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
IRONWHAWK #2
running: 78 miles
riding: 63 miles
swimming: 6.0375 miles
Nice job!! Form over time :)
ReplyDeleteNow you know why we leave Ames on the bike so frequently!! I am not a fan of riding in town :)