I "almost" did my longest sustained run at Tri101 on Tuesday...30 minutes. I say almost, because I did walk for about 30 seconds at the 23 minute mark but other than that I ran the whole way. I was having issues with my GPS so it did not record the run correctly. But according to Google Earth, I ran 2.7 miles in 30 minutes which is 11.1 min/mi. Not too bad I guess.
I am trying not to get frustrated that I am not seeing quicker improvements in my times. I was really hoping to be under 11 min/mi by the Cotton Row 5K this Monday and around 10 min/mi for the tri. I know, I know, "it takes a while...it's a process", yada, yada, yada. It is a personality flaw and I know it, I have very little patience with myself. Something I need to work on.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tour de Cure
The Tour de Cure was the past Saturday and it went pretty well. We went down to Birmingham on Friday afternoon about 2:00pm. We stayed in a Hampton Inn in Inverness that was near the race. Pretty nice hotel, clean, quiet. We had promised the kids we would eat at the Cheesecake Factory so we dropped my bike off at the hotel and headed out. Surprising there was no wait when we got there even though it was 6:30 on a Friday night. I had not been to a Cheesecake Factory in a long time. Last year at this time I could have gone crazy. All the food looked so good! But this is the "new" me, so I got the healthiest looking pasta dish I could find. It still wasn’t that healthy, but it could have been worse...a lot worse. I did have to get a piece of cheesecake, but I only eat half of it :-)
Saturday morning I got up at 5:00 and started getting ready. The hotel had a very nice complimentary breakfast, eggs, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, waffles, etc... I had some fruit, yogurt, and a hardboiled egg. We headed over to the race about 6:45am. When we got there I got checked in and rode around a little to warm up. By about 7:00 there were a hundred riders there. Since this was my first race, I wasn't really sure what to do. I just kind of followed everyone and got lined up toward the back of the pack. I could barely hear the announcer from where I was. They sang the National Anthem and had a prayer and then they were giving out instructions. I should have gotten a little closer so I could hear, because apparently they were the instructions for the 100 mile ride!! I was apparently in the wrong group. I was going to do the 25K ride. I did not know they were starting the different groups at different times.
I heard someone counting down and then heard GO! and we were off. It was kind of exciting. This huge pack of people all trying to fit through this rather small start gate. We finally made it out on the road and I was feeling pretty good. After a few minutes, there was one group that took off ahead, but I was doing a fairly good job keeping up with the middle of the pack. We were averaging about 23 miles/hour. Since the course was an out and back, when I got to 5 miles I thought it was a little strange that I hadn't seen anyone from the lead group coming back yet. At about 7 miles I could not keep up the pace anymore and started to drop back. When I finally made it to the 10 mile point there were only about 10 people behind me.
There was a rest area at 10 miles and a lot of people were stopped getting water, GU, and bananas. I noticed a big sign that said "25K Turn Around". I also noticed that everyone seemed to be continuing on. That is when I realized that I had left with the wrong group. I asked one of the volunteers if this was indeed the 25K tour around and if the course was the same on the way back. They said yes. So, realizing that I was in the 100 mile group, and there was no way I would make 100 miles, I turned around...by myself.
On they was back, I passed the 50K group and then finally the 25K group. I was a little embarrassed, but I decided to do the best I could. When I got back, I did not go through the finish line. I pulled off just before where Stephanie and the girls were sitting. Stephanie was smiling, because of course, she realized what had happened too. We laughed about it and my kids got a big kick at of me coming in "first". When a couple more people finally came back, I went up to the finish line told them what happened and checked in.
All in all, I was a great experience and I had a great time. I can't wait until next year. And next year I will make sure I start in the right group!
Saturday morning I got up at 5:00 and started getting ready. The hotel had a very nice complimentary breakfast, eggs, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal, waffles, etc... I had some fruit, yogurt, and a hardboiled egg. We headed over to the race about 6:45am. When we got there I got checked in and rode around a little to warm up. By about 7:00 there were a hundred riders there. Since this was my first race, I wasn't really sure what to do. I just kind of followed everyone and got lined up toward the back of the pack. I could barely hear the announcer from where I was. They sang the National Anthem and had a prayer and then they were giving out instructions. I should have gotten a little closer so I could hear, because apparently they were the instructions for the 100 mile ride!! I was apparently in the wrong group. I was going to do the 25K ride. I did not know they were starting the different groups at different times.
I heard someone counting down and then heard GO! and we were off. It was kind of exciting. This huge pack of people all trying to fit through this rather small start gate. We finally made it out on the road and I was feeling pretty good. After a few minutes, there was one group that took off ahead, but I was doing a fairly good job keeping up with the middle of the pack. We were averaging about 23 miles/hour. Since the course was an out and back, when I got to 5 miles I thought it was a little strange that I hadn't seen anyone from the lead group coming back yet. At about 7 miles I could not keep up the pace anymore and started to drop back. When I finally made it to the 10 mile point there were only about 10 people behind me.
There was a rest area at 10 miles and a lot of people were stopped getting water, GU, and bananas. I noticed a big sign that said "25K Turn Around". I also noticed that everyone seemed to be continuing on. That is when I realized that I had left with the wrong group. I asked one of the volunteers if this was indeed the 25K tour around and if the course was the same on the way back. They said yes. So, realizing that I was in the 100 mile group, and there was no way I would make 100 miles, I turned around...by myself.
On they was back, I passed the 50K group and then finally the 25K group. I was a little embarrassed, but I decided to do the best I could. When I got back, I did not go through the finish line. I pulled off just before where Stephanie and the girls were sitting. Stephanie was smiling, because of course, she realized what had happened too. We laughed about it and my kids got a big kick at of me coming in "first". When a couple more people finally came back, I went up to the finish line told them what happened and checked in.
All in all, I was a great experience and I had a great time. I can't wait until next year. And next year I will make sure I start in the right group!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
SWIM DAY
Swimming again this morning. Same plan as last time, two 4x100's. This time I went to a different Y and there were far less people there. This Y has eight lanes and there were only two other people swimming. I also took an antihistamine before I left the house this time and it seem to help a lot. I didn't get the congestion I got last time. I was a little dizzy when I got out of the pool, but that could have been because I didn't have breakfast before I swam.
I did the two 4x100's with no problem this time. I rested 5-10 seconds between 100's and 1:30 between sets. Felt great. I was swimming about 1:15/lap (50 yards) and felt like I could have done 800 more yards at that pace. I think that should be about 11 minutes for 400 meters. I can probable shave a couple minutes off that by race time. I am shooting for 8 minutes.
I need to find a place to try some openwater swimming. I can go down to the river, but I need to find someone to follow me in a canoe or something in case I get tired.
I did the two 4x100's with no problem this time. I rested 5-10 seconds between 100's and 1:30 between sets. Felt great. I was swimming about 1:15/lap (50 yards) and felt like I could have done 800 more yards at that pace. I think that should be about 11 minutes for 400 meters. I can probable shave a couple minutes off that by race time. I am shooting for 8 minutes.
I need to find a place to try some openwater swimming. I can go down to the river, but I need to find someone to follow me in a canoe or something in case I get tired.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
SWIM/RUN
Had a "two-a-day" yesterday - swim in the morning and run in the evening.
I got up early and headed to the Y to do a little swimming. My plan was to do two 4x100's with each 100 separated by 30 seconds and a two minutes between the sets. The Y was pretty packed. I can tell it is getting closer to the meat of the triathlon season. This Y has 5 lanes and they were already occupied when I got there. Four of the lanes were already doubled up, but one lane only had one guy in it. So I quickly jump in before anyone else showed up (which they did).
So I started my from 4x100. Only two laps per 100, so the first couple 100's went pretty good. I am applying similar logic to the interval approach to training for a 5K. I was a little winded after they first 4x100 but not too bad, and my arms/legs felt good.
The second 4x100 was a little tougher. Just after I started, I noticed that I was getting a little congested and it was hard to breath correctly. I wasn't having difficult breathing, it was just hard to get the timing down. I sucked in some water a couple times and came up coughing which got me a concerned look from the life guard. I gave her a thumbs up, and went about my business. (More on the congestion later)
Well, I only finished two of the four 100's. My muscles were starting to fatigue a little and I was getting tired of inhaling water. So I packed it up and headed to work.
I passed on the lunch bike ride since I knew I was running that afternoon. I got some ribbing from the guys I ride with, but I didn't think I could do all three in one day...yet! And since we were doing the 20-minute run evaluation that night, I didn't want to be to worn out.
The topic at the training session was bike fit. Not much new information, except maybe a little about forward/aft seat positioning. It did start me thinking, however, about how hard it would be to convert my road bike to more of a triathlon setup. May be a good project for this winter.
We finished up the discussion and did our 20-minute run. I pretty much stayed with the 5:30 run/1:30 walk group this time. I still can't do much more than 1 1/2 miles running continuously...yet! We finished the 20 minutes and I had gone about 1.73 miles or so which is about 11:34. About the same as last time. When I was done, I noticed that I was getting congested again and my voice sounded funny, like I was horse. I asked one of the trainers about it and he said I might have "exercise induced asthma". He said he used to get it, but doesn't anymore.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, so I looked it up when I got home. Well, there actually is such a thing as "exercise induced asthma". I am not sure I have asthma though. I think the difficultly breathing was being out of shape and still 50 pounds over weight. When you have asthma, you have difficultly mainly exhaling, and that was not what was going on. What I did find out was very interesting.
There are several exercise induced conditions that center around histamine production. Apparently, some people start producing more histamines when they exercise. "See, I told you I was allergic to exercise!". Some people get rashes and some (although rare) even go into anaphylaxis. This also may be a cause for people feeling dizzy right after the stop exercising. Who Knew! Anyway, the article I was reading suggested trying a non-drowsy antihistamine a couple hours before exercise and see if that helps. So I guess I will try that next time.
Next Session: BIKING!!! (finally, something I can do)
I got up early and headed to the Y to do a little swimming. My plan was to do two 4x100's with each 100 separated by 30 seconds and a two minutes between the sets. The Y was pretty packed. I can tell it is getting closer to the meat of the triathlon season. This Y has 5 lanes and they were already occupied when I got there. Four of the lanes were already doubled up, but one lane only had one guy in it. So I quickly jump in before anyone else showed up (which they did).
So I started my from 4x100. Only two laps per 100, so the first couple 100's went pretty good. I am applying similar logic to the interval approach to training for a 5K. I was a little winded after they first 4x100 but not too bad, and my arms/legs felt good.
The second 4x100 was a little tougher. Just after I started, I noticed that I was getting a little congested and it was hard to breath correctly. I wasn't having difficult breathing, it was just hard to get the timing down. I sucked in some water a couple times and came up coughing which got me a concerned look from the life guard. I gave her a thumbs up, and went about my business. (More on the congestion later)
Well, I only finished two of the four 100's. My muscles were starting to fatigue a little and I was getting tired of inhaling water. So I packed it up and headed to work.
I passed on the lunch bike ride since I knew I was running that afternoon. I got some ribbing from the guys I ride with, but I didn't think I could do all three in one day...yet! And since we were doing the 20-minute run evaluation that night, I didn't want to be to worn out.
The topic at the training session was bike fit. Not much new information, except maybe a little about forward/aft seat positioning. It did start me thinking, however, about how hard it would be to convert my road bike to more of a triathlon setup. May be a good project for this winter.
We finished up the discussion and did our 20-minute run. I pretty much stayed with the 5:30 run/1:30 walk group this time. I still can't do much more than 1 1/2 miles running continuously...yet! We finished the 20 minutes and I had gone about 1.73 miles or so which is about 11:34. About the same as last time. When I was done, I noticed that I was getting congested again and my voice sounded funny, like I was horse. I asked one of the trainers about it and he said I might have "exercise induced asthma". He said he used to get it, but doesn't anymore.
I wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, so I looked it up when I got home. Well, there actually is such a thing as "exercise induced asthma". I am not sure I have asthma though. I think the difficultly breathing was being out of shape and still 50 pounds over weight. When you have asthma, you have difficultly mainly exhaling, and that was not what was going on. What I did find out was very interesting.
There are several exercise induced conditions that center around histamine production. Apparently, some people start producing more histamines when they exercise. "See, I told you I was allergic to exercise!". Some people get rashes and some (although rare) even go into anaphylaxis. This also may be a cause for people feeling dizzy right after the stop exercising. Who Knew! Anyway, the article I was reading suggested trying a non-drowsy antihistamine a couple hours before exercise and see if that helps. So I guess I will try that next time.
Next Session: BIKING!!! (finally, something I can do)
Monday, May 7, 2012
SWIMMING 101
Saturday was the first swimming evaluation for the TRI 101 class. I was a little surprised to find out that I was one of the better swimmers in the group, at least in stroke technique. I have a ways to go in endurance though. They did give me some pointers about ho to improve my stroke a little and get more power. The biggest thing was that I was not fully extending my arms and only doing about half a full stroke. They also said I was rolling too much. I thought that was good, but apparently I was rolling a little too much.
The coach said I should be able to finish the 400m in about 6 minutes. I am a little skeptical since it is taking me about 15 minutes right now. But he said if I can swim about 2-3 times a week to get my endurance up and get a little more power in the stroke, I should be fine.
So, now it all comes down to running (and doing all three together of course). I know I can do it, I just need to practice.
I was told about a good website for help with swimming technique called Swim Smooth (http://www.swimsmooth.com/). There is a lot of good information and videos that show proper technique.
Saturday was the first swimming evaluation for the TRI 101 class. I was a little surprised to find out that I was one of the better swimmers in the group, at least in stroke technique. I have a ways to go in endurance though. They did give me some pointers about ho to improve my stroke a little and get more power. The biggest thing was that I was not fully extending my arms and only doing about half a full stroke. They also said I was rolling too much. I thought that was good, but apparently I was rolling a little too much.
The coach said I should be able to finish the 400m in about 6 minutes. I am a little skeptical since it is taking me about 15 minutes right now. But he said if I can swim about 2-3 times a week to get my endurance up and get a little more power in the stroke, I should be fine.
So, now it all comes down to running (and doing all three together of course). I know I can do it, I just need to practice.
I was told about a good website for help with swimming technique called Swim Smooth (http://www.swimsmooth.com/). There is a lot of good information and videos that show proper technique.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
TRI-TRAINING HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!
Up until now, I have really just been screwing around. No schedule or plan to speak of, just going out and doing it. I guess I just wanted to make sure I could at least finish all the events separately, then worrying about putting it all together. Well, that plan met with limited success. Yes, I did prove to myself that I could finish all the events. But, I do not think I was improving my endurance or strength in any way. I was really just killing time until the training really started.
Yesterday was the first official training session for the 16-week couch-to-triathlon training program, TRI-101. The program is being run by FleetFeet. At the first session yesterday, there was a complete spectrum people, old, young, skinny, fat, you name it; about 75 people in all. There were several people who had even taken the class last year. I don't know if they were held back or what, or if they just really liked it. Each class begins with some sort of related discussion topic followed by some kind of training. The topic yesterday was Proper Running Technique. Very informative. Nothing earth shattering, but good information.
The training was a 1-mile evaluation run. We split ourselves into groups by expected pace. There was a coach running a constant pace for each group. You didn't have to stay in the group, it was just kind of a starting point. The groups were 8, 9:30, and 10:30 mi/mile and the two interval groups, 4 min run/2 min walk, and 1 min run/2 min walk. Well, crap. I know I can run a mile without walking, but my pace is more like 12 min/mi. Ok, ok, before you start in with the "12 min/mi!! that IS walking", that's running to me, so BACK OFF! I decided to get in the 10:30 group and just lag a little. We were supposed to run our own pace anyway, so it didn't really matter.
We all started at the same time and tried to stay with our groups. As usually, I started off way too fast. When I download my watch that night, it appears that I started at about an 8 minute pace, which of course, only went down from there. Well, I trotted my 1-mile (without walking thank you) and ended up with a time of 11:32. Not too bad I guess. Something to improve on anyway.
I learned a few things, first, I really need to learn how to pace myself. I ALWAYS start off too fast and then run out of gas. Second, posture and how your feet land while you are running are pretty important to efficiency and comfort. And lastly, not to be mean, but there are just some people that don't need to be wearing spandex...I'm just saying.
Next week: Bike Fit/Riding Etiquette and 20-minute evaluation run
Up until now, I have really just been screwing around. No schedule or plan to speak of, just going out and doing it. I guess I just wanted to make sure I could at least finish all the events separately, then worrying about putting it all together. Well, that plan met with limited success. Yes, I did prove to myself that I could finish all the events. But, I do not think I was improving my endurance or strength in any way. I was really just killing time until the training really started.
Yesterday was the first official training session for the 16-week couch-to-triathlon training program, TRI-101. The program is being run by FleetFeet. At the first session yesterday, there was a complete spectrum people, old, young, skinny, fat, you name it; about 75 people in all. There were several people who had even taken the class last year. I don't know if they were held back or what, or if they just really liked it. Each class begins with some sort of related discussion topic followed by some kind of training. The topic yesterday was Proper Running Technique. Very informative. Nothing earth shattering, but good information.
The training was a 1-mile evaluation run. We split ourselves into groups by expected pace. There was a coach running a constant pace for each group. You didn't have to stay in the group, it was just kind of a starting point. The groups were 8, 9:30, and 10:30 mi/mile and the two interval groups, 4 min run/2 min walk, and 1 min run/2 min walk. Well, crap. I know I can run a mile without walking, but my pace is more like 12 min/mi. Ok, ok, before you start in with the "12 min/mi!! that IS walking", that's running to me, so BACK OFF! I decided to get in the 10:30 group and just lag a little. We were supposed to run our own pace anyway, so it didn't really matter.
We all started at the same time and tried to stay with our groups. As usually, I started off way too fast. When I download my watch that night, it appears that I started at about an 8 minute pace, which of course, only went down from there. Well, I trotted my 1-mile (without walking thank you) and ended up with a time of 11:32. Not too bad I guess. Something to improve on anyway.
I learned a few things, first, I really need to learn how to pace myself. I ALWAYS start off too fast and then run out of gas. Second, posture and how your feet land while you are running are pretty important to efficiency and comfort. And lastly, not to be mean, but there are just some people that don't need to be wearing spandex...I'm just saying.
Next week: Bike Fit/Riding Etiquette and 20-minute evaluation run
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