A Perfect Week! (complete update)

I had a very busy and most-awesome week but Blogger was a poop-head and disabled my account! Finally, I can get back on and update my blog. I've had major blog-withdrawal.

Weekly Recap:
Monday--great pool swim
Tuesday--"off" day. did weights and had an awesome session, probably b/c I wasn't tired from all the other workouts of the day
Wed--brick workout
Thursday--pool swim (back with the masters class) and evening spin
Friday--10k evening run
Saturday--long-ass bike
Sunday--12 mile run, 1 mile ocean swim, and weights
All in all--A perfect week! When does that ever happen? I completed all my workouts and logged over 14 hours (not including weights), with 3 runs (22 miles), 3 bikes (120 miles), and 3 swims (4 miles). Whew!


Looks like I'm back on track. Here are the stats so far:





Weekly Highlights:


Riding with Strangers:
This cartoon just cracked me up. It also reminded me of my brick workout on Wednesday. I headed up the coast for a zippy 30 mile ride. I felt great. The weather was brisk and had a nippy breeze, coaxing me to go fast. On the way back, a fit looking guy on a nice bike intersected paths with me at one of the lights. He commented on how chilly it was (mid-50s--I know; boo-hoo). Then, he proceeded to draft off me for the next 10 miles. I think most people would be a bit miffed to have a stranger draft off them for that long but I was completely flattered. I'm fast enough to offer someone a draft? This guy isn't totally embarrassed to be drafting off a chick (lots of cyclists out there have big-'ole, inflated, sexist egos)? I was happy to offer a draft. Not only that, but it pushed me to my limits. I went all out to see if I could challenge him and ended up challenging myself (and giving myself a great workout). Then, we hit some hills, and as I predicted, I slowed considerably (trying not to let on how much I was gasping for air). I pulled to the right, and he chugged on ahead. Oh, well. It was nice while it lasted. I wish I could have caught a draft off him but I was spent. Thank you, stranger, for a great workout! (I was able to finish the hills strong and get in a strong, 4-mile run afterwards to boot.)

Who are You?
Thursday was my first day back with the masters swim program after almost a month of swimming solo. It was embarrassing to show up again after missing so many workouts but I figured it was better than not showing up ever again, right? The coach came over to me and asked, "Who are you?" I had to re-introduce myself. To be fair, he had been out for awhile b/c of hernia surgery and I'd been swimming with a lot of subs before my cold so it wasn't just my lack of being there that explained his lapse of memory. It was a tough workout:
Warm-Up: 50 breast--50 free--50 back x3
16x50s in sets of 4: 1--50x4 free; 2--25-back-25-freex4; 3--25-breast-25-freex4; 4--25-fly-25-freex4
aerobic main set (base pace):
1x250 free--4x50 stroke (back)
2x250 free--3x50 stroke (breast)
3x250 free--2x50 stroke (25 kick--25 breastx2)
1x250 free (fast)--1x50 stroke (back)
total of 3500 meters!
Not only that, I felt good. I got the whole workout done with 5 minutes to spare! When has that ever happened?

TGIF:
I always have my best workouts on Friday afternoons. I think I'm glad the week is coming to an end. I ran a zippy 10k loop around where I work. It was refreshing.

Monster Bike Ride:
We headed out on what was supposed to be a 50-60 mile ride. It was Jason's first time back on the bike after being sick. Plus, we rode inland, which is notorious for being extremely hilly. It ended up being the bike ride from hell. Starting out, it was nice. We rode up the coast and enjoyed the ocean view before heading inland. We rode up past Rancho Santa Fe, where the streets are paved with private country clubs, golf courses, and gorgeous stables. I saw many arenas with riders out on their mounts, practicing over the fences. Made my heart ache. It had just rained so everything was unusually green. Lots of trees (also unusual for this area) and there was water in the creeks. It was so beautiful. Even more inland, we hit desert where there was nothing but desolate rock and dirt. This is where we rode up, up, and more up. We rode past Lake Hodges, a strange, unnatural, man-made lake, sitting oddly out of place in the middle of the desert.

When we got to Escondido, things took a turn for the worse, and Jason promptly got a flat. Sigh. I helped him change it. Meanwhile, the most adoreable little chihuahua kept jumping up and down in his backyard to peek over the fence. I saw this cute little white head bobbing up and down. It made me laugh. We fixed the flat and got back on the road, only to make a wrong turn. Consulted the map, retraced our steps, and got back on the right route. Okay. 3 extra miles there. Then, at another road, we made another wrong turn and went right instead of left. A very friendly cyclist helped us reroute our way back to the coast.

When we finally reached the coast again, Jason was spent. I actually felt a little better because I knew where we were. My fatigue had been mainly mental. Jason pulled a leg muscle at mile 50 and got dizzy (bonked) at mile 60. I dropped him off at the Starbucks in Del Mar with cash for coffee and a danish and continued home, racing to beat the sunset. I had been on the bike for over 5 hours and out for over 6. Once home, I got in the truck and went back to retrieve Jason and his bike. I think I broke him. I guess I thought he was Superman. I thought b/c he was a guy, he didn't need to workout as much to keep in shape. Guess I was wrong. That said, on Sunday, his leg felt better and he went for a short run pain-free. So I'm not all wrong about the Superman-thing.

That was a tough bike ride. Very tough. If I can do that, I can do anything. Here's the route, if anyone's interested:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=732630


Very Busy Sunday:

I wasn't sure how I would do on Sunday after Saturday. But I love my weekly running group, and I really wanted to see my friends. So I showed up for a run at Lake Miramar, one of my favorite places to run (see pic above). There's an easy paved path that makes up a nice out-and-back 8 mile total run. Plus, I always see lots of hummingbirds. I felt great, surprisingly. Did the 8 miles and turned back to add on an extra 4 for a total of 12, managing about 9-min/mile pace (faster for me). I couldn't believe how well I did.

After a luxurious and relaxing breakfast, I headed for La Jolla Cove for a much-needed ocean swim. Enjoyed the cute seals at Children's Pool and saw lots of baby seals. Can we say adoreable? Heading out, I felt good. Not too cold with my wetsuit, thermal cap, and booties in the 56 degree water. Current was with me, and although there were, oddly enough, no buoys (where did they go?), I used the Scripps Pier to sight and swam 20 minutes out before turning around. Coming back was much harder. I was fighting a couple of cross currents, which always seems to happen at the cove. Plus, the clouds rolled in and the surf got rougher. Great. I swam into a huge forest of kelp beds and had to keep stopping to negotiate around them, while fighting the big swells. Made me uber-seasick. Fighting the naseau, I somehow made it back to shore. Once on land, I felt instantly better but started shivering uncontrollably after peeling off my wetsuit. Dried off, put on dry clothes and staggered back to my car. Somehow got home, where I promptly fell into a deep slumber for 3 hours (before even taking a shower--ick).

Once I got up, I felt 100% better. Showered, ate, and completely cleaned our apartment. Treated the rug for mites and did a thorough shampooing. Then, lifted some weights before retiring to bed. It's so nice to have a super-clean apartment.

I'm pretty happy with my achievements for the week. Hope everyone else had awesome weeks too!

Weekly Stats

Blogger is being poopy so I'm including my latest training data in this post. You can see the 2 weeks of R&R from being sick (and life getting in the way) pretty clearly. But you can also see 2 solid weeks following. I'm not quite back to where I was but almost. And since I have 2 more weeks of training before taper, it should work out to just about perfect.

Swimming in the Rain

I feel better today. Sometimes, I just need a little time and recovery to put some perspective on a bad ride. It was pretty funny though. I brought Bluebell into the bike shop today to have her gears tweaked, and she was pretty dirty from the ride yesterday. I don't remember how she got that way but it looked as if I took her off-road. I normally give her a good grooming before putting her back in the stall after a hard ride but wasn't in the mood yesterday. The guys at the shop poked fun at me a little. However, I'm really excited about having her shift perfectly. It's been quite a work in progress after changing to compact cranks.

I calculated last weeks' hours and actually didn't come out too badly. 9 hours (and 10 last week)--not too shabby, eh? 85 miles on the bike, 20 miles running, and a 2000 meter time trial. Not perfect, but not too shabby. I'm feeling better about showing up ready on race day. I have a few more weeks to put in some good mileage until taper. Plus, I've been working hard up until now. Swimming has gotten easier, running is solid, and the bike, well, the bike will come back. I know it. I can't wait to get back on this week and put in some good mileage.

It rained all day today! Very weird. Torrential downpours. And it was super hot and dry all weekend. Quite a change. I could feel the wind blowing from the east from the hot, dry Santa Ana's as I road out on Sunday. Then, when I headed back (before I got lost and called Jason), I could feel the winds shift, temperature drop, and blow from the west. Headwind both ways. Nice.

Anyway, the rain foiled my ocean swimming plans for today. So I jumped in the pool. It felt very weird to swim in the rain. At times, it was coming down hard and felt like little rocks pelting my back. Being immersed in the water was very soothing. I had a good, solid swim and have definitely gotten faster, which makes it so much fun. I did my own thing:

500 meter free, warm-up, easy--focus on form

50 breast--active recovery

250x3: 50m pull--50m kick (no board)--50m drill--50m golf (swim as few strokes across as you can)--50m back (stroke)

I was pretty happy. Using my new and improved technique, I shaved strokes off my lengths. I used to be a solid 20 but I actually got it down to a solid 17, 15 if I really stretched it!

main set: 200x4 (descend every 50m)

100x4--descend every set

I timed myself for fun. First set was supposed to be slightly easy. 1:57. Hmm, maybe I pushed too hard, considering easy used to be 2:05-2:10? Second set: 1:50. Wow! Third and fourth sets: 1:47. Is this for real? That's almost 15 seconds shaved off. And consistent. This is getting fun.

50x4--descend

Again, I timed. First set: 0:57. Second set 0:50. Third and fourth 0:47. Hmmm. Not only shaving off time but extremely consistent. I'm happy.

Total distance: 2500m

I'm feeling pretty good in the water lately.

Trying really hard to get all caught up in lab and at home and with training. Making progress. Also trying not to get Jason's cold. Taking Zicam. Washing my hands. Taking multivitamins. Getting lots of sleep. Drinking lots of green and chamomile tea. Keeping fingers crossed. I won't know for sure until Thursday.

Bad Bike Ride

I'm so frustrated right now. The end of the week didn't as I had hoped. I did my long run on Saturday instead of Sunday and the long bike on Sunday. This would have been fine, except I was in a terrible mood Friday evening and unable to coax myself onto the trainer or into the pool. If I could have just gone to the pool... Because of that, I only got in 1 swim this week. Ugh. I know I'm not supposed to whine over missed workouts but I can't help it. I was unable to get up early and make it to my masters workouts, and I'm really pissed at myself. I was really behind on the biking as well, also because of not being able to get up early. I had planned on going Friday afternoon but a meeting got moved from a.m. to p.m., started late, and went long, destroying my plans, which is why you should always get the workout in early. Otherwise, things pop up and sabotage the best-intended plans. I just feel totally overwhelmed with everything going on right now. I can't get it all done.

Saturday, I decided to bike 15 miles to our group's run start. We did a 10 mile run, and I biked home for a total of 30 miles. This plan worked out well. I felt great on both bikes and the run, despite the heat (mid-80s!).

Sunday--time for my long bike. I had a terrible time finding a group to go with. There were millions of rides on Saturday but the only rides I could find on Sunday were planning on 80 miles of hills at 20 mph, or 30 miles at a social pace of 14 mph. Why am I stuck in limbo? Are you telling me there are no riders who want to ride 50-60 miles at 15 mph? I know I'm slow but this is getting ridiculous. Normally, Jason would go with me but he has a terrible virus and is stuck in bed with a fever and involuntary fits of severe coughing. (I just can't wait to get sick again and have my fitness plans completely smashed to bits....another reason why I'm grumpy.) I found a route to try and posted an e-mail to the tri club, hoping someone might show up. However, I posted last night so I knew there would probably be no one this morning waiting for me. There wasn't.

I went solo. I went on a new route in new areas I had never gone on before. How else am I going to try new things? It would have been fine too, except I didn't feel great. Very sluggish. Plus, there was a strong headwind and lots of long, steep hills. Lots of them. I actually felt better on the climbs then on the flats. At least then I had an excuse for going so slowly! The route was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful parks and canyons and very nice residential areas. Wildlife reserves, lakes, farms, horses, and deserts. Kids playing soccer and flying kites. A horse whinnying in the distance. I'm so mad I felt so crappy! I couldn't enjoy it. At mile 40, I was supposed to stay on the on-ramp on the interstate for 1/4 of a mile, and I freaked out and went straight instead. I HATE doing that, even though it's allowed for certain portions of the interstates around here. It wasn't clear to me that bikes were allowed on the shoulder at that point, and being alone, I hoped I was supposed to go over the interstate and stay on the road I was on. Wrong. Few miles down the road, I figured out where I was and probably could have planned an alternate route home but I was done. Mentally (and physically) I had just had it. I don't know if it was the run before or the hills or being alone or if I'm out of shape on the bike but I was done. I was creeping along at 12 mph and knew I still had a long way to go. I guess I mentally bonked.

I called Jason, and he dragged himself out of bed and picked me up. I feel utterly ashamed and embarrassed. Like I failed. To be honest, I feel exhausted too. Now that I'm home, I'm realizing I don't feel that great. I have a headache and am really tired. I think I might be coming down with Jason's bug, and I don't know how I can still stay on track if I get sick again. I'm mad I didn't get into the ocean this weekend with it being so beautiful outside. I'm mad I didn't finish the bike. I'm worried about how I'll do on race day if I feel so crappy right now. Really worried.

Update: Oscar, life, training, Tour de Palm Springs, and swimming breakthrough

Phew! It's been awhile. I've had a ton of crazy personal stuff going. But everything is beginning to settle down now and get back to normal...for me anyway.

Oscar:

He is recovering very well from his molar abcess and is now eating on his own and very rambunctious. He's extremely playful and feisty. I'm still giving him penicillin shots every other day and applying hot compresses to the site of the abcess but he's in no pain, has gained all his weight back (and some), and seems back to his playful, ole' grumpy self. The vet has had to drain fluid from the site twice (about 1 week apart). The first time was 5 days post-surgery, and a lot of pus was still present. The 2nd time was just fluid, indicating that the infection was being defeated. Knock on wood, but his 3rd recheck is tomorrow and there is no sign of swelling on his neck.

Other bunny notes:

On the other hand, the vet discovered Oscar has mites (invisible little bugs that make them itch but are harmless to humans). I realized that Babs and Taz must have it too since they're all free-roaming, and the mites probably come from the rug. That would explain the bald patches on Babs' neck and shoulders. I feel bad for neglecting this for so long. I had no idea. At first, I called the exterminator but then realized how dangerous that might be for the buns. Sure, it would get rid of the mites too but it also might get rid of the bunnies, and that would defeat the whole purpose. After consulting with some pet- and bunny-conscious friends as well as the vet, I have decided to take a more do-it-yourself approach. This weekend, with the help of a friend's rug shampooer, we are going to be using some extreme elbow grease. Since I'm having a get-together Saturday night for Jason's birthday (yeah!), I'm using that as incentive for getting it all done by then. It's my deadline.

Lab:

After many lulls and false starts, my life is going to get a lot busier. My projects are really starting to pick up, and I'm starting to get pretty excited about how they're going to develop. That's all I'm going to say right now. I can do a "science talk" later.

Training:

I've left the best for last. Despite everything going on right now, I've actually been pretty good. Afterall, California 70.3 is less than 6 weeks away!!! I ended up having 2 weeks of R&R between getting sick and Oscar. I was still able to eke out some runs and even participate in an open-water swim clinic during this time. Last week was my first week back on the full training schedule. I was actually surprised at how good I felt. I don't feel too tired or sore after my workouts. If anything, I feel pretty good and very well rested. Maybe those 2 weeks were a good thing. My running didn't suffer at all since I was able to keep up with it during R&R. My swimming suffered a little at first but I actually had a break-through the other day so now I'm ahead. My biking suffered the most since it's the hardest for me to get out and do, and that's what I did the least during R&R. But it's quickly coming back.

The biggest detriment from the 2 weeks of R&R I've noticed is the inability to get up in the morning again. I'm not a morning person, and it took everything I had in me to get up early before. I miss my morning workouts! So I've been doing a late afternoon workout and a mid-evening workout, which is much more tiring. I definitely would like to try and work on getting up early again. The one thing I don't miss is being able to stay up until 10 p.m. without falling asleep. Afterall, Survivor is back on, and it doesn't come on until 10! Is it so wrong to get on the trainer at 9 pm, instead of 7 am? That said, I miss riding on the road during the week. C'mon daylight savings!

Strategy:

My plan was to have last week be a mini-prep week to get myself back into the swing of things. This week and the next were to be Base/Build weeks to get my endurance back to where it was and build a little speed and strength on top, if I can manage. The following week, I will bring it down to a "Prep/Maintenance" week, instead of an R&R. Basically, I'll do more than I would in an R&R week but less than I would in a full Base week. Finally, the last week before taper, I'm going to really push it, using this as my hardest week before going into taper. Then, I'll ramp everything down for the 3 week taper and focus on short, high-intensity speed workouts while maintaining my swimming (my weakest link and the least stressful on the body). I think I will be able to get to the start line on race day fully prepared.

Running:

I've been feeling really good on my mid-week runs and a little tired on my long runs on Sunday. But the long runs are always after a full week of workouts and a killer long bike on Saturday, which probably explains it. Last night, we went out for a very dark 10K run, and I had a blast. I felt very zippy. It was fun to fly around.

Biking:

Last week, both my mid-week rides were on the trainer, and it just about killed me. It's SO BORING! I always ride a lot slower on the trainer than I do outdoors. Anyone else experienced this? I was freaking out about my lack of mileage when we drove up to Palm Springs last Friday night for the Tour de Palm Springs on Saturday. We rode up to the start line for the 56 mile ride. I was a bit nervous since I hadn't been on the road in 2 weeks. It was a fantastic ride. The course was flat to downhill and very easy. It was sunny and in the low 80s. We rode by desert and resorts with gorgeous gardens and immaculate lawns. The bike lanes had a golf cart graphic in addition to the bicycle one--only in Palm Springs. My only complaint was that there were just too many cyclists--over 8,000. Even though there were all different rides and start times, all the riders ended up convening at the aid stations and at different points on the course. Since it was not a closed course, this made for lots of angry traffic and dangerous situations. Cyclists of all abilities, paces, and comfort levels on every type of bike imaginable, all trying to share the road. It was very harrowing at times. However, all in all, it was a good confidence builder. Since I had to hold back a lot because I couldn't find a good pocket to ride in, I didn't feel tired or sore by the end, yet I was still able to manage a 16 mph pace. Not bad, not bad at all.

Only bad part was that afterwards, I got separated from Jason, couldn't find the car, and didn't have my cell phone with me. I wandered around downtown Palm Springs barefoot (bike shoes aren't comfortable to walk in) for about an hour and a half before some man took pity on me and let me borrow his cell phone. After that, I was tired.

Swimming:

I've been really bad about missing my masters swim classes. I haven't been able to make the 7:30 am swims. I have to admit, I really enjoy planning my own workout and swimming with a whole lane to myself in the evenings. I can really focus and get in the zone. After reading up on my stroke in the latest issue of Triathlete, I headed to the pool to work on my form. Usually, I incorporate drills into every workout but I haven't seen much improvement. I think this has been because I just want to get through the drills as opposed to really internalizing what my form and stroke are like.

Last time, I decided to do some long, slow sets and really focus on my form without doing a specific drill. I swam a few laps thinking about keeping my head down, eyes focused on the bottom, taking as few breaths as possible. Next few laps, I thought about turning my head without moving my head so that it pivoted next to my shoulders, instead of snaking about. Then, I thought about keeping on my side for as long as possible and turning to both sides fully for each stroke. Next, I tried to stretch my stroke out for as long as possible, reaching as far as I could, like I was trying to reach for something off a shelf. I thought about taking as few strokes as possible to get across the pool to help enforce this.

At this point, my left shoulder began to ache. Normally, to relieve this, I drop my elbows and find the least path of resistance through the water. This relieves the stress on my shoulder but also propels me forward the least as well. I had read about keeping your elbows up through the pull part of the stroke so I realized dropping my elbows wasn't the answer. Instead, I decided to leave my other, leading arm outstretched in the water for longer as the left arm made the catch into the water, really focusing on front quadrant swimming. I figured by relying on the rest of my body to help propel myself through the water, I would relieve the stress on my shoulder. As I made the catch with the right arm outstretched, I felt my entire core and lats engage as I corkscrewed to the other side in one swoop, as if my body were a board. This allowed my entire body to help with the pull part of the stroke, making it feel easy and efficient. It felt as if I was climbing up a ladder. The pain in my shoulder was gone immediately. When I would slip out of it, I went back to basics: head down, reach out, front quadrant, core stiff like a board, elbows out and up. All of a sudden, I hit the wall. I shaved 2 strokes off each length. It felt easy. I timed the next 100m and was able to remove 10 seconds without even thinking about it. A breakthrough! I can't wait to hit the pool again. When is the last time that happened?

Poor Oscar-Bear

(picture several months ago; before surgery)

This week has been very stressful, frustrating, and unproductive. My lingering cold has sapped all my energy, and I am completely out of my routine. I made a feeble attempt to do some workouts this week. Let's just say it didn't go well. I feel chronically tired and completely sapped of energy. I know it's the cold, and I am getting better on the whole. I am just freaking out about how much fitness I have lost. Basically, I've taken 2 weeks of R&R, and I have 8 weeks until Race Day. I'm hoping to ease back into this weekend with some good, short, confidence-building workouts.

On Monday night, I noticed Oscar has a huge lump on the left side of his jaw. Upon further examination, it seemed to be emanating from the bone. Great. I took him to the vet Tuesday morning, and, as I had feared, it was a molar abcess. I have no idea how he remained symptom-free all this time, and worse, I have no idea how long this infection has been festering without me noticing. I feel so negligent. He went in for surgery to have the abcess removed Tuesday afternoon. They tried to pull the suspect molar without much success (it came out in pieces). Apparently, he had a hole in the bone of his jaw, and the infection was inside the bone. All I can say is, OW! They made an incision on the side of his neck and took out the abcess (without going into more detail, I've been told by the vet techs that it was quite disgusting). They packed antibiotic-soaked beads into the hole to help fight the infection, and inserted a tube into his jaw (coming out his throat) to help drain the rest (yes--very gross). I picked him up on Tuesday night. He was groggy and his neck is shaved, covered in stitches, and has a tube poking out of it. He looks a little like a big bunny with a skinny turkey neck; poor guy.

Since then, I've been tending to him constantly. Wednesday, he spent the day huddled up in his box while his tube drained, not eating, drinking, playing, or looking at all comfortable. He's in a lot of pain as his jaw heals and can't eat very well. He's on pain meds, stomach meds, and antibiotics (which I have to inject daily for 3 weeks--yuck). Plus, I'm force-feeding him with a syringe, which is just awful and very messy. The only thing that seems to comfort him are the hot compresses I apply to his drain, which I do for 20 minutes, twice a day. He curls up on the hot washcloth and presses down on top of it, closes his eyes, and purrs. I took him back to the vet on Thursday so they could give him fluids and meds for his tummy (when bunnies don't eat, their digestive system shuts down, which further keeps them from eating). He finally seemed to come around a little Thursday night when he started eating lettuce with enthusiasm. Today, he seems even more perky. He came out of his box and spent the day on his blanket. His drain hasn't been leaking "stuff" today, which makes him feel a lot better and makes me hope that maybe his infection is clearing. He goes in again tomorrow to have the drain taken out. I can't wait. I know that thing has been making him feel really icky.

I'm very hopeful that he will heal. I think he will continue to improve from here on out. I just pray that the antibiotics work and the infection goes away so that the abcess doesn't re-develop in the future. I don't want to have to put him through this again.

Needless to say, between my being sick and Oscar being sick, it's been a very stressful week.

Benadryl-induced fog and 3 lbs of chocolate

I am living proof that half-ironman training dampens your immune system. Last week was supposed to be a well-earned R&R week. Jason promptly came down with a really nasty cold Sunday night, spelling disaster for me later that week. We actually tried to do an ocean swim last Sunday, after our half-marathon but had to call it quits when Jason, shivering uncontrollably, turned blue. Immediately after that, he got a headache and sore throat. Great.

Monday and Tuesday were planned rest days. Wednesday, I started having cold symptoms, just as Jason started feeling better. Thursday, despite my fatigue, headache, and sore throat, I bike commuted to and from work and included a mile walk to run an errand at lunchtime. Normally, this would not count as a workout but my virus took it out of me. By Friday, I surrendered to the bed and spent all of Friday and Saturday in a Benadryl-induced haze.

Sunday, we showed up for our weekly group run. We ran 6.75 miles around Mission Bay. It was the hardest run I have ever done. Maybe since, hmmm, Oct. 8th--the last half marathon I did, when I had a, hmmm, cold. We had signed up for an open water clinic at noon. We showed up and begged the coach to defer to his next clinic. He took pity on us and agreed and we eagerly went home to bed.

Monday (today), I'm back at work but feeling groggy and in a haze. I can't stop sneezing! My head is a balloon. Ugh. I hate being sick. Meanwhile, I feel, irrationally, like this last week has completely ruined my fitness plans. I hope that thought is what I think it is...irrational. I'm slowly going to start easing back into workouts this week. Hopefully, by next week, I'll be back to where I left off. Stupid cold. Stupid undergrads at UCSD, who gave Jason this cold. Ugh. Meanwhile, while my immune system is depressed, my appetite is not. I have gained 3 lbs of chocolate since the cold encounter. So this week I resolve to begin a healthier eating regime and stop succumbing to the wiles of my lagging metabolism.

Keep healthy out there!

Pics from the Carlsbad Half Marathon--last weekend (before the cold)

How NOT to run a half-marathon

1. Friday before the race, do a killer am masters swim.
2. Because, obviously, this isn't enough, do a very zippy 10K run that evening. Add some fartleks in there for good measure.
3. Saturday, the day before the race, bike 56 miles.
4. Make sure you have a good head-wind and some hills after the turn-around to really give yourself a challenge.
5. Wake up late so you have to rush to the start the morning of.
6. Get stuck in traffic trying to park and end up having to park a mile away from the start, 10 minutes before the gun goes off.
7. Sprint the mile to the start and jump into the crowd, muddling across the mats.
8. Spend the first 3 miles pushing it to try and catch up with your running buddies, who you know started before you.

Despite all this, I had the most awesome race. Actually, it was the easiest half-marathon I've ever done. OMG, did I just use the word "easy" and "half-marathon" in the same sentence? Don't ask me how that happened.

There were over 6000 people registered for the race. In spite of the hectic beginning, I actually did run into my running buddies at mile 3 (Jason had already taken off in front)! After this, we settled ino a nice, slow, relaxed pace for the next 7 miles, averaging about 10 min/mi.

At mile 10, we did a reality check. I felt GREAT! What? Huh? My running buddies told me to go on ahead. I took off after that. For the next 3 miles, I felt like I was flying, light on my toes. I surged up hills and charged down them. I gradually accelerated, and when I heard there was only 1/4 mile left to go, I sprinted. I surged down the chute (which always gets a lot of support from the spectators--bonus) and crossed the finish.

2:05 was my final time. Not my best, and I definitely wish it was a little better but I felt SO strong throughout. I know I could have done the whole thing faster, and I could have gone longer. I'm very happy with this because it felt so easy. I've never had that happen before. I've been training so hard and feeling pretty fatigued. This was the last thing I had to do before starting an earnest week of R&R. Now, I really feel like I earned it.

I took it easy the rest of the afternoon. I actually feel pretty good today. Not too sore and not any more tired than I have been on previous Mondays after a hard weekend. I guess I was ready. I feel caught up with my appetite. My weight has gone up a bit but my body fat has dropped and my clothes fit the same so I think it might be muscle weight (sure explains the strong feeling uphill).

The one thing I can't figure out is why I feel so wasted after my long bikes but so good after my long runs. This seems very counter-intuitive to me. Why is biking so hard and running so easy? Even when I do bricks, I feel better 1 mile into the run, than I do at the end of the bike. Maybe I'm just a runner at heart.

After this week, I think I'm going to keep the volume the same since aerobically and distance-wise, I'm there but try to work on adding back some speed and strength. I guess this is why they call that the "Build" phase. So that's what I'm going to do: Build.















Here we are after the half-marathon in Carlsbad yesterday. Post-race, pre-breakfast phase.
Left to right: Jason, me, Julie, and Mie Mie
Jason rocked this race in 1:45 (no fair!).







This photo was taken last weekend during our freezing-cold bike ride at the Wells Fargo Stagecoach Century in Ocotillo (Anza Borreogo Desert). As you can tell, we were both pretty cold. Jason was a lot happier after I gave him my booties.

Internalizing the time demands/constraints of training & TIPS!

Last week was soooo good. I can't believe how much I did. However, I have 1 last week of Base2 training before I get an R&R week. This week has been tough.

Sunday, after all our activities, I actually felt well enough to clean the apartment and catch up on errands. This earned me a "veg out" day on Monday, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Tuesday morning, we dragged ourselves to the pool for our masters swim workout, which is continuing to kick our butts. I was just happy I could complete the workout in the 90 minutes allotted. I ended up swimming 3500 meters! I've never done that before. After some "free swim", where I logged an easy 500 meters, we did 200m steady at base pace or -5 (x4). Main set was 200 IM easy (fly-back-breast-free), 8x100m descend, 200 IM easy, 16x50m (descend every 200m), and 200 IM easy. I was pooped!

Tuesday night, I couldn't convince myself to do an evening workout so I watched American Idol. Wednesday morning, I didn't get up to do my early morning bike so by Wednesday evening, after my much-needed deep tissue massage, I felt panicked. It felt like I had missed 2 days of workouts! I really want to put out a solid effort this week so I can go into next week really feeling like I earned an R&R. So I went home and eeked out a tough 20 mi/90 min trainer session, which seemed really painful, followed by a 4-mile treadmill brick. Funny enough, the run felt easier than the bike, especially after the first 1.5 miles. Feeling pumped by then, I finished the session out with weights before calling it a night.

I had been starving and ravenous all week, eating everything in sight prior to this workout (and cranky too--shooting coworkers giving me odd looks for shoveling massive quantities of food down my throat the evil eye). Odd thing was that after the workout, I wasn't hungry at all. I was craving chicken noodle soup with milk. Very strange. I hate soup! It was divine.

My tough Wednesday night left me exhausted Thursday morning. I opted for an extra hour of sleep in place of my masters am swim. Ugh. Now I'm beating myself up for that decision. However, I will still get in my masters swim tomorrow morning so I won't miss anything. There is still a good chance I can complete all the workouts planned for the week and keep on top of work and errands. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm really starting to reach that glass ceiling where the demands of work and life put a limitation on the hours for training. Especially when you factor in all the eating and sleeping that needs to be done to recover properly (the 4th and 5th discipline?). Triathlon isn't just running, biking, and swimming. Each workout has to be planned, including changing, packing all the equipment, and showering and stretching and warming up and cooling down. You have to follow a plan and log it afterwards. You have to include weights as well as proper stretching and Yoga. You have to do massive amounts of sleeping and eating. It really does become a lifestyle. There's so much involved with it. There's only so many hours in the day, and time really starts to run out, no matter how efficient you are. I'm really starting to internalize this. I'm not complaining. I actually think it's kind of like 1 big experiment, where I'm testing my body and seeing how it responds. I'm just acknowledging that it's demanding in ways I didn't expect. Definitely time consuming. I can't imagine doing this with a child or a large family. Kudos to those of you out there who do this AND have a family. I don't know how you do it!

This weekend, we're doing the Carlsbad Half Marathon (http://www.sdmarathon.com/Page28.aspx) on Sunday. I'm pretty excited. I feel solid going into this race. We've done 2 10 mile runs and 2 12 mile runs in the past 4 weeks. No, I'm not tapering. This is a training run. Should be kind of interesting. I'm really looking forward to this run. However, after this, I get to R&R!

And now:
Random Triathlon (& Life?) Training Tips
from an e-mail sent out from our tri club
By Don Norcross
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
6:25 p.m. January 11, 2007

RUNNING
1. Mix it up.
"Don't run the same pace all the time. Even if you run just three times a week, twice a week stop in the middle of the run and do 10 repetitions of 20 seconds fast, maybe on a grass field. Do that twice a week and you'll keep up your leg turnover and speed, keep the tissues elastic and prevent a lot injuries, and allow yourself to get faster on other runs." – Kevin McCarey, running coach, former 2:13 marathoner
2. Posture on hills.
"When running hills, shorten your stride as you start uphill and try to keep the same turnover rhythm as on the flat. Your posture should be upright. Head, shoulders and hips should form a straight line over the feet. Keep your feet low to the ground and if your breathing begins to quicken, this means you're either going too fast, overstriding or bounding too far off the ground." Paul Greer, head coach, San Diego Track Club
3. Log your miles.
"One night years ago when I was baby-sitting (playing host to) Henry Rono in Boston over dinner, Henry stressed the importance of keeping a training log. And, according to Henry, when he was fit his entries were very detailed, and when he wasn't that almost didn't merit a mention. He'd simply note the mileage. My point is, regardless of whether you're up or down, log it, even if it means writing a big fat zero. And perhaps later, reflect upon it. After all, consistency is key."– Dave Dial
4. You get out what you put in.
"Running well is about doing it day in and day out. The great thing about running is people who work hard will improve. If you just run every day, even if it's beginning with a quarter mile, then half a mile, you will get better and you will get faster." – Tamara Lave, two-time marathon Olympic Trials qualifier
5. Pay attention to your breathing.
"If you don't have a heart-rate monitor, pay attention to your breathing. Aerobic runs should be done so neither the rate nor depth of breathing is elevated. A very slight amount of elevation is proper for tempo runs, but the breathing should return immediately to normal on cessation. Any rapid or increasingly deep breathing should be reserved for speed workouts." – Peter Stern, age-group runner
6. LSD (long slow distance) works! (I hope so).
"I have heard this many times from different people, but I never trusted it. For marathon training, do the long runs slow and easy. I finally did it in training for the Orange County Marathon last year and I managed a personal record, at age 57. Long slow runs, not very sexy, but I do think it works." – Mike Castaldi, age-group runner
7. Train with a group. (This definitely works for me on those long, lonely runs and bikes).
"Find a fun, supportive, friendly training group that travels as a group to marathons. The support and friendship keeps you motivated, disciplined and focused on the common goal. It makes all the difference for those often dreaded lonely 3- to 4-hour long runs. Training alone, my first marathon was 4:45 but by training with a group I shaved off 1 hour 32 minutes in three years and ran 3:13 to qualify for the Boston Marathon." – Greg White, veteran marathoner
SWIMMING
1. Get lessons from a coach. (Definitely a must).
"Have a professional help with your swimming. You'll have fewer mistakes to correct later."– Ron Marcikic, head coach, director/UCSD Masters Sports Program
2. One coach taught me, "glide or feel yourself slipping through the water; don't pull against it."
"Think propeller, not paddles. A propeller moves laterally in the water by generating lift along an arc of circumference. That's what you want your hands to imitate. You don't want to imitate a paddle, like paddling a canoe." – Kevin Eslinger, swim coach
CYCLING
1. Mix it up. (Hmmm. A theme here.)
"Don't just ride long and push a big gear. Learn to be efficient in all gears, at varied cadences, with accelerations and jumps and changes in speed. Mix it up. Try spinning on the flats in the small ring, powering up the climbs in the big ring, sprinting in a small gear, isolated leg training up a hill. Be responsive to the terrain and reactive with the bike, using multiple gear-shifts, riding in and out of the saddle, keeping your momentum rather than bogging down over the climbs. This will provide maximum muscular efficiency and translate to greater speed with less effort." – Marci Mauro, triathlon coach, personal trainer
TRIATHLON
1. If you follow only 1 rule on race day, this is it:
"Never use anything in a race, that you have not used in training. This includes nutrition, clothing, and shoes."– Emilio De Soto, former pro triathlete
GENERAL FITNESS
1. Set goals and plan on how to achieve them.
"Set fitness goals with dates attached to them for extra motivation. Whether you want to bench 200 pounds by St. Patrick's Day, run for 30 minutes straight by Easter or complete an Ironman triathlon on August 26th, having a date circled on your calendar that will give you the extra push to go to the gym." – Jessica Motyl, age-group triathlete
2. Listen to your body. Take care of it!
"Give back to your body as your fitness increases and you keep demanding more and more from it. Nourish it with non-processed, close-to-the-ground food; lengthen it by stretching after hours of training and muscular contraction; baby it with rest and relaxation – and it will give back to you 100-fold." – Marci Mauro
3. Ditch the "all or nothing" attitude. Every little bit counts.
"Realize setbacks are a normal part of exercise. If you schedule three workouts each week and only make it to one, that's still 50 workouts this year. Adopt a this-shall-be-no-matter-what attitude. No matter how busy you are, you make time to shower and brush your teeth. See exercise the same way." – Jerry Hoskey, personal trainer
4. "Try something new. Do you swim? Try paddleboarding. All the fitness and non-impact benefit of swimming with the social and sensory benefits of cycling in a car-free environment. Do you ride a bike? Try mountain biking. Do you run? Get off road for a trail run." – Paul Huddle, triathlon coach
5. "Get a dog. Rescue shelters are full and you'll not only get unconditional love and emotional support, but the world's most committed and consistent walking/running partner." – Huddle
6. This one seems simple and obvious but no one does it:
"Listen to your body, if you are injured, rest!"– Corinne Theile, age-group triathlete
8. "Try to get out there and do something active each and every day. Even if it's unrelated to your sport or if you don't feel like doing it, do it anyway. You always feel better afterwards and are glad you went." – Cory Osth, age-group triathlete
9. Again, ditch the "all or nothing" attitude.
"Too many people are intimidated by the effort, intensity or duration of the exercise plans or training session for the day. They come home tired from a long day, or if they are an early-morning exerciser, they're addicted to the snooze button. They feel they're too tired to possibly get the workout completed. Therefore, they feel failure is imminent, and don't bother to even start or try the workout. Instead, people should focus on just getting out the door. When they come home tired, or struggle with getting out of bed, focus on just getting out the door. Don't think about anything beyond that. You won't finish 100 percent of the workouts you don't start. Most people, when it comes to exercise, they get out and realize it's not as hard to complete the workout as they originally thought." Jim Vance, pro triathlete and coach
DIET
1. Eat the right kinds of food.
"It is not so much the percentage of calories from fat and carbohydrates as eating the right kinds of fat and carbohydrates. The right kinds of fat are high in omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils, walnuts, flax seed oil and soy) or monounsaturated fatty acids (peanuts, olives, avocado, soybeans). The right kind of carbs are 'unsugarlike,' that is, they are metabolized slowly and do not lead to peaks and valleys in blood-sugar levels. Such carbs are found in legumes, unrefined wheat products, brown rice, whole grain pasta, soy-based foods, and high-fiber foods." – Dr. Neil Treister, medical director, Sharp Cushman Wellness Center
2. Make sure you're eating enough.
"As the adage says 'It takes calories to burn calories.' Keep calories slightly below initial maintenance so metabolism and energy levels remain high during exercise and daily activities. Giuseppe Virzi, 24 Hour Fitness manager
3. "Work on controlling your environment to support your goals instead of focusing on self-control. There's higher chance of success. Keep low-calorie foods in reach. Keep high-calorie foods out of sight." – Leiter
4. "Include protein in your breakfast. It will help you keep your energy the entire morning. And stay hydrated!"– Corinne Theile, age-group triathlete

Cold and Long = Tired and Hungry

We've had freakish weather in San Diego. While the rest of the nation has had an unseasonably warm winter (50s in Wisconsin in January), San Diego, apparently, hasn't heard that global warming is sweeping the nation. Instead, we've decided to go through a mini-SoCal ice age. For those of you in the rest of the world, you can all sit back, point, and laugh right now. However, for those of us who pay good money in the so-called "sunshine tax" to enjoy the warmth SoCal has to offer (besides the ocean and the sunshine, what else does SoCal have besides expensive housing, pollution, crowds, and traffic?), I feel I deserve a refund! It's getting below freezing at night (lows around 30), which is simply ridiculous around here.

Saturday, we had signed up for a 50 mile bike ride in the Anza Borreogo desert, 80 miles east of San Diego, in a very small town of 400 people called Ocotillo (the Wells Fargo Stagecoach Century http://www.shadowtour.com/cms/content.php?cid=1004--no t-shirt included!). Despite waking up to 30-degree weather, I figured since we were going to the DESERT, it would warm up considerably. We hauled out all our winter-weather biking gear--for San Diego. We arrived in long bike pants, jerseys with arm warmers, windbreakers, gloves, and skull caps. I had shoe covers, as well but would lose them on the bike, which is another story.

It was overcast and dark when we started. Oh, and windy. With the windchill, it was 32. As we warmed up, my teeth stopped chattering, and I could feel my core temperature rise, but my extremities (skin, toes, hands) remained cold. In addition, we were going verrrrry slowly, and I couldn't figure out why. It looked flat, I didn't feel a strong headwind and yet I could barely manage 13 mph. WTF? I was sore from the week's workouts but I didn't think I was THAT tired. Everyone else was going pretty slowly too. Turns out, we were biking on a false flat (actually going up but looked like it was flat) with a slight headwind; how weird is that? My senses were all out of wack.

Jason was absolutely shivering beside me. He kept complaining about cold toes. We were both very cranky because of the cold. At the first rest stop, 12 miles down the road, we stopped begrudgingly; we almost never stop that early into a ride. However, we were suffering. I made him take my shoe covers because I decided I would rather suffer from numb toes than listening to him gripe about how cold he was. He took them begrudgingly (my word of the day), and I blew up b/c he wasn't more grateful, threw the car keys at him, told him I wasn't going to bike with him anymore, and sped off. 5 miles down the road, we realized we were just cold and cranky and taking it out on each other. We called a truce because it was much better to suffer with someone than to suffer alone.

The rest of the ride was much more pleasant. We were still riding at an agonizingly slow pace for apparently no reason but decided to focus on the next rest stop instead of how far we had left to go (or worse, how far the century riders had to go). At the 2nd rest stop, we were in pretty good spirits, although still cold. My toes had gone numb but they didn't bother me (they can't bother me if I can't feel them!), and Jason seemed happier with the shoe covers. Other riders were huddled inside people's RVs and the local general store for warmth. I knew if I did that, I wouldn't be able to get back on the bike. I stuffed myself with Red Vines and PB&Js. I was ravenous. I had already had a large handful of Gummi Bears b/tw Rest Stop 1 & 2 as well. Plus, my fluid had Carbo Pro in it. I couldn't believe how many calories I was taking in. The cold was making me absolutely voracious.

We headed back and the wind instantly started blowing freezing cold shards in our faces. However, we must have had a tailwind, despite this perception because we were absolutely cruising. Going back was fun because we were booking it with seemingly little effort. We took turns pulling and averaged about 25 mph the whole way back. 2 hours out, 1 hour back. Go figure.

We didn't linger for the post-race pasta party because all we could think about was getting warm. We jumped in the car and cranked the heat. I slept the entire way back, waking only to tell Jason my order at Mickie D's. I was so HUNGRY. I stayed awake long enough to stuff down a Big Mac, large fries, and 8 McNuggets (chased with a tall glass of milk, dark chocolate, and Milanos) before lapsing into a coma that lasted several hours. When I awoke, I didn't think I was hungry, until we dragged ourselves to Whole Foods to pick up a "small" dinner. This ended up being a large salad with all the fixings, 4 BBQ chicken wings, 1/2 baked potato with cheese, a large piece of cornbread slathered with butter, and some fruit. Then, as if this weren't enough, I baked brownies. And, yes, of course I licked the bowl. (Actually, Jason and I fought over licking the bowl like 2 dogs fighting over the food dish). Oh, I also ate a box of Red Vines during the movie we rented. I was just ridiculously hungry. I've never been that hungry before in my entire life. Seriously.

Sunday, we dragged ourselves out of bed for a 12-mile run. I ran with my running group and took it slow and easy. It was actually lots of fun. It started out in the mid-30s but warmed up to the 50s very quickly so it was pretty pleasant. Plus, I can run in any weather; you just generate so much heat anyway. Afterwards, we all went out to breakfast so I had my "social" time. I've spent the rest of the day napping.

Tomorrow is my day off from training. Obviously I need it. I'm pretty beat and sore. This completes my hardest week EVER. 114 miles on the bike, 24 miles of running, 6000 meters of swimming for a total of 14 hours (not including weights). I'm tired and sore but I think I'll recover quickly. 1 more week of Base 2 and then I've earned an R&R week.

What I learned this week: Biking long in cold weather makes you eat like a cross between a goat and starved hippomatus. Also, training for a long race with one's significant other is not a good idea because base training makes one very cranky, thus, creating 2 cranky people who live together. Not a good combo.

When to hold 'em/when to fold 'em

The 12 weeks of training behind me has been solid. I've been able to put in the hours and miles without injury, thanks to having the right equipment, having a good base coming into this, and knowing my body.

It's weird to feel like I'm adapting to 10-12 hours of training a week. I'm getting to the point where I feel like I could do more. That's weird. Not yet. Not yet. I want to be fresh for my workouts so they're of good quality as opposed to ramping up the volume even more and slogging through them.

It's hard to have a rest day on Monday because I feel like I'm playing catch-up the rest of the week. After my epic masters swim Tuesday morning, I was pretty beat. I decided to take the evening off. Yes, it feels like time off now when I skip an am or pm workout vs a 1-a-day workout. When did that happen? Also, it's easier to wake up by 6 or 6:30 am now, although I also like going to bed b/tw 9:30 and 10:00 pm. When did that happen? I've been a night-owl all my life.

Because of my well-timed rest, I felt fresh yesterday. We logged an early morning 10K run at a very strong pace. I was able to maintain a sub-9 min/mile pace throughout, despite the 3 mile uphill return on trails. Still, it's my favorite run. Plus, I like running in chilly weather (40s). My legs were bright red by the end.

Yesterday evening, I tried a "Turbo Session" with the tri club 2 blocks from my apartment. I hooked up my bike to a trainer and we duked it out for 80 minutes. It was great to have a tri-specific workout with a coach on the trainer. I couldn't cheat with the gears like I do on the Spinerval DVDs (they're so crazy, I always end up giving up and doing my own thing). He had us push larger gears at a slower cadence to build muscle. He also advocated doing this on the road to gain speed. I was a bit skeptical since this is completely opposite to my riding style and also what I've heard is good pedaling strategy on the race course (low gears/high cadence=fresher running legs off the bike). Although I still hold to the classical dogma of low gears/high cadence out on the road, I do agree that in order to get stronger (a.k.a. faster) on the bike, I need to push a bigger gear to build muscle (some of the time). I was actually surprised at my performance. It was tough, and my quads were screaming but I could do it. I had a great workout. I went home and finished it out with weights (for core and upper body). I didn't have to do any squats, that's for sure!

This morning, the alarm went off at 6 and we were due in the pool by 7:30. Both of us were sore and tired. We both decided to skip it. Guilt and consistent-early-rising roused me out of bed at 6:30 am. I started to get ready. I knew I could do it but I also realized I was tired. I weighed the pros and cons and went back to bed. We decided to move our swim until tomorrow morning. Hence the title: You got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. This morning, I folded. I'm still going to get the workouts I need to get done for the week. However, I think I'll end up being fresher because I will have recovered better. It's hard to know when your body is being lazy and you need to push versus pulling back and resting more. I've been pushing so much lately, I decided it was time to pull back and er on the side of caution. Then why do I feel so guilty?

Training Overview--Last 12 Weeks

Can you believe I've finished 12 weeks of trainig for this half-ironman already? I'm feeling much more confident in being able to finish the distance. Now I just want to continue building my base and getting stronger.

One thing that has been frustrating is to watch my speed die. I've been steadily getting slower and slower. It's so hard when I show up to group workouts, and I'm the slowest person there (and it's everyone elses 1st workout since the off-season!).

Here are my stats for the past 12 weeks:



















Basically, I think I'm right where I should be as far as my plan goes. I'm training a total of 9-12 hours a week, with 3 workouts in each sport, plus weight training. I've actually been able to complete the workouts I set out to do, which is, in my mind, incredible. I'm biking between 80-90 miles total/week, running 20 miles, and swimming ~5000 meters. My long bike is 40-45, my long run is 12, and I've done a few long swims of 1900 meters to "test the waters" (bad pun). So it's coming together nicely.

I've definitely noticed that since I started phase II of base training, I'm more cranky. Most of the people I train with are much faster and have better endurance than me so I get depressed at how hard I'm working and how slow I feel in comparison. Then, I remember that I'm only beginning my 4th year of triathlon, and I've only done some Olympic tris and a few half-marathons so this is still new to me. When I put it in perspective of where I am and how far I've come, I realize I'm right where I should be. But it's so hard not to compare myself to others. I'm just so sick of being the slowest person at club workouts.

On a more positive note, I've had some stellar workouts these past few weeks. I'm feeling less tired after my killer weekends and am recovering faster. Plus, it's easier for me to go to bed early and wake up earlier. Sleep and nutrition are definitely key. So are massages and stretching. And wearing the orthotics in the right shoe (another story). I'm also taking in more fluids, calories, and electrolytes on the bike and somewhat on the run. I can drink 1 large water bottle on a 40-mile bike with Elete electrolytes added, plus 1 scoop of Carbo Pro (which I'm hoping to boost to 2 scoops and 2 water bottles by race day on the bike). I'm supplementing with salt tablets (1-2), fat-free Fig Newtons (~5), and Cliff Blocks (3-5), which ends up totaling about 300-500 calories. I think calorie-wise, this will set me up really well for the run. Then, on the run, I'm drinking water + Elete but haven't felt the need for calories. I know I should but my stomach can be so finicky...

After my stomach bug and returning from Nor Cal, I decided to resume training that weekend, even though it was technically an R&R week. I ended up doing an invigorating 40-mile ride Saturday with a cycling enthusiast friend of mine. His "recovery" ride was my long, exhausting workout ride. But it was good. Sunday, I got talked into doing a long run and we ended up going 10 miles. But we went very slow, and I didn't feel trashed at the end. Actually, my long runs make me feel kind of good afterwards.

Last week was the first week of Base 2. I hit it pretty hard but finally felt like I was hitting my stride with the workouts. What did me in was a 30 mile bike Friday morning, followed by a 40 mile bike Saturday, and a 5-mile brick run. I was pretty beat on Saturday night. We did a 12-mile run on Sunday, after which I took a very long nap. By Monday morning, I actually felt pretty good, surprisingly. Go figure.

This morning, we started our formal masters swim program at UCSD. 7:30 am, baby! I know, that's kind of late for masters swimming. The coach was really awesome. He put me in a lane where I fit right in speed-wise. The workout was very fast-paced and invigorating. He watched me this time and told me we'd work on my stroke next time, which I desperately need b/c I've gotten slower on the swim too, and that's just ridiculous! I told him I want to become more efficient. I think he's just the guy to help me do that so I'm pretty stoked about it.
Our workout was:
WU: 500 free
Main: 200x4
(1st/3rd 50 bilateral breathing; 2nd/4th stroke)
100x4 descending (base time)
50x4 stroke (rest 10)
100 kick hard (rest 30)
(repeat 3x)
I wasn't able to do the last 100 kick but finished everything else for a total of ~3500 meters (most awesome).

Gotta go home and get in a session on the trainer!

My two left feet

I had the ultimate "blond" moment last week. Jason is still shaking his head and wondering how someone with so much education can be so dumb sometimes.

My knees had begun to ache on runs; a sure sign that I needed new running shoes. So even though the shoes only had 280 miles on them (I can't even make it to 300!), I dutifully picked up a new pair. Brooks Adrenaline size 10A, which I've been wearing for years. I took out the insoles and put in my orthotics and took off for a track workout.

I eeked out painful mile repeats. Mile repeats are always painful but today was particularly so. I figured the extra cushioning of the new shoes was making them uncomfortable but they seemed really uncomfortable. Painful actually. And lumpy. I couldn't figure out why they were so lumpy. Maybe they just needed to be broken in. Still, I didn't remember my feet hurting so much the last time I broke them in. Plus, I couldn't figure out why I was running so slow on the track when I was exerting so much effort. Despite the blister I developed on my arch and my pinched, numb toes, I eeked out an 8:15 min mile with all my might. Satisfied, I called it quits, forgoing the recovery mile afterwards due to my sore feet.

Saturday, after my 40 mile bike, I put the shoes back on for a 5 mile brick run afterwards. My body was pretty tired and my feet were kind of numb at this point so even though the shoes were still lumpy, I didn't really care. I just wanted to get the workout over with.

Sunday, we were driving to Penasquitos Canyon for our 12 mile long run. I had taped up the blisters on my feet and was wearing my lucky socks but was dreading the run in my new lumpy shoes. I took a careful look at the shoes. Yes, they were the correct size. I removed the orthotics and examined them carefully.

"Jason, are these in right." He looks at me and then the orthotics and then me again with a raised eyebrow.
"No!" he chortles in amazement. Yes, that's right. I had them in the wrong way. The left orthotic was in the right shoe and the right orthotic was in the left shoe. All that arch support was on the outside of my foot, in a stability shoe, making me a super-supinator. I had logged 2 runs in the shoes with the orthotics in the wrong way, including a gruesome track workout. I'm still trying to figure out how I didn't injure myself.

I slipped the orthotics in correctly and put them onto my feet. It was like Cinderella and the glass slipper. Luxurious. I've never been so comfortable on a 12-mile run before in my life. It felt like butta.

Maybe all this training is killing my brain cells. Maybe I'm not as hydrated as I thought I was. Maybe I'm not getting enough rest. Better go take a nap to be sure. Definitely my brain-fart of the week. Glorious.

Curse of the Flats, & I've Been Tagged!

First off, I think the tire gods are angry with me. The last 3 times I've ridden, I've gotten a flat, albeit a slow leak. AND, 1 of those times was on the trainer, and 1 of those times wasn't even on my bike (my dad's)! Luckily, they've been slow leaks so they haven't interrupted my rides. I've checked the tire very diligently and found nothing (of course). Let's hope 3 times a charm!

Qcmier tagged me so here goes:

1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag three more folks.

Immunobiology
6th Edition
Janeway

p123
"The crystallographic structure of the MHC class II molecule shows that it is folded very much like the MHC class I molecule. The major differences lie at the ends of the peptide-binding cleft, which are more open in MHC class II molecules than in MHC class I molecules. The main consequence of this is that the ends of a peptide bound to an MHC class I molecule are substantially buried within the molecule, whereas the ends of peptides bound to MHC class II molecules are not."

I know. Fascinating.

Now I have to tag 3 people:
1. Tri-Bunny
2. TriSaratops
3. JT's Tri Spot

Dolphin Swim

No, I don't mean the kick you learn how to do to accelerate off the wall in the pool. I mean actual dolphins.

Monday, I meant to wake up early to do the annual "Polar Bear Swim" at La Jolla Shores. When my alarm went off, however, I was not ready to get up. I was too exhausted. I'm not sure why; I hadn't even gone out the night before but I definitely wanted sleep. So by the time I got up, it was too late for the group swim. Despite the fact that Jason was gone, I decided to go it alone. I needed to swim, all the pools were closed, and I was in the mood. So I got my gear ready, took a deep breath, and headed toward the shores to brave the 58 degree water.

It was a bit windy so there was a little more surf than I expected but nothing bad. I was surprised how quickly I acclimated to the water. I didn't feel that cold to me. Those weeks of getting in the ocean must be paying off. After warming up, I settle into a nice rhythm. I felt actually kind of speedy, thanks to the wetsuit. I kept having to swim farther out because the tide was low and the waves were breaking pretty far out. I still was only in 8-10 feet deep water when I heard this strange whistling and clacking. Disoriented, I stopped and looked around to see who it was. All of a sudden, this gray fin swims past me. Then, I could clearly see gray, shimmery bodies, eyes, and faces, belonging to a pod of about 8 bottle-nose dolphins! I couldn't believe how close they were to me! I couldn't reach out and touch them but they were only a few meters away. Incredible. They seemed to be showing off and in very good spirits. They wished me a Happy New Year, and I wished them the same. They arced between me and the shore before cutting out to sea again. I had felt so alone before their appearance, and I realized I wasn't alone at all. Talk about noticing the magic in my life! It doesn't take much noticing to notice that! It was an absolutely fabulous experience. I can't wait to get in again! (Only thing is, I swam over some kelp beds and I guess something scratched my neck so it looks like I have a great big ole' hicky on my neck this morning. Gotta watch out for that seaweed!)

2007 Resolutions

Happy New Year!!!

Here's to a fresh start and many great opportunities in 2007!

Resolutions 2006 Recap:
Before I dive into 2007 resolutions, I want to reflect on how I did in 2006.
These were my resolutions:
1. Regular exercise and healthy eating.
2. Early to bed and early to rise.
3. Be independent.
4. Less is more (Quality not quantity).

I have to say I did pretty damn well on these! I'm kind of proud of myself, if I do say so myself. I have #1 completely covered. I had taken a break and allowed my fitness to slide while I defended my thesis in St. Louis. I resolved to get back into shape, and moving to San Diego and entering the crazy-hot world of triathlon here fixed that.

For #2, this has been on my resolution list for several years in a row. I finally am getting this one down. Sounds so small, but I am ecstatic about it. Figuring out I was fighting a lot of fatigue because of low thyroid was a big step in the right direction. Half-IM training did the rest. So did signing up for an a.m. spin class.

I am definitely better at being more independent. After moving to a new place, it can be intimidating figuring out where everything is since I didn't know anyone. I've met so many people through joining the tri club. That was a great decision. With Jason in graduate school, I often have to go it alone when he gets swamped studying. I went on lots of solo bike rides (with cell phone handy for emergencies) in '06. The pinnacle was flatting, fixing it, and continuing on my way all by myself.

For the "less is more" resolution (more of a mantra), I am definitely better at dropping the "all or nothing" attitude. Sometimes, work gets hectic or life gets in the way. Fitting in a little workout is better than none at all. I'm not perfect at this one (I still want to do it all), but I'm definitely better. The key is being flexible. It's always better to do 1 workout if 2 doesn't fit in. If I have to cut it a bit short on some days, that's okay too. The key is to find a balance.

2006 was a very busy and hectic year for me. I finished my Ph.D. and moved from St. Louis to San Diego. Then, I started my post-doc at Scripps. But it was a great year. I handled the transition very smoothly. After 1 year, thanks to all the activities I was involved with, I definitely feel like this is becoming my new home. I have a great feel for the area, have made some great friends, and things will continue to build from here. It should get easier since I expect fewer drastic changes in '07.

2007 Resolutions:
Here they are!

1. Keep on truckin'.
I am giving myself a pat on the back for '06. I want to continue on my path and keep on doing the same thing b/c it's obviously working. This includes continuing to incorporate the '06 resolutions and making the ones that have gotten better second-nature.

2. Notice the magic in my life.
Things become mundane as I keep to my routine. However, there are signs all over the universe that I am on the right path. I want to continue to watch for these signs, listening for guidance, and following the core spirit inside.

3. Be patient.
I'm not a patient person by nature. I'm actually better than I used to be but I could definitely work on this one more. Things take a long time to develop: relationships, fitness, research. Specifically, my research. I'm taking it as a sign to be patient, stay in the moment, and accept that it's okay for things to be a little slower. There is still progression even if I'm not speeding ahead. And taking things in a little bit more of a slower stride can actually be a good thing.

4. Have less rage (be more positive).
I have adopted a short temper as of late. Little inconveniences can set me off and make it really hard to regain sanity and peace. In addition, it can be very unpleasant for those around me. So if a rain changes my bike plans or if someone takes my parking space, I will work on letting it bother me less. Whoever pissed me off probably did it inadvertantly anyway. There's really very few things that justify becoming enraged in life. This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the patience resolution.
a. Along the same line, I will also try to be more tolerant and accepting of others and not jump to judgements about strangers because of what they're wearing or their haircut.
b. Finally, I will try to be less "affected" by others. Who cares what others think? They're probably not thinking anything anyway (I've always been a bit sensitive).

5. Give back.
One way I used to have less rage and be more positive was by volunteering. In St. Louis, I volunteered for the House Rabbit Society, an organization that rescues rabbits and educates people about what great pets they make. I miss volunteering. I don't have a ton of time but I think I could carve out some time each month to give back and lend a hand. I love animal rescue so I'm definitely leaning that way. One organization around here that I'm really interested is Project Wildlife (http://www.projectwildlife.org/). For one, you can't adopt a wild animal so my menagerie is sure to maintain its current number. In addition, if I see something I can do on a daily basis to make this a little bit of a better place to live, I want to do it. Smile at strangers, hold the door for people carrying bags, the simple everyday things that are so easy to do but so easily missed. Finally, I am going to start recycling again (now that I know the recycling center is at the community center behind our apartment!).

6. Finish my long-term to do list.
I have many lists, and they really help me stay organized. My short-term to do list always gets done. But when something seems like a bigger task, I delegate to the long-term list where it stays indefinitely. Some items have been on this list for years. In '07, I plan on freeing myself by tackling these items for good.

7. Organize my finances.
I have a "budget" but its more like an account of my spending. I want to pay more attention to my spending habits and pay off our credit card debts. I want to work on saving a bit more and avoiding wasteful spending. For one, I plan on eating in more and cooking more. Less Starbucks! Finally, I want to open a 2nd savings account and put a small percentage in there each month for fun/extraneous items. Instead of charging it, I can look in the savings account for my "allowance" for things like clothes, books, or eating out.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Stomach Bug for X-Mas and Flatted on the Trainer

Just back into town and am recovering. From what, you say? Well, turns out, I got another stomach bug. Thanks Santa! My Mom had a cold when I visited, and I think I got it from her, and it morphed into a stomach-thing. All I know is that I've been dizzy with a nasty headache and very upset tummy for the past few days. Great way to melt off those extra, unwanted holiday pounds! Not.

Luckily, this is a much-needed R&R week. I wonder if I've been pushing it and this is my body's way of telling me to rest. Funny that the bug coincided on an R&R week. Good planning, don't you think? I've been noticing the cumulative toll of my workouts--feeling very sluggish and slightly cranky.

Last week, I actually got all my workouts in. The bikes were short b/c we were forced to go on the trainer a lot but the past couple of weeks, the mileage has been really high. Besides, I still got on the bike and rode the crap out of it 3 times. I did the best I could, and I know it will be fine come race day.

We actually went in the ocean for a short swim last Thursday. I woke up so dizzy I could barely walk. I think it's an inner ear thing. Let's go swimming in the ocean! Smart, eh? Well, I felt much better that afternoon, took some Sudafed and wore earplugs. The surf was a bit rough, and it was disconcerting that no one else was in the water. At least the lifeguard would have a good view of us! I was worried it would be really cold. The temperature report had said 59 degrees--the coldest I have been in. No worries! With my wetsuit and thermal cap, I was toasty! It was fantastic. I was elated. I can swim in cold water...with the right equipment.

Friday morning, I dragged myself out of bed at 6 a.m. for a morning bike ride up the coast before our flight later that morning. I had it timed perfectly. I was so proud for getting up early too; I had been up later than I wanted the night before packing and getting ready to go, and I'm not a morning person. As I'm getting dressed and getting our water bottles ready, Jason opens the door. It's pouring outside. Just pouring. Around here, that doesn't mean much. I figure it will stop in 10 minutes. We have to be back by 9 a.m. so I continue getting ready. If I have to cut the ride a little short, that will still be okay. Then, I realize I have a flat. What? My last ride was on the trainer. I think I'm the only person ever to get a flat on the trainer. Call Guiness. So I changed it, feeling the rage creep up my shoulders. Not fair! I put all this time and energy into my last long ride before going out of town and now this! Luckily, I'm pretty good at changing flats so 10 minutes later, we were heading out the door. A little rain wasn't going to stop me. We finally get outside, and the skies open up again. Pouring again. I think God was trying to tell me something that day. A bike ride just wasn't in the forecast. Some of you toughies may revel riding in the rain, but not me. Slippery, wet, cold...forget about it. I turned to Jason and motioned with a hand under my throat...Cut it. I went back inside and hooked my bike up to the trainer for really hard trainer ride and rode out the rage. It worked. By the time I was getting off at 9 am, I felt much calmer. Of course, that's when the skies cleared, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Very weird.

Sunday, we went on our long run. 5 miles out and 5 miles back for a total of 10 miles on the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Gorgeous, no traffic, along a creek, mostly flat--it's perfect. For some reason, I felt verrrry sluggish. Cumulative fatigue from multiple workouts? I got through it but it was challenging. Normally, I'm in a very lively group for my long runs, and I think this usually helps the time go faster too. Whatever it was, I felt very sloooow. It's frustrating. I've been working so hard and getting slower and slower. I realize I'm training for a long distance and have to give up my speed but I didn't realize how much! I used to be able to maintain 9 min/miles for my half-marathon pace. Now? It's 10. Yes. 10. That sucks! I'm very frustrated b/c I KNOW I used to be able to go faster. I'm having a difficult time coming to grips with this.

This run concluded the final Base1 week, which was lucky. I was too sore from the run on Monday to do anything. Plus, a nasty headache that wouldn't go away crept up. Jason and I took my Dad's bikes out for a very nice, relaxing ride on Tuesday but I didn't feel any better afterwards. Wednesday, the stomach bug came. Today, I feel better but I'm SO tired! The headache is finally gone, and the stomach is only twitching ocassionally so I think it's mostly through. Argh. So frustrating. This training stuff is really getting to me.

Other than that, our trip to see my folks was very relaxing and non-eventful. Very nice Christmas. Santa was good to me this year. It's nice to be home with the bunnies again. Oscar was very cute when I got home. Bouncing all around me like a little puppy. I think they missed me. I'm working on my New Years' Resolutions. I love New Years. Fresh start. I'm looking forward to it.

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! We're off to go see my family in Nor Cal. The bunnies are guarding the fort.

Rudolph bike ride

It seems really challenging right now to maintain my routine. The end of the year is coming, and I feel the tell-tale pressure to get everything wrapped up before 2007. I do this to myself every year. I realized yesterday that it's silly to kill myself at the end of each year. I'm not a procrastinater by nature, and I've learned by now that if it's on my list, it will get done accordingly. So I've decided to do what I can but to maintain my routine. Still challenging, nonetheless. The dirty apartment? It can wait until I get back (big sigh). The massive amount of genotyping I'm up to my eyeballs in at lab? I'll do what I can but it will be here waiting for me when I get back. I have to let go.

I'm going out of town at the end of the week, and I've planned my workouts accordingly. I'll do all my bikes for the week before leaving so I won't have to worry about that. Holiday parties and extra socialzing events as well as shopping and baking are actually uncharacteristically seeping into my life (begrudgingly). It's not that I don't like socializing or baking. It just breaks my routine. And I'm all about my routine.

Yesterday, after my late afternoon nap, I dragged my wrecked bod to the massage therapist's office. It was much-needed, although she tried to urge me to get in my pre-planned swim workout for the day. I refused. I was just simply too sore and trashed from the weekend. My body told me I needed a day off. I had to judge whether it was laziness or actual fatigue. My evaluation? Fatigue. I ate well and went to bed early.

The massage, food, and extra sleep did me good. This morning, I dragged myself out of bed and hopped on the bike. It was a good thing I didn't realize how cold it was outside (low 40s). Thinking the temps would be a good 10 degrees warmer, I left my ear muffs and thermals at home. Thankfully, I wore biking tights, a windbreaker, and gloves, which saved the day. I can run in the cold, no problem. But biking? That wind just cuts me to the core. It's brutal.

As I coasted down the hill and tried to warm up, I grimaced. It was painful. Once my face, fingertips, and toes went numb, I felt better. Eventually, the sun came out, and we reached a gentle hill, and I began to warm up. I've never been so happy to see an uphill climb before! We rode a 15 mile loop close to our apartment to keep things simple. There was hardly any traffic, and it was a very relaxing recovery ride. At the end, I said, "That wasn't so bad!" meaning the cold. Jason took one look at me and said, "Okay, Rudolph!" My nose was bright red. It makes me happy to say this because this would have been a tough workout a few short months ago, not an easy recovery ride. Things are changing. In addition, is it just my imagination or is it becoming easier to wake up in the morning? Oops. I shouldn't have said that.

Lab has been brutal today. Long day. I'm off to the pool. I will go. I will go. It may be cold, and the pool is outside, and the first 10 minutes will suck, but I will focus on the hot tub awaiting afterwards. Then, I have to make a pumpkin pie for tomorrow's lab party. I'm hoping to do weights while it bakes. Multitask, right?

I can't even think about how busy tomorrow will be. One step at a time. One step at a time, and it will all get done.

Gummi Bears and Fig Newtons

I've had so much going on and am so exhausted, I don't know where to start. One thing I'm realizing is that the long workouts not only wipe me out but also make me very emotional and cranky. And of course, Jason and I are training together. Great combo. No one warned us about this part of it. All in all, I'm feeling very happy with keeping up with the key workouts and being able to recover in fairly decent time.

Instead of doing my usual laundry list of workouts each day, I've decided to jump to the good stuff--the weekend. First, Friday was a crazy day. I had wanted to bike in the morning and swim in the evening. I was feeling behind in workouts and in lab (typical for the holidays). I had this rushed, panicky feeling all day, which I hate. Plus, I beat myself up for not waking up earlier. I was just tired. We had a party to go to that night, and I really was looking foward to it. By the time I got home from lab, I decided it was more important to have fun at the party and rest up for tomorrow's workouts rather than rush through a swim and feel rushed. Sometimes, you have to prioritize. It's so easy for me to skimp on the socializing and become an exercise-a-holic. I took a deep breath and realized the healthy thing to do was to let it go and have fun. And I did.

This is something I'm learning. How to let go. To not "make-up" missed workouts. To simply move on and start fresh. And to balance a husband with work, training, and a social life. Something always has to give. And that's...okay.

Saturday was an epic workout day. We commenced our crazy workout weekend with a morning preview of the half-ironman bike course we will be riding in March. Because most of it is on the marine base (Camp Pendleton), much of it is closed to civilians. However, I was able to ride the first 20 miles of it (the easy part--apparently, it gets much hillier beyond the "forbidden" zone).

We started out in a group, and I immediately got dropped, as usual. Unfortunately, I kind of pushed it to try and hang on; not a good idea, especially when you're riding 45 miles (long for me). Personally, I think my 23 mph was nothing to sneeze at. Later, we were doomed to discover we had been aided by a strong tailwind.

I had decided to play with nutrition on this ride, knowing it would be more taxing than usual. I had tried Gu on previous rides and couldn't get the stuff down. It tastes like snot to me. I just can't do it. On this ride, I had come armed with my 2 secret weapons: Fat-free Fig Newtons and Gummi Bears. They tasted soooo good and went down very easily. I have the queen of finicky stomachs so if I can handle it, I predict most anyone can. I'm so used to being starved by the end of my bike rides, it was refreshing to feel energized and satiated throughout the ride for once. Eureka! I have stumbled on something here.

The group waited at mile 15 (I hate that--I don't want to be a burden), and I was able to ride with the pack for a bit. I ended up getting dropped going downhill--what's up with that? Why is it that I have to pedal furiously going downhill to keep up while everyone else coasts? I find this phenomenon bewildering and frustrating. I can climb but can't descend? WTF?

To make matters worse, I downshifted to the small ring on one of the climbs and immediately dropped the chain, completely losing the group. Damn! Ever since I changed to compact cranks, this keeps happening to me. I've taken it to the shop once, and they tried to re-align it but I've had it. That's it. I'm getting a new derailer and fixing this cursed chain-dropping thing for good. I have no attack on the hills anymore. Instead, I have pleading. I have to shift up, slow my pedaling, and pray as I carefully, slowly, delicately down-shift to the small ring. Then, I have no momentum for the rest (which is the majority) of the climb. Climbing has become a real pain in the ass, which is no good for around here--it's all hills.

We turned around at mile 25, and I was in a real mood at this point. We had lost the group and were unsure of where they had gone and uncomfortable with finding our way back. There was a very strong headwind (explaining our lightning-quick speed going out), and the temperature had dropped, making it very uncomfortable. I was pissed about my chain, and I had dropped one of my arm warmers earlier in the ride. Plus, my legs felt heavy as I slowed my cadence, pushing a higher gear than I wanted because I was now afraid to downshift for fear of another dropped chain. I was downright cranky. As I eeked out 10 mph, I wondered how I would suffer for another 20 miles.

Suddenly, 2 members of our group appeared. One of them had gotten a flat so they had been held back. I was transformed. I felt elated. I didn't have to worry about not knowing where I was, and I could ride in a pack again (small pack). The 4 of us chatted now and again as we battled the wind. I was suddenly doing 15-17 mph, no problem. The mental state of mind is an amazing beast. I even found my arm warmer, close to the end of the ride, waving in a ditch off the side of the road.

I made it back to the car, 45 miles and 2:45 later, tired but happy. I had done it. And survived. We put on our running shoes and then did a 30 minute run. Yup. This was a brick workout. I was so tired but I knew I could run for 30 minutes. And it actually felt good. I was just happy not to be biking into a headwind anymore. After the first half-mile, my legs warmed up, and I fell into a rhythm.

We spent the rest of the day eating and sleeping, although I did manage to change litterboxes and go out with some friends to a movie (and eat sushi afterwards--the best post-workout recovery meal).

Sunday: As if Saturday wasn't enough, we did our long run with our running group Sunday morning. It was raining when I woke up. I coaxed myself out of bed and into the shower and into my running clothes, and eventually, we were out the door. By the time we reached the meeting spot, the sun had come out and it had stopped raining and was in the mid-50s--perfect running weather. That's San Diego for you. Never cancel something due to rain around here. Just wait 10 minutes. We did a 9 mile run. I was worried about the distance after Saturday but at the turn-around point, I felt really good. My legs didn't hurt, and I actually rallied the group up the hill.

When I first saw the hill, I leaned into Jason and said, "I'm going to take it slow." He just nodded at me. I pushed "Play" on my shuffle and one of my "Power" songs (Eminem) came on--a secret weapon. I felt a surge of energy and decided I was tired of being at the back of the pack. I came up behind the group, shouting, "Attack!" and passed them. The guys behind them rallied with me, and I stubbornly pushed ahead. One of them, a Navy Seal, waited me out. When my song ended 3/4 of the way up the hill, I died. He yelled, "Passing!" and took off with Jason. I didn't see the 2 of them again until the end. Oh, well. It was a lot of fun.

We all went out to breakfast afterwards. Because of the rain, we had to cancel our ocean swim (too much bacteria in the run-off--ewww) so we dragged ourselves to the pool. We had a really good, easy swim.

The rest of the afternoon has been eating and sleeping. It was a tough weekend!

Lessons Learned:
1. You can't make-up missed workouts. Start fresh. Do what you can. Focus on your key workouts.
2. Prioritize. Sometimes, it's okay to miss workouts to lead a balanced life.
3. Training is just as much about building mental toughness as it is physical. Learn to stay positive b/c that fuels the body.
4. Eating and sleeping is key to a fast recovery.
5. Trust your body. You can do it if you build up to it.

Total Weekly Stats:
Swim: 2x; 4000m
Bike: 2x; 67 mi
Run: 3x; 18 mi
Weights: 1x
Total time: 9.25 h
Overall: missed 1 swim, 1 weights, and 1 bike but got in all the key workouts despite it being a hectic week. My body feels stronger.