Hills

How is training going? Great.

Today I needed to ride, Lan suggested a 40 miler, maybe a couple during the week. But I didn't want to ride alone so I asked Christine to go with me, more like I bullied her into going with me. I planned a route & headed over to her house, 2 miles / 8 minutes from here.

Shes got a pretty orange Serotta that she just put new tires on, everything matches. Shes even got an orange bandanna for greasy fingers for if you (I) drop your (my) chain.

This is my clean had after I put the chain back on.

And looky here, after Christine and I finished 20/24 miles I was heading home, going up Mullenix and I ran into  this man. Lan, my sweety. Actually he passed me in his work truck and headed up the hill, passed me & turned around at the top. When I got up there he flashed his red emergency lights so I knew it was him. So guess what?? Not only did I get a kiss from my lover but I also got sirens!!

Anyway on our ride I chose a basic circular route but some easy hills and nice corners. Then when we were actually riding those easy hills I realized they were harder hills but I was rocking them.  I was easily able to pass Christine on the uphill, on almost every hill. I'd just stand and pound the pedals and get up. I wasn't breathing hard at the top of every hill either.

Then we got to do fast down the hills and that was enjoyable too.

I know now I'm getting stronger with every ride I do, the more hills, the faster I go.

As long as I can get out of the water at CDA I'll be able to get one of these of my very own... This photo is of Kris Parks, she finished Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2011 and is one of the reasons I am giving it an attempt.

Elma Memorial Day Tri race report

How is training going? Pretty good.

 

Elma Memorial Day Tri race report:

Once again: DIVISION WINNER*

 

 

 

*That would be the 'Denise Brooks' Division. Everyone got either a trophy or medal that said division winner on it.

I had planned on getting there early but the course was so messed up, not the same place we've used before. Swim, run, then bike.

 

They had to shuttle us in the guys personal van and that was a joke. He made an illegal U turn, hit a curb, got yelled at (dumb shit) so he yelled (fuck off) back to the guy.

 

The lake was full of Lilly pads, water pretty scummy. It wasn't so cold, just nasty to know I was putting myself into it. I take a long time to get warmed up and we didn't have time since we got to the venue in plenty of time but waiting for the shuttle took over an hour, we had no idea where the lake was, so no warm up time.

 

Swim: Approx 250 meters, took about 7 minutes, beat 1 lady out of the water. As long as I was doing freestyle I was making good progress but it takes me so long to get warmed up that I was out of the water before that happened. My chest was very restricted in my new wetsuit.

 

Note to self: GET YOUR ASS INTO THE LAKE.

T1: Stripped off the wetsuit & put on my dry running clothes, approximately 4 minutes.

Left everything for Brayden to pick up. I seriously thought he'd put all my stuff into my backpack but instead he just threw my wetsuit, loose, into the back of the truck. Exactly what I didn't want, anyone could have stolen it when they were pawing through everything later. But he did pick it up and get it into the truck so there is that.

 

Run: (run start watch time: 9:28) 3.2 miles in about 35 minutes. Ankle felt fine the whole time. Beat 1 runner by about 30 seconds, which happened to be Linda.  It was a nice flat run course along a lake on a bike path. There were a couple STOP signs where roads crossed the path but no cars were coming so I was able to just go. Plenty of regular users and it was pleasant.

 

Bike, helmet, shoes & sunglasses. No gloves.
Helmet covers water to keep it cool, straw
holds helmet in place.

T2: Off with the running shoes, on with bike shoes, helmet & glasses, about 30 seconds. I was onto my bike and gone, didn't wait for Linda even though she had waited for me in T1. Gawd, don't wait for me at IM CDA.

Bike: (bike start watch time: 45:30) 13 miles in about 45 minutes. 3 other riders had flats, 2 of which DNF. Beat 2 bikers, which happened to be Linda and one other lady that Linda beat too. There were aid stations along the way mostly meant for the half & full marathon runners but I had no need to stop.

 

Rolling course on Yelm Highway, out & back 6.5 miles. They had chalk on the road marking miles so I knew exactly where I was at all times except at the beginning & end. First followed white arrows & ended up on the runners path, not the bike path attached to the road & at the end I didn't know if I was supposed to go around the round about or what so used sidewalk.

 

Linda finished a few minutes after me, I'd had time to get a few of my things from T2 & was headed back to our car to change when she came in. Lan said Steve came in only about 3 minutes before me on the bike.

 

Steve is a very fast runner, for whatever reason he started the run after everyone else but he blew past Linda and I a couple minutes into it. He got on his bike and had a pretty good head start.  When Lan saw him up ahead he made sure to BLAST past Steve. Lan was totally anaerobic at that time but it was worth it to make Steve think Lan was ALL THAT.

Overall time: 1:32:45

About 20 minutes faster than my previous time but this was a new course.

 

 

The previous course is being used by another group so IF we decide to do another early season race it would be with the other people. This had no timer, I didn't like the shuttle service, the race info online wasn't much help, our GPS worked fine but a lot of them didn't. There should have been people at important corners to guide runners & bikers.

They did have a pretty nice spread of food for afterward, sandwich makings, fresh grapes, strawberries, Gatorade & pops, lots of donuts and cream puff things. I had my first ever Zebra Roll, nothing special but is was white with stripes.

Now, this might or might not be interesting to you:



2010

<- This was me 2 years ago, notice the fat rolls on my belly.

 

2012


This is me today, fat rolls are gone. ->

Hills

How is training going? Very good.

My supervisors at work haven't given me the time off for my race week yet but no matter what I won't be there.  I have over 3 days comp time and more than a week of vacation so they can either give it to me or I just won't be at work if they call.

Today I was on my way to the YMCA to do Torreys class but Linda called & wanted me to ride hills with her so I turned around and went back, got my bike and rode hills. See the hill behind us? This photo doesn't do it justice! I rode up that hill and it was HARD.

See Linda at the bottom waving at you? She didn't ride up. Linda knew better.

We rode over 15 miles and besides going up some good hills I also got my vacation time sheet turned in at Southworth (to be sent over via 1000 Miler envelope to Fauntleroy).

Also saw a fawn being rescued. The poor thing had maybe been hit by a car?? and was down in the ditch so this lady got it out of the ditch. She said she was going to take it inside & put it into her bed to warm it up. Ummmmm....
I hope it doesn't have lice.
Sure is cute though.

Coeur d'Alene bike course is great

How is training going? Very good.

Last Thursday we left home at 6pm & got to CDA at midnight. Checked into the hotel & 'slept' on one of the crappiest beds ever found on this earth. It had a V shaped mattress so we both kept rolling toward each other. Not good, no fun, shitty bed.

In the morning we got up at 7, went down for the free breakfast that wasn't bad at all & then planned our day. I wanted to start riding by 8am so we could get a seriously good ride in on the entire bike course but first I wanted to drive it one time. Then we would drive the run & visit the town & city info building. Check out time was 11 but I had asked at the front desk & they would give us until noon to check out, then we could have showers before leaving town.

All was fine until Lan discovered he had forgotten his shoes. DAMN. Ripped a page out of the phone book & proceeded to go to each of the 4 in town, only to find the first 2 were shut down permanently. Then the other 2 weren't open until 10am.

By now its 9am & I was mad but not letting on, I just wanted to ride and dumb shit forgets his fucking shoes. I didn't forget my shoes, I brought plenty of food for both of us, I had all my shit.

So while waiting we drove the course and I loved it.

There are a few hills that are 6% grade that scared me, not knowing how steep that really is but its not bad. Our hills around here are way steeper than CDA's are. The difference is that CDA has hills that are 2.5-3 miles long, ours are like up to 1 mile long. But I can handle theirs just fine.

There is the bike store, its huge. They had road stuff in a completely different room than the mtn bike stuff and complete sections, like, road shoes are not mixed in with the mtn bike shoes.

I found some I wanted but I just CAN NOT justify the $350 price tag, even if they do offer a 20% discount. They were narrow enough to fit my feet & had 2 dials to tighten the tension, in the front separate from over the arch.

Lan found the shoes he liked and luckily I had brought my Speedplay pedals and I let him borrow them. I charged rent, in the form of new socks.

Hes really lucky I brought these, saved him a ton of cash.

Finally at noon we got onto the bikes. This photo is after I had finished riding down the first 6% grade. It was super fun, just windy. I did sit up to slow down, ugh.

This is near the turn around for the hilly section of the bike course.

Right before we got back to the car Lan got a flat, he had it this much changed before I had the camera out & it was just in my back pocket! In less than 3 minutes he was riding again. What a man!

I love these new shoes

After we rode the hills we got into the car and drove the run course, which also happened to be the first part of the bike course. This is the biking turn around, we think.

Then we went to the lake and played in the sand for a few minutes. The water was cold but not as cold as the first time we swam in Wildcat this year.

All in all it was a nice ride. Too bad it didn't all go as planned, too bad we only got a 3 hour ride in, too bad we didn't get to ride the complete course. I'll think about going over again and doing it all over again in the next 2 weeks.

Linda wanted to go, I didn't want to take her. She was upset, as I knew she would be, but I needed this training for me, not for her. I didn't want to take a chance that she would slow us down like she did on the Daffodil ride. So she and Steve went over Friday & Saturday and they basically had the same ride we had but Steve didn't forget his shoes.

Getting on my nerves

How is training going? I'm irritable.

I'm emotional lately, have been crying for no reason. Everything makes me mad. People are getting on my nerves.

I'm sure Lan will get tired of this pretty soon but for now hes my rock.

I had a big post written, ready to post & then it disappeared. Shit.

Tired

How is training going? Feeling overwhelmed.

I'm so tired of training.

Just today, yesterday I felt fine.

But today I want to go on a bike ride for fun, not for speed, not to go up hills, not to built strength/muscle/skill/stamina. I want to frolic in the water, not have to swim a mile or 3. I want to take a walk and enjoy the birds and scents carried on the wind, not get past as fast as my legs can carry me.

Needing to add miles

How is training going? OK.

Yesterday Lan and I went on a 61 mile bike ride. We had meant to go 80 but ran out of daylight and had to stop & call Linda to come rescue us.

The ride started late, I was working in the barn, Lan was changing tires on our bikes. He put the race wheels on my bike. Here it is with brand new tires on the wheels. He had to change the position of the brakes to fit properly on both bikes and replace 4 tire/wheel sets and change out his brakes too.

The elbow pads on my bike were fine except without any cloth cover they started chaffing so he changed them out for these. Much better now.

He put a 165 crank on my bike to make me more efficient.

These are my new Speedplay pedals & clips, need new shoes to be able to use these.

I really liked the original handlebar tape but it was shite & kinds grimy looking when we bought the bikes. Lan changed it out for this camo stuff. Hard to ride when I cant see where my hands are.

The aero water bottle, love this thing. They come with a sponge, I'm not sure what its for. I wash it by hand or in the dishwasher & never put anything besides plain water in it.

Here are the bottle carriers behind the seat, I'm getting used to pulling them out one by one and drinking.

OK, where were we before I got side tracked? Oh yeah, our ride.

61 miles that was supposed to be at least 80. Went from home to McCormick Woods, to the big round about, out Carney lake/Elgin Clifton, past Rocky Bay. Through Victor, around the water thru Allyn, Grapeview, around Mason Lake, down a blasting fast hill to hwy 3. Then into Belfair where we stopped and called Linda for a ride.
It was 79* at the beginning & felt good for the entire ride, not too hot, not cold at all. I was beat tired by the end of it, don't know if I could have gone all the way home. My sit bones were SCREAMING at me by mile 40 & I was miserable. I'll make sure to NOT wear those shorts for a ride more than 20 miles ever again.
But it was also fun and Lan helped me a lot, coaching, helping with gears and shifting, explaining the road and what was ahead so I was prepared for it.
I can't wait to go on another ride and make it up to at least 80.

Race Report: Tacoma City Half Marathon

How is training going? PR at TCHM.

After having only run maybe 20 miles total since New Years, I not only ran the Tacoma City Half Marathon but got a PR too. My previous best half marathon time was 2:24:58 and yesterday I did it in 2:21:25. Wow, it felt good to know I was doing better and doing it faster, too. So here are the details.

Slept OK Saturday night but kept waking up and looking at the clock. Got up at 4:55, just before the alarm, showered before I woke Lan up. I had everything ready the night before so all I had to do was get dressed, eat and get my stuff into the car. We left home at 6, got the car parked at 6:35. I was ready to just sit and relax for the day but Lan wouldn't let me do that.

Full marathon started at 7am so I got my stuff together and we walked through the Bicentennial Pavilion, used the bathrooms in there on the way to the starting line. I was fully dressed because the outside temp was only 45* with plans to have Lan take them right before race time.

This is the start of the Full Marathon.

Here is me yesterday, just 2 minutes before start. I knew if I started out running with the 2:00 finishers I could fade back to 2:15 or 2:20 and finish with them.  I was ringing my hands to keep them warm, it was chilly and I didn't warm up until half way through the race.

This is me in the same position LAST YEAR. Look how much fat I've lost. Everything about me is smaller, more compact.

This is heading out onto Ruston Way, approximately half way done. I knew at this point I was getting a sore spot on my thigh from the shorts rubbing but it was just starting to rub.

Last year at the same spot. By then I had found a girl to run with, she stayed with me for most of the race but when I had to walk she forged ahead.

My Race-Sherpa. He brought me a protein bar, electrolyte water, love and support and ran with me for a few minutes. Hes so perfect.

And me, taking a self portrait.

NEVER DO ANYTHING FOR THE FIRST TIME ON RACE DAY

Oh yeah, this shirt is brand new, first time I've worn it. Its soft, warm enough, has 4 pockets in back, 1 of which has a zipper. Its long and stayed down, didn't ride up on my belly fat. I love it! I know that is one of the cardinal rules, but this time it worked out.

I didn't see anyone I knew until I got to about mile 9 and I passed Torrey, last year she ran the race this year shes a spectator. I knew I'd be passing her again so on the return trip I handed her my cap because my head was getting too sweaty.

And my finish, look at that smile!  2:21:25. I wanted to PR but without having run much at all I doubted it would happen and I also knew that if it did happen it wouldn't be by much. I was also planning ahead, had to have a time that I could beat again in the future.

The medal on the right is my new one, the medal on the left is from last year and I now have a complete set.

After we got home, Lan and I headed out and rode bikes for 27 miles. My pace was only 11mph but it was OK. Just ok, not great. There were a lot of good hills though so thats my only excuse.

Wishing

How is training going? Tacoma City Half Marathon tomorrow...

I'm resting today, havent done much this week. But I hardly ever do anything anyway.

I miss riding my horses, I should have been on them all winter long instead of forcing myself to not ride due to fear of injury. Maybe that a smart move but its making me depressed.

Joey needs me to ride, Sunshower needs me to ride, Wifi needs me to ride.

Feeling stronger

How is training going? I'm feeling stronger.

Training isn't coming along as much as I need, work is still getting in the way and the weather isn't cooperating but I am feeling stronger and looking better all the time.

I have been wanting to go ride my bike but either don't have enough time before or after work (I don't ride in the dark or during rain for safety reasons). I've had several mid day short shifts, 4-5 hours but since it takes 1.5 hours to get there and at least an hour to get home it takes up a huge chunk of the day. I can work out at the gym if I get there at 5:30am but I still need sleep too.

We did have a couple 70* days but now its raining again; yesterday it was warmer but Linda needed to get out of the house and I had a horse blanket to deliver to Delicia for Luke that I had picked up on Vashon Island for her so Linda and I went for a cruise in the Miata instead. Sometimes mental health training is more important than physical training.

But I am feeling stronger all over. My body is stronger than it ever has been before in my life. I'm able to do a workout and feel fresh and ready to keep going at the end of an hour. A year ago an hour killed me. My arms are looking sexy and I'm sporting nice BIG muscles now. I had to return my Amazing Race jersey because my arms have too much muscle for the sleeves.  I was looking in the mirror in the bathroom and I'm even starting to see a little definition in my abs (under the fat) but there.

Big news:

I had to buy new jeans, size 6! Its been quite a while since I could fit into jeans that small and they not only fit well but look great. I don't have a big roll of fat bulging over the top either. 

Two years ago I was getting ready for the Elma Memorial Day Triathlon and Lan took a photo of me from behind. I didn't think much of it until a while ago, I WAS FAT. I am planning on getting another photo in the same clothing doing the same thing and compair sizes this year.