Speed

No, I'm not talking about eight balls and movies with buses in them. I'm speaking of the ''move one foot in front of another, while your heart's beating out of your chest, bleeding from the lungs, sweat and spit spilling out of your body while trying to hit a time' kinda' speed. The same kind of speed that seems to have left me in the dust. Now I'm fully aware that speed is a relative term, and that relative to some, I am fast. But, I am also all to aware that relative to some, I am sssssllllllloooooowwwwww (this is especially apparent over short distances). And to 'keep it real', I am actually only comparing myself to......
myself. If I were somehow magically able to race a 13 year old me in a 400, 800 or even 1500 m, I would get my ass kick by mini me.
This realization came about tonight during my first date with the oval for 2010.
The workout was short - too short. This meant one thing, it was to be FAST. On paper it was laughable to this IM athlete. I'm used to doing lots, and lots and lots of repeats, at a slower pace. I've been working on the deisel engine.
With a new goal on the horizon (marathon!) I need to work on getting faster in the shorter races (tee hee).
I did my warm up run to the track - 20 min..... found a bush for a last minute pee, did a couple of pick ups and was ready.... more than ready, I was excited!! I have always felt at home on the track. I was running on an oval long before I had a true appreciation for how much pain it can inflict. Nothing beats a good workout on the track.
The workout was simple: 2 x 400, 1 x 800, 1 x 1600, 1 x 800, 2 x 400.
The first 400s and 800 were to be at a decent clip, but the slowest getting quicker with each repeat. The 1600 was too be close to all out, realizing that I would have to go quicker yet for the next 800 and 400s.
No shocker, I went out too quick. I find running on a track much easier than a treadmill and since all of my speed sessions have been on a treadmill judging speed by my effort was a mistake..... 1:28. Next one went slower. The 800 was comfortable at 3:03. But the 1600 was where the money was at! I dropped it like it was hot, for the first three laps. I hit the third lap in 4:24. Not super but I was stoked. Then, a terrible pain in my chest! Was I having a heart attack? Quick assessment: no pain in my arm, not light headed... guess not. Kept running. Felt like I was running soooo fast! Just 100 left - I swear I could hear chariots of fire. Hit the line in 5:56... dang! I definately thought I would be faster than that! In grade 9 I ran the 1500 in 5:20, 800 in 2:26, the 400 in 60 seconds... today, the fastest 400 I could muster was a 1:22. Lots of work to do..... and I can't wait until next time!

123.6

Week one of fatty camp has been a success! I can attribute this loss to
a couple of key factors. 1. I have stopped eating 2 chocolate chip cookies everyday at lunch 2. I have stopped eating a lot of chocolate everyday (instead, only eating a little chocolate everyday - baby steps!) 3. We don't have Tim Horton's down here (I love you Tims!) and 4. I used a different scale.
123.6 lbs is a pretty good weight for me. I could probably stand to be around 120 in the early season (I'm 5'4") and then drop a couple more during peak season so I might continue with the tough love towards chocolate. I did however make one rule (so far --- it IS my game, I can therefore make the rules as I go!). Sunday = cheat day. I can have anything I want. I elected for this tasty morsel that I had been eyeing a few days earlier.

No where even close to being as good as my sweet, sweet Timmy's

Right On!!

The first time I rode to the top of Mt Lemmon I thought, "this would make a kick ass marathon". Mt. Lemmon is some where around 27 miles to the very top. A total gain of over 6000 ft.
Well, someone has done it. It is scheduled for October 17th. One week after Hawaii. I may end up only doing the Half, but I will be running up that mountain!
Anyone? Bueller..... Bueller....

128

128 lbs. That's how much one of these weigh:

It's also how much this weighs:

And it's how much 10.25 of these weigh:

Now, it is officially how much CP weighs. Damnit.

I have officially reached my target weight gain for the year. Now that I have hit my goal, I can start to work at losing it again. My very own biggest loser.
I have always thought that a key component to reaching your goals was to tell everyone about them. Make yourself accountable to someone other than your training journal and your garmin.
I'm starting my 'program' today. I will weigh myself weekly (yes, I know - it's not the number that counts but it is a gauge), and I will write about it. I also know that it's not realistic to be race weight year round so all I want is to lose 5 - 8 lbs - and hopefully not muscle. Game on.

Two thousand and ten

Writing from the extremely cold, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Indicative that I may actually be learning....I have taken a whole 6 weeks of off season this year. I can honestly say that I've never done so little since starting the great sport of triathlon. I've swam TWICE since IM. Biked a handful of times (but those do include a 4:40 and 3:30 ride!) and have been running purely for the enjoyment and clear headedness it brings me. I am now able to say "bring it on!"
I am totally ready and excited for what's to come.
After some discussion with coach, it was decided that it will be necessary to break this year up into sections. Having secured a Kona spot already, I will not have to complete another IM in the same year. Which for me is very good. I have learned that it takes me quite a long time to recover from these events, mentally and physically.
The first part of the year will be dedicated mostly to cycling. I have at couple of stage races that I want to do and this year I will be racing them as a CAT 3!
In the spring the focus will switch to running. I will be targeting the San Diego R & R Marathon the first week in June! I am super pumped. I haven't run a stand alone marathon since 2004. I have some lofty goals.....I'm not gonna' say but here's a hint: it starts with the letter "2".
From then on it's all about Kona.
As part of the official 30 in 30, I did an hour speed session on the tready.
Mile Down: 1 x 1 mile, 2 x 1200m, 3 x 800m, 4 x 400m with a 200m float in between. I wasn't so concerned with my speed as I was with just turning over the legs. It felt great. My body is ready and my mind is willing!

2

Second run - 72 degrees (that's somewhere over 20 celcius I think). Outside. ITB felt lovely on the dirt trails. Eureka!
36 minutes in the bank. 106 total.
Brought my phone with me and snapped a couple (yes, I stopped my watch for the pics!)

Day uno

I didn't snap a pic from day one. Had I done so, it would have been the inside of LA Fitness. Even though temps reached the 70's in Tucson - I elected to do a mini hill workout on the tready. Still a little worried about the right ITB. So far so good, but want to make sure and go slow.

Last week, Tucson was a hot bed of excitement for cycling fans. Lance was here with his team putting in some base miles.

My coach, Jimmy (seen here holding his own beside Lance on Mt. Lemmon) is a long time friend of Lance's. While I didn't get to ride with the team and Lance (it IS my off season), I did get to rub elbows with them at an after dinner party (and I mean literally Lance elbowed me in the back at least six times!). I got to meet most of the Radioshack team, including Levi and Popovich and got to share a conversation and a Margarita with Lance! He's okay.