A Training Pictorial - Wednesday Night Swimming

 Swimming is the most difficult part of triathlon for me. You would think growing up in a beach area that I would have had a lot of swimming background. While it is true that I had a lot of Girl Scout and YMCA camp swim lessons, I never learned to swim in a truly efficient manner. Swimming requires a lot of technique work and being as impatient as I am, it's not something that comes naturally to me. Unfortunately a lot of bad habits have set in over the past few years and I'm trying very hard to correct them this year. Some of these fixes are coming along (kicking) and some aren't coming along so well (cross over and dropping my leading arm too soon on my right side). 


Here's what a typical training at the pool on Wednesday night looks like. After struggling to get in a good workout at LA Fitness over the first couple of months of training I have now resorted to driving all the way up to Mountain View Aquatic Center. It takes me about an hour but pays off in getting a lane to myself most of the time and a nice facility.

Getting ready to get in the pool. Love my fins  -
I think that's what is improving my kick.

And the swimming begins - that right arm is too low in the water.

Pool side - littered with my pool toys including pull buoy and fins.

Heading off low blood sugar by taking in an energy gel.

And I'm off - again.

2750 yards later - done. Finishing is my favorite part of a swim workout!

March Tricks and Treats

The end of March wraps up roughly three months of Ironman training. Here's a couple of photos to recap this month's highs and lows.

Treat - the DQ Dipped Cone.

Thanks to lots of time spent swimming, biking, and running I can have a lot of treats that I would guess you wouldn't see most diabetics indulging in. I got a nostalgic hankering for a Dairy Queen dipped cone last week. It's not so much that it's the tastiest ice cream as it is that it brings back childhood for me in a very tangible way. I think this is much the same expression you would have seen on my face when the cone was placed in my hand at age 5.

Trick - Wetsuit Rash

I had my first open water swim this past Saturday and it went badly. I have had panic issues during the first open water swim of the season in the past and they came back full force for this swim. Unfortunately the water was cold at least in my estimation - my coach was walking in waist deep in shorts but she's crazy - and as soon as my face hit the water I felt like the breath had been knocked out of me. I made it through our brief warm up swim but after I found out we would be swimming for another 50 minutes my mind started playing panic tricks with me and I never recovered a good mind set. There was a lot of wheezing and hyperventilating and a lot of treading water and trying to give myself a pep talk. It was during that treading water that I got the wetsuit rash pictured above, so... that didn't help matters. The best thing I can say about this workout was that I did make it through the 50 minutes. I would be concerned if this was the first time this has happened but since it's not I am sure I will be OK. I have never had this kind of anxiety at a race but may have to make a back up cold water plan for Ironman Canada since that lake is cold, likely colder than what I encountered on Saturday.


Thankfully Sunday was a ride only day and that felt fantastic. Got to train and socialize with a lot of Team in Training alumni as a fundraiser for our friend Jane who is going to be doing the Race Across America with a group here in Georgia (Georgia Chain Gang) who is doing the race to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 64 miles averaging 17.2 mph on a rolling to hilly course - woot!


It's not all smooth sailing right now - particularly with the swimming -  but I'm really happy to be in a recovery week which means my training mileage and intensity will ramp down through Sunday. This is coming just in time as I am definitely feeling drained and a little under the weather. Here's hoping I rebound strong after this week.

90 Days of Training in Numbers

90 Days Complete Distance

90 Days - Completed Durations

It's hard to see the numbers on these diagrams, here's how the past 90 days of training break down:


132.23 Hours Total
61.15 Hours Cycling
31.64 Hours Running
21.48 Hours Swimming
15.75 Hours Strength Training
2.21 Hours Racing (Running)


916.85 Miles Total
726 Miles Cycling
163 Miles Running
27.5 Miles Swimming (48800 yards)

Race Report for Publix Georgia Half Marathon

Me with my IM Canada training buddies, Sarah and Monika at the race finish.
Got my favorite recovery drink, chocolate milk, in hand.

Publix Georgia Half Marathon
Sunday, March 18th 2012
Chip Time: 2:17:59
Watch Time: 2:12:40
Goal Time: 2:05:00

Yeah, that's disappointing.

I made some bad choices here. My race plan was to hold back for 5 miles before picking up the pace. This might have worked had I been in a race corral with people that were running 10:30 minute miles at the start but somehow I got in a corral with people shooting for a 2:30 half marathon so our starting pace was closer to 11:30. I still wasn't sweating it too much because I had some slight shin splint issues that have been troubling me and they were acting up at the race start. I knew that would wear off around mile 3 and it thankfully did.

I also knew from the moment I got into my corral that I was going to have to make a bathroom start somewhere early in the race. It may be TMI - but there is no desire for a PR that will keep me from the comfort of an empty bladder. So Sarah and I made a pit stop around mile 3 and I stopped my watch so I would know what my official time would have been without the stop. Unfortunately when I adjusted my race belt after coming out of the port a potty it must of somehow jostled my Omnipod and the cannula shifted into an irritable area. For the rest of the race I had some pain in that area and it occasionally must have bumped directly into a nerve because the pain would get really sharp. I thought about taking the pod off for a short time but didn't want to do that as it is a big waste of my money to take off a pod that is otherwise functioning properly. I did have to take off a pod a few weeks ago that must have been resting directly on a nerve so I knew the pain wasn't at the same level I had been experiencing on that occasion so I pushed through it.

Around mile 5.5 I decided to start pushing and picked up the pace going uphill at the Carter Center. This is where it became really clear that staying in my pre-determined slower corral was a bad move as I spent the rest of the race running around people. I ran on the grass, on the sidewalk, dodging left and right to get through the crowds. I tried as much as possible to never cut sharply in front of anyone so that they had to adjust their pace but still had to do it a few times and gave my apologies whenever possible. I did manage to catch up to the 2:15 pace group so I must have made up a good chunk of time though not nearly as much as I hoped.

Looking at the bright side:

1) My nutrition plan was right on track! I had no blood sugar issues during the run. I started the race with one PowerBar energy gel so that I got a boost of caffeine and lots of electrolytes and then followed up with a shot from my flask of Raspberry Hammer Gel every 20 to 30 minutes. 1 to 2 cups of water at every water stop. That's actually a pretty big deal and I'm happy about it.

2) I felt GREAT from mile 3 - 9 - at least when my pod wasn't bouncing into a nerve. I was frustrated at having to run around people but it was evident that I was strong compared to those around me. Really that means nothing more than I was in better running shape then the group I was placed in. This is nothing particularly special, it just means that I have gained a lot of strength in this area since last year and my qualifying time for this race (which is what they base your corral placement on) was below my current ability. In the past I have had to take some extended walk breaks late in races at water stops. This is the first race where I only had to take one of these walk breaks around mile 11. After that I was able to pick it up and ran to the finish strong.

Lessons learned: don't wait too long to pick it up (should have done mile 3) and if I know that I'm in better shape than is reflected in my corral go ahead and move up so that I don't frustrate myself or those around me. I think doing this race in 2:00 is in my grasp, maybe next year. What is really important is that this was another step towards what is really important this year, Ironman Canada! When I look at it that way, this was a great training day as it confirmed my running nutrition plan. Gorgeous day on a fun and challenging course.

Training Update

It's been a little while since I've specifically talked about how my training is going. For the most part, really well.

Cycling is my strongest and the discipline I am most experienced with and I think I am making some small gains in speed. My focus on the bike has been really good for a few months so I think it's resulted in more power. I am in the last phase of my indoor cycling class and the current phase is all about speed. The pic today is from last night's class which featured 4 intervals that took me into 90+ max heart rate. So not a flattering photo but it does paint a picture. :-) Whew.

Big gains are being made with my running thanks to Coach Mary giving me a push. I have a big test coming Sunday with the Publix Georgia Half Marathon. If I do the time that Mary has in mind it will be a PR and I think is definitely achievable. Cross your fingers for me!

Swimming is swimming. I'm working at it and am getting faster but the faster I go the sloppier I get. My masters swim coach told me a few weeks ago that we didn't invite tired and sloppy to the pool. I am constantly having to rescind the invitation.

First Ice Bath of Training Season

Coach Mary had a 12 mile run and an ice bath on my schedule today. I think the ice bath might hurt more.

Whew... Recovery Week

I've finished my first training block and it's now recovery time. I've been feeling a little run down over the past week and had quite a bit of soreness so recovery is coming at the right time.

I wish all recovery weeks started with a day off like I had today. I slept in, did my strength workout, went shopping for sports nutrition, had a massage, and have been lying about on the couch ever since. In fact I will be taking my recovery so seriously that I am skipping tonight's Master's swim since I'm really struggling to keep my blood sugar up today. Even if I got in the pool this evening I would likely have to get out of the pool early. 

Despite the ominous rain forecast for Saturday we ended up with turned out to be a beautiful day for an easy-ish 50 miles on the Silver Comet. Monika and I felt a little guilty doing the pancake flat Comet trail but after working so hard the past two weeks we figured we had earned a little bit of a break. We still pushed it a little but mostly just enjoyed the trail and fairly warm weather.

25 miles - time to turn around and head back.

Sunday's plan called for a 10 mile run but my usual training partner, Sarah, was out of town. Further complicating the plan was the arrival of that rain that had been promised for Saturday. Regardless I had to get my miles in and was lucky to have Cristin meet me for part of my run. As we ran down Columns drive Betty drove by and we were able to pick her up about 1.5 miles into our run. This turned out to be a perfect plan for me as it gave me some varying tempo work. It rained and we were soaked to the bone but that was one of the easiest long runs I have ever done and we ended up with a little over 11 miles - excellent! At the end we ran into Anne and Mary Beth who were just about to start their run. What a dedicated group of athletes - rain or not - you gotta get it done.

Me. Anne, Mary Beth, and Betty. Soaked!

COLD Training Weekend

Bundled up at the river with my partner in training crime - Sarah.
Photo silliness courtesy of Ellen.

It's been a particularly mild winter here in Georgia but we finally got an arctic blast this weekend. My training partners had already made plans to meet for a 50 mile ride in Cartersville so I got up to truck it out of town for 80 miles. I already didn't feel good about the temps but seeing 18 wheelers on the highway getting blown out of their lanes really gave me pause. When I arrived at the cycling park the only car there belonged to Monika. I jumped in her car and we agreed this was a stupid idea so we hopped back in our cars and headed back into town to ride the computrainer at Cadence Bikes. I am beginning to enjoy riding my trainer A LOT and putting me on a computrainer riding an ironman course really gets me excited. Last week was 40 miles on the IM Canada course and this week was 50 miles on the IM Germany course. I almost hit my goal of averaging 18 mph - next time.


So while I can handle riding a trainer for several hours - I still haven't brought myself around to running a lot of miles on a treadmill. So I bundled up for a late morning run at the river. I met up with Jo, Cameron, and Sarah and we quickly warmed up. I'm trying out this new thing - running fast. Coach Mary gave me an LT test this week where I had to run all out for 3 miles. I didn't look at my watch the entire time since I didn't want to see what I was doing and was shocked to see that I finished in 25:27 - something I would have never guessed possible. So now I want to do a few bursts to see how fast I can go. Obviously I'm not targeting a fast run for IM but I'm having fun playing around seeing how fast I can go for short bursts. 7:45 avg for 1.5 miles yesterday! I'm starting to have more confidence in my running ability than I have in the past.


So all in all - feeling strong and confident in my training at this point. No low blood sugar episodes either - booyah! I know to relish this feeling as it won't last. It's inevitable to have ups and downs in a long training season but today - I'm feeling good!

Fartleks and Fried Grouper

I couldn't resist that blog title.


Last week ended up being crazy busy. Coach Mary has started delivering personalized training (and the tests that go along with that), I had a work deadline, and I made a quick trip to Florida for my friend Joel's memorial service. Oh, and I had/have a cold. Nice.


For posterity, here was my training week:


Monday
Strength - 1 hour
Masters Swim - 1 hour


Tuesday
Indoor Cycling at Cadence - 1 hour


Wednesday
Cycling Lactate Threshold Test - 1 hour
Strength - 1 hour


Thursday 
Running Fartlek (Speed and Cadence intervals) - 1 hr. 10 mins./7 miles


Friday
Day Off


Saturday
Indoor Cycling at Cadence on the Ironman Canada course - 2 hrs. 20 mins./41 miles


Sunday
Run - building for Publix Half - 80 mins./8 miles


Missed/Didn't Do
Swim - Baseline Time Trial - between travel and my cold I didn't feel up to this


I had a whirlwind trip to Florida on Wednesday night for Joel's service on Thursday morning and came back to Georgia on Friday afternoon. Though quick, I wouldn't change the trip since it gave me an opportunity to see Joel's family, visit with my mom, and have a great, mind clearing run around my old high school on Thursday afternoon. Very importantly, I also got to have one of my favorite home town treats; a fried group sandwich with fries, cole slaw, and a beer. Mmmm, mmmm! Nothing says home to me like Fried Grouper.


That run on Thursday also made me realize just how much I slack when running. It hasn't necessarily been a secret to me that I don't run as fast as I can but I didn't realize that I could go faster over distance. Generally I run the same 10 minute mile no matter if I'm going 3 or 13 miles and my heart rate stays in the 150s to mid 160s. Coach Mary's heart rate material dictated that our running lactate threshold and heart rate should be higher than our cycling equivalents. That is not the case for me since I am much more comfortable pushing myself on the bike. So no more - I'm going to work on pushing the run a little harder. I have a 3 mile, all out, lactate threshold run this week and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do. 


Lets do this!

All this sugar...

...and still got a low 35 miles in to my Saturday ride. What's it going to take? Not pictured - 1.5 bottles of Ironman Perform lemon lime which also has a fair amount of sugar.

Gorgeous Winter Ride

Had a nice training ride today. Showed up to find a big group of folks that wanted to show up for such a gorgeous day in January. Some were getting in their first ride since Ironman Arizona! Also got to hang with Sasha, one of my favorite training partners from the past couple of tri seasons. 


Easy 40 miles and despite the wet roads that kept reminding us that it must have just rained before we got there, we never got rained on. Fantastic because I really hate to ride in the rain. 


Blood sugar was mostly in check though I did go low within the last 5 miles of the ride. I have to remind myself to just keep on sucking in the sugar even if it's an easy ride and I'm almost done. Had a couple of slight mechanical issues with my saddle and handlebars (yikes!) coming loose. Fortunately had Sasha and Sarah around to stick with me while I worked those issues out. Looks as if my last re-fit didn't quite torque those bolts down enough. Oops.


I wish all training rides were this easy and fun! I know this weather won't hold up so I better relish it while it's here.

Starting IMCA Training

So here it is my first week of no excuses, I am now seriously training for an Ironman. I wanted to record the plan in order to have a baseline on what I started with compared to what I will be 'ending' with before I start tapering in late July/early August. 


For readers who are unfamiliar with tapering, this is the period of time several weeks before an event in which the athlete drastically cuts the volume of their training in order to allow some rest and recovery time. I will also get a few 'rest' weeks during the course of the next 8 months so that my body and mind have time to recover.


Monday
45 min. Strength Workout
45 min./2000 yd. Swim - focusing on form (i.e., Masters)


Tuesday
60 min. Run or Cross Train


Wednesday
45 min./2000 yd. Swim - faster


Thursday
45 min. Strength Workout
90 min. Cycling (i.e., Indoor Training Class)


Friday
Rest


Saturday
2hr. 30 min./40 miles Cycling - long, slow ride w/ some hill intervals


Sunday
40 - 60 min. Run - long, slow run w/ some intervals


Thoughts:
This I can do! I'm so lucky to have Mary Doyle coaching me this season. Mary was my very first triathlon coach back in 2008 when I did Irongirl Atlanta. I met with Mary a few weeks ago to talk about my training goals and I told her it was important to me to have one rest day a week - TGIF! I am very fortunate to have had very little injury in the past but my mind tends to break down before my body does so I very much need a rest day each week just to get my head right. Mary is working with me even though it means I won't be getting in 3 swims a week. Honestly - it will be a feat to get me swimming 2 times a week consistently. I don't mind being in the pool but really dislike the fanfare of getting ready to go to the pool, jumping in when it's cold, and getting out when it's even colder. 


I also have what I assume is a temporary mental block with long rides. I am more than happy to jump on my trainer any day of the week but getting out in the cold to do a long ride is not something I'm enjoying right at the moment. It likely has something to do with the cold and possibly doing El Tour de Tucson in November which had me on the bike for longer distances than I'm used to later in the season. I hope some indoor work doing some hard intervals will get me excited again. 


I may have to move Thursday's strength workout to Wednesday. I will be doing an indoor cycling class on Thursdays through March that truly kick my butt so strength workouts might be better paired with swimming. 


Here we go!