Wk 4 - Sprint Triathlon Training

Monday - Endurance Swim &  Group Ride

Lunch Swim (35 min): Warm Up: 4 x 50 w/ 15" rest; 6 x 100 on 2:20 pace, 200 (alternating 50 kick / 50 pull), 2 x fast 50 w/ 60" rest; Cool Down: 200. This was a solid swim and the 100s were pretty even with just a 3 second difference between all of them (2:01, 2:01, 2:02, 1:59, 2:00).

Evening Group Ride (90 min): What a difference a week makes! Last week was a struggle and I averaged 13.1 mph and 142 average heart rate. This week felt so much easier and yet I averaged 13.8 mph and 134 average heart rate. The only thing I did different was really focus on keeping a high cadence throughout the ride and well, it paid off! I just hope it isn't a fluke.



Tuesday - Hill Repeats (30 min)

Started off with a 10 minute warm up jog the did 6 x 45 strides up a 3% grade hill then jogged down as recovery. The hill repeats were at 8:12, 8:20, 8:21, 7:47, 7:24, and 7:22 pace but they only lasted 30 seconds and my recoveries were between 1½ to 2 minutes long. At the half way point, I did stop and grabbed some water which is probably why the last 3 were much faster. The last one I gave it everything I had. Then did a 10 minute warm down jog.

 

Wednesday - Rest Day

Left for Myrtle Beach right after work.

 

Thursday - Easy Run (15 mins)

I don't know what it is but I simply do not run well while I'm on vacation. My legs felt heavy and after 15 minutes, I already had enough!

 

Friday - Easy Bike (30 mins)

About 30 minutes on the very cheap Walmart bike but at least there are no hills!

 

Saturday - Bike/Run Brick. Par 3 Golf (2 hours)

My husband and I played 18 rounds on a par 3 golf course. I'm not much of a golfer as I only play on vacation so that is maybe twice a year so I do good just to hit the ball straight...if at all!

 

Sunday - Rest Day - Interval Run (36 mins)

A strong cold front came through Friday night and temps dropped 15-20 degrees so I woke up to low 50s...great weather for a HIIT (high intensity interval training) run! 10 minute warm up then 4 x 90 sec "fast" intervals at 8:28, 7:48, 7:53, and 7:34 pace with full recovery (3-4 mins). 10 minute cool down.

Wk 3 - Sprint Triathlon Training

Monday - Endurance Swim & Group Ride
Lunch Swim (35 min) - Warm Up: 4 x 50 with 15 second rest. Main Set #1: 4 x 100 on 2:15 pace. Main Set #2: 400 steady. Cool Down: 4 x 50. The 100s were tough and the last two I barely had 5 seconds to rest. By the time I got to the second main set, I was tired and hungry and didn't have much energy left.

Group Ride (1 hr, 45 min) - This ride was really hard. My quads fatigued early on just 6 miles in and I can only guess it had to do something with walking up 500+ steps at Chimney Rock on Saturday. Still, I somehow managed to push through the remaining 17 miles but every hill took every ounce of energy I had.



Tuesday - Interval Run (45 min)
10 min warm up then 6 x 2 minutes at moderate effort with 3 minute recovery plus cool down. I had two things going against me. One, it was in the low 80s and while I'm not complaining about the warmer temps, I simply forgot how much more energy it takes to run when it's warmer, and two, my legs were fatigued from yesterday's group ride so they felt heavy the entire run. I ended the run completely exhausted and will more than likely end up taking a rest day tomorrow.

Wednesday - Lunch Bike. Rest Day
My body is telling me I need a rest so rest it is!

Thursday - Easy Run
What a difference a rest day makes! Legs felt great and kept the pace nice and easy.

Friday - Lunch Swim Rest Day
Well technically I didn't really rest. Ended up cleaning the house instead which can be a workout!

Saturday - SDS Cross Country 5K
This was my "birthday" race and since I needed to get in an easy 3-4 mile run, I decided, why not try a cross country 5K for charity. No time goal, no expectations, just have fun and absolutely under no circumstance treat this as a race. I've done so many 5Ks that I no longer have race day adrenaline for these low-key charity runs and they often feel more like group runs to me now. I can start off at any easy pace for the first half of the race then turn it up slightly for the second half. Still I had no idea how tough running on grass would be or where the hills were so the last mile was a bit of a struggle. I definitely need to start adding hill repeats to my training schedule! But at least now I know the course for future races there.

Sunday - Rest Day

Wk 2 - Sprint Triathlon Training

Monday - Evening Group Ride - Rest Day
I went home for lunch to check on my dog and he just wasn't doing good. He wouldn't eat, he would barely move, and his tail was tucked between his legs so it was obvious he didn't feel good and something wasn't right. (For those that don't know, he has heart disease and a possible brain tumor.)  We thought for sure this was it and went on to take him to the vet. After about 3 hours later, we learned that his symptoms were probably due to his seizure medication as all his blood work results came back normal. Needless to say, my nerves were a mess and I just wasn't in the mood to go for a bike ride, especially since the winds had picked up.

Tuesday - Run: Intervals (45 min)
Spring has finally arrived and I got to run in shorts and a tank top! Started off with a 10 minute warm up walk/jog. Then did five two-minute intervals at moderate effort (70-80%) with one minute recovery jog and two minutes of brisk walking. I felt pretty good during the intervals although the last two were a bit tough going slightly up hill and into the wind.

Wednesday - Easy Bike - Rest Day
When I got home from work it was overcast, cloudy and too chilly for a ride and I didn't feel like spending 15 minutes setting up my bike on the trainer in the garage (yes it takes me that long) so I skipped today's bike workout. Already developing bad habits, ugh!

Thursday - Easy Run - NTC Workout (30 min)
Not sure where spring went! On Tuesday it was in the high 60s, today in the high 30s and rainy! But since the gym is really crowded in the evenings and I don't have a treadmill at home, I decided to just do a 30 minute Nike Training Club workout instead. Going to be feeling this workout tomorrow!

Friday - Intensity Swim - Indoor Bike (40 min)
I just wasn't in the mood to swim so I did the spin bike at the YMCA instead. They actually have this new spin bike in the cardio area with a display that tells you want to do (seated flat, seated climb, standing climb, high intensity, easy, etc) which is pretty cool. It's like having a virtual spin instructor and you can select what type of workout you want to do; endurance, strength (hills), or intervals. Then based on your workout, it has levels on where to keep your heart rate and cadence. Goes to red if you are over or under and reminds you to adjust tension in order to stay where you need to be.

Saturday - Chimney Rock State Park (2 hours)
My husband and I went to Chimney Rock for our postponed anniversary weekend. We started off with shopping at the stores and walking along the River Walk but decided we wanted to get more of a workout so we went into Chimney Rock State Park. There are two options on getting to the "Chimney" from the parking lot, take the elevator or climb the stairs on the Outcroppings Trail (it's 26 stories, 491 stairs) and we chose the stairs! What a great workout! Once we hung out on the "Chimney" for a few minutes, we decided to do some more stair climbing on the Skyline Trail which took you up Exclamation Point (the highest point you can go).

[gallery ids="2040,2038,2039"]

Sunday - Easy Run (30 min)
I wanted to start running based on heart rate but my Garmin Forerunner 10 doesn't have heart rate so I went out and bought a Polar RS300x. Well, I had problems with it within the first 5 minutes when the chest strap kept loosing signal with the watch. Not to mention the user's manual isn't even included (just a useless Quick Start Guide) so I had to go on Polar's website to find in-depth instructors how to operate it and it still it didn't work as expected (and I'm pretty good with technology). In the end, I realized just how much I love Garmin watches and will end up returning the Polar and continuing to train based on effort rather than heart rate. Anyway, I still managed a 30 min easy run but quickly realized just how much I hate running without knowing how far or how long I've been running. Pace I can do without, but distance/duration, I just have to have.

Update on our dog
We decided to stop feeding him dog food as we noticed his symptoms got worse when he ate the dog food but subsided when we fed him a home cooked meal. After 4 days, he's doing so much better on the home cooked meals which is basically a mixture of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots. Seriously, what's not to love! Of course nothing is seasoned and it's pretty bland but he gobbles it up like it's a gourmet meal and happy dog = happy pet parents.

Wk 1 - Sprint Triathlon Training

Monday - Endurance Swim - 40:00
Warm Up: 4 x 50 with 30" rest; Main Sets: 400 TT (8:19 / 2:05 pace); 100 Kick; 4 x 100 at TT pace + 20" rest (2:25). Cool Down: 200 bilateral breathing. Felt really good throughout my swim and couldn't believe how fast the workout went. The bilateral breathing is getting easier as well. Still struggling with flip turns though and often I'm too far from the wall and can't get a descent push off.

 

Tuesday - Progression Run - 35:00
Warm Up: 5 min walk/easy jog. 10 minutes at easy effort. 10 minutes at easy to moderate effort and the last 10 minutes at moderate to hard effort. This run was hard mainly because of the strong wind gusts that just about stopped me in my tracks. I started out up hill and into the wind so I thought at least on the way back I would be with the wind...wrong! It was one of those swirling winds where it was blowing in every direction.

 

Wednesday - Easy Bike - 45:00
It was still a bit chilly, high 50s but with the wind, it felt even colder so I opted for the indoor bike trainer instead. Started off with a 10 minute warm up before doing 30 minutes with a few 30" sprints mixed in.

 

Thursday - Easy Run - 4 miles
Tough run! It's been a long week at work so I was tired before I even started but I was hoping it was mostly mental fatigued and not physical fatigued. I was wrong. A mile into my run, my legs started to feel like bricks and it was all I could do just to put one leg into the other. The downhills and flat sections were okay but I had to walk up every hill.

 

Friday - Intensity Swim - 40:00
Warm Up: 200 easy. Main Sets: 8 x 50 fast w/ 20" rest; 400 (25 fast / 75 easy). Cool Down: 200 easy.

 

Saturday - Morning Bike + Evening Run
Rest day.

 

Sunday - Easter
I actually did run 2 miles with my parent's puppy. She was full of energy and had two speeds...sprint and sniff!

Recovery Week #2

Second "off" week so I pretty much did whatever I felt like it on whatever day I felt like it. No structure workouts, no goals, just have fun with whatever I was doing.

 

Monday - Nothing

Well, I was going to swim at lunch but got super busy at work.

 

Tuesday - Group Ride

This was my first group ride of the season. It was slow paced so my heart rate never got out of zone 1 except for the occasional hill. Rode for 18 miles and averaged around a 12.5 mph pace so not a bad way to start the cycling season.

 

Wednesday - Nothing

Another day of doing nothing.

 

Thursday - Nothing

Daytime sleep attacks! I hate when they get so bad I have to leave work early. It just becomes impossible to work through them so I headed home at 2:30 pm. I put on my pajamas and took a nap from 3 pm - 4:30 pm. I felt so much better when I woke up but still ended up skipping my evening run and going to bed at 9:30 pm.

 

Friday - Lunch Swim

Just a fun lunch time swim. I did mostly 50s and 100s and a lot of 3 and 5-stroke breathing to practice breathing on both my left and right side. Finally starting to feel less awkward.

 

Saturday - Nothing

Rainy and cold. Didn't do anything.

 

Sunday - Strength

The weather was still cold and rainy so I opted for a very short 15 min strength workout.

 

Triathlon training officially kicks off tomorrow. I will be my own coach so we'll see how it goes.

 

Recovery Week #1

Monday - Lunch Swim

Active recovery from the half marathon. Did two sets of 8 x 50 with 15 seconds of rest between the 50s and 1 minute rest in between the two sets. Focused on technique instead of speed. Then spent 10 minutes in the other (warmer) pool stretching and 5 minutes in the hot tub which felt really good.

 

Tuesday - Walk/Run - 2 miles

Legs still felt fatigued so I just walked 2 miles with a few 30-60 second jogs thrown in.

 

Wednesday - Rest Day

Rest day.

 

Thursday - Group Run

I had planned on only running 3 miles but we ended up running 4.25 miles. The last mile was a bit tough and probably was a bit too much. At least it was on the flat rail trail.

 

Friday - Lunch Swim

My daytime sleep attacks were in full force today so instead of swimming, I ended up going home and taking a much needed nap.

 

Saturday - Rest Day

Woke up with extremely painful neck and shoulder pain. I have no idea what caused it considering this was an easy training week. Alternated between ice and heat but it seems if I stay idle, it hurts more than if I move around.

 

Sunday - Bike Ride + Run

Shoulder still hurt but because it hurt less if I moved around, I decided to go for my first bike ride of the season. Rode for about 45 minutes (9.6 miles) and felt pretty good. Shoulder never gave me any issues. Even came back and went out for a 25 minute (2.24 miles) run afterwards. Didn't plan on a brick workout but with the weather absolutely beautiful (77° and sunny) and my body feeling better when it's in motion, it sort of just happened.

 

Week 12: Half Marathon Training

It's race week!

Monday - Easy Run

Just an easy 3 mile run in the neighborhood. My "easy" pace is getting faster and even the hills are getting easier! Very enjoyable run.

 

Tuesday - Rest Day

Rest day.

 

Wednesday - Stretch / Yoga

Staying loose. Did some stretches and yoga.

 

Thursday - Easy Run

Just an easy 2 mile out & back run. This run was a bit tougher than I thought it would be but then again I was tired from a long day from work. So ready for the half marathon on Saturday though!

 

Friday - Rest Day

Rest Day. Just some light stretching.

 

Saturday - Swamp Rabbit Half Marathon!

Woohoo! Finished my first half marathon! - Race Report

 

Sunday - Rest Day

Woke up really sore but quickly learned that I felt better if I stayed moving so I cleaned the house, did laundry and cleaned out my closets. Used the foam roller about 4 times today!

 

Race Report: GHS "Swamp Rabbit" Half Marathon

Pre-Race:

8 weeks of 5K training + 12 weeks of half marathon training got me here! Friday evening, I checked the weather forecast and then tried to figure out what to wear for a 2½ hour run (temperature range was 33° - 48°). I decided to wear capris, a long-sleeve tee under a short-sleeve tee, a pullover, gloves and hat. I also had two carb boom gels (apple cinnamon flavor). I set my alarm for 5 am and went to bed at 9:30 pm but I didn't really sleep much, I tossed and turned all night long. I left my house at 5:40 am and arrived at the race start (Gateway Park in Traveler's Rest) at 6:30 am. I got my bib number then sit in my car to stay warm until 7:10 am where I got in line for the porta potty then headed to the start line. I found a spot near the back knowing that I was going to be using run 5 minutes / walk 1 minute intervals. Plus I didn't care what my time would be as it would be an instant PR since this was my first half marathon so there was no point in slowing down those actually there to "race".

 

The Race:

At 7:31 am, we were off. I quickly settled into a very easy pace knowing the first 2 miles would be my warm up. The first 4 walk breaks were hard, simply because I really didn't want to take them, but I knew they would pay off later on and sure enough they did! The first two miles were done and over with before I even realized it and to my surprise I was actually able to keep a sub 11 min/mile pace for almost 8 miles. It didn't even feel like I was running that fast but it had to be the most enjoyable 8 miles I have ever run!

Then during mile 9 everything changed. My right calf just cramped up unexpectedly. It hurt like hell and if you ever had a charlie horse you know how bad they hurt. It stops you dead in your tracks until you can stretch and massage it out and that's exactly what I had to do. I stopped on the side of the trail and stretched it out as best as I could. It sort of made me angry because I was doing way better than I had ever dreamed of and was feeling so great up until then.

[caption id="attachment_1890" align="alignright" width="224"] Finishing the GHS Half Marathon with a smile on my face![/caption]

Miles 10, 11 and 12 were brutal and it was all I could do to maintain run 2 minutes / walk 1 minute intervals. I was in so much pain but at the same time I was determined to finish and wasn't going to let a leg cramp prevent me from doing just that. Once I got to the top of the hill near the baseball stadium and headed down Markley St, I got a surge of adrenaline...maybe I was excited that I was so close with a little over a mile remaining or maybe it was the fact I wasn't the only one hurting. I could tell the girls and the one guy around me was hurting too. So I ignored the pain and just ran. I didn't care how slow I was going, I just wanted to keep running to take advantage of this slight downhill knowing there was one final hill left and I was pretty sure I would have to walk up it.

Once I turned the corner onto McBee Ave and actually could see the finish line, I couldn't help but smile. When I did, it was like the pain just disappeared and I just gave it everything I had left (which wasn't much) and crossed the finishing line at 2:32:00. My husband was there waiting for me at the finish and he was able to capture a few pics.

[caption id="attachment_1891" align="alignnone" width="300"] Finished the GHS Half Marathon![/caption]

Final Thoughts about the Race

Would I do this race again? Maybe but only if I get the same DealChicken.com (similar to Groupon) deal. To me, it just wasn't worth $70 and I'm so glad I only paid $35. Here are my reasons:

1. They ran out of water at 3 of the 6 water stations but luckily there was water at the two I needed the most...around mile 5 and 10 (right after I had consumed a gel). But I'm used to running up to an hour without water so it didn't really affect me all that much.


2. There were no technical t-shirts left by the time I finished (you got them at the finish, not during packet picket on race morning). Nor did they have any smalls left in the remaining cotton tees so I just got an XL for my husband. He can wear it mowing grass or whatever.


3. Where was the food? I was wanting a banana or some sort of fruit but all I saw were cheez-its and chips. Really? Maybe I missed the food table but my calf was hurting and I sure as heck didn't feel like walking around looking for the food table.

I did confirm one thing though. I find sprint triathlons way more fun than half marathons and probably won't be doing another half marathon anytime soon. I love local charity 5Ks and 10Ks so I'll keep doing those between triathlons but running for 2+ hours just isn't my thing. Still I'm happy I was finally able to finish one and it's one more thing I can't mark off my bucket list.

Race Report: Reedy River 10K

Pre-Race:

Woke up to some nasty weather. It was in the mid 30s and a cold light rain. Of course with very little expectations with this race, I was ready for whatever mother nature wanted to give me. My game plan was to take it easy as I would any other long run in order to avoid injury before next Saturday's half marathon. Of course knowing my long run pace is around a 12 min/mile, I was expecting around a 1:15 finish.

Woke up at my usual "work day" time of 6:30 and was out the door at 7:00. Arrived at the race start at around 7:40, got my number and tech tee (once again, it's unisex and way too big so Goodwill is getting another one) and went back to my car to stay warm until about 8:10. By this time, there was a nasty rain/sleet/snow mix that was just plain miserable. At 8:15, I stood in a line (all of 3 people ahead of me) for the porta potty then headed to the start where I did a very light jog and stretching to stay warm. I had on my fleece-lined pants (they are water resistant), long-sleeve tee, rain jacket, gloves and hat. I was slightly chilly at the start which is a good sign I was properly dressed.

The Race:

At 8:30, we were off. I started near the back of the pack and settled into my easy pace and pretty much just held it there for most of the race. The first few hills were nothing and I was able to get up those without any problems. The hill right before Greenville County used to give me problems but not this time but I ended up taking a walk break anyway because I was getting too hot and had to take off my rain jacket. It was just too warm, especially once the wintry mix had stopped. Not sure why I get so much hotter in a race then in a training run. Adrenaline perhaps?

After that, it was smooth sailing until I got to the first water station which was on a downhill (really?) so once again I slowed to a walk and grabbed some. I quickly got back into my easy pace  and breezed through miles 3-5. I definitely didn't have the struggle as I did in the previous two times I ran this race or the last time I ran through here. In fact those two flat miles through Cleveland Park seemed effortless to me this time around and I was feeling really good and even passing other runners (which this late in the race used to be very rare for me).

Mile 5 is where everything started to change and I ended up walking some up the two final hills. That last hill before the finish is awful and I did my best to conquer but only was able to make it about ½ way. But once I hit the 6 mile marker, I got back to running again and picked up the pace for a final kick for the downhill finish and cross the line in 1:09:56, a solid 5 minutes faster than I expected to.

Weather: 36° with 4 mph N winds. Rain/Sleet/Snow mix at the start. A very light drizzle during the race.

 

Week 11: Half Marathon Training

Monday - Rest Day

Rest day. Still mourning the loss of my dog, Kelsey.

 

Tuesday - Easy Run Rest Day

Zero motivation today and with it being cold, overcast, and windy, I decided to put my run off until tomorrow when it will be warmer and sunny.

 

Wednesday - Lunch Swim Easy Run

I was going to hit the rail trail at lunch but it was still a bit chilly for shorts and a t-shirt which is all I had packed, so I hit the treadmill and the indoor track instead. Ran 2 miles on the treadmill at an easy pace while adjusting the incline throughout to simulate hills. Then hit the indoor track for 1 mile of very light speed work, increasing the pace every quarter mile (4 laps).

 

Thursday - Group Run

Easy 4 miles on the rail trail. We kept the pace easy which was good since the only purpose of this run was to stay injury free. Feeling really good about the 10K this Saturday although the weather forecast isn't looking too good. Mid to upper 30s with a 40% chance of snow or rain. I just hope it isn't significant enough to cancel or postpone the race.  As long as it's nice and sunny next Saturday for the half marathon, mother nature can bring whatever she wants this weekend!

Weather: Cloudy 50°, winds 5-8 mph N. Feels like 48°.

 

Friday - Rest Day - Race Prep

Laid out everything for my race in the morning.

 

Saturday - Reedy River 10K

Treated it as any other long run. Read the race report.

 

Sunday - Rest Day

Scheduled rest day. Just 6 days until my first half marathon! Yikes!

 

Week 10: Half Marathon Training

Monday - Rest Day

After yesterday's 10 mile run, this rest day is well deserved!

 

Tuesday - Run Intervals

10 min warm up then 5 x 3 minutes at moderate effort with 2 minute recovery. Basically the same workout as last week although a little slower since this time around since it's been only 2 days after my 10 mile run. My interval paces were; 10:32, 10:33, 10:37, 12:14, and 10:36. A bit more even paced despite the hills but still based my effort on the "talk test". I was also able to walk less and jog more during the recovery period.

 

Wednesday - Lunch Spin Class Lunch Swim

Easy 20 minute swim (850 yards). My legs just were not up for spin class today.

 

Thursday - Easy Run  Tempo Run

Was super stressed out because my dog Kelsey was sick with diabetes and I had to take her to the animal hospital. So to de-stress, I tend to like running hard so instead of 3-4 miles at easy effort I went for a 2 mile run at moderate effort. The run was tough but I felt so much better once I finished. Mile 1 was 10:15 (slightly uphill) and mile 2 was 9:37 (slightly downhill) which meant I was able to average a 9:55 pace for 2 miles which I was really happy about.

 

Friday - Strength - Rest Day

Went to go visit Kelsey at the animal hospital. She is not doing very well. I have this huge feeling that this is the end.

 

Saturday - Rest Day

Rest day.

 

Sunday - Long Run - 5 miles

We lost our dog Kelsey Friday night. We took her to the animal hospital on Thursday where we learned she was sick from diabetes. But with her autoimmune disorder and liver disease, it was just too much for her to take. It's been a very rough and emotional last few days and as much as I need this run, it was extremely tough.

Maybe I never noticed before just how many people have dogs, but every time I would pass someone walking or running with their dogs, I really had to fight back the tears. Near the end of my run, I just completely broke down emotionally and couldn't fight the tears anymore so I just broke off in a full sprint for as long as I could hold it as if I needed to match my emotional pain with physical pain and push myself to the point of exhaustion.

 

Week 9: Half Marathon Training

Monday - Run Intervals

10 min warm up then 5 x 3 minutes at moderate effort with 2 minute recovery. I decided to stop worrying about my pace as it was becoming increasingly stressful to aim to run x minutes for x pace especially with all the hills in my neighborhood. I'm now using the "talk test" to determine my effort level. If I can recite the Pledge of Alliance without pausing, I need to speed up, if I can only get one word out at a time, I need to slow down. If I can say 3-4 words at a time, I'm on target! I did this "talk test" about every 30 seconds and it worked out great. My interval paces ended up being 10:17, 9:44, 9:29, 11:35 and 9:24 so as you can see my pace varied whether I was going down or up hill yet my effort level stayed consistent. Recoveries averaged between a 14-15 min pace so I definitely need to work on jogging more and walking less during these.

Weather: 54°, 4 mph N winds, 50% humidity.

 

Tuesday - Strength

Did the stairs (6 flights) twice at work on my afternoon break. Then an upper body workout in the evening using the medicine ball and free weights.

 

Wednesday - Lunch Spin Express

I'm only planning to continue this class through February 27 (the week before the half marathon). I was already hungry (forgot my banana this morning) and tired so I just didn't have the energy to give it my best effort. I took it easy and did my own thing. Then with 15 mins left until class ended, the instructor took everyone in the fitness room for an ab workout. I'm sorry but I go to spin class to spin and if I wanted an ab/fitness workout, I would take a fitness class, so I chose to stay in the spin room and just continue on my own.

 

Thursday - Group Run

[caption id="attachment_1723" align="alignright" width="210"] Wofford College Campus[/caption]

We decided to change it up and run a different route than our usual hilly Converse Heights route so we did 3½ miles in downtown from the YMCA to Wofford College and back. The downside though was a lot of intersections and traffic lights so you had to be extra mindful that drivers could see you. Overall it was a good run even though I started getting tired towards the end.

Weather: 54°, 6 mph SW winds, 47% humidity.

 

Friday - Lunch Swim or Strength

My dog Kelsey had to go to the vet for a tooth extraction. It was originally scheduled for next Monday but they had a last minute cancellation and she was able to get it done today. With just a 20 minute notice, I pretty much had to rush getting ready and forgot my gym bag so I ended up doing the stairs at work twice (6 flights) on my afternoon break and an upper body workout in the evening.

 

Saturday - Long Run - 10 miles. Rest Day

Kelsey was in quite of bit of pain Friday night and Saturday which meant a sleepless night for the both of us. I was going to take a nap and then go do my 10 miler but when I woke up an hour later there was 2 inches of snow on the ground and it was still falling hard.

 

Sunday - Rest Day. Long Run - 10  miles

Around 10 am, it finally started warming up and the snow was melting and the roads became clear, so around 2:30 pm I decided to go out for my 10 mile run, only my 2nd 10 mile run ever! It was only 36° so I was expecting it to be a somewhat miserable cold run but once I got out there, it sure didn't even feel close to 36°! It felt more like 50° with the sun out and not a cloud in the sky. I was glad I left my gloves at home since I didn't even need them but I also wish I had worn capris instead of tights and one long-sleeve tee instead of two. I also tried the Simple Hydration water bottle for the first time and I have to say I really like it.

The first 8 miles, I felt pretty good. I kept the pace nice and easy (10-11 min/mile) and walked when I needed to which were mostly up the hills. The last 2 miles were tough both mentally and physically. I really wanted to end my run after 8 miles but I was determined to make it to the 10 mile mark so I just kept going no matter how slow those last two miles were. This will be my longest run before the half in order to avoid injury from even making it to the starting line which has happened twice before. Just 3 more weeks until my first half marathon and so far, so good.

Weather: 36-42°, 10-12 mph NW winds, 27% humidity. (Somehow it didn't feel that cold).

 

Product Review: Simple Hydration Water Bottle

Week 8: Half Marathon Training

Monday - Run Intervals

The plan called for 4 x 1/2 mile intervals at moderate effort with 3 minute recovery but since I was on my lunch break and had limited time, three was all I could fit in. But as always I tend to run the first one way too fast then barely have enough energy for the remaining ones. I must do a better job at pacing as this is my weakness when it comes to running.

 

Tuesday - Rest Day

Rest day.

 

Wednesday - Lunch Spin Express + Evening easy run

Lunch Spin Express - We had a different instructor this week. Lots of hill intervals which meant a lot of standing. I'm not sure how this is going to translate when outdoor rides start up but I'm thinking about just staying seated for most of them from now on and just doing my own thing.

Evening Easy Run - Since Thursday's forecast was calling for a 75% chance of rain I just turned today into a two-a-day and did my easy run tonight. My goal was simple, start out super easy and aim for negative splits. I was able to finish strong and achieve my goal of negative splits and for the first time in months, my run was actually quite enjoyable.

 

Thursday - Group Run. Rest Day

Canceled because of rain. So glad I ran yesterday!

 

Friday - Lunch Swim

Kept it simple and focused solely on technique and drills.

 

Saturday - Long Run - 7 miles

I originally had plans to sign up and run the Foothills Drifter 6K trail race but when I went to register on Tuesday, the price had increased from $30 to $40. I read and re-read the description over and over wondering where the heck I missed reading about the price increase and never did find anything. Angry about the unexpected price increase, I said forget it, I'll just run at Southside Park/Croft instead. I have hiked at Southside but never have done any trail running there so it felt somewhat adventurous. There were some tricky and muddy sections and with the half marathon coming up, the last thing I wanted to do was twist an ankle or faceplant in the mud so I took it slow and easy and just enjoyed the solitude I had out in the woods. Overall it was a great run/hike and the time flew by so fast. I must get out there more!

 

Sunday - Rest Day

Entire body is sore today so this rest day is well deserved!

Product Review: Kiefer Team Backpack

I have had the Kiefer Team Backpack for about a month now and honestly I have to say, I'm not really a fan of it as an every day gym bag or even as a swim bag (which I will explain later) but as a triathlon bag, I absolutely love it! I also think it would make for a great weekend camping bag or overnight bag as well.

The reason why I say this doesn't make for a good swim bag for me is simply because my YMCA provides towels, kickboards, swim buoys (which also happen to be the Kiefer brand) and just about everything I would need for swim drills so all I have to really pack when I go swimming is my swimsuit, swim cap, googles and flip flops which makes this bag too big. But I used this bag for my indoor triathlon a week ago and was quite surprise how it held everything I needed and I'm sure it will come in handy this summer for triathlon racing.

Pockets & Compartments

This bag does have plenty of pockets and compartments which I really like. I hate digging around the bottom of a bag trying to find something. I also prefer backpacks over duffle bags because well duffle bags just don't fit in lockers very well unless you turn them sideways shifting all the contents inside. With this backpack, I found the side pockets very convenient as I could access them while the bag was hanging in the locker. I always hang it on the left side of the locker and use the left side pockets for all my necessities for getting ready to go back to work (comb, brush, hairspray, lotion and makeup). There are three internal pockets which I use one for my flip flops so I didn't have to dig around for those (in my other bag, they always ended up at the bottom) and various other things (socks, hat, visor, etc) for the others. As far as those straps on the front, well I have yet to find a use for them and why they are even there. I think it would of been better if another smaller pocket was added there instead or even bungee cords.

Comfort

This bag is quite comfortable even when full. The padded straps never dug into my shoulders and it never shifted around when I walked and while the backpack looked quite large on me, it sure didn't feel big.

Price & Quality

This bag is currently on sale for $24.95 at kiefer.com which I feel is a steal at this price. There are similar style bags on the market for a lot more. The quality seemed to be great as well. In my 1 month of putting it through some abuse (such as taking it in and out of a locker) this bag shows no signs of wear and still looks brand new. In fact the pictures shown below were taken after 1 month (or ~20 gym visits) of use.

[gallery columns="3" link="file" ids="1557,1554,1556,1558,1555"]

Product Description (from kiefer.com)

Store all your swim gear, wet and dry, in Kiefer's sturdy, standup backpack. Our backpack has all the right pockets and zippers to organize and transport swimwear, training gear, towel, electronics, personal care items, and street clothes.

Features include one large zip 8" x12" wet pocket, three roomy interior pockets to organize gear, and two 7" x 9" zip side pockets with mesh to provide easy access to smaller items. Hold your phone in the side zip pocket with ear phone port. Comfortable padded straps, and easy grip handle let you focus your strength and attention where it belongs - the swimming pool.

We've left plenty of room to add a team logo on the front flap.

Dimensions: 19" tall, 13" wide, and 10" deep.

Colors: Black and Navy.

 

Full disclosure: While I did receive this bag free of charge, it in no way affected the outcome of this review.

Week 7: Half Marathon Training

Monday - Rest Day

After Saturday's indoor triathlon and Sunday's 3 mile run, my body needed to rest!

 

Tuesday - Intervals

5 min warm up. 1 mile at 9:30 pace with 4 min recovery then 4 x 1/4 mile at 9:20 pace with 2 minute recovery. 5 min cool down. Hit the 1 mile right at 9:29 pace and the averaged 9:09 pace on the quarter miles.

 

Wednesday - Spin Express Class at the Y. Rest Day

Giving myself this week off from spinning now that the indoor triathlon is over.

 

Thursday - Group Run

Felt pretty good this evening. I now have a goal before daylight savings time...make it all the way up Hollywood Hill. Right now I can only  make it up about half way.

 

Friday - Swim. Rest Day

Giving myself this week off from swimming now that the indoor triathlon is over.

 

Saturday - Rest Day

Wanted to wait for it to warm up but it never did. Missed my window so I ran on Sunday instead.

 

Sunday - Long Run - 9 miles - 6 miles

Plans called for 9 miles today but I only managed 6.25 instead. When I left my house, it was 41 with very little wind so I dressed for low 40s thinking it would warm up. But about midway through my run, the winds really picked up (15+, gusting to 22+) and I started getting colder instead of warmer. I couldn't get my breathing under control and by the 5th mile, I was walking more than running so I cut my run short instead of suffering through another 3 miles. I'm so ready for spring and warmer temps!

 

Week 6: Indoor Tri & Half Marathon Training

Indoor Triathlon Race Week!

Monday - Treadmill Run

5 min warm up on stationary bike. 20 minute run on the treadmill at comfortably hard pace. 5 min cool down walk on indoor track.

 

Tuesday - Rest Day

Rest day.

 

Wednesday - Spin Express Class at the Y

Being race week, I decided to take it a little easier than usual today in order to save my legs for Saturday's indoor triathlon.

 

Thursday - Group Run

Cold and windy run. Low 40s with wind chill in the mid 30s. It was only really bad at the beginning, going down hill and against the wind. My body was generating little heat and the wind cut through all 3 layers I had on and my gloves didn't seem to be helping keeping my fingers from getting cold. After we made the turn against the wind and started going up hill, I quickly warmed up and even shed my gloves. It was a good run but I was also happy to get it over with.

 

Friday - Rest Day

The day before the indoor triathlon. Taking it easy, hydrating and clean eating (meaning no fried foods, junk food, or soft drinks).

 

Saturday - Indoor Triathlon!

You can read the race report here.

 

Sunday - Easy Run

Plan called for 4 miles but 3 miles is all I had in my tired and heavy legs.

 

Race Report: InYou Indoor Triathlon

Training:

Being an indoor triathlon of only 45 minutes, I figured 6 weeks of training would suffice. I only chose to do 1 swim, 1 spin class and 3 runs per week since I am also training for a half marathon. I chose to do this triathlon in hopes it would force me to add cross-training to my weekly schedule and keep me more consistent week-to-week. It definitely  helped as there were days I wanted to skip the swim or spin class but didn't because I knew I had already signed up for this event.

 

Pre-race:

Didn't really do anything special. I was in the 10 am heat so I went to bed and woke up at my regular time and did my normal Saturday morning routine.

 

Swim:

My goal was 20 laps (500 yards) which I knew was doable if I stayed focused on my technique. I made it to 19 laps, just 25 yards from my goal. About 8 minutes in, I was getting really tired and my technique faltered as I started looking up instead of down and getting sloppy with my arms and know it is what cost me those precious 25 yards.

 

Bike:

[caption id="attachment_1739" align="alignright" width="144"] In You Indoor Tri - Bike[/caption]

Bike went exceptionally well. I'm not sure who calibrated the spin bikes but the speed/distance was way off from that of a road bike or even stationary bike. I normally average 12-14 mph on my road bike and 14-16 on a stationary bike but with these "add-on" computers, I averaged around 35 mph! The good thing is, everyone's was calibrated the same way, so we were all speedsters on the bikes today! But I felt good on the bike from the beginning to the end which was my only goal anyway. Those spin classes definitely helped!

 

Run:

[caption id="attachment_1742" align="alignleft" width="144"] In You Indoor Tri - Run[/caption]

My goal was to run 1.5 miles but I only could manage 1.4 miles. I was doing great at 6.2 mph until about 6 mins in and then my calf starting cramping up. I slowed down to 3.8 mph to try to stretch it out. That helped and I picked up the pace again, this time at 6.3 mph to try to make up for that walk break. But about 2.5 minutes later, it started cramping up again and I had to slow down yet again. This happened once more with just 2 minutes left to go, I was so frustrated but was able to get at least another minute of running before the 15 minutes were up.

 

Overall:

This was a fun event and very challenging even if it was only 45 minutes! It felt very competitive though, mainly because you are side-by-side 4 to 5 other triathletes no matter how slow or fast you are. There is no passing like you get in outdoor triathlons so no way of knowing how well you're doing and you always feel like you're still in it to win it which just feeds on that competitive nature to keep pushing to go faster and faster. The one thing I didn't like was the age groups for awards. They are too broad with the top 3 in 12 and under, 13-19, 20-40 and 40+. I would of preferred top 2 in 10 year age groups instead which would of given more people a fighting chance.

 

Official Results:

Swim 10 mins: 19 lengths (475 yards)
Bike 20 mins: 11.8 miles (35.4 mph)
Run 15 mins: 1.4 miles (10:43 pace)

Overall: 44th
Age Group: 8th (20-40F)

Week 5: Indoor Tri & Half Marathon Training

Monday - Treadmill Run

1/4 mile warm up. 1.5 mile continuous run held at comfortably hard pace. 1/4 mile cool down.

 

Tuesday - Rest Day

Rest day. Did some strength training with the free weights and medicine ball.

 

Wednesday - Spin Express Class at the Y

We had a fill-in instructor who loved hill intervals. This class kicked my butt but instead of getting out of the saddle during every hill interval, I stayed seated during a few of them or chose to do a full out sprint instead. Also learned that this class may get cancelled if we don't average at least 3-4 more people.

 

Thursday - Treadmill Run

Treadmill hill intervals - 3.25 miles. 5 min warm up, then 2 minute hill intervals at  6.3 mph with 3 to 4% incline. Did those until I hit the 3 mile mark. Then 1/4 mile cool down. This was a tough workout but one of the best treadmill workouts I've done. Really got the heart rate up and the hills got tough at the faster speed.

 

Friday - Lunch Swim

50 yard warm up. 10 minute time trial (475 yards). 4 x 100 on 2:15 pace. These were tough but I averaged 2:00 - 2:05 per 100 yards which gave me 10-15 seconds of rest. With the indoor triathlon next week, I'm hoping I can get to 500 yards but we shall see. Then 2 x 25 fast / 25 easy. 50 yard cool down.

 

Saturday - Long Run

8 miles down and finished pain free! I chose to stay on the conservative side and do run 3 minute / walk 2 minute intervals thinking I would average around a 13+ min pace but  I actually averaged 12:26. Not bad considering I walked 33% of the time!

 

Sunday - Rest Day

Much needed rest day!

 

Week 4: Indoor Tri & Half Marathon Training

Monday - Treadmill Run

Started with a 4 lap warm up jog on the indoor track before hitting the treadmill for 20 mins of intervals. Decided to do 7 min at steady pace (5.8 - 6.0 mph) then two 3 minute intervals at a faster pace (6.5 + mph) with 1 minute sprints (7.0+ mph) at the end. 1-2 min recovery in-between intervals. Overall it was a tough but good workout.

 

Tuesday - Lazy River Running Class at the Y

The YMCA now offers a lazy river running class with this description:

"Don't let the name fool you, this class is packed with cardio! Varying levels of intensity combined with water resistance make this class perfect for cross training or just a really great workout. Come run with us!"

So of course I had to try it out. It was somewhat boring and way too easy for me. The only time I enjoyed it was when we were actually running against the current but I could of cared less about the drills with the current as they did absolutely nothing for me. Let's just say I won't be going back to the class.

 

Wednesday - Spin Express Class at the Y

Week 2 of this lunch time spin class and now knowing what to expect, it went much better than last week. I enjoyed it more and was able to get in a better quality workout knowing how to pace myself for the 45 minute workout.

 

Thursday - Rest Day

Had a dentist appointment at 3 pm and I knew I would of felt like running afterwords so scheduled rest day.

 

Friday - Lunch Swim Rest Day

I was suppose to swim today but work sort of got in the way and I missed my window.

 

Saturday - 5K Race + 3 Miles Easy

Today was a two-part long run, first half was the Race for the Grasshopper 5K which for the first 2 miles went exceptionally well. The last 1.1 miles however did not. I thought I would switch from slow continous running to run/walk breaks for the last mile in order to save my legs for a strong finish but that completely back-fired and I ended up struggling the final 1/4th mile. Next time, I'll just stick to what is working.

Second 3 miles was a complete struggle from start to end. My legs were so fatigued that running for more than 2 minutes a time was difficult so I ended up taking lots of walk breaks but at least I got my 6 miles in for the day!

 

Sunday - Rest Day

Much needed and appreciated rest day! It was also my neice's birthday party. She turned 3 on Friday.

 

Week 3: Indoor Tri & Half Marathon Training

Monday - Rest Day

Rest day. It was New Year's Eve and we still needed to go grocery shopping so I regretably skipped today's 3 mile easy run.

 

Tuesday - New Year's Day

Rest Day. Would of made up for yesterday's run but it turned out to be a rainy lazy day instead.

 

Wednesday - Spin Express Class at the Y

The Y now offers a lunch time Spin Express class from 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm which I decided to try. It was my first ever spin class so I was somewhat hestiate on what to expect. I knew it would be tough but I didn't know just how tough. The instructor had us get out of our seat more than I'm used to and my quads burned like they never burned before! I just couldn't keep up but even then, I enjoyed it and will try to make it a weekly habit for as long as they offer the class.

 

Thursday - Easy Run

Group Run - 3 miles. Legs were still sore from spin class so I opted to run just 3 instead of our normal 4 miles. It's a good thing I did because I was hurting after 3 miles, especially on the hills.

 

Friday - Lunch Swim

1,200 yards. 4 x 50 warm up, 6 x 100 yd, 4 x 25 fast / 25 easy, 4 x 50 cool down all with 15" rest intervals and 60" between sets. Felt pretty good today.

 

Saturday - Long Run

 7 miles. 4 miles. Because of afternoon obligations, I had to run earlier than usual which meant running in mid 30s and I just wasn't used to the chillier temps. It was a struggle from the start and it only got harder the longer I ran so I called it quits after 4 miles.

 

Sunday - Rest Day

Much needed and appreciated rest day!