Im not too sure what I think of this. I thought we would be safe from any scary fish in Lake Woodlands. But I watch River Monsters and should have known better.
Guess we all just have to swim faster.
May 6, 2011
Really?
Im not too sure what I think of this. I thought we would be safe from any scary fish in Lake Woodlands. But I watch River Monsters and should have known better.
Guess we all just have to swim faster.
May 5, 2011
Almost Taper, but not quite
I am in the last week of big training before I start to slowly taper. Last weekend was one of the longest runs I have done since before the marathon coupled with a ridiculous trainer ride. In addition to that we had a "bodadida" (wedding celebration for one couple - boda - and a going away party for another - despedida). This meant that right after my ride/run on Saturday I actually had to get into a somewhat decent state and put on regular clothes (no compression pants). It also meant that when we got home I spent the rest of the day like this.
Liko was really tired too because he had to wake up early and watch me ride. He does this only to catch the crumbs I may spill from my PB&J while I eat on the bike. Smart guy because trainer riding and eating without spilling do not go hand in hand, so he almost always gets his pre-breakfast snack.
I am heading back home tomorrow for my last weekend on my bike before the race. I have to make sure she is ready for May 21st. There was a cold front in Texas this weekend with temps in the 60s. It will be 90 again on saturday. Maybe we will get lucky with no wind AND cooler temps for the race. But I know that is just wishful thinking, and we most likely will have heat, humidity and wind. And lots of it.
I was reminded this AM by all of my American friends that it is Cinco de Mayo today. So happy Cinco de Mayo! May you all have lots of good mexican food and tequila tonight! It is a much bigger holiday in the US than it is in Mexico. No celebration going on here today. I was just greeted with another group of people protesting something on my way to work. Maybe they were protesting that we dont have a holiday for May 5th.
Liko was really tired too because he had to wake up early and watch me ride. He does this only to catch the crumbs I may spill from my PB&J while I eat on the bike. Smart guy because trainer riding and eating without spilling do not go hand in hand, so he almost always gets his pre-breakfast snack.
I am heading back home tomorrow for my last weekend on my bike before the race. I have to make sure she is ready for May 21st. There was a cold front in Texas this weekend with temps in the 60s. It will be 90 again on saturday. Maybe we will get lucky with no wind AND cooler temps for the race. But I know that is just wishful thinking, and we most likely will have heat, humidity and wind. And lots of it.
I was reminded this AM by all of my American friends that it is Cinco de Mayo today. So happy Cinco de Mayo! May you all have lots of good mexican food and tequila tonight! It is a much bigger holiday in the US than it is in Mexico. No celebration going on here today. I was just greeted with another group of people protesting something on my way to work. Maybe they were protesting that we dont have a holiday for May 5th.
Apr 26, 2011
IMTX Training Camp - Party of 1
Over Easter weekend I decided to use the long weekend to get in a full fledged IMTX training camp. It was the most mileage I have ever put into that short of time and I could definitely feel it at the end, but in a good way. I tried to get some friends to join me, but our schedules didnt match up, so I was solo. Which is definitely good mental training for the race, but not nearly as much fun.
The weekend started with a 3:45 wake up call to get on a flight to Houston. Once we landed I got right on my bike for a 4 hour ride. I took it somewhat easy knowing what I was going to be doing the next day. After the ride I went in to get my bike fit since I had discovered the leg length discrepancy a few weeks ago. I got a lot of tweaking done and it was ready for the next day. I was somehow able to talk Chris into getting up at 5AM with me and driving to the woodlands so he could SAG for me on the IMTX course. I promised him he could ditch me and go shopping as long as he was nearby enough and came and checked on me every so often. So I set out and had one rough ride. We all know houston is hot and humid (it was), but for the past month there have been some crazy winds. I was so sore in my shoulders and arms for holding onto the bike so tightly, and at one point I was going straight downhill into the wind at 6MPH. I didnt know that was possible. It was insane. All I can hope for is that it dies down before May 21, otherwise it will be an even rougher ride than I am expecting. I met Chris back at the start and he was carrying this.
It was the best food I have ever put in my mouth and it was the first time I have been able to finish an entire Freebirds burrito. Best post workout fuel ever!
The next day I was up early to get in a long run. My legs were screaming at me the first 6 miles, but then I started to feel better. The pace varied from 7:30 (with the wind) to 10:20 (into the wind). I lost my visor twice and almost got blown over at a stoplight - it was that strong. I meant to take pictures but I kept forgetting. After the run was a quick ice bath and then a friend's BBQ to top off the Easter weekend. All in all a great weekend.
Just a few notes for anyone racing IMTX
1) If the wind doesnt die down, the race wont be nearly as hot as it could be, but the bike will be difficult. The headwind is on the last half of the bike if the winds stay like they are.
2) The first part of the bike is flat, but dont be fooled. There are some rollers in the later parts, so dont go out too strong so that you are toast for the hills and the last half going into the wind.
3) The bike course is mind numbingly boring. I saw lots of dead animals and smelled lots of skunks. And had a major coughing fit because I inhaled something I was allergic to.
4) I only ran a part of the run course, but it seemed to be shielded from the wind, so that is good.
I put in 180 miles of riding and close to 30 miles of running and came out the other side. Now I have two more hard weeks before I start my taper. Chris is very happy that this crazy ride I am on is almost over. While it is the beginning of the season for a lot of people, it is my end. I have been training solidly for about 10 months and once the IM is over I will be cutting back big time and doing a few olys, sprints and maybe another 1/2 ironman over the next few months before I start with the marathon training. I will definitely be taking some time to hang out with Chris, friends and the family. Oh yeah, and maybe start to plan a wedding!
Happy training everyone!
The weekend started with a 3:45 wake up call to get on a flight to Houston. Once we landed I got right on my bike for a 4 hour ride. I took it somewhat easy knowing what I was going to be doing the next day. After the ride I went in to get my bike fit since I had discovered the leg length discrepancy a few weeks ago. I got a lot of tweaking done and it was ready for the next day. I was somehow able to talk Chris into getting up at 5AM with me and driving to the woodlands so he could SAG for me on the IMTX course. I promised him he could ditch me and go shopping as long as he was nearby enough and came and checked on me every so often. So I set out and had one rough ride. We all know houston is hot and humid (it was), but for the past month there have been some crazy winds. I was so sore in my shoulders and arms for holding onto the bike so tightly, and at one point I was going straight downhill into the wind at 6MPH. I didnt know that was possible. It was insane. All I can hope for is that it dies down before May 21, otherwise it will be an even rougher ride than I am expecting. I met Chris back at the start and he was carrying this.
It was the best food I have ever put in my mouth and it was the first time I have been able to finish an entire Freebirds burrito. Best post workout fuel ever!
The next day I was up early to get in a long run. My legs were screaming at me the first 6 miles, but then I started to feel better. The pace varied from 7:30 (with the wind) to 10:20 (into the wind). I lost my visor twice and almost got blown over at a stoplight - it was that strong. I meant to take pictures but I kept forgetting. After the run was a quick ice bath and then a friend's BBQ to top off the Easter weekend. All in all a great weekend.
Just a few notes for anyone racing IMTX
1) If the wind doesnt die down, the race wont be nearly as hot as it could be, but the bike will be difficult. The headwind is on the last half of the bike if the winds stay like they are.
2) The first part of the bike is flat, but dont be fooled. There are some rollers in the later parts, so dont go out too strong so that you are toast for the hills and the last half going into the wind.
3) The bike course is mind numbingly boring. I saw lots of dead animals and smelled lots of skunks. And had a major coughing fit because I inhaled something I was allergic to.
4) I only ran a part of the run course, but it seemed to be shielded from the wind, so that is good.
I put in 180 miles of riding and close to 30 miles of running and came out the other side. Now I have two more hard weeks before I start my taper. Chris is very happy that this crazy ride I am on is almost over. While it is the beginning of the season for a lot of people, it is my end. I have been training solidly for about 10 months and once the IM is over I will be cutting back big time and doing a few olys, sprints and maybe another 1/2 ironman over the next few months before I start with the marathon training. I will definitely be taking some time to hang out with Chris, friends and the family. Oh yeah, and maybe start to plan a wedding!
Happy training everyone!
Apr 18, 2011
Is Triathlon a Stupid Sport?
Chris came across this blog post the other day when he was searching for stupid triathlon outfits. He hates the suits that the guys wear for triathlon and endlessly makes fun of them. On a side note, he feels this way just about the lycra. He loves the shoes, equipment, glasses, etc, and has been sporting his yellow zoots that he wears in the yearly Houston half marathon and turkey trot on an almost daily basis. Apparently I am not the only one who cares about what I wear when I train or race. He really wants to do a race, but refuses to wear what the rest of the guys wear. I personally think it would be pretty sweet to have him kicking ass in some quicksilver shorts, but I can see his point. When we go to the triathlon and running stores in Houston there is such a limited amount for guys in mostly boring colors, and there are tons of stuff for girls. Even the lululemon has about 3/4 of the store for women only. I guess it is because most guys dont care about what they look like when they race?
Anyway, back to the point of the post. He showed me this blog post and we spent the next hour having a very in depth conversation about triathlon vs running. Im sure some of you have seen this on slowtwitch as well. While I do agree with some of his points, for example 1) yes it costs a fortune to pay to race a sanctioned ironman event and 2) Yes we have tons of gear to lug around - and I do respect other people's opinions, I of course have many issues with this post. But I found it entertaining/funny to read as well as read the back and forth comments, which is why I am posting it today. If you are bored at work, now you have something to do. Maybe this guy should get out there and actually do a triathlon before making these generalizations about triathletes. I personally love the races, the training (most of the time), the post parties and especially the new friends I have made. If I didnt, I wouldnt continue to do it because it does take a lot of time. And yes there are jerks who do triathlons, but I dont think it is any higher of a percentage than the jerks who dont do triathlons.
Anyway, back to the point of the post. He showed me this blog post and we spent the next hour having a very in depth conversation about triathlon vs running. Im sure some of you have seen this on slowtwitch as well. While I do agree with some of his points, for example 1) yes it costs a fortune to pay to race a sanctioned ironman event and 2) Yes we have tons of gear to lug around - and I do respect other people's opinions, I of course have many issues with this post. But I found it entertaining/funny to read as well as read the back and forth comments, which is why I am posting it today. If you are bored at work, now you have something to do. Maybe this guy should get out there and actually do a triathlon before making these generalizations about triathletes. I personally love the races, the training (most of the time), the post parties and especially the new friends I have made. If I didnt, I wouldnt continue to do it because it does take a lot of time. And yes there are jerks who do triathlons, but I dont think it is any higher of a percentage than the jerks who dont do triathlons.
Apr 15, 2011
RR. The long version
I finally have some time while I am procrastinating from going to the Y to swim, and blogging sounds so much more fun. It is a recovery week and the swim today is 2K. It doesn't really seem worth it to me to drive an hour in traffic and an hour home to get all chloriney and then have to take another shower before dinner. So here goes.
Pre-race - for one of the first times ever I had very little nerves. I am never scared to race, but I always get that pre-race nervous feeling. This day, not at all. I guess I am saving them all for May. I did have a long wait once transition was set up at 6:30, and ended up getting sick about 4 times. I think Chris and I caught something because we were both trading off turns in the bathroom. But after an Immodium I was ok.
The swim - the only other half ironmans I have done are a one wave start or two (one men and one women), so I was not prepared for what was to come. I was in wave 21 out of 22 waves. Yes you read that right. The organizers decided all the men should start first and then the women should go after and 35-39 women were right before the 40-44 age group. I dont know who decided on this seeding, but the last two waves to start were 35-39 and 40-44. IMO both very fast groups. So a note to the organizers, maybe next year we can have a different order? The race kicked off at 7, and we were promptly led into the water at 8:50. The wind had kiked up and the water was choppy, so I was excited becuase it was a great race for swimmers. We took off and I was in the front group with two other girls. After about 300m we started hitting the carnage from the groups in front of us. I tried to swim over them, but it became difficult and I thought it was slowing us down. So I made my first mistake of the day and swam out about 10 meters to get out of the way, which also put me out there to navigate the waves by myself. In hindsite, this was a bad move because the other two girls I was with finished 1 and 2 less than a minute in front of me. I was hoping for a sub-30, and was disappointed in my time, but after the results came out, I realized that noone in my AG finished sub 30 and there were even several pros out there who didnt break 30, so I think the course was just pretty rough.
T1 - Not bad, but I set up my transition like Chloe does, so I was good to go. In and out.
Bike - I knew this would be rough, but I didnt really know just how rough. We had a 28 out and back course along the beach and it was changing cross winds the whole way. I am not going to even go into some of the slow speeds I saw on my computer, but I knew this would be a challenge, and it was. Even so, I was bummed about my time, but I talked to my coach after and she echoed the sentiment that it was a freaking hard course, so I felt better. I did learn that I could get in enough calories and that my body only wants liquid form (bottle with 100cal of gatorade, 100 of carbopro, and 2 salt tabs every 45 mins). I tried my PBJ sandwich and it didnt want to go down. So liquids it is for IMTX. This led to mistake #2. I stopped 3 times to go to the bathroom from all the liquids. I need to learn to just pee on the bike and it would have saved me about 7 or 8 minutes. I get stage fright and just cant go. Plus I was worried the wind would blow it all over everyone and I didnt want to get yelled at! Since we were almost the last wave i wasnt passed by as many people as I normally am, and I was passing tons of guys, however the 40-44 yr old women were killing it. I was so impressed. These ladies that looked 20 were flying by me and when I read their calf I saw their ages were over 40. Holy huge shout out to them. I hope I can look like that and race like that when I am their age!
T2 - Another mistake. I have no idea what I was doing for close to 5 minutes in there. I honestly cant remember. Maybe I saw someone I knew and decided to chat? who knows, but it was slow as crap. Usually this Transition is my fast one.
Run - I felt great heading out on the run, and stuck to my plan of one cliff shot block every mile with water and then coke if i felt like it. Around mile 2 I started to cramp in my stomach and calf and thought it was time for a salt tab. I reached in my pocket and realized I had forgotten them. Really? 5 mins in transition and I still forgot things? So I made a note to grab pretzels at the stations. In order for me to be able to eat without puking or having GI distress, I have to take it in while walking, so I told myself I would walk every aid station and run 8::40-8:50 pace in between. This was going really well and I was feeling good once I got in a little salt. The course was a 4 loop course and I was able to really see where we were on the course and see Chris a few times. It wasnt until the last loop that I realized I had run out of shot blocks (I had 18 with me in case I dropped some). I then realized that there were about 6 aid stations each loop. I am not great in math, but even I can count that 6 aid in a roughly 3+ mile loop does not equal 1 aid station each mile. No wonder it was so easy! I was only running about half a mile before walking, which really slowed down my run time. I really should pay attention to this sort of thing in the future. That or listen to the alarm that goes off on my garmin each mile.
I was hoping for a much faster time, but I made mistakes that were just dumb. And the run was a pure training for IM to make sure I got my nutrition down. If I werent training for that, I would not have walked the aid stations and probably would have only taken in water, coke and pretzels. I would have felt like crap at the finish line, but finished a little better. Hopefully next year I can do that.
Overall it was a really fun race with a lot of familiar faces. I had a blast doing it and never once thought about quitting triathlon all together. Now it is recover, train and taper for the big one on May 21! Happy training everyone!
Pre-race - for one of the first times ever I had very little nerves. I am never scared to race, but I always get that pre-race nervous feeling. This day, not at all. I guess I am saving them all for May. I did have a long wait once transition was set up at 6:30, and ended up getting sick about 4 times. I think Chris and I caught something because we were both trading off turns in the bathroom. But after an Immodium I was ok.
The swim - the only other half ironmans I have done are a one wave start or two (one men and one women), so I was not prepared for what was to come. I was in wave 21 out of 22 waves. Yes you read that right. The organizers decided all the men should start first and then the women should go after and 35-39 women were right before the 40-44 age group. I dont know who decided on this seeding, but the last two waves to start were 35-39 and 40-44. IMO both very fast groups. So a note to the organizers, maybe next year we can have a different order? The race kicked off at 7, and we were promptly led into the water at 8:50. The wind had kiked up and the water was choppy, so I was excited becuase it was a great race for swimmers. We took off and I was in the front group with two other girls. After about 300m we started hitting the carnage from the groups in front of us. I tried to swim over them, but it became difficult and I thought it was slowing us down. So I made my first mistake of the day and swam out about 10 meters to get out of the way, which also put me out there to navigate the waves by myself. In hindsite, this was a bad move because the other two girls I was with finished 1 and 2 less than a minute in front of me. I was hoping for a sub-30, and was disappointed in my time, but after the results came out, I realized that noone in my AG finished sub 30 and there were even several pros out there who didnt break 30, so I think the course was just pretty rough.
T1 - Not bad, but I set up my transition like Chloe does, so I was good to go. In and out.
Bike - I knew this would be rough, but I didnt really know just how rough. We had a 28 out and back course along the beach and it was changing cross winds the whole way. I am not going to even go into some of the slow speeds I saw on my computer, but I knew this would be a challenge, and it was. Even so, I was bummed about my time, but I talked to my coach after and she echoed the sentiment that it was a freaking hard course, so I felt better. I did learn that I could get in enough calories and that my body only wants liquid form (bottle with 100cal of gatorade, 100 of carbopro, and 2 salt tabs every 45 mins). I tried my PBJ sandwich and it didnt want to go down. So liquids it is for IMTX. This led to mistake #2. I stopped 3 times to go to the bathroom from all the liquids. I need to learn to just pee on the bike and it would have saved me about 7 or 8 minutes. I get stage fright and just cant go. Plus I was worried the wind would blow it all over everyone and I didnt want to get yelled at! Since we were almost the last wave i wasnt passed by as many people as I normally am, and I was passing tons of guys, however the 40-44 yr old women were killing it. I was so impressed. These ladies that looked 20 were flying by me and when I read their calf I saw their ages were over 40. Holy huge shout out to them. I hope I can look like that and race like that when I am their age!
T2 - Another mistake. I have no idea what I was doing for close to 5 minutes in there. I honestly cant remember. Maybe I saw someone I knew and decided to chat? who knows, but it was slow as crap. Usually this Transition is my fast one.
Run - I felt great heading out on the run, and stuck to my plan of one cliff shot block every mile with water and then coke if i felt like it. Around mile 2 I started to cramp in my stomach and calf and thought it was time for a salt tab. I reached in my pocket and realized I had forgotten them. Really? 5 mins in transition and I still forgot things? So I made a note to grab pretzels at the stations. In order for me to be able to eat without puking or having GI distress, I have to take it in while walking, so I told myself I would walk every aid station and run 8::40-8:50 pace in between. This was going really well and I was feeling good once I got in a little salt. The course was a 4 loop course and I was able to really see where we were on the course and see Chris a few times. It wasnt until the last loop that I realized I had run out of shot blocks (I had 18 with me in case I dropped some). I then realized that there were about 6 aid stations each loop. I am not great in math, but even I can count that 6 aid in a roughly 3+ mile loop does not equal 1 aid station each mile. No wonder it was so easy! I was only running about half a mile before walking, which really slowed down my run time. I really should pay attention to this sort of thing in the future. That or listen to the alarm that goes off on my garmin each mile.
I was hoping for a much faster time, but I made mistakes that were just dumb. And the run was a pure training for IM to make sure I got my nutrition down. If I werent training for that, I would not have walked the aid stations and probably would have only taken in water, coke and pretzels. I would have felt like crap at the finish line, but finished a little better. Hopefully next year I can do that.
Overall it was a really fun race with a lot of familiar faces. I had a blast doing it and never once thought about quitting triathlon all together. Now it is recover, train and taper for the big one on May 21! Happy training everyone!
Apr 12, 2011
Race Recap
There will be a full race report to come in the next day or two, but I have a quick recap for now. I wasnt completely sure what to expect in this race since I was traveling like mad the week prior (I went through customer 4 times in 7 days in Houston), and as everyone knows, 85% of my bike training is on a trainer and I have only had a handful of outside rides. But I was hoping to break 5:45 and I knew I could break 6, however on race day it just wasnt in the cards for me. After thinking back on the race, there are plenty of things that I did and stupid mistakes I made (Um hello LONG transition times for who knows what!) that cost a bit of time, but I am learning from them and moving on to the next race. I had a great time out there on Sunday and will definitely be doing this race again next year. It is also a great race for spectators because the run is 4 loops, and you can pretty much hang out, drink beer and watch your friends and family come by every 20-30 minutes. My coach raced it as well and said that the bike was a really challenging ride, which made me feel a little better about my time. The number one goal for me was to nail nutrition, which I did. I took in about 740 calories on the bike (an increase of about 500 from the half ironman before) and made myself walk all aid stations on the run so I could take in 30 calories a mile (up 30 calories a mile from the last 1/2IM). I know that nutrition will make or break an Ironman so I am feeling much better about where I am going into IMTX. The only thing I would change is taking in salt on the run (i completely forgot to take any of my Salt tabs) becuase I cramped a bit and felt a little sick to my stomach. So I am happy with some aspects and learned from others, and am planning another 1/2 IM after IMTX this year to break the 5:45 time!
Here is where I started the week. My morning run on Playa Conchal in Costa Rica.
Here are a few photos my support crew took...
The support crew with me right before the race
Heading out to the swim. You wouldn't know it from my smile, but all I am thinking is how much longer until we get in the water so I can pee...
Chris catching me out on the run.
Another run. I just like this one because the other girl in the photo has my same watch! Twins :)
Here is where I started the week. My morning run on Playa Conchal in Costa Rica.
Here are a few photos my support crew took...
The support crew with me right before the race
Heading out to the swim. You wouldn't know it from my smile, but all I am thinking is how much longer until we get in the water so I can pee...
Chris catching me out on the run.
Another run. I just like this one because the other girl in the photo has my same watch! Twins :)
Apr 4, 2011
Tapering
Last weekend was my last training weekend in Houston before the half ironman on Sunday, and finally the weather cooperated. For the past few trips it has been dry, cool and sunny. Perfect weather for Houstonians, not perfect weather for people training for a race in Houston in May. Last weekend it was hot, humid and very windy for both days of bike riding, and I feel like I finally got in a little training to help get acclimated for the race. It actually wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. I guess that comes from living most of my life in Houston. This week the taper started for the Sunday's HIM, so I got to spend extra time with my dogs.
The legs were sore so I put on some compression pants and we relaxed on the couch watching some shows on the DVR. Housewives is Liko's favorite.
Yesterday when I was giving myself a manicure, Liko fell asleep so I gave him a manicure to match mine. He wasn't happy when he woke up.
Now I am sitting at the airport waiting to catch a plane to Houston and then on to Costa Rica for work. I hope to get in one ocean swim while I am there so I can see if I remember how to sight. Then it is back to Mexico Thursday night so I can pack and head to Houston Friday. Not an ideal time to have a work trip, but there are worse places to go visit. I just hope I dont catch something on the plane!
The legs were sore so I put on some compression pants and we relaxed on the couch watching some shows on the DVR. Housewives is Liko's favorite.
Yesterday when I was giving myself a manicure, Liko fell asleep so I gave him a manicure to match mine. He wasn't happy when he woke up.
Now I am sitting at the airport waiting to catch a plane to Houston and then on to Costa Rica for work. I hope to get in one ocean swim while I am there so I can see if I remember how to sight. Then it is back to Mexico Thursday night so I can pack and head to Houston Friday. Not an ideal time to have a work trip, but there are worse places to go visit. I just hope I dont catch something on the plane!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
