was there to keep me going, as I was feeling a little drained and sluggish as the run wore on. All in all, it was good though and definitely falls in the positive column. It was mucky, but the sun was shining and our legs were moving…
Monday was a day off, which was nice, because my ankle decided to rebel. I’m not sure what happened, but it just started aching on Sunday night and by Monday morning I was walking with a noticeable limp. I could feel the swelling gradually increase in my boot throughout the day. I gave it a pretty good self-massage treatment when I got home that night, which helped relieve the pain a bit, but on Tuesday morning when I got up, it was still aching (and I was still limping).
I headed to the pool in the morning and actually had a good swim. My ankle felt much better in the water, and kicking didn’t hurt it (go figure). As soon as I got out though, it was “locked” back up and swollen again. Of course, what do you do when it hurts to walk – well, you run of course!
I had planned to do my Tuesday fartlek workout at lunch and figured that the run might help loosen up my aching joint (and it actually did, but that was about the best thing to come from that run). Plain and simple, this run sucked. It was possibly one of the worst run workouts I have had in a very very long time. My ankle loosened up about 15-20mins in (and hasn’t hurt as badly since thankfully) but I must have been carrying myself funny and my calf was absolutely screaming at me. On top of that, the wind was so spectacularly fierce that at one point during a 2min RP effort (going uphill no less) I think I may have actually moved backwards! Elements and aches aside, I think the worst part was that I just couldn't shake the negative thoughts. So yeah, the wind won.
I had to put that bad run behind me though, as this week is Time Trial 2.0 week. [I’m going out of town this weekend, so my TTs have been moved up from Friday (swim) and Saturday (run) to Wednesday (swim) and Thursday (run)]. The anxious TT tummy is slightly less, but still not gone.
So, Wednesday morning rolls around and it’s swim TT time! It was decent. Not spectacular, but not horrifying either. I definitely didn't feel as smooth as I had last time and unfortunately, felt like I was working a fair bit harder, but when I hit the stop button on my watch, it wasn’t any slower. Exactly 6:51 yet again. So apparently I’m owning that 6:51 pace at the moment. Next time I’m hoping that if I stay a little more relaxed my time will improve.
Wednesday night, bike trainer class with Kelly. Fun. Great. Good effort. Not much to say really. It was another on the “YAY HAPPY” list for the week.
Then comes today, Thursday…
I decided to get up early to do my run TT as I know I will be rushed after work and well, I just prefer morning workouts. It was icy, but manageable and I seemed to be finding my footing well enough. I had a really good warm up, did some drills and strides and was ready to run! At the 3 minute mark of the actual “time trial” part, I was flying – although not in a good way. In the dusky shadows of the morning, I didn’t see a curb and went half flying, half skidding across the pavement, full on Superman style. My hands now full of gravel and my knees throbbing, I popped back up, walked a few feet, realized I was a bit stunned, allowed myself a few tears and contemplated what to do next. In hindsight, I should have just kept running, but I knew my time was shot and well, I was completely frazzled at this point. So, I turned around, tears in my eyes and did a slow “cool down” run home. So yeah, the curb won.
So now, here I sit, frustrated that I got up early and didn’t actually get my TT done, and now have to try and fit it in to my schedule on a weekend with other priorities (it is Shane and my 5 year anniversary + one of my best friend’s stagette in Whistler). Perhaps I will be able to squeeze it in after work today or tomorrow morning before I head off to Whistler, or maybe even Monday???? (Can you hear my brain churning?)
Or, maybe I just need to stop being so neurotic and remember that I do this for fun. *sigh*
Friday, February 4, 2011
Lucky
When I last wrote, I was having “pre-race jitters” over my upcoming weekend of time trialing. Ok, so my nerves were not totally the same as pre-race jitters, but I was a bit anxious about finding out what sort of times I could put down.
The time trials I had to do were a 400m swim and a 5k run. Overall, I was pretty happy and I’d say that both TTs went fairly well. I think I laid down some decent times (for me that is – 6:51 for the swim, 23:54 for the run – both efforts were PBs) and gave myself solid markers to try and beat as the season wears on.
I know I will be doing time trials quite often as this season progresses, so now that the first set is out of the way, I’m hoping the next ones will be a little less butterfly inducing.
Since the TTs, I’ve had a week full of short hard workouts - lots of those “14minutes of hurt” workouts. Wednesday night, however, was a break from the training action, as Shane, Kirsten, Tyler and I made the pilgrimage to Silver City to check out Chasing Legends. Anyone who knows me knows I could sit in front of the tv for the entire month of July and watch nothing but the Tour de France. So, needless to say, I really enjoyed the movie. It definitely made the idea going to France and following the Tour rise up the old bucket list, which got me thinking about all the other fun stuff I would love to do before I kick it.
So, here are a few tidbits in no particular order:
- Follow the Tour de France – live and in person.
- Cycle across Canada
- Volunteer at Ironman Hawaii
(while I’d really love to race in Kona, qualifying would be a hell of a long shot, and I don’t seem overly lucky with lotteries, so volunteering seems the next best option)
- Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- Spend some time backpacking around Europe and Central America
- Learn to speak Spanish
On a different note, I’ve read two different blog posts that I quite enjoyed recently. (I’m just now noticing they were both written by Adams).
The first can be found here. It is totally non-tri related, but well, it really stuck with me. Since reading it, I’ve been trying to make a more concerted effort not to avert my eyes and ignore strangers. I find this particularly satisfying while out running as a little smile from a fellow runner passing in the opposite direction can be quite a positive little boost.
The second can be found here. This one hit me for a bit of a different reason, as I had a similar "I feel lucky to live where I live" moment the other day while out on a walk during my lunch break from work. I wandered down Government Street to the inner harbour and was amazed by the quiet calm that surrounded me. There was no road construction, there was no wind or rain, and there were barely even any other people. The harbour was all mine and it was perfect. I think sometimes when I am running, I forget to look around and take it all in, but that walk, on that day, did everything to remind me how beautiful Victoria is. The weather was crisp, the sun was shining, and the day just felt incredibly peaceful. While I may want to travel a little and explore other parts of the world, Victoria will always be home, and this walk just reminded me how very lucky I am to live here.
The time trials I had to do were a 400m swim and a 5k run. Overall, I was pretty happy and I’d say that both TTs went fairly well. I think I laid down some decent times (for me that is – 6:51 for the swim, 23:54 for the run – both efforts were PBs) and gave myself solid markers to try and beat as the season wears on.
I know I will be doing time trials quite often as this season progresses, so now that the first set is out of the way, I’m hoping the next ones will be a little less butterfly inducing.
Since the TTs, I’ve had a week full of short hard workouts - lots of those “14minutes of hurt” workouts. Wednesday night, however, was a break from the training action, as Shane, Kirsten, Tyler and I made the pilgrimage to Silver City to check out Chasing Legends. Anyone who knows me knows I could sit in front of the tv for the entire month of July and watch nothing but the Tour de France. So, needless to say, I really enjoyed the movie. It definitely made the idea going to France and following the Tour rise up the old bucket list, which got me thinking about all the other fun stuff I would love to do before I kick it.
So, here are a few tidbits in no particular order:
- Follow the Tour de France – live and in person.
- Cycle across Canada
- Volunteer at Ironman Hawaii
(while I’d really love to race in Kona, qualifying would be a hell of a long shot, and I don’t seem overly lucky with lotteries, so volunteering seems the next best option)
- Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- Spend some time backpacking around Europe and Central America
- Learn to speak Spanish
On a different note, I’ve read two different blog posts that I quite enjoyed recently. (I’m just now noticing they were both written by Adams).
The first can be found here. It is totally non-tri related, but well, it really stuck with me. Since reading it, I’ve been trying to make a more concerted effort not to avert my eyes and ignore strangers. I find this particularly satisfying while out running as a little smile from a fellow runner passing in the opposite direction can be quite a positive little boost.
The second can be found here. This one hit me for a bit of a different reason, as I had a similar "I feel lucky to live where I live" moment the other day while out on a walk during my lunch break from work. I wandered down Government Street to the inner harbour and was amazed by the quiet calm that surrounded me. There was no road construction, there was no wind or rain, and there were barely even any other people. The harbour was all mine and it was perfect. I think sometimes when I am running, I forget to look around and take it all in, but that walk, on that day, did everything to remind me how beautiful Victoria is. The weather was crisp, the sun was shining, and the day just felt incredibly peaceful. While I may want to travel a little and explore other parts of the world, Victoria will always be home, and this walk just reminded me how very lucky I am to live here.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I WON!
I won my first triathlon of 2011 on the weekend!
Ok, so in actuality, it may have only been a training day that happened to consist of a swim, a bike and a run, and I may have been the only one ‘competing’ but I like to think of it as a win ;)
So yeah, I had a pretty solid outing on Saturday. I’m not sure if Kelly intended I do all of my workouts back to back to back, but I had a meeting with a physic in the afternoon (umm, yeah, really), so time was limited.
I started the day with a pretty decent swim workout. It was only about 2100m, but was a nice mix of drills, hypoxic breathing exercises and some steady state efforts. From there I transitioned to the bike (had it actually been a race, my transition times would have been, oh, just a touch slow) for a 90minute aerobic effort.
I decided a bit of an out and back on the Goose (with a few loops on each end) was in order. Not long into the ride, I spotted a roadie up ahead and noticed he wasn’t really pulling away from me, but that I was in fact gaining on him (ever so slightly). My effort level intensified to a little more than aerobic and just when I thought I might be able to actually get within striking distance and catch him, he noticed me and dropped the hammer. Before I knew it, he was gone from my sight. So, after being dropped, I took my effort back to a more level and sustainable pace and carried on. The day was gorgeous and the ride seemed to fly by. It was definitely nice to be out on the road and not sitting on the trainer.
T2 was a little quicker than the first (since I didn’t have quite as many clothes to change this time around) so I answered a few texts, put my bike in the car, and then was on my way for an easy 30minute “+” run. (The “+” stands for 6 hill repeats at the end of the 30minutes).
In typical brick fashion, my legs did take a little bit to loosen up and find their place in the world. My calves cramped and I must have looked really bad in those first 10minutes or so, as a mountain biker who passed me told me I was “doing great”. Ahhh, words of encouragement from complete strangers – you know you look bad when…. Once I found a decent rhythm the run quickly passed and before I knew it, I was sprinting up (and walking down) a giant hill. Finally, with the repeats complete, I jogged back to the car in cool down mode, happy to have put in such a solid day of effort.
Otherwise, training really has been coming along pretty well. I’m working more on speed, which at times feels a bit weird compared to the long slow blocks of training that came with Ironman, but I am enjoying the change and the new challenge all the same. I have also learned that a 14minute workout can be sheer hell! You think 14minutes will be easy, but, oh no, you can definitely make yourself hurt - and hurt good - in that short period.
This coming weekend I’ve got a couple time trials on the agenda. I know it’s just me versus the clock, but I am feeling a little nervous about it. So please, anyone who is reading this, send me speedy thoughts over the next few days!
Anyway, until next time…. Thanks for reading :)
Ok, so in actuality, it may have only been a training day that happened to consist of a swim, a bike and a run, and I may have been the only one ‘competing’ but I like to think of it as a win ;)
So yeah, I had a pretty solid outing on Saturday. I’m not sure if Kelly intended I do all of my workouts back to back to back, but I had a meeting with a physic in the afternoon (umm, yeah, really), so time was limited.
I started the day with a pretty decent swim workout. It was only about 2100m, but was a nice mix of drills, hypoxic breathing exercises and some steady state efforts. From there I transitioned to the bike (had it actually been a race, my transition times would have been, oh, just a touch slow) for a 90minute aerobic effort.
I decided a bit of an out and back on the Goose (with a few loops on each end) was in order. Not long into the ride, I spotted a roadie up ahead and noticed he wasn’t really pulling away from me, but that I was in fact gaining on him (ever so slightly). My effort level intensified to a little more than aerobic and just when I thought I might be able to actually get within striking distance and catch him, he noticed me and dropped the hammer. Before I knew it, he was gone from my sight. So, after being dropped, I took my effort back to a more level and sustainable pace and carried on. The day was gorgeous and the ride seemed to fly by. It was definitely nice to be out on the road and not sitting on the trainer.
T2 was a little quicker than the first (since I didn’t have quite as many clothes to change this time around) so I answered a few texts, put my bike in the car, and then was on my way for an easy 30minute “+” run. (The “+” stands for 6 hill repeats at the end of the 30minutes).
In typical brick fashion, my legs did take a little bit to loosen up and find their place in the world. My calves cramped and I must have looked really bad in those first 10minutes or so, as a mountain biker who passed me told me I was “doing great”. Ahhh, words of encouragement from complete strangers – you know you look bad when…. Once I found a decent rhythm the run quickly passed and before I knew it, I was sprinting up (and walking down) a giant hill. Finally, with the repeats complete, I jogged back to the car in cool down mode, happy to have put in such a solid day of effort.
Otherwise, training really has been coming along pretty well. I’m working more on speed, which at times feels a bit weird compared to the long slow blocks of training that came with Ironman, but I am enjoying the change and the new challenge all the same. I have also learned that a 14minute workout can be sheer hell! You think 14minutes will be easy, but, oh no, you can definitely make yourself hurt - and hurt good - in that short period.
This coming weekend I’ve got a couple time trials on the agenda. I know it’s just me versus the clock, but I am feeling a little nervous about it. So please, anyone who is reading this, send me speedy thoughts over the next few days!
Anyway, until next time…. Thanks for reading :)
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