Monthly Archives: February 2012

Swim Distance Epiphany!

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Ok, maybe I’m the last one to join the party on this one, but I’ve just come to the realization that I’ve been swimming MORE yards than I thought! I mean, I knew there was a difference between meters and yards, but I thought it was ever so slight. Technically  it is, with 1.09 yards for every meter, but over several hundred meters, it actually makes quite a difference!

All of this was discovered when I read Page’s blog post about her use of this handy swim pace calculator (Page is also training for her first IM – Arizona!). According to this schedule, if my 100 yard pace is 140, then my 100 meter pace would be 149! That’s 9 whole seconds. When I first got back into the pool after taking a hiatus from swimming after my last Olympic triathlon, I was noticing that my times were slower. I got discouraged, thinking that I had suddenly added  10-15 seconds to my 100 time. However, when I had my swim stroke analysis with Jim Vance, he told me that I was swimming 50 yards in 37 seconds and I felt like I was back on my game! As soon as I got back in the pool to practice the technique pointers he gave me, I was seeing the old numbers again and got frustrated but just assumed that my new technique was temporarily slowing me down.

Then, a few weeks ago I realized there was a sign on the wall in the pool area announced that the pool was in meters. I told Mike this and he confirmed that I was swimming a little bit farther than we did at other pools. I didn’t really think about it much, since I haven’t been focused on my pace much lately. However, last week I tried out our local YMCA’s master’s swim and I realized I was actually swimming pretty fast. In fact, this morning I was doing some of my 100s at 1:35!

The funny part is, I’m quite a numbers person (I’m a CPA). I’m really surprised I let this one get past me! Although, admittedly I’ve never been very good with distances and never have had an interest in figuring out exactly how many kilometers are in a mile or anything like that.

So, the moral of the story is that I’ve been swimming more yards than I thought, but at the end of the day, the Ironman is still measured in METERS. Meaning, that although the 2,600 meters I did last week was really closer to 2,834 yards, I still have to swim 4,000 meters on June 24, so really it doesn’t matter.

Really the best  part of the discovery of this chart is that I can now predict my race times. According to the handy swim pace calculator, if I usually swim 100 yards at 1:40, then I can expect to finish the Half Ironman in 36:58 and the Ironman in 1:13:55. At this point I tire out when I swim over 3,000 yards, so I know I have some work to do to get to that pace. I’m also not sure I could actually sustain a 1:40 for that distance. At TriRock Olympic, I did the 1,500 yards in 27:02, which is a 1:48 pace and the chart indicated I would have swam it in 26:15 (I think my base was 145 then). It’s hard to say what my base 100 was then and what it is now though. Obviously there are various factors such as drafting and using a wetsuit that can also change things.

Triathletes, does this chart accurately reflect the relationship between your own base and your race history? If you’ve done an Ironman or Half Ironman, were you able to predict your time fairly accurately or did it take longer than you thought?  

Everyone else – do you have issues with distance conversions like I do? Don’t you wish the US would just convert to the metric system and made everything easier!?

Ironman Training Week 12 – Group Swimming & 2 Long Rides

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Ironman Training Week 12 – February 19-26

This was the biggest week to date! Here’s how it went down:

Monday: Since we had the day off, we headed outdoors for our familiar “Pizza Port” route. We rode 44 miles with plenty of climbing and then came back and did Ab Ripper X and push-ups.

Tuesday: Started the day with 2,600 meters of swimming in the pool, including 4 x 400. Finished it with a easy 5 mile run. I had scheduled a track workout for this night but after such a big weekend I figured my legs could use a little rest.

Wednesday: For the first time, Mike and I went to our local YMCA (we aren’t members) and tried the Masters Swim. It was quite intimidating since everyone looked really fit and they all seemed to know what was going on, but it ended up being less scary that I imagined. I did however, get in 3,000  yards of swimming (I think this pool is in yards….) with plenty of endurance work. It was a good workout and I definitely think I will be making this a weekly routine. After work we got back on our trainers for a 90 minute spin while watching the Biggest Loser.

Thursday: We started the day with The Sufferfest “Downward Spiral” on the trainer. Thsi workout is one of my favorites and definitely one of the most intense. After a warm-up, it is a pyramid of 120 105, 90, 75, 60, 45, 30, 15 seconds on/off. After 5 minutes of rest, you repeat the sequence and they add on three bonus 15 second sprints at the end. This workout gets my heart rate VERY high and I finish drenched in sweat. At lunchtime, I did 75 minutes of Yoga. I’m lucky to have a yoga instructor come in to work twice a month. This workout was harder than  usual – less stretching and much more strength type work.

Friday: Rest day! I got 9.5 hours of sleep Thursday night and woke up Friday feeling much better. I don’t know what I’d do without a rest day each week!

Saturday: 67.5 mile bike ride followed by a 4.3 mile run. I felt great on this ride and could tell a significant difference in my comfort level on the bike. Blog post about this ride here. 

Wet Suit is a MUST for Ocean Swimming!

Sunday: We headed back to the beach on Sunday morning for another 1 mile ocean swim. This time the waves weren’t as big but there was still a current, although not as strong as last time. There was quite a large group this time – 20 people! We all swam out past the waves and then swam together half a mile North and then reconvened and swam back. Although I bought some booties for swimming in the cold water, it was absolutely freezing! My face was literally numb and my words were slurring a bit because I couldn’t move my mouth! This really made me reconsider wearing a tri suit the whole time for Oceanside. I think I’m going to bring a backup outfit so that I can change into warm clothes after the swim if necessary! After the swim, we headed home and put our feet in hot water to defrost them then got laced up for a 90 minute run. Our friend from the Vavi Running Club whom we also ran the Rock n Roll Marathon with, Jen, met up with us and ran with us. We kept it at a pretty slow pace and ended up only running about 9.5 miles in the allotted time. This whole running for time rather than miles thing is very new to me and honestly I prefer miles! I don’t like unround mileage numbers!

Weekly Volume (bike time is door to door, not ride time): 

  • Meters Swam: 7,600 (new weekly record for me!)
  • Hours Biked: 11 (another record)
  • Miles Run: ~19
  • Minutes of Core/Strength: 90
  • Total Weekly Hours: 18.5
Nutrition

Just a Part of the Weekend Costco Run


This time on the bike ride I took in 1,000 calories which is about 200/hour if you’re counting total ride time (ie including water/bathroom breaks and waiting at stoplights) or ~225/hour if you use Garmin time. So far this is working for me but I think I should bump it up just a bit for race day so I really should practice that a few more times before then.

Again, diet was pretty nutritious except for a big post-ride meal on Saturday and LOTS of Girl Scout Cookies. I found a pretty hilarious article written by fitness writer Susan Lacke that pretty much sums up my addiction for these tasty little treats: http://running.competitor.com/2012/02/out-there/out-there-cookie-monsters_47409. I vow not to purchase another box, no matter how cute and convincing those wily Girl Scouts are.
Overall Thoughts

Since we had the extra training day this week, this week ended up being quite a big week. By the end, I was pretty exhausted. I probably should have rested a bit more over the weekend, but errands and social commitments called my name and I listened. We managed to get in a 1.5 hour nap on Saturday but I definitely didn’t spend enough time sitting on my butt on Sunday. I could have used a nap or at least a couple hours of lounging on the couch. As such, we ended up sleeping in Monday morning following this week and skipping our scheduled 60 min easy spin, at Mike’s suggestion. My legs were feeling quite tired Sunday night despite wearing my compression socks for 9 hours that day (I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to wear them that long but with all the errands and running around and a dinner party that night I forgot to take them off!).
Despite finishing the week quite tired, throughout the week my energy levels were good and I felt ready for each and every workout. We have on more build week this coming week and then it’s recovery week. Another fun fact about this week was that as of February 24, we had exactly 4 months until Ironman CdA. That means that as of now, I’m in the 3 month range of the biggest race of my life! Here we go!

A Very Good Ride

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I hope you aren’t getting sick of hearing about cycling, because me and my P2 have been spending A LOT of quality time together lately and that’s what I want to talk about!

Mike & Me On the Road!

Yesterday I had one of those “breakthrough” workouts. A training workout where you feel like you’ve really accomplished something and that the world is your oyster. You finish this kind of workout thinking that you’re going to win your age group at your next Ironman. Crazy thoughts like that. Then you go back home and look up the winning times at your upcoming Half Ironman and realize that you aren’t playing in the neighborhood playground anymore – this is BIG time and your open half marathon PR doesn’t come close to the women who come in on top at your upcoming event ran 13.1 miles AFTER biking 56 and swimming 2,000 meters.

Regardless of my lack of ability to crush all my opponents at Oceanside next month without the help of a natural disaster that just happens to take out the front of the pack, I had a great workout today and I’m proud of that.

Twinsies!

Yesterday Mike and I set out alone on our twin P2s (except mine is 2012 and his is 2011 ;) for our long bike ride as Asia and Jeremy decided to do a practice triathlon with a coach that they have been informally working with. Mike and I decided to add-on a short loop that we knew of on the same  61 mile route with 2,500 feet of climbing that we completed  last week. I decided that my goal for this workout was to come home with a Garmin time that read that I did the course with an average speed above 15 mph (hard for me to with all those stop signs and stop lights and has only been done on flat courses) and also with a heart rate in zone 2. I also wanted to take as few breaks as possible, although the two bathroom/water refill breaks we did last week were inevitably included in our route.

As soon as we set out, I was feeling good, despite my fears that such a high volume cycling week would zap my energy (we did a 45 mile ride on Monday since we had it off and then also did a 90 min zone 2 spin on the trainer and a 60 minute interval workout on the trainer - over 5 1/2 hours already on the bike this week). I thought the ride would be mentally difficult since I didn’t have Asia to occasionally chat with, but I found that I had plenty to think about. By the time I met up with Mike at the first pit stop, around mile 25, I was averaging just under my goal, which was expected since those first miles were a net incline. After a quick stop, we were off and as soon as I hit 2 hours on my watch I was right on track for my 15 mph goal.

Surprisingly, the third hour was my fastest, which included the very intense 7 mile upward battle up Del Dios highway. When I got to the top, Mike told me how shocked at how little distance was between us. He had looped back down before the first pit stop and then again at the top of the hill to add extra mileage yet he was still only 5 miles ahead of me. At this point my legs were a bit fatigued from all the climbing but overall I felt good. I rode the next segment feeling great, hit the next pit stop, and took off. We were home in just less time than we completed our previous week’s 61 mile ride, which was 6.5 miles less!

One thing I really noticed during this ride was my comfort level cornering, getting aero and descending. I was a very timid rider when I first started and I have noticed a huge improvement. I got aero more often than ever before during this ride and stayed aero around turns and mild declines and inclines, whereas I used to pop up at the sight of a hill or corner. After getting my bike fitted last week I feel more comfortable in the aero position and it actually feels pretty good to be down there.

After the ride I ran 4.3 miles and felt really good, especially the first half because I had a really strong tailwind! I was cruising at 8:40 min/miles thinking how easy this Half Ironman is going to be. Then I turned around and got a strong headwind in my face and my pace dropped back into the low 9s and put me in my place! Pretty much every blog that I read about a person’s first Half Ironman talks about how they underestimated how hard it would be. Although this brick went well, I still need to remember to respect the distance and not to try to race it like I’m trying to win. Regardless, I will take it for what it was and be happy that I completed my longest ride to date feeling good!

How were your weekend workouts? How have you found your outdoor pace has translated into you race pace (ie is it the same or do you see a difference of 1 mph or 2 ?)

So What Exactly is Zone 2?

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Ah heart rate zones. I admit, I’ve been using my heart rate monitor frequently yet I am still not doing much with the data. I’ve been frustrated and confused with the whole thing and kind of just went into auto-pilot of using my Garmin heart rate monitor but not actually paying attention to it. The main reason that I got my V02 max test done back in December was so that I could get my training heart rate zones. I heard that I should race the Ironman in heart rate zone 2 and no higher, otherwise my stomach may shut down or I won’t have any energy left for the run.

However, my VO2Max results were a little unusual, according to the test proctor, a triathlon coach named Ken. My VO2Max is 95% of maximum heart rate (which is also high - 195) as compared to the average athlete’s 85-88%. Basically this means that I can sustain hard efforts for longer than a typical person (according to Ken anyway).  Maximum heart rate and VO2Max are the basis for the calculation of heart rates zones. Based on my data, my Zone 2 ended up at a 150-170 range. After using my Garmin’s heart rate monitor for a couple of weeks, I was finding that it was difficult for me to get my average heart rate  into Zone 2 on easy rides and on my super hard Sufferfest intervals, it was only getting up to the low 170s. I was kind of confused and began to wonder if my zones were incorrect. I e-mailed Ken and he sent me over a new set of zones based on Vo2Max being 88% of Max HR, despite the fact that my test showed otherwise. My new Zone 2  was 140-157 bpm or 140-157 watts and my peak high end Zone 5 was 174. However, since I use a power meter on the trainer, I realized that these also cannot be accurate. Usually my 80% effort during a Sufferfest DVD is about 200-220 and my 70% effort (ie around LT) is 175-195. “Easy” on the trainer is more like 160. So there is no way that a Zone 5 of 174 works since I’ll often max out at 250 or more.

So basically my data wasn’t matching up. Since the number 150 ended up in both sets of Zone 2 that Ken sent me, I decided to use that as a guide for rides. Going up hills my heart rate can get close to 170 and in general it stays between 145-155. However, during warm-ups and stop light sections, it can get down to 120. I was complaining to Mike one night about my heart rate zones not matching (which made me laugh thinking of Lauren’s blog post about surviving through training for an Ironman with your significant other – “I don’t give a sh*t what your heart rate was this morning!”) and he said “zone 2 is big.”

Zone 2 is Big (and not as easy as I thought)

Then it clicked. Zone 2 is a big zone. 150 should feel different than 170. Maybe the reason I have a hard time coming back from a long ride with a total average heart rate in Zone 2 is because there are so many stop lights and stop signs. When I’m actually cruising at a good, heart pumping pace, my heart rate IS in Zone 2. And, as Mike pointed out, when I’m sprinting during a Sufferfest, even though my HR only gets up to 175, it really doesn’t have time to get even higher since I only stay in that zone for 15 or 20 seconds. If I had more time at this pace, I’m sure it would skyrocket to the 180s, which is Zone 4. This was also confirmed by Joe Fiel in Going Long who mentions in the book that heart rate training during intervals is difficult since the heart rate takes time to catch up.  He recommends using perceived effort with intervals.

After re-reading the guide that Ken gave me after my V02 Max test, I realized that Zone 1′s description is “easy relaxed pace, gentle breathing” and it should be used for “active recovery” and executed “1-5 days a week, 20-240 minutes or more per session.” No wonder when I am cruising the coast on my bike and stopping at stop signs,  I’m still in Zone 1. I had it in my mind that Zone 1 was literally the effort it takes to walk or sit on the couch. I practically thought I was in Zone 1 as I type this sitting at the computer.  However, according to Ken, it’s totally normal to do a ride in Zone 1. Zone 2, on the other hand, has a description of “aerobic endurance, comfortable pace, deeper breathing” and is used for “aerboic intervals” and should be executed ”2-3 days a week, 30-120 minute+. So Zone 2 isn’t as easy as I thought.

LiveStrong.com cleared it up a bit for me as well:

Zone 1- Most of your training — and some of the race — should be done in Zone 1, or between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Zone 2 - About a quarter of your training time and most of the race should be done between 70 and 80 percent of your MHR. During training, you’ll use this pace to do longer speed work and your easier long runs, and this will be your “base” pace for the race itself. Zone 2 is still aerobic, using your fat stores for energy — but it is just on the border of your anaerobic threshold. Going any faster during the race will force your body to use your carb stores for fuel, and they will be depleted within a couple of hours.

So there you have it. I think that my original zones are right – despite being high. While reading Chris McCormick’s Book “I’m Here to Win” he mentioned not letting his HR get above 140 during the race. For me, 140 is in Zone 1. I’ve read other accounts of Ironmen racing with an HR no higher than 140. It does intimidate me a little bit that my heart rate is a bit higher than average, since I could risk going out too hard at the race, but I think that it’s legit. Running HR zones are about 10 bpm higher than cycling, meaning Zone 2 would be 160-180 for me. Seems high, but I ran 26.2 miles at the Surf City marathon with an average HR of 175. I also did a 18 mile training run with an average HR of 185.

Of course, I’ll keep comparing HR and perceived effort to figure out exactly where I should be for the race and adjust if necessary.

Why Do I Even Care What Zone 2 Is!?

If you aren’t familiar with heart rate zone training, the reason for knowing and staying within your desired zones is important for 2 reasons:

1) If you stay within HR Zone 2 during a race, you will burn more calories from fat (unlimited supply) rather than calories from carbohydrate (limited supply) and therefore reduce your chances of “bonking.”  Staying within this zone is imperative to maintain energy for the marathon that follows.

2) If you know your zones, you ensure that your easy training days are easy and  your hard training days are hard. Although perceived effort is also a great way to guide your way through a recovery or tempo workout, having data to support your perception is useful. Sometimes we think we’re going easy but our body doesn’t agree. And sometimes we think we’re pushing it but we’re not. Using your heart rate to train is useful for keeping it all in check.

Although both of these reasons are important to me, the main reason I care about my zones is for the Ironman itself. I want to have a good race and ideally I’d like to spend most of the marathon running, not walking or puking or on in a porta potty.

Do you agree with my perception on what zone 2 is? Any advice on heart rate training would be appreciated!

Ironman Training Week 11 – Learning to Love the Saddle

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This week’s goal was to get on the bike 5 times. I have that same goal for the next 6 weeks leading into my first Half Ironman (yes it’s only 6 weeks away, no don’t want to talk about it!). And I’m happy to say that I achieved my goal and was on the bike for 9.5 hours this week!

On the Road!

Week of February 13 – 19

Monday: I woke up early and headed to the gym for a 4 mile easy run on the treadmill followed by 2,000 meters of swimming. For my swim workout, I did a pyramid type workout of 400, 300, 200, 150, 100, 50 followed by 4 x 50 hard. During the warm-up and cool-down, I focused on bilateral breathing. After work Mike and I got on our trainers for a 60 minute spin while we watched The Voice.  After the spin, I put on my Personal Trainer hat and coached Mike and myself through a 20 minute upper body/core workout.

Tuesday: Happy Valentine’s Day! If couples that sweat together stay together, then we’re staying together a LONG time. We started our day with another 60 minute spin on the trainer, this time we watched The Bachelor. I must say watching reality TV while riding the bike really makes the time go faster! My trainer has a power meter and I use a heart rate monitor so I can make sure that I’m not taking it too easy. That night we celebrate Valentine’s Day with first a bottle of wine, then a nice three course meal at our favorite Italian restaurant, and ALSO another bottle of wine. We rarely drink wine and don’t drink in general that often, so needless to say we were quite tipsy by the end of the meal. We went to bed past our “bed time” and agreed that our scheduled bike ride for the next would have to be postponed.

Wednesday: Waking up hungover is never fun. It’s especially not fun when you have to go to work. Luckily after 2 cups of coffee and some Advil I felt better. After work Mike and I had yet another date on the trainers. We spun in zone 2 for 90 minutes on the trainer and followed it up with some push-ups, plank and core work. I tried to focus on staying in aero for as long as possible during this ride. The longest I made it was 13 minutes. I need to work on that! It may have something to do with the fact that I need to get my bike re-fitted (that’s on the agenda for Friday after work).

Thursday: You guessed it  - another ride on the trainer. This time we put on one of our favorite Sufferfest workouts – “Fight Club” which consists of 5 x 6.5 minute intervals at 70-80% max effort with 3 minute rest periods between. This workout definitely kicked my ass!  After work I headed to the gym for a 2,000 meter swim . After a 400 meter warm-up (with some bilateral breathing), I did 10 x 50 alternating focus on the length and keeping my fingers pointed down then did 4 x 200 at a medium-hard pace, followed by 100 meters of bilateral  breathing and a 200 cool down.

Friday: P90X Yoga! We modified it by skipping the Warrior 3 sequence and the balance postures,  bringing it down to 1 hour 20 minutes instead of 1 hour 35 minutes. After work I went to the bike shop that I purchased my tri bike at and had another fitting. I had purchased a new saddle as well as had some time to get used to my bike and wanted to make sure that I had the best fit possible. They made a few adjustments and I could tell a world of difference right away!

Saturday: We had originally scheduled a 50 mile bike ride for this week, but Mike suggested we bump it up to 60 and we all agreed. We had been stuck at the 40-50 mile bike ride range for months and we wanted to get a taste of a longer distance. Mike mapped us a 61 mile route with 2,440 feet of climbing in order to roughly simulate one loop of Ironman CdA which has 2,306 feet of climbing. So we biked 61 miles of hills and then ran 4. After this workout I truly felt like I was training for an Ironman. See my blog post about this ride here. 

Sunday: This was the first week of our new  Sunday routine. We joined a TriClub group at 8 a.m. for a 1 mile open water swim. The waves were pretty large (4-6 feet) and there was a strong rip current headed south, so just getting out past the waves was an effort. I’m pretty sure we swam at least 2,000 yards in total due to the current and the fact that we had to swim so much further out. Although we won’t be doing any beach starts in the Ironman, this was a good test of comfort in the water. It was also a good test of our ability to sustain cold water. The air temperature was about 58 and the water temp was about 57. My feet were numb for at least 30 minutes after we got out of the water.

After the swim, we went for our weekly long run. Now that the marathon is over, however, this meant a  8 mile run. It definitely took some time to warm up and mentally I was ready for this run to be over, but it didn’t feel too bad considering the beating my legs took on Saturday climbing.

Weekly Totals:

  • Meters Swam: ~6,000
  • Hours Biked (total time on the road): 9.5
  • Miles Run: 16
  • Hours of Core-work/Strength: ~1.75
  • Total Hours: 16.5

Nutrition

Nutrition was good this week. I was happy to have tried CarboPro and to have stuck to 200 calories/hour on the bike. I may try to increase it a bit next week and see how that feels. I made my favorite Yam and Black Bean Chili last week so we had that to go with our salads each day. On Saturday after our big bike ride we rewarded ourselves with pizza and a beer from my favorite pizza place, Pizza Port. And of course, I can’t forget the Girl Scout Cookies. I hunted these girls down on Sunday to get more Samoas! My love of dessert runs too deep for me to give it up during training. If there is any time in my life to indulge a bit, it’s now!

Reflection on the Week

This was the first week that I felt like I was truly training for an Ironman. Not a Half Ironman, but a real, full 140.6. I can’t believe that I worked out for nearly 17 hours and didn’t feel miserable! This was by far the highest volume week I’ve ever had, and surprisingly I felt good coming out of it. I had a bit of a stuffy nose last week but  it never turned into anything other than that so I trained through it (and made sure to get extra sleep). Since we had President’s Day off, we added on a 44 mile bike ride on our favorite hilly “Pizza Port Route,” for a total of 105 miles biked, 12 miles run and 2,000 meters swam in 3 days. However, if you do the math, this still doesn’t equal the volume I’ll be doing on race day. But, the good news is that we are getting closer and I am feeling stronger and more confident that I can do this! The fact that the ride took us much longer than I had hoped makes me realize that the weeks I projected 16 or 18 hours really will be 18 or 20 hour weeks. The 20 hour week will be 22. But, I’m ok with that. I just need to get in the miles and get plenty of sleep and feed my body right and it will get me to the finish line!

How was your week? What is your favorite post big workout meal? 

Getting a Taste of Coeur D’Alene

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I was fortunate enough to have the three-day weekend off this weekend and luckily so did Team WODS. We put together a pretty intense weekend training schedule with the focus being a 60 mile ride on Saturday that would roughly mimic one loop of the Coeur D’Alene bike course, followed immediately by a 4 mile run. The bike course for CdA was changed this year, but it still has LOTS of climbing. Check out the course profile:

If you can’t read that tiny font, that’s 2,306 feet of ascending per loop  for a total of 4,612 feet of climbing. Every time we tell someone who is familiar with Ironman that we are doing CdA they always say “lots of climbing!” or “tough bike course” or something to that effect. They also would say “very technical course” but luckily, the new route has removed a lot of the crazy twisting turns that used to make CdA a very technical bike course. I was relieved when this change was made since I’m a fairly new rider and not very comfortable with tight turns.

In order to prepare for CdA, we will be biking solely on hilly routes. While training for the marathon, we’d do some flat coastal rides to keep our legs fresh, but now that we are focusing on the bike portion of the race rather than a marathon, it’s time to ride those hills. Mike mapped us a 61 mile route that began with our beloved Pizza Port route and then took us up a very large hill called Del Dios. The route has 2,441 total feet of climbing, which is just slightly more than CdA.  We knew that this ride would be a good reflection of the race course.

The Ride

Not only would this be the longest I’ve ever ridden, but also the most climbing I’ve ever done. However, I set out feeling good about it and ready to conquer this beast. On Friday after work I had my bike refitted (I hadn’t had it done since I got the bike and I also got a new seat in the meantime) and also bought some CarboPro and Nuun. My nutrition plan was 200 calories per hour, with the assumption that I’d be finished in 4 hours. I had one water bottle with 200 calories of CarboPro and a 1/2 tablet of Nuun to start and carried with me a baggie of 200 more calories and the other half of the Nuun. I also brought 2 Stinger Waffles and 1 Gu with me. The Gu was to be taken at the end of the ride just before the 4 mile run.

The first half of this ride was the same route that I have ridden several times. I took it easy in the beginning and made it my goal to drink my entire water bottle of CarboPro by the time we got to the first pit stop, which is a gas station/car wash (it’s actually quite a nice one with very clean restrooms!) at mile 19. I was successful in drinking the entire bottle and also ate half of my first Stinger Waffle. Once I refilled my water bottle and we left the gas station, we headed up more hills and while shifting to get up one of these hills, I dropped my chain. I got off my bike and put my chain back on my bike, leaving my gloves on my hands. I kept riding and about 10 minutes later Asia and I were riding next to each other and she started laughing. Apparently I had wiped my nose with my gloves and also wiped chain grease all over my nose/face! We had a great laugh about it and stopped at the bottom of that hill to wipe it off and of course, take a picture:

Runny Nose & Chain Grease =

And yes, I still don’t have a pair of cycling glasses. I’m working on it!

Once we made our way up the next hill we got onto Del Dios highway, which is basically a series of massive hills (miles 29-38 on the map above). I focused on keeping my heart rate within zone 2, which for me is 150-170. At times it was pretty close to 170, which is not good. I was in my easiest gear and still felt like I was cranking at some points. There was definitely no option to just “spin” up the hill, like many suggest. Getting to the top was a relief and the boys were waiting for Asia and I there. We continued on through the back side of the Elfin Forest, which is a popular hiking spot for locals. Although the majority of this section was downhill, there were some pretty steep hills mixed in which at this point were not easy to get over. There was one last steep hill just before we hit “Pleasantville” which is this town that looks like the stars of Desperate Housewives live in. All the shops and restaurants are brand new and there is a big, immaculate park in the center of the city square. The houses look like they were made from a cookie cutter. We stopped here for the restroom and to refill our water bottles and eat (and take pictures).

With Asia

With Mike

Now we were in the home stretch. We made our way down more hills and even up a few more, and then ended up back on the end of our normal Pizza Port route. Although my quads were tired, overall I felt pretty good during the home stretch. I had taken in all of my calories except for the Gu and was feeling good. As soon as we hit the coast, with 2 miles to go, I took my Peanut Butter Gu (so good – tastes like you are just eating a tablespoon of PB but easier to eat). When we got home, we put on our running clothes and set out for a 4 mile run. As it seems to usually be the case, Asia and I went out and maintained a good pace, ending up with an average overall of 8:44 min/miles.

Although this ride took us longer than I had hoped (5 hours including stop lights, 4 hours 15 minutes total ride time – including lots of slowing for stop lights and stop signs), I felt like it was reassuring that I’m ready for the half Ironman on March 31 (which only has 1,600 feet of climbing). It was also a valuable lesson in the difficulty of the CdA bike course. A 60 mile route with 2,500 feet of climbing is extremely different from a 60 mile flat route. I feel very fortunate to have access to so many hills so close to my home! We don’t even have to drive anywhere to ride a course similar to our race course, which is definitely an advantage. I tried not to get too discouraged about the length of time it took us to complete the route since I know that race day has a lot fewer obstacles like stop lights and stop signs. I was also happy that I didn’t really “bonk” on this ride – my 800 calories of fuel seemed to do the trick. After the half Ironman, I may start increasing my calories a bit on the bike since I will have to run a full marathon after I get off. I’m still working on that plan!

Do you ride a route that is similar to your race course? If you are doing CdA, what do you think about the new bike course?

2 Awesome Soups for Ironman Fueling

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Since we did P90X, we have been on this rotation of 3 lunches – tuna salad, turkey avocado salad, or a turkey avocado sandwich. When we were doing a lower volume of workouts, just having one of these things plus a piece of fruit was enough for me. However, now that I’m in higher volume training, I need more calories but I don’t want to add processed food and saturated fats to my diet to get there. For several of the past Sundays, I’ve been making a big batch of soup and then giving Mike and myself 1-2 cups of it to eat with our lunch, or as a large afternoon snack.  I thought I’d share my two favorite soup recipes with you.

Both of these recipes are low-fat, contain lots of veggies and most importantly, are full of low glycemic, high fiber, carbohydrates to keep your energy level consistent throughout the day. They also contain plenty of vegetables which provide essential antioxidants and vitamins to keep you healthy.

Lentil Soup (modified from All Recipes)

Lentil Soup

 
Lentils are a great food for athletes. Lentils are a great source of carbohydrates  yet they are also very high in fiber, keeping you full longer and stabilizing blood sugar. Lentils are additionally a great source of Iron, Potassium and B Vitamins, all of which are essential for endurance athletes. Even better, lentils provide a significant amount of protein – they are the plant with the 3rd highest level of protein (26% of calories in lentils are from protein). I changed the recipe from All Recipes to include 1 tbsp of yellow curry powder to give it some extra flavor.
 
Ingredients: 
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 tbsp yellow curry powder (optional)
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups dry lentils
  • 8 cups water
  • 1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
  1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, curry, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes. I didn’t use bay leaf mostly because they don’t sell them at Trader Joe’s and I was too lazy to get it! So don’ t worry if you have to omit one ingredient.
  2. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

This soup is really good and really easy to make! It’s incredible how much the lentils expand as they cook. This recipe prepares enough soup for nearly a whole week!

Yam and Black Bean Chili (Modified from a recipe in Tony Horton’s book “Bring It!”)

Black Bean and Yam Chili

 
 
Every time I eat this chili I feel like I’m getting healthier. Every ingredient is full of nutrients and antioxidants. Black beans, in particular, are great for athletes. Just like lentils, black beans are full of fiber and low glycemic carbohydrates, providing a steady source of fuel to keep you full for longer. Black beans have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which fight cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the contain zinc, manganese, vitamin B6 and Iron, all of which are beneficial to athletes.
 
Both yams and red peppers are full of Vitamin C, which can aid in the removal of free radicals from the blood, thereby reducing your risk of cancer. Yams also contain a significant amount of potassium which is essential in regulating muscle and nerve activity. Yams are also broken down at a much slower rate than potatoes, leaving you full longer.
 
Ingredients: 
  • 1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 5 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 Medium Red Onion, Diced
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper, Seeded and Diced
  • 1 T Cumin
  • 1 T Chili Powder (the first time I made this I used 2 T and it the kind of overpowered the dish)
  • 1 Large Sweet Potato, Cut into ½” Cubes
  • Zest & Juice of 1 Lime
  • 1 Can (28oz) Fire Roasted Crushed Organic Tomatoes
  • 1 C  water
  • 3 Cans of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 t Cocoa Powder

Directions:

In large skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil.  Sauté garlic, onion, pepper and salt until vegetables are soft, 4-5 minutes.  Meanwhile, microwave your sweet potato whole until it is soft (5-8 minutes) and then cut them into cubes. I added this step because I found that the sweet potatoes stay very hard if you just add them to the chili and I prefer them soft.

Add the cumin and chili powder and stir to combine.  Cook for another minute.  Add the sweet potato and lime zest and cook for about 5 minutes (longer if you didn’t microwave the sweet potatoes). Add the tomatoes, black beans, cocoa powder, water and lime juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover – simmer for 10 minutes.

This stew is very hearty on its own. If we eat it for dinner, oftentimes I’ll make some chicken to eat with it and even vegetables. However, you can eat it on its own or even pour it over rice. It’s not really a good stew for dipping bread since it is too thick.

Another note – oftentimes I will add an extra 14 oz can of tomato, another small sweet potato, and an extra can of black beans to make even more stew so it will last longer.

Enjoy!!!

Do you have any tricks for getting enough quality food in during high volume training weeks? Any links to recipes to share?

Public Pool Personalities

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Last June I swam freestyle in a public pool alone for the first time. I was on the swim team in high school where I swam on the right side of the lane down, did a flip turn and swam on the right side back. We would have anywhere from 4-8 of us in one lane at a time but it worked because we were all around the same pace. This is also how a masters swim works.  However, the public pool is a whole new terrain full of people with very different swimming paces and goals. The first time I got into a public pool I wasn’t even sure what to do. I figured out quickly that if you share a lane with someone, there are only allowed to be 2 people per lane and each person stays on their own side of the lane. I found that it is polite to ask someone if you can share their lane, especially if they are swimming down the center.

Now that I’m swimming on my own at the public pool quite frequently, I’ve come across quite a  few “personalities.” During one particular swim (I was sharing a lane with Butterfly Bill from below), I came up with an idea for a blog that would name and describe all the swim styles of people I’ve swam with.

Swim Personalities: 

The Know it All - Gives you advice on your form without you asking . I.e. “Your hand isn’t following through all the way. You’re losing 60% of your power by not following through” (Yes, this happened to me).

Competitive Craig - Craig doesn’t like that you are a girl and can swim faster than him so he decides to work really hard to race you even though you aren’t racing him. Watch out for his girlfriend Competitive Carrie too.

Butterfly Bill -Bill takes over the whole lane and creates massive waves due to his insistence on doing fly stroke. Swimming with Butterfly Bill can be good practice for open water swims in choppy water. You may also want to watch out as you pass because you may get a hand to the face.

Flirtatious Fred - Fred checks you out as you do your workout and then pays you a compliment on your swim technique, followed by a request for advice. For example,  ”You look like you know what you are doing, do you know how to work these ear plugs!?” (Yes. this also happened to me).

The Drowning Frog -  This is an elderly man or woman, typically quite petite or thin, that decides to slowly move back and forth down the lane doing a version of breast stroke where their feet nearly hit the bottom of the pool. Watch out for a swift kick to the side if you decide to swim near this person.

Manatee Marty - Sorry but I had to say it. This is the huge guy who has terrible swim form that slowly makes his way down the lane. Usually he takes massive gasps of air with his head completely out of the water and his lower  body sinks as he swims. He usually won’t do flip turns or even put his feet down at the wall – he’ll just slowly rotate his body around at the end of the lane and make his way back. His form and speed resemble a near extinct sea mammal.

Down to Business Betty/Bill - This person usually comes with a laminated or covered workout and carries kickboards, pool buoys and the like with him or her. Look for a swim cap announcing participation in either a triathlon or masters swim event. If there’s a wait for a swim lane, don’t expect  this person to finish their workout anytime soon to accommodate you.

Timid Terry- This is the person who waits until you are completely finished with your set (even if you are swimming on one side of the lane) to ask if they can share a lane. They will also thank you profusely for sharing your space with them. If you share a lane, they will try to avoid you at all costs.

Fin Frank - Typically male, this person wears fins in the pool and loves to race you, even though there is no way that you can keep up with them, despite their poor swim stroke.

Which swim personality (ies) are you? Which ones do you hate the most!? Do you have any to add? 

Ironman Training Week 10 – Marathon Recovery

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This week was all about recovery from the marathon! I got in a lot of sleep, ate healthy food and did some very low intensity workouts. Check it out!

Monday: This was the first day after the marathon, so obviously it was a rest day. Mike and I were in bed at 8:30 p.m. Sunday night and we got nearly 10 hours of sleep which was helpful. I took a 1.3 mile walk around the block at lunch. I was literally limping and it took me and my coworker nearly 10 minutes longer to complete this loop than it usually does!

Tuesday: Slept in and then went to a Masters Swim that is put on through the Tri Club at night. This was different from the Masters Swim I used to go to, as it’s at a different pool and was smaller and taught by only one coach. We did some unique things like try to swim freestyle underwater and then sprint back and then did some fast 100s and 50s. Due to the fact that this was more of a technique oriented master’s swim, we only got in 1,700 meters. I definitely realized the value in masters swims after attending, although I think I should limit it to one time a week. I tend to push myself hard in these workouts since I’m in a group and I definitely reverted back to my old form during the sprints. Starting next week I’d like to do 1 swim on my own, 1 Masters Swim and then 1 open water swim. I think this will be a good balance.

Wednesday: Started the day with P90x2 Yoga and felt amazing. I was able to get in 8  hours of sleep despite my 6 a.m. wake-up call and at the end of the workout I was SO glad that I did it. I could barely touch my toes at the beginning and by the end I was practically back to my old self. After work I watched TV and did an easy 60 minutes on the trainer. My legs felt surprisingly fresh, although not completely back to normal.

Yoga is My Recovery Miracle Worker!

Thursday: I headed to the gym first thing in the morning to swim 2,000 meters . After a 400 warm-up I did 20 x 50, alternating focus on length and keeping fingers pointed down. Then I did four hard 100s and followed by a 200 cool down. After work Mike and I had plans to do an easy 60 minute spin on the trainer, but Mike was sick so we decided to rest instead.

Friday: Rest. 9.5 hours of sleep? Yes please.

Saturday: Asia and Jeremy were running late Saturday morning so I warmed up with about 20 minutes of chest and core work. I did push-ups, plank, plank punches, Mason Twists, v-push ups and Pike push-ups. Let me tell you that I have lost A LOT pf my upper body strength. At the finish of P90X I was able to do 30 push-ups (not on my knees) and now 15 was hard! Once Jeremy and Asia arrived, we went for a 30 mile bike ride  which consisted of a combination of rolling hills and flat coastline. I had been advised by a fellow blogger and triathlete, Maria, to not run at all the week post marathon. She also told me not to ride over 2 hours and to take it easy. I took her advice and was glad I did! It was really nice to “only” exercise for 2 hours on a weekend morning. I felt like I had a full day ahead of me after my workout and I didn’t have to take a nap!

Sunday: 30 mile bike ride along the coast- i.e. all flat! Same deal with Saturday – I kept it easy and was finished early enough to have a productive day. I knew I better enjoy these days while I can!

Weekly Totals: 

  • Miles Run: 0
  • Hours Biked: 5.5
  • Meters Swam: ~3,700
  • Minutes of Core Work: 80
  • Total Hours: ~8.75

Nutrition

I had a really healthy week. After eating out so much the previous week, it was nice to eat in for nearly every meal. Although I vowed last week to lay off the desserts, the Girl Scouts came around and ruined my good intentions. Totally worth it though. On the bike I had one Stinger Waffle on Saturday’s ride and nothing on Sunday’s ride. I didn’t think it was necessary for such a short ride since I had cereal about 45 minutes before each ride.

I think I had a productive recovery week and I definitely came out of the weekend feeling refreshed and ready to conquer a full week of Ironman training!

Do you have any post-race recovery tips to share? 

Time to Ride!

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The marathon is over, I’ve had a week to recover, and now it’s time to get to business! We have 7 weeks until the Half Ironman and it’s time to ramp up my bike training. Since the bike is my weakest of the three sports (at TriRock I was 4th in the swim, 3rd on the run, and 8th on the bike), this is a long time coming, but the last few months have been very run-focused as I prepared for the marathon. I definitely have been good about getting in three rides a week,  but I really meant to get in at least four. There were some weeks that I did ride 4 times,  but overall there were more that I didn’t. Now that the marathon is over, I’ve changed up my schedule and decided that the next 7 weeks of training is going to be focused on improving my cycling endurance and speed.

The first part of my bike training plan is to ride my bike 5 times a week. One of these rides will be my long ride, one will be a high intensity interval session (i.e. Sufferfest), and there will be one 90 minute and two 60 minute zone 2 spin sessions per week.

We are also going to break the 50 mile mark and start doing some longer rides. We’ve been kind of stuck between the 40-50 mile ride mark for a few months now, mostly due to the fact that we were running 16-21 miles on the weekends. Starting this Saturday, we’ll be bumping it up to 60 miles, then 65, then 70, backing it down, getting in another 70 and then starting the taper for the Half Ironman.

The sacrifice in my schedule that was made to accomodate the 5 bike rides was one easy 5-6 mile run that I had scheduled on Wednesdays. I think that replacing this run with an easy bike ride will not do any damage to my run split at the Half Ironman since I just spent so much time training for the marathon. I’ll still be able to get three runs in – one speed work session, one long run and one run off the bike.

Post Half Ironman I will probably go back to three swims, four runs and four bikes schedule, but for now, the focus is the bike and I’m ready to make some big improvements! I’ve already seen a pretty incredible improvement since I started cycling last June and I hope to keep getting better.  As I learned in my V02 Max test, I have potential to be a very strong cyclist and I’m excited to see what some serious focus on the bike can do for me.

Another focus in the coming weeks will be my nutrition on the bike. Based on some advice I’ve received, I’m going to purchase Carbopro, which is a flavorless pure carbohydrate drink. I’m going to mix this with a subtle electrolyte mix (still deciding on this one) and then eat my Stinger Waffles. I’m going to start with 200 calories/hour first and see how I feel. From there, I’ll tweak it and see what works best for me. During the full Ironman I plan to incorporate something like a peanut butter banana sandwich but I don’t think I’ll need this for the Half Ironman.

What  is your nutrition strategy for long bike rides and the bike portion of a long race?