Tri Training Week 10: The Heat Is On

Weekly Mileage: 61.34 (8.24 Running, 2.6 Swimming, 49.5 Biking)

I have a confession to make.  I HATE not being in charge.  I really like deciding things on my own terms.  I WILL teach this lesson on DNA today.  I WILL run 6 miles.  I WILL watch an entire season of 30 Rock on netflix streaming.  Because I can do what I want.

Well, it became painfully clear this week that I am not in charge of anything that really matters, at least as far as training is concerned.  Because I am not in charge of the weather, and the weather screwed me over.  Big time.

This week the entire country was in the grip of an insane heat wave, and I was lucky enough to spend most of the it in Indianapolis!  Heat wave central, let me tell you.  I "ran" five miles in 110 heat index weather.  I use the word run loosely.  After 40 minutes my body shut down, I was out of water, and my internal systems were staging a revolt.  After a brief stop at a bait shop (no joke, the only place on the trail with bathrooms), I finished the "run" by "walking."

It only got worse when I came back to DC.  Code red air quality warnings.  Not orange.  Red.  Normally they just warn old people and babies to stay inside, but not this week.  This week they told us ALL to stay in air conditioning and avoid vigorous exercise.

So I TRIED to go work out at the gym.  But I hate working out at the gym.  Ten minutes on the treadmill and I was bored out of my mind.  Because I'm not the boss of the treadmill either.

This morning, though, I went on a 27.5 mile ride outside early enough that the heat wasn't a problem.  It was a gorgeous ride through the shade of Rock Creek Park, and it helped me get back into the swing of things.  Thankfully the weather is breaking, and tomorrow highs are only in the upper 80's.  I can't wait to get back on the road!

Tri Training Week 9: Herd of Turtles

Weekly Mileage: 50.9 (9 Running, 2 swimming, 39.9 Biking)

Whenever we took family road trips when I was little, my mom would wait until we were all buckled in, back slowly out of the driveway and say, "Aaaaand we're off, like a herd of turtles!"  Well, let me tell you, driving a car (even a woodchuck mini van full of kids) is NOT like a herd of turtles.  Going for a run after you've ridden a bike almost 25 miles, THAT is like a herd of turtles.  But I did it.  I survived my first brick workout.  But not without a struggle.

Let me back up.  Most of working out is a mind game.  I play tricks on myself to make the workouts seem shorter. 

- I have three turns before I'm done running.  (Who cares that between each turn is a mile?)
- As soon as I finish this 400m swim, I'm almost done. (Who cares that I still have to swim a 300, a 200, and a 100?)
- I'm halfway done with half my time, which basically means I'm almost done. (Who cares that I've still got an hour left to ride?)

It's all in my head, and I've gotten really good at getting myself through long bike rides, and long swims, and long, hot, awful runs.  My token sayings still work well.  My routes are familiar, and I know what I need to do to get the job done.

That all changed on Saturday when I did my first brick workout (one sport followed directly with no rest by another) back home in Illinois.  It was to be my longest bike ride ever (90 minutes), followed by a brief 10-minute run.  Before the ride I pumped myself up.  I put a Gatorade in the water cage, strapped on my mom's Camel Back (what?!?!?  I'm thirsty!), borrowed her husband's bike and shoes, and went on my way.  It was wonderful to be on the country roads with no cars and corn high above my head.  As the first five miles flew by, I was feeling great.  But it WAS 95 degrees out.  And I WAS riding a bike that was a bit too big for me.  The discomfort started to take a toll.

"Self," I said, "You're over half way to half way there."

And, for the first time ever, I replied.  And I was kind of a bitch.

"Yeah.  Uh huh.  And then you have to GO FOR A RUN WHEN YOU'RE DONE!"

My mind knew what was coming, and it wasn't going to fall for any of my cheap tricks.  I knew this was going to be the hardest workout I'd probably ever done (well, except for that whole half marathon thing...), and my brain was going to make sure that it savored every painful moment of it.

Eventually I did finish the bike, enjoying the hot breeze and making it 24.5 miles in 94 minutes.  And then I "ran."

I got off the bike, took a quick bathroom break, put on my running shoes, and took off.

Oh.  My.  God.

 I felt like I was running through wet concrete.  And that concrete seemed to by drying up pretty quickly.  Yet I kept going.  For a whole ten minutes.  And I tell you what, I was the last damn turtle in that herd for every second of that run.  But I finished.  Now what the hell am I going to tell my brain next weekend when I try this nonsense again?

Tri Training Week 8: Over It

Weekly Mileage: 40.95 (12.65 Running, .9 Swimming, 31.4 Biking)

The honeymoon is SOOOO over.  Here is a list of things I'd rather be doing than an hour or two of exercise each day:

- Sleeping
- Spending time with my girlfriend
- Having dinner parties
- Cleaning my bathroom (for real)
- Playing with my cat
- Reading Bossypants
- Eating
- Buying new workout clothes

After my 60-minute 100 degree ride this evening, I was thinking in the shower (a very productive place to think) about whether or not I'm still enjoying this process.  The bottom line is, of course.  I love that I've set a goal and I'm trying to reach it.  I love that I'm getting exercise, feeling tough, and raising money in honor of two really incredible people.  But I'm exhausted!  I feel like the minute I'm done working out, all I have time to do is eat, pack my bag for the next day, and go to sleep.  And this was a rest and recovery week!

It's time for me to refocus on the lily pads.  I'm not ready for this triathlon right now.  I've got two months of preparation left for a reason.  I need to remember that I can meet this goal by taking it one workout at a time.  That's all.  It just kind of sucks that I've got TWO lily pads tomorrow...

As for the fundraising, I made $150 at my bake sale on Saturday (tough crowd wouldn't buy my damn cupcakes), and $60 at a happy hour hosted by Team In Training.  Coupled with a check I'll put in the mail tomorrow, I'm nearly half way to my goal!  But seriously...what was wrong with my cupcakes?

Tri Training Week 7: Happy Accidents

Weekly Mileage: 42.57 (11.05 Running, 1.92 Swimming, 28.5 Biking)

No, no, no, not THAT kind of accident.  I discovered that I DO like biking, as long as I do it with a friend, or on a really nice trail!

Monday I biked with Megan, my bike tutor.  We did laps at Hains Point down by the Potomac and the monuments.  She's quite the little triathlete, so I pushed myself to keep up with her and was able to bike at a stead 16-17 miles per hour for over an hour!  We did 19.5 miles on a Monday night!  Quite proud of myself, and I had a friend to chit chat with the whole way.

Wednesday I went back to Hains Point on my own, only to find out that it was closed!  I was so psyched to get a ride in at my new favorite place, and I was incredibly disappointed.  Luckily for me, I decided to ride on the roads that WERE open, and I saw a bunch of bikers taking this hidden sidewalk.  What could this be??? I thought to myself.  Where are these people headed?!?!?!  Much to my surprise and enjoyment, I discovered a top secret bike trail known as the Mount Vernon trail.  Now, I know you're laughing because the Mount Vernon trail is probably the LEAST secret bike trail around, and mostly the tourists take it.  ANYWAY.  It was beautiful, and I think I will get on it as much as I can from now on.

As for the running and swimming, things did not go as well this week.  I found myself completely exhausted which, when coupled with the heat and humidity, left me frustrated on the runs.  I only swam once, which I guess means I took my rest and recovery week a little early...

I think I remember being exhausted and in pain about two months into the half marathon training.  Perhaps this is when the magic wears off and you realize the complete insanity of what you're trying to accomplish.

Tri Training Week 6: Sportscation

Weekly Mileage: 43.62 (8.85 Running, 3.77 Swimming, 31 Biking)

Well, what an improvement a week makes!  It helped that this week I was training in Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine.  It's hard not to want to go outside and play when you're in Maine with great weather! 

Oh, did I say something about great weather?  I forgot that on my first vacation day I was minding my business, enjoying a 40-minute run around Back Cove in Portland when I heard the slightest rumbling of thunder.  I turned from the blue skies to glance across the cove, and there stood a giant gray thunderhead, coming straight at me.

Now those of you who know me (I bet you know me if you're reading this...) know that I'm a pokey little puppy.  Always close to the end of the finisher pool in any "race," my goal is just to finish a little faster than the time before.  Let's just say I hope there's a giant thunderhead 40 minutes out from the end of this triathlon, because I frigging booked it!  I almost beat the storm around the lake, but with about a quarter mile left, it let loose and I was soaked.  Best friend (and donor!) Amanda picked me up a few minutes later, and she found me drenched and shivering beneath a big tree.  I had completed 3.6 miles, and finished a 5K in 35 minutes for the first time ever!

The weather the rest of the week was far better, with sunny skies, friendly old ladies at the local YMCAs, and beautiful scenery to keep me motivated.

Once we arrived in Bar Harbor, I convinced my girlfriend that we should rent bikes and she should come with me on my training ride.  The first half was glorious.  We coasted down a hill to find a beautiful lake, surrounded by trees and rocks and sky.  The sun was shining, kids were playing in the water, and all was right with the world.  Because we had biked quickly and up a few hills, we were plenty hot and sweaty and jumped right in the chilly lake.  We were only pretty sure we saw a sea monster once.  Which was weird.  Because it was a lake.

ANYWAY.  After a long swim, we hopped back on our bikes and set out for the carriage roads.  We accidentally ended up on the Park Loop Road, which is incredibly hilly, quite busy, and seemingly without a speed limit.  Courtney now refers to it as "The Death Trap," and we were quite thrilled we made it safely back to the bike shop.

The rest of the trip included hikes (totally counted as running workouts), a few more swims (both at the Y and in the lake), and a LOT of ice cream (lest you think this exercise nonsense is making me waste away...).   Our final adventure ended on top of a mountain(ish), where we watched the fog roll in from above the clouds.  A perfect end to a perfect week of relaxation and training.  I think we'd all get a lot more exercise if we were permanently on vacation...

Tri Training Week 5:

Weekly Mileage: 17.57 (4 biking, 11.62 run, 1.95 swim)

You'll notice that my mileage was really low during week five.  I only biked half my first workout, and then missed my second bike workout on Thursday.  I am having trouble navigating the training schedule, trying to fit in 8 workouts per week.  I've got a job, I just moved into a new house, I'm in a new relationship, and it's really hard to go biking for an hour or more with all of that going on. 

It's interesting because I never miss a swim or a run, which probably highlights my secret fear of the biking section of this race.  But perhaps it also highlights my not-so-secret fear of the bike trails in DC.  I'm not saying high school kids taser and rob people on the trails ALL the time...I'm just saying maybe it happened once or twice. 

The bottom line is, I need to figure out a way to ensure that I'm not slacking off, or unintentionally sabotaging the bike leg of my triathlon by missing tons of bike workouts.  I'm actually writing this from Maine, and I'll have missed another bike workout by week's end.  I must focus on the bike once I return home from vacation, which will be supported by the Team In Training group rides that kick off next week.

The best part of this week was my long run on Monday on that National Mall.  The temperature was in the 70s for the first time in weeks, the sun was shining, and the sporty citizens of DC were out in force.  I ran 4.9 miles at an 11:37 pace, which for me is phenomenal.  It felt good to feel success on that part of training, considering how hard it had been to run in the heat the previous week.

Also, my fundraising is going ok so far.  It's more challenging this time, but I'm looking forward to throwing a bake sale and a happy hour and seeing what I can't accomplish that way.

I owe it to the people who inspire me to run (my honored teammates Toby and Erica) and to everyone who has donated so far.  It's surprising just how much this affects me and keeps me going.

Tri Training Week Four: Rest and Recovery

Total Mileage: 24.78 (9.2 running, 1.58 swimming, 14 biking)

Got my new bike, moved across the town, found a new bike trail (upon which folks get tasered by high school kids who have now been caught), about to go for a run on the national mall, heat finally broke.

Claim to fame: 13 miles of total activity in 100.4 degree weather.  I'm badass.