70.3 in 11 Days

I have my *A Race* in 11 days and I haven’t talked a bit about my training all Spring. You’re welcome and/or I’m sorry. 

So, Wildflower 70.3. Let’s break this down:

The outlook was pretty poor from the start. My knees were the main culprit, creaking all the time and causing pain doing simple things like standing up  from a seated position and descending stairs. Things were really looking bad as I considered running a ridiculously difficult half marathon after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56 hilly miles. But my magical chiropractor evaluated me and said that it’s the scar tissue in my calves that is causing the issue. He gave me some homework that I have been good about and things are going much better. I did have a literal run-in with Miles’ 85-pound girlfriend Lola — straight to the side of my left knee — and that has me a bit concerned. I went to yoga over the weekend and it was sore in Warriors 1 and 2, but it was fine on my long run after that. I will keep icing everything and hope for the best on race day.

My swimming is going well. I am in the pool at least twice a week and everything there feels very consistent and good. I have to remind myself to focus on my form (rather than figuring out what I’m going to wear to work, for instance) and that helps my interval times tremendously. Go figure. I expect the swim will be my best event at the race. Update: my goggles and Ironman swim cap were never recovered. Karma’s a bitch, people. Watch out. Miles and I went for an open water swim on Friday to cool off and I went on my first real swim in the Bay yesterday. It wasn’t as fast as I maybe would have liked, but it wasn’t a disaster.

Cycling is what it is. And by that, I mean I don’t care. I’m just not driven this time around. I bike three times a week, two shorter mid-week rides and one long weekend ride. I force myself into incorporating punishment like hills and sprints. I know I will be glad I did when the time comes, but I’m not enjoying the process. I finally got on my tri bike on March 16 — the first time I had ridden it since Ironman on August 26. This expensive bike had collected a lot of dust in the garage in that time. The good news is that getting back on it was a treat. I am actually far more comfortable on this bike than my road bike. The bad news is that not even a fancy bike can make me fast like proper training does.

As for my running, I am 98% hill-centric. I have done the majority of my training on very hilly terrain that largely mimics the Wildflower course: hot, dusty, hilly terrain. I am doing almost no speed work. My average run pace is slow, but very consistent. I’m fine with that; I left this race last year saying I’d never do it again. I realize that everything is relative, and I want the suffer-fest to be relative as well. Slow and steady will win this race for me.

I don’t know what kind of race goals I’ll put together. I want to say something arbitrary like, “Just have fun!”, but who am I kidding? First of all, that’s not a measurable goal. Second, I’m competitive enough that I’m sure I’ll endure a fair amount of discomfort if I see a lot of people in my age group passing me. The best news of all is that I don’t have to train for a full Ironman once this race is over. It will be a blissful summer compared to 2012!

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Bullet = Dodged

We dodged a bullet last week.

I woke up at 5:45 and was surprised to not find Miles wedged in between me and Greg. I found him on the couch, taking up as much space as possible and quite content. I laid down with him to say good morning and he greeted me with kisses. And then he began the unmistakable heaving that precedes vomiting.

I jumped up and said as quietly and convincingly as possible, “Let’s go! Let’s go! Outside! Outside! Outside!” He ran with me to the back yard and began the heaving again. Which produced this:

What, you don’t recognize it? It’s one of those mini tennis balls. It’s just that the felt material is coming off and the entire thing is beginning to disintegrate.

Labradors are notorious for swallowing things that get caught in the stomach or, worse, the intestines. Every vet loves to recount the cautionary tales of socks/underwear having to be  surgically removed. THIS IS A TENNIS BALL!! It clearly wasn’t going through the intestines, so we’re lucky that it came out the other way. The bullet we dodged has to be worth $5K and possibly our dog’s life.

Oh, did I mention that this ball has been bouncing around in his belly since February 16? Yeah, we went over to the beach in Half Moon Bay that day and he found this ball on the beach. Miles was prancing around with this ball + his two regular-size Chuck-It balls in his mouth. He “lost” this one and we figured/assumed/hoped he just discarded it somewhere along the beach because it wasn’t one of his favorites. Nope. He was carrying this tag-along for ~3 weeks before it came up.

I also am very grateful that what he vomited up was not cat poop or  some other vile matter, considering all the kissing that was going on immediately before it came up…

Unrelated: Doesn’t our fake lawn look so real? We love it!

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A Year as Ours

It was a year ago that we brought Miles home. At ~6 pounds, this red ball was a formidable competitor.

Now, at 72 pounds, he’s barely interested.

He took immediately to clicker training and was sitting on command before he even had a name.

Miles is still a sucker for a treat and knows that good things happen to boys who sit politely.

He’s has proven to be a very good and smart boy. I am happy to report that he hasn’t rolled in single pile of poo or dead animal in the year we’ve had him! He travels well and loves to be included in all our adventures. He is a good runner, loves swimming, and chases us on mountain bikes on the trails. A true tri-dog! He loves his Chuck-It balls and can fit three balls in his mouth now, which he shows off by prancing around the dog park. A favorite game is for him to drop a ball down the basement stairs while I’m down there. I toss it back up to him and he catches it in his mouth and sends it down again.

We feed him mostly a raw diet, which he loves. It’s good for his coat and teeth, too. He loves carrots and apples as snacks, something Argus wouldn’t even touch. I think the only thing I’ve found he doesn’t like is strawberries. He has the UPS man trained to bring him treats along with our packages. He likes his crate, but we wake up most mornings with Miles wedged between us at a 90* angle. He is very affectionate and welcomes hugs and kisses without fuss. He insists on sitting on my lap in the driver’s seat wherever we go.

It has been a wonderful year with Miles as our companion. Time flies when you’re having fun!

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Daily sMiles

Begging me to give him the cardboard box, he promised he’d make a super cool fort we could play in all day.

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The Elusive Podium

Maybe The Elusive F-Spot is actually the P-Spot. THE PODIUM. Because I have come close to making it a few times now, yet it always eludes me.

*sigh*

It’s a good problem to have, I guess.  Making it into the top 5 athletes, even at a small(er) event, takes a little effort… So you can imagine that I was thrilled we screwed around long enough after the race to check the results as they were being released. I couldn’t find my name anywhere, until I looked at the Age Group Winners page and saw my name in the #4 slot. Yippeeeeee!!!

I didn’t even know what my final time was, so it was a real shock when it said 2:41. But let me back up…

PRE-RACE
I mentioned in my race goals that we were going to head to the race site and camp. We ended up not doing that. I got myself ready, but Greg couldn’t get himself organized and make it worth it to be down there. We went to bed early with the van packed and a very clear plan of what needed to happen on Sunday morning. The alarm went off at 5:17 and we were on the road by 5:30. I am certain this is a new record for us. We arrived at Uvas Reservoir at 6:40; our races started at 8:07 and 8:15.

We opted to do packet pick-up the morning of the race and that was the right call (rather than wasting more than an hour driving to Sunnyvale on Saturday afternoon). It was a small enough event that it was easy to get parking and do all of the body/equipment marking in enough time. The transition area was first come, first served and we found spots close to each other as we applied Body Glide and sunscreen before putting our wetsuits on.

As we were making our final preparations to head to the swim start, Greg realized that he had FORGOTTEN HIS GOGGLES! So, he hopped on his bike and rode the ~1/2 mile up the road to where the van was parked and made it back in plenty of time… But that’s kind of a panicky moment (especially when you wonder what else you’ve forgotten that you won’t realize until it’s too late).

SWIM
The water was warm (69* F) and calm. It was an in-water start and we swam from one entry point out to a buoy on the far side and then back to the boat ramp on the other side of the land mass. The land mass was the transition area. Let me assist with a visual of this…

The swim was fine. It was green murky water, but that doesn’t bother me and there were no panicky moments. I easily found an open “lane” and just kept swimming. I swim with my Garmin tucked into my swim cap and it works flawlessly. I have the device set to beep at me after 10 minutes so that I have some idea of how things are going. I am not very good at gauging my effort level/time/pace while I’m swimming, so I really become conditioned to hearing that beep to have an idea of how far I’ve gone. When I made it all the way out to the far buoy, I was thinking that I was either swimming like a professional or I had mistakenly hit the Lap button on my Garmin instead of the Start button.

When the beeping still didn’t happen, I knew I wasn’t tracking my data. Which is bad. I’m kind of addicted to the data. I knew I was swimming in a very straight line and sighting the buoys well. If I was going fast at all, this could be a really great swim for me. I had no way of knowing… I did know that I was passing men who had started 3 groups (12 minutes) in front of me, which is always a good sign. As predicted, I stood on the boat ramp and pulled my Garmin out of my swim cap to see it flashing all 00:00:00 at me. Dammit!

Official time: 28:43. Not my best, but not my worst. I must need to work harder in the water. As straight as I was going and not being winded, I’m kinda disappointed that this wasn’t better.

T1
I had a pretty quick transition at 2:09, considering I got to my bike and the athletes (ahem, MEN) who were on either side of me had knocked my helmet and sunglasses off my handlebars and I had to search around for them in the rush. No worries. Transition areas are always tight quarters.

BIKE
It was a nice bike ride with rolling terrain, not much car traffic, and a couple of short but decent climbs. The descents on these climbs were pretty technical and I was glad to not be around other cyclists for either of them. Greg said he saw a rider down (crashed) on one of them, and I saw a guy running who had visibly crashed on his bike.

Even though I didn’t feel hungry or thirsty, I kept to my nutrition/hydration plan according to schedule. I drank ~1.5 bottles and ate an almond butter-filled date at 30 minutes and 60 minutes on the bike. I also kept my heart rate within range and didn’t go balls-out, even though there was the opportunity to do so on many of the flats. Even so, my average pace was good and I knew I’d finish ahead of where I thought I would. My average speed was 18.5 mph and I finished in 1:18. Even though I didn’t know my swim time, I knew I had bought myself a little time on finishing the bike early and went into the run with confidence.

T2
Nothing to report here. It was pretty quick in and out — 1:26.

RUN
The bike course went out on the same trajectory as the run course, so I was paying attention to the terrain. There were a couple of rollers near the turnaround, but I knew it would be a cinch compared to Wildflower. I had done calculations in my head to finish under 3 hours with a 9:00 minute/mile pace on the run. Again, working to fulfill my race plan, I set my Garmin to ONLY show me my heart rate and I did not worry about pace/speed/distance until the turnaround. When I got there and clicked over to the other screen, I was pleasantly surprised to see my average pace was 8:16. I wasn’t fatigued! I still had fire in my legs! In all of the races I’ve done, I have NEVER felt like that. Hooray for a plan!

I did pick up my pace on the return 5K, but again kept my Garmin set to my HR only and kept it above lactate threshold without going crazy. A gal that had passed me within 500 yards of starting the run was coming into view and I knew I’d pass her. I got to the 5-mile marker and picked it up a little more. I couldn’t believe I still had a “sprint” in me! I saw Greg with Miles about a half mile out, just as I passed that gal. I finished strong and felt good in 50:29 (8:07 pace), though I still had no idea what my overall time was.

POST-RACE
This race was pretty awesome in that the post-race food included Pizza My Heart along with fruit that was fresh-picked just up the road from the race site. It was really low-key and there were lots of dogs and kids around, everyone enjoying the beautiful weather. We took Miles down to the swim start to play around in the water. He loves swimming and we make it a fun game of racing him to the ball or stick that the other person has thrown. He seems to understand the idea of racing and that’s kinda fun, too…

We decided to pack it up after one last slice of pizza and I said I wanted to stop by the Results table to see how my swim had gone and what my final time was. Again, I was delighted to see that I was #4 in my age group! Unfortunately, the podium only has three spots so I was out of a bottle of wine and some other winner goodies again this time. And when we got home, my position had slipped to #5. I don’t know how or why, but I guess I’m still glad to be in the top 5 (out of 25 participants). It does seem somewhat fishy that the winner in my age group finished a 25-mile ride in 53 minutes (faster than the fastest man and overall winner) and her T2 time was 0:16… But whatever.

Greg came in 6th out of 47 participants with an overall time of 2:23.

We then trekked out to the coast and made a leisurely trip home, stopping at our favorite watering holes for a drink and a snack. It was a great afternoon! At 60 pounds, Miles still believes he’s a lap dog and chooses to nap on my lap. Sweet boy!

And it turns out I was right — racing an Olympic distance event is just so doable. It was a lot of fun and a feeling of accomplishment all at the same time.

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Daily sMiles

Our buddy Pete took Miles to Fort Funston while we were off celebrating Sarah‘s wedding.

He seems pensive.

And more obedient than a puppy should be.

There is a race report coming. I’m still trying to figure out if it went well or not…

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Daily sMiles

I take Miles with me on my childcare gigs. It’s great for him to learn his boundaries, and the parents want their kids to be around a dog/puppy without taking on the responsibility themselves. Win-win!

He does get frustrated when the two-year-old does not want to play with him. Last week, we found a suitable playmate in her backyard. Take a look:

Priceless! He and “Pinky” played like that for 20 minutes straight. And then he crashed hard into a long nap. Ahhhh, puppyhood.

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I’m a Triathlete??

I’ve been at this triathlon thing for a few years now and I’ve come to learn a lot about myself.

This year, of course, will be the true test as I prepare for Ironman Canada in August. As January comes to an end, so does the first month of training. It was aggressive. I mean, we were swimming 2000+ yards three times a week during Week 1. Swim-Bike and Swim-Run bricks were introduced in Week 2. And today’s workout marked the first Bike-Run brick (33 miles + 2 miles).

Here are a few observations that run through my head as I plan my training, map my routes, actually do the workouts, hydrate and eat accordingly, and recover:

1. I am not good at practicing proper nutrition when I train because I am more concerned about my weight than proper fuel. This needs to change, and fast.
2. I prefer a loop to an out-and-back. I prefer a loop so much that I will re-route myself mid-ride (sometimes making it harder) just so that I don’t have to simply turn around and re-ride the same course backwards.
3. I am pleasantly surprised that I have become a strong swimmer. Considering I couldn’t make it 25 yards without stopping to catch my breath at the other side when I started, I have come a long way. I owe it all to that swim clinic, and the subsequent time I’ve spent in the pool practicing what I learned.
4. I am tired of men and their egos. A guy can very clearly be out for a leisurely stroll while I’m out for a serious training ride when I pass him. He will then go into heart attack mode to re-pass me, just to save a little face. Get over yourself.
5. I’d be lost without my Garmin. (Not literally – ha!) I am addicted to the data and won’t train without it. As my friend Ryan says, “If I didn’t track it, it didn’t happen.”
6. I need a professional bike fit in the worst way. I have owned my bike (a Specialized Roubaix Expert, purchased before I got into triathlon) for 4 years and have never been all that comfortable on it.  My shoulders pinch and my hands go numb at the wrist, among other things.
7. After all this time, the Bike-Run bricks never get easier for me. Not even during a real race.
8. My stomach doesn’t do well on the engineered food like gels and chews. I need to find REAL FOOD that offers quick sugar/energy to fill this void. Dates filled with peanut butter are great, but too messy.
9. My typical hydration is a bottle of water and a bottle of FRS on the bike. I like to run with a bottle of Nuun and take plain water at the aid stations. This has been working well for me.
10. I am not a snob, especially when it comes to my workout gear. Being unemployed for 2+ years contributed to this, and it also proved that I don’t need all the highest-tech gear to get my training hours/miles in. Time trumps gear.
11. I don’t have a go-to recovery food. Sometimes I’ll have chocolate milk. Sometimes I’ll have a beer. Today, I had a slice of a kid’s birthday cake and a glass of cheap red wine. It did the job.
12. Naming our dog has had the exact effect I hoped it would: a positive connotation with lots and lots of Miles.

Am I really a triathlete?? So many of the people whose stories I follow and carouse with are much more scientific about this whole thing. Every calorie is planned and accounted for. Every piece of gear has been chosen. Every training route is executed without question. And yet, this works for me. I don’t take it too seriously and still manage to come across the finish line in reasonably good spirits each time. To each her own!

What have you learned about yourself over time? And does anyone have a suggestion on what I can do about real food??

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Daily sMiles

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Friday Five

1. We’ve had Miles for a week now. Only a week. Although it feels like way longer than that as I stand in the yard every morning at 4 AM, praising him in my high-pitched voice for a good potty!

He just feels like home and I kind of can’t believe I was patient enough with Greg to live without a puppy for five months.

Also, he loves my Fit Flop slippers as much as I do. I am sure this obsession will come to blows in the near future.

2. It’s been quiet on the fitness front lately. That isn’t because I’ve been slacking off; I’ve consistently worked out 6 days a week since my last race. But it’s boring stuff. The triathlon training has begun and will continue to ramp up and there will be more to talk about.

I made a Facebook page for my blog that I haven’t known what to do with. I’ve decided that I’m going to dedicate my that page to Ironman stuff — training, nutrition, rants, etc… Join me over there if you want to follow along. (PLEEEEEEASE!)

3. There’s no snow in Tahoe. I can’t tell you how much this pains me. My 2012 season pass is going unused with every un-winter-like day we have.

4. I bought for-real cowboy boots when I was in Kansas City for Christmas. Then my mom gave me money for them and they turned into a gift. Win!

Greg hates them. Win?

I continue to look for excuses to wear them. It’s not going that well. Not only do I rarely go out, I am not very good at dressing myself.

Also, I have big feet.

5. I just finished the Hunger Games trilogy. I’m not usually the “fantasy” type. And I haven’t fallen prey to the “young adult” genre (Edward and Bella can suck it as far as I’m concerned – ha!). But this gripped me and held me until the end of the series. I love when I hate to finish a good book.

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