The Big Event: The Triathlon

I'm nearly a week past the event that brought about this blog and the challenge to myself to be "faster by forty" -- which indeed I am!

Here are some highlights (and low lights) of the triathlon:

Writing "40" on the race application was a bit . . . startling.  I've never had to reveal THAT age in writing before.  I've never BEEN that age!  What's the number "40" supposed to mean, anyway?  . . .   I wrote it.  Solidly.  Purposefully.  Expectantly.

Race day weather was unlike any training day.  It was COLD.  And WINDY!  With a high of 59 and strong winds, I was totally confused about what to wear.  I went with my leggings, and kept on only one of two jackets that I arrived to the race with.

My nephew was the bomb at the swim!  This was his first race, and he came out of the water in second place for the mixed relay.  Tough act to follow.  I didn't follow.  But I still gave it my best.

I hopped on the bike and pedaled those 18 miles for all I was worth.  With the wind, on some open downhill stretches I noticed I was having to really pedal hard against the wind.  (I thought the downhills was where you catch your breath slightly.  Not so for us on the bike!)  I passed one person.  Lots of people passed me.

Some people sound like they're dying when they bike.  There were a few who passed me that I thought I might be doing CPR on at some point.  Is it helpful to grunt and groan with every breath you take?  I didn't think so.  It was not fun to listen to.  Ha!

I was greatly inspired by several participants.  Two different teams took two different people through the race.  They pulled them in a raft through the water, pulled them in a cart behind a bike, pushed them in a cart through the run.  The participants never would have done something like this on their own as they were nearly paralyzed.  I couldn't help but tear up as I watched the heroics of their teammates, and watched them receive a medal for distinction at the end of the race.  One of the participants was absolutely beaming.  I'm quite sure that one of the teammates was someone who has won this race year after year.  Maybe the thrill of taking First Place was finally over.  That is inspiring as well.

Another participant I watched was an amputee.  As I stood in line at the porta potties before the race, I watched him take off the rubber covering for his stump, lube it up, and prepare it for the race.  That is something that no one else has to contend with.  Everyone else worries about chaffing in other areas of their body, but not a stump leg!  Then I watched him use crutches to get down to the water.  He left the crutches on the bank where they would be quickly retrieved as he exited the lake.  I don't recall seeing him again after this, but he definitely left me with quite an impression on not giving up.

I felt mostly good throughout the race, although I never felt I could have gone faster.  I gave it my all.  I wasn't scared, which I had anticipated being.  I just kept steadily going.  I talked myself up a few hills (in my head, not out loud, thank you), gave and received encouragement from other bikers, and in general just had a fabulous time.

Upon dismounting from the bike at transition, I wasn't sure if my legs would hold me up.  Really!  I felt like the biggest klutz, running on steely legs.  I felt like I looked like a spectacle.  ;)  Laura took the chip off my ankle (because I didn't want to bend over at this point), and she was quickly lost in the hoopla as I walked off my wildly unpredictable muscles in my legs.

My time was as good as I'd hoped for:  1:17:09.  I'd anticipated finishing between 1:10 and 1:30.  I was content with my time.  The mph average was 14 something.  Slow, but faster than I'd started out at.

Laura, too, did better than she'd expected.  We were all surprised to see her coming in when she did.  I think she would even say she enjoyed the experience as well.  :)

My calendar already has next year's date written in.  Hopefully "faster by forty" will continue on.

Pre-Race Day

Tomorrow is the day!

While it is not the day I had originally intended it to be, I'm still glad to be involved in the triathlon nonetheless.

Husband has helped in adjusting my bike a couple of times:  new tubes and tires, raised the seat, rearranged the handlebars, adjusted and tweaked the gears.  I've tried it all out, and I think I might actually use all the gears tomorrow, as opposed to just the few I'd originally figured out.  Yay!  Maybe I'll get brave and gain a little speed on the downhills.  :)  Anyway, I feel as ready as I can be, considering all the wimping out I did during the year.  And while not a biker by any means, I think I will survive the race.

I'm hoping to complete the 18 miles in under 1 1/2 hours.  Sounds so SLOW!  But right now I'm happy with just DOING it.

The weather is supposed to be in the 50's, which is so much colder than I am used to from any training time.  I don't know how this will play into the race, besides searing my throat more than would normally happen.  There's supposed to be a head-wind on the way back, too.  Ugh.

My friend and runner teammate is enroute to our house from the Carolina's, and my nephew-swimmer teammate will arrive at the race site in the morning.  Yay!  Can't wait to experience the day!

So, signing off for now, knowing that I will indeed be

Faster By Forty!

:)

Pondering Biking

All kinds of thoughts go through my head when I ride my bike, more-so perhaps today since I actually rode it instead of the stationary bike at the gym.  In no order, here they are:

No wonder bikers wear sunglasses.  I spent the last two miles or so with a gnat crawling around in my lower eyelid.  Felt lovely.  I need to dig out some lenses from a dark corner.  No doubt they'll be covered in scratches.  (I hate wearing anything "extra".)

I imagine what I would do if I was hit from behind on a car.  Crumple into a ball?  Fillet my body open as I skid across the pavement?  Snap my spinal column?  I very much feel my vulnerability as I wobble along on that skinny frame of a bike.

And how about a dog?  Thankfully they were behind fences or totally disinterested in a 39-year-old slow-poke, but what if a dog flew at my bike, blasting full-force into it?  It's woman versus dog, and I don't like that.

How do people manage to drink anything while biking?  My gears are between my legs, and changing those gears is enough to land me in trouble, let alone getting out that water bottle for some rehydration!

What's with the toe and foot cramps?  First it was my left 4th toe, and it crawled up into my foot.  I had no choice but to ride it out.  Awhile later, it was my right foot's toe.  I guess this is all about learning how to perform with any kind of "glitch".  (I feel like I've had my fair share in the few times I've ridden, so I consider myself well-prepared if not in shape.)

It's a lot windier on the road than on the bike at the gym!

My sis says I have runner's legs, not biker's.  She's right.  Ha!

. . .

Today's ride went better than I expected in some ways.  We rode the same route as when my tire exploded, and I felt SO much better today than I did on that first ride!  And we went 10 miles further today, which really felt good!  My time wasn't as good as it is when I ride at the gym, but we were dealing with some good hills.  I am not comfortable with all the gear shifting yet, so when we went down hills, I ended up coasting rather than yanking the gears around.  But I felt like I could have continued on indefinitely.  Yes, my legs got tired on some of the long hills, but I didn't feel like I was going to die.  So, today for the first time, I'm starting to think I might actually survive the biking portion of the triathlon.  Yay!

Sis

Tonight I caught a ride over to my sis's house.  She invited me to stay for supper, but I really wanted (really, I did) to get out and take a run before supper.  On a whim, I invited her to come along with me. Totally surprising me, she agreed, and volunteered her kids to come along as well!  Unprepared to run right then, I borrowed Sis's exercise clothes, down to the shoes and socks, and we headed out.

We last ran together on our high school's track team in the late '80's.  Whoa.  As we started out together tonight, I commented about not being what we used to be.  Sis was the #1 girl on the team, and after she graduated, I took her place.  My mile pace record was 7:10, as I recall; her's was 7:11.  I didn't realize this till tonight.  Sis, however, had a mean long-distance pace that I could never maintain back then.

The evening was beautiful.  We headed out to a nearby park, where the road was relatively flat and deserted, and ran, strung out along the perimeter of the park, Sis's daughter riding her scooter between us all and happily chatting away till we'd drag her out of the road when a car happened along.  It was a lovely time.

So glad I have a sis I can run with again, all these years later.

He Still Thinks I Look Good

Me:  What time do you think you will be @ wellness ctr to get me?
Husband:  R u hoping for earlier or later?
Me:  Doesn't matter.  Just want to know if I should bother or not.
Husband:  Please bother!  I'll come join you in my Pathfinder clothes if I have to.
Me:  Deal.

Ten sweaty, painfully spun miles later, with Husband by my side in his dress shoes, dress pants, and undershirt, I climbed off the bike.  Clearly, I was taxed.  Clearly, it was not as easy as it used to be.

"It's strange," he said.  Without a word, I knew we were both pondering the memory of me doing the entire triathlon (with apparent ease) seventeen  years ago.  "You look just the same."  He seemed puzzled by this.

Thanks, Babe.  You made my night.

And thanks for helping me endure.

I am hopeful that someday I might honestly enjoy this.  Right now I honestly enjoy the idea of the good I know I am doing for my body and that's about it.

Runnin' in the Rain

A run in the rain today.  It felt good.

The driveway did not feel good at the end.  (But it sure makes a fun sledding luge in the winter, so I really shouldn't complain.)

Tragic Comedy

Yes, it was one of "those" workouts.  Likely it will never happen again, which is a good thing.

This afternoon was my first time on a road bike in a long time.  Husband and I planned to ride for an hour.  Knowing he is so much faster than me, and in better shape than me, I took off at a decent (for me) pace.  Read: never be able to maintain for an hour.  Not to fear.  I wouldn't have to.

Heading down our road, I was very aware of my thigh muscles within less than half a mile from the start.  They didn't feel good, you know?  We turned onto a slightly less busy side road.  Husband warned me to slow down.  But I didn't want to slow HIM down, so I panted through the slight rise in the hill.

We turned right onto another road.  A hill loomed.  I cranked down my gears.  The hill grew as I climbed it.  I desperately reached down to change to the lowest gear only to discover I was already in it.  Ach!  I muscled my way to the top while husband said, "See you at the top" or some such thing and effortlessly flew on past.  Totally out of breath by the time I crested the hill, I allowed myself to coast a bit.

Repeat the last paragraph several times.

Turn right at the next road.

Down a slight hill, I raised my gear and took off.  Rounding a nice corner, I suddenly heard and felt a loud explosion somewhere right by me.  It made me jump, which didn't help me steer my newly-acquired flat-tired bike very well.  I had instant visions of filleting one side of my body open on the road as I clung to the handle bars for all I was worth.  I had no clue which tire was flat, but somehow had the presence of mind to not slam on the brakes (Thanks, Driver's Ed class.  Does this apply to bikes as well as cars?).   Holding that bike on the road till I finally slowed down enough to hop off was not fun.  But when I did stop, I was more than relieved to realize I hadn't crashed, and had survived my first flat tire!

We pulled the bikes off the road.  Husband opened his supply bag that was supposed to hold a spare tube, and discovered there was none.  We were nearly five miles from home.  After weighing our options, Husband escorted me to a nearby church yard, where I spent the next nearly hour wandering through an old cemetery reading tombstone dates and getting eaten by mosquitoes.  It was interesting and at least my thighs were not screaming at me.

Meanwhile, Husband was having a bit of trouble on the home front.  He had taken a key with him, but discovered it was not the key to the house.  Read:  grave frustration.

Suffice it to say that he did make it back to me, and I did get a lovely car ride home, and I did not have to ride my bike up the 50% grade driveway that we have.  (That last part of the sentence was especially nice, although mildly exaggerated.)

Next time, we will ride with a spare tire and the correct house key.  Lesson learned.

* * *

I am doing only the bike portion of the triathlon.  Feel free to send encouraging thoughts.

* * *

I've talked my nephew into swimming, and another friend is running.  Yay for friends and family!

It's Been So Long . . .

. . . I nearly forgot the address of my blog.  P.I.T.I.F.U.L.

So it was 94 degrees and humid when I went out to run today.  Grossness!  I lasted at a (for me) decent pace for all of 20 minutes.  Then I walked the rest of the 30 minutes and felt awful.  94 degrees is just too hot for me!

The triathlon is just over a month away.  I am doing only the biking portion of it -- splitting the tri with two others, the swimmer of which is unknown at this time.   But I AM doing the triathlon.  Time to get in gear!

Not On a Roll

So I fell off my great trend.  Sigh.  It happens so quickly and easily.  I got a cold and that was all I seemed to need to make me step away from exercise.  I need to learn how to be more disciplined, because I feel oh-so-much better when I am regularly exercising.

At any rate, tonight I got back to the gym.  I intended to use the treadmill, but after a warm-up fast walk and then going into a run, my knees were hurting.  I stayed at it for a short time, backing off to a walk, and then back up to a run again, but the nagging pain persisted.  I know my body well enough now to realize that running will NOT make the pain better.  Yes, I can survive the pain, but what is the point?  The next day they usually hurt pretty badly when I force myself to continue.  So tonight I stepped off that pain machine and decided to try something else.

I walked over to the long-forgotten bike, climbed on, and ramped up the rpms till I was spinning 90-95.  I kept up this pace for 30 minutes, ending up doing 8 miles for a 16mph average.  Yes, a PR!!!  (It feels good, yet so silly to tout about  "PR's".  I mean, I'm new at this.  If I wasn't making PR's left and right, I would wonder why in the world I'd joined the gym, you know?  "PR's" are for the seasoned athlete, who really truly has something to talk about.  I should just go in my corner and get on my machine and sweat away for another year and THEN talk about PRs, huh?)  

On a Roll!

After last night's run, I did not have high hopes for any better speed tonight.  But Trainer Husband said to do three times of running, with each consecutive run a little faster, and THEN pull it back for a lighter run at my fourth session.  So that's what I did.  I set my interval run at 4.6 for the recovery pace, and 6.6 for the speed work.  I kept my speed work longer than my recovery phase, and was surprised to feel my body responding well to the run.  That recovery time I am seeing as very valuable to actually make my overall run faster.  Really, I am shocked!  At any rate, my stats came out:

3 mile run in 31.08 minutes giving me a 10:36 minute/mile pace.  Yes, that would be ANOTHER PR!!!  I am fairly excited!  There IS hope in being:

~Faster by Forty!

Another PR

Yep!  I beat my fastest time by all of seven seconds.  ;)

I ran on the treadmill again, and tried out interval running for the first time.  I set my "fast" time for a 9-something minute/mile, and my "slow" time for a 13-something minute/mile.  I ran the fast time at an equal or longer length of time than I ran the slow time, giving myself a fairly decent work-out.  I was aching to slow it down, but kept pushing myself.  I can see how this will increase my pace over time.  Glad I discovered this.

~Faster by Forty!

Training Buddies

I am fortunate to have found several different friends who are helping to keep me on track with the exercise game.  Last night I met up with one friend.  She showed me how to do something different on the treadmill than I usually do:  use one of the pre-programmed settings.  I plugged in my info, and away I went.  It was great!  I did the "aerobic" track for 30 minutes and ended up doing only 2 miles, which I thought was pitiful, but it pushed me a bit and let me rest.  I tend to be an "all-or-nothing" type person, and have worked really hard at my fastest pace for most runs and feel pretty whipped at the end.  And there is a time and place for this, I know.  But I really enjoyed the run last night.  Having a buddy next to me on another treadmill who I could talk with throughout the time made the minutes tick by quickly.  When we were done walking/running, we then checked out some of the machines for weight-lifting.  I hate weight-lifting.  I don't want bulging muscles, although toning up isn't bad.  But yeah, I hate those machines.  However, Brenda had an app for beginners that we followed, and it really wasn't that bad.  I did as little weight as I could get away with because I didn't want to be sore today, and only one rep of 12.  I survived.  :)

Today I met up with a few more friends at the pool, and we swam with our kids.  My trainer husband was also there, and he helped me some more with my strokes.  Taking breaths on the left side was frustrating, as my hair always flew into my mouth when I turned.  I've decided I need to wear a fancy-schmancy swim cap.  Sigh.  Fashion statements are falling by the way, one at a time.  Anyway, it was another fun time.  One of my friends today told me that she's considering doing triathlons, specifically the same one I am training for!  She didn't know I was training for such, and so we both got a great surprise over this.  We're in the same age category, and she is already such a better runner than I am.  Sigh again.  BUT, I must tell myself that this is for ME and my health, and let the competition be used to better me.  I'm really excited that my friend is considering doing this, as it's another connection point, and who doesn't like that in a friendship?

Enjoying the experience!

~Faster by Forty!

I'm Back!

Oh, shamefulness.  It's been too long since the gym and I were together.  Tonight, though, we met again.  The walk/run was short and painful (side stitch), but I am BACK!

I have a fabulous trainer who took the kids to their program so I could get to the gym.  On their way out the door, he did say, "I'm gonna be mad if I come home and you didn't go to the gym."  Hmmm . . .  Love you, too, Sargeant Trainer.  He knows me well, what can I say?  I definitely need a kick in the pants at times.  This was one of those times.

The holidays are OVER.

November Totals

So I've not been very active for a few weeks.  Blame it on a cold or a sinus infection or a cough.  Or Thanksgiving.  But tonight I went back in.  Ran on the endless track of a treadmill.  3 miles.  Low 11min/mi. pace.  Didn't feel like doing it, but glad that I did.

So, for the totals:

November 1-30
Biking:  7.6 miles
Running:  12.31 miles
Mileage totals:  19.91 miles
6 days total for all three disciplines

Ugh.

How to Get Massive Thighs . . .

. . .  Ride the stationary bike and do spinning for 30 minutes.  Ended up doing 7.6 miles.  When I got off, I made my fat, heavy thighs stomp over to the treadmill and run a half mile.  Talk about hilarity!  I seriously felt like I had a 50-lb weight strapped around each thigh.  My legs felt like they were slamming down into the treadmill like a giant's legs might do.  Oh, this will take some getting used to!

First PR

Small milestones are worthy of note, I do think.  :)  So, here's one:  I just set a new PR (personal record) tonight:  a (nearly) 11-minute mile!  It felt GOOD.

I discovered that I am slow to warm up, and that is what has damaged my runs.  So tonight I warmed up for half a mile on the treadmill, got off, stretched, and then started my run for real.  I began the pace at 12 minutes/mile, and then after the first half mile I bumped it up one level every quarter mile.  By the time I had finished 2 1/2 miles, I began to wonder if I could run a sub-11-minute mile, so I started to increase my level a bit more frequently, and the last 1/8th mile, I nearly stayed on the buttons.  Ha!  That last 1/8th mile, I could totally see the "finish line":  that green ball sailing smoothly around the track to "the line".  I truly felt the adrenalin rushing through me.  It was great!

A side note to share:  this exercise is encouraging other good habits to develop.  I have always been a fair-weather water drinker.  I just don't think to do it; don't crave it.  It's not that I hate water.  I'm just not thirsty that much.  But I am realizing my body's need of water with all this exercising, so I am trying to listen.  My first goal was to get exercising.  I see my next goal is that of increasing my fluid intake.  All for a healthier me!  It's awesome!

My cat is curled up in my lap right now, having just got her fill of salt from my skin.  So now I am off to drink some water and help balance those electrolytes in my body.  Excuse me, Lily.  :)

Treadmill

My knee was feeling better after several days of not exercising it, so I went to the gym to run.  I find that after several days of no exercise, my anxiety levels start to rise.  Exercise is doing me a world of good in helping to control that, and I am starting to find myself craving the exercise in order to release that anxiety.

Today I had no knee pain after running 3 miles.  Yay!!!  The last little bit of it I ran a 10-minute pace, too, which was good to see.  At this point, though, it's hard to believe that, with practice, this pace could be maintained.  But, it CAN be done.

I had issues with the release cord, and yanking it off accidentally, which of course did its job and stopped the track under me.  I am so not techy, so spent a solid minute or two trying to figure out how to rectify the problem.  I eventually did, but not after turning the machine all the way off and starting over.  Ugh.

The first 1.06 mi was at a pace of 13.69min/mi.  The last two miles were at a 11.15min/mi pace, averaging out to 11.75min/mi.

Knee Grief

In the past, I have had issues with my knees having some serious pain from strenuous running or hiking, to the point of nearly needing to be carried down the mountain.  I've thought I escaped this, as, following a month of training I hadn't experienced any pain.  Well, let me tell ya!  Today it caught up with me!

I ran on the treadmill, and over the course of my run, I could feel that creeping pain coming into the outer side of my knee.  And I learned a lesson:  when the pain starts, quit running!  But do you think I did?

Thirty-eight minutes and 3.25 miles after starting my run, I got off the treadmill, stretched, and then hobbled to my car.  Got home, poured in the ibuprofen, and sat down.  The rest of the day has been fine until I move from my chair.  Gasp!

The up side of this is that I will not be running or biking for awhile, as these disciplines do not help the problem knee heal.  But swimming?  Ah, and I am so lacking in devoted time on this venue.  So, it's not all bad, right?

~Faster by forty!

First Month Totals

For the fun of it, I'm going to enter my mileage totals for each month of training.  So far for swimming, I've not kept track of anything except that I spent time doing it, as I'm just learning the basics and not swimming laps yet.  Regardless, here are the stats:

September 30-October 30
Biking: 29.78 miles
Running: 19.11 miles
Mileage totals for the two disciplines are 48.89 miles
15 total days logged for all three disciplines.


I'm thinkin' that sounds piddly.  

On Being a Fish: There's Hope

1970's.  Living in Western Canada, where the only outdoor pool was a rare heated pool.  I was terrified of it, and sat (in cold weather) on a cement thing in the middle of this pool, steam rising all around me.  I vividly remember this scene at probably three years of age.

Late 1970's.  Attending grade school in Michigan, we occasionally took a bus load from my school to a local YMCA.  I ALWAYS got stomach aches from anxiety pre-swim, and then near-drowned on the pool water, resulting in a worse-ever stomach ache afterward.

1980's.  Lived near a summer camp that had a pool.  Rode my bike to the pool and paid $1 to swim for the afternoon, once or twice a week during summer months.  Actually taught myself how to keep myself afloat and "swim", although there was zero form or style.  I floundered, and that was about it.  Attempted crawl stroke, but couldn't figure out how to breathe while stroking, so this was what happened:  DEEP breath, push off from pool and swim like mad till ran out of breath, then tread water while breathing, then continue on.  That hasn't changed over the years, except that it's embarrassing when someone is watching.

1990's.  Attended college, and made use of the free pool at my university.  Didn't learn anything new.

1996.  The year of my first and only full triathlon.  Husband and I were "just friends", and he was a former lifeguard.  In an attempt to help me prepare for the triathlon, he volunteered to teach me how to swim properly.  Major fail on my part.  I swam the entire triathlon 1/2 mile side stroke.  Nearly the last one out of the lake.  Made up for a poor swim with a decent bike and run.

October 26, 2011.  Husband swam beside me in the pool while I swam for the first time doing a crawl stroke AND breathing.  VICTORY!!!  Husband feels like he finally completed his job, and I am knocking down major barriers.  It feels incredible!  All the moves still feel robotic and calculated, and my brain is struggling to process and act out what I know I am supposed to do.  But it is happening!  I'm actually looking forward to my next swim, in anticipation of seeing this barrier be totally knocked out.  At 39 years of age, I am actually learning to swim!  Woohoo!!!

~Faster by Forty

* * *

Today I experienced some serious back issues.  I couldn't exactly call it pain, but it totally knocked the breath out of me, over and over again.  If I hold still, there is no pain, but twisting movements of any kind just made me catch my breath and gasp.  Husband thinks this may be because of the stretching of my back during biking.  I hope this is what it was.  Regardless, I wanted to swim today, hoping that a counter-exercise would help this problem.  I'm not sure that it made a difference, but I'm still going.  :)  Sitting in the hot tub after swimming couldn't have hurt things.  And truly, I do find it curious and encouraging that the different disciplines of triathlon training help my body.  One venue will create sore muscles in my legs, while another activity erases that pain.  It's all good, I tell you.  :)