Week #1

Today was a bike/run and a swim. Amber and I did exactly what we were told and kept our heart rate in zone 2 for the entire :40 run. It wasn't easy, we really had to pay attention and I had to walk a couple of times, but it kept my mind off the time so it went by really quickly. My average heart rate was 144 and the results of my Run Test said to stay between 143 and 150. Perfect!

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Tomorrow will end the week with a 1:40 run.....we get to do a little zone 3, so that will feel good!
Next week I am in Canada to watch the Ironman....and sign up for next year....eeeek!

Run Blood Lactate Test #1

For those that don't know, this is a "test" where you run on the treadmill and increase the speed every 2 minutes, and get your finger pricked for blood at the same time. I knew it would push me to my maximum heart rate and that it would be hard....but well worth the results. I will post the graph as soon as I get it, but the jist of it is that I really need to become more efficient at a lower heart rate. So lucky for me that means "Zone 2" this is also known as the fat burning or weight loss zone. Currently when I run I am comfortable at about 160 bpm and I need to work in the 140-150 bpm zone....I sort of had a feeling this is what the outcome would be, since I really struggle on the first part of my run until I get up to that higher zone....so since it is not comfortable to jog at this heart rate, I am going to have to change up my training and maybe "brisk walk" the foothills instead of run them.....hmmmm...that will be tough for me, but I didn't spend $100 on the test to ignore it, so that is what I will do! The theory is that if you become more efficient in that fat burning zone, then your body will learn to fuel itself more efficiently so that you can run for a longer distance in the higher zone/race pace...well it couldn't hurt to teach my body to burn a little fat, for more than one reason!

UPDATE:
Finally got the results....he gave me the 5 zones, but then some more specific training areas.....
Endurance: more than 90 min....143-150
Tempo: 167-172 intervals of 15-30 min with active recovery in between
Threshold: 175-180 intervals of 3-5 min sprints with recovery

Now I know exactly where to work at.....and hopefully that will help me become more efficient!

Foothills Run

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This has been my favorite run this summer!

Tomorrow I have a Run Blood Lactate Test to determine the heart rate zones I will be using for marathon training. More to come on that :)

Emmett Tri 8.7.10

This was my first official Olympic distance race (Deschuttes had a down river super easy swim). I have to say it was a little tough. I had a goal of 3 hours and I missed that by 11 minutes. The swim was a little longer than I anticipated, but I also wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I made it out of T1 under 2 minutes, but had a little trouble with my gears getting started on my bike....

The bike was good, there was only one big climb, so it went pretty smooth. I could feel my legs getting a little tight so I chugged the gatorade on the second half....that would not be enough for the run though. After a quick T2 - 48 seconds and I even put on socks, I struggled off my bike, my shins were really tight. No official cramps, but I had to dig deep mentally to keep going. It didn't turn out too bad with a 1:03 run, but it felt horrible.

I was glad to make it to the finish line....enough said :)

MARATHON!!!

I'm gonna do it! I signed up for the Phoenix Rock N Roll Marathon on January 16,2011! Amber and I are going to have my Tri coach Michelle write us a program which we will start next week! I am glad to have a program to follow, I have been lost on workouts since 70.3.

Deschuttes Dash 2010

Shauna, Amber and I went to Bend, Oregon for the Deschuttes Dash. Amber and I did the Oly race on Saturday and Shauna did the sprint on Sunday. The drive over there wasn't too bad. We left on Friday at 4 pm and we got there with enough daylight to drive the bike course, which was the same road our hotel was on. We knew that the bike course was a pretty decent climb, but we had no idea how hard it would be. We went to the hotel and got our race bags ready for the next morning. We had to get up at 5:00 because Shauna had to be there to volunteer at 6:00. We ate breakfast and had a cup of coffee and then headed out the door. We were the first ones there :) Amber and I got our Transition set up and then stood around until it was time to head to the swim start. It was nice to see some familiar faces from Boise and chit chat. We got our wet suits on and walked into the water and it was COLD! Amber started in the first wave and I was 5 minutes later. The swim was pretty quick since it was downriver with the current. I didn't feel like I had even worked at all when I got out! There was a little jog to the transition area and on the way I was able to get my wetsuit down to mid thigh, when I got to my bike I dropped it the rest the way off, put on my helmet, glasses and race belt and took off. 1:42! First in my age group and 15th overall for T1 time! The only downfall was when I got on my bike I realized I didn't undo the velcro on my shoes so I had to fiddle with them a little bit to get my feet in. As we made out way out of town I was looking for Amber but never saw her. The hill climb was pretty tough and I was really wishing I had practiced more on the dump loop :) It took me over an hour to get to the turn around at the top and I was so happy to be going downhill, as I was headed down I finally saw Amber....I thought for sure she had been ahead of me the whole time, but she had taken longer in T1 :) I managed to keep the braking to a minimum on the down hill and tried to keep up my speed and stay in aero...I am such a wimp at going fast. I made it into T2 and quick put on my shoes. I was out on the run and feeling pretty good, but it was getting hot. I had my fuel belt at transition, but opted to only take one bottle to run with. That turned out to be a mistake because there were only 2 water stations. The run course was flat and a mix of paved path and trail. At one point we ran under an under pass with only a few feet wide trail. My first 3.1 mile loop only took me 27 minutes! Shauna was even surprised to see me so soon. At that point I knew I would slow down for the second loop, but I decided to make a goal of 1 hour for the 10k. I am glad I did that because otherwise I would have really been dragging on the last mile, but I had to step it up to achieve my time of 1:00:08.
Amber finished just a little bit after me and looked great!
After we got our free beer from the food tent we went to lunch at a pasta place at the mall right by the race area. It was really good.
We went back to the hotel to shower and take a little nap and then we went to the Deschuttes Brewery for dinner and beers. We went to bed early that night because Amber and I had to volunteer at 6 am and Shauna was racing.
We got up and got the car loaded and got a coffee on the way to the race. Amber and I handed out timing chips and helped out with late registration while Shauna got ready for her race. We didn't get to see Shauna start, but we did see the rest of her race. She did awesome and finished under 2 hours. We got the car loaded up and headed out to lunch on the way out of town.
The drive home seemed to take longer as usual, but it wasn't too bad.
The race was totally worth the drive and I would definitely do it again.

Ironman Boise 70.3

Finally my A race for 2010! I didn't update as much as I wanted to about training, but as I look back on it, I was really busy! I was so happy during this entire race that I had trained with my coach. So here is my race report:

The 2pm race start leaves a lot of time for getting nervous on race day! I was able to sleep in a little bit and then Deana made us a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon! Then I packed a lunch and we headed down to drop off our stuff at T2. We had taken our bikes to T1 the day before so we didn't have a lot to pack up the hill for the race start. It was quite a little hike up there too. After I aired up my tires and filled my water bottles....there was a lot of waiting. My wave didn't start until 2:35 so we just stood around with our wetsuits half on...it was getting pretty warm, but it was breezy so it wasn't horrible....little did I know that it was really windy. Getting into the water was not as bad as I anticipated...I guess all the practice in super cold water paid off. I quick splashed my face and then I just got in and dunked myself....we swam over to the start and I had a couple of minutes to clear my mind before the gun went off. It was a little hairy at the start as usual, arms and legs everywhere, but it only took a minute to get into a rythm and it seemed like the buoys were coming along nicely....I got a little off track after I turned the first corner, but got myself in line again. It turned out to be exactly what I expected as far as time and effort spent. I felt good getting out of the water and I ran up the hill to the wet suit strippers...then I got sunscreen slathered on my arms and face and a cup of water with my gel pack and then I was at my bike. I got my socks, shoes, helmet and race belt on easily and headed out of T1. I was happy to be on my bike....until I crossed over the dam and started downhill, only to realize there was a strong headwind! I was worried about how fast that downhill would be, but I didn't brake at all because of the wind. It turned out that the entire 56 miles would be a headwind (seriously 35mph). At the turn around there was a tailwind for about 3 miles, it was the first time I could even hear myself think. Then heading down the steepest hill which I though would be scary because of speed, was scary because of a cross wind that blew my deep dish wheels all over the road. I was pedaling and still only going 12 mph downhill...rediculous! Then once I hit about mile 45 I realized I was working really hard and I have eaten all of my food, so at the last station I grabbed a banana and a gatorade and I actually decided to take it easy and save my legs for the run....as I headed up the last short hill, all I could think was "I made it" I rode down Federal Way with yet more headwind, but a huge smile on my face. As I rounded the corner down toward the Capital and T2, I was the only one on the road.....the 8 lane road was closed just for ME! I had this overwhelming feeling as I coasted down the hill and got out of my shoes, I was actually going to finish this thing...all I have to do is make it through the run. T2 was quick, I took off my helmet and put on my shoes and I was out of there. Suprisingly my legs felt really good, after all of the crappy post ride runs, it actually felt good. I saw the first water station at mile 1 so I took a quick swig of gel and a cup of water. Instantly my stomach started to hurt so I turned around and chugged 3 cups of water. I decided to put that gel in my pocket and just take what was at the stations. Luckily there was a station every mile and they had bananas and oranges, gatorade and water. The run seemed to go by really fast actually. I kept up my slow jog the whole 13 miles and didn't have to walk.....as I headed into the finisher's schute I was so focused on the finish line that I didn't see any of my friends or family....but as soon as I got my medal and bottle of water i walked out and there they were! I hugged Shauna and teared up a little bit, but never did actually cry like I thought I would.
We headed to the food tent, but I didn't really feel like eating so after i talked to a few people we gathered up my stuff and then on the way home we stopped at the Burger King drive through and I got a milkshake....when I got home all I wanted to do was shower and go to bed. It felt pretty good to be done and I even wore my medal to sleep :)

2010 Tri Season Begins

Spring Sprint Triathlon 4-9 and 4-10.
This was a great first race of the season. The swim is on Friday night and the bike and run is on Saturday morning. Because of our training plan we are supposed to look at this race as a "C" race, meaning we keep our heart rate in our training zones, no matter what the speed is. It is a good way to keep yourself in check so that you don't get freaked out and think you have to go faster just because people are passing you....it is very hard to do though!
The race started off great for me with the 750 meter swim in 13:28! That is a great improvement in my times from last year! My 12.5 mile bike was 43:59 and a 5k run (hills) in 30:32! I felt really good and I almost stayed in the training zone, there was a point on the bike where my heart rate was up pretty high, but part of that was nerves I think. I kept it in high 3 for the run so that was great considering it was in the foothills and we have been running all flats since January!

Training continues at a steady pace. We are moving into a long run cycle with some decreased bike times, so that should feel a little better than the last cycle of high bike and high run times. In two weeks we will do the longest run of our training program.

Update.

Training is going well. We are headed into our second rest week and I am happy about that! I felt alot better this period than last. I was able to figure out how much I need to eat pre and post workout to keep up my energy. Our weight program is a little crazy this time. A lot of body movement exercises. I am feeling pretty good about the biking, well indoor anyway. I am able to get my heart rate into zone 2 a lot better these last few rides. I am still struggling with zone 2 for the run. I am really comfortable in zone 3 when I run, but I have to go slower and stay in zone 2. I hope that will get easier. I am hoping to buy a tri bike at the bike swap next weekend. I am also volunteering there as part of the team. we have a time trial bike race (in zone 2) in a few weeks and that makes me nervous....but i know i won't be the only newbie there so hopefully it goes okay. we are going to ride outside tomorrow for 2 hours. it is only supposed to be 40 degrees....hopefully i don't freeze!

Tired

I am so glad last week is over. It felt like such a long week. I was so tired! By Friday morning when I was supposed to get up at 6 am and do a bike/run.....I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was so sore from weights/core and I was mentally and physically exhausted.....so I just slept in and then once I made it to work, I still wasn't feeling any better. Luckily I was able to leave early (thanks to great coworkers) and I came home and took a 4 hour nap! Then I did a short version of the workout I was supposed to do.
Then after Saturday's group workout I took 2 naps! I finally felt caught up on sleep.
I think I was so tired because I have not been eating enough. I started keeping track of my food and I was only eating about 1500 calories, Coach Michelle says I should be in the upwards of 2500-3000! Holy Crap that is a lot of food! I have been doing a little better the last few days....thanks to some pizza! I have been feeling a little better.....we'll see when the end of the week gets here!
Today was a swim/run workout that was pretty easy, tomorrow is a rest day and then group workout on Wednesday night. Week 3 is underway!

Saturday Group Workout

Holy Moly Weight Lifting! I have never gotten the hang of lifting weights, mostly because I hate the smell of the gym and it was always very intimidating because I didn't know how to use anything. Well, all of the is about to change! Saturday group workout was a bike/run, that was great. The 40 minute run felt really good, I think that is coming back to me just fine. But then we spent an hour and a half lifting weights and strength training after that! I am so sore! Luckily we don't lift again until Wednesday. I can tell it will make me stronger, but man is it going to be hard for a little bit....I know it will get better.
After almost 4 hours on Saturday, I was so ready for a Rest day on Sunday. And that is all I did.
I slept in and then took a 2 hour nap and then went to bed early since I had to get up and do my swim/run before work Monday morning.....training is in full swing!

First Week Almost DONE!

Well, I have almost finished my first week of training! I started out the week with swim workshop on Sunday, we did repeat 200's and I was doing them in about 4 minutes with 30 seconds rest. I am so happy with my swim....6 months ago I couldn't even put my face in the water and this week I am swimming 1000 yards! Thanks to Shannon! On Monday we were scheduled to do a swim/run, but I over swam on Sunday, so I just did the run. That felt really good. Then Tuesday was cross training or rest day....I took the rest! Then Wednesday was our first "real" group workout. We did 30 minutes of spin and then 20 minutes of swim mixed with getting out on deck and doing strength training. This was pretty crazy. There were about 20 people in the indoor approx 4 lane pool (the best part was the 80 degree temp) with no lane markers (which is good practice for open water). Every 2 laps we got out of the pool and did a strength exercise, like push ups, lunges, squats, sit ups, etc. It was a lot of fun actually, and the time went by really fast! Then Thursday was a 65 min bike/10 min run. That was a little bit of a mental challenge for me on the indoor trainer. It was soooo boring and my butt hurt so bad since I have not ridden my bike in months. I had to wear 2 pair of padded shorts and put a pillow on my seat!!!! I made it though...and then I had to run on the treadmill since it was so dark outside. Oh I am so happy for a rest day today! Then Saturday group training is a bike/run....oh my poor ischial tuberosities!!!!!

First Tri Three Training Day

Today was our first meeting with Performance High for the Tri Three Training program. We spent 3 hours going over a ton of information from nutrition and hydration, to rest days, to how to read the weekly workouts. I am already sure that most of my bad experiences in workouts and races have been due to lack of carbohydrates and not enough water. Hopefully that will be easy to remedy now that I know what to do!
The coaches are extremely motivating and confident we will make it to the finish line alive and with a good time. I hope they are right!
We went for a short run after the meeting and it did suck just a little since I have only run a few miles in the last three months. But it did feel good to do it and it makes me exited for my workouts this week. Luckily we are starting off slow. We only have 5.5 hours of training this week including 2 coached workouts on Wed and Sat. I think I can handle that!
I signed up for the race today too, so there is no going back!