My goals had been at least a day off from running (done, took 2), 2-3 swims (2 done), 4-5 rides (4 done), keep doing well with food. We were on vacation so I had a new bike trail to explore and that was great. Vacation also meant food was a little harder... we were at camp and mom made cookies every night. I succeeded in eating about 4 of them every night. Worried I gained a little weight, but proud of myself for NOT getting on the scale yesterday to check.

Maine has been hot and humid and I would loooove for the humidity to break. Ugh.

M - 8 mi run + 5500 yd swim
T - 25 mi bike
W - 13 mi run
T - 35 mi bike
F - 11 mi run + 1800 yd swim
S - 5+ mi bike + 8 mi run + 5+ mi bike
S - 9 mi run + 24 mi bike

I am still on a hybrid as I haven't shopped for a new bike yet. Total run time 7 hrs, total bike time 7h30. Psyched to have bike > run :-)

Goals for this week: same as last (2-3 swims, 4-5 rides, 5-6 runs)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

fabulous last week. I cut my workouts down a bit last week as I tried a "new" (for me) method of a one week taper for an olympic tri I had on Sunday. So shorter workouts during the week.
Saturday pretty much rained all day - I hardly did anything. It drove me nuts. I watched TDF over breakfast... and then I was bored for the rest of the day.
I woke up before the alarm on race day. I had prepped everything the night before, even my breakfast which I just had to heat up.
Breakfast: piece of white whole wheat bread with two eggs cooked with fresh ground pepper, parmesan shavings, and two slices of bresaola. YUM.
Anyway, got to the race site just over an hour before race start. Perfect. Rack slots were designated, which I prefer. My rack spot wasn't bad.
Wetsuit legal. Darn! I don't really like wearing the thing, but I do because it's definitely faster. I just feel like it helps others a lot more than it helps me.
I chose this race to do this year because I had done the same course (last year as a women's only event) and liked it. I knew there would be much stiffer competition today. Especially as I saw one of my friends show up - I knew she'd take the top spot in our age group. I got bodymarked and after the girl picked up my chip and said "this was on the ground". Oh man. I put it back on, not knowing why it had fallen... Hope that doesn't happen during the race! After I put it on I tugged it to make sure it was REALLY ON THERE. My strap is always pinned too.
The weather was cloudy but the temp. was perfect. I saw plenty of friends which is awesome.
The lake was flat. We had a large rectangle to swim twice. Two men's waves, then all us ladies. I like all the ladies going off together, gives me an idea of where I'm at.
Anyway, I had warmed up in the water and made sure my goggles were OK. I had last used them on Friday in the pool, they were fine then. <insert forboding music here>
THe race started and instantly my left goggle filled with water. The start was a bit thrashy. A little ways in, I stopped to fix my goggles. Got going again. Same deal. Ugh! I tried once more to fix the goggles, to no avail. I resigned myself to swimming pretty much THE ENTIRE SWIM with my left eye shut. Can't risk my contact lens popping out!
Thankfully the swim was over soon enough and I started to jog up the hill (long way up a hill to transition). I passed my friend Jackie and told her good job.
I got into T1 and was surprised to see my speedy friend's bike still there. I headed to my bike and proceeded to get my wetsuit off, always a struggle - especially with these GIANT CHIPS they are using these days. The darn thing DOUBLES the width of my ankle. I have very very small ankles. But I seemed to have gotten it off with a minimum of fuss this time.
I ran to the mount line where a crowd was stopped.... ugh.... and ran just past them and executed my flying mount (thank you cyclocross!), passing about 5-6 people by doing so. I like this bike course. It's just rolling enough to be interesting, but not one to need anything but the big ring. It's perfect for me.
I started passing folks. And kept doing so. Then there was a lady in lime green who we kept going back and forth on. Really annoying. I'd get up the small hills/rises faster than her but then she'd catch back up to me. I was doing this with a couple of ladies, and inexplicably, a GUY ON A HYBRID with aerobars. Seriously hybrid aerobar guy was killing it. Eventually I lost the dude. Whew. Lime green stayed with me for almost 20 miles. Poor thing though needs to learn how to corner. I could big time leave her in the dust on corners. Seriously, triathletes, please learn to corner your bike. Anyway, one of the ladies I was going back and forth with faded around 15 miles. Lime green eventually left ME behind. Then around 20 miles my speedy friend passed me. Ah, I had been wondering where on earth she was.
Anyway, came back towards transition and got my feet out of the shoes and prepped for dismount. I usually get cheers or oohs and ahhs from the cround when I do this, because I do it at a pretty fast speed. Usually the volunteers look worried as I come flying in until I glide off the bike and zoom past them into T2. This time, my left shoe fell off right after I dismounted. I didn't notice, so I kept going. Volunteer grabbed it, ran into T2 and tossed it to me. I did my T2 thing and took off on the run (T2: 36 secs). Immediately I passed back lime green and a couple other ladies. My husband told me an estimated place overall. I was pretty pleased with his assessment. My legs didn't feel too bad and I had a nice quick turnover. I started to feel optimistic. I chased people down. I like this run course too. It's hilly. But it's all on dirt roads and the last 1.5 mi is on a very gentle trail (read: not lots of roots and rocks to trip up my wobbly ankles). The first section is an out and back, then you turn. As I passed the turn to do the out and back I started to count the women. I estimated I was in 12th place. I saw my speedy friend and waved. She was concentrating and didn't react (found out later she did see me). I made the turn around. Just after, a lady passed me. I pulled in RIGHT BEHIND her and tried to stay with her. I did for maybe 100 yds. She was killing it and I realized I couldn't keep this up. I relaxed back into my pace and kept going. I took the turn and passed the 3mi sign. Then I saw her. My carrot. I saw this woman I was slowly gaining on and made her my goal. I figured I had half the race to do it. I pressed on. The weather was still perfect. Overcast, maybe in the 70s and a bit humid, but good conditions. I chased carrot lady. I grew close, then we went into the woods for the trail. The trail section has an overall elevation loss, and you can really push it. I knew this from racing here many times before. I knew the trail well. I kept after her. Finally I was really gaining after seeming to hold steady for oh so long. Then, she looked back. She SLOWED AND LET ME BY. Seriously??? You just gave up? When I passed I gave a surge to make sure the pass would stick. For the next while I really pushed myself. Finally as we neared the end of the trail and the finish chute I glanced back. She didn't look like a threat. I hit the finish chute and kicked. Hard. I really kicked it but maintained form. I saw the clock. Crossed the line. I tried to mentally do the math to figure my finish time and couldn't. Found speedy friend and some other pals at the finish area. One of my friends did the math for me and it sounded like I just got myself a new Olympic PR, and went 12 minutes faster than on this course last year.

When the official results came out, Speedy friend and I went 1-2 in our age group. I was thrilled. The competition was stiff. I was 13th woman overall.
I was really pumped to find that I had a new olympic bike split PR and a new olympic run split PR. In fact, that is now my fastest 10k EVER, whether in a tri or open. Looks like I need a new open 10k goal!

I think I can improve the bike too, I felt myself kind of fading for the last 5-8 miles of the bike.
and I've only been swimming once a week this year. So there's probably some room to improve on that as well.

Short work week for me and looking forward to it.
Plans for this week include run 6x, bike 4x, swim 1x
Tile the bathroom floor this coming weekend.

Congrats on the AG placing! Loved the report :-)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Lazy bad week of nothing concluded with a distance-pr 21 mile bike ride.

Goals for this week:
swim 2x at class
do swim css test in apartment pool (FINALLY open after 2 months)
bike 2x
5k footrace on 4th of July: pr at sub 30-min

be addicted to foam roller


I've been in a pretty crappy headspace lately and miss my old workout structure. I'm having a really hard time being self-motivated and the impending doom of my wedding makes me want to shut down completely (rather than vet hairdressers, get my gown tailored, etc).

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You. You make me stronger.

TC - don't worry about the cookies! With the amount of hours you put in last week, I'm sure you burned them all off. Impressive work!

Determination - congrats on your race - that is so awesome! Loved reading your race report.

Agilecipher - we all have bad patches - what usually gets me going again is working out with friends or finding a race that looks like it would be fun and signing up. Spending $$ on race fees always gets me out the door to train! Our virtual training partners here always inspire me to get out the door too!

Me - had a good week training and now look forward to a recovery/taper week with a sprint on Saturday.

Last week goals:
4 swims - win including one OWS in new wetsuit!
2 bikes - win! Feeling really good on bike despite only 2 rides/wk over the last few months
5 runs - win but cut long run short bc it was so damn hot and humid. I know I to get that long run in to improve running.

Next week:
Mon - sit on ass and enjoy the blueberry muffins that I just made bc legs are damn sore from last week!
Tues - swim then ride or run with race pace efforts (depends on rain)
Wednes - ride or run with race pace efforts (whichever one I didn't do Tues)
Thurs - EZ run to loosen
Fri - EZ swim to loosen then short ride with openers
Sat - race
Sun - long EZ ride

Am really worried about the run in sat race. Supposed to be in the 90s and very humid. I don't do well in humidity. Have been working hard on the run and hoping to see improvement but may have to readjust goals based on weather. Just have to keep reminding myself that everyone has to deal with the same weather. And remind myself to hold back a little on the bike to have something for the run.

determination - AWESOME!

Last week was a busy work week, with a lot of travel, and a lot of sitting around on planes and in a course (environmental auditing). One 10hr day was in the warehouse (90+deg) coaching the staff on how to organize the place - we cleared 40+ pallet positions off the floor and filled 4 bins (1 waste, 1 cardboard, 1 metal, 1 cable & wire). Hugely successful day but now they love me and want me to come more often :-( (i.e.: more flying, can you tell I'm getting sick of this sh*t?). Got in 2 workouts in the hotel gym. But the real meat was the weekend back home! Got in a hot run with the dog, then two days of mountain biking!!! I hadn't been on that bike in over 8 months, and I could sure tell - my climbing fitness has gone to hell. But I got in ~2-3hrs each day and am stiff and sore now. :-)

This week:
1: eat better - I am honestly getting fat esp around the mid-section - road foods + beers creep up on ya.
2: min 1hr exercise every day. I've been out of it too long, and my belly shows it.
3: 4 EZ runs (1 done today - yay!).
4: 4 rides (to & from work).
5: something long-ish on the weekend - road or mountain biking.
6: weights 2x (core, back & upper body - legs aren't ready/need it less).

I am eyeing a 1/2 marathon at the end of Sept, pretty much convinced by an old school friend who wants to do it as her first. So will give the running and easy 2 more weeks, then assess how the recovery is coming along before committing. I'm still finding it hard to wrap my brain around not having a goal... ;-)

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I call last week the week of sloth.

After my roadtrip to Ironman CdA I was too damn tired to run, then got a brain cramp and took a couple more days off. Started back up again on Thursday with a treadmill run, Friday was hill repeats and Saturday was a shorty. Sunday was a doozie.

I had 15 miles on my schedule and knew a heatwave was coming in. I was back and forth on when to start. My marathon in August will start mid-afternoon and it will likely be bloody hot so I need to dial in my hydration/salt strategy. I opted to start at 10am so I'd get some heat but not the worst of it.

I was good until mile 12 then the meltdown started. I'd taken it pretty easy pace-wise but I was on a paved trail with little shade. The radiant heat was killing me. I stopped at the three water fountains on the way and dunked my head. Felt so good but wore off pretty quickly. I was getting slower and slower, dragging my feet at the water stops. By mile 14 I decided to walk it in. I kept stopping in tiny bits of shade because I knew I was overheating.

I got home and had lost 9 lbs in the 3 hours I was out there. Holy crap! I'd taken in 78oz of fluids, 18 of which was Gatorade. I took in 3 S!Caps electrolyte tabs. I didn't pee once. Apparently I still have work to do on finding the right balance. I'd spent Saturday making sure I was hydrated and drinking sports drinks because I knew my Sunday run was going to be hot. Not enough.

Air temp was low to mid-90s but the time I got home.

At least I didn't cramp or fall over from heat stroke.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

BOOM! Well done!

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Huge congratulations on the AG! How terribly frustrating that swim must have been - the fear of that very event pushed me over the edge into having LASIK. Amazing rally!

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You. You make me stronger.

I'm continuing to do better on the Prednisone. Last dose is tomorrow. Then it's cross my fingers and hope the anti-inflammatory effect sticks. PT says I need to wait 7-10 days post-Prednisone before a decision can be made about resuming some easy jogging and other activities.

Got 16 miles walking; 8k meters swim; and one very easy 45 minutes bike on the trainer done last week. Back barks at me pretty quickly in aero, so I'm sticking to the "old lady" upright position for now.

Goal this week is 14K meters swim; 20 miles walk; 4 bikes. My new Fall IM goal is "16:59 or bust."

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

Okay, getting back in the game here-
Last week-
Mon & Tues-off (first week of summer school, back to having my own class, if only for the summer)
Weds- Bike-w/ group from local tri shop (LTS) short interval, laps in a nearby park until the park rangers came by and told us the park was closing
Thurs- Swim/run brick (no watch to tell distance, was a different feel)
Fri- off (scheduled off day, the only Friday I have to work this summer)
Sat- Bike w/ LTS a little over 17 miles
Sun- Bike/run (walk) brick w/LTS same bike route, walked in nearby park about 3.5 miles chatting w/ some guys new to the sport.

This weeks goals-
Mon- off (ended up at ESPN Zone for a game night hosted by Pujols Family Foundation, played a lot of air hockey, skeeball, basketball, found out I really suck at any driving simulation video games- race car, snowmobile, skis)
Tues- Swim or run, maybe both
Weds- open water swim w/ some friends
Thurs- run
Fri- off
Sat- bike run brick
Sun- long bike

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check out my blog http://theswimmingtriathlete.com

thanks! I knew as long as the goggle stayed over my eye, I would not lose the lens. I have briefly had my eyes open underwater (accidentally) with my contacts in, and didn't lose them.

I don't know, it's weird, I have been wearing contact lenses since 8th grade and they're just part of my life. I'm scared of LASIK!


To all - thanks for the congrats. It was a fun race, and I was able to push myself hard and get that PR. I'm riding a high this week.

Lots of goodness going on!

For me....

Sunday: picked Dad up at the airport; shopping, unpacking, cooked him dinner - first dinner in MY house!

Monday: more unpacking and waiting around for workers. Return appt. to the doc and weight, blood pressure both down. Yea for less stress! "Come back in one year."

Tuesday: I have new furniture! Plus, workout with the trainer. Knee really sore from all the moving and getting used to going up/down stairs multiple times a day.

Wednesday: More shopping (man, Lowe's is getting a lot of my money!) and then clean out storage unit and load truck and come home and unload truck in the heat.

Thursday: Trainer workout again. Take Dad to airport.

Friday: Workers at house all day (7AM - 4PM). Go to Cirque du Soleil show (Quidam) and get inspired.

Saturday: Ride the bike! More unpacking.
Sunday: Ride the bike! More unpacking.

So, hopefully now that I'm mostly unpacked and getting settled, I can get back into a routine. Down about 10 pounds, so things are moving in the right direction.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

sounds like a great week!

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

LASIK was the best thing I've ever done. Wore contracts from about 6th grade or so up until about 2009. I was totally freaked out by the whole concept (still am) but I was literally 20/20 within a few minutes, 20/15 the next day. My eyes were a little achy for maybe a day or two & then it's just dryness for a couple weeks. I swam as a kid, did many tris from 2003 on & then did an Ironman in contacts in 2008 & I have no idea how I managed to do so without completely losing my mind. Nevermind the cost savings from not having to buy Rx glasses & contacts anymore. Anyway...that's my commercial. The process is literally less than 3-4minutes & doesn't hurt at all. The machines are built with safety devices that shut it all down if you happen to twitch or move - this is what I wish my doc would've told me BEFORE the process.

My week last week was mediocre. Got in swim workouts most of the days & survived. Did a group ride (Trace Bikes) on Thursday & had a BLAST. My first group ride in about 3yrs or so, I had forgotten how much I enjoy it!! So I've been on my bike 3 times in the past 2 weeks...that's a record here lately.

This week is more of the same...pushing through some workouts in the water (M,T,W) & then headed south for the long weekend tomorrow night. Will be lugging down my kayak & bike so we'll see what happens. Should be fun just to get the heck outta dodge & away from the daily funk to see what happens.

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AW

Fellow long-term contact wearer (11 to age 28), and I was super scared before and during the procedure, though I shelled out for the BEST doctor I could find (he does the SF 49ers :D ). The machine is out of Star Trek and I had nothing to do with my hands (I ended up gripping the bottom of my shirt) and most people will neglect to mention the smell when the laser is working... But wow, 4 hours after I could SEE. I haven't had a single problem and can't rank the procedure highly enough. Getting into tri was my big motivation to go through with it - as well as getting a nice bonus from work that covered 90% of the cost.

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You. You make me stronger.

Were you near sighted or far sighted? I am near sighted and was told I wasn't a candidate for LASIK.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Near-sighted and astigmatism in one eye. When they were testing me to see if I was a candidate, it was based upon the thickness of my cornea. Thick, healthy corneas do great under the surgery and thin ones don't. Maybe it was just a wimpy doc?

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You. You make me stronger.

Astigmatism, that's the word that escaped me. I didn't challenge it because I like how I look in glasses but honestly, I'm caring less and less about that and moving more towards ease of day to day life. A sign if reaching my mid-40s perhaps.

This was a couple years ago. I have my annual exam coming up this month. I'll ask about it. My insurance will cover 85% which is pretty good.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

DAYUM, that's good insurance! Mine only covered $1k (1/6 the procedure, but the rest I got a zero-interest loan to pay it in small chunks) which is hilarious compared to what they would have spent toward contacts and glasses over the years. I decided to get it done while I'm young to take advantage of it for longer (and because I was lucky enough to get a work bonus to help cover it). There are also a variety of surgeries. Mine was "wavefront lasik" - there are multiple options for different kinds of eyeballs (heh heh... balls...). But my-oh-my I love it.

Good luck!

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You. You make me stronger.

It's funny, our eye care and dental insurance is great but medical insurance sucks.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I went and volunteered at a sprint tri that I had registered for - it was on my birthday and I had joked about celebrating with 500 of my closest friends, but volunteering was fun, too. When I'm injured, I always allow myself a moment to feel just a little sorry for myself, and then I suck it up and try to use my experience to help make it a great race for others, especially the newbies. I also went to a bike clinic even though I don't have my bike - one segment was on avoiding obstacles, and after watching, I honestly still wonder if there was a way out of my crash.

I got my MRI results - some "left paracentral spondylotic disc protrusion" at C3-C4, but no bone fragments or anything drastic from my bike vs car crash on June 10. The Dr didn't seem too worried about it, and he doesn't think it's causing my headaches. I start massage therapy tomorrow and couldn't get in to see the PT until next week, but I'm excited to feel as if I'm doing something proactive to heal - I know there are times when doing nothing is best, but that pretty much drives me crazy! He said I can work out "to tolerance" - I have no speed, but I have lots of pain tolerance ;-) , especially since he said I won't be making anything worse or delaying my long-term recovery. I scheduled a session with a swim coach so he can watch my technique to make sure I'm not compensating, and I'm going to try a little run tonight!! And while I'm grateful for the recumbent bike in our little office workout room, I hope to never need it again - it served a purpose, but wow, it's boring and uncomfortable.

I'm still trying to get the insurance company to approve payment for bike repairs, but at this point I'll pay it out-of-pocket if I have to and hope they reimburse me fairly soon. Then I just have to get back on and see how well I handle it when I actually go for a ride. Oh, and I have to find a new helmet - I was waiting to see if I got replacement cost or a depreciated value, but I might just get what I want, and if I don't get much from the insurance, it will be my birthday present. The reimbursement for medical expenses will be another issue - I'm counting my blessings that I have the money in savings to cover it until I'm sure everything is ok, and praying that they'll be fair.

Thanks for letting me vent for the last couple of weeks - I truly have been counting my blessings that it wasn't worse, but I also wish it hadn't happened. And Determination, great RR, congratulations! Agilecipher, hope your feeling of impending doom about your wedding has lifted! JenSW, are you in Houston? The temps showed at 106 when I was at the bike clinic on Saturday, maybe I was lucky that I couldn't work out!

Everyone take care, be safe!

Awesome that you can start training again. Let us know how the run goes!

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Happy Birthday! I hope the PT and massage therapy help - very cool of you to volunteer when you can't race.

Less doom after stuffing the invites and confirming it will take ~2 weeks to alter my gown (so I can try and shed a few more lbs). I even sketched a triathlon-themed wedding cake - no lie. I just feel like there are a million little tasks that all have to wait until the last minute, and I /hate/ that. I'll be a happy camper when this thing is over and done.

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You. You make me stronger.