Beware the ideas of March

My good friend Melissa blogged about the Ides of March today and her confession that she'd accidentally typed in "ideas of March" into Google served as a source for a little mid-month inspiration for me.

I am, therefore, embracing the typo and offering a lesson, not only to you, but to myself:

Beware the ideas of March.

March is a strange time for us triathletes. The winter is opening the back door, ready to walk out. Springtime has its grip on the front door, ready to open and enter once Winter takes its final steps.

March is a little bit of both Winter and Spring, but really not much of either.

The excitement that the season ahead holds can make us want to do crazy, crazy things. As we get a taste of the warmer weather, we begin to imagine all the races we'll conquer, all the personal bests we'll set and how we're really going to get up early and train in the pre-dawn hours of the morning.

All of those ideas are great, but it's important to step back just a little and get realistic. For me, I want to do two races a month, but since I'm training for a half iron distance race, that's just not practical. I want to get up early in the morning and train, especially as it gets lighter outside. The reality is that I'm not a morning person - at all - and I must adjust my life to get the training done in the evenings.

So, follow your own Marching orders, just beware of the ones that run you into the ground.

I love you

I absolutely LOVE triathlons!

I love training for them.

I love the burn of chlorine in my nose.

I love the headwind that slows down my speed.

I love the mixed tan lines I get from the different clothing I wear for each sport.

I love the difficulty I have opening my door to go run.

I love the yells from idiot teenagers leaning out their cars calling ME an idiot as I run.

I love the smell of honeysuckle on my bike ride.

I love the smell of roadkill on my bike ride.

I love the sweat ring around my ball cap after a long run.

I love that when I swim at the beach in my lake, I’m the only one wearing a swim cap and goggles.

I love that people think I’m a fitness freak just because I run while it’s snowing.

And I love that I am absolutely no better than anybody else just because I am a triathlete.

Breaking Up the Monotony

This month I'm doing an Ironman Challenge. The goal is to go the distance of the Ironman race in one month. So, my goal is to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. So far I'm on track. I've swum 2.2, biked 58 and run 10.

When warmer weather arrives, I plan to start an Olympic distance training plan. This means a few more hours a week than what I'm already doing for training. My training schedule's not exactly barren currently, but there will be a lot more work involved.

So, as I come out of the Ironman Challenge, I think I'm going to devote the month of February to something different, just to add some renewal to my life. I'm still going to keep a small base of the 3 sports, just in smaller quantities.

Instead of taking a spin class twice a week, I'm going to take it twice a month. Instead of swimming 3 times a week, I'm going to swim once a week. Since I've been so negligent with my running, it'll probably stay the same: once a week. I'll still do strength training 3 times a week, though.

So, what will I do instead? The world is before me. Maybe I'll go snow skiing once a week. I haven't done that in close to 10 years and I miss it. When I've got a good groove going downhill on the white powder, it's one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I might take that pilates class at the Y afterall. They've also got a kickboxing and basic training class that look like fun.

I just need a break from the usual before I really plunge into tri training again in the spring. Stay tuned for more details about my absolutely interesting life.

Let's Round 'Em Up!

Beginner Triathlete has a wonderful feature that allows users to log times and mileage for the three main sports. I was checking out mine this morning and these are my totals for 2008...

I spent 40 hours and 8 minutes biking 456 miles. I spent 70 hours and 10 minutes running 281 miles. I spent 15 hours and 32 minutes swimming 18,598 yards or approximately 11.25 miles.

When you consider that in 2007 I was doing nothing, these numbers are really larger than they appear.

There are many, many more triathletes who put in so much more mileage than me. They've been doing it for a while, though, and usually train for the longer distance races like the Ironman or the Half-Ironman. I do, however, foresee my mileage significantly increasing in 2009 for many reasons:

• I'm planning on competing in at least six Sprint distances next season. I only did two in 2008.
• While I'm competing in Sprint distances, I will begin an Olympic distance training plan in the Spring to be ready for my 2010 season where I will set my sights on Olympic distance races.
• I didn't start biking until May this past year.
• I didn't start swimming until June and quit in September due to no Y membership and colder water temperatures.
• I now have a Y membership. I can train year-round.
• I want to get out of being in the back-of-the pack and putting in the mileage will be conducive to that.

I took 2008 from a year of having my training pockets empty, to - for what was for me at least - bursting at the seams. I'm so grateful to have the good faculties to train and to compete. I don't take that for granted for one single day.

Here's to a wonderful 2009!

Swimming Like a "Standstill" Tornado

They say that if you're on the ground watching a tornado move, and then there come a few seconds when it doesn't appear to be moving at all, that that is the point where you should become terrified...

...because when it seems like a tornado isn't moving, that means that it's headed your way!

Sometimes it's so easy to not see any progress in your training. Sometimes you feel as if you just put in a good workout, but, hey, that's about it.

It is during these times that you can be sure the payoff is coming, that the tornado is headed in your direction.

My first tri was June 28, 2008. It took me 27 minutes to complete the 400 yard swim. During my swim training 2 days ago, it took me approximately 12 minutes to finish up 400 yards.

I am...just...completely...floored. I knocked a little over 50% off my time on that distance.

The girl who won the race was my age. She finished the swim in 9:02. The girl with the fastest swim time was three years younger than me. She finished it in 6:57.

Looks like my training these past few months has indeed paid off, even when I have doubted many times that it ever would.

The tornado appeared to be standing still, but all these months, a faster time was twisting its way into my life.

Every workout is just another step closer to the goal. Even, and perhaps especially, when it doesn't seem like it.

No Training for the Sick

My eyes had barely opened. I knew that the soft dawn light peeping in from the crack in my curtains meant that I had slept in longer than I'd planned.

It was at this moment that I noticed the scratch in my throat, a scratch that would actually end-up precipitating a week's worth of physical misery.

I tried everything to squash my cold. I started with Advil Cold and Sinus. Nothing. I moved on to Dayquil/Nyquil. Nothing. Someone recommended Alka Seltzer. I cringed at the thought of downing that stuff, but I was desperate for relief.

Gary went to the drugstore to pick it up for me. He called while he was there to see if I wanted cherry or orange. "Orange," my voice managed to crackle over the phone. How sweet of him to ask.

After a couple days, I started feeling "not as bad." Seeing that my problem was now only nasal congestion, I tried, at another recommendation, Afrin.

Let me tell you, that stuff is like magic pixie dust. I couldn't believe how well it worked. I felt like my breathing was finally given back to me.

After 9 days of rest, I finally felt well enough to go to the Y today. I'm bummed that I had to be out that long, but I wanted to take a few days getting good and rested so as not to be out a few weeks because I was too anxious.

More on my first day at the Y later.

The Infuriating Bike Ride

I decided to ride along the road here at home instead of hitting the trails. I just didn't have two hours to spend driving. My goal was 24 miles.

It was the coldest bike ride I've done and I had plenty of gear to keep me warm; probably too much actually. This would only add to my discomfort...and to my fury.

From the beginning, I knew this ride would be "off." You know what I mean. There's a different feel to the air...a different feel to the world even. Perhaps it felt that way because that's exactly how it was.

The first day of truly colder weather was accompanied by its rebellious friend, The Wind. I felt like it was taking out its frustration on me, as if the lack of severe weather this summer had left it pent up and only today could it finally unleash its force.

I felt like I was biking through mud instead of through wind. I felt sluggish and angry, angry and uncomfortable, uncomfortable and...hopeless.

So many times I yearned to turn around. I was just utterly miserable. I kept on telling myself to get my head in the game, like my old high school softball coach used to yell out to me in the field from the dugout. But I was so mad because I was so miserable, and memories of Coach Savilla's leadership just couldn't shake the negativity.

So many times I thought to myself, "That's it. I just cannot and will not do this anymore until I get a road bike. Forget the challenge, forget the training. I hate biking. I'm done."

For whatever reason, I made it to 11.5 miles and turned around. As soon as I did, the head wind was gone and my ride felt somewhat back to normal.

I finished up at 10 mph. My slowest ride ever.

Maybe I needed to have this rock-bottom experience. I've yet to feel so frustrated in this sport, and I'm pretty good about getting in a slump and coming back even stronger.

Here's to hoping that's the case.

The Last Nice Day of the Year

I wanted to take advantage of this last nice day of the year by putting in some more miles on my bike. Once again, I loaded up my SUV, drove an hour and hit the trail.

To my surprise, about 3 miles into it, I was growing weary. Twenty-four miles seemed so far away. I thought, "Well, maybe I'll just turn around and that way I'll have done 6 miles."

Luckily, my strong will persevered. There was no way I was going to drive 2 hours round-trip for 6 miles of biking.

I just kept plugging along and I eventually got to a point where I began to enjoy my journey. Instead of forcing myself to bike hard, I decided to just take my time and enjoy the sunny day and bright trail before me. That made all of the difference.

I ended up biking 27.5 miles at a 13 mph pace. That's very dismal but still better than last week. It had been about a month since I'd been on a bike last time, and I've come to realize that I simply cannot go that long without it affecting my endurance.

Now, if I can just get the motivation to bike in the cold this winter, I'll be golden.

The Long Bike

My mentor group on BT is doing a challenge for November to run 40 miles, bike 98 and swim 2.4 (or do 5 hours of strength training if you cannot make it to the pool).

So, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday and start my bike goals.

I have really gotten spoiled riding those trails and my usual route from home just doesn't seem satisfying. So, I loaded up my bike in my SUV and began my hour-long drive to the trail.

Because it was such a beautiful day, because I had nowhere to be and because this trail has many, many miles on it, I decided to push myself and ride 24 miles. Plus, that would knock out 25% of my goal on day one.

It truly was a gorgeous day, a lot like the above picture but with more sun. Every now and then, and only when I was by myself, of course, I'd hear some sort of animal rustling the leaves near the path. I wondered what it was. A snake, a squirrel, a mountain lion? I never found out and I think that's a good thing.

It took me 2 hours to get in 24 miles, putting me at 12 mph. I got passed by a few people who just seemed to effortlessly speed by, as if they weren't even using their legs to move them forward, but had made a secret deal with the wind to make them bike heroes.

I continue to encourage myself by insisting that when I get a road bike, the wind will make me an offer I can't refuse, and I can join their club.

Of course, I know a road bike won't solve all of my problems. Getting better and faster is all about time in the saddle, but being more aero and having a lighter-weight bike will help.

So, here's to a wonderful day of being outside, enjoying the crackling end of a beautiful summer and to having biked 24 miles.

Personal Record on My 3 Mile Run

During my tri two weekends ago, it took me a little over 33 minutes to do 3 miles. Last week, during training, I ran 3.35 miles in a little over 36 minutes.

Yesterday, during training, I ran 3 miles in a little over 28 minutes, a personal record for me. What is even more interesting about that time is that I actually walked 2 minutes of it.

Now, I have learned that one's pace improves when he runs in cooler temperatures. I "talked" with some other folks on BT who have experienced the same thing, so I do believe that the improvement in my pace yesterday is 95% the result of better weather conditions. The remainder I will attribute to just simply getting better.

I don't know whether I should be happy or sad about this.

The Confirming Swim

Today, I went to the Y to swim. I've been doing all of my swim training in my sister-in-law's pool, with the exception of a few open water swims. (Thank you so much, Ann and Robin!) From one end to the other and back is 74 feet, so say 25 yards.

But I just wanted to make absolutely sure that I had not calculated that all wrong somehow. It would be a very Lora-thing to calculate my distance, only to have later realized I forgot to add something to my equation and I had been swimming less (or more) than I thought all of that time.

So, I wanted to get a precise measurement. My awesome friend Becky let me in to the pool today. She's the aquatics director at the Y. Thank you, Becky!

Turns out, it was very consistent with what I'd been swimming. I remember back in December when I was taking a competitive swimming class with Becky, struggling to even get to 100. Today, I did 900 and I could have done more if I wanted.

Fact #1: I can swim 900 yards.

Fact #2: I can swim 900 yards without killing myself if I just relax and take it easy.

Fact #3: It is critical to keep Fact #2 in mind at my tri Sunday.

My new facts of life are pretty cool indeed.

To Swim - to Really Swim - Is Beautiful

Gary and I went out to the lake for my OWS Friday evening. The first half seemed a struggle; I just could not get a hold of my breathing. Even though I told myself not to be, I think, subconsciously, I was afraid of my surroundings. Once I realized I was doing this and could really relax, things started to take great shape.

According to the Total Immersion method of swimming, you must keep your bicep stiff and your forearm limp as it comes up out of the water and before it slices back in. This is something I've focused on the last couple of swims and really got the hang of it today.

As always, this brings me to a new dilemma. When my hand enters the water, it seems to be doing so at a 90-degree angle. I don't know if that's problematic, but I can say that, at this point, regardless of whether it's improper or not, I'm swimming better.

I also focused on making sure that that same arm is continuously moving. One thing I noticed about my swim, which was holding me back, was that I would pause for a moment or two after switching arms so my entry-arm was just kind of hanging out. Once I focused on keeping it moving, my swim improved as did my confidence.

So, once I relaxed and focused on keeping my entry-arm moving continuously, I swam for quite a while with no stopping. It was absolutely the most peaceful time I've ever had in the water. What a day.

P.S. Oh, and we came back home and I biked for 12 miles.

A Training Mistake

I knew before I started I shouldn't. It was Sunday evening, about 8:00 p.m. Gary and I had just gotten back from Frisch's where I had a chicken alfredo dish. I hadn't trained since Friday because of a stiff neck and I was itching to do something. It would be dark soon, so that meant I had to go as soon as we got home from the restaurant.

I decided to go for a 2 mile run. About a quarter mile into it, I started feeling bloated, but I pressed on. I made it through the run OK, but because my stomach was tight, this messed with my form as I couldn't keep the ChiRunning posture. I ended up walking the last couple minutes of my run. Obviously, I did more than a 10-minute mile.

I woke up in the middle of the night sick. I'm better now as I write this, but I should have listened to my body instead of forcing it.

Well, it was a lesson learned and today is a new day.

The Big Brick

This morning, I biked 13 miles again. The last time I did 13 miles, I did it in about an hour and 17 minutes. Today, I did it in about an hour and 9 minutes, shaving off a nice 8 minutes from my time. Though, I actually tried to go faster this time whereas this last time I was just trying to make it through. I had been getting off my bike 3-5 times because of hills. Today, I got off once.

I got done with my biking, came back in the house, drank a bottle of water, switched to my running shoes and shorts and traded my bike helmet in for a ballcap. I then headed out the door for my 2 mile run. To my surprise, running after biking 13 miles was not that much different than running after biking 2.5 miles. My 2 miles took me about 20 minutes. When I started the uphill climb on my second mile, I thought for sure completing this run would take me so much longer, but it didn't.

Wednesday, I'll do another brick, though I'll just do a 6 mile bike and a 1 mile run, so I can taper off.

Ready or Not, Here Comes the Last Training

Tomorrow I will get up early (7:00 AM) and do a bike/run brick. Hopefully, I'll be done by 9:30 and then I will start my work day.