"How hard can it be?" Training Update

[Wahine]

V. You're doing awesome. Keep it up. I love how enthusiastic you are and how you still think to comment on the little things that are so cool, like ducks in the canal. That's really what it's all about, getting out there.

[Veronica]

The ducks were really cute. It was a whole little family, 3 little ducklings. I went by them twice. The first time daddy flew up to the trail to squawk at me. On the return, it was mama's turn.

I hope they are still there when I run tomorrow.

V.

[Veronica]

Sunday - 5.4 mile run - still about an 11:20 average pace. Okay....

Monday - Yoga and Core in the morning. I was supposed to swim in the afternoon, but I was feeling crummy and congested at the end of the day. I came home and took a two hour nap instead.

Tues. - 4.1 mile run. I did intervals on miles 2 and 4. Got my average down around 10:30, with my last mile a 10:00 flat. Yippee!

After work swim - 2350 yards. I was going to ride after that, but my rear tire was flat.

Wed. The congestion was back. I did yoga and CORE in the morning, vegged in the afternoon.

Thurs. Still feeling crummy and congested, no workouts. I had a meeting after school that went until 5. I know most folks work until 5, but they aren't watching and entertaining 32, 10 - 11 year olds for 6 of those hours. Late days just wipe me out.

Fri. I really wanted to get in a third run. I wasn't feeling great, but not awful either. First two miles were right around 10:30. I tried doing intervals on the second mile and just felt crummy. I decided to just work my way through the last two miles. Those were 11:00 miles. But better than my previous average of 11:20.

I was supposed to swim this afternoon, but I stayed late to meet AGAIN with my bully's dad. I had to kick him out of class again today. I'm still a little congested. I hope I feel better tomorrow. I'm doing a 200 K on the bike.

Total time so far this week - not much - 4:40. The 200 K tomorrow will take somewhere between 9 and 10 hours I expect.

But I'm happy I got in my 3 runs. The long run on Sunday has given me some confidence to push myself a little harder on my 4 mile before work runs.

The swimming is going well. I actually started working the swim this week. Last week it was just go and get your butt in the pool and see how it feels. My wetsuit should be here next Friday. The outdoor pool at the gym is not heated, so that will be a good place to try it out.

Next week I only have a meeting on Wed. so hopefully I can get in a little more time. I don't know if I'll be able to do my long run on Sunday after doing a 200K tomorrow. I may have to put it off until next Saturday.

My students clap for me every time I tell them I did a run. I have been using that as an example of goal setting and that sometimes you have to do things that are hard or that you don't want to do, to get where you want to be. Trying to get that last little bit of influence in, before they head off to middle school...

V.

[jesvetmed]

V: Cool to include your students in your goal planning. And... expose them to a new positive thing they could do with themselves! Great work -- in and out of the classroom!

[Veronica]

My 200 K turned into 103 miles. I felt crummy from the very beginning. I didn't eat much breakfast and I didn't start eating right away like I should have. This cold I've had has just messed up my appetite. I was chilly at the start and it took me a long time to warm up. Then... I got a flat about 20 miles into the ride. I was doing about 20 mph, going downhill and the bike got a little squirrelly. I had picked up a thorn. After fixing the flat, I continued down the hill, but couldn't stop shivering. It was pretty demoralizing.

I met up with Thom at about mile 30, just before the serious climbing began. He got a flat 3 miles later. No more tubes, luckily we had no more flats. At about mile 60 my front tire started making a noise. It looked like the casing was delaminating slightly. We continued out to the turnaround. It never got any worse, but today I got a new tire and I put in a slime tube. I don't care that they are heavier. I don't want any more flats on important rides.

It seemed like one of those rides that just wasn't meant to be. All day long I felt like I had no power. Thom was constantly waiting for me. That's normal on climbs, but even on the false flats in between, where normally I pull him because I don't really like to draft, I couldn't stay with him.

We got back to the car at mile 92 and I decided to press on to the next checkpoint at mile 103. By now my butt was really beginning to hurt as my saddle really needed to be re-tensioned. I think I was riding on the rails for most of the ride.

I would pedal and do about 17 mph and then coast down to 13, so I could get a butt break. I got off the bike at mile 103. Thom told me I looked miserable. This mini mart had a taco bar and Thom had gotten his dinner. I got a Red Bull and a banana and tried, unsuccessfully, to feel better. I only had 23 more miles to go, but I just didn't feel like suffering. Oh... and I had managed to get sun burnt despite putting sunscreen three different times.

So... we packed the bike in the car and drove home.

I've got three more weekends to get in a 200K this month. So, I'll try again next weekend. It upsets my running plans a little bit. I'm suppose to up my mileage to 6 miles next weekend. I'll do that on Saturday and then ride on Sunday. Hopefully my legs will handle it.

Veronica

102.9 miles
5200 feet of climbing
13.5 avg.

[Veronica]

Sunday - rest day

Monday - yoga and core in the AM, 5.4 mile run after work

Tues. - swim - speed work day, after the warm up I did 9 x 100 - easy , build, easy, hard. This is when I miss having a swim coach to tell me what's a good interval. I did them on 2:15 and got about 30 - 35 seconds rest for each one. Then I pulled a 300 and did a cool down.

Wed. I broke my run into parts. I did two miles in the morning, focusing on intervals. 3. 1 miles in the afternoon when it was about 95 degrees out. I liked the two miles. The afternoon run was hard. I had ice cream and cracker jacks, courtesy of our PTA about 2 hours before the run. Not good run food.

Thurs. - Long swim in the afternoon - 1750 yards in 31 minutes at about a 6 on a scale of 1 - 10 for effort. I was actually trying to barely kick - based on something I read in Triathlete magazine.

Fri. - Turned in to a rest day. We went to breakfast with my in-laws. They had a delivery nearby (they are truck drivers.) And I just couldn't get up the gumption to go for a bike ride after work when it was already 98 degrees.

Sat. - Long run in the morning, 7.4 miles in 1 hour 20 minutes. I kept looking at Mt Diablo and wondering if I could someday run up it. I wore my new tri outfit - LOVE IT! I love all the pockets. I carried two gels with me today but I didn't eat them. I was just getting to the point of considering eating as I turned onto my street. My cell phone stayed put in another pocket, no bouncing around. My little water flask fit nicely into a pocket and stayed fairly cold too. I want another outfit just like it, just for running in.

It's too hot to do anything around the house, so we're going to drive up and look at the course today.

Tomorrow I'm trying for that 200 K again. I have a meeting on Wed. and Open House at work Thursday night. So, it will be hard to get in as much training as I want this week.

V.

[Wahine]

Hey V!! It's nice to see your updates. You're doing really well.

I've been thinking about you this weekend because I've been crewing for people who are riding more than 100 miles a day for 4 days in a row, the biggest day was 148 miles, today was easy... only 140ish with less climbing. Tomorrow they'll ride 120 miles but they're climbing up to timberline on Mt Hood. That'll be interesting!! These guys make you look almost sane.