Friday Five - Four Randoms, One Goal

1. I am for real the Queen of Extreme Taper. So far this week, I've done 1 run (and it was GOOD), and 1 40 minute bike ride.

I need to swim today. I mean, I should. I'm the worst. But at least I'll be well rested. CAN'T HOLD ME BACK!


2. SarahOUaL has organized a new run club in OC - first meetup is Tuesday night near Crystal Cove. Good for all paces (walkers welcome!), and variety of distances. I'll be there, probably dragging behind the walking group because hello, I have DOUBLE RACES next weekend, and as evidenced above, I LOVE TAPERING. Details HERE on the FB.

If you don't want to run here, you're broken.

3. Related to above, Disneyland Half weekend is almost here!! HOORAY. I've been looking forward to this for ages! I think Becka, L and I had costumes sorted out way back when we ran Goofy?!?! It's going to be tons of fun, and I get to cook delicious carb-loading food, and Gab can finally end her "When will A BE HERE ALREADY" countdown. 

I'm so so so excited for our costumes. SO EXCITED. 

We are the funnerest.

4. I am unsure how to be properly unemployed. First, I cannot sleep in. I've been driving the H to work following his bike accident, so I've been getting up by 6:30... BUT even when I'm not, I rarely sleep past 7. 

And I don't like napping, it just doesn't work for me. So I'm tired all the time. 

Maybe that is why I haven't felt like doing anything this week? I don't know. Anyway. At the end of the day, I'm always like, WTF just happened, I did almost NOTHING and the entire day is gone. 

How is it possible?

don't worry, I obviously have plenty o' time to dig up gifs

5. ITRYathlon is tomorrow!! YIKES. #1 will also be there, running the 5k - she was scheduled for some cross country stuff, but since it was rescheduled, she's going to race this with me (haha) instead. 

I have some goals based on my training times, but I really have zero idea of how things will go. 

Run: I don't think I'm in shape to PR a 5k right now, and I'm even less confident about doing it on a giant hill. I'll be psyched with a 28:xx run. 

Bike: I just don't even know. I would like to come in under 40 minutes. We'll see. I just want to not die.

Swim: Hopefully under 5 min. 

So, with transition, I guess that makes my.... 

A Goal: 1:15ish

B Goal: Don't hate it.

C Goal: Don't die. 

I'm pretty nervous, but I'm sure it will be FINE. Right?

#NotEatingAllTheThings - the demise of my diet attempts

Way back, sometime between San Francisco Marathon last year and CIM, I hit this weight, and it stuck - I was marathon training, and I was content where it was. It didn't take any real effort to stay there, and I wasn't really concerned with losing any, at least not enough to be bothered with it.

Between CIM and Eugene, though, I continued to eat kind of whatever I wanted. While that strategy worked a-okay while I was in marathon training for CIM, it was no bueno when I ran about half the mileage in my Eugene cycle. It's not a surprise that I gained a few pounds.

When Becka and I brainstormed the #NotEatingAllTheThings Challenge during Eugene and the weekend of eating EVERYTHING, I figured I would just play along and see what happened. I'm not really big on numbers, and don't really have a "goal" weight - I kind of have a "feel better at this" weight, and a "that number makes my clothes uncomfortable" weight.

So, listen. I played along with the #NotEatingAllTheThings Challenge for awhile - I still send Becka pictures of most of my meals, I still weigh in habitually on Tuesday's (official weigh in day; Friday just for funs).

Weighing in has become an exercise in frustration for me - not because I'm not hitting a certain number (I have no certain number in mind still), but because my body just seems to be perpetually screaming, "NAH NAH NAH NAH I DO WHAT I WAAAANT CAN'T TAME ME!", and I gain/lose 2-3 lbs within a few days, back and forth, over and over. It didn't really matter what I ate, or what exercise I did.

So by the numbers on the scale, this has not been a success for me. While Becka has lost something like 18+ lbs, I have lost.....

6 pounds, net. Since May. I'm dead smack right back where I was in December, last year.

I dropped a few pounds initially, and I've been hovering at the same spot for about two months now. (In full disclosure, I am currently another pound down according to yesterday's weigh in, but I'm assuming it will pop back up, because my body LOVES what I weigh THE END).

I'm still running a fairly low mileage (25ish mile weeks), but I'm doing a LOT more cross training and strength work than I have before.

I still eat kind of whatever I want, but probably more reasonable than I was early this year. Maybe.

The result of this, is that despite the number refusing to budge, I am certainly more fit than I've been... maybe ever?

Unsure why my face is being a jerk

I  have tiny muscles, even. IT'S TRUE.

Bad lighting, but I swear they exist, not just in my brain.

So, I guess this is the thing.

I don't measure weight loss in any other way - I don't use a tape measure or fancy scale. I know my clothes are looser. I know my beautiful striped Lulu Pace Setter is too big.

I know that the stupid tank top arms video used to be hard with 2lb weights, but now it's manageable with 5lb weights.

I guess my conclusions from this Challenge are:

• I'd rather feel stronger, than skinnier
• As long as I'm comfortable in my clothes, I'm pretty indifferent to my weight
• The numbers don't really mean all that much
• I'm not willing to give up foods I love
• Counting calories is BORING and tedious
• It's easy for me to get carried away and "reward" myself, when I'm being too restrictive (and I use that word VERY loosely).
• It's easier for me to eat what I want in moderation, all the time. I'm way less prone to "rewards" that way.

Anyway. I didn't want to just abandon the #NotEatingAllTheThings, without filling in the ending.

Thus concludes my experiment.

I declare Becka the winner!

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.

Three Things Thursday

1. I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my training recap, BUT, I fell off my bike for the first time last week!

We were stopping at a red light, and I misjudged my distance from the curb, and.... missed. I just toppled right over. And since I was basically at a stand still, it was mostly just... I was standing, and then slowly settling in on the ground.

It was INCREDIBLY lame and dumb. And I don't even have any fun scars to show for it.


2. Related to above, here's a PSA for you: Don't text and ride at the same time. The H has been riding his bike to work, and thought he would be clever and text while riding home. And then he fell, but not nearly as lazily as I did. That is some dangerous isht, and I don't know why anyone would try it. Don't do that, you guys. (and, related to The H, today we've been married FIFTEEN YEARS. That is so long!)


3. A second interview happened yesterday at the (second) happiest place on earth.....

That mouse makes me so happy.

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 4

Week 1 HERE
Week 2 HERE
Week 3 HERE

Last week was a little chaotic.

Monday: Swimming, Cross Training
30 minutes of laps in the pool. Still confusing. Followed by tank top arms, core, and glute/thighs.

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Run, Bike, Run
Ran 5 miles with The H - this turned into a really great progression run (10:34, 10:18, 10:38 (red light), 10:08, 9:37). Scheduled for 60 minutes on the bike, so we took a leisurely tour of the city for an hour, and covered just over 11 fairly hilly miles. Later that afternoon, I met up with ex-neighbor Will for 3 easy miles. DOUBLE RUN DAY.

Thursday: Cross training, Swim, Run
Tank top arms, core, stretching in the morning, followed by 20 minutes easy laps at the pool. Thursday evening was the last Renegade Racing Summer Trail Run in the series (recap below)

Friday: Rest
Although, I did ride my bike to the bank and the grocery store, so... does that count? I don't know.

Saturday: Swim, Run, Swim
Saturday was Tri La Vie practice - 20 minutes spent covering transition set up...

Followed by 30 minutes swim form drills, 6 minute run, and a 200m time trial.

Sunday: Rest
That's right. I skipped the long run. I did.... nothing. I was tired, and didn't feel well, and just sat around doing nothing.


So, the week wasn't really as productive as I would have liked. I skipped 2 bike rides, and my long run. I did say I wanted a cut-back week, and damn, did I deliver.

Running:
13 miles. I liked the double run day - I might incorporate that more in the coming weeks. I had 8 miles for the day, but it didn't feel like an 8 mile day, if that makes sense. I was THRILLED with my progression run. It was a good effort, but I was able to talk the whole time. The trail run was so fun, but SO SO SO HARD.

Swimming:
I feel like I'm making decent progress here. I am kind of lame about counting and figuring out the distance I've swum, because the pool I use is not a conventional length. When I did the 200m time trial on Saturday, though, I was pleasantly surprised at my time. I'm excited about this one.

Bike:
1 real ride, 11.3 miles. I am not really counting my Friday jaunt to run errands. I am getting more comfortable maneuvering, and switching gears around as needed to keep a consistent effort, but I really need to just put in the time in the saddle (I hate myself for saying that).

Total: 5:54 training time.


Lessons for this week...
Consistency is key. I'm keeping the swimming and running (fairly) consistent, and seeing the most gains there. The bike is lagging a bit, because I'm lazy as hell about it.
The tips for transition that Coach Martha gave us during the TLV session were great. I plan to set up a transition area of my own and practice using it a few times before race day.
I use my legs too much in the swim - my legs are strong, but I can't depend on them for this part of the event.
Related to the last point, my arms are still SO WEAK. I don't know how that is even possible, when I've been doing the stupid tank top arms isht for a billion weeks.
I spent Wednesday and Thursday doing ALL THE THINGS after my lay off, waking up super early every day, and paid for it by being pretty exhausted come Sunday. I would have liked to fit in the long run, but I'm pretty okay having skipped it.
It still surprises me how much of an effort it is to be active. I would have thought that after almost 3 years of running, I still will default to lazing around doing nothing.


Plan for this week:

Monday: Swim 45 min, Cross train
Tuesday: Run 5-7
Wednesday: Bike, 1 hour hilly; swim 30 min
Thursday: Run 6-8, Cross train
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Bike 6-9 miles, Run 2-3
Sunday: Long - 12-14

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

We ran the clockwise loop this time, and it was HARD. I went in swearing to Julie and Sheila that this would be easier than the last one, but... I am a giant liar. HARDER.

Somehow, Julie and I finished 3 minutes faster than the last time. We're magicians.

Three Things Thursday

1. Back in July, I interviewed for a new job that I thought was PERFECT. It was in the endurance sports industry, it seemed to fit my skills perfectly, it sounded great, and I swear I NAILED the interview.

So I was extra sad when I found out last week (on my birthday, so rude) that I was not selected for the position. WOMP.

To continue making July The Best Month Ever (BUT NOT AT ALL), I was laid off earlier this week.

I knew the position was ending eventually - the company I was working for was undergoing some restructuring, and my position no longer made sense there. I was unhappy there, anyway, so I'm sure it is for the best, but being unemployed when you have three kids to supply things for is pretty annoying.

I am lucky that I have a great husband that can go back to work at his great job full time (he left and then went part time when Gab was diagnosed with leukemia), so I can't complain too much. But still... I was hoping to find something new before I became a non-employed person. Oh wells.

When HR told me I was being let go, I was... relieved. It was not a company I loved, not the position I was well-suited for, and my manager and I did not really work well together. I guess when you're relieved at being let go, it means it was really time to go.


2. I swear I'm not copying SarahOUaL, but I celebrated Tuesday evening with my favorite beer, and took an unplanned rest day. Wheee.

I spent my first day of not working doing a 5 mile progression run in the beautiful SoCal summer weather...

Followed by my scheduled hour bike ride. And THEN went out for another short run with my ex-neighbor Will.

I went grocery shopping with Gabby. I watched tv with #1. I gave #2 all my cash so she could go out. All these things I don't normally get to do. I'm sure the novelty will eventually wear off, I really don't do great with down time, but... I guess it means I'll just have to find something to keep busy during the job hunt. Volunteering probably?


3. Tonight is the last race in the Renegade Summer Trail Run series! I'll be there tonight with Striding Mom and Angry Julie, in sparkles this time. I'm excited to try the reverse loop - maybe it's easier????

Will I see any of you there??