Last weekend, we rode the Rosedale ride (a 61 mile charity ride) and circumstances conspired against us to have a crappy day:
We didn’t get home until 11pm, and didn’t sleep until after midnight the day before.
Weather was not as we expected. We checked at midnight, it was supposed to be a low of 60 and calm and get sunny and warm in the afternoon. At the race, it was clearly significantly under 60 and super windy to start and never really got much better, and we were ill prepared for it clothing-wise.
We got there late so we couldn’t start with the 60 milers, so we ended up in a big crowd.
My nuun never got into my camelback so I had plain water for a long day of riding instead of sweet, sweet electrolytes.
Can I just repeat how cold I was and how it didn’t really get better after what would normally be considered a warmup?
The beginning of these rides are always so crowded with people that really don’t understand at all how to ride in a group. This made it hard to get in any nutrition and I didn’t eat enough before the ride because my tummy was a little sour.
Things started to hurt more quickly than I would have liked (lower back, neck, wrists).
Did I mention the cold? That I didn’t like?
Needless to say, I started the ride a little grumpy. I was not having a good time. I kinda wanted to bail early. I didn’t want to catch a cold. I didn’t need to ride 60 miles this early in the season. I was going so slow because I couldn’t get warm and the wind. I didn’t expect this to be a good experience at all.
However, by mile 20 things got better, I went from FREEZING to not quite as freezing. I got some cookies and gatorade and snacks in me. The wind got a little better. And then happy Leah came out and stayed and played the rest of the ride.
I went from whining about the weather to laughing about making bets on when the sun would come out (I totally won, it never did). I went from whimpering at the hills to growling at them and charging up them. We got faster (we gained about 1.2 MPH in the second half). We sang songs and joked around. We settled into the long day, and found it full of joy and fun instead of something to endure.
So, my motivation takeaway from this is to not let what could be a great experience be tainted by a not-so-stellar start. I knocked over 30 mins off my metric century PR (4:29!) and enjoyed the day a LOT. Imagine what I would have to remember about the day if I didn’t start? Or turned back early?
Also, here’s a reminder to completely overpack as is always my instinct, and check the weather race morning one more time before a race. Tights would have been super nice.
Question: have you ever had something start out crappy, but end up happy?
I know, I know, this post is late. But, you have it now! Between tri training, scuba lessons, and birthdays and I finally have a night to finish putting the video together. Hooray!
Running: Getting better by the week. It’s nice to be running in the 11s, running longer than 10k, and getting in a little speedwork finally. Oddly enough, my HR drops a little even with the same effort after a sprint, it’s like “hey, this isn’t nearly as hard as I was working before”. Feet are holding up alright, they were a little tender after the pounding that was Sat and Sun, but nothing that lingered. I can actually wear shoes again besides my running shoes and my black tennies, which is making my work wear a little more varied. I’ll be excited when it goes away completely, but it’s definitely better. Also, all this perfect running weather (60s and sunny) isn’t hurting my run mojo.
Bike: Feel sort of stalled here until I get to get out and ride more. I’m varying up my resistances and doing drills, but I don’t feel like I really am going to make that much more progress until I start doing more outdoor rides. March will be my month!
Swim: Ahhh, I just love the pool lately. Drills are starting to be things that just help me count laps, as my form is getting better (and with that, my times are). I am looking forward to getting some lake swims in, because it does take a bit to adjust from the nice pool to the murky, nature-having, no side to push off like, but I think I’m setting myself up for a good season. Also, taking my fins to the lake and cruising around the buoys sounds like a blast!
Weights: Yep, super heavy weights are fun, and work in a completely different way. I lift, and I’m like “ok, that’s it?”. Then, after the session, it’s like BLAM. I feel it. Oddly enough I’m crushing the upper body goals, but I’ve got a bit to go (+50 lbs to my squat, +150 lbs to my leg press?) to hit leg goals, but it’s fun to pile on the weight and I get thumbs ups from the trainers at the gym so there’s that.
By the days:
Monday: Swim: 1200 m in 25mins (wore fins for some drills)(actually did this on Sunday, but counting for this week) Tuesday: Bike: 20.64 mi in 60 mins – first 40 mins lighter resistance (2 of 5) with 3×1 min one leg drills, last 20 mins higher resistance (4 of 5) Run: 3.91 in 45 mins. 153-154 HR average 167 max. Weights: 3×4… 290 lb leg press, 120 lb rows, 100 lb pulldowns. 3×20…. incline sit ups w/10 lb plate w/twist, 110 lb calf presses. Wednesday: Swim: 1500m in 37 mins. Thursday: Bike: 20.46 in 60 mins – First 25 mins at 2/5, 3x1min one leg drills. Next 20 at 3/5, worked on concentrating on the push then the pull (not set intervals). Finished with 15 mins at 4/5, just trying to keep up the pace as best I could. Avg HR: 127, Max 191? (probably a spike) Run: 4.12 miles – 47:51, 6×20 sec sprints. Weights: 3×4… 185 lb squats, 120 lb rows, 105 lb pulldowns. 3×20… incline situps w/10 lb plate w/twist, 65 lb hamstring curls. Friday: off Saturday: Bike: 30 mins, 10 miles. Avg HR 111, Max HR 132. Run: 7.4 mi in 1h 30. HR avg 151, max 171. Swim: 1050m in 25 mins. Spin class: 45 mins of pain, torture, and awesomeness. Sunday: Indoor Tri! Swim: 487m in 10 mins. Bike: 30 mins of quick spin. Run: 2.13 in 20 mins.
10 hours total, goal was 10 hours. So yay!
Definitely definitely ready for the stepback week after this. I felt a little fried.
Week 8:
Leah notes:
Training:
I really don’t have much to say about training this week. I did 2 easy runs in or close to zone 1, 2 easy trainers with no resistance, 1 easy swim, and 2 easy weights sessions.
Run: My easy run pace is where my Zone 2 run pace was a month ago. I’d like to see that improvement every month, thanks body and universe! I was hoping that so much time off would totally heal my heel, but then I walked around with a 60 lb scuba set up all weekend on a rocky cliff with non-cushy scuba boots. So, it’s FINE but it still talks to me every once in a while.
Bike: 1/5 resistance is really just like watching a movie on a slightly uncomfortable seat. My average HR didn’t even reach 100 (it was 97) on Thursday’s 45 min ride.
Swim: The first swim was uneventful, and we even cheesed out on the second one because I threw a little tantrum about it and decided that a 30 min easy swim was not worth the mental fortitude is was going to take to get through it. It was also the fifth day in a row without a day off and two of those were 3.5 hour training day and the race, so I needed it. Instead we soaked in the hot tub for 20 mins and chatted with another lady. That’s pretty close to the level of effort I was going to put in to my workout, so it was fine.
Weights: Decreasing weight by 1/3 makes things seem very light, though two months ago these weights felt pretty freaking hulk for me to hoist up. I never knew that there could be such thing as a “recovery weights” session, but if there is, this was it.
By the days:
Monday: Weights: 2×12… 200 lb leg press, 80 lb rows, 70 lb pulldowns. 2×20… incline situps w/a twist w/5 lb plate, 50 lb hammie machine. Swim: 1050m in 28 min Tuesday: Bike: 16.67 mi in 45 mins, resistance 1/5, HR avg: 100, max: 111, Run: 3.1 miles in 36:20 HR avg: 148, max: 167 Wednesday: Weights: exact same as Monday, except 105 lb squats instead of leg presses Thursday: Bike: 15.88 mi in 45 mins, resistance 1/5, HR avg: 97, max: 112, Run: 3.1 in 37:20, HR avg: 145, max: 157 Friday: off Saturday: Scuba (one hour of actual in water, probably another hour of hauling around the tanks and equipment) Sunday: Scuba (same)
Joel’s post is lost somewhere in the internet, and I don’t want to write it again. Sorry.
Question: anyone out there a certified diver? What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen? If not, where would you want to dive?
