4 Weeks Down, 20 to Go

Yesterday marked the end of week 4. Key workouts included an 8 mile run, a 2,300 yard swim, and a 33 mile bike ride. I got all my workouts in despite the holidays and crazy travel schedule, but I had way too many Christmas cookies. I also did not stay in my planned heartrate zones for my long run, which means I only accomplished one out of three goals for the week. Fail.

We had quite a bit of chilly, windy weather this week, so the run and the ride were both mentally challenging. The bike ride saw wind speeds of 20+mph, and gusts over 31mph. (Major warm fuzzies for Elizabeth for riding with me and never once complaining. Balls of steel and a heart of gold, that woman has.) At one point, I was heading straight into the wind on a flat stretch of road, pedaling as hard as I could, and going 9mph. Brutal.

I've begun to notice that workouts can be categorized as either "earning results" or "showing results." Most, if not all, workouts are for earning results (doing the work to be faster/stronger/fitter in the future). Every once in a while, you get a glimpse of your hard work paying off when a workout shows you results (with faster times, less effort, lower heartrate, etc). Friday's swim was one of those "showing results" workouts.  I posted my fastest 100 times since the Augusta Half Ironman. (I wore a new swimsuit that fit well, making me more hydrodynamic; I also found a better head position, and some techniques I've been working on are starting to stick.) However, Saturday's windy bike ride was all about earning results. It was tough, and my pace was slow. I look forward to the day when that one pays off.

I've been playing with the settings on C-3P0, and found a way to do my slow runs slowly enough: I programmed the screen to only show me heartrate data (current HR, average HR, and current HR zone). It doesn't display anything about pace or time. So for my Zone 1 run on Sunday, I didn't know my pace while I ran; I just stayed in the right zone. Taking the ego out of the equation made the run SPECTACULAR. I didn't have to feel mad or frustrated by my slow pace. It was so freeing to not care about pace!

Tomorrow is the first day of 2013. I have my resolutions ready, but that post will have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, I need to address these damn Christmas cards.

Fully Functional

I was good. I was very, very good. And just like Sophie said would happen, Santa brought me the Garmin 910XT. <cue angels singing>

I have always had a problem with people who wear Garmins. They say stupid stuff like, "They say the 5k course was certified, but my Garmin says it was only 3.07 miles." Ummm, yeah....

Or how about this one? "Hey, we're running at 10:15 pace." (5 seconds later) "Hey, now we're running at 8:30 pace." (5 seconds later) "Hey, now we're running at 11:45 pace." (5 seconds later) "Hey, now we're running at 7:30 pace." You get the picture.

I have resisted joining the Garmin Army for almost 5 years. But with the vast array of triathlon-training functions on the 910, and the deterioration and ultimate death of my Polar heartrate monitor, it was time to give in.

But I VOW to never become one of those people.

I've worn my new toy for swims, rides and runs over the past week. It's quite easy to use, even without reading any directions. (Of course, today I accidentally locked the keys before starting my run. A quick google search later, I was back in business.) It can tell me virtually anything I'd like to know, short of where the nearest bathroom is. Hell, there's probably a function for that too.

This new tool will serve me well during training. I'm a firm believer in the phrase, "That which gets measured, gets done." It will ALL get done. And logged. And graphed. And analyzed. MUWAHAHAHAHA

As we've gotten to know each other, my Garmin's personality has emerged. He's quite polite, loves to serve me, and translates my workout data into usable metrics.

He's C-3P0.

"Excuse me, Jen, but might I inquire as to what's going on?"

Three Weeks In

Today's 4 mile run marked the end of the third week of training. So far, all is going well. It seems so easy to only do one workout each day! I know the days of doubles are coming very soon.

Today was also the last day of Christmas Gig Hell. I'm glad to have that behind me! Now I can start addressing our Christmas cards. Yes, thank you, I do know it's December 23rd. Last year, we didn't mail any, so sending cards late is still an improvement.

I have asked Santa to bring me a Garmin 910XT for Christmas. Sophie said that if I'm really, really good, he'll bring me what I want.  I've been pretty good, I think: I've been doing my workouts before work most days, and I've kept my room clean for a couple of months now (including making the bed most days!). And there was that time I did the dishes. That's gotta count for something.

Speaking of mornings, getting up early to exercise hasn't been so bad. I wake up much more easily now (although it's still hard most days to actually get out of the bed, especially if JC is still in it. Too damn cuddly.). I've noticed that if I don't exercise first thing in the morning, I feel sluggish all day. And now that I'm in the habit, I go to bed early on the weekends too. WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!?!

My left knee continues to improve. There was only one instance of knee pain during a workout this week - about 6 miles into my long run - and it went away pretty quickly when I stretched. The adductors are much looser now; I can tell a big difference from 6 weeks ago when I first began seeing Dr Awesome.

This week's royal screw up learning experience: I didn't refuel properly after Wednesday night's long run. I ate chicken and some veggies, but not enough carbs. Then, Thursday morning, I didn't eat much breakfast before hopping on the trainer. The end result was an empty tank. That trainer ride was awful; slow, heavy legs and no energy. That's what I get for being lazy with nutrition.

Goals for this week:

• Complete all workouts. (This can be difficult during the holidays.)
• Stay in the right heartrate training zones.
• Limit Christmas goodies. Three is okay; three dozen is not.

PS to Santa: I also need the cadence/speed sensor for my bike. If I'm going to use the 910, I might as well do it up right.

Back to Reality

The first four days of Ironman training went so well, we skipped town and went to Disney World. Isn't that what the pros do?

Seven hours into our drive to Orlando, I was stiff and tired. It occured to me that I may be on my bike for 7 hours during the race. And then I have to run a marathon. I decided I'm going to make sure I train properly and rest well so I can finish the bike leg in well under 7 hours. (Say it with me: How hard could it be?)

Our first day at Disney World was my first "rest day" since November 18th. I don't know why I thought 10 hours of walking would feel like a rest day. I was exhausted by the end of the day. I did make sure to do my stretches every hour; no need to screw up my well-healing knee while on vacation.

I ate my way around the World Showcase at EPCOT. A brat with kraut and a soft pretzel in Germany, a cheese plate with a baguette in France, and dinner in Morocco. Somewhere in there, I had a chocolate-covered ice cream bar shaped like Mickey Mouse's head. How do you spell that sound Homer Simpson makes when he thinks of doughnuts?



I had a one-hour easy run scheduled for Saturday morning before we hit the parks for the second day, but with the amount of "Zone 1" walking I did Friday and would do for two more days, I cut that back to half an hour. I schlepped to the hotel's workout room bright and early to find a tiny, glass-enclosed, smelly sweatbox with five machines: two treadmills, two ellipticals and a crappy exercise bike, all already occupied. 

My first instinct was to say "Screw it" and go back to bed, but I decided to give it five minutes to see if any machines would open up. That old dude on treadmill #1 was looking pekid, so I thought I had a chance. Luckily, I only had to wait a couple of minutes; but it was another three minutes into my run when I realized I could've just gone for a run outside. Doh. (This is an example of when having a Garmin would come in handy. I needed to know the distance I covered during my half hour, which is why the treadmill was first choice.)

Another three days of terribly yummy yet exceedingly unhealthy food later, I was back home, stepping on the scale and cursing. I knew the vacation weight would come off quickly, but it still sucks seeing crappy numbers. I felt huge and yucky from all the salty, fatty food. Even my swim cap grew tighter.

So now, I'm into week two of my training plan, and I'm starting to get back in the groove. Biking and swimming are feeling natural again (running never left me; thanks, running!). I got up early and got my workouts done before work every day this week. (That's getting easier, thank goodness.) The vacation weight is gone. (Off-season weight, you're next!) I even had a small breakthrough during today's swim. I'm slightly less pathetically slow.

I hope I can keep the life balance going well through the holidays. This season is known as "Christmas Hell" to us gigging musicians. I didn't take as many gigs this year, but the schedule can still be tough. There is no day off until Christmas is over. Regular work (the real job) is particularly tense right now, with new employees, planning for 2013, and some role changes for me (for the better). I appreciate the help I get from my mom, my sister and JC this time of year. They're all pretty agreeable and supportive. They enable me to do everything I do.

Day 1

Today is the first official day of my training cycle for Ironman Texas. YAY!!!!

My plan called for a rest day today (don't you just love a training plan that starts with a rest day?!), but due to a trip planned for later this week, I've moved some workouts around. I swam 1,800 this morning. If I hadn't been wearing a watch, I would've said it was a GREAT swim. I felt good, and I think I made some progress on my form. But my watch says I'm still slow. Stupid watch.