'Till Kona

Back home in Dallas now with lots to do before leaving for Hawaii...Friday!!!!!!
Between running errands, extracurricular meetings, training, packing clothes/bike/other junk, getting everything in-line with school...I really hope I don't forget something.
Thursday night I'm actually gonna go see the "Spirit of the Marathon" documentary- should be interesting.

More to come very soon from the Big Island :)!!

Frost Yer Fanny Duathlon

Yay! I did it... I stuck it out and raced in Antarctic conditions hehe.

My friend George and I left before the awards as we were cold and hungry. Overall Female I got 3rd and 1st in my age group. So, not too shabby.

Details:
Did my 10min run and 10min bike warm up and by then was actually not feeling so frozen, except my toes which were completely numb.
The first run 5k was good. I went on perceived race pace effort as I was wearing my HR strap from my powermeter for bike download. Mile one came at 6:19, and I was feeling like I could hold sub-6:30s after all...I had serious doubts about that this morning when I realized my genious had forgotten my inhaler in Dallas!!! It was actually a cool run course...mostly trail and flat.

Went into transition in 21 so did slow down after the first mile, bummer, but I wasn't disappointed. The bike felt really good, I'm feeling strong on the bike- those power workouts on the trainer the last couple of weeks have paid off! The roads were awesome and we had great lane closures for the race. It was two loops for 21miles. The end of the loop had some nice rollers :) From out of nowhere though, the wind that was non-existent before the start had turned Hawi-like haha. So head wind for about 6-7 miles of the 10.5 mile loop and the rest tailwind. I'm happy with my bike. If I could go back, I'd probably take it a little easier the first 2-3 miles...I think I hammered too hard. That seems to be a problem with me- taking it easy at the beginning!!

Second 5k...this is where I wanted to kill myself for forgetting my inhaler. My chest/lungs/throat were painful and pillow-stuffed. Leg wise- I settled into running rythm after 1.5miles. 22:53 so much slower than the first 5k. At the finish the breathing was scary but I walked it off, drank some warm water and it eventually settled down.

Conclusion: I'm happy with my effort, I gave it my all, learned my lessons (don't forget inhaler, conserve the first few minutes of the run and bike).

Well, plannin on chilling the rest of the day and probably get in the cold water at Barton Springs for a mock "ice-bath".

Looking forward to UT masters swim tomorrow morning and then hopefully a traffic free drive back to Dallas!

Terrified

It's 26F!!!!!!! I've never been scared to race before- today I am. If I can will myself to the start and finish of the race I'll have conquered my biggest obstacle: COLD.

For Kona, I was excited, anxious, happy, proud, honored, confident. Today I'm a terrified wreck. The though of numb fingers and toes, chapped lips, frozen ears, etc...has me wishing for some time on the trainer, a swim, even a treadmill run.

I've gone over the fact that this is a training race and therefore I could just wimp out and train normally for the day....but I guess what's keeping me from doing that is the fact that it will be a huge accomplishment for me to get through a race in such conditions- like summitting a mountain :) Last year I didn't even make the drive down to Austin for the regional banquet awards (which take place over this wkdn's race) so simply committing mentally to come down and participate is a major step forward.

It's probably a laughable dilemma to some, but when you're body and mind are used to 100degree TX summers with a mirage in the distance as you're running down the road and the lovely feeling of humidity as vapors rise from the grass, anything below say 60degs just SUCKS!!!

Two more hours 'till I put on my multiple layers and drive over to race. I don't care if I can barely lift my legs from the amount of clothing- I'm gonna do my best to stay warm.

Will update when it's over and I'm happily eating breakfast and sipping something hot.

Freeeezing

Yesterday was the coldest I've been in a long time it was high 20s ALL day!!...I'm crossing my fingers that it's much warmer for the race Sunday. Solely running in the cold is not too terrible, but cycling, that's another story.
The first week back at school has been awesome. I love my new classes. Finally, as a junior/senior, all of my classes appeal to my interests as I am done with core requirements and cultural formations. So I'm taking two marketing classes, sports marketing is my favorite, a management, and my last elective- theatre :)
Anyway, training has been going great. Despite the short cold I had last week, I didn't lose anything from it, only had to take one day off, and continued my rythm just fine.
Today will just be a tempo ride and a swim followed by a much needed massage. Then off to Austin tomorrow morning! I really enjoy going to Austin, though the drive can be a beating at times, hopefully I won't hit traffic or road construction delays. I'll be staying with my friend George, who's training for Ironman Arizona in April...not sure if he'll be doing the du too.I might stay until Monday as it's a school holiday- we'll see.
Gotta hop on the trainer~

Here Goes...

Back to school tomorrow! I'll be pretty busy getting in the swing of things this week and preparing to leave for the Frost Yer Fanny duathlon in Austin this weekend. I'll post a race report on the du and then will be blogging a bunch about the training camp in Kona- we leave on the 25th!!! I'm soooo excited :)

Sweet Swim Surprise

Glad to say I'm over my cold :) It's good to get that out of the way before the season even starts and it makes me appreciate every opportunity to train all the more. Back on the trainer this morning which felt great and then I was really looking forward to swimming as it's so refreshing/relaxing a workout. However, I expected to be a little sloppy in the water after 3 days and being ill. To my surprise, I had one of the best swims ever! My 100s fast set I was swimming abnormaly faster than before. I can't explain why or how, but it was awesome.
Tomorrow I'm scheduled to do a 5k out at White Rock Lake...we'll see what my coach and I decide on this though as it's supposed to be cold race time and with my bronchials not 100% I'm not sure it's worth aggravating them. It's a bit of a bummer because I had been looking forward to this race all week as it's a pacing test for me to hit each mile as instructed.
Well, off to the bike shop!

Smart Decision

Over the course of a year and a half or so of training for triathlon, I've learned a lot. Some lessons have been free of cost such as simple advice from friends and coaches...others, however, have come with a big price and those are the ones that I'll probably never forget. One of the biggest is dealing with an injury or sickness.

Training for Ironman I started to develop pain in my right foot- from the calve to the arch. But, as many of us do, I ignored it and continued to train. Eventually I couldn't run without crying, got a brace, bought numerous over-the-counter-orthodics, and had to water run for about 2 weeks. Now I know to pay attention at the first signs of discomfort, ice, stretch, and wear enough support.

As for the illness, this I wouldn't even wish upon my worst enemy...
In mid-September just prior to heading out to San Diego for a knarly week of training before the taper to IM, I got food poisoning!! A friend and I went to an Italian restaurant and the Sea Bass became my living nightmare. On the car ride home I began to feel tipsy, and all I had to drink was water. Sure enough, I spent the whole night hugging the toilet, throwing up and feeling nasuea as I never before had experienced. I've had my share of eating a bad shrimp, etc but this was unreal, I felt like I wanted to die. The net morning, I had to go into work for aout an hour before heading to the airport. I looked pale green and tried to sip on ginger juice and eat applesauce, but nothing helped, I continuously got worse. I don't remember the drive to the airport, but once I parked, as the shuttle lady was loading my luggage I was throwing up next to my car. The airport and the airplane ride were living hell. I only hoped I would feel better in a day or so since the whole purpose of this trip was major training.
Long story short, it got BAD. The next morning I attempted a 30min swim and 2 hr bike ride with a transition run- STUPID STUPID!! I could only take in water and about 1/2 cup of it so I was dehydrated, weak from lack of food, dizzy, nasueaus, etc. This lasted the whole week and I had to go home early as I wasn't able to train and my Ironman race could really be sacrificed if I didn't get better soon. The straw that broke the camel's back was the 6 hour ride I attempted, only to last 4 hours and throw up every 30min.
When I returned to Dallas I spent 3 days on the couch trying to eat as much food as possible. I had done a 10min run and found that my legs were empty, they couldn't support me- it was horrible. After the time off and the fueling, I ran again and it was like my body had rebelled from taking the sudden 3 days off after all the previous' months training and the stress of the illness just prior, that my legs hurt so bad I had to stop and walk every minute or so.

So today, I had weights and a swim on the schedule. Yesterday I made the mistake of choosing to run out in the cold even though my cough/congestion wasn't better. But I looked back on last year's mistake and stopped myself from repeating it. I did weights this morning but chose to opt out of swimming. I'm sick. It's hard to admit and to see that long term this will have no effect on my season if I just step back and give my body the rest I need to get well. Hopefully by tomorrow I can do my workouts at a lower intensity, but I promised myself that if I feel like I did today, another day off will be necessary.