It's always a mental game. My brain tells me yes, my body tells me no. My brain tells me no, my body tells me yes. My brain tells me no, my body tells me no, but I tell me yes. Although last week was a recovery week, I missed too many workouts 3 + both core workouts but I had to work 5 days this week with most shifts ending at midnight or later and the internal dialogue that would play through my head every morning and every night consisted mainly of reasoning, coaxing, persuading, compromises and finally settling on a decision to carry out the day with or without the scheduled workouts. If I missed a workout on a particular day though, I didn't mentally let it effect my other workouts. It's too easy to beat yourself up over a missed session and let that negativity carry over to the next session.
Ultimately this mental dialogue is practice for race day. My brain tells me I'm too tired as I lay in bed, but I have to tell myself that I do have the energy. My brain tells me I feel sad and this isn't worth it while I grab my gear, but I tell me that I will feel great after and that this is worth it. My body tells me I'm not strong enough as I do my workouts, but I tell my body I will get stronger. My muscles burn telling me I don't have the endurance, but I tell my body to push through the sensations, to withstand them.
Doesn't sound all too appealing does it?
Ironman is a long race and on race day my body will tell me that it is tired, my brain will tell me to stop, my muscles will be on fire but I will tell me that I can go on and that I will go on. "Pain is only a state of mind. There is no pain." Anything can happen to set you back: GI problems, line-ups at porter potties, flat tires, bike accidents, goggles getting kicked off, IT band flare ups, dehydration, hypothermia, dropped water bottles and the list goes on and on. Just like a missed workout, I can't let these set backs hold me back from giving 110% of my effort and finishing the race to the best of my ability.
Your brain can adapt, your body can adapt, but you have to tell you what you can and can not do; what you will and will not do.
We completed our second time trial at Peak Centre for Human Performance http://www.peakcentrevancouver.ca/ This involved riding bits and pieces of IMC's bike course on compu trainers along side fellow athletes. The compu trainer alters and adjusts the resistance mimicking the flats, hills and slopes of the actual course and all the athletes are hooked up to one computer so we can actually race against one another. There's even a big screen in front of us showing where we are on the course. Kind of like that horse racing game at the PNE, where you feed a ball into numbered holes using a pinball machine like contraption and the more difficult a hole you get your ball into, the further along your horse moves, and all the horses move from one end of the screen to the other. Well, anyways, I was racing with both new athletes as well as those from my first go last month and as weird as this may sound I had to force myself NOT to race against anyone else but myself. It's only natural to compete against everyone cause we're all technically racing with one another, but instead of focusing on what place I was in, who was in front, who was behind or if I could catch up to whoever was in front, I focused on pushing hard, maintaining my rpm's (the speed of my pedal stroke) and effort and not giving into the burning in my lower body. I was happy to see that I had finished 30 seconds faster then last month.
I might have missed some workouts here and there this month, but I'm getting faster, stronger and more focused.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
thank the stars it's a recovery week
Last weekend was INTENSE! I thought I'd ease into Thursday with a yoga class before spin, but that set me up for an exhausting weekend. I started with an early morning swim on Friday which was followed by a strength training session in the gym and then a quick 2 hours at school. After some food and a 40 min run with drills I was off to work from 530-130am. I was happy to not work on Saturday because I spent my afternoon spinning for 2 hours and 40 mins on my trainer in my garage. I wasn't so fortunate on Sunday though because I had to work from 9-530. This meant I was up at 630 am to get my 60min long run in and headed straight to the pool after work to get 2000 metres done. Sleeping in on Monday was glorious.
total hours spent training last week, about 14 (not including yoga).
....too tired to write anything more interesting then this. sorry!
total hours spent training last week, about 14 (not including yoga).
....too tired to write anything more interesting then this. sorry!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Nobody's perfect
Argh, I missed a workout last week!! Totally my fault and totally avoidable, but I thought I could do it! and maybe 2 years ago, I would have been able to. On Saturday, I should have woken up earlier but I chose to sleep in a little instead so by the time I was out the door, I was already an hour behind schedule. Unfortunately, doing my long ride was not the first thing on my 'to-do' list that day but I managed to get semi-caught up and started my ride just 30mins behind schedule. This still left me scrambling to get ready, trying to get to my work's 1 year anniversary dinner on time. Unfortunately, this also meant that I didn't have enough time to properly re-hydrate after riding for 2.20 hours. Free drink tickets and cheap drinks meant many vodka cranberry highballs and a couple glasses of wine...
Well, I woke up the next morning at 6:45 am to get ready to run by 8, but there was no way I was actually getting out of bed. Eventually I did roll out from under my blankets and put my running shoes on to do 50 mins on my own, but after that, I was done for the day. In the state I was in, I just couldn't make the idea of getting into a pool and swimming 1500m appealing.
I cant beat myself up about it too badly. It's only week two of 34! I had a great time dressing up and dancing with my co-workers, plus I still got all my other workouts done for week 2. I completed two drills/technique swims along with two strength training workouts. The short ride, spinning class and long ride got done as well as my two shorter intensity runs and long run. I don't regret going out and having fun, but there won't be any more heavy drinking until after the big race. Fun, yes. Drunk, no.
Week 3 is looking pretty good!
ps, I've edited the comment leaving box so that you can leave a comment w/o having any sort of account.
Well, I woke up the next morning at 6:45 am to get ready to run by 8, but there was no way I was actually getting out of bed. Eventually I did roll out from under my blankets and put my running shoes on to do 50 mins on my own, but after that, I was done for the day. In the state I was in, I just couldn't make the idea of getting into a pool and swimming 1500m appealing.
I cant beat myself up about it too badly. It's only week two of 34! I had a great time dressing up and dancing with my co-workers, plus I still got all my other workouts done for week 2. I completed two drills/technique swims along with two strength training workouts. The short ride, spinning class and long ride got done as well as my two shorter intensity runs and long run. I don't regret going out and having fun, but there won't be any more heavy drinking until after the big race. Fun, yes. Drunk, no.
Week 3 is looking pretty good!
ps, I've edited the comment leaving box so that you can leave a comment w/o having any sort of account.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
sing you a song for a dollar!!
Now I just need to find 2999 more people to sing to! I knew the bike meet and greet at Speed Theory would be a bad idea because now I want a new tri bike even more!! The info was fantastic and the vibe was really relaxed. All the questions -there are no stupid questions...right??- asked were answered in a way that was simple enough for us to understand (no complex terms) but not so simple that we felt belittled. I hate it when you go into a bike store, tri store or any store and the person you're talking with makes you feel embarrassed and little because your knowledge of whatever you're trying to buy is minimal. It's worse though, when they speak too fast and with complex terminology and lingo. Then I usually leave the store more confused and frustrated and put whatever purchase I was going to make on the back burner for a few days. Within those few days I usually convince myself I no longer need it.
Bikes, bikes, back to bikes! I want to get a new tri bike! Cervelo P2 to be exact. Much lighter because it's all carbon fiber, more aerodynamic, better fit, ugh and the list goes on and on. What if I shaved off my hair?? would you donate money?? If I swore to shave it all off If I received 3000 in donations?? Id do it, I really would! Say good bye to my long, wavy, thick hair.....it takes too long to wash every day anyways....Id donate the hair of course....
So what's wrong with the bike that I have now? Nothing. That baby has gotten me through a number of triathlons and two Ironmans. I even came second in my age group in a sprint last year and came so close to 3rd in an olympic distance (walked away 4th). I'd been toying with the idea of getting a new bike after finishing Ironman Canada last year, but then I reasoned that If I just trained harder and more consistently plus raced smart, I wouldn't need to invest in a new bike. My reasoning isn't working anymore. The advantages of training and racing on a tri bike versus a road bike are becoming more clear. Speed, better efficiency and fresher legs for a speedy run. Last year, I didnt push on my bike for IMC because I just couldnt! The immediate onset of GI problems caused me to sit upright for half the course because it was too painful to bend over and stay in my aero bars. I was forced to take 4 breaks while I waited (on 4 different occasions) for the porter potty and the last 110 km I rode by 'feel' because the cadence and heart rate monitor stopped picking up on my bike. I finished my bike in 7:02:39, about 8 mins slower then my 2008 time of 6:54:11 but when it was time to hobble off my bike and start running, my legs felt great. I killed the run in 4:12:20, 34 mins faster then my 2008 time of 4:46:02, finishing overall in 12:36:49. That was almost 30 mins faster then my 2008 finish of 13:11:24.
Training for IMC 2010, I used heart rate zones and started training earlier (instead of starting in May like I had in 2008) so I was obviously stronger and had greater endurance, but I am certain that taking those 180km easy on the bike course made for a huge difference on the run. If I could find a way to give my legs the same relief without having to compromise speed on the bike, a tri bike would be the way.
I need to make this work somehow!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
negative noodle no more!
Be happy, happy, happy!!
In general I'm a pretty negative, cynical individual. I go beyond, "is that glass half empty or half full?" Cause to me, it looks like the glass is dirty and the milk has gone sour! Who cares if it's half full or not?
I went on my first long run (45 mins) of the year on Sunday, and I was running in my newly assessed zone 1 heart rate. My new zone 1 had me running significantly slower then I liked. I probably could have been speed walking faster and thats exactly what my thoughts focused on for the entire run. Anytime a fellow runner came up beside me and asked how things were, I just grumbled "argh this new zone 1 is killing me! I'm running SO slow! This is ridiculous." Instead, I could have commented on what a beautiful day it was, how fortunate we were to be running on such a sunny, crisp morning, how great it was to see so many other runners out, or even complimented the nice, warm running attire that so and so was wearing. No, instead I was a negative noodle and grumbled.
From now on, I am going to make a conscious effort to be positive! Just like training my body for Ironman, I have to train my thoughts and comments to be high spirited and constructive.
In regards to the slow zone 1 running pace, this happened last year as well. The first few weeks, I was barely jogging to keep my heart rate down in zone 1, but I stuck with it and sure enough, within a few weeks, I was fighting to run fast enough to keep my heart rate in zone 1. I just need to let my heart and body adapt, and in turn, this will allow me to run faster. I would love to explain it a bit more scientifically, but I'm afraid I'll say something incorrect. But what I can say is that it has to do with the fact that Ironman is an endurance sport and so my aerobic fitness needs to work well. Completing my long runs at this slower pace teaches my body how to get more oxygen to my muscles faster by making my heart stronger and convert carbs and fat into energy for my body to use. (please don't quote me on this though)
This morning I started my swim course at the YMCA downtown. While I was putting my stuff away in the locker, a little lady saw my ironman bag and asked if I had completed it. When she found out I had, she just kept calling me her hero. "You're amazing! wow! you're my hero! I cant believe you did that. You're a hero. You're my hero!" I was off to a good start! How could I not be? I'm somebody's hero!
Anyways, I'm really excited to be swimming with Sea Hikers, because I think I'll see a lot of improvement in my swim stroke. I've already received some great feedback. The funny thing about swimming is that you might think your body is doing what it's suppose to be doing, and it might feel correct, but usually its not. I listen to the coach, I mimic what the coach is doing, I practice on deck, I practice while standing in the water, but once I'm actually horizontal, it becomes so foreign!! I'll get it eventually. I'll have an "ah hah!!" light bulb moment and then it will all connect.
On a final note, I'd like to say I'm one of thooooose crazy fit people now.
I remember driving home early sunday mornings from a "fun" night out with the girls and seeing groups of people running or jogging. I'd think to myself, 'ok, I enjoy running, but I enjoy sleeping in or partying more. Those people are nuts! I'll run later in the afternoon.' Long runs: Sunday mornings at 8am. I'm one of them
In general I'm a pretty negative, cynical individual. I go beyond, "is that glass half empty or half full?" Cause to me, it looks like the glass is dirty and the milk has gone sour! Who cares if it's half full or not?
I went on my first long run (45 mins) of the year on Sunday, and I was running in my newly assessed zone 1 heart rate. My new zone 1 had me running significantly slower then I liked. I probably could have been speed walking faster and thats exactly what my thoughts focused on for the entire run. Anytime a fellow runner came up beside me and asked how things were, I just grumbled "argh this new zone 1 is killing me! I'm running SO slow! This is ridiculous." Instead, I could have commented on what a beautiful day it was, how fortunate we were to be running on such a sunny, crisp morning, how great it was to see so many other runners out, or even complimented the nice, warm running attire that so and so was wearing. No, instead I was a negative noodle and grumbled.
From now on, I am going to make a conscious effort to be positive! Just like training my body for Ironman, I have to train my thoughts and comments to be high spirited and constructive.
In regards to the slow zone 1 running pace, this happened last year as well. The first few weeks, I was barely jogging to keep my heart rate down in zone 1, but I stuck with it and sure enough, within a few weeks, I was fighting to run fast enough to keep my heart rate in zone 1. I just need to let my heart and body adapt, and in turn, this will allow me to run faster. I would love to explain it a bit more scientifically, but I'm afraid I'll say something incorrect. But what I can say is that it has to do with the fact that Ironman is an endurance sport and so my aerobic fitness needs to work well. Completing my long runs at this slower pace teaches my body how to get more oxygen to my muscles faster by making my heart stronger and convert carbs and fat into energy for my body to use. (please don't quote me on this though)
This morning I started my swim course at the YMCA downtown. While I was putting my stuff away in the locker, a little lady saw my ironman bag and asked if I had completed it. When she found out I had, she just kept calling me her hero. "You're amazing! wow! you're my hero! I cant believe you did that. You're a hero. You're my hero!" I was off to a good start! How could I not be? I'm somebody's hero!
Anyways, I'm really excited to be swimming with Sea Hikers, because I think I'll see a lot of improvement in my swim stroke. I've already received some great feedback. The funny thing about swimming is that you might think your body is doing what it's suppose to be doing, and it might feel correct, but usually its not. I listen to the coach, I mimic what the coach is doing, I practice on deck, I practice while standing in the water, but once I'm actually horizontal, it becomes so foreign!! I'll get it eventually. I'll have an "ah hah!!" light bulb moment and then it will all connect.
On a final note, I'd like to say I'm one of thooooose crazy fit people now.
I remember driving home early sunday mornings from a "fun" night out with the girls and seeing groups of people running or jogging. I'd think to myself, 'ok, I enjoy running, but I enjoy sleeping in or partying more. Those people are nuts! I'll run later in the afternoon.' Long runs: Sunday mornings at 8am. I'm one of them
Saturday, January 8, 2011
First week, almost done!!
My first week of training is almost done! I think its safe to say that I will have completed every workout this week! HUGE improvement from last year where I would have finished 2-3 out of the 10 workouts.
By the end of tomorrow, I will have dedicated approx 9 hours to training; 2 swims, 3 rides 3 runs and 2 strength training.
I got my results back from the lactate zone assessment today (one of my larger financial investments). So now I can train in my proper training zones, which I hadnt been doing during my off-season training. What the heck is a lactate zone assessment you ask? Good question! ...and its one that I cant properly explain. But the results tell me what intensity I need to be training in to see improvement in my performance. If you're really curious, shoot me a msg, and ill explain it better...
I always think of different things i want to blog about throughout the week, but then when it comes time to put the fingers to the keyboard, I cant remember any of it.
I guess ill blog more often??
OH YES!! now I remember what I was going to say!!
My recovery drink! no, im not buying powders or protein drinks. Im drinking chocolate soy milk which has a 3;1 carb to protein ratio. Im not looking to build bulk here! This allows my body to replenish my carb stores and for an endurance athlete like myself, energy to keep going is what im going to need.
I've recently gone wheat and dairy free. To be honest, all this intense training and improper nutrition-ing has left my internal body a wreck! And when things arent working good on the inside, it effects the things on the outside.
I used to say "Oh, I just eat whatever I want. When im hungry, I eat, when im not, i dont." And "oh its ok if I eat this chocolate bar or ice-cream cone, im just going to burn it all off anyways" But then I was always hungry and that one chocolate bar became 4 in one sitting! I was hungry and needed food, and those 4 chocolate bars were the only thing available....
Saying no to dairy and wheat hasn't been easy. Have you ever stopped to think about whether or not what you're about to eat has wheat or dairy in it? Practically everything has wheat and dairy in it. Sandwiches, cereals, sauces, dumplings, cookies, pasta, mashed potatoes even soy sauce has wheat in it.
Doesn't mean my taste buds cant enjoy delicious foods though. I just need to be extra cautious and creative with meals. Fruits, veggies and nuts....MMmmMM good!!
By the end of tomorrow, I will have dedicated approx 9 hours to training; 2 swims, 3 rides 3 runs and 2 strength training.
I got my results back from the lactate zone assessment today (one of my larger financial investments). So now I can train in my proper training zones, which I hadnt been doing during my off-season training. What the heck is a lactate zone assessment you ask? Good question! ...and its one that I cant properly explain. But the results tell me what intensity I need to be training in to see improvement in my performance. If you're really curious, shoot me a msg, and ill explain it better...
I always think of different things i want to blog about throughout the week, but then when it comes time to put the fingers to the keyboard, I cant remember any of it.
I guess ill blog more often??
OH YES!! now I remember what I was going to say!!
My recovery drink! no, im not buying powders or protein drinks. Im drinking chocolate soy milk which has a 3;1 carb to protein ratio. Im not looking to build bulk here! This allows my body to replenish my carb stores and for an endurance athlete like myself, energy to keep going is what im going to need.
I've recently gone wheat and dairy free. To be honest, all this intense training and improper nutrition-ing has left my internal body a wreck! And when things arent working good on the inside, it effects the things on the outside.
I used to say "Oh, I just eat whatever I want. When im hungry, I eat, when im not, i dont." And "oh its ok if I eat this chocolate bar or ice-cream cone, im just going to burn it all off anyways" But then I was always hungry and that one chocolate bar became 4 in one sitting! I was hungry and needed food, and those 4 chocolate bars were the only thing available....
Saying no to dairy and wheat hasn't been easy. Have you ever stopped to think about whether or not what you're about to eat has wheat or dairy in it? Practically everything has wheat and dairy in it. Sandwiches, cereals, sauces, dumplings, cookies, pasta, mashed potatoes even soy sauce has wheat in it.
Doesn't mean my taste buds cant enjoy delicious foods though. I just need to be extra cautious and creative with meals. Fruits, veggies and nuts....MMmmMM good!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
How much weight did i lose?
I tried to record my weight gains and losses once a month last year. Although I recorded 5 months worth, I only blogged 2 months. Unfortunately, the other 3 that Id recorded on sticky notes dont have dates beside them, so Im not actually sure which order they're in. Based on what I think is the last one....here are my results.
Starting weight 111lbs. After Ironman 118lbs
Waist 27" vs 27"
Hips 35" vs 35"
Upper thigh 20" vs 21"
Above knee 15.75" vs 16.5"
Right calf 13.25" vs 14"
Left bicept 9.75" vs 9.75"
Even though the numbers show I didnt lose any weight in my waist or hips, both dropped an inch and then gained an inch again. Burn fat, gain muscle. My initial and final weight attest to that; muscle weighs more then fat.
Starting weight 111lbs. After Ironman 118lbs
Waist 27" vs 27"
Hips 35" vs 35"
Upper thigh 20" vs 21"
Above knee 15.75" vs 16.5"
Right calf 13.25" vs 14"
Left bicept 9.75" vs 9.75"
Even though the numbers show I didnt lose any weight in my waist or hips, both dropped an inch and then gained an inch again. Burn fat, gain muscle. My initial and final weight attest to that; muscle weighs more then fat.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
A new year is a new year
This whole blogging thing requires more dedication then i thought! A new year means a fresh start though.
New years resolution, as indicated on facebook, "get fit and exercise more." A joke right? I just finished Ironman last year! Well, I also missed a lot of workouts, opting to sleep instead. Not this year!
The first time I trained for Ironman, it was fear of missing the bike cut off time and DNF-ing (did not finish) that kept me pushing to train. Last year, though, I knew Id finish....so there was no fear....too bad.
Secretly, I hope to finish Ironman 2011 under 11 hours. Maybe.
Started the year with an easy 80 min run. Telling myself that running in -2 degree outside instead of snuggling inside with my dog Choco, wasn't so easy. In fact, I procrastinated until 7:30pm but when I finally got my ass outside and passed another runner on the sidewalk I was glad that I wasnt the only crazy fool running in the freezing cold evening.
Im off to a good start!
EAT.SLEEP.TRAIN
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