So, I think distance triathlons are kind of like being pregnant. During/ right afterwards you say you will never do it again.... then as time fades, you think, "well, maybe someday," and then with a little more time you are thinking, "ya, that would be a great idea, it's totally worth it." I have to admit, I am already looking forward to another distance event (half), in the near future. By near I mean maybe next season. My mom and I have been talking about maybe doing Ironman Arizona in a couple of years. The more I think about it, the more I want to do it... am I crazy? This is only my 3rd season of triathlons, and I would still classify myself as a beginner. Is it too early to have "iron dreams?"
Speaking of dreams, I am seriously considering buying a new TT bike. I have to decide very soon. The logical side to me keeps thinking, just wait and buy a nice road bike w/ clip on areo bars, which is probably the best thing to do. Still, having a TT bike would be fun, and it's a great deal.
I have started training again for Spudman, recovery from Vikingman was longer than I expected, especially since I got sick after the race. So I'm behind a little, but had a great swim today, mainly drills. The LTS said they would fix my wetsuit for free, so I am going to get that in tomorrow, so that I can do a few open water swims in the next couple of weeks. I think that's going to be my spudman goal, work on that dang swim! I'll save the bike work for next season when hopefully I will have a new bike! :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Back into the "swim" of things
I did some dead lifts and a 20 min swim today, I felt pretty tired still during the swim. Hopefully this will improve in the next few days. I bribed the boys with new bubbles, so that they would go to the gym. I am hoping to really start training for spudman on Monday.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
After Tri Recovery
This is what I have learned about recovery:
Immediately after race:
After the race, the first goal is hydration, drink water or electrolyte replacement drinks and try to eat a complex carbohydrate snack within 15 minutes of the race. Your first after race meal should be eaten within 2 hours of ending your race.
First day or two:
Nutrition should still be focused on carbohydrates, hydration and protein. Hot/ cold therapy and massage is beneficial for sore muscles. Begin gentle workouts to keep your body moving such as walking or swimming. Also make sure to get enough sleep 9-10 hours at night plus naps!
Days 3-7:
Return to normal training, cut workout volume by at least 25-30% during this week.
This page provides more detailed information.
I think this information is pretty accurate, the first day or two are the worst as far as soreness goes. By day three I am feeling pretty good and want to workout again, but I find that if I push it too hard, I end up feeling tired quick! Today is day three after Vikingman and I still feel like I needed another rest day, so far all I have done is mild walking. I think tomorrow I will try to get a swim in, the next day a bike, and if I am lucky maybe a short run by the end of the week! After that it's time to start training for Spudman.
Immediately after race:
After the race, the first goal is hydration, drink water or electrolyte replacement drinks and try to eat a complex carbohydrate snack within 15 minutes of the race. Your first after race meal should be eaten within 2 hours of ending your race.
First day or two:
Nutrition should still be focused on carbohydrates, hydration and protein. Hot/ cold therapy and massage is beneficial for sore muscles. Begin gentle workouts to keep your body moving such as walking or swimming. Also make sure to get enough sleep 9-10 hours at night plus naps!
Days 3-7:
Return to normal training, cut workout volume by at least 25-30% during this week.
This page provides more detailed information.
I think this information is pretty accurate, the first day or two are the worst as far as soreness goes. By day three I am feeling pretty good and want to workout again, but I find that if I push it too hard, I end up feeling tired quick! Today is day three after Vikingman and I still feel like I needed another rest day, so far all I have done is mild walking. I think tomorrow I will try to get a swim in, the next day a bike, and if I am lucky maybe a short run by the end of the week! After that it's time to start training for Spudman.
Vikingman Race Report
my mom and I finished the Vikingman Half Ironman Triathlon on Saturday! The race consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run. We got up at 5am on Saturday after little to no sleep and headed over to T1 to drop off our bike gear, I couldn't help but notice a flag rippling in the 20 mph wind. Our next stop was the swim start, we were one of the first to be body marked and the kid who marked me looked at me like I was crazy when I told him I would probably be wearing long sleeves the entire race (at this time the temps were between 39-41 degrees, but it felt a lot colder in the wind). We then squeezed into our wetsuits, (always a fun thing!) and put on our neoprene caps and booties, because the water temp was a chilling 59 degrees. We walked over to the swim start, it was supposed do be a down river swim in the direction of the current, but with the wind blowing in the opposite direction all I could see were the white caps headed straight for us. I was seriously considering not getting in the water at this point....
SWIM:
But when it came time for my wave (all of the women went first, 7am sharp), I walked down the boat ramp and slid my way in with everyone else. The entrance to the water was so steep and slippery that we had to sit and slide in. They only gave us about 1 min in the water before the gun shot and the we were off... well sort of. The swim took and incredibly long time because of the waves coming at me and crashing down over my head, it seemed like I drank a good gallon of that water, and several times found myself gasping for air. I was not the only one, I think there were only a few swimmers that came out of the water with a decent time and there were several who opted to just get on the boat and ride in. I did get used to the water temps and found that after about 10 min I wasn't freezing anymore. I finally did reach the bridge and was pretty happy to be out of that choppy water. I took a long time in T1 because my hands were so cold that they were not very functional, it took a while to get my wetsuit off, and then I had to add a few extra layers due to the cold air and wind. Including heat packs in my cycling booties :) I was happy to finally get on the bike and start moving...
BIKE:
well sort off... I started out at a pretty good pace, keeping up with most people, until we hit that first turn, then we were faced with the 20 mph (+ extra gusts) of head wind. Everyone that passed me would say something like.. "this totally sucks," "I can't believe this," "having fun yet?" or my favorite, "are we stupid or what?" A lot of people quit on the bike, and I sure wanted to, I kept waiting for my dad to drive by, so I could get in the car and be done, but fortunately he didn't show up until mile 18, I asked if my mom was still going and he said she was, so I kept pushing through the wind, even on the downhill, it felt like uphill, I tried to stop pedaling a couple of times on the downhill just to get a little break but I would come to a stop, it was crazy! I don't think I ever got above 12 mph the first 22 miles, but usually I was riding 7-10 mph, thinking, I am going to be on this bike for the next 6 hours. After I turned at mile 22 I accelerated to 20 mph and soon realized that I could not maintain this speed without being blown over, I almost fell every time I tried to ride faster, so I was still stuck riding 12-15 mph ughh...
Finally I hit the next turn and a tail wind for a while and could easily keep a pace of 25-30 mph for a while, then it was more headwind/ crosswind/ headwind/ crosswind. I was dying to get OFF of the bike! I think the course was a little long because mile 56 came and went on my computer.
RUN:
My dad, Kael, Kyle and Wayne's family was waiting for me at T2 which was a great help, to have some cheering coming my way after an exhausting and challenging bike section. I took my time and regrouped in T2, obviously I was not that concerned about my time by this point. I switched my shoes, grabbed a payday bar, shot blocks and sport beans and headed out. Poor Kael was upset that I came and went so quickly. I was feeling good on the run, I think I ran about a 10 min mile the whole way. About mile 9 I started to feel tired but knew I could finish at this point. Miles 8-13 were an out and back loop, it seemed like mile 10 would never come, but when it did I was faced with another headwind to finish off the race. I finally made it to mile 13 and was proud of myself for finishing. It was great to have the kids there at the end. Kyle keeps telling people that "mom won the race" because he saw me coming out of the finish with my medal. A little while later my mom finished. I was glad that we did it together, It will be something we will never forget!
What would I do different?
If I woke up and there was wind, just get back in bed and try again next year!
Pictures coming soon!
SWIM:
But when it came time for my wave (all of the women went first, 7am sharp), I walked down the boat ramp and slid my way in with everyone else. The entrance to the water was so steep and slippery that we had to sit and slide in. They only gave us about 1 min in the water before the gun shot and the we were off... well sort of. The swim took and incredibly long time because of the waves coming at me and crashing down over my head, it seemed like I drank a good gallon of that water, and several times found myself gasping for air. I was not the only one, I think there were only a few swimmers that came out of the water with a decent time and there were several who opted to just get on the boat and ride in. I did get used to the water temps and found that after about 10 min I wasn't freezing anymore. I finally did reach the bridge and was pretty happy to be out of that choppy water. I took a long time in T1 because my hands were so cold that they were not very functional, it took a while to get my wetsuit off, and then I had to add a few extra layers due to the cold air and wind. Including heat packs in my cycling booties :) I was happy to finally get on the bike and start moving...
BIKE:
well sort off... I started out at a pretty good pace, keeping up with most people, until we hit that first turn, then we were faced with the 20 mph (+ extra gusts) of head wind. Everyone that passed me would say something like.. "this totally sucks," "I can't believe this," "having fun yet?" or my favorite, "are we stupid or what?" A lot of people quit on the bike, and I sure wanted to, I kept waiting for my dad to drive by, so I could get in the car and be done, but fortunately he didn't show up until mile 18, I asked if my mom was still going and he said she was, so I kept pushing through the wind, even on the downhill, it felt like uphill, I tried to stop pedaling a couple of times on the downhill just to get a little break but I would come to a stop, it was crazy! I don't think I ever got above 12 mph the first 22 miles, but usually I was riding 7-10 mph, thinking, I am going to be on this bike for the next 6 hours. After I turned at mile 22 I accelerated to 20 mph and soon realized that I could not maintain this speed without being blown over, I almost fell every time I tried to ride faster, so I was still stuck riding 12-15 mph ughh...
Finally I hit the next turn and a tail wind for a while and could easily keep a pace of 25-30 mph for a while, then it was more headwind/ crosswind/ headwind/ crosswind. I was dying to get OFF of the bike! I think the course was a little long because mile 56 came and went on my computer.
RUN:
My dad, Kael, Kyle and Wayne's family was waiting for me at T2 which was a great help, to have some cheering coming my way after an exhausting and challenging bike section. I took my time and regrouped in T2, obviously I was not that concerned about my time by this point. I switched my shoes, grabbed a payday bar, shot blocks and sport beans and headed out. Poor Kael was upset that I came and went so quickly. I was feeling good on the run, I think I ran about a 10 min mile the whole way. About mile 9 I started to feel tired but knew I could finish at this point. Miles 8-13 were an out and back loop, it seemed like mile 10 would never come, but when it did I was faced with another headwind to finish off the race. I finally made it to mile 13 and was proud of myself for finishing. It was great to have the kids there at the end. Kyle keeps telling people that "mom won the race" because he saw me coming out of the finish with my medal. A little while later my mom finished. I was glad that we did it together, It will be something we will never forget!
What would I do different?
If I woke up and there was wind, just get back in bed and try again next year!
Pictures coming soon!
Friday, June 6, 2008
My Triathlon Race Day Checklist
Swim:
Wetsuit
Goggles
Anti Fog Spray
Singlet
Tri shorts
Flip flops
Neoprene Cap*
Neoprene Booties*
Ear Plugs*
*if cold water
Bike:
Bike
Bike shoes
Helmet
Socks
Gloves
Sunglasses
Bar end plugs (these are required for USAT races)
Water bottles
Bento Box
electrical tape
CO2 cartridge
CO2 accessories
tire levers
Tool set
Floor pump
Spare tube
Hand Towel
Run:
Race belt
Hat
Running shoes
Water Bottle to leave in T2
Elastic shoe laces
Clothing:
Pre race:
Sweatshirt
pants
warm hat
Post Race:
t-shirt
sandals
shorts
Misc:
Tylenol/ Motrin
Pepto Bismol
Sunscreen
Body Glide
Camera
Directions/ Maps
Food
gels
pills
fluids
Watch
Chapstick
Wetsuit
Goggles
Anti Fog Spray
Singlet
Tri shorts
Flip flops
Neoprene Cap*
Neoprene Booties*
Ear Plugs*
*if cold water
Bike:
Bike
Bike shoes
Helmet
Socks
Gloves
Sunglasses
Bar end plugs (these are required for USAT races)
Water bottles
Bento Box
electrical tape
CO2 cartridge
CO2 accessories
tire levers
Tool set
Floor pump
Spare tube
Hand Towel
Run:
Race belt
Hat
Running shoes
Water Bottle to leave in T2
Elastic shoe laces
Clothing:
Pre race:
Sweatshirt
pants
warm hat
Post Race:
t-shirt
sandals
shorts
Misc:
Tylenol/ Motrin
Pepto Bismol
Sunscreen
Body Glide
Camera
Directions/ Maps
Food
gels
pills
fluids
Watch
Chapstick
Thursday, June 5, 2008
5 Tri mom "must haves"
1. Gym Membership w/ childcare. Because sometimes you want to run ALONE!
2. Burley/ Chariot Bike trailer w/ running attachement
These 2 brands really are the safest/ most functional out there (in my opinion), and for as much training you will do with the kids in tow, you really need something safe, reliable and comfortable for the kids. It is a little hard to switch the attachements, if you can afford it, buy a separate running stroller.
3. Local Trail Map, it helps to know where the local running/ biking trails are (and where the parks are). You cannot ride as fast on a trail but it's much safer. I try to stop at a park most of the time so that the kids enjoy the ride.
4. Kids Bicycle Helmets. They should wear them, even if they are in the trailer.
5. Treadmill/ Bicycle Trainer/ Home Gym Equipment. Sometimes you just can't make it out the door, or the kids are too sick to go out, or the weather is COLD! (I don't even try to pull a trailer in the wind). It helps to have an alternative plan for working out at home when the kids are asleep, or otherwise entertained. You can usually find quality used equipment from local classifieds or resale stores.
2. Burley/ Chariot Bike trailer w/ running attachement
These 2 brands really are the safest/ most functional out there (in my opinion), and for as much training you will do with the kids in tow, you really need something safe, reliable and comfortable for the kids. It is a little hard to switch the attachements, if you can afford it, buy a separate running stroller.
3. Local Trail Map, it helps to know where the local running/ biking trails are (and where the parks are). You cannot ride as fast on a trail but it's much safer. I try to stop at a park most of the time so that the kids enjoy the ride.
4. Kids Bicycle Helmets. They should wear them, even if they are in the trailer.
5. Treadmill/ Bicycle Trainer/ Home Gym Equipment. Sometimes you just can't make it out the door, or the kids are too sick to go out, or the weather is COLD! (I don't even try to pull a trailer in the wind). It helps to have an alternative plan for working out at home when the kids are asleep, or otherwise entertained. You can usually find quality used equipment from local classifieds or resale stores.
T minus 2
2 days left until Vikingman, I went to the gym today and did a short run/walk on the treadmill, took my bike into the shop for last minute adjustments, and started getting all of my gear out. I am a little worried about race nutrition, and still need to pick up a few items at the grocery store and a cheap water bottle to toss for an exchange at the aid stations on the bike. It is supposed to be pretty cold, my mom and I are going to sort through our clothes tonight and figure out what our best race options are. More to come...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
New Training Site
I feel like I always want to blog about workouts, run times, cadence, etc... but who wants to hear about all of that. So this is where I am going to "stick" all of those thoughts.
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