I wanted to blog this week but honestly, I just didn't have the time. Every night I had something going on & tonight I got home from LITH OW swim late & still trying to get things done. So...since I am racing Sunday, yes RACING, I will continue this blog after my race. While many people have already raced this year, many more than once, this is actually my 1st race of the season...shit happens & I just can't do the amount of races I'd like to this year.
So, this blog is To Be Continued...after SheRox on Sunday...
PS - Tonight was my 1st 1.5 mile swim at LITH. Prior to tonight, the most I've swam there was a mile. 3 laps. Yep. All I kept thinking at the end was "2 more & I've got the Madison IM swim down"...LOL
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Hills are my friends...
They make me faster & stronger. Coach Joe said this 3 years ago on my 1st ride on the Madison Ironman loop. Boy has that stuck in my head!! Who would've thought one little phrase could turn into something so powerful for me?! I seriously find myself saying it over and over as I'm climbing hills. Thanks Joe...it really does help!
Last week was my first ride on the Madison loop for this year. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I had remembered. Quite possibly, this was because when I rode it last year, from mile 15-40 I rode it with an arm injury which turned out to be a fractured elbow. So admittedly, last week I was a bit skittish on the downhills and near gravel...but I got in 60 hilly miles. Yes, 60...one full loop & a mini out-n-back on part of the 2nd loop. Note...the course is NOT meant to ride backwards...I found a hill on the backside worse than the 3 you know who's!! It was the only time I verbalized "Oh shit, this really hurts"...The ride went well. So did the short run after. Thankfully, I rode the course on Friday before the heat hit...here's to praying for cool weather on Sept 9th!!
And still loving the cadence on the bike computer. To all who told me last year to get cadence (Coach Jen I specifically remember you chiming in saying YES)...thank you. I love it! Nothing like seeing 5mph w/ 48 cadence staring at you while climbing Madison hills!! With no smaller ring to change down to. Although I'm convinced somehow the speed is off...convinced. The bike shop will think I'm crazy though if I bring it back in :( Seriously though, I think it's a great feature & am so glad I chose to go with it this time.
Sun I had a long trail run. Found the best place to run trails thanks to my friend Holly!! The old Meadowdale Speedway...no wonder she loves it so much. And let's not forget, it is HILLY! Wow, those were some hills. Thank you Holly...you've been raving about this place forever & I finally checked it out. Muncie has a hilly run I'm told so it was practice. And there too, I kept saying to myself "hills are my friends, they make me stronger & faster". One can hope!
And my swims...let's just say this, I've finally graduated to the 3,000 meter mark...seems like a whole lotta laps. One of these days I'm going to figure out how many laps equals 2.4 miles. So I know I can stop there :)
Madison is just around the corner. Why do I have a feeling training has only just begun??
Last week was my first ride on the Madison loop for this year. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I had remembered. Quite possibly, this was because when I rode it last year, from mile 15-40 I rode it with an arm injury which turned out to be a fractured elbow. So admittedly, last week I was a bit skittish on the downhills and near gravel...but I got in 60 hilly miles. Yes, 60...one full loop & a mini out-n-back on part of the 2nd loop. Note...the course is NOT meant to ride backwards...I found a hill on the backside worse than the 3 you know who's!! It was the only time I verbalized "Oh shit, this really hurts"...The ride went well. So did the short run after. Thankfully, I rode the course on Friday before the heat hit...here's to praying for cool weather on Sept 9th!!
And still loving the cadence on the bike computer. To all who told me last year to get cadence (Coach Jen I specifically remember you chiming in saying YES)...thank you. I love it! Nothing like seeing 5mph w/ 48 cadence staring at you while climbing Madison hills!! With no smaller ring to change down to. Although I'm convinced somehow the speed is off...convinced. The bike shop will think I'm crazy though if I bring it back in :( Seriously though, I think it's a great feature & am so glad I chose to go with it this time.
Sun I had a long trail run. Found the best place to run trails thanks to my friend Holly!! The old Meadowdale Speedway...no wonder she loves it so much. And let's not forget, it is HILLY! Wow, those were some hills. Thank you Holly...you've been raving about this place forever & I finally checked it out. Muncie has a hilly run I'm told so it was practice. And there too, I kept saying to myself "hills are my friends, they make me stronger & faster". One can hope!
And my swims...let's just say this, I've finally graduated to the 3,000 meter mark...seems like a whole lotta laps. One of these days I'm going to figure out how many laps equals 2.4 miles. So I know I can stop there :)
Madison is just around the corner. Why do I have a feeling training has only just begun??
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Less than 4 months to go!!
Holy crap! That's just around the corner...I can't believe I've been training for 4 months already & Ironman is less than 4 months away. So much to do, so much to do!! Like get through my 1st 1/2 Ironman...which is Muncie, July 7th...last year, well, maybe I shouldn't talk about it & jinx myself. Let's just say, I'm going to wrap myself in bubble wrap the entire week before Muncie :) So this year my focus is really Madison. Not doing a bunch of little races. Just trying to stay healthy, uninjured & get my training in. And I am. And training is going good.
Last week I had probably one of the best brick workouts ever. I have no idea why...Sat I ran an hour something & did pilates. Sun I rode just under 3 hours then had an hour run. Boy was I dreading that run. And an HOUR to boot (sorry Jen, but this is what I was thinking...LOL). I rode Barrington Hills with some good bikers, which translates into Cathy hauling butt the entire time trying to keep up. The only thing I struggled with was taking in all the fluids I needed to...I really struggled with drinking as much as I was supposed to. Will have to work on that! And normally I get off the bike & well, you know how the legs feel. Like not wanting to run! But I did and the run went surprisingly good. Bonus was the time flew by.
Did I mention too that my new bike computer has cadence? Yeah, I know, many of you have it already. But this is new to me. I likey!! But boy, 90 sure isn't what I thought it was. As with everything else, seeing the actual number sure does something to my effort level!! Very cool to see what my average was after doing 40+ hilly miles. Anyways - new toy, something different to make the time pass during long rides.
Runs this past week felt good too. And my swims, oh heck, yes, they are going well too. I'm never going to be super fast, or probably even fast, but as long as I'm seeing improvement, I'm good with it. A friend asked me a few weeks ago how long I could swim for without stopping (he was swimming due to an Achilles problem). I told him I just need to swim 2.4 miles & not one stroke more!!! And I mean it :)
Last week I had probably one of the best brick workouts ever. I have no idea why...Sat I ran an hour something & did pilates. Sun I rode just under 3 hours then had an hour run. Boy was I dreading that run. And an HOUR to boot (sorry Jen, but this is what I was thinking...LOL). I rode Barrington Hills with some good bikers, which translates into Cathy hauling butt the entire time trying to keep up. The only thing I struggled with was taking in all the fluids I needed to...I really struggled with drinking as much as I was supposed to. Will have to work on that! And normally I get off the bike & well, you know how the legs feel. Like not wanting to run! But I did and the run went surprisingly good. Bonus was the time flew by.
Did I mention too that my new bike computer has cadence? Yeah, I know, many of you have it already. But this is new to me. I likey!! But boy, 90 sure isn't what I thought it was. As with everything else, seeing the actual number sure does something to my effort level!! Very cool to see what my average was after doing 40+ hilly miles. Anyways - new toy, something different to make the time pass during long rides.
Runs this past week felt good too. And my swims, oh heck, yes, they are going well too. I'm never going to be super fast, or probably even fast, but as long as I'm seeing improvement, I'm good with it. A friend asked me a few weeks ago how long I could swim for without stopping (he was swimming due to an Achilles problem). I told him I just need to swim 2.4 miles & not one stroke more!!! And I mean it :)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Baby I'm back!!!!!!!
Wow, what a week! Coming off my rest week but man, I got my butt kicked. More than once!! I took some classes taught by my favorite instructors & overall had great workouts. OK, well, one more day to go...but assuming it doesn't rain tomorrow, I know I'll have a good bike ride.
I've said before, I love my weight training (although admittedly struggling with fitting it into my workout schedule lately). Over the past month or so, I've substituted my Sunday strength training session with a yoga class...one that uses light weights & a ball. I love this class! I'm not a traditional yoga person, but this class I love. I think it's geared towards athletes. I actually work up a sweat :)
And bad timing (day before my 2nd swim test...more on that later) but I took a No Limits class this week also. It's just what the name implies. Full body workout - no limits. Yes, Alisa, if you read this, you kicked my butt. I was sore for 2 days! Love it :) Unfortunately, with my normal schedule, I don't get to take her class, so bonus I was able to this week.
Wed was my 2nd swim test...seeing if I improved on my average pace per 100 meters. Where I'm NOT going to tell you what it is, I will say this...SCORE!!!!!!!!!! I dropped 9 seconds off my average 100m pace. I'm still not a fan of swimming but I'm very happy that I'm seeing improvement. Now to keep my elbow from entering the water before my hand...I've been corrected twice on that, by the same person on top of it and months apart. Still things to work on with regards to form, but at least I know what the issues are so I know what to work on :) Just happy about the swim test.....!
Had 2 good runs this week. Legs felt good, no pain. At this point, I'm not as concerned about my pace as I am staying injury free. Yes, I'm injury prone & there's no way I'm letting some injury screw up my season this year! I have enough other things doing that...LOL Did hill repeats today. Thanks to Donna for suggesting a hill close to home!! Holy steep hill though! I could've done without seeing the snake...yuk, it just laid there on the hill and didn't move. I kept thinking with each hill repeat I'm getting more tired & one of these times he's gonna slither onto me. UGH...but the run was good & fingers crossed tomorrow my shins will still feel OK.
Hoping for no rain tomorrow. I switched my weekend workouts so I could ride Barrington Hills with a group tomorrow. Looking forward to it! Haven't ridden with these guys in a few years so it'll be interesting. And I need to figure out how my new computer works...it has cadence & I've never had that on a bike before. I just hope I don't crash cuz I'm looking down at the computer while riding instead of watching where I'm going!!
So, overall, very good week. Now, I'm going to end with a question...if there are any Ironman. reading this...I have 2 cages on my bike for bottles. That's it. Do I need both an aero bottle as well as the behind the seat cages? I see bottles always popping out of the behind the seat ones...so just looking for opinions. Any particular brands you like? Any suggestions/comments will be much appreciated!!
I've said before, I love my weight training (although admittedly struggling with fitting it into my workout schedule lately). Over the past month or so, I've substituted my Sunday strength training session with a yoga class...one that uses light weights & a ball. I love this class! I'm not a traditional yoga person, but this class I love. I think it's geared towards athletes. I actually work up a sweat :)
And bad timing (day before my 2nd swim test...more on that later) but I took a No Limits class this week also. It's just what the name implies. Full body workout - no limits. Yes, Alisa, if you read this, you kicked my butt. I was sore for 2 days! Love it :) Unfortunately, with my normal schedule, I don't get to take her class, so bonus I was able to this week.
Wed was my 2nd swim test...seeing if I improved on my average pace per 100 meters. Where I'm NOT going to tell you what it is, I will say this...SCORE!!!!!!!!!! I dropped 9 seconds off my average 100m pace. I'm still not a fan of swimming but I'm very happy that I'm seeing improvement. Now to keep my elbow from entering the water before my hand...I've been corrected twice on that, by the same person on top of it and months apart. Still things to work on with regards to form, but at least I know what the issues are so I know what to work on :) Just happy about the swim test.....!
Had 2 good runs this week. Legs felt good, no pain. At this point, I'm not as concerned about my pace as I am staying injury free. Yes, I'm injury prone & there's no way I'm letting some injury screw up my season this year! I have enough other things doing that...LOL Did hill repeats today. Thanks to Donna for suggesting a hill close to home!! Holy steep hill though! I could've done without seeing the snake...yuk, it just laid there on the hill and didn't move. I kept thinking with each hill repeat I'm getting more tired & one of these times he's gonna slither onto me. UGH...but the run was good & fingers crossed tomorrow my shins will still feel OK.
Hoping for no rain tomorrow. I switched my weekend workouts so I could ride Barrington Hills with a group tomorrow. Looking forward to it! Haven't ridden with these guys in a few years so it'll be interesting. And I need to figure out how my new computer works...it has cadence & I've never had that on a bike before. I just hope I don't crash cuz I'm looking down at the computer while riding instead of watching where I'm going!!
So, overall, very good week. Now, I'm going to end with a question...if there are any Ironman. reading this...I have 2 cages on my bike for bottles. That's it. Do I need both an aero bottle as well as the behind the seat cages? I see bottles always popping out of the behind the seat ones...so just looking for opinions. Any particular brands you like? Any suggestions/comments will be much appreciated!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Get out of my way Life!
So it's fair to say these past few weeks have been causing chaos in my life. Not one particular thing that has happened, just stuff. I have A LOT of stress in my life right now & it's really affecting all aspects of my life. Someone who was in my life a few years ago, who made quite the impact, once told me "sometimes life just gets in the way". That's EXACTLY how I've been feeling these past few weeks...LIFE has been getting in the way of me living the life I want to be living and getting in the way of me training the way I want to be training! Boy, that was a mouthful, are you still there??
How ironic that Jen posted someone else's blog today about nutrition. I haven't read it yet, but that's just one of the aspects of my life that went by the wayside these past few weeks. Coming clean, yes, I've indulged much more than usual these past few weeks, without a care in the world. And yep, it caught up with me...LOL
I've been training but my heart hasn't been in it. Just sort of going through the motions. I was taking some time off running, due to my right calf & shin bothering me, and I think at some point, that alone got to me because I wanted to run! I miss it!! And am I the only one whose mind wanders while swimming? I can't tell you how many times I lost track of where I was in my set, or while counting laps. My life is getting in the way of my training! Heck, I even space out during my bike rides...
So, no more Life. Get out of my way! Or at least, mellow out, will ya? I have an Ironman to train for & I need to stay focused :)
How ironic that Jen posted someone else's blog today about nutrition. I haven't read it yet, but that's just one of the aspects of my life that went by the wayside these past few weeks. Coming clean, yes, I've indulged much more than usual these past few weeks, without a care in the world. And yep, it caught up with me...LOL
I've been training but my heart hasn't been in it. Just sort of going through the motions. I was taking some time off running, due to my right calf & shin bothering me, and I think at some point, that alone got to me because I wanted to run! I miss it!! And am I the only one whose mind wanders while swimming? I can't tell you how many times I lost track of where I was in my set, or while counting laps. My life is getting in the way of my training! Heck, I even space out during my bike rides...
So, no more Life. Get out of my way! Or at least, mellow out, will ya? I have an Ironman to train for & I need to stay focused :)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Cabin fever...
Is it just me, or does anyone else have a case of cabin fever? Itching for the warm weather to get (and STAY) here? Oh, I've been running outside for a long time, but I want to bike & swim outside too. I'm sure part of it, at least for me, is I just got my bike back from having a tune-up/major overhaul & (FINALLY) got a replacement computer put on. Bit the bullet & got one with cadence. Now to figure out how it works & see if I'll like it! Bring on a long, outdoor ride...sun, no wind & warm temps please.
But seriously, what was that little tease of warm weather we had a few weeks ago? What happened to it? The only thing it did is make these 40's & 50's we're having seem that much colder to me! Holy crap, I had my warmest jacket on this morning for Erin's walk, gloves & all. I did go for a run outside this morning. I guess it had warmed up a bit since the 5:30am walk...I was a bit overdressed. Oops...
I think the real reason I have this weather thing on my mind is I've been thinking about Madison a lot lately. Water temps...what will the air temperature be that day...god help me if it rains! You know, it's September, it can go either way in a normal year! I guess it's a combination of conversations I've had recently, thinking about other races I've spectated at & how hot it's been for them...and wondering if our very mild winter is going to come back & bite me in the you know what come Sept. 9th! Oh, I know it's pointless to worry about it now, and I'm not worried, just wondering...and I know my history...LOL...if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all !! So please, weather gods, if you happen to be reading this blog...please, no cold or wet weather on Sept 9th...just lots of sunshine & warm temps!
But seriously, what was that little tease of warm weather we had a few weeks ago? What happened to it? The only thing it did is make these 40's & 50's we're having seem that much colder to me! Holy crap, I had my warmest jacket on this morning for Erin's walk, gloves & all. I did go for a run outside this morning. I guess it had warmed up a bit since the 5:30am walk...I was a bit overdressed. Oops...
I think the real reason I have this weather thing on my mind is I've been thinking about Madison a lot lately. Water temps...what will the air temperature be that day...god help me if it rains! You know, it's September, it can go either way in a normal year! I guess it's a combination of conversations I've had recently, thinking about other races I've spectated at & how hot it's been for them...and wondering if our very mild winter is going to come back & bite me in the you know what come Sept. 9th! Oh, I know it's pointless to worry about it now, and I'm not worried, just wondering...and I know my history...LOL...if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all !! So please, weather gods, if you happen to be reading this blog...please, no cold or wet weather on Sept 9th...just lots of sunshine & warm temps!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
One day at a time...
So it's been almost 3 months since I've been training w/ Jen...holy crap...3 months! Ironman is now just a bit over 5 months away... where is this time going? Sept is only 5 months away? Huh? I have a feeling it's going to creep up on me & all of a sudden it's going to be a month away. And I'm going to panic...LOL OK, in reality, I think I'm a bit anxious & even though it's months away...I'm getting more excited & one thing I don't have, is patience!
My training has been going good. Really good, in fact. I am definitely challenged by what I'm doing...and sometimes I hate the workouts (translation...they are REALLY HARD). Like today's bike! I seriously thought I was going to die, well not really, but I FELT like it! For a second I had considered cheating for one set, I needed a break, but I did not. These workouts just remind me that what I used to consider a HARD workout, really was not. Unless I was racing. And I'm doing more strength training. I LOVE my strength training...I am sore after my strength training...love, love, love it!
I'm coming off of a little leg issue (hopefully) now...I think I mentioned it last time...a bit of a calf/shin issue that was bothering me so I took last week off of running & am going to see how it goes tomorrow. I have a nice, easy zone 1-2 run. Fingers crossed my rest, stretching & foam rolling has fixed it. I even cut out some of the walks for the dog in order to rest it...more playing fetch in the yard for her ;) Again, no patience, want to test out the leg & see how it feels. I haven't run in almost 10 days...blah!
Looking forward to the weather getting warmer. I need to work on my tan, er, tan lines. I think I have a bit of cabin fever, even with the few weeks of warmer weather we had, I'm ready to move it all outside...patience I tell myself...one day at a time...soon enough...until then, I will take one day at a time.
My training has been going good. Really good, in fact. I am definitely challenged by what I'm doing...and sometimes I hate the workouts (translation...they are REALLY HARD). Like today's bike! I seriously thought I was going to die, well not really, but I FELT like it! For a second I had considered cheating for one set, I needed a break, but I did not. These workouts just remind me that what I used to consider a HARD workout, really was not. Unless I was racing. And I'm doing more strength training. I LOVE my strength training...I am sore after my strength training...love, love, love it!
I'm coming off of a little leg issue (hopefully) now...I think I mentioned it last time...a bit of a calf/shin issue that was bothering me so I took last week off of running & am going to see how it goes tomorrow. I have a nice, easy zone 1-2 run. Fingers crossed my rest, stretching & foam rolling has fixed it. I even cut out some of the walks for the dog in order to rest it...more playing fetch in the yard for her ;) Again, no patience, want to test out the leg & see how it feels. I haven't run in almost 10 days...blah!
Looking forward to the weather getting warmer. I need to work on my tan, er, tan lines. I think I have a bit of cabin fever, even with the few weeks of warmer weather we had, I'm ready to move it all outside...patience I tell myself...one day at a time...soon enough...until then, I will take one day at a time.
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