I saved the gmap pedometer route info here.
18.92 miles. I had hoped to have done a little bit more in that amount of time. Roughly 14.2 mph, with nearly 2000 feet of climbing.
Still...one that I could get a little better at and DEFINITELY a nice little route and a nice departure from Tunnel Road!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Triple ring or double?
I am still debating this. I mean, there has been ONE time in the entire time I've been cycling that I thought "yeah, I could use a granny gear right now. That would be nice." Well...that and at the very top of Mt. Diablo, when you have that very last hill which is simply impossible with a double crank after you've just climbed 14,000 feet. Your legs are spent and basically say "um, no."
The triple crank proponents say "good for those longer rides when you need to save something for the 85 mile mark and you have another 2000 feet of climbing." I agree with this theory. However, I have yet to ride beyond the 72-mile mark. Granted, I will certainly approach this mark and go beyond - far beyond, I'm sure - in the next year. Keeping that in mind, I may want to opt for the triple crank.
Then there's the competitive side of me. The one that says "you've made it this long with a double. Why wuss out and opt for triple?" The one that enjoys the sense of pride I feel as I roll past people up a hill with my double crank, thinking "yeah, that's right. Double crank, baby!" I know, it's a lame way to think. It's a completely macho, totally unnecessary and utterly ridiculous way to think. And yet...I still can't help it. *sigh*
Why do I ask this? Just was thinking about that as I went up Wildcat Canyon this morning. Thinking "wow, this wasn't as bad as I remember it. Wait, Sarah...you only went up one of the three Bears this morning...the last time was after a full Three Bears circuit. Do that and THEN see how easy it is." Maybe I will. With my double ring. And I'll love every pedal stroke of it!
So workout was once again modified slightly, but that was only because I ended up swimming in the 1:25 lane last night and all 2400 yards completely kicked my butt. Ohhhhhh, but it felt so good. I LOVE swimming. Have I mentioned that before? When I am 95 and I can barely walk, won't be able to run, and don't quite have the strength for mashing up hills on my bike, I will still be free-styling my way down the pool lane. Slow as I may be, I will still be enjoying the refreshing feel of the water on my skin, the underwater view through my Swedish goggles and the empowerment I gain from using the strength of my body to push through that resistance, gliding forward until it's time to take one last breath before I flip, then feeling myself glide forward again with force from my push off the wall. Then I get out of the water. Suddenly everything is clearer. If I was feeling cloudy-minded, be it from waking up in the early morning or feeling the post-work drag and the accumulated lethargy from the BART ride home - it is completely vanished. In fact, I feel revived, energetic and awake. Ready to begin the day with a hop in my step or end it on a relaxed and strong note. The best way I can describe swimming, whether it is in a pool or out in the open water (a completely different beast altogether, but yields similar results), is invigorating. Life-giving. Refreshing. Most of all, I feel strong. Even in my dreaded backstroke, which is my slowest, I still feel strong. In swimming you don't just use your legs, or your arms, or your core. You use ALL of it. You use your entire body from your toes to your head. You use your mental strength as well as your physical strength. And in return for all that strength you use, your body thanks you. What could be better?
All that said, I didn't swim this morning. :-) I was sore from my oh-so-invigorating swim last night. The plan was to do a bike then swim. But I woke up at 5:45 a.m. and I thought "oh nooooooooooooooo." Just wasn't happening. I knew if I went with said plan I would be a) hurting even more and b) wasting my time because the laps I would log in the pool would simply be junk laps. It wouldn't feel good, I'd be slow, and my muscles would hate me. So no point.
Instead, I did this:
Slept for two more hours. Woke up, donned my bike shorts and jersey (yup, no leg warmers, no arm warmers, no vest, and no wool socks!), slapped on some sunscreen, grabbed my bike and sunglasses and headed out. I had one hour and twenty minutes. I'll be honest - if I do another Tunnel Road ride I am going to scream. SO tired of that ride. So...I thought "what could I do that would be a good hilly ride and get a little distance in?" I knew I didn't have enough time for Three Bears (route here), but what about One Bear? So I did. And you know what? It took exactly one hour twenty minutes!! I need to figure out distance and elevation gain, but I was proud nonetheless. I went up Euclid to Grizzly Peak to Wildcat Canyon Rd, down Wildcat Canyon, crossed San Pablo Dam Rd. and onto Bear Creek Rd., and up Papa Bear. Got to the top of Papa Bear right at about 42 minutes into the ride and turned around. The sun was shining, there was some nice cool air on my arms and legs as I descended Wildcat and Papa Bear, and a big fat smile was plastered all over my face. Even climbing back up Wildcat, I smiled a bit. It felt *so* great to be out in the sun. To not have any sort of 'warming' clothing on. I did find that it took about 20 minutes for me to warm up and find my riding legs, but once I did...it was just marvelous. Swimming may always be my first love, but one thing riding has on swimming - you can't swim and look down and gaze upon lush green rolling hills that lead down to a beautiful reservoir, smelling the different flowers and grasses that have finally begun to spring forth from the dirt below. What an amazing way to start my day. And to think I almost went swimming INSTEAD of riding!
That would have been a travesty.
The remainder of the week:
Thursday 4/20: lift/run in the a.m., 30 minute swim at 6 p.m.
Friday, 4/21: bike ride in the a.m.; swim at 6 p.m.
Saturday, 4/22: part of me wants to say swim at 7 a.m., but you know...with Revive the Vibe the night before and the fact that I do need to get a rest day in after a particularly taxing week, I'm gonna say REST DAY!
Sunday, 4/23: Big ol' bike ride. :-D
I love this sport.
The triple crank proponents say "good for those longer rides when you need to save something for the 85 mile mark and you have another 2000 feet of climbing." I agree with this theory. However, I have yet to ride beyond the 72-mile mark. Granted, I will certainly approach this mark and go beyond - far beyond, I'm sure - in the next year. Keeping that in mind, I may want to opt for the triple crank.
Then there's the competitive side of me. The one that says "you've made it this long with a double. Why wuss out and opt for triple?" The one that enjoys the sense of pride I feel as I roll past people up a hill with my double crank, thinking "yeah, that's right. Double crank, baby!" I know, it's a lame way to think. It's a completely macho, totally unnecessary and utterly ridiculous way to think. And yet...I still can't help it. *sigh*
Why do I ask this? Just was thinking about that as I went up Wildcat Canyon this morning. Thinking "wow, this wasn't as bad as I remember it. Wait, Sarah...you only went up one of the three Bears this morning...the last time was after a full Three Bears circuit. Do that and THEN see how easy it is." Maybe I will. With my double ring. And I'll love every pedal stroke of it!
So workout was once again modified slightly, but that was only because I ended up swimming in the 1:25 lane last night and all 2400 yards completely kicked my butt. Ohhhhhh, but it felt so good. I LOVE swimming. Have I mentioned that before? When I am 95 and I can barely walk, won't be able to run, and don't quite have the strength for mashing up hills on my bike, I will still be free-styling my way down the pool lane. Slow as I may be, I will still be enjoying the refreshing feel of the water on my skin, the underwater view through my Swedish goggles and the empowerment I gain from using the strength of my body to push through that resistance, gliding forward until it's time to take one last breath before I flip, then feeling myself glide forward again with force from my push off the wall. Then I get out of the water. Suddenly everything is clearer. If I was feeling cloudy-minded, be it from waking up in the early morning or feeling the post-work drag and the accumulated lethargy from the BART ride home - it is completely vanished. In fact, I feel revived, energetic and awake. Ready to begin the day with a hop in my step or end it on a relaxed and strong note. The best way I can describe swimming, whether it is in a pool or out in the open water (a completely different beast altogether, but yields similar results), is invigorating. Life-giving. Refreshing. Most of all, I feel strong. Even in my dreaded backstroke, which is my slowest, I still feel strong. In swimming you don't just use your legs, or your arms, or your core. You use ALL of it. You use your entire body from your toes to your head. You use your mental strength as well as your physical strength. And in return for all that strength you use, your body thanks you. What could be better?
All that said, I didn't swim this morning. :-) I was sore from my oh-so-invigorating swim last night. The plan was to do a bike then swim. But I woke up at 5:45 a.m. and I thought "oh nooooooooooooooo." Just wasn't happening. I knew if I went with said plan I would be a) hurting even more and b) wasting my time because the laps I would log in the pool would simply be junk laps. It wouldn't feel good, I'd be slow, and my muscles would hate me. So no point.
Instead, I did this:
Slept for two more hours. Woke up, donned my bike shorts and jersey (yup, no leg warmers, no arm warmers, no vest, and no wool socks!), slapped on some sunscreen, grabbed my bike and sunglasses and headed out. I had one hour and twenty minutes. I'll be honest - if I do another Tunnel Road ride I am going to scream. SO tired of that ride. So...I thought "what could I do that would be a good hilly ride and get a little distance in?" I knew I didn't have enough time for Three Bears (route here), but what about One Bear? So I did. And you know what? It took exactly one hour twenty minutes!! I need to figure out distance and elevation gain, but I was proud nonetheless. I went up Euclid to Grizzly Peak to Wildcat Canyon Rd, down Wildcat Canyon, crossed San Pablo Dam Rd. and onto Bear Creek Rd., and up Papa Bear. Got to the top of Papa Bear right at about 42 minutes into the ride and turned around. The sun was shining, there was some nice cool air on my arms and legs as I descended Wildcat and Papa Bear, and a big fat smile was plastered all over my face. Even climbing back up Wildcat, I smiled a bit. It felt *so* great to be out in the sun. To not have any sort of 'warming' clothing on. I did find that it took about 20 minutes for me to warm up and find my riding legs, but once I did...it was just marvelous. Swimming may always be my first love, but one thing riding has on swimming - you can't swim and look down and gaze upon lush green rolling hills that lead down to a beautiful reservoir, smelling the different flowers and grasses that have finally begun to spring forth from the dirt below. What an amazing way to start my day. And to think I almost went swimming INSTEAD of riding!
That would have been a travesty.
The remainder of the week:
Thursday 4/20: lift/run in the a.m., 30 minute swim at 6 p.m.
Friday, 4/21: bike ride in the a.m.; swim at 6 p.m.
Saturday, 4/22: part of me wants to say swim at 7 a.m., but you know...with Revive the Vibe the night before and the fact that I do need to get a rest day in after a particularly taxing week, I'm gonna say REST DAY!
Sunday, 4/23: Big ol' bike ride. :-D
I love this sport.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Quick minor adjustments to the week plan
Okay:
Monday - only stuck with the 30 minute run from the morning, no swimming. I was feeling really tired and I still had taxes hanging over my head. I knew they wouldn't take too long (I'm still young and poor, though the IRS apparently doesn't feel I'm poor enough to not owe EVEN MORE MONEY, so now I'm poorER as of 8:30 p.m. last night when I gave them the information they needed to access my checking account), but I still wanted to get to bed on the earlier side. So I did, though sleep quality was only so-so. I didn't stretch when I woke up this morning, but I should have. Damn!
Tuesday: Did 50 minutes of spinning. I needed that SO BADLY. The odd thing is that I felt more fatigued at a lower heart rate, which signals to me that my body is still fighting off a cold and that I was probably tired. Damn! Oh well. It was still good quality spinning, worked the legs, trying to keep those bike muscles in shape. Lifted with Christine with a focus on shoulders/deltoids. Feels good!
Tuesday eve: will go to swimming from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Stretch right after, then also will stretch before bed. Will try to be in bed by 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday: same - will bike ride from about 6 a.m. - 7:15, and then swim; will ride my bike home after an hour of swimming (that should be fun...some nice little hills to get back home...)
Thursday: a.m. - Will lift from 6:10-7:00 a.m., then run; p.m. - swim for about 30-40 minutes depending on what time Kendall and I are meeting
Friday: a.m. - Bike ride; p.m. - swim
Saturday: IF I can wake up, I'll go to 7 a.m. swim practice; otherwise this will be a total rest day (with lots of wine drinking - my mom's big surprise 50th bday celebration!).
Sunday: LONG BIKE RIDE!!!!!!
I'm so happy the sun is out. I'm so happy my taxes are done. Now I have to pay my car registration. Fun stuff.
:-D
Monday - only stuck with the 30 minute run from the morning, no swimming. I was feeling really tired and I still had taxes hanging over my head. I knew they wouldn't take too long (I'm still young and poor, though the IRS apparently doesn't feel I'm poor enough to not owe EVEN MORE MONEY, so now I'm poorER as of 8:30 p.m. last night when I gave them the information they needed to access my checking account), but I still wanted to get to bed on the earlier side. So I did, though sleep quality was only so-so. I didn't stretch when I woke up this morning, but I should have. Damn!
Tuesday: Did 50 minutes of spinning. I needed that SO BADLY. The odd thing is that I felt more fatigued at a lower heart rate, which signals to me that my body is still fighting off a cold and that I was probably tired. Damn! Oh well. It was still good quality spinning, worked the legs, trying to keep those bike muscles in shape. Lifted with Christine with a focus on shoulders/deltoids. Feels good!
Tuesday eve: will go to swimming from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Stretch right after, then also will stretch before bed. Will try to be in bed by 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday: same - will bike ride from about 6 a.m. - 7:15, and then swim; will ride my bike home after an hour of swimming (that should be fun...some nice little hills to get back home...)
Thursday: a.m. - Will lift from 6:10-7:00 a.m., then run; p.m. - swim for about 30-40 minutes depending on what time Kendall and I are meeting
Friday: a.m. - Bike ride; p.m. - swim
Saturday: IF I can wake up, I'll go to 7 a.m. swim practice; otherwise this will be a total rest day (with lots of wine drinking - my mom's big surprise 50th bday celebration!).
Sunday: LONG BIKE RIDE!!!!!!
I'm so happy the sun is out. I'm so happy my taxes are done. Now I have to pay my car registration. Fun stuff.
:-D
Monday, April 17, 2006
I feel SO GREAT!!
After the last post, I felt great about getting all of that out. Writing all of that really helped me to flesh out what was important and realize where my priorities need to be at this point. I also thought "well, maybe I haven't completely gone about training in the way that I should be, but you know, I still feel pretty good." I'm bummed that I haven't had as much bike time as I would have liked to, and haven't been able to get out on the track at all, which is another thing that would be good (kind of difficult with all of the rain).
So right now I'll recap the weekend, talk about why I feel so great, and then go ahead with the week plan. THREE WEEKS UNTIL WILDFLOWER! I am *so* excited.
Friday 4/14: Swam about 2200 yards - got to workout late but it was still a good swim
Saturday, 4/15: Intended bike ride...so I got my arse out of bed at 5:20 a.m. and hit the road by 5:55 so that I could be at Lee's by 7 (in Santa Rosa). Even as I woke up and looked out toward Marin, I had this sinking feeling that rain looked imminent. Still, so as not to incur the wrath of Lee in the follow-up email on Monday, I was up and at 'em, determined to show up with a smile on my face and ready to ride! However, right as I finished crossing the San Rafael bridge, buckets of rain began hitting my windshield and I was forced to turn my wipers on their maximum speed. "No way," I thought. I didn't even have my rain gear with me, so riding in weather like that was completely out of the question. I called Lee and told him I was turning around...because it sounded like the ride was definitely being called off! I later came to find out that they did 30 miles and 750 feet of climbing in a mix of sun, clouds, wind and some rain. Oh well. I still got a workout in...
I returned to Berkeley and did the following:
2400 yards of swimming from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Roughly 7 miles of running post-swim for 59 minutes
30 minutes of stretching post-run
The swim was great and so was the run! Got caught in the rain for the last 10 minutes, but that was okay.
I felt slightly sore on Sunday but I actually think that was due more in part to the stretching than the running. I've been stretching upon waking in the mornings and right before bed, as well as post workouts and I really can feel the difference. I feel looser and my muscles don't feel nearly as tight. I haven't had any plantar faschiitis pain at all because I've been taking care to really stretch the bottoms of my feet every day. Even though my sleep amount has been slightly less than desirable, I still feel very refreshed, and I do believe the stretching has a lot to do with that.
Sunday 4/16: Nada. Easter Sunday and I volunteered at Glide Methodist Church in the a.m., had breakfast afterward and then drove up to Napa to hang with the fam. I stretched again before bed but that was it. It was a wonderful day. I really love my family!
Monday morning, 4/17: Walked for 10 minutes, then ran at a moderate intensity for 20. Stretched afterward. Napped for 10 more minutes. Feel great.
I can't figure out why my mood is so positive right now, but I just feel good. I feel good about the exercise I did this w/e and I'm really happy that I started this stretching. Good food helps. I had good food yesterday. :-)
Plan for the week:
Monday, 4/17: Evening spin or swim, I can't decide yet...(prob swim)
Tuesday, 4/18: a.m.: Lift with Christine, then run; 6:30 p.m. swimming
Wednesday, 4/19: a.m. bike ride (5:50 a.m. - 6: 10 a.m.) followed by an hour swim from 7:15 - 8:15 a.m. (I get to go into work later today)
Thursday, 4/20: a.m.: Lift with Christine, then run (maybe on the track?);
Friday, 4/21: a.m. bike ride, p.m. swim (don't have to be in SF until 8:45 p.m.)
Saturday, 4/22: BIKE RIDE I HOPE!! (is now a rest day)
Sunday, 4/23: BIKE RIDE I HOPE!! Probably will try and fit a short swim in there as well.
Hmmm...that's 7 days straight. Ummmm...I could see making Saturday a rest day, especially after a late night Friday night. Yep, Saturday = rest day. I just haven't been riding enough! I could see doing a nice easy spin for 45 minutes just getting out there on the road on Thurs evening before I meet up with Kendall. That could work.
And tonight's agenda (after the swim)...I have a hot date...
with my taxes!!
So right now I'll recap the weekend, talk about why I feel so great, and then go ahead with the week plan. THREE WEEKS UNTIL WILDFLOWER! I am *so* excited.
Friday 4/14: Swam about 2200 yards - got to workout late but it was still a good swim
Saturday, 4/15: Intended bike ride...so I got my arse out of bed at 5:20 a.m. and hit the road by 5:55 so that I could be at Lee's by 7 (in Santa Rosa). Even as I woke up and looked out toward Marin, I had this sinking feeling that rain looked imminent. Still, so as not to incur the wrath of Lee in the follow-up email on Monday, I was up and at 'em, determined to show up with a smile on my face and ready to ride! However, right as I finished crossing the San Rafael bridge, buckets of rain began hitting my windshield and I was forced to turn my wipers on their maximum speed. "No way," I thought. I didn't even have my rain gear with me, so riding in weather like that was completely out of the question. I called Lee and told him I was turning around...because it sounded like the ride was definitely being called off! I later came to find out that they did 30 miles and 750 feet of climbing in a mix of sun, clouds, wind and some rain. Oh well. I still got a workout in...
I returned to Berkeley and did the following:
2400 yards of swimming from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Roughly 7 miles of running post-swim for 59 minutes
30 minutes of stretching post-run
The swim was great and so was the run! Got caught in the rain for the last 10 minutes, but that was okay.
I felt slightly sore on Sunday but I actually think that was due more in part to the stretching than the running. I've been stretching upon waking in the mornings and right before bed, as well as post workouts and I really can feel the difference. I feel looser and my muscles don't feel nearly as tight. I haven't had any plantar faschiitis pain at all because I've been taking care to really stretch the bottoms of my feet every day. Even though my sleep amount has been slightly less than desirable, I still feel very refreshed, and I do believe the stretching has a lot to do with that.
Sunday 4/16: Nada. Easter Sunday and I volunteered at Glide Methodist Church in the a.m., had breakfast afterward and then drove up to Napa to hang with the fam. I stretched again before bed but that was it. It was a wonderful day. I really love my family!
Monday morning, 4/17: Walked for 10 minutes, then ran at a moderate intensity for 20. Stretched afterward. Napped for 10 more minutes. Feel great.
I can't figure out why my mood is so positive right now, but I just feel good. I feel good about the exercise I did this w/e and I'm really happy that I started this stretching. Good food helps. I had good food yesterday. :-)
Plan for the week:
Monday, 4/17: Evening spin or swim, I can't decide yet...(prob swim)
Tuesday, 4/18: a.m.: Lift with Christine, then run; 6:30 p.m. swimming
Wednesday, 4/19: a.m. bike ride (5:50 a.m. - 6: 10 a.m.) followed by an hour swim from 7:15 - 8:15 a.m. (I get to go into work later today)
Thursday, 4/20: a.m.: Lift with Christine, then run (maybe on the track?);
Friday, 4/21: a.m. bike ride, p.m. swim (don't have to be in SF until 8:45 p.m.)
Saturday, 4/22: BIKE RIDE I HOPE!! (is now a rest day)
Sunday, 4/23: BIKE RIDE I HOPE!! Probably will try and fit a short swim in there as well.
Hmmm...that's 7 days straight. Ummmm...I could see making Saturday a rest day, especially after a late night Friday night. Yep, Saturday = rest day. I just haven't been riding enough! I could see doing a nice easy spin for 45 minutes just getting out there on the road on Thurs evening before I meet up with Kendall. That could work.
And tonight's agenda (after the swim)...I have a hot date...
with my taxes!!
Friday, April 14, 2006
Something's gotta give
I don't know how many times I've heard my mother say in her sternest voice "Sarah, you're just burning the candle at both ends. You need to SLOW IT DOWN or you're going to get sick! You wonder why you get these little colds all the time, and I'm not going to feel bad for you!"
Okay, Mom. Okay okay OKAY - I'm finally going to concede, throw up the white flag and say "you're right." (She never reads this blog anyway, so it's safe to say that here!)
This week kind of sucked for me in some ways because it forced me to take a good look at my calendar and realize that I'm just not doing the best job that I can in terms of training. I'm not taking this seriously enough and I definitely don't want to be disappointed at Wildflower. I've stayed up late nearly every night this week and I hate that feeling when you have to wake up and you just don't want to. Or after lunch when all I can think about is crawling under my desk and napping for a nice 20-30 minutes. That's not from eating too much at lunch time. It's from not getting enough sleep.
The thing about all of this is that it's somewhat of a Catch-22. If I get up early in the mornings to exercise, it allows me a few hours in the earlier part of the evening to go out and be the social butterfly that I enjoy being. As long as I'm disciplined and make it back home around 9 p.m. then it's all good (in the hood). If I stay out a little later though, then waking up is a TOTAL nightmare and if I oversleep it means that I'd need to work out in the evening. The problem with this setup is that if I have a week like this past one, I've allowed no wiggle room in my schedule - Tuesday was a little happy hour with my co-workers that we've had planned for the last 4 weeks or so (couldn't miss that!), but then I went out with a friend for Burmese food and ended up staying out until what should have been 11 p.m. but I SLEPT THROUGH my BART stop and ended up at El Cerrito Del Norte so I didn't get home until about 11:40 p.m. instead; Wednesday was Passover and while I'm not Jewish, it was Ben's family's Passover and they have the BEST Passover around and it is simply a night NOT to be missed - I was very grateful to attend, but once again - bed time didn't happen until 1 a.m.; Thursday I went to the Giants game and actually made it to bed by 10:45 p.m. so that was good. Still, though, my plans for the week in terms of workout have gone to the birds and this is just not a way to set a precedent for my season.
The problem is that I am so used to going out after work for a couple of hours, but really, there are going to be some weeks where I'm going to be working out in BOTH the morning and evening...so I need to get used to having a lighter social calendar. As the subject says, something's gotta give, and it's certainly not going to be exercise.
The one thing I do have to give myself credit for right now is that I finally started stretching. I stretched yesterday morning, last night before bed, and this morning upon waking. I did some specific stretches to stretch the plantar faschia, and WOW. My left foot is definitely headed toward plantar faschiitis-ville. I could really feel the difference in the stretching. That was another wake-up call. Guess I'm completely awake by now.
So...the social calendar for next week only has two things: Thursday evening I'm hanging out with
The 2nd Annual REVIVE THE VIBE!!
An evening to promote awareness about brain tumors and raise money for the National Brain Tumor Foundation, this event is going to be AWESOME!
Details (in case anybody is reading this and wants to join in the fun, you are SO WELCOME to do so!):
Where: The DOT Lounge, 1625 Post Street, San Francisco, CA
When: Friday, April 21, 9:00pm - 2:00am
Cost: $15 will be collected at the door and 100% of the proceeds will benefit NBTF
Questions? Email trejo@braintumor.org
Okay, now that my shameless plug is out of the way, I still think I'm going to refrain from posting a training plan for next week just yet.
Why don't I try for the next 3 days...
Saturday: Swim/Spin, maybe even a light run afterward, just to get that whole spin->run transition in
Sunday: I'm volunteering at Glide Memorial for their Easter breakfast from 6 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Then I'll head up to
Monday: Swim in the a.m., ride my bike in the evening? I think that would be neat. I'll be honest and say that I'm already sick of riding around
That's all for now. Just going to take a deep breath and try to slow it down a little. My mom would be proud (if she actually ever read this).
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Today is my rest day
My body is most certainly fighting a cold and I realized that if I don't stop and take a day in the middle of this insane week to just let it do its thing and fight those nasty bacteria that are attempting to invade my nose and throat, it will most certainly lose that battle. That would suck. I just needed a day to sleep in a little more and let my muscles have a break. I'm really going to have a couple of intense weeks coming up so that I can have a nice period of tapering to let my muscles repair and be ready for the big day.
I also decided I should post the race schedule. The races listed in purple are ones that I've already signed up for; the races listed in green are ones that I am still considering.
May 7, 2006: Wildflower (http://www.tricalifornia.com/wildflower/2006/) in Lake San Antonio, Monterey County, CA - Olympic Distance (0.92 mi swim; 40K bike; 10K run)
June 4, 2006: Escape from Alcatraz (http://www.tricalifornia.com/alcatraz/2006/) in San Francisco, CA - Olympic Distance though slightly off the standard (1.2 mi swim; 18 mi bike; 8 mi run)
June 25, 2006: San Jose International Triathlon (http://www.japroductions.com/sjit/) in San Jose, CA at Lake Almaden - Olympic Distance. My very first tri that I did last year and a really fun, fast race. Definitely see it as a possibility.
July 16, 2006: Donner Lake Triathlon (http://www.changeofpace.com/body_2006_donner_lake_tri.html) in Truckee, CA at Donner Lake - Olympic Distance. By far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and one of the most rewarding. I seriously can't wait to do it again.
July 22, 2006: Trans Tahoe Relay in LAKE TAHOE, CA!!! Team Tequila Goggles will once again traverse the beautiful blue waters of Lake Tahoe, in addition to the Lone Tequila Shot, Alice Wong, who will be doing it SOLO! You go, girl. We've already got the cabin!
July 30, 2006: VINEMAN (http://www.vineman.com/index_main.php3?l=h) in Santa Rosa, CA - Half Ironman Distance (1.2 mi swim; 56 mi bike ride; 13.1 mi run). I am half excited and half scared beyond belief. That's one long ride...followed by one long run. My stomach is turning as I write this.
August 5, 2006: Donner Lake Swim in Truckee, CA - 2.8 mile swim across Donner Lake. My most favorite open-water swim (Trans-Tahoe doesn't count b/c that's a team effort, totally different thing). This is a maybe because it will truly depend on the state of my body one week post-Vineman.
Maybe one other race after all of that? Santa Cruz Sentinel, perhaps? Something further down south? If I do a race after that, it probably wouldn't be until September. I'm going to talk around and see what others are doing.
So there it is...my motivation all laid out in front of me!
I also decided I should post the race schedule. The races listed in purple are ones that I've already signed up for; the races listed in green are ones that I am still considering.
May 7, 2006: Wildflower (http://www.tricalifornia.com/wildflower/2006/) in Lake San Antonio, Monterey County, CA - Olympic Distance (0.92 mi swim; 40K bike; 10K run)
June 4, 2006: Escape from Alcatraz (http://www.tricalifornia.com/alcatraz/2006/) in San Francisco, CA - Olympic Distance though slightly off the standard (1.2 mi swim; 18 mi bike; 8 mi run)
June 25, 2006: San Jose International Triathlon (http://www.japroductions.com/sjit/) in San Jose, CA at Lake Almaden - Olympic Distance. My very first tri that I did last year and a really fun, fast race. Definitely see it as a possibility.
July 16, 2006: Donner Lake Triathlon (http://www.changeofpace.com/body_2006_donner_lake_tri.html) in Truckee, CA at Donner Lake - Olympic Distance. By far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and one of the most rewarding. I seriously can't wait to do it again.
July 22, 2006: Trans Tahoe Relay in LAKE TAHOE, CA!!! Team Tequila Goggles will once again traverse the beautiful blue waters of Lake Tahoe, in addition to the Lone Tequila Shot, Alice Wong, who will be doing it SOLO! You go, girl. We've already got the cabin!
July 30, 2006: VINEMAN (http://www.vineman.com/index_main.php3?l=h) in Santa Rosa, CA - Half Ironman Distance (1.2 mi swim; 56 mi bike ride; 13.1 mi run). I am half excited and half scared beyond belief. That's one long ride...followed by one long run. My stomach is turning as I write this.
August 5, 2006: Donner Lake Swim in Truckee, CA - 2.8 mile swim across Donner Lake. My most favorite open-water swim (Trans-Tahoe doesn't count b/c that's a team effort, totally different thing). This is a maybe because it will truly depend on the state of my body one week post-Vineman.
Maybe one other race after all of that? Santa Cruz Sentinel, perhaps? Something further down south? If I do a race after that, it probably wouldn't be until September. I'm going to talk around and see what others are doing.
So there it is...my motivation all laid out in front of me!
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Oooooh...so sore
Okay, back at it. Making this short and sweet. Let's just say...I remember what being 'in the thick of it' feels like. Although, the difference between this year and last is that I never lifted weights last year. I really think it's making a huge difference in my training and my overall strength. Christine said today that she noticed changes in my arms! Hooray for that. I have to admit that there is a small bit of vanity that comes with this whole thing, but really, how can it not?
So here's the summary from last week:
Thursday 4/6: Slept in. It's really hard to get up when it's not your own familiar environs...
Friday, 4/7: Was supposed to swim...but I was staying at Kim's for my last night of cat-sitting, and just overslept. Let me make this clear right now: it takes 3 alarms to get me out of bed. So at Kim's, I only had my phone alarm plus radio, which was within reach to turn off. At home, I have my radio clock clear across the room; the cell phone alarm is on my desk which is still enough distance away that I have to get out of bed from underneath my covers to shut it off (it does NOT shut off by itself - it will keep going); then the alarm next to my bed. The radio goes off first (usually NPR - classical will put me back to sleep); cell phone about 4-5 minutes after; another cell phone alarm 3 minutes after that; and finally, little clock next to my bed JUST IN CASE I haven't already gotten up. So for all those people who think I just bounce out of bed upon waking...I don't. It's a long and painful process that I've spent months perfecting and even now, it's still not completely foolproof.
But I digress - so I overslept. Fine, whatever. Couldn't go swimming after work b/c it was First Friday, which is our girls' night (first Friday of every month!) and I had to feed the cat, change the sheets for when Kim returned, and pick up some food to bring to our get-together.
Saturday, 4/8: Swam at 9:00 a.m. practice, felt great! I swam 1:30 again, but really stayed on that pace and it just felt phenomenal. At 1:00 p.m., with my new running shoes that I bought just moments before, I met up with Kendall and ran around
Sunday, 4/9: Lifted weights focusing on arms at 9:00 a.m.; went to 10:15 a.m. spinning class; ran for 25 minutes after spinning. Phew!! The running was good, and it was nice to do a little brick post crazy-intense spinning! The spinning class was awesome, and the woman who teaches it, Christine (not same Christine who I lift with) is an EXCELLENT instructor. Sunday night, arms SO SORE.
Monday, 4/10: Went swimming at 8:15 a.m. Arms...hurt...pain...ohhhh, it hurt. My arms were screaming in the beginning but I was able to get a pace going where it didn't feel so bad. Nice to be in the pool as usual, though.
Tuesday, 4/11: Met up with Christine at 6:10 a.m., lifted weights and focused on chest with some ab work in between. I bench-pressed 45 lbs! Okay, so some people can lift their weight or some craziness like that. But I've always had weak upper-body strength so it's just exciting for me. Christine is really great in that she pushes me - she'll say "you can do more than that, come on." It's great. Then I ran on the treadmill for 10 minutes while she stretched out her legs on the recumbent bike; after that we jogged outside for another 25 minutes. Good stuff!
So where am I now?
Arms are still SO sore. I felt so stiff running, too. Tonight I really ought to focus on stretching it all out. That would be good.
Here's the plan for the rest of the week:
Wednesday, 4/12: Swim in the a.m.; no evening workout b/c I'll be attending a Passover Seder!
Thursday, 4/13: Lift/spin in the a.m., again no evening workout
Friday, 4/14: Swim in the a.m.; light run after work
Saturday, 4/15: Hopefully a nice long bike ride? Maybe a short run after? Otherwise swim/run.
I think that's it for now. I should really rest one of those days...rest is my friend. That should be my new mantra - "rest is my friend. rest is my friend." *rolling my eyes* I'll learn one of these days, really. This is all at once the most gratifying and frustrating sport around. I feel so healthy, so strong, so ready to get out there and show my stuff. And yet...I feel like I should be getting more swimming in - swimming is slightly suffering. I should be running longer runs. Cycling...I'd love to be logging more miles outside on the bike if the weather would cooperate, but I feel mostly good about that.
Anyway, Wildflower is 3.5 weeks away and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!! ooooh...I really ought to refrain from such sudden movements...
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quick amendments to the week
Okay, so:
Tuesday didn't go quite as planned, either. Stayed late at work so I didn't have time to run before the SCAM board meeting. Oh well.
This morning: Woke up late. Geez! That's sort of a given, though, considering I'm staying at my friend Kim's because I'm cat-sitting for her this week. New place, not my bed. I woke up wide-awake at 3 a.m. after having crazy-weird dreams. Got a glass of water, went back to sleep. So, I got back to my house around 6:30 a.m. this morning and decided I'd run instead of being late to swim practice.
I ran from my house down Euclid, through campus, down Telegraph to Ashby, up Ashby to College, back to the campus via College, through campus, and back up Euclid. I'm guessing maybe 5 miles total? Hopefully a little more than that? It took me 46.01 from my front door and that includes walking up the stairs back to my front door. I averaged 171 heartrate (GEEZ) and peaked at 190 - I'm sure that was coming up Euclid. Ugh, that hill is a struggle every time. Still, I had fun doing it and smiled the whole way. Yes, I really was smiling. :-) I'm crazy like that. It felt good. Iced my knees and left ankle afterward, and I think that helps a lot - I'm not sore at all...
...from running. Now, if you asked if I'm sore from the lunges Christine and I did yesterday, that's another story. MY BUTT IS SO SORE!!! It hurts to sit down! That's a good sore, though.
So the rest of the week looks like:
-Thursday - spin & lift as planned, prob no evening swim due to plans that came up
-Friday - swim in the a.m. as planned, light 20 minute jog after work
-Saturday - yeah, I guess I'm still taking it off...*sigh*
The problem here is that it never feels like enough. Am I ready for Wildflower? I suppose. But you get into this mode where you feel like you're never practicing enough and you have to keep doing more. I'm slowly heading toward that mode and out of the mode I was in a few weeks ago (which was "you know, I seriously don't care. I'm going to just have fun!"). Anyway, just going to keep logging those miles...
By the way - THE SUN IS SHINING TODAY! Hooray!
Tuesday didn't go quite as planned, either. Stayed late at work so I didn't have time to run before the SCAM board meeting. Oh well.
This morning: Woke up late. Geez! That's sort of a given, though, considering I'm staying at my friend Kim's because I'm cat-sitting for her this week. New place, not my bed. I woke up wide-awake at 3 a.m. after having crazy-weird dreams. Got a glass of water, went back to sleep. So, I got back to my house around 6:30 a.m. this morning and decided I'd run instead of being late to swim practice.
I ran from my house down Euclid, through campus, down Telegraph to Ashby, up Ashby to College, back to the campus via College, through campus, and back up Euclid. I'm guessing maybe 5 miles total? Hopefully a little more than that? It took me 46.01 from my front door and that includes walking up the stairs back to my front door. I averaged 171 heartrate (GEEZ) and peaked at 190 - I'm sure that was coming up Euclid. Ugh, that hill is a struggle every time. Still, I had fun doing it and smiled the whole way. Yes, I really was smiling. :-) I'm crazy like that. It felt good. Iced my knees and left ankle afterward, and I think that helps a lot - I'm not sore at all...
...from running. Now, if you asked if I'm sore from the lunges Christine and I did yesterday, that's another story. MY BUTT IS SO SORE!!! It hurts to sit down! That's a good sore, though.
So the rest of the week looks like:
-Thursday - spin & lift as planned, prob no evening swim due to plans that came up
-Friday - swim in the a.m. as planned, light 20 minute jog after work
-Saturday - yeah, I guess I'm still taking it off...*sigh*
The problem here is that it never feels like enough. Am I ready for Wildflower? I suppose. But you get into this mode where you feel like you're never practicing enough and you have to keep doing more. I'm slowly heading toward that mode and out of the mode I was in a few weeks ago (which was "you know, I seriously don't care. I'm going to just have fun!"). Anyway, just going to keep logging those miles...
By the way - THE SUN IS SHINING TODAY! Hooray!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Some sunshine...since there isn't any outside
Just thought I'd post a pretty picture to brighten my mood. Took this down in Monterey a couple weekends ago.
On a training note, did not run yesterday evening but DID do sit-ups. Good stuff. Went to spinning class and got my arse kicked, then lifted with Christine, with a focus on legs. Even if I can just squeeze in 20 minutes this evening, I think I'd benefit. But if it's pouring rain like it's been all morning, fuhgetaboutit.
SO SICK OF THE RAIN! Since when did the Bay Area become Seattle?
On a training note, did not run yesterday evening but DID do sit-ups. Good stuff. Went to spinning class and got my arse kicked, then lifted with Christine, with a focus on legs. Even if I can just squeeze in 20 minutes this evening, I think I'd benefit. But if it's pouring rain like it's been all morning, fuhgetaboutit.SO SICK OF THE RAIN! Since when did the Bay Area become Seattle?
Monday, April 03, 2006
Week plan and etc.
Okay, knee-deep in work. Can't write from home because internet at home is down. Going to make this quick.
Last week turned out to be somewhat of a rest week, but that's okay. It worked out perfectly. It just was such a busy week for everything else in my life that working out took a slight backseat, but not too much of one. Just enough for me to feel quite recovered.
Swimming, however, has taken a major backseat and I'm not happy about that. Quite grumpy about it, in fact. SO, I took matters into my own hands and gave myself a KICK-ASS workout yesterday. OMG, it was so awesome. I swam a 1:30 pace, but who cares? I mean, the fact that I maintained a steady 1:30 pace throughout all 3000 yards and still did it in under an hour made me *very* happy. I will say I was entirely exhausted yesterday evening, but damn, it was the best exhaustion. That type of exhaustion where your whole body is just ready to fall into those nice fresh blankets. Where you know that the exact moment your head hits the pillow and you close your eyes, you'll be totally and completely out, no questions asked. The type of exhaustion where it's all you can do to make yourself eat some satisfying soup, drink a sip of wine, do a bit of reading, and say "okay, I'm spent" and all at the same time - you're so happy. My body didn't quite ache - it just was tired. That's the best...like you pushed yourself, but not so hard that your muscles hate you.
Okay, so let's review last week:
Sunday, 3/26: 52 mile bike ride with Lee, avg 150 heartrate, peaked at 175 or so. Felt GREAT.
Monday, 3/27: Ran for about an hour, kept a nice steady pace, kept heartrate around 160-165 - a little sore from this, but the run still felt good. I'm going to need to work in longer runs.
Tuesday, 3/28: Rested
Wednesday, 3/29: Rested but not intentionally. Was going to do 7 p.m. swim but got screwed over by the BART debacle and was stuck in SF, so I had dinner w/my friend Josh instead.
Thursday, 3/30: Tunnel Road -> Grizzly Peak bike ride, done in 1:15 as usual. Felt pretty good, but I still need to work on climbing more.
Friday, 3/31: Again, rested. Had a 6:30 a.m. flight to L.A. and by the time the first day of the conference was over I was just SPENT. I wanted to run but I was *so* tired. So I took a nap and then went out to Santa Monica and walked around. In the rain, of course. Because yes, even L.A. was rainy. F-ing rain!
Saturday, 4/1: Ran for 37.33 minutes, did 4.3 miles. So roughly a 9 minute mile with an avg heartrate of 167. I felt...ready to be done running by the time it was over, but maybe that's b/c it was the streets of L.A. and really nasty weather. It worries me somewhat though that I'm running that slowly with that high of a heart rate. I guess what it's saying is that I need to be running more. Same thing with swimming, really. I've been slightly slower and why? Well, you can't get faster if you don't put the laps in. Running would be the same thing...can't get faster if you don't log the miles.
So, let's talk about this week:
Sunday, 4/2: Swam 3000 yards. Did 500 free warmup, 100 breast warmup, 3x100 kick, 100 IM easy; Main set: 2 x: [ 300 free (4:45 interval); 100 IM (1:45 interval); 200 free (3:10); 100 IM (1:45); 100 free (1:35); 100 IM (1:45); 50 easy ]; 100 cool down = 3000 yards, total time: 57 minutes.
I was actually happy b/c with the freestyle swims, I maintained a 1:30 pace exactly each time. So, while it was slower overall, the fact that I didn't get any slower throughout was good. It felt so good to just swim.
Monday, 4/3: Swam 2200 yards at swim practice. The whole workout was drill work b/c of the upcoming master's championship meet next weekend. Fine with me. It really allowed me to break down my freestyle and work on individual parts of the stroke. I even managed to get one less stroke in on a number of laps. The perfect follow-up to my yard-heavy workout yesterday.
Evening: I think I'm going to do a 30 minute run. If I don't get out of work in time before my dinner plans, then I'll just do some stretching and sit-ups.
Tuesday, 4/4: Spinning from 6:15 a.m. - 7 a.m.; lift weights w/Christine
Evening: 30 minute run before SCAM board meeting
Wednesday 4/5: 6:15 a.m. - 7:15 a.m. - swim workout, 20 minute run to follow
Thursday 4/6: Spinning from 6:15 a.m. - 7 a.m.; lift weights w/Christine
Evening: swim from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 4/7: 6: 15 a.m. - 7: 15 a.m. - swim workout, 20 minute run to follow
Saturday, 4/8: Bike ride? It's supposed to rain all week. :-P LAMENESS! Might go down to Monterey w/some tri buddies and watch the Sea Otter Classic. I could just use this as a rest day. That would be smart, actually, as I review the week's plans. REST DAY!
Sunday, 4/9: If it's not raining, definitely bike ride. Otherwise, probably do a swim/spin thing.
Great! Let's see what happens to this week...
Last week turned out to be somewhat of a rest week, but that's okay. It worked out perfectly. It just was such a busy week for everything else in my life that working out took a slight backseat, but not too much of one. Just enough for me to feel quite recovered.
Swimming, however, has taken a major backseat and I'm not happy about that. Quite grumpy about it, in fact. SO, I took matters into my own hands and gave myself a KICK-ASS workout yesterday. OMG, it was so awesome. I swam a 1:30 pace, but who cares? I mean, the fact that I maintained a steady 1:30 pace throughout all 3000 yards and still did it in under an hour made me *very* happy. I will say I was entirely exhausted yesterday evening, but damn, it was the best exhaustion. That type of exhaustion where your whole body is just ready to fall into those nice fresh blankets. Where you know that the exact moment your head hits the pillow and you close your eyes, you'll be totally and completely out, no questions asked. The type of exhaustion where it's all you can do to make yourself eat some satisfying soup, drink a sip of wine, do a bit of reading, and say "okay, I'm spent" and all at the same time - you're so happy. My body didn't quite ache - it just was tired. That's the best...like you pushed yourself, but not so hard that your muscles hate you.
Okay, so let's review last week:
Sunday, 3/26: 52 mile bike ride with Lee, avg 150 heartrate, peaked at 175 or so. Felt GREAT.
Monday, 3/27: Ran for about an hour, kept a nice steady pace, kept heartrate around 160-165 - a little sore from this, but the run still felt good. I'm going to need to work in longer runs.
Tuesday, 3/28: Rested
Wednesday, 3/29: Rested but not intentionally. Was going to do 7 p.m. swim but got screwed over by the BART debacle and was stuck in SF, so I had dinner w/my friend Josh instead.
Thursday, 3/30: Tunnel Road -> Grizzly Peak bike ride, done in 1:15 as usual. Felt pretty good, but I still need to work on climbing more.
Friday, 3/31: Again, rested. Had a 6:30 a.m. flight to L.A. and by the time the first day of the conference was over I was just SPENT. I wanted to run but I was *so* tired. So I took a nap and then went out to Santa Monica and walked around. In the rain, of course. Because yes, even L.A. was rainy. F-ing rain!
Saturday, 4/1: Ran for 37.33 minutes, did 4.3 miles. So roughly a 9 minute mile with an avg heartrate of 167. I felt...ready to be done running by the time it was over, but maybe that's b/c it was the streets of L.A. and really nasty weather. It worries me somewhat though that I'm running that slowly with that high of a heart rate. I guess what it's saying is that I need to be running more. Same thing with swimming, really. I've been slightly slower and why? Well, you can't get faster if you don't put the laps in. Running would be the same thing...can't get faster if you don't log the miles.
So, let's talk about this week:
Sunday, 4/2: Swam 3000 yards. Did 500 free warmup, 100 breast warmup, 3x100 kick, 100 IM easy; Main set: 2 x: [ 300 free (4:45 interval); 100 IM (1:45 interval); 200 free (3:10); 100 IM (1:45); 100 free (1:35); 100 IM (1:45); 50 easy ]; 100 cool down = 3000 yards, total time: 57 minutes.
I was actually happy b/c with the freestyle swims, I maintained a 1:30 pace exactly each time. So, while it was slower overall, the fact that I didn't get any slower throughout was good. It felt so good to just swim.
Monday, 4/3: Swam 2200 yards at swim practice. The whole workout was drill work b/c of the upcoming master's championship meet next weekend. Fine with me. It really allowed me to break down my freestyle and work on individual parts of the stroke. I even managed to get one less stroke in on a number of laps. The perfect follow-up to my yard-heavy workout yesterday.
Evening: I think I'm going to do a 30 minute run. If I don't get out of work in time before my dinner plans, then I'll just do some stretching and sit-ups.
Tuesday, 4/4: Spinning from 6:15 a.m. - 7 a.m.; lift weights w/Christine
Evening: 30 minute run before SCAM board meeting
Wednesday 4/5: 6:15 a.m. - 7:15 a.m. - swim workout, 20 minute run to follow
Thursday 4/6: Spinning from 6:15 a.m. - 7 a.m.; lift weights w/Christine
Evening: swim from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 4/7: 6: 15 a.m. - 7: 15 a.m. - swim workout, 20 minute run to follow
Saturday, 4/8: Bike ride? It's supposed to rain all week. :-P LAMENESS! Might go down to Monterey w/some tri buddies and watch the Sea Otter Classic. I could just use this as a rest day. That would be smart, actually, as I review the week's plans. REST DAY!
Sunday, 4/9: If it's not raining, definitely bike ride. Otherwise, probably do a swim/spin thing.
Great! Let's see what happens to this week...
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