Running out of time...

Ah, if only I had more time....

I feel I am finally getting some "speed" on the bike, my open running is going super, my bricks are becoming more manageable, and my OW swims panic-free. Part of this all is that I have developed some sport specific confidence. The other part is that my body and mind have gotten used to training.

I continue to learn a lot - like how sitting tucked in on the bike gave me almost a mile/min increase in speed on today's ride, like how I swim faster and faster the longer the distance (if only my arms did not hurt!) up to a point, of course, like how pain comes and goes during workouts and I can just go with it, all in the present, without worrying that I am going to crash and burn.

Yet I feel I am running out of time. I would love to have another month or so to train before the race. The knowledge and experience I have gained would help me become a much stronger triathlete. And maybe with the extra time I would become more comfortable eating and drinking on the bike, without having to slow down as much. But, alas, it is what it is, and in 2 weeks I am going to toe the line and hope for a good day.

Taper started this week. My training plan (a combo of the HIM training from "Championship triathlon training, Advanced training for peak performance" by Dallam & Jones, which I used for swimming and biking, and Hudson's "Run Faster" marathon plan with 6 days of running and peak @ 60 miles) has me taper running for 2 weeks, and biking/swimming for 1 week. So this week I am going from 55-59 miles running on average, to 36. My biking is peaking at 2X40 miles and 1X72 miler + 2 mile run. My swimming is peaking at 2X3200 yards and 1X4000 yards. And then next week I do close to nothing, 24 miles running, 20 miles biking, 2 miles swimming. Good thing I have to prepare for a conference and pack for Vermont and for our work/fun trip to Romania.

My body has been so strong through this training. It can take a lot. I am proud of it. I managed not to get sick (so far) except a little sore throat for the past few days, but nothing that affects my energy level. I feel so strong and fit and healthy, and I love it. I am excited for the race, though nervous and underprepared (even though I trained a lot!). These 2 weeks I am going to work on getting myself mentally ready for the race. Hopefully, that will help me feel less underprepared. Will see!

Broken pedals, a dead squirrel, and finally a good brick!

Have you ever broken your clipless pedals? Well, I did. It was a gradual process, I suppose. About 2 weeks ago I noticed that sometimes I would easily unclip of one side of my R pedal. At home, I discovered that the pedal was broken on that side. We are talking broken metal. So I just put red nail polish on that side, and figured I could clip on the other. That worked until last night. 90 min into my trainer ride, I could no longer clip in. I took the bike to the shop where they were amazed that the pedal got broken, and replaced my pedals with a different type of clip system (still recessed type) free of charge. Love my bike shop! Phew!

This morning bright and early I headed out for my 65 mile ride + 4 mile run. It was still dark when I left the house, and the darkness did not help get me excited about the ride. The little birds and dead mice on the side of the bike path did not get me excited either. As I kept biking along, the sun came out, endorphins started flowing, and I was feeling good. And then I heard a scream behind me, turned my head, and saw a dead squirrel, a terrified woman, along with blood on my bike. Yes, I killed the squirrel. I knew this would happen one day. These guys are not v smart and I often have to brake hard to avoid them. Not this time. I mumbled an "I am sorry" and went on my way. Should I have stopped? I don't know, everything happened so fast! For the next 10 miles all I could think about was the dead squirrel! Until I said enough is enough and I pulled out my ipod.

I believe that the squirrel incident made me bike faster. Don't get me wrong, I was still slow, but I was fast for my standards. Chris met me for the last 25 miles. He showed up in cotton pants and shirt, running shoes, and no water. We had a ball, though. Watching him ride up the hills makes me want to have minus body fat like he does. I would surge in front on him on the downhills, and then he'd ride by me on the uphills.

Check out the difference in biking attire. Funny, ha? At least he has a helmet!



My plan for the run was to stay at race pace. That did not happen. I did not look at my Garmin and ended up running the first .5 mile at 10k pace (feeling great), and then settling into lower than planned marathon pace. That felt comfortable, except that I got lightheaded (too little food, I know) toward the end. Still, it was one of the best runs off the bike. I might have turned a corner!

And did I mention how much I love my bikerides? A lot. I am already sad I will have to give them up soon so that I could focus on marathon training...

Off bike running vs open running

Remember that run that kicked my a$$ a couple of weeks ago? Well, I had a tougher version of it today, and nailed it. I had 6 easy miles, then 5 miles of 90 sec 10K pace/90 sec easy, 2 miles easy and 3 miles hard. It was not easy, but it was not super tough. In fact, my pace for the intervals was more like 5k pace, and the easy pace between intervals was a little slower than MP (not planned, I just worked on going by feel). Instead of the lactic acid accumulation, I felt warmed up by the intervals, and ran the last 3 hard miles @ faster than my HMP, with last mile at 10k pace. And I could have kept going.

I am still amazed as to how great I am running now in open training runs, and how badly I am running now off the bike (OK not badly, but I just don't have the flow, the ease, the enjoyment that I have when I run openly). I know this will change when I become a stronger cyclist (like Michelle inferred in her comment). I mean, until May this year my longest bike ride was 20 miles! It takes years of cycling to develop the leg strength and efficiency (not to mention a good bike), and I need to be patient. I need to somehow separate my open running ability from off the bike running ability. I can run slow off the bike while still running well openly. We are talking different types of running. I need my brain to get that. Otherwise, I will start my off the bike runs too fast, like I have been doing, and turn the runs into a sufferfest - not great reinforcement! One more tough week and then I am going to taper my running a bit, and then the following week taper the biking and swimming! I can't believe I am going to do a HIM in 3 weeks!!!

On a different note, Chris inherited a road bike from his bro, who upgraded. It's an older model, as heavy as mine, but nonetheless a road bike. He took it for a spin yesterday and came back with a face that screamed happiness! I love that! He kept talking about how amazing it was to be able to go fast! Yes, I know! So now we can do some long bike rides together and he can push me to go faster (because, lets face it, Chris and I are always having friendly competitions going) and I am thrilled!!!

Bricks are killing me!

I started my 60 mile ride today bright and early, at 6am. I was excited. I packed all my snacks and drinks the night before, set up my transition area for my 3-4 mile post bike run. My plan was to eat something every 5 miles, and take 1 Endurolyte pill per hour, in addition to my Nuun.

The ride was great. I felt strong, stronger than ever. My quads and calves started to show signs of lactic acid accumulation around mile 30, but the discomfort stayed the same until the end of the ride. I felt so great that I was excited about the run. In fact, I am always excited about the post bike run. Somehow I am delusional that the run is going to go great (it never does, really, it always hurts, I always start too fast). Of the bike I had a fast transition (nothing like having worked scheduled 1 hour post planned end of workout to make one rush!) with a few sips of coke and a change of pants (had to be done!). I decided to try to run by feel, so as to find my pace. At mile 1 I was at PMP, but did not feel good. Too fast. I slowed down in mile 2, and mile 3, but my legs were jello. Grr! So I ended up running 3 miles and walking 1 mile. Next week I vow to start the run slooowly and turn it into a progression. Of course, that run will be post 66 mile ride, but I am hoping the better pacing will help. I am also going to get in more calories. I just ordered some Accelerade to try as a way to get in easy calories, so will see if that helps. I am feeling a bit discouraged about how tough it is to run well off the bike (though I bet I'll forget by the time next Thursday rolls around). I mean, I can easily run 20 miles at sub 8 pace, but it is so much harder for me to run 3 miles off a 60 mile ride, at the same pace. i guess my legs need to get used to off the bike running... or, as it is being said in the blogosphere, I need to HTFU!

What do I eat?

Petra asked me what I eat while HIM training. And how could I resist, since her name is the feminine equivalent of my little man's name?

Here is how I eat...

#I don't count calories so I have no idea how many I eat daily.
#I eat when I am hungry (mostly) - though I believe in comfort food (I eat chocolate every night), and in using food as reward (frappuccino is my mantra during the last miles of a tough run).
#I try to eat mostly unprocessed food, but I do eat cereals, breads and lunch meats, which are all processed.
#I believe in moderation. I don't believe in completely eliminating foods/drinks that I like (ex., diet coke is not healthy, but one/day is not going to kill me).
# I try to eat a balanced diet of proteins, carbs and fats (though I try to eat mostly good fats).
# I eat a ton of vegetables, because I love them. We get a farm share, so every week Chris and/or I make a huge stir fry, and during the week I use it to top salads for lunches.
# I rarely have fat free anything. I tend to go with low fat - the fat keeps me full longer, and I don't like the extra sugar added onto the fat free things.
# I don't like pasta or rice, so I don't eat them unless they are served to me by someone else. But, I love bread and eat a bagel every single day, as well as loads of cereal.
# I never eat dessert on my own, but I always eat a few bites of Chris's (he does not mind, he uses this as an excuse to get seconds-=. In general, a few bites are enough for me.
# I eat"all the time" (that is what Chris says), but I eat small portions.
# I can't stand being hungry and can get quite irritable when hungry. Some people can skip meals, I can't even skip a snack.

Here is what I eat....

* Kashi go lean crunch cereal with LOTS of low fat milk. I eat about 2 bowls a day. In the winter I have oatmeal instead.
* low fat whipped cottage cheese with blueberries.
* peanut butter (I know almond butter is healthier, but I like the taste of the peanut butter better, so I go with what I like)
* salads with grilled veggies and turkey, chicken, salmon or grass fed beef (I try to have at least one of each weekly).
* hummus with slim pretzels (TJ's everything slims).
* whole wheat or cinnamon raisin bagels with pb and jelly.
* fruits: cantaloupe, bananas, blueberries, apricots, plums, peaches, apples. I have at least 3 fruits daily.
* all fruit popsicles.
* Starbucks frappuccino light, coffee kind.
* dark chocolate, TJ's dark chocolate covered slims, a few icecream bites, a cookie, something sweet at the end of the day.
* Cape Cod natural potatoes chips - just a few at a time.
* almonds.
* Zbars (cliff for kids, taste much better than regular cliff bars) and Luna bars.
* smoothies - I mix blueberries, banana, ice, kefir and voila, I have my recovery drink!

Here is what I think about weight...
I don't think thinner is better. I did, when I was younger, I don't anymore. I'd rather sacrifice a few minutes (yes, minutes) in a marathon, then get skinnier! I don't think women marathoners look good (Kara G is the exception). I do think women triathletes look much better. Chrissy Wellington weighs in at 135 lbs and 5'8'' (her BMI is higher than mine) and she is super fast without being super skinny. As I age, I get nervous about sagging skins or breast or butt (and I like my butt), which can happen if you lose too much weight. I don't think that is attractive (for me). I would never want to be known as the skinny old lady. I like to be strong and fit and happy.

July stats

RUN: 233 miles
BIKE: 465 miles
SWIM: 22.75 miles

Bricks: 30/6; 60/2.5; 51/3

Core/strengths: 6 20 min session.

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July was a great month of training. I had some really challenging runs and bricks, and I can tell they made a huge difference. I feel strong endurance wise, and I hope the endurance I gained is going to serve me well both in the HIM and in my fall marathon.

I overreached one time, felt super tired, backed down weekly running mileage by 30% that week and was back to myself shortly. I also had one day when I was absolutely exhausted and went to bed at 8pm and woke up refreshed.

I am becoming a stronger swimmer. Swimming is still unpredictable for me - I have great swims and I have bad swims. During bad swims I try to focus on form, and sometimes I can turn a bad swim into a good one, but not always.

I am in love with triathlon training. I am serious. I think my dopamine is in overload - I get flooded with joy when I think or talk about training. Whatever is going to happen during the race, I have no regrets!

Training goals for August:
Run: I need to skip easy runs if I need to. They don't matter much at this point - they will after the HIM. I need to be focused on the key workouts and keep them fun and tough! I also need to figure out what my planned half iron run pace is going to be. The course record is 1:37!

Bike: Keep logging the miles. This month I have: 60, 66, 77 long rides before I taper. I need to practice nutrition during these rides. I typically eat a gigantic banana with peanut butter, and maybe a gel, but that will not be enough for the race. I have a pretty tough stomach, I think, but I still need to practice nutrition. I am going to turn all these long rides into bricks, but most likely will keep the post ride runs on the slow side, maybe 3, 4, and 5 miles before taper.

Swim: I need to start visualizing the course during my Walden long swims. I need to prepare myself for potential panic, etc. I have some really long (for me) swims this month: 3000m, 34000m, 4000m, so plenty of opportunities to practice.

Core/strength: I need to find time for 2 sessions/week.
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Any advice for my last month of training?

Good and bad

Lets start with the bad...

On Friday I used my Garmin to measure my OWS course at Walden. I have a 204, which is water resistant not water proof. I tucked it in under my swim cap (check here how to do it if interested) , pressed start and did my 1 mile loop. I felt strong even though it was early, not too many people were swimming, and I had thoughts of some serial killer pulling my legs and drowning me (lol!).

I pressed stop at the end of the swim, checked the distance and it was .73. Grr! This means that all these past weeks I swam 1.5 instead of 2 miles. Grr again! I went back in and finished the mile, happy that I have a few more weeks to build my swim up to where I want it to be.

The good...

* I swam those .73 5 minutes faster than I have ever swum it. I believe that my Garmin made me a faster runner. Can my Garmin make me a faster OWS? Will see.

* I did a transition to bike (just 20 min ride) and did not have any issues with a high HR. I know it is different in a race situation, but still, it was nice. I think I am going to do these swim/bike transitions some more.

* I rocked my 20 miler on Saturday. It was one of my bests. I needed to do 20 easy, which typically is hard for me (I tend to race myself!). So I did not let me look at the time or pace until the 10 mile turn around. The weather was gorgeous up in NH. with cool temps, and no humidity. I had the ocean on my side the entire time. At turn around I ate a gel, bought some water, and was happy to see my pace. On the way back I decided to keep the pace comfortable but push it a bit the last few miles, not a lot, but push it. I felt great. It was one of those rare runs where everything seems perfect the way it is, and there is a sense of peace and contentment, and joy.