Ironhawk #2

I finally got some miles on my bike this week!  Now I have completed the second one.  One more to reach my goal before school starts.  I should be able to do that....99 miles to go!

today's mileage: 19 miles biking

weekly mileage: 2 miles running; 80 miles biking; 1.5 mile swimming

monthly mileage: 50 miles running; 110 miles biking; 5.25 miles swimming

annual mileage: 347 miles running; 316 miles riding; 8.625 miles swimming

TOTAL mileage: 676


IRONWHAWK #3
running: 52 miles
riding: 13 miles
swimming: 3.825 miles

I love wind; repeat until you believe it!

I pushed myself to a new limit.  I made a record length ride today: 43 miles!  I gave myself a goal, added in an errand that had to be done, and completed it!  It was rough, but I did it and it's done now.  Tomorrow is supposed to be raining and storms so I headed out on a big ride today.  I may be repeating it tomorrow.  We'll see.

The heat wave finally broke so I thought this would be a good day to do a big ride.  I first jumped in the water, had Rachael time me to see how that was going.  Yep, as expected there was no 6 minute finish. I was happy with it though.  I completed the 300m in 7:45.  I'll take that.  8 minutes is my goal so that's ok.  I really think that is more realistic than the 6 minutes I had in the 50 m pool, although I think I do swim better at that pool.

The ride was cooler, but much MUCH windier!  There were 20mph northerly winds.  I decided to go to Webster and combine it with some errands.  It was a good goal, but I could have easily stopped part way because it was quite a challenge.  I knew race day could be equally windy so I kept forging ahead.  I am really really hoping for SE winds race day so that will mean they will be NW.  Poopy.  I really wish I could download my rides and runs.  The ANT on my Garmin has been acting up.  I know on the way home I was flying!  Wow, that felt GREAT!  I was a consistent 2:44ish pace.  Anything less than 3:00 is in the 20s mph.

When I hit 39 miles I felt I was hitting the wall.  All of a sudden I just couldn't go anymore.  I took 2 gels with me, but was really out of gas and couldn't push anymore.  I wasn't dizzy or anything like that, but I was just so exhausted.

Yesterday I went to the tri course and walked the run course.  Hmm, yeah, well, that will be a challenge for me!  It is a very hilly course and only about 1/2 mile is on paved surface.  I slipped and mildly twisted my ankle a couple of times so this could interesting.  The bike course will be ok with one big hill about mile 5.  I can do that.  This will be great! I'm really looking forward to it.  The best part is I will be rotating through my weakest sport to my strongest sport.  YEAH!

Only 6 miles left to complete the next IronHawk!  That will be done soon!

today's mileage: 43 miles biking; 300m swimming

weekly mileage: 2 miles running; 61 miles biking; 1.5 mile swimming

monthly mileage: 50 miles running; 91 miles biking; 5.25 miles swimming

annual mileage: 347 miles running; 297 miles riding; 8.625 miles swimming

TOTAL mileage: 657


IRONWHAWK #2
running: 78 miles
riding: 106 miles
swimming: 6.225 miles

practice tri

This morning was my swimming morning so I headed out early.  With RAGBRAI this week I knew Skunk Cycles wouldn't be terribly busy so I also loaded up the bikes for the free first tune up.  I had a couple hours to burn between swimming and dropping them off so I thought I'd go for a ride before that.  Heck, I'll do all three and see how I respond!  Yep, that's my plan today.

I think I turned a corner on the swimming thing.  I figured out why I get winded breathing - I need to swallow!  OK, Vardotrichic I know that's weird, but I need to swallow.  Obviously I can't swallow under water, but my reflex wants to do so and that's where I panic underwater and can't make it to the end of the pool.  I have done some "torpedos" and realized that I take a long time to breathe.  I tried to combine the two and when my breathing arm comes around for a stroke, I pull back my hip and rest it there like I'm doing a torpedo, but lift my head to breathe a little longer.  This gives me good rotation and breathing time.  I went down and back - 100m - and wasn't horrifically winded.  I think I might be on to something.  I'll have to work on getting faster obviously, but I think it's a start.  I can go longer slower.  ok maybe that's not so good.  Form over time, right?
When I first entered the water this morning I also wanted a more exact time for the 300m to properly seed myself.  So, I got in, went like crazy and did my 300m in 6:10.  That seems crazy fast for me, but I'll try a few more times and see what comes out.  There is a digital clock at the pool that ticks off every second so I'm sure it's accurate, but that still seems crazy fast.  I don't think I can seriously say I'm a 6:00 swimmer on this one.

Transition: I wore my sports bra/running shirt swimming again and it felt great.  I went to the van afterwards and put on my bike shorts and they weren't super droopy.  As a matter of fact, the wet felt really good!  I think I need to dry my legs a bit however to more easily get my shorts on.  I think this plan will be just fine.

Bike: I learned one thing today - I HATE riding in Ames!  The sidewalks suck and the streets are not level/smooth.  I felt like I was riding over potholes left and right.  Argh.  Good thing my tune up was after the ride and not before.  I don't like stopping every few minutes, either.  Why on Earth would there be a stop sign at mile 16.71?  Seriously?  Just give me some open road and strong legs!  lol  Even with all the stopping and cautious riding, I was able to keep the pace above 15 mph again.  That includes a strong south wind and exploration of Ada Hayden Park.

Transition: I was tired, but ready to run!

Run: This is a piece of cake!  I really do like the BRicks.  I feel like I have had such good luck with all my events lately that the law of averages might even out in a couple weeks.  Hopefully this keeps going.  I knew I was going to get off the bike fast so I kept thinking s.l.o.w.  I maintained a 9:17 pace, which is the slowest BRick I've done yet.  It felt good.  I really get clomping at the beginning and when that wears off about a mile or so into the run, I feel strong.  I love starting with my weakest sport and head into my strongest one at the end.  I think this will be ok.

Tomorrow, I'm going to walk the run portion and drive the bike portion of the tri.  Hopefully this will give me some good mental preparation!  Oh yeah, I was reading some rules and this tri has put the Athena category much lower than the official rules so I don't feel so badly now.  ;)  I've also lost about 4 pounds so there, Athena!

today's mileage: 2 miles running; 18 miles biking; 2400m swimming

weekly mileage: 2 miles running; 18 miles biking; 1.5 mile swimming

monthly mileage: 50 miles running; 48 miles biking; 5.0625 miles swimming

annual mileage: 347 miles running; 254 miles riding; 8.4375 miles swimming

TOTAL mileage: 614


IRONWHAWK #2
running: 78 miles
riding: 63 miles
swimming: 6.0375 miles

I love BRicks!

They're not so...ick-y.  I really wanted to do a 40-miler today, but I got on my bike and realized that my tires were quite flat!  argh.  All week I had my mind set on going to Webster and back.  I woke up today and decided hmm, maybe I'll go to Williams and back.  I walked out the door and thought, hmmm, maybe I'll go to Roland and back.  So many choices!  Once I got on my bike and left the drive I realized I wasn't going far.  :(  Nope, Casey's couldn't help me with these tires.  Darn it.

Ok so I just went to Ellsworth and back, and then to the Kamrar turn and back - 17 miles.  I have also putzed around town for about 3 miles earlier in the week so I thought I might as well add that to my IronHawk mileage.  The ride went awesome.  My goal for the tri is anything faster than 14mph.  I topped 15mph so I was pleased with that.  I wasn't totally exhausted nor were my thighs completely burning.  Yep, that was a good ride.

Since I am short in my biking mileage I figured I might as well practice another BRick.  Oh man, that felt great!  Last time I did a BRick my Garmin pooped out on me so I had no idea what I was doing.  I felt like crap.  This time I really thought I was dogging it...I looked at my watch.  HOLY CRAP!  I was doing like 8:40 pace!  My legs were definitely still spinning.  This is probably why I felt so winded last time - I WAS winded!  I kept thinking I was so slow and had to keep pushing myself.  I was probably trying to maintain a pace 60-90 seconds faster than I was used to running, more if I calculate how slow I've been running with other people lately.  Yeah, that felt great!

today's mileage: 1 miles running; 17 miles biking

weekly mileage: 1 miles running; 17 miles biking; .1875 miles swimming

monthly mileage: 48 miles running; 30 miles biking; 3.5625 miles swimming

annual mileage: 345 miles running; 236 miles riding; 6.9375 miles swimming

TOTAL mileage: 594


IRONWHAWK #2
running: 76 miles
riding: 45 miles
swimming: 4.5375 miles

cool, humid, hills

Woke up this morning and was met with cool humidity: 63 degrees and 90% humidity.  Not bad for a week of near 100 degrees.

Our first miles was with a friend who has been doing laps around her house in the country!  About a month ago we ran with her and she stopped 2 times in a mile.  This time she only stopped once!  Our pace?  Yeah, well, that was a bout a 19:00 mile.  I think I can walk faster than that.  We'll have to work on that.

After that, Bill and I went out for a run.  I wanted to get some more hills in and alternative running paths to work on the upcoming tri so we headed out to the 3 mile loop of the train overpass and then around the cemetery on the bike path.  I was really working hard on this run for some reason and it was good to have Bill there to pull me along, but managed a 9:37 pace.  I am just hoping for low temps and low humidity on race day.  This is good training for me, right?

OK so I came across a link online to identify your ideal workout heart rate.  Yeah, I put in my age and it said I should be between 114-143.  What?  I'm just getting started with that range!  I think I function best on a run when I'm between 160-167.  I definitely know when I've hit 170 or higher, but that just seemed soooo low for me.  I'll just keep on keeping on.

today's mileage: 4 miles running

weekly mileage: 7 miles running; 10 miles biking; .1875 miles swimming

monthly mileage: 47 miles running; 10 miles biking; 3.5625 miles swimming

annual mileage: 344 miles running; 216 miles riding; 6.9375 miles swimming

TOTAL mileage: 573


IRONWHAWK #2
running:  75 miles
riding: 25 miles
swimming: 4.5375 miles

Practice tri swim

I missed my yummy swim time yesterday.  :(  The past couple of days have been so crazy busy at home and couldn't get on top of it all.  I only got a few hours sleep so I figured it would be better to miss this week and get some sleep.  I am so sad.

Today I decided I needed to practice swimming with clothing and work on my time since I really have no idea how long it will take me to swim 300m.  I am shooting for about 10 minutes  I put my game face on and got in the water.  I submerged myself and didn't feel like a ton of bricks so I took off.  Darn it!  I forgot to look at the clock when I started!  I got to the other side of the pool, but I didn't have my glasses and I was too far away to accurately see the time.  I think I completed in about 9-10 minutes, but that could be very skewed.  I'll have to try again.

I wanted to try swimming by going across the pool using each lane.  I felt surprisingly great at the start!  Things were clicking along.  I felt like I have some good form and I was rotating really well.  My breathing is still not very strong, but I am expecting that.  My plan was to swim "normal" on the way down and then side/breast/back stroke the way back to the other side.  I tried not to stay at one end too long to catch my breath - just keep moving!  I was really winded by the time I got done and even had to talk to myself to get to the end - just a few more meters...GO!

While I didn't really do an immediate jump to the bike, I could tell I'm going to be exhausted.  The staff will be reseeding swimmer after 100m so I may get pulled back, asked to stop to allow someone else to go ahead.  We'll see how this goes.  Just like running, I know I start off way too fast and will fizzle out at the end.  I can have some shoes to step into right after the swim so I can hopefully leave some flipflops to get into on my way to the bike.  I know I'll want to run there and that will tire me out even more.  I have a hard time conserving energy during a race.  I'm sure this will be no different.  Ok, I'm freaking out!

today's mileage: 300m swim

weekly mileage: 3 miles running; 10 miles biking; .1875 miles swimming

monthly mileage: 44 miles running; 10 miles biking; 3.5625 miles swimming

annual mileage: 341 miles running; 216 miles riding; 6.9375 miles swimming

TOTAL mileage: 570


IRONWHAWK #2
running:  72 miles
riding: 25 miles
swimming: 4.5375 miles

Athena

Well, here's my newest midlife crisis creation: I signed up for a sprint triathlon.  I thought this would be a good way to culminate my Iron Hawks that I'm doing this summer.  It's the Camp Courageous Tri in my hometown that benefits handicapped kids.  I thought this would be a great way to complete the summer training!  

Since I am doing a tri, I thought I better practice some BRicks.  So this morning I got up to start BRick #2.  Bill and I did one earlier this year so I was a little prepared mentally for what I was in for.  I knew I had to save my legs a bit for the run without getting completely exhausted on the bike.  The transition went much better than I thought it would.  I only did 10 miles on the bike, but completed a full 5K for the run.

I wanted to get a few hills in the run as I knew I would have a giant hill on the tri.  So, I got off the bike and went to the highway to climb the hill east of town.  When I got to the top, I turned around and came back.  The hill was a bit hard to climb as my heart was racing so I stopped and walked the last few hundred feet.  That was the worst of it so I'll have to work on that hill a bit more.  I then went to the bike path, running as much as possible on grass, rock/gravel, and other nontraditional surfaces since I think most of the tri run will be trail running, my least favorite.  This will probably slow me down, but I'm determined to conquer it the best I can.  I just hope I have a "curb crew" scattered throughout the course to keep me going.

The weather this morning again was cool, but high humidity.  I tried to get out early to beat the heat - forecasted to be 97 again today.  Yes, I was a bit dehydrated, but I drank about 25oz of beverage.  For time, I had a bit of a problem.  I'm glad it happened today and not the day of the tri!  I got satellite signal pretty quickly, but then all of a sudden it said it was processing route or something like that.  It was locked up and I couldn't get it to cancel.  I do the whole BRick solo, completely solo.  I had no idea how fast I was going to how far I was going.  It was a bit odd.  I had to use www.runningmap.com to find the mileage when I got home.  Finally I got it to reset.

Big realization:  When I signed up for the tri, there was an Athena category.  If you weigh over a certain weight, can be an "Athena".  ugh, I fit into this category.  Hmm, looking at the times from last year, I could win that category!  I just couldn't do it.  It's not about the times for me anyway.  The worst part is knowing that I am obese when it comes to fitness!  This is very disheartening.  While I know I am somewhere between obese and needing to shed a few pounds, this was like a slap in the face.  I'll get it...

today's mileage: 3 miles running; 10 miles biking

weekly mileage: 3 miles running; 10 miles biking

monthly mileage: 44 miles running; 10 miles biking; 3.375 miles swimming

annual mileage: 341 miles running; 216 miles riding; 6.75 miles swimming

TOTAL mileage: 570


IRONWHAWK #2
running:  72 miles
riding: 25 miles
swimming: 4.35 miles