Okay, I admit it, I haven't been so good about keeping the blog up to date. But honestly, there hasn't been much for "news", and I don't want to blather on and on about nothing. Actually, I've written quite a few blog posts in my mind while I've been jogging, but since there isn't yet a technology that will translate my thoughts directly into the computer...nothing has been posted. It's been about a month since I last updated, so here's what's been going on.
I went back to northeast Ohio for 2 weeks at the end of August. It was a nice vacation for many reasons, but I also really enjoyed exercising outside while there. I went jogging in the afternoon several days - and it was pleasant, in fact, absolutely enjoyable. A nice mid 70s with a breeze. Even if the temps got into the 80s, it wasn't a humid and miserable 80s. I loved it! I actually did my best distances while running outside up there - I did 3.6 miles in 35 minutes of running one time. Without stopping! That is a huge accomplishment. It did help that the greenway I was running on was relatively flat. In fact, I've always thought of that area to be quite hilly, but the greenways are pretty flat as a pancake.
I took my bike along with me, and that experience was mixed. I did a Sunday morning ride along some country roads, and it was just not enjoyable. There is very little shoulder along the roadways up there, making it difficult to share the road. But even worse was the condition of the roads. The roadways suffer from the temperatures and freeze/thaw cycles in the winter, and the 3 ft space along the shoulder - where I primarily ride - was in ridiculously terrible shape. It was not enjoyable at all. I never did motivate myself to go for another ride on the roads because it was so horrible. I did, however, have a LOVELY ride with a friend along a greenway one evening. We rode and talked for about 15 miles - still relatively flat, but nice for a more casual ride. I am happy to see that there are a number of trails up there for running and biking. The triangle area is lagging a little behind in that department, but I know that there are projects being worked on. There is a greenway trail along the Neuse river that is slated to open this fall, and there are a number of small greenways in Wake Forest (~ 1 mile) that are proposed to be connected together and to connect to the greater Raleigh system.
I think the biggest lesson I've learned in the last month is that I prefer to run outside. I tried to run on the treadmill last week, and it sucked. I barely went 2.5 miles before my body was screaming to stop (and I almost fell off the thing trying to push myself further). I just didn't have the heart to do it. But yesterday morning I took advantage of our cooler mornings and did a 3.5 mile run through my neighborhood and it was awesome. Both kids will be in school by mid week, and I'm looking forward to having some time in the morning to run and bike outside.
With all the travel, I haven't been in the pool for about 3 weeks, but before I left I was doing quite well. It's taken a lot of conscious effort, but I've finally re-trained my stroke to the 'proper' method. I haven't done a time trial in a while, so one goal soon will be to assess how I'm doing in the swim. Since this is probably my strongest discipline, I'm not too worried about being prepared.
I did set a goal of doing at least three 5K races this fall, and I think that will be easy to accomplish. My daughter's school is sponsoring a Race for the Cure event on October 1, and we are signed up to do that race - my husband and school aged daughter want to participate as well. And two days ago we agreed to participate in another benefit 5K for my husband's hospital on September 24. It won't be hard to find a third - or perhaps more - event to run in. I might even look for a biking event this fall. We are planning on taking a biking 'vacation' in late October. It's a two day biking tour of the North Carolina wineries. Since the wineries are located along the edge of the Blue Ridge mountains, we're sure to get a workout.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
I miss my bike
It's been ridiculously hot around here. Well, not ridiculous...just typical summer temps...but unbearable for bike riding (I'm not that hardcore yet). I haven't gotten out to ride since the first week of July, but this weekend the temps are dipping down to the high 80's, so I have hope to get a good ride in.
I haven't been slacking on the other disciplines though. Actually, I'm starting to feel like the training is taking over parts of my life. Almost every morning is devoted to gym time lately - it's a mixed blessing. I am enjoying it, but there are times that it makes for a hectic day.
You never know what will happen when you change up your routine. I had been swimming on Thursday mornings, but two weeks ago I needed to move the swim to Wednesday to accommodate a prior obligation. I ran into a parent from my daughter's preschool class in the parking lot of the Y, and she mentioned that she was doing an endurance swimming class that morning. I decided to jump in and try the class, and it has been a great experience. The class is taught by my neighbor - who happens to be a triathlon coach and is training for the Ironman right now. Most of the people in the class are tri newbies (or those with some tri experience, but not much). In the last two weeks I've learned that the way that I was swimming freestyle was about 15 years out of date - the stroke mechanics had changed significantly. It's been hard to re-train my stroke, but I'm really enjoying the class - a good mix of drills and sprints, along with tips for open water and pool swims.
I've also spent quite a bit of time focusing on the run, and I have to confess - I've finally broken through that wall. I can now run for 20+ minutes without being tired, out of breath, frustrated and hating every minute of it. I've shaved 4 minutes off my time, and I've even been able to increase my pace (on the treadmill) a little bit. I can't say that I love running. I still get bored by it - thank goodness for TV's to distract me from the monotony of the run. But it's not as horrible as it was even a month ago. I've set myself a goal of running 3 different 5K races this fall - which shouldn't be too hard to do.
Finally, I have to give a shout out to my husband. He's entertained the idea of participating in a tri with me, but he was not a swimmer. He had never learned how to swim, and barely tolerated putting his head in the water. Well, that's all changed. He's been taking swimming lessons this summer, and is making tremendous progress. The kids have been taking lessons this summer as well, so we've all practically lived in the pool the past month. I'm so proud of him for finally taking the plunge and learning how to swim. He's no Michael Phelps yet, but he's also not laying at the bottom of the pool.
I haven't been slacking on the other disciplines though. Actually, I'm starting to feel like the training is taking over parts of my life. Almost every morning is devoted to gym time lately - it's a mixed blessing. I am enjoying it, but there are times that it makes for a hectic day.
You never know what will happen when you change up your routine. I had been swimming on Thursday mornings, but two weeks ago I needed to move the swim to Wednesday to accommodate a prior obligation. I ran into a parent from my daughter's preschool class in the parking lot of the Y, and she mentioned that she was doing an endurance swimming class that morning. I decided to jump in and try the class, and it has been a great experience. The class is taught by my neighbor - who happens to be a triathlon coach and is training for the Ironman right now. Most of the people in the class are tri newbies (or those with some tri experience, but not much). In the last two weeks I've learned that the way that I was swimming freestyle was about 15 years out of date - the stroke mechanics had changed significantly. It's been hard to re-train my stroke, but I'm really enjoying the class - a good mix of drills and sprints, along with tips for open water and pool swims.
I've also spent quite a bit of time focusing on the run, and I have to confess - I've finally broken through that wall. I can now run for 20+ minutes without being tired, out of breath, frustrated and hating every minute of it. I've shaved 4 minutes off my time, and I've even been able to increase my pace (on the treadmill) a little bit. I can't say that I love running. I still get bored by it - thank goodness for TV's to distract me from the monotony of the run. But it's not as horrible as it was even a month ago. I've set myself a goal of running 3 different 5K races this fall - which shouldn't be too hard to do.
Finally, I have to give a shout out to my husband. He's entertained the idea of participating in a tri with me, but he was not a swimmer. He had never learned how to swim, and barely tolerated putting his head in the water. Well, that's all changed. He's been taking swimming lessons this summer, and is making tremendous progress. The kids have been taking lessons this summer as well, so we've all practically lived in the pool the past month. I'm so proud of him for finally taking the plunge and learning how to swim. He's no Michael Phelps yet, but he's also not laying at the bottom of the pool.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Over the mountain
I've done it. Finally done it. I'm actually making progress with my run.
I usually bike on weekends, but this past Sunday I traded my usual bike session for an extra run session, and it truly did help. We had a rare July weekend - high temps only in the mid 80s, and it was pleasantly in the 60's in the morning. BEAUTIFUL! I got up early Sunday and helped out with the kids triathlon (that was a lot of fun and so amazing to see over 100 kids out having a blast and racing). I was done by 10:00 am, and it was still very nice out, so I went for a run instead of a bike ride. Outside!! I did my longest run yet - 21 minutes straight. And I walked for 15 minutes after that and ended up finding a circular route through my neighborhood that is 3.1 miles - a 5K distance. I felt pretty good after that - I have never, ever run that long in my life.
Instead of swapping the run and bike (logistically hard to do since I don't have a sitter to watch the wee one), I did my usual run workout inside on the treadmill today. I didn't have a plan in mind, except to go 3.1 miles. After a brief warm up, I ran for 15 minutes straight, and then alternated walk/run for the remaining time. I sincerely didn't push myself too hard because I wanted to see where I would be if I were to try a 5K today. I finished the distance in 36 minutes 20 seconds. I have a lot of room for improvement, but I feel like I'm finally making progress in this discipline.
So why exactly am I doing a triathlon if I've never even done a 5K race before? What on earth would posses me to jump into something like this? To be honest, I've tried to do the couch to 5K training program before, and I usually would crap out somewhere around week 3 or 4ish. I wouldn't feel like I was progressing, I hated doing it, I didn't want to do it, I had no motivation to keep trying. I really do enjoy doing the biking and the swimming - I'm really loving getting back into the swimming especially, and I'm looking forward to spending quality time with my husband doing long rides in the future. I know that pushing myself in those two sports has increased my overall fitness level so that I am finally seeing results beyond where I'd always stopped before. Two of the three disciplines keep me going, keep me sane, give me hope. But I know that accomplishing all 3 will be a personal triumph.
I usually bike on weekends, but this past Sunday I traded my usual bike session for an extra run session, and it truly did help. We had a rare July weekend - high temps only in the mid 80s, and it was pleasantly in the 60's in the morning. BEAUTIFUL! I got up early Sunday and helped out with the kids triathlon (that was a lot of fun and so amazing to see over 100 kids out having a blast and racing). I was done by 10:00 am, and it was still very nice out, so I went for a run instead of a bike ride. Outside!! I did my longest run yet - 21 minutes straight. And I walked for 15 minutes after that and ended up finding a circular route through my neighborhood that is 3.1 miles - a 5K distance. I felt pretty good after that - I have never, ever run that long in my life.
Instead of swapping the run and bike (logistically hard to do since I don't have a sitter to watch the wee one), I did my usual run workout inside on the treadmill today. I didn't have a plan in mind, except to go 3.1 miles. After a brief warm up, I ran for 15 minutes straight, and then alternated walk/run for the remaining time. I sincerely didn't push myself too hard because I wanted to see where I would be if I were to try a 5K today. I finished the distance in 36 minutes 20 seconds. I have a lot of room for improvement, but I feel like I'm finally making progress in this discipline.
So why exactly am I doing a triathlon if I've never even done a 5K race before? What on earth would posses me to jump into something like this? To be honest, I've tried to do the couch to 5K training program before, and I usually would crap out somewhere around week 3 or 4ish. I wouldn't feel like I was progressing, I hated doing it, I didn't want to do it, I had no motivation to keep trying. I really do enjoy doing the biking and the swimming - I'm really loving getting back into the swimming especially, and I'm looking forward to spending quality time with my husband doing long rides in the future. I know that pushing myself in those two sports has increased my overall fitness level so that I am finally seeing results beyond where I'd always stopped before. Two of the three disciplines keep me going, keep me sane, give me hope. But I know that accomplishing all 3 will be a personal triumph.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
It's been quiet in blog land - but no fear, I haven't given up. It's just been a busy 10 days. My daughter finished up Kindergarten the last week of June and starts 1st grade tomorrow (year round school - LOVE it). During her short week off we traveled to western NC to visit some old friends. I did manage to get a couple of workouts in though.
We took our bikes with us on the trip, and the morning of the 4th we got up and in the thick haze of humidity took off on a ride. We had drawn a route map on a piece of paper, with no idea of how long it was (or how difficult). Didn't take us long to miss a turn and end up off our map, but we were enjoying the ride and kept going. Handy dandy google maps told us that there was an alternate road we could take (we were trying to take a circular route back to the home of our friends), so we rode on. The next turn was a road called Icard Ridge - we have learned that from now on we should avoid any road with 'ridge' in the name. It started with the steepest incline I've ever biked up - it seemed like a 20 degree incline. That was the first time that I sincerely thought I was going to have to get off and walk the bike up, but we made it. Rode a short distance, and then uphill again. A short distance, and uphill again. At this point we came to a cross street that would take us back to our original road. We stood at the crossroads, in what felt like 100 degree heat (it was only in the upper 70's + humidity, but felt worse), and decided that we didn't like what Icard Ridge had shared with us so far, so we took the easier route home. We managed to do 16.6 miles, so not a bad ride, but it's definitely harder when you have no idea what the road is going to be like.
I did another bike ride this morning. I set out on one of my regular routes - it's about 14 miles - which starts with a couple of smaller hills in succession. After two weeks back to back with rides that were more grueling than I had done previously, my regular route seemed quite easy. There are several sections of hills that usually wipe me out - today I was able to bear down and climb the hills quite easily. I am amazed by the change in fitness - since I wasn't expecting it at all. I decided to ride a bit further than usual since I was enjoying the ride and not feeling too fatigued, and ended up doing 17.2 miles. I have gotten a lot more comfortable on roads with a lot of traffic (they tend to have a larger shoulder for cycling anyway), so I will have to look at the map and come up with some 20+ mile routes.
I've also seen significant improvement in my swim. I swim at the local YMCA, and there is a swim team of middle school aged kids that practices regularly there. I've been using the workouts posted on their wipe board for the last 2 weeks, and I'm pleasantly surprised to say that I can do about 80% of the workout. I usually swim for about an hour, and about 2/3 of the way through I will do a practice sprint swim of the 250 yd distance, and my time for that event is steadily decreasing. I'll have to look back at my post from a few weeks ago to compare the time, but I'm now swimming 250 yards in 4 minutes 52 seconds. A full triathlon is usually a 1200-1500 yard swim in open water, and I'm not quite ready to swim that distance without stopping, but I am working towards that goal as well.
And that brings me to the run....which I didn't do this week. Okay, it was easy to cross that workout off my list when I didn't have time to get all 3 in. I know that in the long run, since it's my worst event, I should be practicing it more often. I intend to do that this fall, when the weather is more cooperative and I can exercise outside (and not just first thing in the morning when the temperatures are barely reasonable). I am curious to see if my improvement in cardiovascular fitness in the bike ride will cross over to the run - since that is my weakness. I guess I'll find out on Tuesday.
And as a final note, there's a kids triathlon here next weekend. My kids are not participating (one is too young, the other has yet to master riding her bike without training wheels), but perhaps they will be inspired to try in the years to come. There is a 5K race that I am planning to run this fall, and it has a kids race along with the adult race. My oldest daughter has expressed an interest in doing a race, so I might get them to do it with me. My husband and I are ridiculously happy with our new healthy lifestyles, but I am even more delighted that my children are learning fitness and healthy lifestyle habits from our example. I don't have hopes of training a future athlete - I only wish to teach them to eat well and move often.
We took our bikes with us on the trip, and the morning of the 4th we got up and in the thick haze of humidity took off on a ride. We had drawn a route map on a piece of paper, with no idea of how long it was (or how difficult). Didn't take us long to miss a turn and end up off our map, but we were enjoying the ride and kept going. Handy dandy google maps told us that there was an alternate road we could take (we were trying to take a circular route back to the home of our friends), so we rode on. The next turn was a road called Icard Ridge - we have learned that from now on we should avoid any road with 'ridge' in the name. It started with the steepest incline I've ever biked up - it seemed like a 20 degree incline. That was the first time that I sincerely thought I was going to have to get off and walk the bike up, but we made it. Rode a short distance, and then uphill again. A short distance, and uphill again. At this point we came to a cross street that would take us back to our original road. We stood at the crossroads, in what felt like 100 degree heat (it was only in the upper 70's + humidity, but felt worse), and decided that we didn't like what Icard Ridge had shared with us so far, so we took the easier route home. We managed to do 16.6 miles, so not a bad ride, but it's definitely harder when you have no idea what the road is going to be like.
I did another bike ride this morning. I set out on one of my regular routes - it's about 14 miles - which starts with a couple of smaller hills in succession. After two weeks back to back with rides that were more grueling than I had done previously, my regular route seemed quite easy. There are several sections of hills that usually wipe me out - today I was able to bear down and climb the hills quite easily. I am amazed by the change in fitness - since I wasn't expecting it at all. I decided to ride a bit further than usual since I was enjoying the ride and not feeling too fatigued, and ended up doing 17.2 miles. I have gotten a lot more comfortable on roads with a lot of traffic (they tend to have a larger shoulder for cycling anyway), so I will have to look at the map and come up with some 20+ mile routes.
I've also seen significant improvement in my swim. I swim at the local YMCA, and there is a swim team of middle school aged kids that practices regularly there. I've been using the workouts posted on their wipe board for the last 2 weeks, and I'm pleasantly surprised to say that I can do about 80% of the workout. I usually swim for about an hour, and about 2/3 of the way through I will do a practice sprint swim of the 250 yd distance, and my time for that event is steadily decreasing. I'll have to look back at my post from a few weeks ago to compare the time, but I'm now swimming 250 yards in 4 minutes 52 seconds. A full triathlon is usually a 1200-1500 yard swim in open water, and I'm not quite ready to swim that distance without stopping, but I am working towards that goal as well.
And that brings me to the run....which I didn't do this week. Okay, it was easy to cross that workout off my list when I didn't have time to get all 3 in. I know that in the long run, since it's my worst event, I should be practicing it more often. I intend to do that this fall, when the weather is more cooperative and I can exercise outside (and not just first thing in the morning when the temperatures are barely reasonable). I am curious to see if my improvement in cardiovascular fitness in the bike ride will cross over to the run - since that is my weakness. I guess I'll find out on Tuesday.
And as a final note, there's a kids triathlon here next weekend. My kids are not participating (one is too young, the other has yet to master riding her bike without training wheels), but perhaps they will be inspired to try in the years to come. There is a 5K race that I am planning to run this fall, and it has a kids race along with the adult race. My oldest daughter has expressed an interest in doing a race, so I might get them to do it with me. My husband and I are ridiculously happy with our new healthy lifestyles, but I am even more delighted that my children are learning fitness and healthy lifestyle habits from our example. I don't have hopes of training a future athlete - I only wish to teach them to eat well and move often.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Ride of my life
I had a special treat yesterday. Dave, my husband, and I got to cycle together. Usually we take turns going for rides because one of us has to stay and watch the kinder, but we had a mini-weekend together while their local 'grandparents' watched them for us Sat night. We got up Sun morning, and instead of our old usual (going to a local breakfast joint and eating a big breakfast while reading the Sunday papers), we left the house at 8 am and did a 23 mile bike ride. Dave has been cycling a bit longer than me, and definitely has more endurance, but stayed back with me at my 13.5 mph pace for the ride. The countryside was beautiful, there was very little traffic, the hills were grueling, but it was fun to do it together.
We're going to the NC mountains to visit with some friends for the weekend of the 4th, and we might get to do another ride together, so we're taking our bikes with us. This necessitated another trip to the bike store to purchase a rack carrier for my car. I think we've definitely crossed over to enthusiast lately as we spend time in the bike shop every couple weeks. It is wonderful though to have an activity that we both enjoy and can do together (since we don't golf, fish, camp, play tennis or any other team sport).
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who has offered words of encouragement - I do appreciate the support. I bought myself a heart rate monitor and I want to try to use that for training (especially for the run) for a while and see if it helps, especially since cardiovascular fitness is my weakness. I wore the monitor for the bike ride yesterday, but I'm still trying to figure out how to access all the data. I've been reading some guides that offer training programs using heart rate, so I am going to try to focus on that rather than distance or time for the moment.
We're going to the NC mountains to visit with some friends for the weekend of the 4th, and we might get to do another ride together, so we're taking our bikes with us. This necessitated another trip to the bike store to purchase a rack carrier for my car. I think we've definitely crossed over to enthusiast lately as we spend time in the bike shop every couple weeks. It is wonderful though to have an activity that we both enjoy and can do together (since we don't golf, fish, camp, play tennis or any other team sport).
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who has offered words of encouragement - I do appreciate the support. I bought myself a heart rate monitor and I want to try to use that for training (especially for the run) for a while and see if it helps, especially since cardiovascular fitness is my weakness. I wore the monitor for the bike ride yesterday, but I'm still trying to figure out how to access all the data. I've been reading some guides that offer training programs using heart rate, so I am going to try to focus on that rather than distance or time for the moment.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It's hot out there
I'm two weeks into this new goal, and I've learned a couple of things.
A. It's hot and humid out there
2. I hate running (okay, I already knew that)
I wrote this part last week (I haven't yet figured out how to date posts by when I post them, not by when I start writing them.)
I know I just started on this journey, but I have to whine a bit.
Why is running so hard? Is there something that I'm doing wrong? I know that it's June, I live in the south, it's hot and humid, but I've been exercising indoors.
I tried to run this morning, hoping to at least match last weeks endurance run of 12 minutes of continuous running. Despite the AC, the gym did feel a bit humid. I noticed it while I was doing weight training for the first 30 minutes of my workout. I hopped on the treadmill, walked for 3 minutes to warm up, and then started to run. I didn't even make it 5 minutes of running before I was DYING. Goodness gracious! I could barely breath. Why? Why can't I go the same distance that I went 7 days ago? I walked for a bit and tried again - nope. Seriously painful. I know I don't have a lot of followers yet, and I don't know if any of them are fitness experts, but this does seem to happen to me semi-regularly. Some days, despite my intentions, it's just impossible to push myself to complete what I wanted to do as a workout. I don't have similar issues with biking, it's really just the running. Is this something I can improve? How? Any ideas?
So, I gave it a try again today. I still really could only do about 5 minutes at a time. I ended up doing sort of interval workout to get the distance in - run 5/walk (and I try to crank up the incline and walk at a decent clip). I did do 1 minute at my goal pace (8 minute mile) - and it burned, oh man did it burn. I can still feel that in my lungs - but maybe that's what I need.
I do feel like I'm making progress with the swim and bike, but the run is still my weakness. At the moment I am just doing 1 intense workout a week with each discipline - I should probably add an extra run in there, but we've got busy schedules the next couple weeks, so it'll have to wait for a while. And I'm not running outside right now.
Any experienced runners are welcome to comment w/ tips!
A. It's hot and humid out there
2. I hate running (okay, I already knew that)
I wrote this part last week (I haven't yet figured out how to date posts by when I post them, not by when I start writing them.)
I know I just started on this journey, but I have to whine a bit.
Why is running so hard? Is there something that I'm doing wrong? I know that it's June, I live in the south, it's hot and humid, but I've been exercising indoors.
I tried to run this morning, hoping to at least match last weeks endurance run of 12 minutes of continuous running. Despite the AC, the gym did feel a bit humid. I noticed it while I was doing weight training for the first 30 minutes of my workout. I hopped on the treadmill, walked for 3 minutes to warm up, and then started to run. I didn't even make it 5 minutes of running before I was DYING. Goodness gracious! I could barely breath. Why? Why can't I go the same distance that I went 7 days ago? I walked for a bit and tried again - nope. Seriously painful. I know I don't have a lot of followers yet, and I don't know if any of them are fitness experts, but this does seem to happen to me semi-regularly. Some days, despite my intentions, it's just impossible to push myself to complete what I wanted to do as a workout. I don't have similar issues with biking, it's really just the running. Is this something I can improve? How? Any ideas?
So, I gave it a try again today. I still really could only do about 5 minutes at a time. I ended up doing sort of interval workout to get the distance in - run 5/walk (and I try to crank up the incline and walk at a decent clip). I did do 1 minute at my goal pace (8 minute mile) - and it burned, oh man did it burn. I can still feel that in my lungs - but maybe that's what I need.
I do feel like I'm making progress with the swim and bike, but the run is still my weakness. At the moment I am just doing 1 intense workout a week with each discipline - I should probably add an extra run in there, but we've got busy schedules the next couple weeks, so it'll have to wait for a while. And I'm not running outside right now.
Any experienced runners are welcome to comment w/ tips!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
At the beginning
Everyone needs a place to start from, right?
So, here's what I can do right now - my starting baseline.
Swim:
I swam laps last week for the first time in a long time. I was reading some training guides for tri beginners, and getting a little freaked out by the specifics, but I did get a few metrics to measure myself by. The sprint race that I'm training for has a 225 yard swim, which is equal to 9 pool lengths. And it will be a pool swim, not open water. I managed to do a total of 800 yards in my first dip back into the pool -some of those with a kickboard. I did one time trial - the training manual I was reading referenced a routine that involved swimming 50 yards in under a minute, waiting the the 15-20 seconds until that minute had elapsed, and then swimming another 50 yards (repeat, etc). My first question was whether or not I could swim 50 yards in under a minute. To my surprise, I came in at 50 seconds. I'm not going to say it was pretty. My turns at the wall are U-G-L-Y and half the time I get water up my nose because I'm not judging turn radius or depth properly. I then tried to swim 100 yards at once. I managed that in 1:52 - out of breath, completely spent. I've got some work to do to get my fitness level to the sprint distance.
My short term goal for swimming is to work on my endurance primarily - swimming up to 250 yards continuously and maintaining some semblance of form. And to work on my turns and freestyle form - that might require some assistance/coach.
Bike:
I've been biking around the neighborhood for a couple of months now, and I've got 3 regular routes that I take (a short, medium and longer distance). There are lots of hills - nothing monster, but a near constant up and down. It's impossible to find a route from my home that does not involve hills. In general, my average speed is just under 13 mph.
My goal for biking is to bring my average speed up to about 15 mph. That means that I need to work on my strength climbing the hills and my endurance once I've reached the top of the hill. I also need to keep my speed up when there are non-hilly portions - right now I'm around 14 mph then. I should note that I am not riding a road bike at the moment - I have a Trek 7.3 FX WSD, a fitness level bike. I may consider strap in pedals or other modifications to improve my time, but I don't want to switch to a road bike right now.
Run:
This is my least favorite event, by far. I've never like running - I just don't have the breathing endurance, and frankly, I get bored. My knees or legs never bother me, it's always more a matter of cardiovascular fitness. But I'm working on it. I've been exercising in a gym regularly for 15 years, but it's only been in the last 5 or so that I've even attempted to get on the treadmill and run for a while. In the beginning I was doing a 10 minute mile - mostly walking. I've been working on extending my endurance (how long can I run for between walking breaks), as well as increasing my speed. I'm currently running a 9 minute mile, and running about 2/3 of a 5K distance. I've got lots of work to go before I will feel comfortable in this event, and I have serious doubts I'll ever experience that "high" or any feeling like I could run and run and actually enjoy it. I do occasionally run/walk outside, but not in the summer. It's too dang hot and humid here to do that.
My running goal is to ultimately achieve an 8 minute mile pace and run at least a 5K without walking, but that is a long term goal. I've been using the couch to 5K program information to push myself to new levels of endurance, and I will continue to do that until I reach the 5K distance. Then I will try to work on my speed and running at that pace outdoors.
Coaching - I'm looking into a couple of options for training advice. I have one lucky connection - one of my neighbors (our kids are at the same bus stop) is a triathlon training coach. I haven't formally talked to her about training yet, but that is there as a resource. The YMCA offers a tri training program in the spring, and I'm looking into other local options. I've considered trying a master's swimming program to work on that aspect, but right now the time commitment involved is more than I can devote. I really decided to do this only about 2 weeks ago, so I haven't spent much time looking into all the options yet.
So, here's what I can do right now - my starting baseline.
Swim:
I swam laps last week for the first time in a long time. I was reading some training guides for tri beginners, and getting a little freaked out by the specifics, but I did get a few metrics to measure myself by. The sprint race that I'm training for has a 225 yard swim, which is equal to 9 pool lengths. And it will be a pool swim, not open water. I managed to do a total of 800 yards in my first dip back into the pool -some of those with a kickboard. I did one time trial - the training manual I was reading referenced a routine that involved swimming 50 yards in under a minute, waiting the the 15-20 seconds until that minute had elapsed, and then swimming another 50 yards (repeat, etc). My first question was whether or not I could swim 50 yards in under a minute. To my surprise, I came in at 50 seconds. I'm not going to say it was pretty. My turns at the wall are U-G-L-Y and half the time I get water up my nose because I'm not judging turn radius or depth properly. I then tried to swim 100 yards at once. I managed that in 1:52 - out of breath, completely spent. I've got some work to do to get my fitness level to the sprint distance.
My short term goal for swimming is to work on my endurance primarily - swimming up to 250 yards continuously and maintaining some semblance of form. And to work on my turns and freestyle form - that might require some assistance/coach.
Bike:
I've been biking around the neighborhood for a couple of months now, and I've got 3 regular routes that I take (a short, medium and longer distance). There are lots of hills - nothing monster, but a near constant up and down. It's impossible to find a route from my home that does not involve hills. In general, my average speed is just under 13 mph.
My goal for biking is to bring my average speed up to about 15 mph. That means that I need to work on my strength climbing the hills and my endurance once I've reached the top of the hill. I also need to keep my speed up when there are non-hilly portions - right now I'm around 14 mph then. I should note that I am not riding a road bike at the moment - I have a Trek 7.3 FX WSD, a fitness level bike. I may consider strap in pedals or other modifications to improve my time, but I don't want to switch to a road bike right now.
Run:
This is my least favorite event, by far. I've never like running - I just don't have the breathing endurance, and frankly, I get bored. My knees or legs never bother me, it's always more a matter of cardiovascular fitness. But I'm working on it. I've been exercising in a gym regularly for 15 years, but it's only been in the last 5 or so that I've even attempted to get on the treadmill and run for a while. In the beginning I was doing a 10 minute mile - mostly walking. I've been working on extending my endurance (how long can I run for between walking breaks), as well as increasing my speed. I'm currently running a 9 minute mile, and running about 2/3 of a 5K distance. I've got lots of work to go before I will feel comfortable in this event, and I have serious doubts I'll ever experience that "high" or any feeling like I could run and run and actually enjoy it. I do occasionally run/walk outside, but not in the summer. It's too dang hot and humid here to do that.
My running goal is to ultimately achieve an 8 minute mile pace and run at least a 5K without walking, but that is a long term goal. I've been using the couch to 5K program information to push myself to new levels of endurance, and I will continue to do that until I reach the 5K distance. Then I will try to work on my speed and running at that pace outdoors.
Coaching - I'm looking into a couple of options for training advice. I have one lucky connection - one of my neighbors (our kids are at the same bus stop) is a triathlon training coach. I haven't formally talked to her about training yet, but that is there as a resource. The YMCA offers a tri training program in the spring, and I'm looking into other local options. I've considered trying a master's swimming program to work on that aspect, but right now the time commitment involved is more than I can devote. I really decided to do this only about 2 weeks ago, so I haven't spent much time looking into all the options yet.
Jumping into the deep end
My husband has been pestering me for years to start a blog. I finally decided to - because I finally have something to talk about (besides the hum drum of daily life).
Let me start at the beginning. I'm 37 years old. I live in North Carolina. I have a husband, two beautiful girls, a dog, 2 cats, and a lot of motivation. I have never, ever done competitive sports before. I have always hated running. I swam for fun - tried out for the swim team in high school and made it to 3 practices before I quit. Never did more than bike around the neighborhood as a kid. But I've got a fire in my belly to try something new.
My husband and I decided that we needed to make a serious change at the beginning of this year. We joined Weight Watchers, and in the past 6 months I've lost 35 lbs. I have always been active - even at my heaviest weight I was still going to the gym about twice a week and doing some exercise. But I love food too much, and it took a strict program for me to see the benefits of that exercise. As I've lost weight, my fitness level and intensity has increased. I've added more weight training, and I've started running more on the treadmill. And about 2 months ago I bought myself a new road bicycle - the first bike I've owned in about 15 years. I've been riding around my hilly neighborhood since then, gradually increasing my distance and endurance (as well as my comfort level with 2 ton road companions). All of these changes have inspired me to take my new body and new fitness to the next level.
I've decided to try to run a triathlon. I'm planning to run in a sprint triathlon that will be held next spring - in May 2012. And perhaps do a full triathlon annually held a few weeks after that. I've got lots of time to train this old dog to do some new tricks. I know I'm not the only one who has ever contemplated going from minimal fitness experience to a triathlon, so I decided to start a blog and take you on the journey with me. I hope to log my experiences trying to balance training and daily life, trying to understand what training involves, what are all these strange looking pieces of equipment, how to make sense of triathlon training guides written for folks who obviously understand the details of training, when my whole sense of training involves putting on shoes and running.
So join me in this adventure. I aim to learn a lot along the way - and hopefully inspire others out there.
Let me start at the beginning. I'm 37 years old. I live in North Carolina. I have a husband, two beautiful girls, a dog, 2 cats, and a lot of motivation. I have never, ever done competitive sports before. I have always hated running. I swam for fun - tried out for the swim team in high school and made it to 3 practices before I quit. Never did more than bike around the neighborhood as a kid. But I've got a fire in my belly to try something new.
My husband and I decided that we needed to make a serious change at the beginning of this year. We joined Weight Watchers, and in the past 6 months I've lost 35 lbs. I have always been active - even at my heaviest weight I was still going to the gym about twice a week and doing some exercise. But I love food too much, and it took a strict program for me to see the benefits of that exercise. As I've lost weight, my fitness level and intensity has increased. I've added more weight training, and I've started running more on the treadmill. And about 2 months ago I bought myself a new road bicycle - the first bike I've owned in about 15 years. I've been riding around my hilly neighborhood since then, gradually increasing my distance and endurance (as well as my comfort level with 2 ton road companions). All of these changes have inspired me to take my new body and new fitness to the next level.
I've decided to try to run a triathlon. I'm planning to run in a sprint triathlon that will be held next spring - in May 2012. And perhaps do a full triathlon annually held a few weeks after that. I've got lots of time to train this old dog to do some new tricks. I know I'm not the only one who has ever contemplated going from minimal fitness experience to a triathlon, so I decided to start a blog and take you on the journey with me. I hope to log my experiences trying to balance training and daily life, trying to understand what training involves, what are all these strange looking pieces of equipment, how to make sense of triathlon training guides written for folks who obviously understand the details of training, when my whole sense of training involves putting on shoes and running.
So join me in this adventure. I aim to learn a lot along the way - and hopefully inspire others out there.
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