Training Chronicles
Stories of a Triathlon Training Dabbler and Swimming Lessons Survivor
I'm one step closer to the finish line at Ironman Kansas 70.3. Last week, local triathletes tested their readiness in the open waters of Longview Lake where the weekend's upcoming triathlon was to be held. My friends Katie and Tim joined me for our first adventure in the cool early spring waters. We had all recently acquired sleeveless wetsuits to assist us in our transition to outdoor open water swimming. Katie and Tim kept their cool while I was literally shaking with anxiety (and colder air temps). I hadn't been this nervous since I interviewed for my personal training position in New York a couple years ago.
After listening to a short clinic of tips, the three of us got in, fully submerged ourselves and then we were off! To my surprise, the water clarity was better than I had imagined. (I had been swimming with my eyes closed for a few strokes here and there in the the pool at the J.) Sighting the buoy proved to be more challenging than I had anticipated, though. I had tinted goggles on and the skies were cloudy so our environment was less bright than if it were a sunny day. I swam a couple laps after realizing it wasn't so bad and I felt the anxiety quickly melt away. I felt as though I was 20 pounds lighter now that I was conquering the new world of open water swimming. I can't imagine not having done this considering my first triathlon was less than four days away...
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The endorphins are flowing following Sunday's long ride which somehow didn't give me an endurance hangover on Monday. I started to research how to train for an Ironman. Surprisingly, I think I would only need to squeeze in about 3-7 more hours per week of training. Hmmm…..
I have never considered myself obsessive-compulsive although I've always "needed" something to train for to avoid feeling like I was bored and on a one-way street to nowhere. This training has changed my mind. It feels good to do something I've never done before, even if it makes me OCD. 7 months ago I couldn't swim. In one month, I will be swimming in open water for (hopefully) 50 minutes. Who's to say that in a year I can't go twice as long? I'm completely adjusted physically as long as I get enough rest. I officially have no social life and somehow I'm okay with that. Seeing my friends once a month is unacceptable but I'm lucky to have ones that understand what I'm doing. I'm a self-diagnoser and this time I must have Ironman Disease. Less than 5 weeks to go! Now entering into our fifth month of specific 70.3 training, Team Katie and Sarah (we need a better name) are feeling more confident than ever with our training. I'd like to mention a few epic moments in the past few weeks of training.
Katie and I met for our first ride together a few weeks ago at the downtown airport. We had been planning our family and work schedules around this ride and as the day approached, the forecast was looking downright dreadful. This was the perfect time to realize how TOUGH my training partner is because not only did we go out on a limb and do the ride anyway, we survived fierce periods of rain, wind, and even hail. About a half mile into the bike, the rains came. By the end of the first loop, it was hailing. Luckily after toughing it out and not stopping, we hit a huge dry spot in the sky. Granted, the winds were blowing up to 40 mph and the temperature was a little chilly for my tank and shorts. After about 30 miles, I saw legitamate lightning and raced back toward the car. Once we arrived, we were SO close to hitting our 40 mile goal that we kept going and finished safely. I packed a little light for the aftermath of soaked clothes and shoes so I had to sit on a paper bag from Hen House on the way home. Nonetheless, I felt like we had accomplished a lot by not only hitting our mileage goal, but also from doing it in very tough conditions. Katie is a freakishly fast little cycler! I hit 50 miles on the bike easily, riding on Easter weekend in Des Moines on the Great Western Trail. I hope people in Des Moines don't take their trails for granted because it is a MUCH more bike-friendly city. I wanted to continue to do 50 miles each Sunday, so last weekend I did my loops around Leawood Country Club until the threatening clouds moved in. I headed back toward my place and started doing 4 mile loops on Tomahawk Creek Parkway and Mission Road. 40 miles down and 10 miles to go, I was entering a roundabout headed east and a huge gust of wind coming from the south literally blew me off of my bike. (I've been told this doesn't really happen….) I hit the grass pretty hard, obviously shocked that this happened so suddenly. I got up almost immediately to assess the damage. I came out with a few scrapes on my shoulder and elbow. My right handlebar is a little bent but I think it is fixable. The next day my shoulder and arm were sore and my left ankle was sore because it was forced to unclip as my bike fell. I really wish I could have seen it on camera. Of course, I laughed for a few minutes trying to decide if I should finish my ride. I decided to top it off with the last ten miles and I'm glad I did. I came upon a guy riding a little slower and as I approached, I noticed he was wearing a Coe College Kohawk bike jersey!!! I told him how cool his jersey was and that no one around here has ever heard of the college and that I was a 2007 graduate. I finished biking (slower) with him and finally got to retire after a rollercoaster of a ride. Today, I just got back from our trip to Clinton State Park to preview the bike course we were up against in a month. I've had athletes who have done this 70.3 before and claim it's a very, very tough course. We cruised through 60 miles of course terrain and now we refuse to share the same sentiment. We got up and down the hills feeling great and without struggle! After a few additional miles we accidentally added on because we forgot where we parked (the sun fried our brains), our legs were still feeling fresh. I felt like I could ride 30 more! The next obstacle will be open water swimming. If we can get comfortable with that, we will do well and leave this experience feeling motivated to do more… maybe even twice as much!? My poor, poor triathlon blog has taken a hit since the last time I wrote about my progress toward Kansas 70.3. That's the bad news though. The good news is that I have hardly missed a day out of my weekly training routine, managed to have a couple successful months with my business and I still have a boyfriend.
Let's get up to speed. I ran the New Orleans Rock n Roll marathon and managed to finish in 1:42 after only doing about 10 training runs leading up to the race. I went out comfortably, then realized I was about 30 seconds faster than what my goal pace was. It felt so great that I started to wonder if I could hit a PR. I was on target until the 100% humidity turned into a downpour at about mile 11. It was such a great event and I love the city and I'm convinced I want to do this race every year. Two weeks later I did my first indoor triathlon. I did a 500 yard swim, 8 mile bike, and 2 mile run. I finished in about 42 minutes and clearly my swim was the weakest event. I saw in 10:23, biked in 15:00 (indoor cycling mph is VERY different) and 14:00 run. I felt great about finishing second in my age group and was happy to start to grasp how my legs will feel transitioning from one sport to the next. Other than those events, I've had plenty of fun not competing in any races and have managed to stay on task. I'm 11 weeks in from an organized training program with about 10 weeks to go. My new hesitation is how my biking has progressed (or hasn't). March is still colder than normal and I've only been able to get out on the roads 3 or 4 times for no more than a couple hours AND at a very slow speed. I'm feeling pretty unconfident about finish 56 miles in less than 4 hours. Warmer weather is on the horizon, or so Bryan Busby keeps saying. My new challenge will be working more hours along with maintaining 10-11 workouts per week as springtime gets settled. I'm planning on doing Brew to Brew next weekend and also considering doing Rock the Parkway 1/2 marathon. More importantly, I will be twiddling my thumbs waiting for Lake Quivira to warm up so I can test out my open water skills. My life right now: Eat, work, eat, workout, eat, work, eat, workout, eat, sleep……. One month of solid training is officially in the books for me. I somehow managed not to run any races or do anything foolish considering the racing schedule that is ahead of me. Although I feel as though I'm in mediocre shape, I think it is healthy to acknowledge the small achievements so far:
1. Completing two months of swimming lessons without frustration while building additional confidence that my 70.3 goal is more attainable than ever. 2. Taking two weeks OFF. No running, no swimming, no biking. Emotionally, I was a monster, but physically, I am refreshed and ready to get focused on the next six months. I never took a day off after the Chicago marathon and by the middle of December, I was exhausted to say the very least. 3. Cutting my mile time in the pool down to 44 minutes. (Don't laugh!) When this journey started I couldn't dream of swimming that far and halfway through swimming lessons, I was splashing through a mile no faster than 50 minutes. 4. Keeping up with 3 two-a-days per week during the entire month of January (about 9 long workouts per week total). February promises to be an interesting month of training as I was coaxed (quite easily) into signing up for the New Orleans half marathon this weekend. I haven't ran over 8 miles since October so I am relying solely on my overall fitness. Later on in the month, I'm doing the JCC Indoor Tri, which is a 500 yard swim, 8 mile ride on a spin bike, and 2 mile run on the upstairs track. Coming up is a bit of a rest week after 13.1 and then workouts will get longer leading up to finally being able to get outside to ride during March. (Spring!!!!!!!!) I suggest reading the last excerpt before continuing. It is now January 7th and my half ironman is 6 months away.
Over two weeks ago, I was feeling extremely fatigued. All of this after running the Chicago marathon and not taking more than one day off in a row. It was time for a break. Luckily, this coincided with the holidays and my road trip to South Dakota and Iowa for friends and family visits. I slept til almost 8am every single day! So now whether I feel refreshed or not, it's time to get serious about training and start getting on a schedule. After 8 lessons with Ann at the J, I feel like I can get in the pool and not be embarrassed by my lack of understanding any type of stroke. I reached 2000 yards finally before my break so I know that this whole triathlon is possible. I have a borrowed indoor trainer from one of my friends, and I signed up for the New Orleans Rock 'n Roll Marathon on February 2nd. So that's where I'm at now. I have gotten lots of winter tips from other athletes, like, going outside and laying facedown in the snow to mimic early season open water swimming. I'm still working up the courage to do that, especially since it's been below 0 for the last two weeks. I'm slowly warming up to the indoor cycling thing, but it is about as interesting as the dreadmill. The longest run I've gone for so far leading up to my half marathon is about an hour (and it was not fast). Week 1 is going well otherwise. I just got done taking down Christmas decorations in my house and stuck my bike where my tree was, got back into the pool, and outside for some cold runs. I am ready! Yesterday I had my third lesson with Ann. We attempted the first few steps of learning the breaststroke. She insisted this is a much better option to fall back on in the middle of my 1.2 mile swim rather than backstroke. What? You mean swimming blindly on my back in a crowded lake isn't the best option...? We also worked on not touching the walls between laps to simulate the wall-less lake I am supposed to be swimming in. She also emphasized exhaling more underwater to balance the desperate choke of air I take in when my head comes out of the water. I think this week I will attempt my longest swim yet.
Biking is pretty uneventful. My friend Phil and I took our bikes to Shawnee Mission Park last weekend and rode on the trails. We did our longest ride yet - 18.5 miles. I reminded him that my grandparents ride 20 miles everytime they take their bikes out for a ride. We took a few breaks which I didn't necessarily need but the distance was reassuring me again that I can do this! Wait... what about running? Yeah I haven't done that yet..... Next steps: 1. Swim longer 2. Bike longer 3. Run? 4. Identify a training program that I will be able to follow starting 20 weeks out from the race 5. Sign up for the race 6. Finish the race 7. Drink a celebratory beer October 14th marked the first day after the Chicago marathon, the last marathon I will be doing for a while, and marked the first day of my new adventure in triathlon training. After a tour of the Jewish Community Center, I decided to join because of the great reputation the pool had along with its one “infamous” swim instructor. My first few trips to the pool were good. I managed to eek out 400 yards, 500 yards, and 800 yards during the first week. I was told several times, once by a lifeguard and once by a guy named Clark who was swimming next to me one day, that I was not a good swimmer. I appreciated the feedback because the truth does not offend me! Mike, the lifeguard, told me I should come to a Master’s Swimming lesson, but I chose to go a different route.
For years, training a woman named Angie, she motivated me to hire this “infamous” instructor named Ann, who has worked with all four of her children. She has raved about her since I began discussing my ambitions to learn how to swim. A couple weeks into my solo swimming escapades, I finally got a hold of Ann and set up a time to meet. Talking to her on the phone, I knew she would be a good fit. She was to the point, making swimming seem more black and white instead of this gray and scary place I never wanted to go. I hope to be like her someday! It was also the time between the phone call we had and the next time I was in the pool alone that I had actual only swam half of the distance I thought. This was going to be a long road! My first lesson started with me telling her my story that made me fearful of deep water. She had a similar one. She then assured me that if she could do it, then so could I. She gathered that I can be rather competitive and told me not to be a hero in our first few sessions. We started by getting my face in the water and pushing off the wall with my feet with my arms together straight out in front of me. I like to swallow pool water. She helped me work on keeping my mouth open, because that is what is natural for me when I run, so why not do it in the pool? It seems strange to keep my mouth open under water but it is working! The second after learning to breathe was keeping my arms, hands, and feet relaxed. According to her, I keep a lot of tension in those places because preconceived ideas of how a swimmer should look. Soon after, it was clear I didn’t know how to kick. The kick should come from the hips, not the knees. Keeping my knees straight and my feet relaxed has been a challenge. After basking in her reassurance and confidence in me, this concluded my first session. She said I probably swam about 400 yards. ______ I never got a chance to get in the pool until the next day before my second lesson. I could tell just with the small changes I had made that I was swimming more relaxed and efficient. AND I made it to 800 yards (not 1600 yards… oops). So yesterday, we worked on keeping my arms relaxed - thumbs close to the body and arms entering lightly through the fingertips. I need practice but I was starting to get it by the end of the lesson. We got out of the pool afterward and worked on moving at the hip instead of the knee during my kick. Overall, we had a great second lesson. She is going to get me into some deep water soon so I can practice relaxing and not panicking when I get tired in deep water. |
AuthorAggressive endurance athlete ready for a new challenge. Archives
September 2015
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