Triathlon for dummies. Or beginners, whatever.

I wanted to give a quick run-down of what my 6 week "express" training looked like for the iTRYathlon.

Obviously going into the training, I was comfortable running. I was okay-ish on the bike - as in, I could usually ride without falling. It wasn't fast, or pretty. But I didn't crash most of the time. I was terrified at the swim. I could swim enough to play in the pool, and could get around leisurely, but I did not have any real familiarity with proper freestyle form at all.

Tri La Vie was a HUGE help for me when trying to figure out how to prioritize my time, when all I really wanted to do was run.

This has nothing to do with the training, but I think the sticker makes the bike look official, no?

What my weeks looked like, by mileage and time, with links to more in-depth recaps:
Week 1: 5:30 in training; 19 miles running, 8.3 mi bike
Week 2: 6:42 in training; 22 miles running, 7 mi bike, 65 min swim
Week 3: 8:25 in training; 26 miles running, 22.3 mi bike, 50 min swim {this week was heavy in the time spent, but mostly because I had a loooong terrible trail run in there}
Week 4: 5:54 in training; 14 miles running, 10.8 mi bike, 96 min swim
Week 5: 7:59 in training; 27 miles running, 19.8 mi bike, 68 min swim
Week 6: 2:52 in training (taper/not incl race day); 6 miles running,  40 min run

For a sprint tri, I'm clearly heavy on the run - but I'm building my base/beginning marathon training, so I built mileage throughout the last 6 weeks (with one cut-back week plus my extensive taper week).

Another new trick in my arsenal is strength training. I really, really feel like the strength training has helped me build my speed back up. I did two or three days of Tank Top Arms, Ten Minute Core, and random other videos every week (those two are my favorite).

I've always struggled fitting cross training into my run schedule. What this tri schedule has shown me, is 1. I can fit it in when I want to, and 2. it REALLY REALLY helps. I have felt great this whole time. Week three was kind of tiring, but it was mostly a mental exhaustion - I struggled a lot initially with the swim, and just trying to keep the motions all straight was hard for me. Physically, thought, I've felt really good. The shin pain that I have always fought seems to have disappeared. The swim seems to help work out the muscle aches from running and biking.

It's almost as if there's REALLY something to all this "Cross Train hooray!" business.

Random thoughts:

• A sprint tri is TOTALLY DO-ABLE if you have even a tiny amount of fitness. For real.
• Be ready to work the most on the sport that is hardest for you.
• It's exhausting. Coach Martha with Tri La Vie said to expect that - and at one point I sent her a panicky email about how exhausted I was in week 2, and how was I possibly going to maintain this. In that email, I wrote, "PHYSICALLY, I feel totally fine.". Do you know what that means? It means shut up and train.
• I do not understand how people with jobs train for anything more than a sprint tri.
• Tri forces you to be more organized. There are so many things involved, you have to keep things in line and set up, so you're not wasting time getting your isht together all the time.
• Practice transition. It SOUNDS in your brain like, take off sunglasses and garmin, grab goggles, run, would be simple enough to manage. But when you're actually IN transition, things go crazy.
• Don't worry too much about going fast on the swim - I think not drowning, and swimming controlled, is more important. Not dying should always be one of your goals.
• You do NOT need a fancy bike. I started training with The H's bike (a hybrid, that I want to say cost more than I thought it did - maybe $500?), then bought my own - also a hybrid, for under $300. It wasn't necessary, it was mostly convenience - #1 can use it for getting to cross country practice, since The H rides his bike to work. But I was totally fine on my non-road bike. I saw people on beach cruisers on the course.

All in all, it was really a fantastic experience, and I will do it again - I will probably stick to pools or lakes, because sharks.

Working with Tri La Vie was great - there were athletes of all levels in the group, of all ages. The training program I joined was the 6-week Express iTRY training group, which offered weekly group training on Saturday's (2 weeks focused on swim, 4 weeks focused on run/bike/combination thereof), a weekly training plan, weekly optional drop-in swim training, and other optional weekly training sessions (run form, bike clinic, etc). Coach Martha definitely works the group with a sense of purpose - be there on time, pay attention, be focused, don't whine and make excuses. This is the type of coaching that REALLY works for me, because my default setting is "Lazy".

TLV offers several group training programs year round, as well as these specific programs for the fall. 

The program cost for TLV training varies, but it's all listed on the website. The price includes a training plan, group training sessions, skill-based training, a TLV tech shirt, and discounts to select local retailers (I bought my bike from Two Wheels One Planet and took advantage of the TLV discount there).

While the tri training is for women only, they also offer a trail running series that is open to men and women.

iTRY group

For a beginner, or someone with experience looking to improve in triathlon, TLV would be a great benefit to you. I followed Coach Martha's training plan (adding additional runs for my own purposes), and it didn't just get me TO the start line, I exceeded my expectations. While my swim was slower than I would have liked, I was confident and smooth in the water, which I find more important than just flinging myself through quickly. I finished the day feeling strong, and credit that entirely to TLV.



While I was provided the training at no cost through Renegade Racing and TLV, all opinions are my own - I had a lot of fun taking on the new sports, and the training really worked for me. 

iTRYathlon - Race Recap

iTRYathlon is a local women's and youth event put on by Renegade Racing. This was the second year running the race.

This was an EXCELLENT pick for my first triathlon - it's a reverse tri, so instead of the typical swim/bike/run, it was a 3.1 mile run, 9 mile bike, and 200m pool swim.

The swim has always been the piece of the tri that I was most afraid of - mostly because the idea of 1. open water and 2. mass starts terrifies me. Putting the swim last means a steady stream of swimmers, not a crazy group all at once. This was fantastic for me!

Race prep....
With a 7:30am Saturday start time, I planned on being at the race site around 5:30 for transition set up, body marking, etc. To help me make sure I wasn't forgetting anything I set out everything I'd need in a fuax-transition the night before.

We arrived at Northwood High School pretty early - so early, transition wasn't even open yet.

The H helped me make sure my tires were pumped appropriately, and we headed over to set up my space. When Coach Martha advised us to arrive that early, I was pretty skeptical. It was REALLY early, I don't think I even show up for runDisney races that early.

But it was 100% worth it to snag a prime transition spot for my bike.

Here's a funny thing about triathlon. Some kids will, at some point, write your age right on your calf in PERMANENT MARKER. So that's cute.

After spending some time horrifying The H with the number of times I can cycle through the bathroom lines in 2 hours (answer, only 3 times, which IS NOT EVEN THAT MUCH, rude), and some time chatting with my favorite volunteers....

According to Kelly and Angry Julie (pic courtesy of Julie)

...we started lining up. The morning was PERFECTION - misty and foggy and cool. Thank heavens.

SO lucky.

The Run

Elevation map....

My goal for the run was 28:xx. I haven't really felt great about my speed, since I was my fastest (so, really just "fastest") back during marathon training last year, and I'm not running nearly the same mileage now. When I started iTRY training, I was hoping for a 30 minute 5k. In the last few weeks, I thought if I REALLY pushed it, I could maybe pull out 28:xx. I was really nervous about the hill - I'm not great on hills. They're hard.

The run starts on a nice downhill, and then climbs climbs climbs climbs. I ran into Striding Mom's oldest, Strawberry, close to the top of the hill, and we ran for a few minutes together - my training on this route really helped out here, because I knew how far the hill went, and when I felt like it was getting rough, I knew how close I was to the end of the hill.

Thanks, H!

I only look happy because I know we're running downhill from here. Just kidding, I was psyched to see my hsuband.

As soon as I told him the course was all down hill from here!.... he took off.

Later, Stawberry.

Garmin time, appx.... 27:50ish. {I KNOW WHAT!!!!!}. 8:45, 9:11, 9:07 for the first three miles.

{Update - official time, 27:51!!!!!}


Transition 1: This is where I really jacked things up with my Garmin - instead of hitting lap, I hit start/stop and paused it. Womp. I have no idea what my transition time was. I took a second to take a drink, because drinking on the bike makes me nervous. But otherwise, I took Coach Martha's advice and had a very streamlined transition, only needing to snap on my helmet. Bring only what you need, and use everything you bring....

More pictures from my personal transition photographer, Angry Julie

T1: 1:14

The Bike

Sigh. Oh, the bike.

My goal was to come in under 40 minutes. I was NOT confident in this number - 40 minutes would have been a 13.5mph pace. In training on this loop, the fastest I could pull out was 12.8mph. I don't know WHY I picked 40 minutes, it was totally random.

The course is 2 loops of the run course (so twice up that hill), plus an out and back on some flat roads.

I saw a lot of people passing me who had REAL bikes - like real road bikes, not my clunky hybrid. I felt pretty good with how I went up the hills - I cycled through the gears efficiently, I thought. I didn't see a lot of people on hybrids passing me, which was how I was gauging my speed.

Unofficial bike pace: 14.3mph. WHAT.

{Official time, 38:32 - 14.1mph}

Transition 2:

So, one of my biggest concerns was whether or not I should even wear my Garmin - I thought it would really help me on the run, so I could stay on pace up the hill, but I was really concerned that I would totally forget I had it on, and head straight to the pool with it. Which I did. Plus my sunglasses - and as it turns out, you cannot swim in sunglasses. Awesome. Heading into transition, I racked my bike, took another drink of water, and ran over to the pool - I kept my shoes on, because it's about a 200m run.

Once you get to the pool, Renegade has volunteers set up to collect shoes (and sunglasses and Garmins) for you when you jump in.

T2: 3:06 {ouch}


The swim

The swim was 4 lengths (2 laps) of a 50m pool - jump in one side, swim a length, duck under the lane line, back the next lane, etc. I had never practiced in a 50m pool before, so the distance was a little intimidating. The pool in my neighborhood that I use is maybe 15m? And the pool I did a time trial in a few weeks ago is 25. Also, the pool is DEEP. So I was nervous, particularly in the middle two lanes, where there's not a wall right next to me JUST IN CASE (I know how to swim enough not to drown, but I panicked a little).

So I took the swim S L O W and steady. I never felt crowded, even though plenty of people passed me, but the lanes are super wide, and there was just a steady stream of racers coming in. There was plenty of room to navigate.

dead center sticking my head waaaaaaaay out for a breath. This is why I'm slow.

I'm being so dainty with the lane lines.

{Swim - 6:38 laaaaame}

The finish timing mats are right there at the edge of the stairs - pro tip, I stopped swimming when I got to that long area going towards the stairs. Do you know what is MUCH slower than swimming? Walking through 4'6" of water.

Since I obviously didn't wear my Garmin through the swim (despite my best efforts...), I have no idea how long the swim took - I know I was passed by PLENTY of people. I am assuming it is well over my 5 minute goal.


Total time: 1:17:25 


Post Race
The volunteers are handing out medals right as you exit the pool, and then just outside the pool building, there are volunteers with water, bananas, oranges, and cookies (cookies!!).

Results were posted really quickly out at the expo area (for most people.... Hurry up, Gemini!).

This event was REALLY well organized. There are a number of events happening at the same time - sprint tri, junior tri, 5k, etc, but things moved totally smoothly.

For a new triathlete, this is a great choice - it's really non-intimidating, and very beginner friendly. Volunteers were set up everywhere, and all very helpful.


Disclosure: I was provided with free entry to the race by Renegade Racing, but all opinions are my own. There is really NOTHING that I would have changed or thought needed improvement - it's amazing it's only in its second year, because you would never have guessed that they'd only pulled this off once before.

Adventures in Tri - iTRYathlon training, week 6

Week 1 HERE
Week 2 HERE
Week 3 HERE
Week 4 HERE
Week 5 HERE

We've reached my most favorite part of training - TAPER WEEK. iTRYathlon is this weekend! There's still plenty of time to register (and you can use discount code RC2013 for 10% off!). Click HERE to register.

I'm as trained as I'm gonna get, considering I was a last-minute triathlon decider, thanks to Coach Martha and Tri La Vie. I plan to enjoy the hell out of my taper week.

Last week....

Monday: rest

Tuesday: Bike, XT
In the am, I did a 14.6 mile ride, with hill repeats. Routed from my house, to the iTRY course, two hill loops, and ride back. What's that look like, you ask?

 Looks like devil horns, if you ask me.

Yep. Anyway. I also planned to swim, but had to rescue The H after his bike mishap, so cross trained (Tank Top Arms, Core, stretching) at home instead.

Wednesday: Swim
This one was kind of fun! We were given a prescribed workout from Coach Martha at Tri La Vie - 200m warmup, 2x200 with 2 min RI, 200m cool down. It's like she's speaking my language - I understood this! The 2x200 were good, significantly faster than my previous time trial from less than 2 weeks ago, so I suppose this training is making a difference!

Thursday: Run
1.25 warm up, 5x800 with 400 RI, 1 mi cool down. Goal 4:30-4:22, Actual 4:29, 4:25, 4:25, 4:23, 4:18. 6 miles total.

Friday: Swim, XT
Cross Training in the am (Tank Top Arms, Core, Yoga). Swim workout was 45 min timed swim, and I managed 1200m in the 47 min (I couldn't very well stop at a weird number...).

Oh, summer finally arrived!

Saturday: Group Brick
Repeat of last week, but with MORE. 3 mile run (with a shockingly-for-me-fast pace of 9:20 ON THOSE HILLS), followed by 3 loops on the bike course, and then finished with a 1 mile run. That was less than fun.

Sunday: LONG RUN!!
Maaaaan, I've missed long runs. Like, for real long runs - not that 10 mile nonsense I've been playing with the last few months. 14 miles, with some strides at *hopeful* race pace the last 3 miles. It hurts so great.

Long live treadmill love.

Totals:
Running: 24 miles
Swim: 2000m
Bike: 23 miles

8:22 training time

Running:
I had to cut one of my weekly runs this week, due to time constraints. I 100% feel like that's a complete lazy ass cop out, but it is what it is. The H's new work schedule, plus his injury, plus 2 doctor visits for Gab, plus 2 interviews made for a chaotic week, even without a pesky job interfering. Overall, I feel like I'm running much stronger than I have in a long time - faster paces are coming easier, I'm able to perform better on hills, and my endurance is coming back. I feel like 14-16 miles is my "happy long run" distance, so it's nice to see it back there.

Swimming:
Dare I say..... I am starting to see the appeal of this sport?? It helps that there is some progress being made, I'm sure, but I can definitely see how it can be relaxing. I am not struggling to keep a mental check-list of all the things to remember - kick, but not too much; breathe, 1, 2, 3; use this arm, now that arm. All those things were playing in my brain while I tried to swim, and it was really confusing for me. The more I practice, the easier it becomes, and the more efficiently I move. I like that. PLUS, I swear it helps with muscle recovery. I SWEAR.

Bike:
Ohhhh, the bike. I have to admit, I am just not really a fan. It's all fine and dandy until there's a hill, and then it's the HARDEST. I am doing.... okay here, I'm getting better every time I train on those stupid hills, but it's so so so so so hard. And going downhill fast freaks me out. Lose, lose. I just really don't love it. Yet?


Notes:

• I have a terrible habit of backloading my week with all the hard stuff.
• I'm so, SO happy to have long runs back in my calendar. 
• I'm not currently registered for anything, however, so I guess they're meaningless. Except that they make me SO HAPPY.
• I used salted caramel GU to bribe myself into finishing that long run. No regrets.
• Consistency is so important. 
• I must FINALLY be swimming "right", because I'm sore in all the right places (arms/chest/shoulders).

This week.... TAPER!
Monday: Easy swim (30 min)/rest
Tuesday: 45 min bike, easy; 5-6 mi easy run, XT
Wednesday: 600m swim, easy
Thursday: 4-5 mi easy run (strides), XT
Friday: REST!
Saturday: iTRY
Sunday: Long run, maybe.

Adventures in Tri - iTRYathlon training, week 5

Week 1 HERE
Week 2 HERE
Week 3 HERE
Week 4 HERE

Oh, hi.

When last we wrote (read?), I was unemployed, and training for a new-to-me event, a sprint tri.

So, nothing has changed there. Exciting, am I right?

I've been enjoying my time at home with the kids, and The H, who has been super fun and joined me for a lot of my training this week.

I have some things (hopefully) playing out on the job front, but... I'm not rushing things. Where I am today, is very different than where I was when I last hunted down a job, and I don't really want to jump back in to a field that was not making me happy, or take something with a company that isn't a good fit. I mean, if it becomes critical, obviously eating food and providing shelter is a bigger priority than whatever gratuitous job-fulfillment I'm seeking, but until then, I'm biding my time, making some connections, and feeling things out.

(I do have an interview today, at the *second* happiest place on earth, which would be part time and my "this sounds REALLY fun" plan....)

Anyway.

It was a really great week!

Monday: Swim
600m in the pool, 40 min.

Tuesday: XT, 6 mi speed work
Tank top arms and core videos, 6 miles with 3x1600

Wednesday: Bike and swim
12.85 mi bike ride - lollipop loop from our house up to the iTRY course, one loop of the hills, and back home. Followed that by a 600m swim in 28 minutes.... vast improvement over Monday!

Thursday: Babysitting
6 month old, which reminded me that I really only like babies in the context of their parents - if mom/dad are around to hand it back to, they are SO GREAT. This was a full day event, so I made Thursday my rest day. Because it exhausted me.

Friday: XT, run
Tank top arms and core, 2.3 miles with runDisney #D23EXPO funrun + 3.7 solo lonely LAME miles.

Saturday: BRICK - run/bike
3 miles on the iTRY course (HILLS), followed by quick transition and 3 loops on the bike course for 8.22 miles.

Sunday: Long run
12 miles, easy pace


Totals
Running - 27 miles
Swim - 1200m
Bike - 21ish miles

7:59 training time


Running:
27 miles - the 1600's were right on goal pace for me (goal was 9:28-9:13, actual was 9:27, 9:19, and 9:10). I've been kind of concerned about the iTRY course, because it's basically a loop of a ginormous hill...

Okay, so it's not as tragic as I might have said, but since I'm The Worst at hills, I've been concerned. When Coach Martha asked who could run a 30 minute 5k on that loop, I hesitated. Turns out, I didn't need to - it was TOTALLY fine, and I did it with no problem. Surprise! Overall, I'm feeling good about the running - I still don't think I'm quite as fast as I was a year ago, but it's getting there.

Swimming:
There is ACTUAL FOR REAL improvement being made, which is exciting. I am having a LOT of trouble kind of getting into a groove with the swim - the pool I have close by is short, so it takes a billion laps to make it a respectable distance, and it's not really.... smooth. Because it's so short, it's very choppy getting stopped by the wall all the time. I need to hunt down a longer pool this week. Swimming is still helping loosen up the muscles, which after this week, I REALLY appreciate.

Bike:
2 good rides this week. The long ride was done at a moderate pace, and did one loop of the iTRY course. I wanted to DIE on that loop. The H said that biking hills is harder than running them, and I did not believe him, but he was 100% correct. So I was a little devastated when I found out our bike training with Tri la Vie this weekend was HILL REPEATS.

What that looks like:

So that was pretty awful.

The iTRY course is only two loops, with some out and back to make 9 miles. I guess I'm glad I'm practicing now so I know what to expect, because holy crap, that was HARD.


Notes:

• We practiced transition this week between run/bike. I am confident that I'm pretty efficient at this, but.... we'll see?

• Training is exhausting, and I have no idea how I'd be doing this level of training if I were working full time. People who do that, are incredibly dedicated.
• It's really nice to see some measurable improvement in the swim - I'm still not good at it, but I'm getting better.
• BIKING UP HILL IS SO HARD. I never, ever would have imagined that running uphill would be easier, but it sure is.
• Salted caramel GU is amazing.

• I had a lot of FUN with training this week - I'm sure part of it was the runDisney fun, and the salted caramel GU, but in general... I kind of like the varied training that triathlon necessitates.
• It would be CRAZY to consider a half IM now..... right?

This week:
Monday: Swim, XT
Tuesday: 5-6 miles easy, 1 hour bike on hills, easy swim
Wednesday: 800m swim, XT
Thursday: 7 miles, 5x800
Friday: easy swim/XT/rest
Saturday: Brick - run/bike
Sunday: Long (12-14)


*****************************************************************************

Friday, I ran a 2.3 mile fun run with runDisney! As part of the D23 Expo this weekend, they hosted a meetup running a quick loop through California Adventure.

I love Disneyland.

I'll tell you a secret. I landed the Disneyland interview early last week, but I wasn't positive I wanted to pursue it until I saw these pictures. Anything that makes me THAT happy, may be somewhere I want to spend my time.

It was a ton of fun, as always - I just love that runDisney does these events. At the end of the run, they gave each of us this Runner Mickey Vinylmation, with a limited edition D23 medal!

Thanks, runDisney!!

Adventures in Tri - iTRYathlon training, week 3

Week 1 HERE
Week 2 HERE

Last week...

Monday: Bike, cross training
6ish mile bike ride to Target and back home - not too bad. Followed up with Tank Top Arms and 10 minute core.

Tuesday: Swim
Kind of, but not really. Mostly just practicing breathing and moving at the same time. 20 minutes easy pool time. Tuesday was my 35th birthday (heeeeeey, new AG!), and the day kind of sucked (not because of my birthday, just in general?). Anyway. That was all I could get myself motivated for, before I buried myself in bad tv, pizza, and ice cream cake.

Wednesday: Run, Swim
6 mile easy pace treadmill run, followed by riding my bike to a local lap pool for 30 minutes of drills and laps.

Thursday: Run, cross training
5 mile tempo run - nailed it. Goal: 1 mi wu, 3@ 9:44-9:22, 1 mi cool. Actual: 9:39, 9:32, 8:52. Followed by 30 minutes of Tank Top Arms, Core, and stretches.

Friday: REST!

Saturday: BRICK!
Easy pace 2 mile run, followed by - dun dun DUN - a 10 mile bike, at medium effort. The ride was not terrible - it was challenging, but in an entirely different way than running is.

Sunday: Long run
13 miles on trails. This was NO GOOD. But it was pretty.

Aside from yesterday's TERRIBLE run... Not a bad week, training-wise!

Running: 26 miles. Nice jump over last week. The paces are good, for me, so I'm happy with that. The tempo run was certainly challenging, and I threw in the last mile as a sort-of time trial - I think I could have maybe done a little faster, but I'm not disappointed with it, so it's fine for now. The long run Sunday ended up at an overall 14:50 pace - so for trails, not The Worst, but I'm especially okay with it knowing the elevation, stopping to take a billion pictures, and that I walked the last 4 miles - like, for real just walked.

Swimming: I really need to focus more here, because it's my most challenging sport so far, I think. I am still having trouble kind of connecting all of the movements - I know it will come with practice. I went to a neighborhood pool that was pretty great (aside from the skanky pants neighbor of mine that was there with NOT HIS WIFE, and did you know when you wear goggles you can see what people are doing under water GROSS). It for sure helps me with the leg soreness and fatigue, so that is great. If I ever stop feeling like I might drown, it might be something I want to add to my non-tri routine.

Bike: 2 rides, total of 16.5ish miles. I'm getting a little faster, so that's nice. The route we took had a lot of very short, but pretty steep inclines, so that was tricky - the race course has some long but gradual inclines. This week, I'd like to build in some training on similar routes to see how it goes.


Of note this week....

• Coach Martha from Tri La Vie advised us last week at the swim clinic that we would be exhausted mentally. Man. She was NOT joking. My brain is foggy and tired.
• Physically, I feel pretty good, even with the increased training. Last week, I put in 8.5 hours of training; the weeks preceding this were at 6:45, 5:30, 3:05. The variety of training elements helps - the swimming is definitely keeping my legs in good shape.
• I'm feeling pretty good about my run and bike - I was kind of eyeballing the results from last year to see how I'd stack up, and it looks like I probably won't be last, so that's great news ;). The run is coming faster than I anticipated, and the bike... I'm seeing steady improvement, and I'm not working a ton on it, so that's nice.
• The swim, though. That piece still confuses me.

Plan for this week....
Monday: Swim 30 min, cross train
Tuesday: Run, 6ish easy, bike
Wednesday: Bike, 1 hour (!!!), cross train
Thursday: Renegade Summer Trail Run #3! 5 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Bike, swim (bike to swim clinic, then home), cross train
Sunday: Long - 12-14

********************************************************************
On Saturday, #1 raced the City of Cypress 5k with some of her Cross Country teammates. I ran the 10k here a few years ago, and it's a great event - the race is well organized, the finish is great (popsicles!!), the support is great, and it's CHEAP - $25 for any distance if you register in advance (which we didn't do because see above about my foggy brain).

I thought this was the cutest thing ever ever ever.

The H putting the timing chip on her shoe for her. ADORABLE.

It was warm and sunny out, so not super ideal conditions, and #1 was coming off of a pretty hefty training week at XC Camp - she's obviously a running machine, because she is piling on more mileage than I am in a week.

Somehow, she nailed a new PR! Her previous PR was set at Chapman 5k in 2011, at 22:08. Saturday, she came in 21:57. She's the fastest.

She runs so pretty!

It is a SUPER stacked field, and that 21:57 was good for 7th in her AG. Madness.

 Also, I love spectating.



Adventures in Tri - iTRYathlon training, week 2: PFTW

Well. Week 2 of iTRYathlon training is in the books......

Monday - 30 minutes cross training
Tank Top Arms, Core, easy yoga

Tuesday - run, followed by bike
4 mile easy pace run, 4 mile easy pace bike (I think I intended to do 5 miles, but it was getting dark)

Wednesday - swim, 45 min cross training
I hesitate to even call this a "swim", because it was mostly me just trying not to breathe in water, but it was 20 minutes in the pool; followed that with Tank Top Arms, Core, and more yoga

Thursday - 800's (grosssss)
6 miles, with 4x800. Goal was 4:30-4:20, with negative splits. Actual 4:30, 4:28, 4:23, 4:20. Nailed it. 800s are still my least favoritest.

Friday - rest

Saturday - swim. Dun dun DUN.

45 minutes of drills. This isht is HARD. I left the practice completely wrecked. The good news is, I kind of know at least how to effectively move, AND I was not the slowest there (actually, I was one of the fastest, out of the slow group, so I'll take it).

Sunday - long run!
Man, I've missed long runs. 12 miles, broken into three segments.
Part 1: 4 miles from my house to ex-neighbor Will's place. Turns out, this is at an incline the entire way. So, so hard, my legs were DEAD.
Part 2: 4 miles around Will's fancy new neighborhood. Easy run/walk.
Part 3: 4 miles at a slight downhill home - this was The Best EVER!!

There was even a little bit of rain in my last 2 miles....

those are raindrops, on cement, I SWEAR.

 

This is notable only because rain in July here is unheard of, but this was TWO DAYS in a row of drizzle - it rained on us Saturday, too. I'm hopeful that this hints at a cool, mild summer?

 

(I know it's BEEN summer, for, like, a month everywhere else, but our summer really starts in August when the marine layer disppears blah blah blah so hot).

 

Anyway, it was a pretty okay week...
 

Running: 22 miles. I'm happy enough with my run paces - obviously I'm nowhere near as "fast" as I was around CIM time last year, but it's becoming easier, which I guess is the point of training.

 

Swim: 1:05 total swim time, but only 45 minutes of that was really active. This week, I have scheduled some time in a lap pool, so I'm looking forward (haha) to seeing what kind of actual swim fitness I have, and hopefully get a gauge for a reasonable goal for iTRY.
 

Bike: Only got in 1 ride this week, which is lame and not ideal. My training plan called for a second ride, but my work schedule got changed mid-week, and threw off my training a little bit.

BUT, I did invest in this....

Invest is a strong word; it was the cheapest model that I didn't hate. I was actually not really planning on buying a new bike - I use The H's bike, because despite our height differences and my practically-midget status, I have freakishly long legs, so it almost works for me. I didn't really want to invest a lot of money into a thing that I'm 10 days into. BUT, #1 uses the bike also, to get to cross country camp, so it will be convenient having a second bike in the house.


The Tri La Vie group is really helpful for me - normally I'm pretty much a loner in my training. It's hard for me to find someone running my pace, or my distance, and I really don't mind being alone. BUT, the coaches have been incredibly helpful providing an easy introduction to the other two sports.


Plan for this week....
Monday: Easy bike; cross train
Tuesday: 30 min swim, 5-6 mile run
Wednesday: Bike - scheduled for a 10 mile time trial; maybe swim?
Thursday: 6 mile tempo, with a 1 minute time trial thrown in there
Friday: Easy 30 min swim OR rest if I swim Wednesday
Saturday: Group bike/run training
Sunday: Long run, distance TBD depending on Saturday

Run: 25-26 miles? Ish?

****************************************************************

Lessons from the week

• 45 minutes of swimming - even though it was HARD and exhausted all of my body - it felt like it really loosened up the muscles that were kind of tight. I always have shin splint issues, and have been fighting a little bit with my left leg this week, but after swimming, my calf was nice and loose and the shin was way less achy. So.... interesting development.
• Swimming really, really confuses me, and the things I don't get... I don't understand WHY they won't click. For example - during our drills, we were doing some one side freestyle stuff, then switching sides on the way back. This confused me, but I understood WHY - it's harder for me on the left side, and I know that just needs practice. But when we did laps, without fail, about halfway through the return part of the loop (is there a word for that?), I would almost DIE from breathing in the water. Nothing changed, it was totally fine on the way out, but the way back was torture. Every time. I don't understand what part of that I don't get.
• Here's a good article on swimming tips for beginners.
• Four years after moving here, we finally joined the neighborhood association, which has several adult-only lap pools. That are heated. I don't know why this took us so long.
• I have finally discovered one thing I use triceps for: swimming. Every time I do those stupid tricep moves during Barre or Tank Top Arms, I wonder WHY THOSE MUSCLES EVEN EXIST. Turns out, for swimming.
• Last swimming observation: I have a problem keeping my eyes open. I wear goggles, and they're good. But, here's a fun fact for you - I'm blind in my right eye. So using the goggles makes me feel like I'm looking through a telescope, and I keep closing my eye, and I get confused, and then both eyes are closed. I know, this makes zero sense. But...
• I did ride the bike significantly faster than the first week, I'm sure because I figured out how to more efficiently use the gears to my advantage.
• Foam rolling, foam rolling, foam rolling. I thought I was building up my mileage slowly enough that I wouldn't encounter the same stupid shin splint issues, but NOPE. They're the same as always. I spent a few days being really uncomfortable and tight, and then remembered.... I own a foam roller, and I know how to use it. Duh.
• It was a little horrifying how hard the 800's were, considering that not TOO long ago (in December), I ran an entire 10k at just that pace. The loss of fitness is crazy.
• That said, it was nice to run 12 miles, and feel like it was okay. I was a little worried about that.

Adventures in Tri - iTRYathlon training, week 1

The idea of a tri has been in my brain for awhile - Monica and Sheila ran last year, and both raved about this event.

 

The sticking point for me is always the swim. I'm not a great swimmer - I can float around just fine and can (probably) prevent myself from drowning, but to use swimming as a method to get from point A to point B, it's not looking too good. The idea of (a) a mass start and (b) swimming in open water is kind of terrifying to me.

 

this is what I think of when I picture a mass swim start

 

However - iTRY is a reverse sprint tri! Run 3 miles, bike 9, and pool swim for 200m.

 

So, I'm tri training!

 

Training officially started on Saturday with a local Tri La Vie group. The 6 week "Expess Triathlon Training" is a beginner-focused coached program for swim, bike, run and race preparation. We started with about an hour intro to the program, followed by a 3 mile loop on the bike, and a timed run.

 

The bike was fun, because it was a moderately hilly loop, and I learned how to use the gears on the bike - gears are SUPER HELPFUL.

 

Immediately after we racked our bikes, we headed out for a timed run in the transition area to get a feel for running AFTER the bike. While we won't be using this in iTRY, it was an interesting experience - maybe the key to me running faaaast is to only run after a bike ride, when I can't feel my legs anyway?

 

 

 

The training going forward

 

This week, I introduce swim. Like I said, I'm not a strong swimmer. I can play around in the pool and manage to not sink, but that's the extent of my water skills. My training this week calls for 30 minutes of getting acclimated to the water, plus our Saturday training. After the Saturday training, I'm hoping to have a better grasp of what I need to work on to improve. Discovery during last week's attempt at swimming, I need goggles that fit and don't leak.

 

For the bike and swim, I am following the plan laid out for me by TLV and Coach Martha. I'm maintaining my marathon training, though - I've scaled back on the intensity (1 speed work/tempo day instead of two, the rest easy runs), but will keep building mileage. My hope is that the cross training involved will help with the running overall, and I'll reap the benefits after iTRY as the marathon training progresses in September and October.

 

The training for a spint tri seems to be pretty manageable. If you're a beginner athlete, it's a good stepping stone to get acclimated to different sports, different disciplines.

 

For me, I have gone through marathon training a few times, so I kind of know the intensity involved in a heavy training program. While I don't currently find the load challenging, I am lucking out that I am just starting marathon training - as I build mileage in both training cycles, I expect it will not seem so easy breezy.

 

 

Lessons from the week

• Gears are on your bike for a reason. They're meant to be used. Figure it out, and use them.
• Hey, did you know your bike can tilt down so you can easily hop on? I don't know why this never came to mind for me as I tried to, like, jump over the stupid bar thing. This leaning the bike down a bit method is far more graceful.
• When coming in to transition, take your helmet off AFTER you rack your bike, so your hands are free. Noted.
• Swim goggles should FIT. Coach Martha says goggles are packaged so they can be opened, and resealed - I'm going to raid a swim supply store near me tomorrow to test this theory.
• Here's a great article on beginner cycling - It Gets Easier: Cycling Advice for New Cyclists.
• It helps to be organized. Running can be simple - throw on shoes, get out - or complicated. Garmin, headband, sunglasses, handheld, gu, nuun, ipod. I'm admittedly in the second camp most of the time. Add two other sports to the mix, and things get fussy. I spent 20 minutes getting out of the house the other day to go for a 25 minute bike ride, followed by (a failed attempt to) swim. It was ridiculous. I need to get things better organized so I can easily transition between the sports.

 

 

iTRYathlon will be held on August 24th at Northwod High School in Irvine. Registration is open now for $85, with a price increase to $95 after July 31st.

 

Here's my disclaimer: entry and Tri La Vie training has been provided to me by Renegade Racing and TLV. I don't accept sponsorships or free stuff unless it's something I'm interested in, and the opporotunity to participate came up when I mentioned I was considering the event - last week's training was already in the books before the entry was offered. I'll be blogging my training, as a beginning triathlete, but all opinions and lessons learned are mine.