How Hard Can It Be? Round 4

It's that time again. :D

I've signed up for Barb's Race again this year. It will be my 4th entry into this race and my 5th Half Ironman. I'm done well (meaning I've finished!) on the "Show Up and Suffer" plan. This year I want to see real improvement.

I've spent the winter working on my running base, losing some extra pounds and building some anaerobic fitness on the bike. Notice the big sweat pool on the mat. :eek:

http://tandemhearts.smugmug.com/Trai...89_s37fn-L.jpg

My goals right now are pretty simple. I want a sub 35 minute swim, 3:15 or less on the bike and under 2:50 on the run. Depending on how training goes, I may push for more aggressive times on the bike and the run.

I'm excited! I'm in the best shape I have ever been in at the start of a training cycle. If I can keep my focus and stay injury free, those goals are easily within reach. To that end, I'm keeping my monthly training goals pretty basic. For March - 32 miles of running, 180 minutes on the trainer and at least one trip to the pool. I haven't swum last July. :rolleyes: I'll be seeing my trainer twice a week for weights and plyomterics and getting some yoga in there too. Anything else for March is gravy.

Veronica

Excellent! It's great to be starting your training in great shape, and know you'll just be getting better!

You're back for more! Fantastic!

Does it get easier since you're obviously more experienced, and more fit, or is it just as hard because you're trying for faster times?

You continue to be an inspiration!!

Slight thread hijack.....what do you do for your bike after those kinds of indoor workouts? I've been doing similar things to my Surly - and worry about the steel and all.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by redrhodie

Does it get easier since you're obviously more experienced, and more fit, or is it just as hard because you're trying for faster times?

---

The bike and the swim effort pretty much stays the same for me. I have always suffered on the run.

The more fit I get, the harder I make myself work (or maybe I should say, my trainer makes me work harder!) :D So, it always hurts.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blueberry

Slight thread hijack.....what do you do for your bike after those kinds of indoor workouts? I've been doing similar things to my Surly - and worry about the steel and all.....

---

Most of my sweat seems to drip straight down to the floor. We took out some of those black mats a week or so ago that had been right under me and they just kind of just kind of disintegrated. I sweat - A LOT! I think it's why I don't mind working out or racing in the heat though.

Veronica

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Veronica

I sweat - A LOT! I think it's why I don't mind working out or racing in the heat though.

---

I agree. I don't sweat nearly as much as other people I know and I cannot handle the heat at all. My body is very good at staying warm in cold temps and supremely bad at venting excess heat when it's hot!


How exciting to be starting the training season in great shape. I bet you'll do awesome this year!

Great job and good luck, Veronica! You inspire me!

Intervals on the treadmill today. I'm going to be putting some training programs into my Garmin for running outside and I wanted to get an idea of where I'm at for intervals. After a good warm up I did a total of 6 half mile intervals. The first two were at an 8:40 pace, with 4 minutes rest in between. Then I did three more at a 9:13 pace with 4 minutes rest and the last one back at 8:40.

I think that outside I'll be able to maintain 8:40 for these longer intervals since I find running outside so much easier.

We'll see. :D

Veronica

Good luck!

Another interval run this morning. We only have time to do 3 miles or so before work - so after a mile warm up, we did one full half mile interval which had a hill in it. We decided the hill so skewed things that we do the rest of the intervals without it.

The following three were about 3 tenths of a mile long. We did the first at a 7:30 pace, then 7:26 and the last was a 7:40. We had 2 and a half minutes rest between each interval - walking up and down the hill. :D

It was a good run.

Thursday is a "fun" run. That's what I call it when I go out and run without worrying about distance or speed. I go for as long as it is fun. :D

Saturday I'm doing a long run - around 8 - 9 miles, just to get an idea of where my endurance is right now and what sort of pace I can sustain.

Veronica

A successful training week. :p

2 sessions with my trainer
2 runs outside
1 killer session on the bike trainer
4 yoga sessions

About 5.25 hours of training for Monday - Friday. Today is my recovery day. I've changed my plans for tomorrow and decided to do my first brick - an easy paced 15 mileish ride, followed by a 3 - 5 mile run. Not sure how far I'll run because I want to see how I feel.

I've signed up for my other races:
May 8 - Angels Camp Tri - 1000 yard swim, 16 mile bike, 4 mile run
June 5 - Tri for Real - Olympic Distance - back in 2008 I took 2nd as an Athena for this race - too skinny for Athena now.
June - 18 Tri for Fun - 400 yard swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run. I've done this course several times so it's kind of a benchmark event for me - lots of data to compare.

AND... I'm down another pound - 10 pounds since Nov. 1. It's coming off very slowly now, but I'm actually starting to see hamstrings on my legs. Maybe I'll get that lower body as defined as my upper body some day. :D

Veronica

Awesome first brick this morning! I'm just thrilled with how it felt and my times.

The bike was 14.7 miles at a a rather easy pace. As soon as my legs began to burn I backed it off. Average speed was 16.7 mph including stopping at lights.

The run was just amazing - the first mile my legs felt a little heavy, but I pushed through. I was listening to "Bat of Hell", that's a LONG song and it got me through nearly the entire first mile. When I started my goal was just to make it through the song and then I started to feel really good.

I ran a total of 2.8 miles, at... drum roll an average pace of 9:56. I who have only had one other run at a sub ten minute pace, run under ten while doing a brick.

Maybe it's the endorphins, but I am sitting here with just the biggest grin on my face. :D

Veronica

One monthly goal accomplished - I went to the pool today. I miss swimming. I have not swam a stroke since July 30 and it's been a few years since I have regularly trained for the swim. I'd really like to get in the pool once a week this year. Not 'cause it will bring my swim times down significantly, but just 'cause I like it. :D

I tried to take it easy today. I warmed up with a 200 Swim, 200 Kick, 200 Pull. Then I just swam 1,000 yards straight, not going too hard, just a nice happy pace. My hundreds were remarkably consistent. I don't look at my watch while I'm in the water, just hit the lap counter. Five of them were 1:55, highest was 1:56 and the lowest (last one) was 1:47. Total time for 1,000 yards was about 19 minutes.

That's not bad, regular swimming and I should see that drop to 1:40 average pace per hundred and with a little real work, 1:30 is quite doable.

Veronica

First off, I'm down another pound - 144 now. The last time I weighed that was after crewing RAAM, not a healthy way to lose weight. :D Prior to that, maybe in college.

Another great training week:

1 brick
2 personal trainer sessions
4 sessions of yoga
1 swim
2 runs - one of intervals on the treadmill and my "fun" run outside
1 session on the trainer "Dropping the Hammer" - love that video!

Happy rest day today!

This week was kind of exhausting at work. The kids are getting antsy. March is a long month and our spring break is really late this year. Four more weeks, we're off to Hawaii. Yes, I plan on training on the IM course. :p I'm happy that instead of coming home and crashing I stuck with my plans. That's been an issue in the past for me.

Looks like rain for us this weekend. I had been planning on doing another brick. That bike to run transition has just killed me in the past. But if we have rain, I'll run instead.

Veronica

I sorta did a brick today. I rode my bike in the trainer for 50 minutes and then we went to the gym and while Thom worked out with Shawna, I did 4 miles on the treadmill. I wore my new bright pink compression socks. They look pretty dorky and are not very complimentary to my legs, but they sure did make my calves feel good. :D

Veronica

Tuesday is interval run day. Ideally, I do these outside at 4 AM with Thom pacing me. We are having just the wackiest weather. Normally by now it's in the 60s and the rain has ended. We headed out for our run yesterday and right as we started up the road, the skies opened up and started dumping large, plopping drops of rain. We bailed and went back inside. I did yoga and Thom got in an extra long piano session.

That meant doing my intervals by myself either at the gym on the treadmill or outside in the afternoon. I dutifully packed my bag for the gym and headed off to work.

I have a nice, motivated class this year. But they are also the squirreliest bunch of kids I have had in a while. Afternoons have been tough all year and I have really had to change up how I plan things. If they are active, they are focused and on task and learning. Not every lesson can be active though. Yesterday was a tough day. And really, all I wanted to do was come home, make some hot chocolate and hang out... maybe do some cross stitch or read.

I got in the car at the end of day, with a tremendous mental debate going on in my head. Go to the gym... run outside since it's not actually raining right now... do a trainer video... do nothing... I only live 1.2 miles away from work and it's amazing how much thinking you can do in that short amount of time. I realized somewhere on that very short drive, that it's this waffling, after a mentally draining day, that sent me down the path of not training enough last year. Too many days my head was burnt out and I came home and lounged and ate bonbons.

Off to the gym I went. Interval run completed. :p Ended up having a really good run too actually.

Veronica

"Discipline is remembering what you want." Your tag line. Good for you!!!!

I was waffling because I was to do hills today. Outside. We had absolutely no snow on the ground yesterday. An unfortunate snowstorm today relegated that workout to treadmill hills. But got them done.

I thought of this post when I didn't want to get out of bed this morning to do my measly 30 minutes on the treadmill. I did, though.

Yeah Crankin! And there is nothing measly about 30 minutes on the treadmill.


One of the things I'm doing differently this year compared to past years is having a regular weekly schedule. Previously I would change up my schedule every week.

Monday: Trainer/Swim
Tuesday: Interval Run/Yoga
Wednesday: Trainer/Yoga
Thursday: Spinervals/Fun Run
Friday: Yoga

Weekends are looser - we ride, I run, do bricks and/or yoga. Plus the stuff that needs doing around the house.

I like the set schedule because I waffle less about what to do each day and it fits pretty well with my daily work schedule. Most of my after school meetings are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It's easy to do yoga after a meeting.

Thursdays are long days and deep into the week my motivation seems to wane. The video starts off the day with some good endorphins (high on them now!) The "fun" run is just that. The point is just to get my butt out the door. I've done as little as 1.25 miles - it was windy and cold. And as many as 3.2. It doesn't matter, it's just about getting in a third run for the week.

I only needed 8 more video minutes to get my goal for March, when I got on the trainer today. Woohoo! I now have 130% of that goal.

March has been a good training month so far.

Veronica

All three March goals have been fulfilled - a week early I might add. :D

Yesterday's "fun" run was on the treadmill at the gym. I have really started to enjoy running "gasp!!!!", especially if I have some good, motivating tunes. I needed 3.7 miles to get my monthly goal. I did 4.1.

I considered upping my goals for April, but decided against it. Keeping my mileage goals modest allows me to have some wiggle room for those unexpected meetings that crop up. Last year, with higher goals, I had run about 50 miles for the year, by the end of March. I'll have over 100 by the end of March this year. But I think the biggest gain, has been that I actually like doing it now. :p

Love my rest day. The scary thing is I am always so hungry on Friday because Thursday is such a big effort day with a hard video session in the morning and a run in the afternoon.

Veronica

New month, new goals, nothing really new. Running and trainer video goals are staying the same. I should hit the pool at least three times. Maybe more if I can get in an extra swim while on vacation.

Now that decent weather is here I will get in more outside riding on the weekends. I plan to keep riding the trainer during the week. I have scheduled bricks the next three Saturdays.

Veronica

This thread was a nice surprise. I have not been on the forum for several months. Been needing a motivational boost for my own training and I found it right here. I really hope you reach your goals this year.

This week started off slowly. :( I missed Monday's swim. I had some errands to run... left my wallet at home... the afternoon was shot. Well, not entirely, I did do yoga. I missed Tuesday's interval run. I was going to do it after work, but my after school meeting ran until 4:45. By Wednesday I was back on track with my weekly plan. I barely got in Thursday's fun run before the hail started. It was sunny and 58 degrees when I left. About an hour later the sky was a dark, ominous gray, it was 39 degrees out and my flowers were being pummeled with pea sized hail.

Monday - Friday Workouts
2 Personal Trainer sessions
4 Yoga sessions
1 Spinervals - Uphill Grind
1 run

Veronica

Another okay week. I had a trainer session Monday morning and got in a good swim Monday afternoon. Tuesday's interval run with Thom in the morning was great and yoga was a pleasant way to unwind at the end of the day. Wednesday was another trainer session in the AM and more yoga in the afternoon.

Thursday was the "bad" day. My plan was to do my "fun run" in the morning and my "Mental Toughness" video in the afternoon. I woke up Thursday with an awful cramp in the arch of my left foot. I worked it out by the time I went to work, but I was limping around the house for about the first 90 minutes I was up. It wasn't a total loss. I did get all my grading done.

I don't know what was up with my lunch on Thursday, but my stomach was not very happy when I came home. It wasn't anything different from what I normally eat. So, Thursday became a day off.

Friday was more yoga.

Today was brick day. 14.7 mile bike. Average speed, including stop lights and a few small hills, 17 mph. Followed that up with a 5 mile run. Average moving pace was a 10:25. I spent nearly 4 minutes at stop lights. :rolleyes: I wonder why my Garmin shows stopped time for the run, but not for the bike.

Looking forward to training in Hawaii. :p

Veronica

We did a beautiful ride from our hotel up to Hawi yesterday - 55 miles of the Ironman route. The coastline is not flat - long shallow hills. The last 5 miles into Hawi are uphill and we had a headwind on it yesterday. It did make for a lovely 5 mile descent with a tailwind though. :D The winds here are weird. We had it blowing every which way on the way out and the way back. I'm glad I wasn't racing, both because of the wind and I like looking out at the scenery. I'm not very good at that when I'm hammering. It was pretty warm - about 80 degrees when we started right around 8 (after a lovely breakfast!) and 88 degrees when we finished. I was dreaming about the icy citrus water the hotel keeps at the valet station for runners.

CNN is here at our hotel this week filming for Fit Nation. I guess they are doing a triathlon series now. They were heading out for a swim as we were going to breakfast. They were leaving for their bike ride when we were coming in.

Veronica

Kayaked out to the Captain Cook monument yesterday and then did some snorkeling. I misjudged my position in the surf zone and had a wave slam me into some coral. I am so glad I was wearing a rashguard. I've got some scratches across my chest that are pretty nasty as it is and a bunch on my right thigh and one especially nasty one on my left knee.

I went for a short "fun run" this morning. All runs while on vacation will fall into the "fun run" category. There is a trail that runs between our hotel and the next one over along the beach, so I ran down that. Running in soft sand is hard. I was out just after sunrise, so it was quite beautiful, not too warm yet and watching the surf pound as I ran was so cool.

It's only 2.5 miles so I think I'll do it again tomorrow. Probably head to the gym some time today and swim some laps.

Veronica

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Veronica

Kayaked out to the Captain Cook monument yesterday and then did some snorkeling. I misjudged my position in the surf zone and had a wave slam me into some coral. I am so glad I was wearing a rashguard. I've got some scratches across my chest that are pretty nasty as it is and a bunch on my right thigh and one especially nasty one on my left knee.

I went for a short "fun run" this morning. All runs while on vacation will fall into the "fun run" category. There is a trail that runs between our hotel and the next one over along the beach, so I ran down that. Running in soft sand is hard. I was out just after sunrise, so it was quite beautiful, not too warm yet and watching the surf pound as I ran was so cool.

It's only 2.5 miles so I think I'll do it again tomorrow. Probably head to the gym some time today and swim some laps.

Veronica

---

Ouch! I hope you heal quickly.

As for the rest of your adventures, it sounds like you're having a blast. I'm SO jealous!

Did weights yesterday with Thom instead of swimming. Did the same 2.5 mile run this morning. Nice, pleasant way to start the day.

Had breakfast with Tim and Nicole DeBoom. Sort of...:D They were at the table next to us with the CNN FitNation people. He was talking to them about nutrition during a race. I didn't learn anything new for me, but it was still pretty cool. He didn't seem to eat much, yogurt, maybe some meat and a lot of coffee. I couldn't see Nicole as well, so I don't know what she ate. My brush with celebrities. :p

Veronica

The current lava flow is inaccessible so yesterday we did a short 4 mile hike across Kilauea Iki and then did some driving around to some sites we hadn't seen before.

Today we did a monster hike starting at the Halina Pali overlook at 2280 feet above sea level. Three and a half miles later we were at a small lagoon with a black sand beach, watching ocean waves crash onto the shore. After a snack and water break we turned around and went back to the overlook. Amazingly, going back up took about as much time as hiking down. It was a pretty steep trail and you just had to be super careful on the way down. Hopefully we got some good pictures that we'll post when we get home.

Veronica

That sounds amazing!

The hike was very cool. We were really lucky with the weather in that was overcast on our return and we had a tailwind.

Heading home today. I got in one last short run this morning. Volcano is at 4,000 feet and I could feel it on my run today. :D Or maybe I'm just tired from the hike. I went out at 5:45 and got to watch the sun rise when I could see it through the rain forest. Lots of different birds making all sorts of noise, fragrant flowers lining the roads and no cars. Paradise...

Veronica

Now that we're home and I've done all of my downloads I can tell you that hike we did had Saturday had 1.5 miles at an average grade of 19.3 percent. I swear it was like going up a wall! :D I'm counting that bit in my running miles.

Veronica

I had to finish up my goals for April today. I have stuff going on Friday and Saturday and while I could probably squeeze in something... I didn't want to count on it.

Before work this morning I had a nice session on the trainer with Coach Troy and Dropping the Hammer. I swear I get more out of that video than any other I do. Tuesday was Mental Toughness and it just doesn't seem to get me like Dropping the Hammer. It's nice to go to work pumped up on endorphins.

Thursday afternoon is 'Fun Run" time. I decided I was going to do my "hilly" route. The Fun Run is all about no expectations. I knew I needed 4.5 miles to finish up the month and my hilly route is 4.6 miles and I hadn't done it in a long time. It's got a nice, relatively flat two mile warm up that I averaged 9:45 on. Woohooo! The hills start just after mile two - 4 pretty good size hills and they each kicked my butt. I ended up walking a little bit after each one. But it doesn't matter, 'cause it's Fun Run day. :D And I still ended up with a 10:17 average for the 4.6 miles. The last time I did this exact same route was July 9, 2010 (love Sport Tracks, it was easy to find) and I averaged 11:42 with no walking. It's so cool to be able to see the improvement.

I didn't swim as much as I would have liked to this month - only once. Two bricks, lots of yoga and personal trainer sessions and I made my running and Spinervals goals.

In some ways it feels like time is flying! I only have six more weeks of school. I'll ramp up the training a bit then. I have my first race May 8. It's kind of a long sprint distance: 1,000 yard swim, 16 mile bike and 4 mile run. Not a lot of women have done it in the past, so I could place. :D That would be cool, but really it's more about seeing where I'm at. My bricks have been just about that distance. My only concern is my run on my brick is pretty flat.

Otherwise, May will be more of the same.

Veronica

Which one are you doing may 8? I'm signed up for two this year (my first attempts). This thread is very helpful 8-)

Angel's Camp.

Veronica

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Veronica

Angel's Camp.

Veronica

---

Cool! We have a few people we know that do this one... I'll wave to you as you speed by in a blur 8-). (just watching our friends on this one)

Cool! I've never had any one other than Thom cheering for me.

Are you going to the BBQ after?

Veronica

I didn't know there was one 8-). Last year we watched our vet race, it was freezing but fun! Have you done this one before? My family is forced to go... It's on mothers day so I am the boss 8-). Hee hee! I'll find you and say hello.. I'm sure you'll rock it!

First time for me for this one. I hope it's not too hilly. :rolleyes:

Veronica