I'm doing the race in memory of my Uncle who died in March after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer. Help them find better treatments and ultimately a cure for those who are still battling!
www.prostatecancerfoundation.org
Monday, August 17, 2009
Less than one week....and other updates....
So while I've been totally slack on generating content for this site, I haven't been slack on the training! I've been doing something triathlon related at least 5-6 days a week. I can now swim up to (and possibly over) a mile without stopping. I've been consistently riding 10-14 miles several times a week, and while I haven't been focusing too much on running (since I hate it, it's hot and humid, my back's been out of whack, and oh did I mention I hate it?), I've managed to cut 2 minutes off my 1 mile time since I started this journey. (Which I realize is still slow as hell, but huge deal for me in terms of fitness and in terms of my body healing from the pain it was in!)
A few weeks back I went up to MD and did the swim trial of the triathlon...there were over 900 women there to do the same thing and while the lake smelled (and possibly tasted???) like duck poop, I managed to swim 1200 yards in 22-25 minutes. (C's mom had a watch on but didn't start looking exactly when we started, so an estimate). On race day it should only be about 1100 yards, so hopefully I can be under 25 minutes on the swim. (is that good? I have no idea...the first girl back from the 19 and under age group on trial day took 18 minutes. under 19= in their prime, so I think I might be middle of the road for swimming). I was relieved to see that many of the swimmers didn't just use freestyle....all types of strokes were going on, and there were literally women of all different skill levels.
C and I then "ran" the course....more like walked until the last half mile and then jogged. ( hey, we were engaged in good gossip)The course is more hilly than I thought and I got a huge blister b/c I tried out my new orthotics without removing the shoe liner. Genius. It still kinda hurts!
The next day we met up with my cousin and her hubby and rode the full bike course. It took us an hour and 40 minutes! yikes. I need to shave some of that time off! we stopped a few times for some training tips from the pros, and the hills were MUCH HARDER than anything I've practiced. On a few of them I think my cousin's hubbs got seriously concerned at the sound of the asthmatic breathing coming from my body. Those hills were no joke! We were in the country!
So the past few weeks, I've worked on swimming more freestyle to build some speed (previously I was swimming 10 laps of freestyle and then alternating free style with breaststroke until the last 6 laps). Now I'm doing the first 20 laps of freestyle, alternating the rest until the last 4 laps. I think this has shaved a little time. The thing is that when you get in the lake, you can't see under water, so you have to life your head up more to see the people around you so you don't crash into someone (GET TO THE EDGE!!!)...this seems to be best done while doing breast stroke....a little less effort....so to save energy I think I'll continue to throw it in when I need to.
With the biking, A and I changed up the course we do, to incorporate more actual roads (riding for the kinda first time in traffic was a little nerve-wrecking on the practice day), and more hills. I've also been throwing in some "hill training" and doing shorter rides that involve going up hills over and over. Gotta condition those climbing legs. Hopefully, I'll be better prepared come Sunday.
Last two days have been bricks, bike to run, and last week threw in some swim to bikes to walks. I want to throw in one more big brick this week, and then take it a little easier come Thursday.
I have a TON to do this week (getting ready for the race, the trip to MD, and I started grad school last week!), and I started feeling a little sick today, so need to balance rest with workouts.
Will update later in the week. Also might note that I'm getting anxious and nervous about this whole ordeal. (yeah, there's the will I finish part, but also the "all my family is gonna see me in my booty bike shorts and a bathing suit" part...yeah..)
Finally, while you'd think triathlon training would have caused me to drop a ton of weight, no such luck. But, my fitness has improved, (as seen by my progress in running and swimming alone!), so that counts for a lot. And I've been extremely dedicated (6 am swims, weekends on the bike instead of the couch, and I even skipped a wedding this weekend to train!)
More later....
A few weeks back I went up to MD and did the swim trial of the triathlon...there were over 900 women there to do the same thing and while the lake smelled (and possibly tasted???) like duck poop, I managed to swim 1200 yards in 22-25 minutes. (C's mom had a watch on but didn't start looking exactly when we started, so an estimate). On race day it should only be about 1100 yards, so hopefully I can be under 25 minutes on the swim. (is that good? I have no idea...the first girl back from the 19 and under age group on trial day took 18 minutes. under 19= in their prime, so I think I might be middle of the road for swimming). I was relieved to see that many of the swimmers didn't just use freestyle....all types of strokes were going on, and there were literally women of all different skill levels.
C and I then "ran" the course....more like walked until the last half mile and then jogged. ( hey, we were engaged in good gossip)The course is more hilly than I thought and I got a huge blister b/c I tried out my new orthotics without removing the shoe liner. Genius. It still kinda hurts!
The next day we met up with my cousin and her hubby and rode the full bike course. It took us an hour and 40 minutes! yikes. I need to shave some of that time off! we stopped a few times for some training tips from the pros, and the hills were MUCH HARDER than anything I've practiced. On a few of them I think my cousin's hubbs got seriously concerned at the sound of the asthmatic breathing coming from my body. Those hills were no joke! We were in the country!
So the past few weeks, I've worked on swimming more freestyle to build some speed (previously I was swimming 10 laps of freestyle and then alternating free style with breaststroke until the last 6 laps). Now I'm doing the first 20 laps of freestyle, alternating the rest until the last 4 laps. I think this has shaved a little time. The thing is that when you get in the lake, you can't see under water, so you have to life your head up more to see the people around you so you don't crash into someone (GET TO THE EDGE!!!)...this seems to be best done while doing breast stroke....a little less effort....so to save energy I think I'll continue to throw it in when I need to.
With the biking, A and I changed up the course we do, to incorporate more actual roads (riding for the kinda first time in traffic was a little nerve-wrecking on the practice day), and more hills. I've also been throwing in some "hill training" and doing shorter rides that involve going up hills over and over. Gotta condition those climbing legs. Hopefully, I'll be better prepared come Sunday.
Last two days have been bricks, bike to run, and last week threw in some swim to bikes to walks. I want to throw in one more big brick this week, and then take it a little easier come Thursday.
I have a TON to do this week (getting ready for the race, the trip to MD, and I started grad school last week!), and I started feeling a little sick today, so need to balance rest with workouts.
Will update later in the week. Also might note that I'm getting anxious and nervous about this whole ordeal. (yeah, there's the will I finish part, but also the "all my family is gonna see me in my booty bike shorts and a bathing suit" part...yeah..)
Finally, while you'd think triathlon training would have caused me to drop a ton of weight, no such luck. But, my fitness has improved, (as seen by my progress in running and swimming alone!), so that counts for a lot. And I've been extremely dedicated (6 am swims, weekends on the bike instead of the couch, and I even skipped a wedding this weekend to train!)
More later....
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Getting my train on
So I haven't been good at writing but I have been good at training! After I got back from the beach trip with the fam, I started stepping it up! It's been super structured since last week.
I really hated driving the 20 minutes to the pool and I needed to do some training before work on some days to fit it all in. The hubby suggested that I use our neighborhood pool, which I was hesitant about but tried last Monday morning. I got up at 6:30, went over there (using my sister in law's pool key, since I've sworn for the past almost 3 years that my key was missing). (oh and yes, my sister in law lives in my same neighborhood, but I digress). So, not only did I discover that I was not the only one with this plan (there was another girl there giving it a try for the first time too), but I discovered that my pool key had been on my key chain the entire time we've had this house. Great. Shows you how much I've used the pool. argh.
So, the pool's a little shorter than standard, I think it's about 20 yards. So you have to do a few more laps to be even with what you'd do in the regular indoor pool. I went three days last week and swam about 1,000 yards, just short of the 1,100 I'll need to do in the race. I only stopped once during the swim, after 600 yards (30 laps) and then kept going. This Tuesday I was pretty tired and only did 40 laps, so about 800 yards. The goal is 3 days a week, so I'll go tomorrow and Saturday and aim for 50-60 laps.
The big accomplishment was tonight though. A and I went on a 12.5 mile bike ride which is the longest I've ridden outside since I was about 14 (and the 15 miles I did when I was 15 was a one-time thing).The trail was great- paved all the way, some slight hills and lots of other people around biking and running (but not so many that you couldn't maintain speed) I was working, but at the end I could have gone further so that was good. I was a little worried though....I think maybe I should have gone road bike. A's bike seems a little faster than mine....she's a good 6 inches taller than me too...does that have anything to do with it? Her bike was more expensive than mine too. She was moving it but I had to push it to keep up with her speed.....thoughts? Maybe she's just in better shape. But we think we're about the same....so who knows. I'd like to hear if the bike price/style and height can affect speed. I'm sure it can, but how much? Let me know!
Chiropractor is going well...starting to see some small improvements. Like (knock on wood) headaches haven't been as severe, and upper back pain is like 2% better. I'm icing it when I remember, doing my stretches when I remember, and going to the chiro three days a week. Also switched my pillow to one of those temperpedic ones....which seems to be making a huge difference.
Oh! And the Hubs and I started P90x....it's hardcore....and probably not best to be doing two hardcore exercise programs at the same time, but I'm aware of this, and taking it easier when I need to. I need to build some strength back in my arms, back, hams. (and totally not putting on a tri suit with my current figure).
Back to my ice and my HGTV!
J
I really hated driving the 20 minutes to the pool and I needed to do some training before work on some days to fit it all in. The hubby suggested that I use our neighborhood pool, which I was hesitant about but tried last Monday morning. I got up at 6:30, went over there (using my sister in law's pool key, since I've sworn for the past almost 3 years that my key was missing). (oh and yes, my sister in law lives in my same neighborhood, but I digress). So, not only did I discover that I was not the only one with this plan (there was another girl there giving it a try for the first time too), but I discovered that my pool key had been on my key chain the entire time we've had this house. Great. Shows you how much I've used the pool. argh.
So, the pool's a little shorter than standard, I think it's about 20 yards. So you have to do a few more laps to be even with what you'd do in the regular indoor pool. I went three days last week and swam about 1,000 yards, just short of the 1,100 I'll need to do in the race. I only stopped once during the swim, after 600 yards (30 laps) and then kept going. This Tuesday I was pretty tired and only did 40 laps, so about 800 yards. The goal is 3 days a week, so I'll go tomorrow and Saturday and aim for 50-60 laps.
The big accomplishment was tonight though. A and I went on a 12.5 mile bike ride which is the longest I've ridden outside since I was about 14 (and the 15 miles I did when I was 15 was a one-time thing).The trail was great- paved all the way, some slight hills and lots of other people around biking and running (but not so many that you couldn't maintain speed) I was working, but at the end I could have gone further so that was good. I was a little worried though....I think maybe I should have gone road bike. A's bike seems a little faster than mine....she's a good 6 inches taller than me too...does that have anything to do with it? Her bike was more expensive than mine too. She was moving it but I had to push it to keep up with her speed.....thoughts? Maybe she's just in better shape. But we think we're about the same....so who knows. I'd like to hear if the bike price/style and height can affect speed. I'm sure it can, but how much? Let me know!
Chiropractor is going well...starting to see some small improvements. Like (knock on wood) headaches haven't been as severe, and upper back pain is like 2% better. I'm icing it when I remember, doing my stretches when I remember, and going to the chiro three days a week. Also switched my pillow to one of those temperpedic ones....which seems to be making a huge difference.
Oh! And the Hubs and I started P90x....it's hardcore....and probably not best to be doing two hardcore exercise programs at the same time, but I'm aware of this, and taking it easier when I need to. I need to build some strength back in my arms, back, hams. (and totally not putting on a tri suit with my current figure).
Back to my ice and my HGTV!
J
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Careful Ya'll
So I found this article while I was reading work related content....be sure to know your heart health profile and know you're risks! Also be sure to practice your open water swim before the big day if you're a newbie. I plan to next month with the girls!
xrays and other bad things....
So yes I am back from my conference, and while it went well, (no, I did not end up running in the hotel gym at all, shocker), I returned with major back, hip, and leg pain. Well, I was on my feet for 14 hours a day or more for 6 days straight, BUT this was worse than that would have caused. I've probably underplayed my pain issues on here b/c I didn't want to sound like a whiner (I've been doing enough of that in person), but I haven't seemed to make a lot of progress with running b/c of it...pain in my hips, feet, legs....which did get slightly better with the new fitted shoes but the kicker on this was the migraines I was getting that I swear start in my traps and work their way up my neck. So I've mentioned before that I have an autoimmune or "connective tissue" disease, which does make me have inflammation around my joints and even a little arthritis, but it's (knock on wood) minor compared to a lot of people with systemic diseases. I could tell this "flare up" was going down hill fast, and after an unproductive visit with my rheumatologist, ("stay the course on your medicine, blah blah blah") I decided I was desperate enough to try a chiropractor. (I've always kinda thought they were hokey....though I know some people are believers). So I chose a guy my insurance would cover based on the fact that his website indicated he takes a look at the whole picture- nutrition, illness, pain, nervous system. And I went, and I think I may be a believer even though I'm in terrible pain today after my first "adjustment". My xrays revealed some serious damage to my spine that's probably developed over a long time and (surprise!) has been causing progressive pain, and progressive decrease in range of motion. My neck is straight where it should be curved, and my back is excessively curved where it should be only slightly curved. My pelvis is literally twisted and my right hip is higher than my left hip. I also have THREE compressed (herniated) discs! yikes. If it sounds bad, it is. But at least I know that I'm not some crazy whining about pain that doesn't have a cause. I found (at least some) of the cause! And the chiro doc is all about the central nervous system and how my spinal issues could be affecting me- and that maybe some of my other symptoms could be alleviated if my spine gets better. wooo hooo I'm all for it. So, what does this mean for training? Well, he thinks if I follow all of the instructions, from physical to nutritional, I can still do the triathlon by the end of August. I have to go there everyday this week, 3 times a week for 4 weeks, 2 a week for 4 weeks, and so on. At 12 weeks they'll redo the exam and the xrays to see if it's working. Hopefully I can avoid the orthopedic doc if it starts working.
I taught spin last night (before I had this information) and tried to do a 5 K on the treadmill afterward. I ran 5 minutes before the pain made me walk, so I ended up walking two minutes, running three, walking, etc. By the time I got to mile 2, a weird sensation came over me and I literally couldn't run straight. I kinda started looking like this guy. All out of control. So from 2.4 to the end I walked. I stretched out really well and felt ok today. However, after being "adjusted" at the chiro tonight and then going to teach again, I'm in PAIN and all ice packed up. I'll be taking a week off to go to the beach next week but I will be trying to swim since that is something I can do without causing more damage. So we'll see. I'm determined to do this triathlon and I still plan to go up for the test run at the end of july (can't remember if I mentioned this yet, but basically you get to test out the swim and run course and they give you the rules, etiquitte, etc. for race day). Hopefully this "set back" will put me back on track to go even further, and improve my overall health. I'm still a wannabe triathlete for now but I know that this will take me a step closer to being a triathlete. I don't want to beat myself up too badly in the process!
I taught spin last night (before I had this information) and tried to do a 5 K on the treadmill afterward. I ran 5 minutes before the pain made me walk, so I ended up walking two minutes, running three, walking, etc. By the time I got to mile 2, a weird sensation came over me and I literally couldn't run straight. I kinda started looking like this guy. All out of control. So from 2.4 to the end I walked. I stretched out really well and felt ok today. However, after being "adjusted" at the chiro tonight and then going to teach again, I'm in PAIN and all ice packed up. I'll be taking a week off to go to the beach next week but I will be trying to swim since that is something I can do without causing more damage. So we'll see. I'm determined to do this triathlon and I still plan to go up for the test run at the end of july (can't remember if I mentioned this yet, but basically you get to test out the swim and run course and they give you the rules, etiquitte, etc. for race day). Hopefully this "set back" will put me back on track to go even further, and improve my overall health. I'm still a wannabe triathlete for now but I know that this will take me a step closer to being a triathlete. I don't want to beat myself up too badly in the process!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Cool New Tri Website
Check this out- two of my high school friends created a new site where you can read reviews of triathlons all over the country and read actual participants' ratings on various factors of the race- difficulty of each leg of the course, how well the race was organized, whether the price was fair, competitiveness, etc. You can see the overall rating and then read individual ratings and comments from past participants. Should come in handy when you're looking for a race that is right for you. Plus they have an area where people can post funny/crazy stories from their tri's...such a fun idea that keeps the whole thing social. The site, ratemytriathlon.com, is brought to you by two solid and experienced triathletes- one of whom was a Apprentice Season 6 contestant to boot- so you know it's gotta be good!
Busy Bee
Really I suck b/c I'm the worst blogger ever! And I'm the worst triathlon trainer so far....and the next week won't be too much better training wise b/c I'm off again to another business trip.
anyways, I have been doing some stuff....spinning twice a week and attempting to run....it's still more like a walk with some running thrown in at this point. I don't know how I'm going to make myself run but I'm going to have to get some major WILL soon.
So my friend who is an exercise sports science guy told me that I really needed to get fit for shoes. So, last week I went to a running store, Fleet Feet, and got "fitted" for shoes. Basically they measure you, then they watch you walk, then they measure some more, draw some marks on your feet with a pen, and then get you a pair of shoes and make you go outside and then they watch you run. Then based on what they see I guess with the first pair, they bring you out a ton of other pairs that fit the profile of what you do when you walk/run, and they are supposed to help you run better by making you more comfortable and hopefully causing less damage to your joints and stuff. I apparently am a crazy over pronat-or...meaning my foot turns and leans in. I can totally feel it happening, especially on my right foot. So I needed a moderate stabilizer for a shoe. Also, I found out I was wearing the totally WRONG size shoe- I have worn a 7.5 forever, sometimes an 8 in some heels....but for running shoes I need an 8.5! My feet are pretty small looking, but really the 8.5 felt SOOOO much better. When I put my 7.5 nikes back on after, I couldn't believe how UNCOMFORTABLE they suddenly felt. So I got a pair of Mizuno running shoes, and they were only $99! I was expecting to pay like $200, so I felt like I got a deal! But if you go get fit, be prepared to be in the store for at least an hour, and to try on like 12 pairs of shoes minimum.
So moving on, A, my friend who is doing the race with me, went to the race site today and found out there's a "trial run" of the swim and run course at the end of July, so I think we're going to drive up and do it. yikes. But at least we'll know where we are....I just wish it was a weekend...it's at 6am on a Friday which is sort of ridic!
I have some more stuff to talk about but it will have to wait b/c there is a spider creating a web on my computer as I type and I"m gonna have to get back up....crap it just fell and I have no idea where it went....and the freak out begins....scuze me!
anyways, I have been doing some stuff....spinning twice a week and attempting to run....it's still more like a walk with some running thrown in at this point. I don't know how I'm going to make myself run but I'm going to have to get some major WILL soon.
So my friend who is an exercise sports science guy told me that I really needed to get fit for shoes. So, last week I went to a running store, Fleet Feet, and got "fitted" for shoes. Basically they measure you, then they watch you walk, then they measure some more, draw some marks on your feet with a pen, and then get you a pair of shoes and make you go outside and then they watch you run. Then based on what they see I guess with the first pair, they bring you out a ton of other pairs that fit the profile of what you do when you walk/run, and they are supposed to help you run better by making you more comfortable and hopefully causing less damage to your joints and stuff. I apparently am a crazy over pronat-or...meaning my foot turns and leans in. I can totally feel it happening, especially on my right foot. So I needed a moderate stabilizer for a shoe. Also, I found out I was wearing the totally WRONG size shoe- I have worn a 7.5 forever, sometimes an 8 in some heels....but for running shoes I need an 8.5! My feet are pretty small looking, but really the 8.5 felt SOOOO much better. When I put my 7.5 nikes back on after, I couldn't believe how UNCOMFORTABLE they suddenly felt. So I got a pair of Mizuno running shoes, and they were only $99! I was expecting to pay like $200, so I felt like I got a deal! But if you go get fit, be prepared to be in the store for at least an hour, and to try on like 12 pairs of shoes minimum.
So moving on, A, my friend who is doing the race with me, went to the race site today and found out there's a "trial run" of the swim and run course at the end of July, so I think we're going to drive up and do it. yikes. But at least we'll know where we are....I just wish it was a weekend...it's at 6am on a Friday which is sort of ridic!
I have some more stuff to talk about but it will have to wait b/c there is a spider creating a web on my computer as I type and I"m gonna have to get back up....crap it just fell and I have no idea where it went....and the freak out begins....scuze me!
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