As the holidays are upon us and the New Year approaches, people start making there resolutions. If you are a triathlete, most likely you will be making race-olutions. What is a race-olution? For me, it is a time when I reflect on the past year, and start thinking about my goals and races for the following year. It is a time to envision PRs, crazy scary distances, and perhaps getting better at a certain sport(s).
2009 for me can best be summed up as a year of good intentions but bad circumstances. I also had a slight hangover this year from the intensity of 2008 in which I participated in 17 races. Of those races, 3 were half-marathons, 7 were triathlons, and one was swimming Alcatraz. The big events of 2008 were crashing my bike at Barb's, but eventually finishing my first 1/2 ironman at Big Kahuna.
I went into 2009 with a semi-realistic goal of improving my 1/2 iron time by attacking Barb's again. I was going to be an awesome cyclist. I was going to crush my half marathon times and finally break a 2 hour race. I was going to be a lean, mean, racing machine.
Unfortunately, 2009 turned out to be quite sucktacular in terms of races and enhancing my athletic prowess. I tweaked my back in early February, putting a damper on my training for the Mermaid 1/2 in March. The Mermaid half was a brutal race this year what with the rain and wind, and I had my slowest half ever. I squeezed in a couple 5ks in, and did the Cinderella ride again. Towards the end of April, I really started to amp up my training for Barb's in August. Unfortunately, I attempted to bake that fateful batch of cookies in May and dislocated my knee and spent my summer in physical therapy and being grouchy on the couch.
arggg. Once I was given the green light to run again, it was very tough for me to get back into the groove. I did a couple races post knee injury, but they were all lackluster. My training was sporadic, and as a result my race experiences were bland.
The problem? My heart was not in it. I also took on a new job in November and my focus turned to my new responsibility and the idea of training was super overwhelming.
So, basically, my goals for 2010 are the same as 2009: Improve my half-ironman time; be a better cyclist; and be a lean mean racing machine. It is also a time to think strategically about my racing calendar. Here is a general idea, though nothing is set in stone because life can sometimes take you off track:
January
-Start January 1 with the Resolution Run in Los Gatos. A nice 5 mile hilly race that I will do with some mermaids. I am also thinking about doing another race in Castro Valley on January 2, as my nieces live up there and would be fun to get them involved.
-Swim class at De Anza.
-Spinning class.
-Work on increasing mileage for 1/2 Marathon in February.
February
-Kaiser half marathon (no goal time. It is on Super Bowl Sunday and is a great way to rationalize eating buffalo wings and Tostitos cheese dip while watching the game)
-Mermaid 10k in San Francisco (no goal time as well, since this will be a week after Kaiser half marathon)
-Mid February start to amp up cycling
-Join Team Mermaid and torture my core
March
-Continue bike, run, swim training
-St patricks 5k in Los Gatos. Goal: 5k in less than 30 minutes
April
-Cinderella bike ride: do the long route (80-90 miles)
-TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN for wildflower
-Mermaid run---do the 1/2 but as a training run, not a race.
May
-Wildflower 1/2 marathon. Goal time: 7 hours 30 minutes. Ideally 7 hours, but not sure what a realistic goal is.
-Remainder of May take it easy to recover
The summer I would like to concentrate on cycling. My friend and I are thinking about doing a 2 day bike ride that goes from Seattle to Portland, so I will definitely need to train for that.
August: recover from bike ride and start training for a marathon in October.
September: Mermaid Olympic Tri. Goal: PR for olympic distance.
train for marathon
October: Silicon Valley Marathon. I am really wanting to do a marathon again, and I like the idea of one that is small and not far away. Goal: beat my Eugene time. Ideally, race a 4:30. Yikes!
November: recover, recover, recover. Turkey trot.
December: reflect on 2010 and maybe take it easy with yoga.
OK, so this may be a little ambitious for 2010...but we will see. I am ready to be strong again. I am ready to say, "Take that 2009!"
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Watch it kid!
The good news? I have ran 4 days in a ROW this week. 4! Whoo hoo! Plus, I have biked 3 times since Saturday. Yesterday I even did a gradual brick workout. I biked an hour and a half and chilled at home for an hour and then ran 3 miles to my ww meeting (yeah...back on the ww...don't wanna talk about it. Knee injury over the summer brought on a severe case of the jeans-don't-fit-any-moresies). Plus, after ww meeting I ran .8 miles to meet hubby for takeout at Panda Express (not exactly gourmet, but surprisingly low point options there). That means I worked out for over 2 hours yesterday. Hooray!
The bad news? I didn't have the guts to attempt Mt. Eden on my bike ride. Not quite ready for climbs yet.
As I was riding yesterday, I started thinking of the mantras I repeat to myself to get through a challenging workout. I find that a lot of them relate to disney or storybook characters:
Open water: Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming." (particularly when I feel all alone out in the ocean and start thinking about the "S" word.)
Climbing awful hills on my bike: The Little Engine That Could: "I think I can. I think I can." (though, I think to myself: "I know I can. I know I can." Once I have any doubt on a hill climb, that is when I usually topple over)
The beginning part of the run after bike transition with legs like jelly: The Toirtoise and the Hare: "Slow and steady wins the race." (more like, slow and steady at the beginning so I don't bonk at the end).
Also, my getting back out there made me realize another thing: kids are so flippin' annoying. They don't pay attention and are oblivious to the world around them. When I am on a trail, I truly believe that the dogs on the trail have more common sense than the kids. In the past year, there have been 3 incidents where I have been almost seriously injured from a kids actions. TWO happened in the last week. Here are the incidents:
1) While biking home last spring I was riding on Homestead Ave, and a few high school kids were walking on the sidewalk. There were two boys and a girl and they were acting all...teenagery. The boy, who was a real winner, was probably trying to flirt with the girl and he jokingly pushed her. off. the. sidewalk. into. MY. bikelane. I screamed as I swerved my bike to avoid her and nearly ran into an SUV. The kids just started laughing.
2) Last week I was riding on Prospect road and realized I missed my turn. It was fairly heavy traffic time and difficult to make a left turn. I pulled into a high school to turn around. I was in the right lane in the school lot to get back on to Prospect Rd. and as I was going straight I saw a kid in an SUV making a left into the school. He didn't quite understand that his monstrously large vehicle needed to stay to the left when he got on school grounds and he crossed over into the right lane basically face to face with me. I slowed down my bike thinking, "He has to see me. He has to see me...dear god he DOESN'T see me!" Finally he hit the breaks when he saw me. I put the brakes on my bike and managed to not fall off. I faced him in his SUV which was a foot away from me. He just drove off with a blank teenage boy expression while all the kids who were outside just started laughing (WHAT THE HECK with the laughing? Are you kids so flipping descensitized by Michael Bay movies that you don't recognize the seriousness of POSSIBLE REAL LIFE CARNAGE?) and said, "Nice driving man." A concerned mom in a corolla who was behind him the whole time rolled down her window and asked, "Are you ok honey?" "Yes," I mumbled while the adrenaline wore off.
3) This week I made the mistake AGAIN of working out while youths are walking home from school. so dumb. I was running on Homestead darting past elementary school kids (luckily none of them had those backpacks on wheels thingies). And one boy must have recognized his friend who was 20 feet ahead of me because he sprinted past me to catch up to this guy only to stop dead in his tracks right in my path. I was going pretty fast downhill and wasn't able to stop in time and I wound up bumping into this boy (luckily neither of us hit the asphalt). And this, dear reader, is where I realized that I am truly an adult because I turned around and said, "Watch it kid!" like a crotchety old lady scolding kids playing in her yard.
Moral of the story: don't try to be near schools when kids have just gotten out. They are all giddy with the excitement of no more school and aren't as intelligent as, say, a golden retriever.
The bad news? I didn't have the guts to attempt Mt. Eden on my bike ride. Not quite ready for climbs yet.
As I was riding yesterday, I started thinking of the mantras I repeat to myself to get through a challenging workout. I find that a lot of them relate to disney or storybook characters:
Open water: Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming." (particularly when I feel all alone out in the ocean and start thinking about the "S" word.)
Climbing awful hills on my bike: The Little Engine That Could: "I think I can. I think I can." (though, I think to myself: "I know I can. I know I can." Once I have any doubt on a hill climb, that is when I usually topple over)
The beginning part of the run after bike transition with legs like jelly: The Toirtoise and the Hare: "Slow and steady wins the race." (more like, slow and steady at the beginning so I don't bonk at the end).
Also, my getting back out there made me realize another thing: kids are so flippin' annoying. They don't pay attention and are oblivious to the world around them. When I am on a trail, I truly believe that the dogs on the trail have more common sense than the kids. In the past year, there have been 3 incidents where I have been almost seriously injured from a kids actions. TWO happened in the last week. Here are the incidents:
1) While biking home last spring I was riding on Homestead Ave, and a few high school kids were walking on the sidewalk. There were two boys and a girl and they were acting all...teenagery. The boy, who was a real winner, was probably trying to flirt with the girl and he jokingly pushed her. off. the. sidewalk. into. MY. bikelane. I screamed as I swerved my bike to avoid her and nearly ran into an SUV. The kids just started laughing.
2) Last week I was riding on Prospect road and realized I missed my turn. It was fairly heavy traffic time and difficult to make a left turn. I pulled into a high school to turn around. I was in the right lane in the school lot to get back on to Prospect Rd. and as I was going straight I saw a kid in an SUV making a left into the school. He didn't quite understand that his monstrously large vehicle needed to stay to the left when he got on school grounds and he crossed over into the right lane basically face to face with me. I slowed down my bike thinking, "He has to see me. He has to see me...dear god he DOESN'T see me!" Finally he hit the breaks when he saw me. I put the brakes on my bike and managed to not fall off. I faced him in his SUV which was a foot away from me. He just drove off with a blank teenage boy expression while all the kids who were outside just started laughing (WHAT THE HECK with the laughing? Are you kids so flipping descensitized by Michael Bay movies that you don't recognize the seriousness of POSSIBLE REAL LIFE CARNAGE?) and said, "Nice driving man." A concerned mom in a corolla who was behind him the whole time rolled down her window and asked, "Are you ok honey?" "Yes," I mumbled while the adrenaline wore off.
3) This week I made the mistake AGAIN of working out while youths are walking home from school. so dumb. I was running on Homestead darting past elementary school kids (luckily none of them had those backpacks on wheels thingies). And one boy must have recognized his friend who was 20 feet ahead of me because he sprinted past me to catch up to this guy only to stop dead in his tracks right in my path. I was going pretty fast downhill and wasn't able to stop in time and I wound up bumping into this boy (luckily neither of us hit the asphalt). And this, dear reader, is where I realized that I am truly an adult because I turned around and said, "Watch it kid!" like a crotchety old lady scolding kids playing in her yard.
Moral of the story: don't try to be near schools when kids have just gotten out. They are all giddy with the excitement of no more school and aren't as intelligent as, say, a golden retriever.
Monday, September 28, 2009
It's funny that all that time training on the couch didn't prepare me for this.
Yesterday I did my first triathlon (non-relay) of 2009. How did it go?
Slow. Painful. Fun.Ish.
I will preface this by saying my training for this race was less than minimal. I spent a good deal of my summer recovering from my knee injury, watching Bravo on the couch (yea Real Houswives and Top Chef), and occasionally jumping in the pool or running around the track. I was on my bike 4 times this summer. Four. With no hill training.
I still signed up for Mermaid Santa Cruz because, well, just because. It was quite nice to not be super neurotic and antsy for once. I decided to pick up my bib on race day. I showed up to the race an hour before my wave was going. Usually when I race, I make an effort to pick up my race number the day before and get all my gear in check. And I try to get to the transition super early for a good spot. This race, overall I was all about the, "Meh."
Hubby was with me, which was nice. Luckily this time when I got back from the bike he didn't ask me, "Where were you? That took a long time." Yeah, that happened at Cal Poly Tri 2008. He was on the otherside of the transition area and when I go off my bike and said that to me. It didn't go over too well. Remember that Far Side Cartoon, of what dogs hear and all dogs here is "blah blah b;ah Rusty blah blah"? Well, this is the Jill version.
What Hubby Says: "Where were you? That took a long time."
What Hubby means: "I was worred about you. I thought you injured yourself."
What Jill hears: "Blah Blah Blah you sure are slow blah blah."
Maybe I should write a Men are for Mars the Triathlete Edition.
Anyways, it was nice to have him there at the finsih. We stayed in Santa Cruz Sunday night and enjoyed the Boardwalk craziness (I love how that place never changes. It still looks how it did in the Lost Boys. And so do the people.) and happy hour at Aquarius. We ordered room service and were planning on getting The Hangover on Pay per view, but it was $15. Yikes,
So, here is a short summary of the race.
Swim: hard. long. crowded. There were women in that water that I don't think ever went in the ocean. I used to think people doing breastrstroke were annoying, but people were doing backstroke. I am sorry, but how can you SEE when you are on your back? It was aquatic bumper cars in there.
transition: after the swim, you have to climb 154 stairs to the transition area. Needless to say, I took my time. No more injuries, please.
Bike: First time ever during a race that I walked my bike up a hill. I had a feeling I wasn't going to make it up the monster hill in the beginning. I was in the wrong gear going up and panic starting hitting me. I had riders on my left and riders on my right and everyone was riding crooked up this beast. I had a feeling if I fell, it would be cyclist dominoes. I dug my heels toward the ground with each pedal stroke.but.it.was.not.happening. I was only half way up the hill and I knew what was going to happen. So, I shouted to the fellow riders:
"I'M GOING DOWN!"
I braced myself for the feeling of road meeting flesh, but miracle of miracles, I managed to unclip and get my foot on the ground and stop mermaid carnage from happening. Whoo hoo. From that moment on, I vowed to walk the hills. And that is totally ok. For this race.
Run: Slow. Difficult. Uphill.
So, there we have it. I am not calling what I did yesterday a race, it was more of a weekend away with Dennis with an early morning workout.
And that is totally ok. For this race.
Slow. Painful. Fun.Ish.
I will preface this by saying my training for this race was less than minimal. I spent a good deal of my summer recovering from my knee injury, watching Bravo on the couch (yea Real Houswives and Top Chef), and occasionally jumping in the pool or running around the track. I was on my bike 4 times this summer. Four. With no hill training.
I still signed up for Mermaid Santa Cruz because, well, just because. It was quite nice to not be super neurotic and antsy for once. I decided to pick up my bib on race day. I showed up to the race an hour before my wave was going. Usually when I race, I make an effort to pick up my race number the day before and get all my gear in check. And I try to get to the transition super early for a good spot. This race, overall I was all about the, "Meh."
Hubby was with me, which was nice. Luckily this time when I got back from the bike he didn't ask me, "Where were you? That took a long time." Yeah, that happened at Cal Poly Tri 2008. He was on the otherside of the transition area and when I go off my bike and said that to me. It didn't go over too well. Remember that Far Side Cartoon, of what dogs hear and all dogs here is "blah blah b;ah Rusty blah blah"? Well, this is the Jill version.
What Hubby Says: "Where were you? That took a long time."
What Hubby means: "I was worred about you. I thought you injured yourself."
What Jill hears: "Blah Blah Blah you sure are slow blah blah."
Maybe I should write a Men are for Mars the Triathlete Edition.
Anyways, it was nice to have him there at the finsih. We stayed in Santa Cruz Sunday night and enjoyed the Boardwalk craziness (I love how that place never changes. It still looks how it did in the Lost Boys. And so do the people.) and happy hour at Aquarius. We ordered room service and were planning on getting The Hangover on Pay per view, but it was $15. Yikes,
So, here is a short summary of the race.
Swim: hard. long. crowded. There were women in that water that I don't think ever went in the ocean. I used to think people doing breastrstroke were annoying, but people were doing backstroke. I am sorry, but how can you SEE when you are on your back? It was aquatic bumper cars in there.
transition: after the swim, you have to climb 154 stairs to the transition area. Needless to say, I took my time. No more injuries, please.
Bike: First time ever during a race that I walked my bike up a hill. I had a feeling I wasn't going to make it up the monster hill in the beginning. I was in the wrong gear going up and panic starting hitting me. I had riders on my left and riders on my right and everyone was riding crooked up this beast. I had a feeling if I fell, it would be cyclist dominoes. I dug my heels toward the ground with each pedal stroke.but.it.was.not.happening. I was only half way up the hill and I knew what was going to happen. So, I shouted to the fellow riders:
"I'M GOING DOWN!"
I braced myself for the feeling of road meeting flesh, but miracle of miracles, I managed to unclip and get my foot on the ground and stop mermaid carnage from happening. Whoo hoo. From that moment on, I vowed to walk the hills. And that is totally ok. For this race.
Run: Slow. Difficult. Uphill.
So, there we have it. I am not calling what I did yesterday a race, it was more of a weekend away with Dennis with an early morning workout.
And that is totally ok. For this race.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
And I ran (not so far away)
yup---you read right. Last night I went to my first Mermaid workout in 2 1/2 months (some of the ladies were eyeballing me like, "who's the new girl?"---not in a judgy way though) and -to quote Forest Gump -"I.WAS.RUNN-ING!"
Yea! My feet and lungs were exhausted, but my soul was so happy to be back on familiar turf (AKA The Los Gatos Creek Trail). I ran nonstop for about 35 minutes and briefly thought "Maybe Big Kahuna in October." Though, the aquabike and not the 1/2 ironman may be more me speed.
Last night I had the HARDEST time fall asleep. I think that my body was all jazzed up from moving and I just couldn't relax. I kept looking at the alarm clock on my bed: 10:06. 10:45. 11:30. 12:05. 12:05? As in midnight? Ugh. it is so weird when you can sleep, because you literally spend two hours doing nothing productive.
Monday and today I rode my bike to work. It is a good route (about 18 miles round trip) and the only downfall is I have bad hair for the rest of the day. Oh well.
Yea! My feet and lungs were exhausted, but my soul was so happy to be back on familiar turf (AKA The Los Gatos Creek Trail). I ran nonstop for about 35 minutes and briefly thought "Maybe Big Kahuna in October." Though, the aquabike and not the 1/2 ironman may be more me speed.
Last night I had the HARDEST time fall asleep. I think that my body was all jazzed up from moving and I just couldn't relax. I kept looking at the alarm clock on my bed: 10:06. 10:45. 11:30. 12:05. 12:05? As in midnight? Ugh. it is so weird when you can sleep, because you literally spend two hours doing nothing productive.
Monday and today I rode my bike to work. It is a good route (about 18 miles round trip) and the only downfall is I have bad hair for the rest of the day. Oh well.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday "Dress-in"
A month plus of no running, and no biking, and plenty of couch time with the Real Housewives of Jersey, means a couple of things: lack of post-race endorphins; bragging rights after a 4 hour bike ride, the warmth of camaraderie amongst training buddies.
It also means one other thing: tight clothes.
I am having some issues with my summer clothes that have zippers. Some zip up, but am dangerously close to muffin top, while others get stuck half way up my back.
Pretty depressing.
So, since I am not training for anything right now, maybe I should start training for a new thing: "Jill can't afford new clothes right now." So, it is really time to buckle down and get control of the food thing, especially since I am not burning as many calories pre-knee incident.
I have always struggled with the food thing. Weight Watchers was the most successful for me, but lately whenever I rejoin I just find those meetings brutal. I am more kumbaya when training with my workout buddies, not sitting around a circle listening to people drone on about apple slices and stuff. It is just a lot to deal with after work.
I think the reason weight watchers worked for me was it made me accountable for what I ate because I had to write things down and keep track of points. So, what I am going to do now is focus on the calorie intake. It seems to lose weight, 1600 calories a day is where I should aim. I am starting today: writing down what I eat and keeping track of fat, protein, and fiber. I am also trying to figure what to eat to make me stay full and satisfied so I don't fall off the wagon.
I am also NOT going to weigh myself. I just don't feel like dealing with those numbers. So, each Monday I will do a "dress-in." I will try on the same dress to see how it fits as the weeks go by.
So far the day started out pretty good. I made an eggwhite zuchhini omelet, and had a no-sugar added carnation instant breakfast. 233 calories, 7.5 grams of fat, 21 grams of protetin, and 5 grams of fiber.
This is going to be a long day...
It also means one other thing: tight clothes.
I am having some issues with my summer clothes that have zippers. Some zip up, but am dangerously close to muffin top, while others get stuck half way up my back.
Pretty depressing.
So, since I am not training for anything right now, maybe I should start training for a new thing: "Jill can't afford new clothes right now." So, it is really time to buckle down and get control of the food thing, especially since I am not burning as many calories pre-knee incident.
I have always struggled with the food thing. Weight Watchers was the most successful for me, but lately whenever I rejoin I just find those meetings brutal. I am more kumbaya when training with my workout buddies, not sitting around a circle listening to people drone on about apple slices and stuff. It is just a lot to deal with after work.
I think the reason weight watchers worked for me was it made me accountable for what I ate because I had to write things down and keep track of points. So, what I am going to do now is focus on the calorie intake. It seems to lose weight, 1600 calories a day is where I should aim. I am starting today: writing down what I eat and keeping track of fat, protein, and fiber. I am also trying to figure what to eat to make me stay full and satisfied so I don't fall off the wagon.
I am also NOT going to weigh myself. I just don't feel like dealing with those numbers. So, each Monday I will do a "dress-in." I will try on the same dress to see how it fits as the weeks go by.
So far the day started out pretty good. I made an eggwhite zuchhini omelet, and had a no-sugar added carnation instant breakfast. 233 calories, 7.5 grams of fat, 21 grams of protetin, and 5 grams of fiber.
This is going to be a long day...
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
new plan...
Physical therapy is going well, though not able to do one full pedal stroke on the stationary bike. This made me swallow my pride and decide that Aquabike is not happening. And maybe no other races are happening this year.
Kinda sucks.
But I have a new plan.
It's time for a vacay.
So, instead of spending my money on race entry fees (ranging from $25 to $200!), hotel fees, and post-race beers---it will go towards a much needed vacation with Dennis.
I just booked a 4 day all inclusive trip to cancun for our 3rd anniversary in September. Yea!
I may still go up the day of Vineman so I can cheer all my fellow Mermaids on at the finish. They are going to rock it.
Kinda sucks.
But I have a new plan.
It's time for a vacay.
So, instead of spending my money on race entry fees (ranging from $25 to $200!), hotel fees, and post-race beers---it will go towards a much needed vacation with Dennis.
I just booked a 4 day all inclusive trip to cancun for our 3rd anniversary in September. Yea!
I may still go up the day of Vineman so I can cheer all my fellow Mermaids on at the finish. They are going to rock it.
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